http://www.timesargus.com/article/20141208/BUSINESS03/712089993

Sitting down to write this morning, there was so much information swirling around in my brain, I am on overload.  The only thing that popped into my head was my favorite 80’s rapper, poet, rebel, activist. “Don’t believe the hype, it’s a sequel".  Chuck D.-Public Enemy.
 I am in no way saying Chuck D and I are on the same page in relation to my business of natural skin care but, we do share a common thought, “put the left in effect”. 

We have heard the claims:  “studies show” ,“dermatologist tested” , “blah blah percent of all people using this product showed fine lines and wrinkles disappeared“,  or better yet a new “rare ingredient” that only celebrities seem to have had access to now is sold to us the consumer....  Do we need a celebrity sales pitch? I would think we all realize by now that these celebrities pitching us these products have access to estheticians, make up artists, personal chefs, personal trainers daily or weekly…they better look good right?? Who are these dermatologists? Do they have any ties to the company they are testing for? Studies? What studies are done and are they done on humans?* *the FDA at this point in time only accepts animal safety data. Say what?

Don’t believe the hype…can you see how that wound up in my brain?



I am “left” in many ways in my life and no one has to agree but, here’s the thing with your skin care you may need to function in the left field. 

Do you want to just slather, spritz, and spray without knowing what is being put on you?  Think of your morning routine. You get up, you shower, you use shampoo, soap, body wash, personal care wash (some of you), then if you do your hair there are gels, creams, sprays, and molding creams. If you use cosmetics there are blushes, pigments, FD & C colors, dyes, fragrance.  Lastly you may spray some perfume.   I can’t even begin to calculate how many chemicals you have just put IN your body without even leaving your bathroom let alone your house.  The average woman uses 515 chemicals per day.
We don’t even need to go into what happens next…what are you eating for breakfast? Is it processed? Are there preservatives? Chemicals? 

 I can’t emphasize this enough…what you put on your skin goes IN your body. Our skin can absorb up to 60% of what is topically applied.  Keep in mind facial skin absorbs ingredients 20 times faster than thicker skin (palms of our hands).

Keep in mind cosmetic products and ingredients are not reviewed by any government health agencies before they are sold in stores. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) doesn’t regulate products until after they are sold.  In fact they only step in when a consumer files a complaint.  Then comes the burden of proof that a specific product/chemical/byproduct is harmful. 
The FDA has banned or restricted only nine personal care ingredients in my lifetime.  It took the FDA 20 years to ban the use of lead in paint and on toys yet it we still have recalls on millions of toys, furniture, and sunglasses that have been contaminated by lead paint. 

Over time I will go over many ingredients, from parabens to phthalates, from aluminum to synthetic fragrances.  All in time.
A few of you who keep up with my Skin and Tonic Facebook page may recall my disgruntled post the other day.  I had bought an organic natural shampoo and was grief stricken to find it was full of harmful petrochemicals.  How can you the consumer possibly know that?  How can you read between the lines? I am going attempt to break it down.  Simple and easy.   

                                      1,4-Dioxane (yes, that is an ingredient)

1,4-Dioxane called the “silent killer” by Julie Gabriel author of the Green Beauty Guide*.  1,4-Dioxane is a by petrochemical byproduct.  1,4-Dioxane is formed during a process called ethoxylation, which is used to make cleansing agents less abrasive and offers foaming characteristics to a product. A great example of this is sodium laurel sulfate is often converted to the less harsh chemical version sodium laureth sulfate (the “eth” being ethoxylation).

Let me break that down:

Ethoxylation is an industrial process in which ethylene oxide is added to alcohols and phenols to turn it into a surfactant.

Let’s break that down:

“Ethylene oxide (EtO) is produced in large volumes and is primarily used as an intermediate in the production of several industrial chemicals, the most notable of which is ethylene glycol. It is also used as a fumigant in certain agricultural products and as a sterilant for medical equipment and supplies. Unfortunately, EtO possesses several physical and health hazards that merit special attention. EtO is both flammable and highly reactive. Acute exposures to EtO gas may result in respiratory irritation and lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and cyanosis. Chronic exposure has been associated with the occurrence of cancer, reproductive effects, mutagenic changes, neurotoxicity, and sensitization.”  (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ethylene oxide)

Super sketchy.  Hum. Even sketchier,  you will not find 1,4-Dioxane on ingredients lists nor will you see any warnings for it because it is a contaminant byproduct produced during manufacturing therefore the US Department of Agriculture does not require  it to be listed as an ingredient on product labels. 

Let’s break it down even further, so that you the consumer can be aware of some of the chemicals that may be a part of your daily routine.

Any ingredient containing an “eth” most likely would test positive for 1,4- Dioxane.  Let’s name a few for you to look out for: sodium laureth sulphate, polyethylene glycol, oleth, myreth, cateareth.  Alarming. 

The health concerns of 1,4-Dioxane is that it readily penetrates the skin and hot water facilitates this quicker. The National Toxicology as well as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency consider this a carcinogen for animals and humans. It is on a list of chemicals known to cause cancer and or birth defects.

Cleansers, toners, scrubs, lip lubes not containing any of these products, or byproducts:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/skinandtonic

Yes, my shameless plug.  I think anything you put on your skin should be something you could eat, albeit you may not want to eat it…but, you could.  Personally I do not want to put an ingredient on my skin that has about 12 vowels, a couple x’s and a couple y’s.  I am guessing I wouldn’t want to eat that either. 

Research is at the tip of our fingertips.  I will help you do some of the leg work with whatever rant du jour. 
If you don’t know what something is in your shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and especially your facial skin care.  Look it up.  Be your own advocate.  Become a label expert.  Once you know it, you can’t un-know it.  It may prolong your life or at the very least ease your conscience.


Please if read this article to get further information about the harmful effects of 1,4-Dioxane http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=288

Also, The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel is a wealth of information.  She is my hero.http://www.amazon.com/Green-Beauty-Guide-Essential-1&keywords=the+green+beauty+guide

The Golden Elixer

The picture above is Devil's-bit Scabious, Succisa pratenis. It is the most invasive plant in our gardens and also the most welcome.  It's beautiful dome like flowers proliferate rapidly.  They wind up in small vases all around our house and in small beakers in my room at the spa.  I love them.  What I love most about them though is not only do they start to bloom early in the summer they will carry themselves through with endless blooms to the end of summer.  Devil's-bit is one of the latest flowering species here in Vermont which is vital to butterflies, beetles and most importantly BEES to help them prepare for the long Vermont winters.

Bee's can not stay away from Devil's bit.  Myriads and myriads of bees flock to that corner of my garden. Devil’s-bit Scabious has been historically used as a dye, a seasoning, tea, and medicinally to treat scabies, eczema, fever, and weeping wounds.  That being said, I am happy to have the bees feasting on them.
The honey I smear on my face, feasts on these flowers, which leads me to the point of this rant. HONEY and SKINCARE.

Honey is most definitely the most valuable Nutraceutical, meaning it is a food that provides health benefits in addition to it's nutritional value.  I have heard of a million and one things that honey cures and honestly, I don't doubt a single one.  As I mentioned in the second paragraph, honey has been historically the cure for all that ails you.

How is honey such an effective bacteria killer?

  According to Gloria Havenhand, the author of the amazing book, "Honey: Nature's Golden Healer" , honey is "saturated with simple sugars that suck the water from bacteria and mold. Water is the most important constituent of all living things, so draw out the water and all life-including germs-all will be destroyed."

It literally dehydrates germs and stops them in their tracks from dividing.  When honey touches wounds or cuts it starts its natural production of hydrogen peroxide which compliments the way our bodies work naturally.  Hydrogen peroxide is naturally produced in our bodies as a  first line of defense.   Avid gardeners also know the benefits of hydrogen peroxide for their plants as well, big blooms.

We know honey kills bacteria, which is great for anywhere it is applied topically.  At Skin and Tonic we love honey, the darker the better.  The darker honey, the more antioxidants.  Antioxidants are great for fighting free radical damage to our skin.  Honey also clarifies our pores by opening them up and drawing the dead skin cells and debris out.  
Honey contains anti-inflammatory properties which slow down the aging process. Most importantly honey is a humectant, meaning it attracts water and keeps the moisture in our skin. Our advice to you, slather it on, bathe in it, cleanse with it and eat it!

Skin and Tonic has a few DIY ideas using honey to keep your skin glowing and radiant.

• Mix 2 tsp of raw, unfiltered, local honey with 2 tsp of organic local milk.  Smooth over your face, neck, and decollete and let it sit for 15 mins. Rinse with warm water.
• Exfoliate: Mix 2 tsp of raw, unfiltered, local honey with a tsp of bicarbonate of soda. Gently scrub in circular motions.  Rinse with warm water.
• Draw a hot bath, add a cup of honey, and any essential oil you like

 To find Gloria's beautiful and informative book look here:

http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Natures-Golden-Gloria-Havenhand/dp/1554079152/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411583569&sr=8-1&keywords=honey+the+golden+healer

Oil Cleansing Method using Skin and Tonic's Oil Facial Cleanser

Let’s talk about the benefits of  the oil cleansing method (ocm) for a moment.  The kinder and gentler approach to clean, clear and more radiant skin.

 We all know that “clean” “tight” feeling after washing our face, where we are just dying to put moisturizer all over our face.  I have never been comfortable with that feeling but, embraced it as part of my routine.  Clean. Tone. Moisturize.

Facial cleansers do what they are set out to do, they remove make-up, dirt, sweat and pollutants from our skin in turn stripping your skin of it’s natural oils.  The trauma from being stripped of our natural oils immediately triggers more oil production.  For those of you with oily skin, you know what that means, more blemishes.

We have all heard the axiom, like dissolves like,  from our high school chemistry class.  This axiom holds true with our  oil skin cleanser.  Oils are lipophilic meaning they are fat loving, they pass though the lipid layer of the skin faster preventing water loss (TEWL-trans epidermal water loss) and plumping the skin with moisture. 

Our oils have a low molecular weight and are non comedogenic which means it will not clog your pores and easily absorb into the epidermis (the outer layers of the skin). They are packed with potent antioxidants preventing free radical damage.  Why is that important?  Free radicals damage healthy skin cells and aids in the loss  of collagen and elasticity in our skin. Our oils do wonders for elasticity, cell turnover, dryness and fine lines.

Our oils steep in the most healing, skin softening and anti oxidant rich flowers and herbs for months.  The herbs we use help stimulate the formation of new tissue by naturally encouraging cell proliferation. For us that means plump, healthy and radiant skin.

Our facial oils contains fatty acids that are incredible for the landscape of our skin.  Let’s take a minute to go over the essential fatty acids found in our oils and what they do.

Palmitric Acid: Forms an occlusive layer on our skin, we like to view that as a skin protectant.

Palmitoleic: Treats damaged skin.

Stearic:  It improves moisture retention  and repairs skin damage.

Oleic: Quickly absorbs in our skin and aids in cellular regeneration.

Linoleic: It improves our skins barrier function, retains moisture and is anti-inflammatory.

We also add other botanical extracts that are known for cellular regeneration and for being antioxidant rich.

We hope you enjoy using the OCM as much as we do.  My skin has never looked better or felt better.

Our facial oil skin cleanser is designed to use nightly and formulated to deep clean while keeping the balance of our skins natural oil production.  We recommend you massage into your skin for 5 minutes, and steam off with a warm washcloth.  Pat dry.

Welcome back Skin and Tonic fans and welcome new fans.

Let's take a moment to discuss exfoliation and it's importance.  There are many ways to exfoliate salts, sugars, and milk baths.  I have been making exfoliates for as long as I can remember. Let's take a moment to discuss a few.

Sugar Scrubs

Sugar is more than just a sweet treat it is also a natural source of glycolic acid, an alpa hydroxy acid (AHA) which is easily absorbed in your skin.  Sugar also contains natural chemicals which work to form new collagen.
Sugar exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells from the body.  As we age our skins natural ability to shed dead skin slows down.  Exfoliation helps the process of shedding those cells that are tenacious and stay attached to the skins surface which leads to a variety of problems from acne to uneven skin tone to fine lines. Scrubs give your skin that extra nudge revealing beautiful, bright new skin cells and unclogged clean pores.  Keeping your skin exfoliated also insures that your skin care products such as serums and moisturizers effectively target the new skin cells.  Sugar scrubs are great treatment for keratosis pilaris.

Salt Baths/Scrubs

Sea salts and epsom salts are commonly used in bath soaks and scrubs.  Sea salt, derived from evaporated seawater, is full of minerals beneficial to the skin. The magnesium in Epsom salts can reduce inflammation, while sulfates flush out toxins, according to the Epsom Salt Council.

Goats Milk Bath

Goats milk is rich in essential fatty acids and triglycerides that help boost your skins moisture content. It is packed with vitamins A. B6, B12, and E, minerals, proteins and antioxidants. It also contains a form of retinol that improves collagen density.
Goats milk is naturally laden with lactic acid (AHA) which dissolves the proteins that bind together dead skin cells revealing softer brighter skin. It is wonderful for treating psoriasis and eczema. Our bath has been known to soften the effects of roseaca as well. 

We hope this has been helpful.  Bask in the glow of your healthy skin.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/skinandtonic