When it comes to knowing what is good for your skin, Alchemilla Ultra Pure Skin Care has over a decade of research and development in the world of plant-based organic skin care behind them, and they are one of very few natural skin product manufacturers who grow their own ingredients.

Alchemilla  natural, organic skin care products contain no parabens, sulfates, dyes, synthetic or manufactured fragrances, mineral oils, pthalates or toxic chemicals.

Their natural skin products are rated as some of the safest according to the Skin Deep website.

“At Alchemilla, we strongly believe in creating safe, effective skin care products that do what they say they will do,” says Deanna Vazquez, Founder and President of Alchemilla. “Our principles of purity, integrity and excellence mean that not only do we take the non-toxic cleanliness of our natural skin care products very seriously, but also their effectiveness in promoting a complexion that is healthy, vibrant and vitalized.”

With the release of their skin kits, Alchemilla has made it simple and inexpensive to try their organic beauty products before investing in full-size versions.  Customers can feel good about using Alchemilla’s natural skin product line to improve their skin’s health, because with each purchase of the Alchemilla natural skin kit, the company will donate $1 to United Plant Savers – an organization committed to protecting native medicinal plants of North America.

The natural skin kits by Alchemilla are currently available for normal, oily, dry, or combination skin conditions and with their new ultra-sensitive range to be released later in 2009, they tell us there will be one for sensitive skin also. Each kit retails at $28.00 and contains a trial size of either a facial cleansing gel or cleansing milk, as well as a toner, exfoliating face wash cream, purifying masque (not included in the dry skin kit, which instead contains a rich rehydrating night balm), moisturizing cream (such as their exclusive anti-irritant Rosebay Willowherb Cream), rehydrating essence, antioxidant concentrate serum and an eight-page information booklet.

About the Company:
Alchemilla was launched in 2007 by Deanna Vazquez, a Horticulturist, and husband Brian, a Molecular Biologist. Their farm and headquarters are located in Oregon and their product line is carried in spa and boutique retail locations throughout the US. Alchemilla is committed to developing non-toxic, natural and organic skin care products that truly nourish and revitalize skin for optimal health and beauty. Alchemilla grows around 80% of their own herbal extracts.

Go natural and purchase your Alchemilla skin kits for only $28!

Popular in Europe, argan oil benefits just can not be matched. Here are my reasons why….

10. Organic Argan Oil is an all natural fast absorbing oil. It works with your skins natural oils and not against it.

9.  Argan oil contains a high amount of anti-inflammatory agents (Vitamin E and triterpens) which make it effective for relieving muscle aches and joint pains, making this the most all around amazing massage oil.

8.  Eden Allure Argan Oil products are Eco-Cert certified, deodorized, and have not been tested on animals.

7. For $30, a half ounce bottle lasts for several months.

6. It takes the place of all of your expensive anti-aging skin care products, including eye cream, wrinkle treatment, moisturizer and even night cream. Organic Argan Oil is the only product you need. Hmmmm…$30? or $150?

5. Organic Argan Oil can be used on face, body, hair, and nails.

4. The rich amount of anti-oxidants in Eden Allure Organic Argan oil provide your skin with a natural barrier protecting it from smoke, pollution, and harmful free radicals.

3. Eliminates dryness and skin inflammations.

2. Eden Allure Organic Argan Oil is fairly traded to ensure that the women of Morocco who are responsible for the harvesting, receive proceeds from its sales.

and finally..

1. Organic Argan Oil is truly a miracle. A natural skin care product that does exactly what most other advertised products don’t. Reduces fine lines and wrinkles. SOLD!

Pure, organic Argan Oil. The  new “skin care miracle”

There are so many more than 10…I can’t possibly list them all. Natural skin products should be free of chemicals, preservatives, fragrances and best if certified organic. Most of the natural skin products from these skin care lines are some of the safest according to their ratings at the Skin Deep website, a site dedicated to educating the consumer about cosmetic safety.

If you are new to this game and have been using chemical laden skin care products from your local pharmacy that strip your skin of it‘s natural oils and cause more skin problems, you will be pleasantly surprised by the immediate results achieved when switching to an all natural skin product.

Another important factor I used when listing these natural skin products was price. Many products in the following natural skin product lines can be purchased for under $30; some as low as $5. So are they worth it? Inexpensive, natural, free of chemicals, effective, and smell wonderful. I would say, definitely worth it.

Pratima Skin Care

From the site: “what we apply on the skin should be good enough to eat.”  Made with pure herbs, roots, flower extracts and oils, Pratima products are free of chemicals and preservatives, have no artificial scents and are 100% cruelty free.

Do you suffer from psoriasis or eczema? Try Pratima Anti-Eczema/Anti-Psoriasis Oil made with Sunflower Oil, calming Chamomile, Neem and Turmeric to address the drying associated with these skin conditions. An effective natural skin product for psoriasis for only $29….who new?

Juice Beauty

Juice Beauty Skincare is up to 95% certified organic, among the highest organic content in skin care. Packed with age defying potency, Juice Beauty products use the most effective organic ingredients, including their own juices, Aloe Vera, honey, botanicals, plant oils, and raw cane sugar. Read the rest of this entry…

Misbranding of “organic” personal care products was a problem in 2005. It is now 2009 and misbranding still continues. Why?

Press Release:

Misbranding “Organics” on Personal Care Products

Target of 2005 Consumer Education Campaign
3/9/2005 – U.S. Newswire

ANAHEIM, CA – The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), the nation’s largest network of organic consumers, is giving notice to natural product retail buyers attending Expo West (March 17-20 in Anaheim, CA) that OCA is ramping up consumer education efforts regarding the misbranding of “ORGANIC/ORGANICS” on non-organic personal care. OCA’s concerns are shared by other groups such as the Consumers Union over an expanding natural product marketplace that is being corrupted by companies that use “ORGANIC/ORGANICS” branding on non-organic products based on conventional synthetic cleansers, conditioners and preservatives.

“For three years OCA’s Coming Clean Campaign has attempted to pressure leading personal care companies to stop abusing the word ‘Organic’ and to only use ‘Organic’ if the product’s main functional and fragrance oil ingredients are made from certified organic material,” said Ronnie Cummins, Executive Director of the OCA. “Unfortunately, despite some positive changes in how companies use and describe their organic ingredients, the ever more widespread practice of companies using ‘ORGANIC’ or ‘ORGANICS’ to brand non-organic products is spiraling out of control, to the point we have no choice but to wage a massive public education campaign focused on organic misbranding. We urge natural product retailers to exercise their influence to also demand truthful labeling and branding.”
Read more…

Every day, a new product comes to market with the claim of reducing wrinkles, restoring collagen and rejuvenating skin. While there are some great products on the market that will make your skin look better, nothing comes close to getting to the root of skin problems like a natural wrinkle treatment. You can apply some natural skin care ingredients directly or add some to your favorite cleansers and moisturizers.

Horse chestnut, witch hazel, rosemary (make a tea with one or two teaspoons of the dried leaves) and sage were shown by Japanese scientists to have enough antioxidant activity to assist in the war against wrinkles. You can purchase salves containing these natural herbs at health food stores. Read the rest of this entry…

The following is a list of proven natural skin treatments so often overlooked because of the promises in advertising of chemical laden skin care products marketed today. The natural skin treatments listed are for reference only and you should always speak with your doctor before starting supplementation or when treating a skin condition.

Natural Skin Treatment for Acne:

Azelaic Acid-a natural compound shown to have effects comparable to prescribed creams for the treatment of acne and rosacea.

Tea Tree Oil-does not make the skin flaky and is known to cure mild acne Read the rest of this entry…

You may repeatedly hear that we are being way too paranoid about the absorption of cosmetic ingredients and skin care ingredients through skin. While I personally do not believe that using products laden with chemicals on occasion, can do harm, I certainly believe that they are absorbed through the skin and years of use along with the sheer amount of products used daily can cause harm to those who may be predisposed to certain skin sensitivities and cancers.

I am no doctor, this is my opinion. Yet it is so obvious, especially with the promotion of nicotine patches for one and the administering of medication though patches for another that skin care ingredients and cosmetic ingredients are most definately absorbed through skin. From the Ecovoice.com website:

Today, the administration of drugs and medicines is often through transdermal skin patches. This has been shown to be up to 95% more effective than oral medication. However, cosmetic manufacturers are not supposed to claim that the skin absorbs their products. If they did the products would be labeled a drug and governed by much stricter regulations.

This is both good and bad for us. Good because it means our skin can be fed, nourished and treated from the outside with some wonderful substances.

Bad because it means we can absorb commonly used cosmetic ingredients that would never be allowed to be taken orally as a food or drug, through our skin.

While I am a voice against chemicals in all personal care products, it is far more important for me to get the word out about so, so, many alternatives.

Why does the consumer continue to purchase products with dangerous cosmetic ingredients at local pharmacy and department stores when natural organic skin care is available everywhere?

Have you ever been intrigued about cosmetic product labels that say “dermatologist recommended”? After doing a little investigating, I found that there is no governing body that monitors this statement. In fact, it really has no significance at all.

A manufacturer can have as many as 1 million dermatologists or as little as a solitary one who advocate their skin care product. Can you believe it? Just one recommendation and companies can make the “dermatologist recommended” claim. There are even websites dedicated to this term.

At this time, there are no guidelines that dictate whether the dermatologist who recommends the product is paid or even how the dermatologist tested the product. So don’t purchase a product merely because it is “dermatologist recommended”. Get all of the information you need from the ingredients list first instead of buying a skin care product based on a potentially misleading statement.

Organic Argan Oil continues to be one of the newest and hottest all natural skin care treatments on the market today. Argan oil is believed to have strong anti-oxidant properties, especially those that affect the skin where the oil is often used to combat physiological aging and drying of skin; to neutralize free radicals and conjunctive tissue.

Organic Argan oil is used to treat pimples, juvenile acne, wrinkles, light wounds and chicken pox pustules.

And yet there is another amazing way to use this natural oil. Organic Argan oil is considered one of the best hair oil treatments. Yes, you can use it to seal in shine, repair color damage, soften coarse hair, repair split ends and smooth dry, dull hair. I said it before, this truly is a “miracle oil”. Read the rest of this entry…

Mineral makeup is the cosmetic world’s answer to producing safe and natural products. The truth is however, that all mineral makeup is not created equal. It’s main ingredients include natural or mined materials from the earth such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide and iron oxides. These minerals are finely ground and purified before becoming part of the cosmetic products you purchase and along with the minerals, come various other unnatural ingredients.

Mineral foundation is by far the most popular and purist form of mineral makeup, however  it can also be found in blush, lipstick, eyeliner, eye shadow and even mascara.

While mineral makeup has become quite popular over the last several years, many companies still continue to use the same fragrance, preservatives, and chemicals that are found in most conventional makeup. Read the rest of this entry…