Today I introduce Moroccan Red Clay used in skincare. Other common names of this clay is Rhassoul clay, Moroccan lava clay, red clay, and red facial clay.  This interesting clay is mined from the Atlas Mountains in Eastern Morocco. It is a reddish clay that feels very smooth and silky.

Moroccan Red Clay may look like dirt or rust, but it’s very good for the skin. And it also washes out very easily.

Photo from Camden Grey.

This clay has been used for health and beauty regiments for centuries. And it’s popularity is growing as more people become aware of it’s benefit.

This clay is especially useful to those with oily skin and acne prone skin. As the clay helps draw out toxins and impurities from the skin.

It is a great way to stimulate and exfoliate the skin in a gentle manner which leads to a smoother complexion.

When the clay is dry (powder form), it’s okay to store them in plastic containers. But when you are ready to mix it, use only glass, wooden, or ceramic containers.

To make clay mask, just mix a small amount with water into a paste. Apply to your face, body, hair for about 5 minutes if you have sensitive skin. 10-15 minutes if you have regular skin. Just rinse and follow with a facial toner or moisturizer.

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I am always on the look out for new and neat soaps.  Except this bar by Nature’s Plus is not exactly soap. As it does not contain caustic soda or tallow.  It’s labeled as a cleansing bar.

The makers of this cleansing bar had this to say about it, “has a pH of 4.5 to protect your skin’s natural acid mantle.  This unique cleanser contains the specific amount of allantoin needed to help your skin maintain its youthful glow. Free from the harsh, irritating ingredients found in soap and enriched with 500 IU of Vitamin E.”

Allantoin is a unique product that is used for skin protection. Allantoin is a white, odorless, crystalline powder. Allantoin is also used to hasten the growth of new, healthy tissue. Allantoin increases the desirability of cosmetic creams and lotions by its action as a skin protectant. - The Sage

As for my review of Nature’s Path beauty bar:

It’s a very hard oval bar.  The scent reminds me of Pine Sol but more on the citrus side.  So not too bad, but I would prefer a more neutral smell.  The yellow color is also too much and can leave yellow messes on you soap dish and bathtub.  I would say they tone down on the yellow color too.

Otherwise, it makes a nice facial bar and can even be used as shampoo bar too.  Washes off clean and easy, leaving no residue.  Your scalp fees very nourished from the Vitamin E and Allantoin.  But it does leave your hair a bit dry.  I guess you can always follow this with conditioner or use hair oil after.

A little more info about the pH of your skin:

Nature endows human skin with a natural pH range of between 4.5 and 5.5. Regular soaps tend to be alkaline, effectively removing the “acid mantle” that your skin drier, less pliant, less vibrant than it should be. Natural Beauty Cleansing Bar are pH balanced, protecting the skin’s natural “acid mantle.”

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I first learned about rose hip oil from Aubrey Hampton’s book, Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care: Including A to Z Guide to Natural and Synthetic Chemicals in Cosmetics. The type of rose hip oil used in skincare comes from Rosa Mosqueta.  It is the wild rose found growing high in the Andes of Chile.

Common rosehip in autumn, which is very high in Vitamin C.  I have tried eating some of these and they are a bit tart.  Photo by Howard Vaughan, BBC Essex.

Rose Hip Seed Oil is used as a cosmetic oil and provides a good source of essential fatty acids for the skin. Which is helpful in healing burns, stretch marks, and scar. Rose hip oil contains a high amount of vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A. These help increase collagen and elastin levels which assist with cell regeneration. In other words, a great way towards having nice and smooth skin.

I’ve used Aubrey’s brand of organic Rosa Masqueta oil and thought it was nice. The oil is golden yellow and has no strange smell (unlike carrot seed oil). In the past, I have mainly used it for dry facial skin and scalps with much success. I don’t think I used it often enough as the small bottle lasted me at least a couple of years.

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Beauty of a Woman

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

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

For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll 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’ll 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 that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

- written by the late eduactor-humorist Sam Levinson.

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Since I am a fruit lover of all kinds, this new shampoo from Organix caught my eye.  And the fact there was a “TRY ME FREE” offer attached to the bottle was nice too.  I found them at Target and there was a good selection, from Cucumber Yogurt to Coconut Milk.  I think grapefruit mango butter would be neat, but I didn’t see them there.

I decided on the passionfruit and guava shampoo and conditioner. The smell from the bottle is nice and fruity, but in the shower it’s more like fruit soda.  Not too much like guava as I expected.  The nicest guava scent I’ve came across is from the soap and candle company Pacifica.

Here is a list of some of the ingredients: organic passionfruit extract and guava adds essential vitamins and anti-oxidants, and orange blossom infused with honey.

Not only is it made from organic fruit extracts, but it’s also free from harsh chemicals. And the best part for me is that all the shampoos and conditioners are sulfate-free.  And bottles are eco-friendly, manufactured from materials containing recycled post-consumer resin.

All labels are printed utilizing environmental inks and compostable label film made from annually renewable resource corn, not from petrochemicals.

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My beauty product review for today is from The Savanna Bee Company.

Photo from My Bathouse, on sale for $2.50 for 2 oz bottle.

I really like this body lotion as it goes on very nice.  It is lightweight in texture.  The gentle moisturizer combines beeswax and royal jelly with peach kernel, pecan and sweet almond oil. All of which are quality ingredients used in skincare.

The lotion is rich with antioxidants and infused with a natural mint julep fragrance.  It is meant to be used on all skin types. 8 oz bottle retails for $12.99.  But I have a small 2 oz bottle (as seen in pictured) that is perfect for travel.

The lotion I have from The Savanna Bee Company is “Mint Julep”.  Peppermint is my all time favorite scent (as well as herb).  It is the first scent I go to in the summer time.  I also like to use peppermint oil when I feel a headache coming. Most of the time it works, otherwise I have to reach for other pain reliever pills.

Ted Dennard is the founder of The Savannah Bee Company based out of Georgia.  They sell mostly high quality honey, such as Tupelo honey.  He’s been in business since 2002 and is still growing strong.  His company may not be as well known as Burt’s Bee, but it seem he has found his true calling in life.  Or at least with the bees that have provided him with so much more than great honey.  As for what he does, Ted said, “I just love it.  I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

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Children In A Field, 1911 by Evert Pieters (1856 - 1932).  Photo from Allposters.com.

One of my favorite paintings by Evert Pieters of Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Pieters is considered a marine and landscape painter from the Dutch Contemporary School.  He is a very skilled artist as well as an accomplished draftsman and engraver.  This painting of children enjoying their free time in the field of flowers brings me back to a time of simple joy.

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