The History of Skin Care June 2, 2008

The fascinating history of skin care. 

 Natural and Not so much.

The history of natural skin care is a fascinating tale that has its roots in ancient Egypt. But, contrary to popular myth, Cleopatra was not the first to experiment with herbal skin care formulas.

In 1000 B.C., the Egyptians developed perhaps the first natural skin care treatment for dry skin. This was a natural treatment of bullock’s bile, whipped ostrich eggs, olive oil, dough, and resin mixed with milk.

Cleopatra’s herbal skin care formula

The legendary Queen of Egypt was known for her exquisite complexion. One of her most well known beauty secrets, the milk and honey bath, is still being used today.  Few acknowledge though that Cleopatra’s favorite was a natural skin care routine consisting of a mud pack made with crocodile manure. Very exotic!

Not to be outdone, the Romans also practiced a form of herbal skin care. For example, if a Roman had acne, he spent hours baking a primitive natural formula composed of a mixture of beans and lupines, which he carefully applied to his blemishes.

The use of toxic chemicals in the name of skin care is not a completely recent phenomenon. The ancient Greeks were in fact the first to experiment with toxins in skin care.

The desire for a pale face look led to the use of lead paint. This mixture was used for only a short period of time though.  The subjects got their wish for a pale face, but they also lost their teeth and hair and got severely pitted skin.

Lead paint and beauty?

You would think most people would have learned their lesson about using toxins in skin care. However, the use of lead paints continued into the Middle Ages.  As hair and teeth fell out, eyebrows made from mouse hair and cheek “plumpers” made from cork became a necessity for beauty.

In the 17th century, the rosewater/urine face wash was introduced. This was a hybrid herbal skin care product mixed with a known toxin.  The resulting rosy glow, combined with cerise – a poisonous mixture of lead paint and cochineal – quickly replaced the urine face wash as the new trend.

Combined with poor health and hygiene, the use of toxic cosmetic materials often spelled an early demise.

How far have we progressed?

So, what have we learned? We are now in the 21st century.  How far have we progressed with modern cosmetics and natural skin care product formulas?  Well, skin care is now a 200 billion dollar a year industry.

Therefore, due to modern advances in the cosmetic industry, skin health must be at an all time high, right?  Not so fast, there are now over 80 known skin diseases – everything from acne to lipoma to warts.  Also, recent phenomena such as psoriasis and eczema both are the direct result of chemical irritants.

Is there a connection between toxins in cosmetics and skin diseases?  That is the 200 billion dollar question.  The cosmetic industry will not volunteer a straight answer if they can help it.  The FDA is missing in action.  We are left to our own devices for the decision.

For where we’re concerned, we like to play it safe.  There is something extremely soothing about the idea of slathering wonderfully smelling organic products from Mother Nature’s cupboard on our skin and hair.  Also, extracts of flowers, herbs, plants, and fruit not only make for some very good products to be applied externally, but are well known for the great benefits they bestow upon us when we take it internally.

It turns out that mom was right when she insisted that we eat our vegetables. What most people forget is that foods also affect our skin. Premature skin aging is associated with inflammation, and an imbalance in the diet is one cause of inflammation.  Keep on reading our blog to discover which vitamin-rich foods play an important role in skin care.

Our Skin. Our Health May 19, 2008

 Our Skin. Our Health.

 

 

Did you know your skin is your body’s largest organ, accounting for about 15% of human body weight?  Wow!  But, that’s not all.  The average square inch of skin contains 65 hairs, 650 sweat glands, 20 blood vessels, and 1000 nerve endings.

 

Essentially, your skin is a two way membrane with six primary functions:

 

1) Protection - your first line of bodily defense from the external environment.

 

2) Sensation – your nerve endings react to touch, pressure, heat, cold, vibration, and tissue injury.

 

3) Heat Regulation – your skin regulates body temperature through sebaceous glands.

 

4) Storage and Synthesis – acts as a storage centre for lipids and water as well as a means of synthesis of vitamin D and B by action of Ultra Violet light on certain parts of the skin.

 

5) Excretion - urea is eliminated when you sweat.

 

6) Absorption – oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide enter your skin in small amounts.

 

Because of this, medicine by ointments and patches are used by doctors. Cosmetic and skin care products can also enter the skin. As a matter of fact, our skin literally soaks up the ingredients of every soap, cream and deodorant we use, as well as any mineral and chemical present in our water, and these substances end up in our bloodstream to affect our health.

Just the thought of it makes me crazy!

How many times did we use a cream only because it smelled good?

Did we check the label?

Probably not.

We watch closely for adverse skin reactions, but do we know the long term effects of substances absorbed by our skin?

We spend billions buying bottled water because we don’t trust our water sources, and we wouldn’t ingest tainted water, but what about our shower?  The same water we won’t drink gets absorbed through our skin and ends up in our blood stream anyway!

 

What’s a person to do?  We’ve already started talking about organic products.  The way I see it, we should:

• Go more garden than gasoline. Substitute mineral oil or petroleum-based products with almond, sunflower, safflower oils, cocoa butter, lanolin, sesame seed oil (contained in the BeverlyD Hair Body & Bath Treatment), or jojoba oil (contained in BeverlyD “Appreciation”).

• Instead of the common softening ingredient ethylene glycol (which has been classified as toxic in some government tests), soften our mane with natural humectants such as honey, chamomile, or glycerin (contained in BeverlyD Detangling Conditioner).

These natural products have been used for hundreds of years.  One thing we know for sure is that they do not have long term negative effects, or our ancestors would have noticed!

 

What is Certified Organic? May 9, 2008

What Is Certified Organic?

 

The ideal certified organic skin care product answers yes to this 8 natural parameters:


8 Natural Parameters:

1) 100% Certified Organic Ingredients – natural ingredients derived from organic farms containing the logo of an international certifying body.

2) 100% Beneficial Ingredients – every single ingredient must be working in your body’s best interests.

3) No Synthetic Chemicals – no synthetic toxins used at any stage of the production process.

4) Cruelty Free – this is the dirty little secret that many “natural” skin care makers keep from their customers, as many non certified companies outsource animal testing to third parties.

5) No Pesticides/Herbicides – no pesticides sprayed at the source (i.e. farm).

6) No GMO – no plant source corrupted with genetically modified organisms.

7) Cold Formulation – This process ensures that the organic ingredients are kept in their original fresh state by allowing no heat during production.

No Artificial Flavors/Additives – nothing unnatural added in the production process.

Organic skin care products also have:

1)     No proven or possible cancer links

 

2)    No negative effects on the reproductive system of women and men

 

3)    They’re not tested on animals

 

4)     They emphasize minimal packaging – which means less waste for the landfill

 

 

 

But How Do I Know if a Product is Organic?

Great question! Especially because – Labels can be misleading, as the FDA doesn’t regulate cosmetic definitions.  

Organic has become a fairly well-regulated term, but what does “natural” or “derived from plants” mean?

Technically, a company can add two natural ingredients and market the product as “contains natural ingredients”, at the same time filling it with a whole host of synthetic fillers, dyes and fragrances. Or, we have products whose ingredients may indeed be derived from natural sources, but synthetic chemicals are used in the processing… Not exactly what we think of when we hear “pure”.

These are the so called “green-washed products”. They’re green by label, but not by fact.

Unfortunately, with increasing popularity, many green-washed products have flooded our store shelves. Therefore, learning how to read the ingredient list on the product label becomes essential.

 

Organic, Natural: What Does It All Mean?

Organic means that a product is made without pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, hormones, antibiotics, fertilizers or other synthetic or toxic substances for a three-year minimum. No artificial flavors or colors have been added. The National Organic Program, a division of the Department of Agriculture, is in charge of monitoring that these conditions have been met and assigning the appropriate USDA Organic seal. Look for this seal, as it can save you a lot of headaches.

Products with organic ingredients can fall into three levels:

1)     The product specifically says “100% organic” and has the USDA Organic seal.

2)     If a product is labeled “organic“, it contains at least 95% organic ingredients.

3)     The majority of products will fall into the third category, which is “made with organic ingredients“. These contain at least 70% organic ingredients, and aren’t allowed to display the USDA organic seal.

 

Organic Skin Care Vs Synthetic Skin Care: Why Natural Is Better

Organic skin care vs. synthetic skin care is a battle that seems to have been going on for years. Proponents of all-natural, organic skin care products insist that natural is better. On the other hand, the makers of skin care products that contain synthetic ingredients insist that their ingredients aren’t harmful, and that the products themselves produce results equal to those found in organic products.

So, who is right?

Well, organic and synthetic skin care products pretty much do the same things. The only question is what kinds of ingredients they use to produce the same results. Are the ingredients natural or chemically based? And, which one is better?

Examining the ingredients used can give you some answers.

An example: Preventing Dryness

Both organic and synthetic skin care products contain ingredients called emollients that are designed to protect the skin from things that can damage it, like harsh weather, sun exposure, and pollution. Emollients form a sort of barrier on the surface of your skin, almost like protective armor.

The problem with synthetic emollients is that they do the job almost too well. Imagine spreading a layer of wax on your skin. True, it would keep things that could dry out your skin, like harsh winds, out. But, it would also prevent your skin from breathing. So, in effect, these synthetic emollients smother your skin.

Natural emollients (like avocado, cocoa butter, and shea butter) manage to protect your skin without smothering it. Not only that, but these organic ingredients have the added benefit of containing nourishing products that will actually make your skin healthier.

Making the Product Last Longer

Synthetic, or chemical, preservatives have gotten a bad wrap, and for good reason. Studies have found that, while they can make a product last longer, some synthetic preservatives can also be harmful to those who use them.

Organic preservatives (like tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract, and bitter orange extract) are natural. Not only do they not have harmful effects, they actually have many benefits. For example, tea tree oil has many healing properties.

So, in the Organic Skin Care vs. Synthetic Skin Care debate, which one is the winner? Well, for every synthetic ingredient used in skin care products, there is a natural, organic ingredient that does the same thing. And, because those synthetic ingredients can have harmful side effects, natural, organic ingredients are the safer, healthier alternative.

Want to do some research of your own?

A good source for your research is The Environmental Working Group.  Since 2000 The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a team of scientists, engineers, policy experts and lawyers, have dedicated countless hours examining data, scientific studies, and performed their own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to offer solutions.  Their web site, www.ewg.org, provides practical information you can use to protect yourself and your loved ones. The EWG analyzed the health and safety reviews of 10,000 ingredients in personal care products, natural or not.

The health and safety of you and your loved ones is ultimately your responsibility.  Read the labels of personal care products closely.  If there are ingredients that you are not certain about, write them down and do a quick search to ensure they are safe for use by you and your loved ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dangerous Beauty May 7, 2008

Dangerous beauty?

 

We all make an effort to look pretty.  We read the fashion and beauty magazines in search of the latest products that are supposed to stop wrinkles from creeping up on us, or make our pores invisible, or hide our flaws in one way or another.  We are so obsessed with beauty that some of us won’t even run to the store for a gallon of milk without donning full makeup.

Something wrong with it? No. There is nothing wrong with looking good.  Yet, we need to pay more attention to what we put on our skin. Many people carefully examine the labels on their food, but how many of us are wise enough to check the labels on our personal care products?

Most of us think that our cosmetics are safe.  We believe that the FDA insures toxic chemicals are not added to the products we use many times daily.  The FDA itself (www.fda.gov) explains that regulations regarding the sale of cosmetics are less strict than for other FDA-regulated products. In fact, the FDA doesn’t even regulate cosmetics until AFTER the product is put on the market.

Manufacturers aren’t even required to register with the FDA or submit any data regarding their products, although they are encouraged to do so. The FDA can and does perform inspections of products in regards to safety, but it isn’t a requirement in the same way food and drugs are tested.

Toxins in personal care products.  About 884 chemicals used in personal care products and cosmetics are known to be toxic. In fact, many ingredients used in personal care products are the very same harsh chemical toxins used in Industry.

Would you be surprised to find out that sodium laurel sulphate and sodium laureth sulphate (SLS), common detergents that are used in most shampoos, bubble baths, shower gels and other cleansers, is also used to clean garage floors and to degrease engines?  Can we possibly be surprised when our skin feels dry and our hair is fried?

Some of those chemicals— phthalates, formaldehyde, petroleum, parabens, benzene and lead—have been variously linked to breast cancer, endometriosis, reproductive disorders, birth defects and developmental disabilities in children. Is it really a surprise that cancer has become so common in this toxic world?

What’s a person to do?  In the next few weeks look out for e-mails from BeverlyD.  We will be discussing safer beauty and all things real, natural, organic and living.

The Hot Chocolate Story January 25, 2008

THE HOT CHOCOLATE STORY  
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A group of university graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old professor, now retired.
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During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups – porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite.  Then, he told them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.
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When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: “Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
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The cup that you’re drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups…… And then you began eyeing each others cups.
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Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate we have.
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Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Thank the Lord for your blessings in 2007. And enjoy your hot chocolate in 2008!
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And always remember……
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The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything that they have!

Let’s PARTY this December to celebrate the Holidays! November 27, 2007

As a gift to you this Holiday season, BeverlyD is offering existing and new clients, all services in the month of December for $50 each when you purchase 3 hair products recommended by BeverlyD for your hair style.

 

Women will be booked in groups of three and each participant is required to bring some organic food treat or produce from Whole Foods Market, Kroger, Randall’s, HEB or even more special locally grown produce from the farmers market. Be careful about your purchases as organic produce code numbers begin with 9, not 4 not 3. Also please watch the sugar consumption…we need to be on our toes and we want no sugar hangovers! Yes this is a requirement…IT’S A PARTY!

 

We will do the rest! Arrange the bookings so that you will get to meet and be with other hair party participants. We can book parties in the morning, afternoon, or evening.  This is an opportunity for you to treat someone new to the service and products, to treat yourself to a special price, and to go to a hair party without having to do all the arranging.

 

Call Chadwick for an appointment and he will have ideas on food selections!

1-866-692 2939 or at Brown Eyes Blue 713 520 5577!

 

Happy Holidays from BeverlyD!

Today I didn’t push November 6, 2007

 I notice I have stopped pushing alot.  Pushing myself to make things happen, getting it all done.  I guess this is what living in the flow means.  Taking care of myself, making my diet, fitness and social engagements a priority seems to be getting my job done just naturally which is really so different from how I have operated in the past.  I also notice that this is how time has expanded.  The busy body lifestyle seems to eat up time and also leads to time slipping away.  Why do we all tend to do that?  This way of being seems to work also with sales and building my business.  It’s amazing to me.  This is so much not how I grew up and learned.  It’s like things are being attracted to me or I become more magnetic.  I like that. 

Tuesday afternoon in October October 24, 2007

I am so privileged to be able to walk the beach on a Tuesday afternoon in October picking white and frosted stones from the sand as the wind blows and kicks up the waves and brings the jewels in for me. Someday they will be a part of my bathroom…for now it is the result of being in pleasure of the wind, the wave, the walk & the sun. The pleasure of enjoying nature’s beauty and being able to write about it.

Time has expanded October 24, 2007

So here is what happened for me after spending time with my coach and the class in IBIZA.

Time has expanded for me. No kidding…I am present to more time. I noticed it after I returned from my coaching holiday in Ibiza Spain. Ten days of exquisite beauty…clay colored mountains and plateaus with turquoise water, black rocks, white sand….other beaches of acqua blue water, white sand and purple mountains majesty. 10 days of sun, massages, soaking in the salt seaweed Mediterranean detoxing, distressing taking off all that pressure I accumulate from my daily life. This mixed with the curiosity of being in a foreign country, not speaking the language and getting to see how others see me.

Life is usually very fast…I have so much to do and I keep doing. I could use an assistant but the call for survival or the urgent not important tasks keep hounding me. The to do list never ends and grows everyday. And the holidays are upon us already…didn’t we celebrate New Years like 8 weeks ago?

I have heard this same story of how time is moving so fast from others also. Time flies when you are having fun? We have heard this statement many times, is it true? Are we having fun? Or are we having numb? Is it fun or is it a lot of doing, consuming, getting ahead, improving? Has it become our obligation instead of enjoyment? Have we got so caught up in what the drift wants that we ourselves have neglected to notice what we really want or desire.

Good questions? What is your answer? Will you take the time to interrupt the trance you are in and WAKE UP? Start getting present to the fear that is persuading us to do and get all the things we don’t even really want. Stopping and asking yourself; what do I long for? Standing for yourself and for love and respect for the human spirit that lives in all of us. The spirit of aliveness, joy, beauty, peace and love!

Pleasure…… October 12, 2007

BeverlyD assisting others in creating a lifestyle of Beauty Pleasure & Self Esteem…

Let’s blog about  Pleasure!  Seems like  humans want to go down the dark side of pleasure, but I am looking for the light side of pleasure.  Let’s look at what is pleasure?  When was the last time you experienced the pleasure of fine food?  or what is pleasurable to you?  Like taking a bath!  Exquisite surroundings like the Four Seasons Hotel.  So what is it for you?