NatActive

Dark Hair: Cocoa, Chocolate, or Strong Coffee

Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler and cool it down a bit, so that you don’t burn your scalp. Alternatively, blend half-cup of cocoa powder with half-cup of organic plain yogurt, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or two tablespoons of lemon juice. You need some gentle acid to help pigments penetrate your hair shaft. Another bonus: an absolutely gorgeous shine.

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A lavish, supple, glossy silver mane is incredibly attractive and can tell a lot of good things about woman’s health and her realistic approach to aging. Yet, most women I know would prefer toxic dye jobs than letting their hair age gracefully. Unfortunately, the only way to reliably cover gray hair is to use permanent hair dye, and if you are after permanence, you end up with ammonia and peroxide. The more dramatic change of color you want, the more chemicals you end up with, so it’s best to stick to your own color and play with ammonia-free dyes to enhance your natural beauty.

If you decided to stop coloring your hair and embrace your gray locks, your first task would be to prevent the telltale border between your natural color and the artificial one. "You can strip out all the permanent color, but that takes a lot of chemicals,” says Manhattan hairstylist John Masters, who pioneered the art of organic hair care and non-toxic dyes in his John Masters Organics ... Read more »

A lavish, supple, glossy silver mane is incredibly attractive and can tell a lot of good things about woman’s health and her realistic approach to aging. Yet, most women I know would prefer toxic dye jobs than letting their hair age gracefully. Unfortunately, the only way to reliably cover gray hair is to use permanent hair dye, and if you are after permanence, you end up with ammonia and peroxide. The more dramatic change of color you want, the more chemicals you end up with, so it’s best to stick to your own color and play with ammonia-free dyes to enhance your natural beauty.

If you decided to stop coloring your hair and embrace your gray locks, your first task would be to prevent the telltale border between your natural color and the artificial one. "You can strip out all the permanent color, but that takes a lot of chemicals,” says Manhattan hairstylist John Masters, who pioneered the art of organic hair care and non-toxic dyes in his John Masters Organics s ... Read more »

Fluid mineral foundations may be more beneficial for your skin than powder ones. I have been diligently using my powder mineral foundations for five years now, and something was always bothering me. I couldn’t believe that inhaling those small particles of microfine powder can be really good for me. Each time I performed that obligatory "tap, swirl and buff” technique I could feel the powder coating inside of my nose and scratching my throat. I am not sensitive to any chemicals and I am not prone to allergies. So maybe inhaling mineral foundation isn’t really good for us?

It appears I was right. In March 2008, scientists from the University of Kyoto found that when mice inhaled titanium dioxide microparticles, they are invaded in alveolar, transferred to organs through blood vessels and may express biological effects were carried. After animals inhaled titanium dioxide p ... Read more »

Vitamin E is perhaps the most effective and least irritating vitamin that can breathe a new life in your skin around eyes. Vitamin E a great antioxidant, it looks great under makeup, and it works to make wrinkles less deep and pronounced. It usually takes me ten days to notice results with daily vitamin E oil application. Look for the natural vitamin E (tocotrienols, not tocopherol acetate) in health food stores.

You can also find a supplement in capsule form where vitamin E is blended with vitamin C. This mix works even more effective, but you must keep it well away from the lash line and avoid direct contact with eyes, as it can sting due to the acidic nature ... Read more »

Category: Green Beauty | Views: 152 | Added by: natactive | Date: 02.20.2013 | Comments (0)

Moisturizer is the most important skincare product. If you choose to go natural, you should only buy organic moisturizers that contain no chemicals. Moisturizers stay on the skin for longest, so any toxic ingredients in their formula absorb almost fully into the skin. A good green moisturizer should contain the following:

Emollients: beeswax, squalene from olive oil, jojoba and other plant oils, shea butter, cocoa butter, plant-derived silicones. Thickening agents like triglycerides, palmitates, myristates and stearates may be pore-clogging.

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Lavender has a gentle clarifying action, and when applied to the scalp, it helps normalize sebum production and restore a healthy bounce to the hair. This simple recipe works best with fresh lavender.

Ingredients

½ cup fresh lavender florets

1 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Method

Crush lavender florets with pestle and mortar. Stir in the applesauc ... Read more »

This mask works wonders for fragile, easily peeling nails, especially those that were hidden by artificial nails for a long time.  This treatment works best when applied overnight. You can store it chilled for one week. Extra virgin olive oil is moisturizing, while silica and beer supply the nail with silicone to help it grow strong and smooth.

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons colloidal silica (available from most health food stores)

2 tablespoon beer

METHOD:

Whisk all ingredients in a shallow bowl and apply generously to your fingertips. Leave to dry or massage well. You can wear moisturizing fabric gloves overnight with this mask.

When you start using organic fruits and vegetables in your home cosmetics you will instantly notice the difference. Experts say that the concentration of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals is higher in organic fruit and vegetables than in conventionally grown ones. In this mask we use cucumber because it is naturally brightening and de-puffing as it is rich in silica and vitamin C.

Ingredients

½ large cucumber

2 tablespoon aloe vera juice

1 tablespoon honey

1–2 tablespoons cow or soy milk powder

Method

Peel and chop the cucumber, then puree it with a stick blender. Add aloe vera and honey, and then add just enough dry milk powder to make the mask thicker.

Application

Apply to clean dry face and leave on for fifteen minutes or until dry. Gently wash off with tepid water.

Storage

This mask is best used on the day of ... Read more »

Baking soda is a very cheap natural ingredient that you most likely have in your kitchen drawer. Baking soda makes a great scrub. Its fine particles gently rub off the dead and damaged skin, and it gradually dissolves on your skin, so there’s no risk of damaging the skin or over-scrubbing.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons baking soda (exfoliating for all skin types, especially good for acne)

2 tablespoons manuka honey (antibacterial and soothing, heals acne blemishes)

1 tablespoon organic virgin oil (prevents irritation and dryness)

METHOD

Blend all the ingredients to form a paste. If the honey is too dense you can warm it a little and it will become more fluid.

USAGE

After cleansing, take 1/2 teaspoon scrub and gently massage into the face. Leave on for 5-8 minutes, then rinse off with ... Read more »

Whenever you get an hour of "me” time, treat your hands and feet to this wonderfully natural alternative to chemical-laden salon hand and feet treatments. You won’t inhale a single molecule of formaldehyde and acetone, I promise!

The best place to arrange a home nail spa is the living room at the coffee table in front of the TV. Alternatively, occupy a family bedroom. Fill the basin with warm water and add a few drops of cleanser, body wash or a shampoo. Soak your feet for 15-20 minutes.

Place a towel on a low stool or ottoman. Remove your feet from the water and wrap one foot in a towel to keep it moist and warm while blotting water from the other foot.

Clip toenails with a proper toenail clipper that has a straight, not curved, tip. Such clippers are very hard to find, but they are worth the extra effort. You need them to clip your toenails straight across the tip. Do not clip following the shape of the tip of the t ... Read more »

Hydromel literally means "water-honey” in Greek. In fact, hydromel was the first-ever cocktail. It is also the French name for mead, but in this recipe there is no alcohol. Hydromel is very useful to tame sugar cravings and to supply your body with important detoxifying and skin cleansing ingredients from lemon and honey. This drink should be the first thing passing your lips in the morning.

Ingredients:

1 l / 33 fl oz purified water

3 tablespoons honey

Juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Combine water and honey in a bottle or a jug and stir well. Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the water and stir more. Keep in a fridge or take it with you in a water bottle.

Why use toxic skincare if nature provides us with much more potent antibacterial agents with minimal if any side effects? Embrace tea tree oil. One of the most effective natural antibacterial treatments, tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) distilled from tea tree plant growing in Australia, is a natural antiseptic, which has been used for centuries years to treat skin infections, cold and flu, oral thrush, cold sores, gum infections, bowel parasites, head lice, mosquito bites, herpes, sunburn, and even vaginal yeast infections.

Tea tree oil naturally contains terpinen-4-ol which is responsible for most of the scientifically investigated antimicrobial activity of this essential oil.

If you feel uncomfortable burning, itching, scaling or redness when using tea tree oil, try this trick: dilute the oil in water, pour the mixture into a cool pack, and put it into a freezer. Being lighter than water, tea tree oil will form a thin layer on t ... Read more »

Did you know you can make a lovely natural face cleanser using only products found in your fridge and cupboards? Here’s how:

Wash your face with plain full-fat milk. Lactic acid in the milk works as a mild skin scrub. While it is imperative to avoid dairy if you suffer from persistent acne, you can still use milk as a cleanser. If you prefer not to keep milk in your refrigerator just for cleansing purposes, use powdered milk or baby formula which comes in convenient cans that you can keep in your bathroom for easy access.

For people having acne or very oily skin, a teaspoon of rice or gram flour massaged into the face helps exfoliate dead cells without harming the skin, absorb excess oil and relieve the skin of stickiness.

Orange peel makes your skin glow with its essential oils. You can prepare it at home by drying out an orange peel and then grinding it in a coffee grinder to a fine powder. Mix half-teaspoon of the powder ... Read more »

Apple cider vinegar, a by-product of cider production, is the most versatile skincare and detoxification product when it comes to acne and other skin maladies. The benefits of apple cider vinegar were discovered in the Ancient Egypt and over centuries apple cider became one of the most trusted natural medicines all over the world. Hippocrates reportedly has used vinegar as an antibiotic, Samurai warriors used the vinegar tonic for strength and power, and Indians have been known to use apple cider vinegar in combination with honey to improve digestion

Apple cider vinegar has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral properties. Nearly ninety different substances were identified in apple cider vinegar including minerals, trace elements and vitamins as well malic, acetic, propionic, lactic acids, enzymes, amino acids as well as apple pectin. Acetic acid in vinegar forms acetate compounds which bind to potentially dangerous toxic chemicals inside the body th ... Read more »

Making baby wipes at home is a lot easier than you think. Most conventional baby wipes are soaked in a blend of chemicals which can be irritating and even toxic to baby’s skin. Some of the common chemicals found in baby wipes are propylene glycol, acrylates, artificial fragrances, alcohol, and paraben preservatives.

All you need to make your own baby wipes is a good quality, preferably organic, glycerine, and squares of soft fabric, for example, pieces of old muslin clothes, t-shirt, or other soft fabric. You can also use squares of gauze for your baby wipes. Just do not use paper.

In a glass container, combine 1 cup witch hazel, 1 tablespoon glycerin, 1/2 cup strong green tea (made from sachets to avoid grits), and 1/2 cup rosewater. Shake well until blended. Pour the mix into a container with a lid. Fill the container with squares of clean muslin cloth or cheese cloth, so that they are fully soaked with the herbal solution. Keep in cool place and use ... Read more »