Organic Beauty Care Recipes

Ever wondered why you have a headache after you put your favorite perfume on? Have you ever felt noxious, dizzy, had violent coughing after smelling someone who overindulged and “fell into the perfume bottle” like my dad would say?

Back in the days perfume were made entirely of natural essential oils. In the 30’s, some smart ass money makers (or let’s just remove the term “smart” all together) decided to create an affordable mass market product where essential oils would be replaced by synthetic & chemically derived ingredients.

Unfortunately, nowadays perfume contains an arsenal of dangerous chemicals, here is a few:

FRAGRANCE: (watch out for this one in other product s than perfume, it’s everywhere and NOT regulated!!) The word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.

OXYBENZONE: Biochemical or cellular level changes, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation.

LILIAL: Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Biochemical or cellular level changes, Endocrine disruption, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Persistence and bioaccumulation; Other MODERATE concerns: Cancer, Organ system toxicity.

According to the daily mail “The liquid in the bottle represents only 3 per cent of the total cost of producing the perfume, the other 97 per cent goes to marketing, packaging and advertising.”  So think twice before you head to the perfume store…

Don’t despair, there are easy and simple ways to smell divine without using any commercial perfumes, here are a recipe I made with 100% essential oils:

http://organic-beauty-recipes.com/2012/03/25/pure-chai-organic-essential-oil-blend-natural-perfume/

For more info on what is in your perfume bottle, check your brand here http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/browse/fragrance+for+women/

Another wonder from Morocco, this clay has been used for over 12 centuries and is rich is magnesium, silica, potassium and calcium. It is used to clean hair and skin, help regulate sebum imbalances, fights hair flakes and will leave your hair soft and shiny. Definitely one of my favorite secret beauty recipe from north Africa!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of Rhassoul clay

1 tablespoon of liquid honey

½ freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons of warm (not hot) water

Directions:

Mix honey, lemon juice and warm water first then add to the Rhassoul clay in a ceramic or glass bowl until it forms a thick and smooth paste. Apply on wet hair and massage your scalp and hair thoroughly and let the mask sit for 10 minutes. Rinse well. Shampoo if necessary. Rhassoul clay can dry hair; to protect your hair, I suggest using a little bit of olive or jojoba oil on the ends before you apply the mask.

On my last trip to Morocco I was introduced to Argan Oil, also called the golden oil for its fabulous rich yellow color. Moroccan women still swear  by it as a beauty oil which hydrat and heal their hair and skins. Argan Oil is naturally rich in vitamin E, carotenes (giving you that nice and natural tanned glow!), squalene and fatty acids. They recommend me to use it every day as a massage on the face before going to bed and in the morning for at least a month to show maximum results against wrinkles.

I like to create my own blend with other unique and rare oils like kukui oil to make it lighter but it also works just by itself. You don’t need a lot…Less is better.

Seek organic certified Argan oil cold pressed from Morocco (to be honest even it is not certified organic; it is most likely that no pesticides have been used since Morocco is still preserved from all that crap). Be extremely wary of fake and diluted Argan oil, always read the labels! 100% Argan oil or nothing at all.

Fun fact:  In ancient time the Berbers of Morocco gathered Argan pits directly from the pooh of goats which climbed the argan trees to eat their fruits. The pits left undigested on the floor were cleaned and then pressed to make the nutty oil used in cooking and cosmetics.

You can also use argan oil (roasted for maximum flavor) in cooking, delicious nutty flavor in salad vinaigrette!

Cocoa Butter is naturally rich in Vitamin E as well as a number of other vitamins and minerals. Vitamin E helps to soothe, hydrate, and balance the skin and also provides the skin collagen which assists with wrinkles and other signs of aging. This recipe contains no beeswax. It is a rich body butter perfect for dry skin and for preventing stretch marks.

Oil Phase – 10 tablespoons –91%

4 tablespoons organic raw cocoa butter

6 tablespoons organic Camellia seed oil or safflower oil

 Water Phase – 1 tablespoon – 9 %

1 tablespoon of organic pure aloe vera juice

¼ teaspoon of raw natural silk protein powder (Optional)

Essential oil (optional): 10 drops of organic sweet orange essential oil (photosensitive – do not apply before going under the sun!)

Directions:

Add the cocoa butter and camellia seed oil to your double boiler on low heat until they are melted.

Once melted, take it off the heat, add the tablespoon of aloe vera and the silk protein (optional)  and start whipping with an electric mixer for two minutes.

Put the bowl into the freezer for 13 minutes. (You may need to adjust the time in the freezer depending on how cold your freezer is. If the butter is too hard to be mixed, just leave it a few minutes at room temperature.)

Take the bowl out the freezer and start whipping with the electric mixer, you will see that it turns white and fluffy right away, continue whipping for 5 minutes. Add the essential oils and whip again for 1 or 2 minutes. Poor in a glass jar.

Yield: about 8 oz (replace by teaspoons if you want to have 4 oz)

Use within 2 months.