Nature & Beauty

If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere

~ Vincent Van Gogh ~

This is a photo of a blue bottle I took on a beach near where I live.  

I love it because it is beautiful even though it's poisonous to touch.  

I thought Vicent's quote was appropriate for such a photo.

New project

It started like this

While I realise this has very little to do with natural products, it does has everything to do with being handcrafted by me.

I recently learnt how to crochet thanks to my friend Stephanie of Moobear and OverIt and my mother. I've been working on my crocheting for a few weeks now but as I'm one of those people who really hates to see waste I needed to find something that was useful and that was going to be loved.  So I decided I need a project, but what?

  

Well, I have two girls and they are pre-teens so I was surprised to find that they thought me crochet was pretty cool, OK OK after they had a little giggle.  Anyway while practicing my chains, trebles and clusters, I found that I could make flowers and they didn't look too bad but what was I going to do with them, then it came to me add them to a headband.  Now, by putting these on to a headband, I had a win and the girls had a win.  The girls got something that their friends don't have, which they think is cool and it keeps the hair out of their eyes (which is where I win). 

I forgot to mention, my 22 month old son loved the headbands so much I wasn't sure if the girls would get them at all. 

Modeling the black

Modeling the pink

I love learning new things!

Jojoba Oil

Jojoba is not actually an oil, although we call it by that name. It is actually a liquid wax that is thicker in consistency than many oils and is made by cold pressing the seeds of the jojoba plant.

Jojoba has a chemical makeup that is very similar to the sebum that our skin produces to keep it protected and waterproof. It is rich in Vitamin E which helps to nourish and rebuild damaged skin. Its likeness to sebum makes jojoba oil suitable for use by all skin types.

Jojoba oil is excellent for use on skins suffering from eczema and other irritations because it has anti-inflammatory properties. It works wonders on skin suffering from acne because it is also anti-bacterial. It is an amazing oil, isn’t it?

The cosmetic industry loves to use jojoba oil. It acts as a wonderful moisturiser but is also light and won’t clog the skin. It is often used in shampoos to keep the scalp and hair healthy.

Jojoba can be used on its own but it is a wonderful carrier oil for essential oils. We use it in our Natural Calendula Baby Oil because we know it is gentle enough to use on baby’s delicate skin. It absorbs beautifully into the skin and doesn’t leave that greasy feeling left by other oils.

Jojoba oil is a wonderful base for many natural cosmetic products and now you know why.

Why do we use Australian Pink Clay in our products?

Clay has been used as a medicinal aid for thousands of years in societies all around the world.

The Australian Aborigines used local clays not only in their art and body decoration, but as medicine. They knew that clays are able to draw out toxins from the skin and so they would apply it to stings and certain wounds. Not only did they use the clay externally but they actually ate clay with some meals to treat certain intestinal problems.

Australian clay is very pure. The geography of our harsh continent has meant that we have quality mineral and nutrient content in the clay which has not been contaminated by centuries of inhabitation and subsequent environmental damage. The clay is mined under strict conditions and is sun dried so that it stays pure..

Clay comes in different, naturally occurring colours. Each colour has a different effect on the skin because of its different mineral composition.

Pink clay is very gentle. It helps to clean the skin by gently drawing out the impurities in the pores. It helps to give skin a firm and toned look. .You will often see pink clay used in a face mask because as it dries it lifts out all the dirt clogging up the pores but it is gentle enough to leave the skin feeling soft.

Our Rose and Pink Clay Goats Milk Soap relies on the pink clay for that extra deep cleaning power. When that is combined with rose, which is well known for being excellent for the skin, and the skin softening power of goat’s milk, we have a soap that becomes a spa for the body. Other products we have with this wonderful ingredient include our Goddess soap and Our Goddess Bath Salts

Australian Pink Clay is a special product that you know will be beneficial for your skin.

Rainforest Sugar Scrub

Not everyone wants to smell of flowers, do they? Sometimes, especially in the heat, a little freshness is best.

Rainforest Sugar Scrub has a fragrance that is fresh and gorgeous It is a unisex scent blended from ginger, eucalyptus and peppermint. Doesn’t that sound refreshing? It really does give you a lift. The scrub is gentle enough to use every day.

Peppermint has a cooling effect on the body. It also brings a feeling of energy. Eucalyptus has an amazingly clear and zingy fragrance, doesn’t it? It is great for opening up your nasal passages and seems to clear out the dust of the dry weather. We have added ginger to balance out the blend. It adds a touch of warmth to soften the cooling oils and gives a delicious fragrance hit as it is warmed by application to the body.

So how do you use our foaming sugar scrub?

Make sure that the area you want to use the scrub on is moist. The Rainforest Sugar Scrub is perfect for use in the shower. Just scoop out a small amount (perhaps a level teaspoon) and pat it gently onto your skin. You can add more as you work your way along your body. Gradually start massaging the scrub across your skin so that it can exfoliate all those dead skin cells. There is no need to rub hard because the texture of the scrub will do the work for you. The gentle foaming action will help the scrub to rub smoothly across the body. I find that a circular motion works best and it is excellent for my circulation, bringing a healthy look to my skin.

Rainforest Sugar Scrubs are a great way to start your day. Your skin will be fresh and glowing and the fresh, forest scent will help to get you started with energy.

Purely Natural Living & Christmas

Now, although I do most of my shopping these days online, I have recently been out and about checking out what the Big Stores have for us this year.  OK, OK, I'm really doing research to see what my competitors are doing.  I've been looking at the Gift hampers they have out and am not pleased to say that alot them are no so good for you. 

Do you ever wonder about your skin care ingredients?

You should - the amount of unnecessary chemicals and additives that go into our body care products is mind boggling. From parabens, leaching mineral oils to isolated components of natural products such as linalools, the skin care we use is packed full of a variety of harmful additives. Some are natural derivatives so even get into 'natural' beauty products, which lead us to believe they are good for us.  How far do you want to go back in the processing of this ingredient to see if it is natural.

At Purely Natural Living I create natural products that are good for you and the environment.  Why don't you check out some of the Gift Packs I have this year.  There really is something for everyone.

Beauty Tips from Audrey Hepburn

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness

For lovely eyes seek out the good in people

For a good figure, share your food with the hungry

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through once a day

For poise, walk with the knowledge you will never walk alone

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

Coconut Oil is good for you

Coconut Oil is different from most other oils because it is solid at room temperature. I remember years ago buying my first bottle of coconut oil and expecting it to be a fragrant, liquid oil. I thought I had a faulty product when I opened it and saw a solid white mass like wax instead of oil.

Coconut Oil has many benefits for the skin which is why it is a favourite ingredient for soap makers. Coconut oil provides a protective barrier on the skin, protecting it from daily damage. It is an oil that really helps to give your skin a more youthful appearance as it is absorbed into the cells of your skin, helping to keep them strong and healthy. Coconut Oil contains anti-oxidants which are known to help fight off the free radicals which cause such damage to your skin.

Virgin Coconut Oil is pure and has not been damaged by vigorous refining processes. It has antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. In fact, it has health benefits far beyond skin care. Scientists have found that by cooking with coconut oil it has a positive effect on heart disease, blood pressure, cholesterol and much more.

There is no real fragrance from Coconut Oil. It has a very light scent to it but certainly does not smell of coconuts!

Soap and skin care makers love to use Coconut Oil because of its wonderful health and skin protection benefits. It is easy to use, taking only a gentle heating to melt, but it also stays stable during the production process. That means that it will produce a quality product each time.

If you look at our lovely range of soaps (http://www.purelynaturaliving.com/TheSoap.html) you will notice that they all list Coconut Oil as an ingredient. Now you know why. When you use our soaps you know that you are doing the best that you can do to keep your skin healthy and gorgeous.