Matter of fact that’s how I test my recipes, if I wash my face and it feels too tight or gets dry I know I need to work on it!

I remember before I started making my own soap when dry flaky skin after a shower was the norm. It doesn’t have to be that way! And a bottled cleanser full of preservatives and who knows what is not necessary either.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

It can be confusing sometimes to find a good natural soap bar since there are so many varieties of soap on the market, both homemade and commercially produced.

1. Check for artificial colouring on the label. If the colour looks artificial it probably is.

2. Check for fragrance oils or scent listed on the label. You are looking for pure essential oils. The bar may be more expensive but there is a world of difference between these two. If pure essential oils are listed, it will very likely be stated as this is a big selling plus and indicates a high quality bar as well as justifies some of the cost as they are much more expensive to use than most fragrance oils.

 TIP: If the scent is typically very expensive such as jasmine or rose or a fruit like mango or pineapple, it is likely a synthetic fragrance oil.

Some high end bars do contain the real thing, but they will most likely be either a small bar or very expensive. For instance the soap bar I have pictured is Sandalwood – it is a blend of pure essential oils including Sandalwood so that takes the cost down but still smells divine - there can be variables so don’t be afraid to ask if you’re not sure.

If you have a sales clerk who doesn’t know, it likely is synthetic unless it’s a place that sells a lot of homemade items including high end specialties. Be sharp, some labels can get a little tricky in their descriptions.

3. Check the list of oils. A pure natural soap can be made from these three ingredients and still be a cut above most other soap bars – coconut, palm and olive oil but if you can find soap that also lists at least one other beneficial oil/butter or a few, such as shea, cocoa butter or even castor (not expensive but gives some grand conditioning and bubbles -its not always used or even necessary but it’s nice.) you will increase the odds of having yourself a nice bar of soap (or giving a gift that will be very much appreciated).

BTW, in a 3 oil soap such as the one above, the more olive oil that is in it, the better.

Coconut provides butter and hardness but can be drying if taken too far, palm can be condition but can also be a cheap filler that I don’t find to be extremely beneficial in comparison to some other oils and also can be a sustainability issue.

Olive oil is one of the greats however. Pure Castile soap or a high olive oil content bar will not be very bubbly but will be very gentle and soothing on the skin.

4. What else is included in the bar. If it contains oatmeal, goat milk or dead sea mud, chances are higher that you will have nice bar even if it doesn’t have an added luxury oil or butter.

5. Many glycerin bars are made from a premade base often called melt and pour. There is a huge scale of quality in these bases. Unless you know who you are getting it from and can see an ingredient list for yourself, you may want to avoid these although they sound good.

Related posts:

1. Homemade Solar Soap Instructions
2. Top Three Tips For Natural Beautiful Skin Video
3. Crockpot Homemade Shampoo Recipe

PART ONE- Taking care of your skin from the inside by eating healthy foods.

I have found that the more raw foods I eat the better my skin looks. Greens -- raw are better but some cooked are good too, seem to pack the biggest punch.

QUICK TIPS TO GET MORE GREENS AND RAW FOOD IN YOUR DIET

I get a powerhouse of raw skin care from green smoothies. My skin looks best when I have at least one a day. You can take any smoothie recipe and just add raw spinach or mixed greens. Best option? Grow it yourself. It’s quite easy. I will have more on that coming up.

I also regularly have eggs cooked with baby spinach or greens on the side as well as salsa. If it sounds a little different, try it. I’m hooked! Just cook them beside your eggs for a few minutes so that they are soft but not mushy. I usually add some water to lightly steam my eggs as well as the veggies -- you can also use sliced tomatoes, peas and herbs from your garden. You can add a bit of greens to almost anything and hardly notice if you slice them into small pieces.

A NOTE ABOUT COFFEE: Healthy diet for skin care is also much about what you don’t eat. One of the biggest offenders? Coffee. I have been drinking far too much lately myself and I can see it. If you can cut it out or even reduce it, you will notice a difference (in your anxiety and stress level as well, which is a big part of it.) Btw, alcohol is a close second. If you are using both, see what you can do and watch your skin take on a clear glow from the inside.

PART TWO- Taking care of your skin from the outside using natural ingredients that don’t contain harsh synthetics -- in my experience they seem to agggravate the skin -- bottom line my theory is that anything that goes onto and into the skin that is not biodegradable is likely going to aggrevate/irritate on some level. That’s not science, it’s my own suspicion :0) The implications go far beyond beauty but that is another story for a different day!

This is a video I did last winter. Odd for an article about healthy summer time skin care but it has a lot of timeless information in it, so what the heck! Maybe it will cool you down :0)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVkLFAwYH80

For more information on great skin care nutrition, here is an article from the blog

http://skincarenaturals.com/natural-skin-care-blog/skincare-naturals/healthy-skin-care-nutrition/

Here is an interesting idea -- adding aloe to your smoothies. I haven’t tried it but it could be a great idea!

http://www.aloeplant.info/springing-into-a-smoothie-craze/

Next up is a closer look at simple summer skin care that you can use to take care of your skin from the outside.

Meantime, grab a green smoothie -- or two!

And don’t forget to use save a bit a few of the berries to mash up and put in your face mask! (remember to always do a patch test first to test for sensitivities, especially if you have sensitive skin.)

Related posts:

1. Healthy Skin Care Nutrition
2. Speaking of Summer Skin Care
3. Skincare Naturals News

COCOA BUTTER – BULK UNREFINED ORGANIC FAIR TRADE PREBUY SPECIAL

DESCRIPTION – This cocoa butter has a wonderful chocolately aroma characteristic of raw unrefined cocoa butter. Certified Organic and Fair Trade. Suitable for any skin care application or soap recipe.

PRICE – 297.00 + Shipping To You + Taxes
QUANTITY – 55lbs

PRICE – 175.00 + Shipping To You + Taxes
QUANTITY – 25lbs

END DATE - TUESDAY JULY 19, 2011

ADDITIONAL NOTES: I am waiting for a pricing update on Monday July 11 – if there is enough interest I may be able to give a quantity discount (2+ boxes). If you can place your order asap it may help me to negotiate a better deal.

ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS -

Please use the order link in the cart system on the page provided below.

http://www.skincarenaturals.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=6305164

Select payment through money order. This will allow me to adjust for shipping as well as any price reduction that may become available on 2+ orders.

If you have any problems with the cart system, please email me at jan.ferrante@gmail.com.

PAYMENT INFORMATION -

PAYPAL/CREDIT CARD: I will send out paypal invoices – payment through your credit card can be made using their secure link.
EMAIL BANK TRANSFER: Email payments can be made to skincarenaturals@sympatico.ca
MONEY ORDER: Money orders must be received by the order date.

Related posts:

1. Steam Deodorized Cocoa Butter Fair Trade Certified Organic – Saturday Surprise Special
2. Green Light Special – Unrefined Cocoa Butter Fair Trade Organic
3. USDA Certified Yellow Organic Fair Trade Shea Butter – Saturday Surprise Special