Today, like most other days, I want to show easy it is to make your own health and beauty products. Today I made face and body lotion. As with the few preceding posts, I have tried to stress that anything that you put on your skin will be absorbed into the blood stream and lotion is no exception. I live in a very dry climate so I'm no stranger to using lotion. No matter how much water I drink my skin always seems to need a little extra moisture, but so many lotions contain synthetic ingredients or artificial scents. And the "All Natural" lotions can be pricy. So I decided to make my own lotion. I was a little intimidated at first because I knew that lotion was mixing oil and water. Typically the two don't mix, however, at the right temperature the two solutions will mix, forming the lovely mixture we know as lotion.
The recipe I use is taken from Rosemary Gladstar's book "The Family Herbal." I know that I've said it before, but I will say it again, this book is a must have! For anyone interested in knowing more about herbalism or for the seasoned herbalist looking for some new recipes, this book is a wealth of knowledge and information about herbal living. So the recipe is as follows:
Waters
2/3 cup of distilled water
1/3 cup of aloe vera gel
1 or 2 drops of essential oil
Vitamins A and E as desired
Oils
3/4 cup of apricot, almond or grapeseed oil
1/3 cup of coconut oil or cocoa butter
1/4 teaspoon lanolin
1/2 to 1 ounce of grated beeswax
Mix all the waters into a measuring cup. I feel that the 1 to 2 drops of essential oil that Rosemary called for is far too few. I would use up to 40 drops of essential oil depending on the oils you are using. The essential oils also add healing properties as well as a wonderful aroma. Once the waters are mixed, Set them aside and let them get to room temperature.
Mix all the Oils into a double boiler over low to medium heat.
Heat the oils just enough to melt all the ingredients together. Remove from the heat and place the oils in the blender.
Let the oils sit in the blender until they reach room temperature. When this happens, the mixture will get thick, creamy and turn a beige color. I like to poke the top of the mixture to see what it looks like on the bottom. If there is still some oil that has not solidified you need to let the mixture cool a little longer. Once the solution has reached room temperature put the lid on the blender, removing the small circle on the top of the lid. Turn the blender on its highest speed and slowly start adding the water to the center of the mixing oil. You may need to stop the blender and at times to hand mix the mixture. but resume blending and pouring water until all has been mixed together.
What you will end up with is thick, creamy lotion. When you rub it on your skin it may seem greecy at first, but after a few minutes the oils will absorb into the skin. Place into jars and label. I like to put some into little sample jars to hand out to my friends (they always like to try my latest and greatest). If your lotion doesn't turn out the first time, try again. It is well worth the perseverance.
Sources:
Gladstar, R. (2001). Rosemary Gladstar's family herbal: a guide to living life with energy, health, and vitality. North Adams, Mass.: Storey Books.
Well summer is officially here, even though the temperatures in Colorado have screamed summer for several weeks now. With skin cancer the most common form of cancer in the United States (5 times more prevalent than breast and prostate cancers), it's important to know how to protect yourself from the burning sun.
There has been very mixed results from studies on the effectiveness of sunscreen in cancer prevention. There are so many factors that contribute to skin cancer that its hard to determine if sunscreen helps or hinders. One problem with most sunscreen is that they focus on preventing UVB rays from penetrating the skin. This form of radiation has a shorter wavelength and only consists of about 3-5% of the ultraviolet radiation we are exposed to. It may be only a small percent of UV radiation but it is responsible for sunburns. UVA radiation has a longer wave-length and accounts of approximately 95-97% of UV radiation. Although you can not see the effects of UVA radiation right away, that doesn't mean that it isn't destructive. This type of radiation penetrates deeper into the skin causing DNA damage. Because of sunscreens lack of providing UVA protection is one reason most are so ineffective.
There are several other reasons that most sunscreens are ineffective and also dangerous. Most sunscreens contain nasty chemicals that are readily absorbed through the skin. Oxybenzone is a synthetic estrogen that, when absorbed into the blood stream, can cause lots of problems for the endocrine system and the entire body. Sunscreens with added bug repellent are even worse. We must remember that anything we put on our skin is absorbed into the blood stream! Sunscreens also block our body's ability to make Vitamin D, which is synthesized in the skin when we are in the sun and then absorbed into the blood stream. Vitamin D, in the past few years, has been shown to be a powerful anti-cancer agent and essential to our health and vitality. Powdered and spray sunscreens may be even more dangerous because they fill the air with hazardous chemicals that we then could breath in and absorb through the lungs.
So what can we do this summer to keep our skin safe? When sunbathing, be sure to do it only in the early morning or late afternoon. Juliette de Bairacli Levy suggests using raw coconut oil thinned with cucumber juice to use on the skin during "tanning times" (early morning or late afternoon). Sun exposure during these times is important and necessary for adequate Vitamin D production. It is also important to find a secluded place to sun the secluded parts of the body. Many believe that a lack of sun exposure to the private parts of our body contribute to cancer of these areas. If you are in the sun during "burning times" (mid afternoon) it is important to stay covered. Wear a hat and sunglasses to protect your face and tightly woven but loosely fitted light colored clothing. If you look at people from some of the hottest deserts in the world they are always wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants helping to protect the body from the sun. Aloe gel can be used for sunburn prevention as well as sunburn care. It contains aloin, a natural sun screen blocking up to 30% of UV rays. Juliette also suggests an elder blossom spray to help cool the air. I find a peppermint hydrosol to be very cooling during the summer.
A diet high in antioxidants, fruits and veggies and superfoods is your best defence against the sun. Broccoli is one food that has been shown to protect the skin from sunburn and long term sun damage. Lycopene, a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes, has also been found to be helpful in protecting the skin from the sun. Many studies have shown that lycopene, being fat soluble, is a very effective antioxidant in areas that are high in fats and lipids, including the skin. It is further suggested that it can help to reduce inflammation, maintain normal cell growth and possibly prevent DNA damage. The best way to get adequate amounts of lycopene is to eat cooked tomatoes. In raw tomatoes the lycopene is bound in indigestible fiber making it very difficult to get a sufficient amount. Lycopene extracts may also be applied to the skin externally to help block the UV rays.
No matter what you decide to do in regards to sunscreen this summer, I would suggest checking out EWG's Skin Deep: Sunscreen 2012 http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/ On this website they talk access hundreds of different brands of sunscreen, listing the potentially hazardous chemicals and giving each a safety rating based on the ingredients and amount of research done on these chemicals. They provide information on safe and effective sunscreens.
Overall, the studies on sunscreens are unclear and can not conclusively show that the use of sunscreen prevents the incidents of skin cancer. In some studies it shows sunscreens to actually be more harmful than helpful. Although there are some herbal remedies to help prevent sunburn and sun related skin damage, I feel that the most effective way to ensure safe skin during a brutally hot summer is to cover up during prime "burning times" during the day and eat a diet high in antioxidants, including fresh fruits and veggies and plenty of whole foods.
Sources
Duke, J. A. (2000). The green pharmacy herbal handbook: your comprehensive reference to the best herbs for healing. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Reach.
Gladstar, R. (2001). Rosemary Gladstar's family herbal: a guide to living life with energy, health and vitality. North Adams, MA: Storey Books.
Levy, J. d. (1994). Traveler's Joy. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing, Inc.
http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327914nc4702_11
http://www.smartskincare.com/treatments/topical/lycopene.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/22/AR2007102201377.html
