Vitamins for Your Skin

When picking the right skin product it is a good idea to check the ingredients to see if it has the right skin nourishing combination. Good product should contain most if not all of following vitamins to keep skin supple and healthy:

a) Vitamin A

Vitamin A is in charge of maintenance and repair of vital skin tissue, and is the key to healthy skin. Lack of vitamin A can cause skin dryness and wrinkles.

b) Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin B complex contains the nutrient, biotin, which forms the basis of nails, skin, and hair cells. It is anti-inflammatory, it hydrates the skin cells and gives a healthy glow to skin.

c) Vitamin C

In skin, vitamin C can help collagen production. This in turn reduces wrinkles, improves skin texture, and reduces photo damage.

d) Vitamin E

The trick to getting soft touchable skin is vitamin E. It regenerates skin and can improve appearance of acne scars.

e) Vitamin K

Vitamin K is your secret weapon to fighting dark circles and bruises. This vitamin helps fade discolorations on the skin, reducing puffiness and dark circles that so many of us suffer from.

While off the shelf cosmetic product can come packed with artificially synthesized vitamin groups, you really want to go as organic as possible. Organically sourced vitamins absorb into skin better and are more potent bringing better overall skin benefits.  Whenever possible choose the facial products that source vitamins from organic ingredients.

When it comes down to your skin, healthier is better. Please check out our  great selection of organic products at Nina Bella Organic Collection.

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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!

Fragrance Oils – Bad for Your Skin!

Fragrance oils. They smell nice and they are cheap. And they are also very bad for your health and for your skin.

Our skin is our body’s largest organ. It covers and protects everything inside our body. It holds our tissues, organs, bones and muscles together and keeps us alive by protecting us from damage, chemicals and pathogens. Skin also absorbs compounds from anything that touches it, air, water and body care products. When we use products with fragrance oils, harmful chemicals are absorbed through our skin and transported to various parts of our body where they can cause damage. And therein lies the danger.

No matter how good fragrance oil smells,  it is an artificial product made in a laboratory from petrochemicals to mimic scents of plants, flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables. National Academy of Sciences reports that as many as 95% of chemicals used in fragrance oil production are derived from petroleum and contain benzene derivatives, aldehydes and similar known toxins and synthetic compounds capable of causing:

• Cancer
• Birth defects
• Central nervous system disorders
• Allergic reactions

Being volatile, fragrance oils evaporate and settle on surface of hair, clothes, furniture and food. When they touch our skin, fragrance oils alter the skin’s surface tension and increase absorption of chemicals that lead to conditions such as:

• Skin allergies
• Skin irritations
• Increased photosensitivity
• Contact dermatitis
• Affect the brain and nervous system in temporary and permanent fashion
• Modify brain blood flow
• Alter blood pressure
• Alter pulse
• Affect mood
• Trigger migraine headaches
• Induce or worsen respiratory problems.
• Act as respiratory irritants
• Act as respiratory sensitizers
• Disrupt estrogen and testosterone hormones

The reason manufacturers like using fragrance oils is that it is  a very cheap way to scent the products.  And with over 99% of the bath and beauty products containing fragrance oils, they are hard to avoid.

There are choices though. Products with natural and organic essential oils, are a safe alternative that make skin beautiful and keep consumer safe through following benefits:

• Sourced naturally from plants, fruits, vegetables and herbs
• Safe
• 100% Natural
• Great natural scent
• Superior skin care
• NON toxic
• Soothe inflammation
• Act as an antiseptic
• Help dull pain
• Stimulate digestion
• Promote relaxation
• Provide natural skin care
• Many more!

You can have beautiful and fragrant skin without compromising your health. Bath and beauty products with organic essential oils have a great scent and offer a safe and affordable skin care alternative.