Winter time is famous for dry skin. Even though I am venting my dryer indoors and the windows are usually all steamy my youngest and I are still having dry skin issues. If you have dry skin, you know that it’s not just annoying and kinda gross looking, it can also be incredibly very uncomfortable. Your face feels tight and your lips may get chapped and your body itches. Moisturizers are a waste of time usually, in my experience at least. The reason may be that the moisturizers simply makes your skin oily or irritates the problem even further and they are loaded with unsavory ingredients as well.

The best way to avoid this is by going natural. 

Drink plenty of water. This is the area where my son and I are lacking I think. When it is cold we don't drink as much and we don't eat as much raw, hydrating food. This remedy is totally simple, and often overlooked.  Your skin needs water to stay soft and smooth.  While putting water on your skin will dry it out, putting it in your body is essential for keeping it hydrated. Plus, drinking enough water just makes you feel better too!

A really good way to get itchy dry skin quickly is to use soap.  Over cleaning your skin is often unnecessary and can really dry it out. In the winter we tend to take long baths and showers, particularly with very hot water and this is extremely drying to the skin. I know I like to do this too, I need to stop. Quick showers are the better option, for our skin and the environment. Use a natural mild soap like Dr. Bronners, sparingly. And follow up with all natural coconut oil to seal in the moisture. You can get 100% natural organic coconut oil which is used both for cooking and moisturizing at most health food stores and online of course.

If you have especially dry skin on your face, the best treatment is also probably the simplest and least expensive one around: honey.  Honey has been used for centuries to moisturize, and you really don’t need anything else.  Just apply honey to your face like a masque, let dry for 30 minutes, then rinse off.  Your face will feel fresh, hydrated, clean and healthy.

Good old fashioned oil does the trick to. Coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are great for moisturizing and treating a variety of skin conditions.  You can even mix in some honey and heat it to soften it and make it easier to go on.

We have to remember though that natural remedies are about fixing the cause as much as they are about treating the problem.  It’s best to protect your skin in the first place.  Be sure to protect your skin from dry, cold winter conditions by using scarves, gloves, and avoid long exposures to severe cold when possible. Drink lots of water, humidify your home if you can, and remember that forced air heating systems will only dry skin more so if you can put on a sweater instead of turn on the heat, do it!

I am doing a honey mask myself  tonight and I will do a mini-one on my son as he sleeps. I am also going to make sure we drink more water and green smoothies… even if the cold makes me shy away from them. And even though I might look ridiculous picking up my kids in a ski mask… I am seriously considering THAT to!

Also a really cool book that shares time tested beauty practices from days loooong ago is Beauty Secrets of the Bible. Its a very interesting read. Women a long time ago were concerned about this stuff to and they used natural ingredients with great success. 

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It is a sad reality that for many adults acne is not something that went away along with those awkward teen years. It can plague skin for years after puberty and those hormonal years. Many adults find that acne returns when the hormones do, as with pregnancy. Others find that it may be less dramatic than when they were younger but it never went completely away. This condition can make you feel awful and can put a real dent in yourself esteem and social life. This is made even worse when you’re let down over and over again by yet another “miracle” product that you discovered on an infomercial or from a well meaning friend.

The "miracle" is usually all in the marketing… as in "its a miracle if they don't fall for this!" The sad fact is that most mainstream acne treatments make the problem worse and can even be harmful to your overall health because they are packed with nasty chemicals.

Why not try something different and use natural options to help alleviate and even get rid of your acne once and for all?

Natural Solutions for Acne

A Healthy Diet: A healthy diet is the very best thing you can do for your acne. The skin is an organ so if an organ is unhealthy you need to consider what is making it unhealthy in the first place. Our skin is used to eliminate toxins from the body. What are those toxins doing to our skin and how are they getting there?

Sugar is catastrophic for acne sufferers. It has been proven to cause an inflammatory reaction in the skin which makes acne worse (or even helps it develop in the first instance). Reduce or better yet remove all sugar from your diet and you will see a HUGE difference in your skin. 

In addition to getting rid of sugar, eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Opt for an array of colors so that you can get the most antioxidant power in these foods into your system. Raw foods, green juices, and green smoothies do wonders for healthy skin. Uh… just look at Sarma. Whenever I stop drinking green smoothies I notice it in my skin… it gets dull and dry. When I start drinking green smoothies again… my skin plumps like I got Botox or something.

Reducing dairy or even eliminating it can also make a  huge difference in regards to acne. Many experts believe that a vegan diet is the best way to keep the skin clear from acne. Many vegans swear this is true and have healthy skin to prove it. 

Eating less meat and avoiding red meat, no dairy, and no caffeine are great first steps. And although chocolate on its own may not cause acne, it contains caffeine which can make acne worse. 

Whole grains will give your body much needed fiber which will help flush out toxins and keep your system running smoothly. Drinking water does the same.

Natural Remedies for Acne

Green tea: You can drink green tea to help relieve your symptoms, but you can also apply the tea directly to you skin.  There are green tea creams available over the counter, but if you’re looking for a cheaper, easier way, just brew tea bags, then apply them directly to your acne.

Egg Whites:  Applying egg whites to the face as a masque is a great way to treat your acne and immediately close your pores.  In addition, it also gets rid of redness caused by your acne and can reduce the appearance of scars from previous breakouts.

Tea Tree Oil:  While many people disagree about the causes of acne, or how to treat it, pretty much everyone agrees that it’s an infection or inflammation.  And tea tree oil has long been used as a natural way to kill bacteria and treat skin infections.

Zinc helps strengthen your immune system so you’re better able to heal and even prevent your acne. Good sources for vegetarians include dairy products, beans and lentils, yeast, nuts, seeds and wholegrain cereals. Pumpkin seeds provide one of the most concentrated vegetarian food sources of zinc. Vegans can just ignore the dairy sources.

The absolute best part about natural acne treatments is that they also improve the general quality of your skin without damaging it or drying it out like traditional products can and do.  Many of them have few or no side effects and they are safe.

Avoiding makeup is another important step. Your skin needs to eliminate toxins as it was designed to do. When we clog our pores up with makeup and oils it can't do its job and it will protest with flare-ups.

Lastly, stress can cause big acne flare ups. Why else does a bride breakout before her big day? Try meditation or yoga to keep your stress levels low. This will not only help your acne symptoms but your overall health as well. I like to listen to meditation CDs or natural sounds CDs like waterfalls and birds singing when i am stressed.

Acne can be devastating but by using the tips above and starting a plan of attack you can start to see improvement. Use diet as your first weapon, reduce stress and apply a few natural treatments as necessary and you’ll see a difference in the overall health of your skin very soon.

Recommended: The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances

I have liked Badger products for a couple years now. We have used their sunscreen often and it made my list of safe, natural sunscreens. I had never tried any of their balms beyond their baby balm and lip balm, so trying a few of their other ”powerfully pure” products these past few weeks has been a treat.

Their products are certified organic and very natural so what is not to love? I already really like their lip balm so of course I loved the Creamy Cocoa Butter Lip Balm. In addition to it being creamy soft and delightful to wear, it is natural, organic, and fair trade. I also like how big it is. Most lip balms are kinda small.

I also liked their Clear Mind Balm with essentials oils of lemon, Cardamom, and Rosemary Verbenone. The idea is that you rub it on your temples, forehead, and hands to invigorate you and help you focus and concentrate. It is a nice mood booster in the late afternoon.

My kids also really like the Sleep Balm and the Night-Night Balm which basically do the same thing but with different ingredients. I am not sure if they sleep better with the balm rubbed on their temples and neck but they certainly like the process and the ritual.

And of course the Baby Balm is excellent for diaper rash and cradle cap. Adults with sensitive skin can use it too.

Badger has TONS of other fun stuff too… Healing Balm, Anti-Bug Balm, sore muscle balm, foot balm, etc. Check out what they have on Amazon.

As far as good, natural companies go… Badger is a winner. It is also family run! It was founded on the banks of the Ashuelot River in rural Gilsum, New Hampshire, USA. Bill, Katie and daughters Mia, Emily and Rebecca started the business back in 1995, in the kitchen of their home.

Some of you already know this about me…but I am NOT a girly girl. I don’t wear dresses and skirts, I don’t wear makeup, and I my hair is cropped so short I don’t even have to brush it…ever. Even as a child I was the tom boy. I spent all day outside and I don’t even think I had any play makeup.

My mom though was/is very much that girly girl. She dressed to the nines, she wore makeup whenever she went out, she like to put makeup on me, even though I insisted I looked like a clown. She curled her hair all the time and loved to put me in curlers you wore all night. I would wake up and promptly brush out all the curls. Just about the only thing I liked her to do to my hair was french braid it..that way it was out of my face and out of my way.

Well, now I have a daughter of my own and she is just like my mom. They spend a lot of time together primping and beautifying. In the picture above you will see that my mom has already started her on the hair curling…which mystifies me because she inherited my naturally wavy hair. The other day though I was hugging her after one of her beauty marathons with nana and I noticed she had rashes on both sides of her face. Her skin was reacting to blush my mom had let her put on. Make-up in general has TONS of nasty chemical ingredients and carcinogens as outlined in the book Dying to Look Good. Last year my daughter got a pack of children’s play makeup from a family friend and the ingredient list made my skin crawl. It baffles me that looking a little better could be THAT important to anyone.

I do not want to be down on wearing makeup though. I am very glad that my daughter has someone to share this passion with because this is just one area that elludes my understanding and I want her to be herself…whomever that is. It lead me to the realization that I need to buy her some natural and safe play makeup for little girls but I am really having a hard time finding any!! So far she has non toxic nail polishes from Piggy Paints and lip balms from Jess Be Natural and Badger. I think I will pick up some Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers for her too.

So that just leaves color for her cheeks and eyes. I have my eye on the Mineral Blush Powder in Apricot Dew and the Peach Shimmer for eyes, lips, and cheeks at Ely Organics. The stuff at Ely Organics is no natural you could probably eat them.

If a company were to create and market a very natural , organic line of children’s makeup I would be all over it. What about you? Do you have little girls that loves to play with makeup? How do you handle it?

In general I am a believer in supplementation. While I do believe that we should always aim to get everything we need from food I think this is not always possible. Soil pollution, food processing, cooking, chemical exposure, and various other external factors certainly effect what we “get” out of our diet. Deficiencies are a part of life and I believe in being proactive about identifying them and supplementing when needed.

There is one mineral though, Magnesium, that is absorbed rather poorly when administered orally and it is the Magnesium that keeps up young, supple, and vital. Without sufficient magnesium, we accumulate toxins and acid residues in the body, our cells degenerate, and we visibly age. Magnesium is the mineral of rejuvenation. It prevents the calcification of our organs and tissues that makes us look and feel older.

For the past few weeks I have been using topical magnesium products called Ancient Minerals. and I am delighted to find that I really like them. They are in fact, just my thing, because I am not one for lotions, body butters, and fancy smelling oils. These mineral products, specifically the oil does what it claims to do and it has no funny smell or greasy feel. It actually feels good to use it. And they are good for you since they are a source of Magnesium.

According to the web site, benefits of the Ancient Minerals magnesium products include:

In particular I found them helpful in relief of aches of pains, elevating mood, boosting energy levels, calming nerves, and improving sleep quality. I used the Ultra Pure Magnesium Oil in the evenings many times, while showering. I would spray it on my lower back which has been kinked out ever since I bought new pillows and it would be feeling much better the next morning.

The oil and the magnesium bath flakes were wonderful for elevating mood and making me feel energized. When I first started using them I was initially kind of alarmed because it burned a little, especially if I had a scratch or freshly shaved legs. But after a few seconds it just turned into a rather delicious tingling sensation. Ooo-la-la! My skin felt alive and refreshed and I couldn’t help but feel smiley and refreshed. My skin also felt so smooth I couldn’t quit touching it. I had no problem getting to sleep but that is not usually an issue for me. I do think it helped me STAY asleep as I do have trouble in that department some nights. All in all I was very pleased with the results.

Daniel Reid, a bestselling author and expert on eastern medicine has claimed that “Of all the sources we’ve tried, Ancient Minerals is the one that delivers the fastest, most potent therapeutic benefits.” I too am now a big fan and they have many other rave reviews as well. I have now convinced my husband to start using it. He often has aches and pains after a tough day of physical labor at work and he has very dry skin at times.

The Ancient Minerals brand is:

They use only raw, highly concentrated, ultra pure magnesium chloride and other trace minerals drawn from the Ancient Zechstein Seabed in Northern Europe. There are no added ingredients. They are now a part of my routine and I would recommend them to others who want to try Magnesium therapy.