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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Industrial vs. Organic Bath Products

Anyone who has used industrial bath products knows they often leave skin dry, flaky and itchy.  This is caused by combined action of heavy industrial foaming agents, fragrance oils, industrial preservatives and industrial surfactants. Harsh industrial foaming agents such as SLS, SLES, ASL and ASEL, make nice bubbles but they also overstrip the skin of natural oils necessary to maintain healthy skin’ balance. Heavy fragrance oils enhance product scent but cause skin irritation, chapping and leave heavy artificial fragrance on skin. Industrial preservatives such as parabens, prolong product shelf life but can interfere with organ and reproductive functions. Industrial surfactants that wetting agents that help products spread over skin, are known eye, skin, nose, and throat irritants.

In contrast, organic bath products use natural and organic foaming, scent, preservative and surfactant alternatives that are mild and skin and body friendly. Organic bath products use natural foaming agents sourced from plants. They are mild, low foaming, effectively clean skin and maintain skin’s balance and pH without risking your health. For scent organic bath products often use organic essential oils which are proven beneficial to skin care and which leave behind a natural, clean plant scent. In terms of preservatives, organic bath products rely on combination of essential and carrier oils that have natural anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties, such are rosemary and grapefruit. In terms of surfactants, organic bath products use natural and wild-crafted alternatives derived from organic certified carrier oils and butters that are mild and non-irritating.  The end result is safe, consumer ready product that will deliver peak care, minus the harmful side –effects.

For consumer the best advice is – research the product, check ingredients and ask your manufacturer for assurance that what they are using is indeed organic and natural. For manufacturer, when creating a high end product you will need to invest in quality ingredients and research – the pay off is – a great, consumer safe product that you can display on your shelf with pride and confidence and that your consumer will enjoy using.

Happy shopping from Nina Bella Collection, your local organic bath and beauty manufacturer.

Aloe Vera in Organic Beauty Care

Aloe Vera is one of the oldest medicinal plants, going as far back as 3500 years ago in Egypt and Sumatra. It is curiously made of 96% water and 4% compounds that give it its renowned medical, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, healing and immune boosting properties.  Due to unique compositions and high water content Aloe Vera absorbs into skin four times faster than water, which make this little plant great natural bath and beauty product ingredient and carrier medium. Used alone of combined with other ingredients Aloe Vera is known to increase collagen production, rejuvenate skin, combat pimples, heal eczema and slow down skin ageing process.

Fairly easy to handle Aloe Vera can be used in variety of organic bath and beauty applications such as creams, shower gels, lip balms and yes even anti ageing products.

Try this simple Aloe Vera balm receipt to soothe chapped, irritated lips:

2 tablespoons organic or natural Aloe Vera gel

3 drops organic lavender essential oil

½ teaspoon organic almond oil

½ teaspoon organic glycerin

Heat almond oil, lavender essential oil and glycerin until warm and mix well. Add Aloe Vera and mix well until fully blended. Let cool off then transfer into clean glass container. Use ready lip balm on chapped lips as needed. Store remaining mix into fridge for up to four weeks.

For more great recipes, visit Nina Bella Collection weekly.

Aroma Mist – Healthy Home and Body Scent

You do not have to use industrial air fresheners to keep your home smelling nice. Organic aroma misters are healthy and affordable alternative. Instead of heavy chemicals, aroma misters contain only organic alcohol, water and organic essential oils balanced in a way that is not harmful to your health. Water is a perfect way to make your aroma mist light and pure. What you want to be using is distilled water that does not have heavy minerals. Organic alcohol is necessary to eliminate odor causing germs. Any clear organic alcohol will do. Organic essential oils will add a nice crisp scent that will not irritate respiratory system. Any organic essential oils such as lavender, peppermint, spearmint, rose, tangerine, sweet orange, chamomile will work. You can use them alone or create your own blend to spice things up.

Ingredients:

½ cup distilled water

½ cup clear organic alcohol

20 drops organic essential oil

Mix water and organic alcohol well. Add organic essential oil and mix well. Pour into amber or cobalt blue misting bottle and cap well. Shake well before using. To use spray on the bathroom, in the linen close, in the car, in the living room and wherever you want a nice natural scent. Avoid direct contact with sensitive and colored fabrics as alcohol may fade the colors. Avoid getting any spray in your eyes and this goes without saying – do not spray directly on skin, children or pets. Keep aroma mist in cool dark place between uses.

For more great ideas, check out new Nina Bella Collection organic aroma mists and body sprays upcoming in May 2012.

Why You Need to Avoid Industrial Air Fresheners

We all want a nice smelling house and we all have different strategies to keep it that way. Most common impulse is to reach for common industrial air fresheners. They are a cheap choice– but they are definitely not a healthy choice. Have you ever wondered – what is the price you really pay for using common industrial air-fresher?

Neither the FDA nor the EPA conducts any safety testing for toxic chemicals in air freshener products. Due to lack of FDA regulation 9 out of 10 air- fresheners, including green air fresheners, contain toxic chemicals harmful for health that can cause caner, respiratory diseases, asthma, organ and skin disease. These chemicals are phthalates, fragrance oils, acetaldehydes, acetone, ethanol, benzaldehyde, isopropyl alcohol, alpha-Pinene, Benzyl acetate, ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate (1-butanol- 3-methyl-, acetate), O, M, OR P-cymene, limonene and Linalool.

Phthalates, the most common ingredient found in virtually all air freshener are known to cause reproductive problems and hormone disruptions. Perfume oils, the next favorite are know respiratory, skin an organ irritants. Acetaldehyde and acetone are both cardiovascular/blood toxicants, gastrointestinal/liver/kidney toxicants, neurotoxicants, respiratory toxicants, skin and sensory organ toxicants. Ethanol is carcinogen, cardiovascular/ blood toxicant, developmental toxicant, endocrine toxicant, gastrointestinal/liver toxicant, neurotoxicant, reproductive toxicant, respiratory toxicant and skin/sensory organ toxicant. Benzaldehyde, is gastrointestinal/liver/kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant, respiratory toxicant, skin or sensory organ toxicant. Isopropyl alcohol, common rubbing alcohol, turns mean when vaporized in air freshener and has been classified as cardiovascular/blood toxicant, developmental toxicant, gastrointestinal/liver/kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant, respiratory toxicant and skin/sensory organ toxicant. Alpha-Pinene, a cute name for nasty chemical is suspected neurotoxicant, respiratory toxicant, and skin/sensory organ toxicant. Benzyl acetate is a suspected gastrointestinal/liver/kidney toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant. Ethyl Acetate is a suspected neurotoxicant, respiratory toxicant, skin and sensory organ toxicant. The name will not tell you much but the side –effects will – isoamyl acetate (1-butanol- 3-methyl-, acetate) is suspected neurotoxicant. O, M, OR P-cymene, has an exotic name but will not treat you kindly- it its suspected cardiovascular/blood toxicant, neurotoxicant and respiratory toxicant. Limonene and linalool complete the picture as respiratory and skin toxicant.

So you definitely want to think twice before being exposed to that. Or you can avoid risk at all and go for organic aroma misters instead. Instead of harmful chemicals, aroma misters contain organic alcohol, water and organic essential oils balanced in a way that is not harmful to you. They are organic product manufacturer response to responsible product crafting. For more on organic aroma misters, check back with Nina Bella Collection Blog.

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.

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.

Visit us soon for another edition of Nina Bella Collection favorites!