Calloused Feet Be-Gone!!!

Tough some are lucky never to suffer from this affliction, calloused feet are one of the most common and the least talked about nuisance for both men and women. Embarrassing in summer time, painful in winter time, calloused feet are a chronic and persistent condition that requires frequent care. Some experimentation is a must – what works for someone else may not work for you. Generally, comprehensive combination of foot soaks, scrubs, exfoliants and treatments can help and good pedicure once in while is a must. The downside is that calloused feet care can cost a lot of money.

The upside is that one of the best calloused feet treatments once again comes straight from nature. It costs mere pennies and you probably have exactly what you need right in your fridge. All you need is a slice of lemon. Rub juicy part of lemon slice over your feet every evening and let lemon juice dry completely. Make sure you do not use lemon juice over the broken and cracked skin. Throw away used lemon slice. Repeat every night with fresh lemon slice for few weeks and you will notice gradual softening and thinning of calloused skin. Use long enough and your feet will regain a healthy rose pink glow.

Completely natural, lemon treatment is safe to use every time calluses appear. To boot it is affordable and does not have fillers, preservatives and chemicals found in many calloused products. Start early and you can kiss heavy socks and foot camouflage goodbye. Enjoy!!

For more natural beauty solutions visit Nina Bella Organic Collection.

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Palm Oil in Organic Skin Care

Palm oil, a popular cooking medium has been working the scene for centuries making slow but sure breakthrough in organic skin care. In equal parts affordable and beneficial, palm oil is more often than not one of the most common organic bath and beauty products ingredients.

Hailing from West Africa, palm oil has been transported to Europe and reminder of the world in 19^th century. As the name indicates, palm oil is derived from the fruits of palm trees. It is a great source of beta carotene which gives it its naturally dark orange to reddish color. Chemically, palm oil is composed of saturated and unsaturated fats in the forms of glyceryl laurate (0.1%, saturated), myristate (1%, saturated), palmitate (44%, saturated), stearate (5%, saturated), oleate (39%, monounsaturated), linoleate (10%, polyunsaturated), and alpha-linolenate (0.3%, polyunsaturated), vitamins and antioxidants. Because of high saturated fat content, palm oil is quite stable, slow to oxidize and semi-solid at room temperature.

This means that palm oil is an ideal ingredient to work with in organic skin care. From soap making, to shampoo crafting, to shower gels and bubble baths, to moisturizing lotions to body butters, palm oil seems to have almost limitless number of applications. Its ability to clarify, remove excess sebrum and dirt from hair and skin mean it is great for organic bath products. Palm oil is very easy saponify and is a great organic soap starter. Its ability to moisturize and nourish, mean making a nice moisturizer, cream of a lotion is as easy as adding good quality palm oil to your formula.

As always in organic skin care you want to make sure you use quality palm oil. So stay away from chemically extracted, perfumed and bleached oil- it has a cheaper price tag but it also has significantly lower quality. When it comes to your skin it is worth it to pay a bit more to get cold pressed hand processed palm oil. Make sure your label backups up the promise. Organic. Pure. Green. Nutritious. Honest. This is what makes organic bath and beauty manufacturing different.

For more on products that use only certified organic ingredient visit Nina Bella Organic Collection.

Coconut Oil Dry Elbow Skin Cure

Dry, scaly chapped elbow skin. Embarrassing in summer time, painful in wintertime and always unwelcome – scaly, dry chapped elbows are a persistent problem for many. You can try countless creams, preparations, and ointments but until you turn to natural solutions, chances are you are stuck with them. Why is that so? Because most industrial dry skin preparations have preservatives and stabilizing agents are harsh compounds that damage and chap skin, which on the long run, negates the initial skin smoothing effects of other active ingredients. With natural ingredients, such as coconut oil, that naturally moisturize and nourish skin, you don’t have to risk that. So your elbows look great and you do not have to break bank to get them that way.

Here is a great coconut oil formula you can make in comfort of your own home that will blast scaly, dry, chapped elbow skin away.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of almond oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix coconut and almond oil together. Mix honey and lemon juice well and add to coconut and almond oil mixture. Apply ready mix to dry chapped elbows. Wrap tightly with saran wrap and let stand 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, wash gently with mild low foaming organic or natural soap and warm water and tap dry. Repeat two times a week for best results.  Store the unused mixture in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Say goodbye to dry chapped elbows and say helps to summer clothes! Thank you for visiting Nina Bella Collection blog and website.

Lemon Essential Oil in Natural Bath and Beauty Care

Lemon essential oil is one of the most popular and widely used natural bath and beauty oils. Hailing from Pompei and transposed to seductive Italy by early settlers, lemon essential oil is known for its refreshing and cooling properties. Of all essential oils, it is considered one of the most valuable oils for skin and body.

Chemically, lemon essential oil contains limonene, which is responsible for the oil’s tangy-fruity aroma, and citral, which is responsible for lemon note in the aroma profile, dimonene, a powerful antioxidant very beneficial for skin and body, neral, geranial, as well as vitamins A, B and C. The higher neral and geranial concentration the higher the quality, so this is something you want to consider when picking out lemon essential oil. Lemon essential oil has watery consistency, and pale yellow to light green/yellow color, with freshly peeled lemon scent.

It is extracted by cold-pressing from fresh lemon peel. Following cold-pressing various lemon essential oil are often blended together to produce a more consistent aroma profile. This is why lemon essential oils purchased from different manufactures and regions may smell and look different. Due to many beneficial properties lemon essential oil is often in soaps, shampoos, face wash and many personal care and skin care natural bath and beauty products. Let’s see why that is.

For starters it is a very powerful antiseptic, antibiotic and astringent. In one shot, it cleanses, detoxifies and purifies body and skin. Being a strong astringent it is ideal for oily, blemished skin. Used regularly it will clear and rejuvenate even the most dull and tired skin. Second it is natural bleaching agent, and great for naturally lightening freckles and adding sun-kissed highlights to your hair. It will also eliminate dandruff, nourish and strengthens hair so may want to try adding some lemon essential oil to your regular hair routine. Third, lemon essential oil has high concentration of vitamins and will rejuvenate and de-wrinkle ageing skin. Fourth, and this is a little know but true fact, lemon essential oil is a great skin resurfacer and can be used to help smooth skin and reduce appearance of cellulite. Similarly, lemon essential oil is great for treating and minimizing tough and calloused skin and it just may be your feet’s new best friend.

Lemon essential oil is easy to work with. It bends easy and works great with many other essential oils including lavender essential oil, rose oil, neroli essential oil, sandalwood oil, geranium essential oil, ylang ylang essential oil and tea tree essential oil. Cheerful and uplifting this it is particularly designed to distress and improve mood, so it allows you to create products with dual skin care and aromatherapy benefits.

To explore how lemon essential oil can benefit your skin care, visit Nina Bella Collection and a great selection of you lemon essential oil based products.

Dry Skin Formula

Dry skin comes with its own unique set of challenges. Flakiness, dry patches, wrinkles and irritation are just tip of the iceberg, and dermatitis, itchy rashes and eczema are real issues. The fact is dry skin care requires advanced moisturizing care. There are plenty of choices out there. There are also plenty of chemicals you will be exposed to when using industrial moisturizing creams. In the long run that may bring more damage then good. This is why more and more people turn to natural dry skin care.

Once again, by a rule of thumb, turn to natural plant and essential oils. Plant oils are a perfect mix of antioxidants that protect skin, vitamins and minerals that nourish skin and natural moisturizers that keep skin well hydrated. And you do not have to worry about chemicals or harmful additives. Plus creating your own dry skin formula can be fun and will not break the bank.

When coming up with your own dry skin formula, do your research. You want to select oils based on benefits suited to your particular dry skin issue, that being patchiness, flakiness or – yes – eczema. This way you can customize your formula by aroma, consistency and particular concern you might have. Sweet orange oil, a powerful moisturizing agent is the best place to start. Add a mix of two or more plant oils and some essential oils and voila – you are there. It is that easy.

Here is an easy starter dry skin formula to try:

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup grape seed oil

¼ cup jojoba oil

1 tablespoon sweet orange essential oil

Mix olive, grape seed and jojoba oil together. Add sweet orange essential oil and mi well. Apply a small quantity of ready formula over dry skin and massage in until absorbed. Repeat three to four times a week or best results. Store formula in dry place, away from sun.

Compliments of Nina Bella Collection – your Canadian organic bath and beauty care manufacturer.

Nail and Hand Care Treatment

Life puts a lot of stress on our hands and nails. Dish washing, tub scrubbing, cleaning, hot and cold weather and genetics all cause chapped hands and weak, peeling nails. Natural home-made nail and hand care treatment is an easy and cost effective solution.

By default anything with jojoba oil is a good bet. Jojoba oil resembles skin sebrum and absorbs into nails and skin easily and rapidly. It also has antioxidants nails and skin need to maintain healthy balance and defend against elements. Plant based oils, such as olive oil, create moisture barrier over skin and nails which prevents dehydration so you may want to add some of those. Any juice packed with Vitamin C blends well with oils, makes nails stronger and skin supple. Don’t be afraid to get creative and add some essential oils to your treatment. Essential oils smell great, have many benefits and are a great way to customize any natural beauty treatment.

 Feel free to use our favorite nail and hand treatments recipe or create your own using following guidelines:

 Ingredients:

 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon rose water

2 teaspoons jojoba oil

1 teaspoon essential lavender oil

Mix lemon juice, rose water and jojoba oil until blended. Add olive oil and essential lavender oil and mix well. Rub in a small amount of ready treatment to your hands and nails daily. Mix well before each use. Store in dark, cold space.

To learn more about natural cosmetic crafting, check out many Nina Bella Collection favorites updated weekly.

Jojoba Oil in Organic and Natural Beauty Care

Jojoba is evergreen tree, native to the Sonoran Desert in the American Southwest. It requires minimum amount of water and manure to cultivate, is extremely resistant to plant diseases and insects, and perfect choice for dry, arid regions. Jojoba oil is extracted from nuts of jojoba trees and used in variety of applications from food to beauty.

Contrary to the popular belief, jojoba oil is not oil at all. Chemically it is a mixture of liquid wax esters. The only reason it is called so is because is it an oil-resembling liquid.  It is a highly stable, oxidation resistant liquid wax with high molecular weight, meaning it can stand for a long time without becoming rancid.

It is most commonly used in its refined and unrefined form. Unrefined jojoba oil is a clear golden liquid while refined jojoba oil is a colorless and odorless liquid. Based on purification and processing, jojoba oil is additionally divided into four grades:

• Grade one
  • Pure and natural type jojoba oil, with a golden or yellow color, preferably used in organic and natural cosmetics.
• Grade two
  • Refined and bleached jojoba oil that is colorless.
• Grade three
  • De-colored and deodorized grade, commonly used in mainstream cosmetics.
• Grade four
  • Molecular distilled oil that is very expensive.

Grade one jojoba oil is most similar to skin sebum which is why it is preferred as an additive to many skin care and hair care products. It is non-toxic, non-comedogenic, non-allergenic, anti-bacterial and non-irritating, so it does not clog pores and does not cause allergic reactions. This makes jojoba oil a logical choice for natural and organic bath and beauty products.

Being similar to skin sebrum, jojoba oil is readily absorbed into skin and does not leave oily residue like other oils do. It has a high content of beneficial minerals and vitamins such as Vitamin E, so jojoba oil is very nutritious and unparallel in dry skin and hair care. If that is not enough, jojoba oil is a strong antioxidant which protects skin from the damaging effects of free radicals which ages skin prematurely.  This is why 90%of all jojoba oil produced is used in the cosmetic and hair industry. Many bath and beauty organic and natural products are also built and manufactured around it.

Who knew such an unassuming little oil wannabe could be so good at keeping us beautiful?

For ideas on how to use jojoba oil in everyday beauty care, follow Nina Bella Collection blog and visit our website!

Basic Beautiful Skin Mask for All Skin Types

All skin, no matter the skin type, needs a little extra care now and then. This is particularly true in winter when extreme cold and harsh winds dry, flake and crack the skin. At home natural mask can be your best friend in beating winter blues and keeping your skin supple and healthy. Used regularly a good skin mask can help hydrate, purify, and exfoliate skin revealing more youthful complexion. Natural skin masks are particularly good solution as they use fresh ingredients that deliver natural emollients, nourishing vitamins and minerals. For a quick and affordable fix, use this easy to make basin skin mask, suitable for all skin types.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
• 1 small raw potato
• 2 tablespoons soy flour
• 1 teaspoon grape seed oil

Finely grate 1 small potato and squeeze juice from potato pulp. Boil chopped parsley leaves in 1/4 cup of water, let cool off and drain the liquid. Add 1 tablespoon of parsley juice and 1 tablespoon of potato juice with egg white and mix well.  Gradually add 2 tablespoons of soy flower mixing to uniform consistency. Add 1 teaspoon of grape seed oil and continue mixing until paste forms. Apply ready paste in thick layer over clean face and let rest for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes wash (avoid rubbing skin) with lukewarm water and pat dry. Repeat twice a month for best results. Discard remaining paste after each use.

Beautiful skin is Nina Bella Collection skin. Come back soon for more quick beauty solutions!

Plum Oily Skin Treatment

Roughly 30% of population suffers from oily skin. Oily skin is caused by over-active sebaceous glands that produce skin oil which acts as skin lubricant. Over accumulation and buildup of oil on the skin surface interferes with natural skin cycle, leads to clogged pores, blackheads and dead skin cells buildup causing skin thickening, shininess, blemishes and pimples. This is why oily skin often has enlarged pores, dull, rough and worn appearance. On the upside, oily skin is very resistant, less prone to wrinkling, ageing and bad weather. That, however, is small comfort to those of us who have to reach repeatedly for oil and shine minimizing products, heavy powders and mattifiers in desperate attempt to quench the daily oil spill.

Like in everything, when treating oily skin, moderation is the key. Over stripping skin oil leads to skin dehydration as the skin natural protective layer is removed and over-stimulation of sebaceous glades so that even more oil is secreted in a desperate attempt of our skin to protect itself. Best results are achieved by using natural and organic face cleansers formulated especially for oily skin. Any natural/organic skin cleanser with pH close to skin’s natural pH, 5.4, is a good bet. Getting one is as simple as looking in your fridge and making your own, natural and cost effective oily skin tonic. Try one of our favorites – plum tonic:

Ingredients:

4 ripe plums, green or black
1 tablespoon of mineral water
1 teaspoon of essential lavender oil

Remove plum pits and skins. Pure cleaned plums with mixer.  Separate plum juice from the pulp. Add essential lavender oil and mineral water to plum juice and mix well. To use apply generous portion of plum tonic to clean skin and let rest 20 minutes before rinsing off. Pat dry. Apply three times a week for best results. Store plum tonic in fridge for up to one month.

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Cure Cold Sores with Lavender

Cold sores are annoying small, painful, fluid-filled reminders of how our body can react to colds, stress and weather. Popping around the mouth, lips and nose cold sores are painful, persistent and usually last for days, leaving most of us scrambling after concealers, powders and heavy creams that can make the problem worse. It is common nuisance – about 60% of the population suffers from cold sores at some point in their lives. And because cold sores are caused by a virus, they are contagious, hard to get rid of and often reoccur. This is why a golden rule of not picking cold sores with our hands applies and why they spread around the face when we do.

Today I will share with you a fairly simple and effective way to treat and prevent cold sores naturally. All you really need to do is spend 5 minutes making a simple tonic with lavender essential oil. Known for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties lavender has been used a natural cure for cold sores and skin inflammations for centuries. To make your own lavender cold sore tonic do the following:

 Ingredients:

8 drops of lavender essential oil

8 drops of peppermint essential oil

1 teaspoon of glycerin

½ cup warm water

½ cup of witch hazel

Add lavender and peppermint essential oils to 1 teaspoon of glycerin and mix well. Add to ½ cup of warm water and mix well. Add ½ cup of witch hazel and mix well. To use dab a generous amount of tonic on affected areas with cotton compress and let dry. Apply two times a day until cold sore clears. Store the tonic in cold place for up to 3 months. Shake tonic well before each use.