Sunflower Seed Oil

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

Sunflower Seed Oil for the skin

Sunflower seed oil is so beneficial to the skin. A study on infants compared sunflower seed oil with olive oil and found that olive oil “significantly damages the skin barrier” and should be discouraged for dry skin treatment and infant massage. They also determined it reduces infection. It is rich in oleic acid, linoleic acid, carotenoids and  high in Vitamins A, D, and E. It is non comedogenic: it doesn’t clog the pores. Safe for infants, sunflower seed oil is a better skin barrier than the petroleum based products as it protects the skin and locks in moisture. The oil also contains folic acid that helps the body manufacture new cells.

According to Dermatology Times, several studies indicate that the oil has anti-inflammatory properties.Thus making it perfect for acne prone skin by fighting the bacteria yet moisturizing at the same time. The National Eczema Association also encourages the use of sunflower seed oil for those suffering with outbreaks.

What does this mean? That this oil penetrates the skins, absorbs quickly and reduces the fine lines. It is a powerful moisturizer and deeply nourishing for the skin. We have sunflower seed oil in our face and neck elixir, body polish, body oil and flourish calming perfume. See for your yourself the results of sunflower seed oil.

Sunflower Fun Facts

Sunflowers, native to the Americas, have been growing since 1000 B.C. The largest producer in the the U.S. is South Dakota. With over 70 species to choose their benefits are eclectic. In Japan, millions were planted to absorb toxins after the tsunami destroyed the nuclear power plant. In French the word for sunflower is tournesol: follow the sun. Birds love the seeds that make some of the best oil for cooking and for the skin.

 

HollyBeth’s Summer Hair Care Tips

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

HAIRCARE

Summer Frizzies

Summertime is in full swing. School is out, the pool is open, and a week at the beach may be in your near future. Life has officially moved outdoors into the sun and by the water. While the season of fun in the sun does wonders for the mind and spirit, it can also do one heck of a number on your hair. Humidity, chlorine, and sun exposure can wreak havoc on your locks, stripping away moisture and leaving behind a major case of the frizzies. In preparation for the hot months ahead, I asked organic skin care guru HollyBeth Anderson for some tips on how to ensure good hair days all summer long.

HollyBeth’s Tips for Great Summer Hair:

1 – Just as you protect your skin from UV damage, do so for your hair!

My favorite summer accessory is a lightweight scarf that I can use as a head wrap when I’m out in the sun. A scarf or a hat not only protects your hair from sun damage, but also the drying, tangling effects of the wind. Not a hat person? Get a spray bottle and mix a few teaspoons of sunscreen with a cup of water to create a light SPF hair mist.

2 – Be prepared for your activity.

Going to the pool to take a swim? Remember to rinse your hair before going in the water. This will help reduce the effects of chlorine on your strands. And as soon as you get out of the pool, wash and condition your hair. The quicker you get the chlorine out, the better. Going to the pool to soak up the sun rather than swim? Bring HollyBeth Organics’ Body Mist with you. A few spritzes of this cucumber and citrus body spray will cool you down and refresh your hair and skin.

3 – Consider a more laid back approach to styling your hair in the summer months.

Less is definitely more! Cut down the number of times you wash your hair and go for gentle shampoos that don’t leave behind buildup. Less time in a hot shower with heavy shampoo will give your hair time to regulate its natural oil production, which actually leads to less grease and more time between washes. Are you a heat styling addict? Give you hair a chance to air dry and cut back on the blow dryer and flat iron. I know that is way easier said than done, so I recommend protecting your mane with HollyBeth Organics’ Hair & Body Silk. This nourishing blend of camellia and argan oil locks in moisture and fortifies the hair, prepping the hair for heat styling and protecting it from the drying effects of the sun. When the frizz starts and your hair is in desperate need of hydration, a few drops of Hair & Body Silk tames fly aways and quenches thirsty, brittle hair. You can also use it as a deep conditioning treatment!

4 – Take care of yourself, on the inside and out.

Make sure you are getting the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy. Your mom was right – eat your veggies! What you put in your body affects your skin and your hair. The same applies to what you put on your skin and hair. Go organic! Keep it simple, keep it clean, and keep it natural. I guarantee you will feel (and see) a difference.

blueberry the powerhouse

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

 

 

 

 

blueberry origin

In a recent search, I read that the humble blueberry is considered one of the oldest living plants on the planet. It has an approximate age of 12,500 years. Native to North America, the wild blueberry has spawned over 450 species that grow across the globe. Although not as common in the south as blackberries when I was growing up, it is now a fixture in most backyards. As animals love the fruit this is a great plant to include in your urban garden.

blueberry folklore

Native to America, Native Americans smoked the berries to preserve them. They used the blueberry to make a jerky that would last during the winter. The roots of the berries were made in tea that was used to soothe the pains of childbirth, to purify the blood and for coughs. The berries were also used to make dye for textiles. In the south, it was said the tea from blueberry leaves would regulate blood sugar. As a child I remember someone would bring my Grandmother blueberry wine and to this day I think about how I wish I had tried it! According to the University of South Florida it has more antioxidants than red or white grape wine.

blueberry nutrition

A cup of blueberries has 80 calories. But this one cup is chock full of nutritious benefits for you. It contains the daily recommended amount of fiber: 3.6 grams. It contains 25% of your daily Vitamin C needs. These powerhouses also have vitamin K, manganese and iron. In one study Blueberry antioxidant properties have been shown to aid mobility in senior citizens who ate 2 cups of frozen blueberries a day. This fruit has been claimed by some researchers has having more antioxidants than any other fruit.

Because this fruit is so powerful, we included it in our  pore clarifying mask for its bountiful antioxidant properties. We know you will love the way it purifies your pores without drying the skin. Thanks to the blueberry, your skin will be glowing and fresh!

black cumin seed

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

 

smallerI’m constantly searching out new plants and oils to incorporate into to my products. Black Cumin Seed Oil, the newest weapon in my arsenal of powerful and effective organic ingredients, is hardly new. This ancient oil, derived from the seeds of the lovely Nigella Sativa flower, a member of the Buttercup family, has been a dynamic healer seemingly since the beginning of time.

Hipppocrates, referred to as the father of western medicine, considered black cumin a valuable remedy, while the first written reference to the oil can be found in The Old Testament. The prophet Muhammad stated that it’s “a remedy for every illness except death.”

Packed with over 100 beneficial chemical compounds, black cumin seed oil is a medicinal powerhouse. Studies show this wonder oil not only boosts immunity and treats a multitude of ailments, but it does wonders for the skin, hair and nails as well. It not only soothes psoriasis, eczema, acne, burns and infections, but it is a superb moisturizer, minimizing wrinkles and other signs of aging.

It’s also an essential component of my new Eye Serum. The latest introduction to the HollyBeth Organics skincare line fights signs of aging, dark circles and puffiness with an organic blend of black cumin seed, carrot seed, pomegranate seed and sandalwood essential oils.

Ode to Rose Geranium Toner

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

I am in love with HollyBeth Organics’ Rose Geranium Toner. In fact, it is one of my all-time favorite skin care products, and I won’t leave home without it. Looking for a great-smelling body mist? Need a toner to sooth your skin? Want to keep your makeup in place all day long? How about a rehydrating midday pick-me-up? This product does it all! Oh, Rose Geranium Toner, how I love thee, let me count the ways.

Great-Smelling Body Mist

Rose and geranium combine to create a rich, rosy smell that will make anyone feel like royalty. Get blanketed in luxury with each spray of this beautifully fragrant body mist. Just imagine standing under a waterfall of rose petals!

Soothing Toner

Keep your skin in check with this Rose Geranium Toner’s antiseptic properties of rose geranium hydrosol, nourishing rose oil, and anti-inflammatory helichrysum. This sooth-all skin solution calms and heals with each spray.

Makeup Setting Spray

Tired of your makeup running off your face by the end of the day? The last step of your morning routine should be a few sprays of the Rose Geranium Toner to set everything in place to keep your face game going strong.

Midday Refresher

Been running around all day? Just got off of a long flight? You know that icky, weighed-down feeling your skin gets when you have been going non-stop? A few sprays of the Rose Geranium Toner will rehydrate your skin and refresh your senses with a much-needed pick-me-up.

Seriously, this toner has earned a spot of honor in my makeup bag. Reward your skin (and your senses!) with this ultimate jack of all trades.

Spring Skincare

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

Spring Skincare

Spring skincare begins! Spring is the time we get motivated to clean out our homes, to get rid of things to start fresh. But spring cleaning isn’t just about purging physical items from our lives. After a long winter, it’s also a great time to think about purging toxins from our bodies. Your skin deserves a spring clean to keep everything fresh, glowing and gorgeous. 

The key to any skin or beauty regimen is consistency. The skin is made up of several layers and it takes time for skin to adjust to new climates. If you follow the main ‘musts’ your skin will be vibrant and glow year round. Spring skincare begins today – the first day of spring! So let’s get started. Below are key essentials to keep your skin glowing and healthy.

Eat Well

The old adage “you are what you eat” applies not only to our body, but also to our skin. What is lovely about spring and summer is that nature’s skin detoxifiers abound in red and blue, in the form of berries. Try eating what is in local, in season and fresh. Not only will you feel better but you will look better for your spring skincare.

Exfoliate 
Get rid of winter skin for your spring skincare with a gentle exfoliator and stay away from harsh scrubs and chemicals that can damage your skin. Remember your skin sheds cells every minute, think of it as spring cleaning, sweeping away winter. When I was a child my mother would exfoliate with cornmeal which is the reason I created our award winning grits & honey scrub. What customers love about it is that it is not only an exfoliator but a moisturizer as the honey leaves your skin soft and supple. To this day her skin glows and I know it is from her routine of exfoliating and moisturizing.

Cleanse

This is so important. When I lived throughout Europe and Latin America doing international business development, people would always tell me to never use soap to cleanse my face, but to use cold cream or oils. I eventually created, and now swear by, our gentle foaming cleansers that are castile based infused with essential oils. Our newest addition to our line, cleansing gel with chamomile and rose geranium is perfect for travel. Our cleansing oil is also gentle, yet effective in cleansing. Every country where I have lived, people swear by rinsing with cold water. Notice the people’s skin who you admire, apart from genetics I wonder if you will be amazed at how many use cool/cold water instead of hot water and how that affects their skin’s condition.

Hydrate 

When the temperature heats up and perspiration is inevitable, it doesn’t mean your skin is getting oily. Quite the contrary; it can become dryer and your skin can start to look dull once the sweat evaporates. You always want to drink plenty of water. I mist throughout the day with a non-alcohol based mister/toner, our rose geranium a marigold toners. Our body mist is super hydrating with cucumber, neroli and grapefruit.

Moisturize 

While living in France, I learned that dry oils are the best moisturizer for both dry and oily skin.Why? A dry oil is non-comedogenic (non-pore clogging). One of my favoritesis camellia oil – it sinks right into the skin and has been treasured by Japanese geisha for years. Camellia oil also has uv protection properties. You will find this ingredient in most of our products including face and neck elixir and rose geranium face moisturizer.

The area around our eyes starts showing ages first because the skin there is thinner. And squinting in the sun doesn’t help. It’s best to always use a moisturizing eye cream and apply it with your ring finger from the outside in. Beyond that, summer can cause our skin to become dry. Even if you have oily skin, you still need to replenish the moisture; misters or dry oils work well. Another moisturizing trick is to let your skin breathe by going without make up, just use your moisturizer, sunscreen and don’t forget your hat and sunglasses.

fragrance vs. perfume

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

Fragrance vs. Perfume 

Who doesn’t love a fragrance or perfume that transports us to the serenity of an English garden? Or conjures images of gorgeous beaches? 

When I lived in Paris I loved going to Galeries Lafayette and smelling all the glorious new perfumes. Later I realized that the majority of the so called “perfumes” were actually made in a lab and not from a flower.

Perfume

First, what is a perfume and who created the first? The Egyptians created the first perfumes for use in religious ceremonies and for the body.

A perfume, according to the Oxford dictionary “A fragrant  liquid typically made from essential oils extracted from flowers and spices, used to impart a pleasant smell to one’s body or clothes“. This to me is the perfect definition. The words chemical, synthetics or manmade do not exist. A perfume is intimate and personal; an aroma that conjures pleasant memories. A perfume is an image and creation that lingers once you leave the room.

Our perfume flourish is essential oils infused in organic sunflower seed oil, and not in an alcohol or chemical.

Fragrance 

A Fragrance is a sweet aroma. A conventional fragrance or perfume contains chemicals derived from petroleum that is linked to environmental health effects. Over eight hundred million pounds of chemicals are used each year to make fragrances. These ingredients or components of the average fragrance or perfume are considered to be the most prominent toxins to the environment.

The chemicals are the reason that a lab made fragrance will stay on your skin and in your body longer.

“Fragrances, because they evaporate and we inhale them, need more rigorous evaluation,” says President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and pollution policy advisor for Environmental Defense. “We don’t know what the effects might be because cosmetic ingredients don’t need to be tested for safety before marketing.”

Indeed as long as a decade ago, several ingredients used in fragrances were the subject of an investigation by the US National Academy of Sciences which labeled them as being on a par with insecticides and solvents in terms of the damage they could do to us.

Up to 100 chemicals may be used in an average fragrance, most of which are petro-chemicals i.e. derivatives of the petroleum industry with many suspected to be harmful. In 2004, Pat Thomas from the ‘Ecologist’ magazine analyzed a typical and well selling fragrance product, listing the ingredients and possible effects of the chemicals used. There is wide cause for concern as to the health of those who use them. Studies have shown that the synthetic fragrant chemicals are being found in breast milk, with one comparison study measuring levels as having increased fivefold in the last ten years alone. 

So the next time you traipse through a boutique or your favorite department store, think twice before spraying. Choose instead an organic blend made from true ingredients, true beauty: HollyBeth Organics

Cleansing Oil

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

Postcard Back Side FINAL NO AddressCLEANSING OIL – TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE OR SKINCARE ENLIGHTENMENT???

Growing up in a household that encouraged “back in the old country” solutions,  my life is peppered with hundreds of uses for castor oil,  avocado and cod liver oil to name a few. Our “Mima” solutions were a delicate (and sometimes marked with olfactory offensiveness) creations from the garden, the produce section, or the shelves of ethnic markets around Los Angeles. 

While I am a firm believer in the oil cleansing method, I can assure you that my experiences have not been without trauma and multifarious inquiry.  What is the oil cleansing method? Is it possible that using something with the viscosity of an enchanted balsamic reduction actually purifies and cleanses?

What is the oil cleansing method?  It is a cleansing method that uses oil to purify, cleanse and decontaminate.  How can oil do this? Oil dissolves Oil…. All skin types (even acne-prone) need your natural oils to lubricate and protect.  Cleansing oils use the “good oils” to eradicate the unwanted, bad oils. In addition to its purifying effects, essential oils are antibacterial, thus making it an ideal option for even oily or acne-prone skins.  

When you use the oil cleansing method, the cleansing oil binds with the impurities on the surface of your skin.  The scientific, differing properties between the cleansing oil and your natural oils allows for a natural removal of impurities and will not clog your pores.  Imagine for a moment you are driving with the windows rolled down on a well-earned road trip and your all-time favorite song is playing… the connection between that moment in time and your happy place is synonymous to the reaction between the cleansing oils and daily contamination on your skin.

Many oil-free cleansers can eradicate the natural oils that our skin embraces and needs to reach the utopian state of natural pH balance and glow.  And who does not want to glow and be balanced??? We are thrilled to introduce our first ever cleansing oil that embraces the astounding benefits of the oil cleansing method.

Gabriela Gonzalez-Lamberson

Tupelo Honey

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson

grits honey

Tupelo honey

Tupelo honey is often referred to as Southern gold or the Queen of honey and rightly so. This velvety honey is the only honey diabetics can eat. Its high fructose content means that it is quickly absorbed by the body. Compared to other honeys it is has a longer release of energy making it also perfect for athletes. This also makes it the only honey that doesn’t crystallize, it remains liquid for years.

The Tree

The Ogeechee Tupelo tree was named for the river in Georgia where it was discovered by William Bartram, the Ogeechee River. It is also called sour tupelo gum, white tupelo, and bee tupelo. The trees grow in swamps. Therefore, the beehives are on stilts for them to gather the nectar from the female trees that have the blossoms. As the flower is like a magnolia, quite delicate, the hives have to be close to the trees. The red fruit of the tree ripens in autumn and can be made into jams and as a substitute for limes.

The Bees

Timing is everything with tupelo honey harvesting. And of course, the bees. Honey bees can produce about ½ tsp of honey in its lifetime and it take about two million flowers to produce one pound of honey. This is probably why they are called worker bees. Tupelo honey has always been my favorite especially in my grits honey scrub.

Winter Skin Care Tips For Dry Skin

Posted on by HollyBeth Anderson
lavender hand cream
lavender hand cream

With the South and Eastern Seaboard in a frigid winter state our skin is taking a beating.

Winter skin care is challenging with the cold and dry air that increases moisture loss in the skin. Then top it off by walking into a heated room and you have a double whammy of the indoor heat parching the skin more.

Numerous dermatological studies also indicate that skin diseases such as psoriasis, dermatitis and rosacea are exacerbated in winter months making winter skin care essential.

Let’s look at the steps we can take to decrease skin problems in these chilly months.

Bathe Less

This does not mean to emulate Louis xvI and where flourish all the time. However, it is important not to use hot water. This actually leads to moisture loss as the lip barriers in the skin are broken down with the scorching hot water.

Use a non-alcohol based cleanser such as our chamomile foaming cleanser or marigold foaming cleanser. Both are gentle on the skin without stripping away needed hydration. Also, avoid products with fragrances, stick with essential oils.

This also applies to washing your hands. Alcohol soaps and sanitizers deplete the needed hydration in your hands. If you must use them make sure and replenish with hand cream and then gloves, both indoor and out.

Exfoliate

You want to get rid of dead cells by lightly exfoliating. Nothing harsh should be used, a gently exfoliant can do the trick. Try our grits honey scrub that can also be used as a mask and hands and face. You can also use baking soda: mix a small amount in water and gently massage into face and hands. And please please… do not use an exfoliant that contains micro beads that are damaging our environment.

Hands

We, or at least I tend to forget my hands. As I have written on several occasions, my grandmother would slather her hands in cream and then wear white cotton gloves to bed. Her hands were hard working throughout her live from cotton picking to sewing and they were still smooth at 99 years old. I use our lavender hand cream at night on my hands and our orange peppermint shea butter on my feet.

Moisturize

This cannot be stressed enough for both men and women. For your home a humidifier in the bedroom will keep your skin and hair hydrated. Heating is hot air blasting the moisture from our skin. Our rose geranium moisturizer is known for helping with rosacea and dry skin. What every you choose for your face, make sure it is based on dry oils that will not pollute and clog your pores.

The best time to apply a moisturizer or cream is after bathing. Pat dry instead of rubbing excessively and leave your skin slightly damp and apply the body oil or body balm your choice. I keep skin savior in my bag.

And don’t forget to replenish your body with water… I used to drink a lot of water when living abroad. Now, I have gotten lazy about it and must increase my intake.

Enjoy your healthy winter! And make sure you keep your winter skin care regime!