Wonderful Review of my Clarifying Serum on Hot Ink

What a Treat! I just read a wonderful review of my Clarifying Serum on a product review site called Hot Ink.  The reviewer has been using the serum for a year, and though she started with skin that was dryish in places, but also prone to oiliness, acne, and sensitivity, all of these issues have been resolved from using this serum as her primary moisturizer. I made a fresh batch just a week ago and can attest to how chock-full of goodness it is. I now infuse the oils with organic thyme (antiseptic), chamomile (anti-inflammatory), and calendula (healing) to further bolster the power of the oils. Yay! I love to hear  success stories with what I believe to be a great product, and I really wanted to share this with all of you, my dear readers. (I know you likely thought I had dropped off the edge of the planet, but fear not, I haven’t, and trust me: I am getting back on board with devotion to my blog. Lots of news to update you on! And I will! Soon.) For now, read this awesome review. 🙂

Home Spa Treatment #1 – Treat those eyes

thanks to iChaz on flickr

"Aloe" thanks to Herb Companion

I’ve been offering you some Herbal Remedies quick tips, but I’d like to start a new series of Home Spa tips focusing on different treatments you can do at home for your own private spa experience.  Let’s start with those alluring eyes of ours that communicate so very much.

We all know by now why there are eye serums & creams on the market. First, we live insane lives here in the United States, where the response “Busy” has replaced “Fine” when we are asked how we are doing. Second, we don’t get enough sleep. Third, sun damage. Finally, despite our greatest efforts, we are aging, and here in America, we don’t tend to like that. Despite the truth that many skin care product claims might be a bunch of B.S., there is actually some truth to ingredients that attest to reduce puffiness, smooth out wrinkles, and brighten our peepers (or at least the skin around them).

These ingredients, when present in your eye care product, can do a lot to remedy your eye area issues: Retinol (increases collagen production), forms of zinc (may increase elastin production), cucumber extract (anti-inflammatory), chamomile extract (anti-inflammatory), caffeine (diuretic – so it reduces puffiness & seems to “lift” eye tissue), Vit C (decreases melanin production, treating dark circles), and Vit K (helps break down pigment particles in blood, decreasing dark circles).  Extra-emollient oils can also help keep that fragile skin elastic and supple, reducing wrinkles in the long-term and helping repair sun damage. That sun damage part can also be mitigated by anti-oxidants by reducing the ravage caused by free radicals.

Weren’t you wondering why I include green tea (antioxidant, vt C, and caffeine), Vit C, and chamomile in my popular Eye Potion? Don’t worry – I’m making a fresh batch next week. But I’m here to tell you about home remedies you can do yourself! Fortunately, there is a lot you can do yourself at home to do something for your poor tired eyes.

Lilith's eye potion

Tea Bag eye packs
— seriously! That concentrated tea contains caffeine that is proven to reduce puffiness. Leave teabags on eyes for 10 minutes and make sure to use cool water as hot water may burn and can help dry out eyes. Use a caffeinated tea with rosehips and you have a good amount of Vit C in there too. One with green tea, chamomile, and rosehips and you have an eye tea powerhouse!  Hey…maybe I should make these.

Cucumber eye packs. Yeah cucumber! We all know that Cool as a Cucumber says it all. And cucumber truly does reduce puffiness and inflammation, calming the eye area (and the rest of the skin too!). You can use cucumber distillates, mists, or slices of the vegetable placed over your eyes for 5-10 minutes.

Eye Serum. You can create a special oil of emollient oils such as avocado, coconut, shea, meadowfoam seed, hemp seed , evening primrose, and rosehip seed oil. Extra powerhouse ingredients include carrot oil, blueberry seed oil, seabuckthorne berry oil, and essential oils or CO2 extracts of Calendula, blue chamomile, and helicrysium.

Eye Potion. This is a simple Cocoa Butter & Coconut Oil recipe from Herb Companion. You need only two ingredients and you don’t need to use preservatives because there is no hydrous, or water, component. Super rich and long-lasting.

Cooling Cucumber Eye Gel.  I love this recipe from Herb Companion and remember when I first noted it when it appeared in print last year. This is a once & done spa treatment, meaning that it won’t preserve longer than a few days if kept in the fridge. But considering the ingredients, including fresh cucumber juice and aloe vera, it sounds like a great treatment!

Check out my new Clarifying Skin Serum

Facial oils have been in use for centuries, and present the most pure moisturization available. Oil has gotten a bad rap and I’m not sure why, except that most commercial products are created with petroleum-based products that are more like saran wrap on the skin than a nourishing body oil. (Yes – in fact, you should go look at the Real Ingredients listed on most commercial products…petroleum/”mineral” oils all over the place!!)  In fact, natural vegetable, nut, seed, other plant oils can help heal blemishes and acne, and many pure botanical essential oils are also used for just this purpose.

Precious ingredients are included to promote healing and provide extra nourishment and each essential oil was carefully chosen for its specific properties for this skin type. These are those same precious ingredients we’re going to look into more and find out exactly what they are and what they do! This is going to be fun.

My new line of facial serums are packaged in 85ml cobalt blue glass bottle with dispenser pump. Use one or two drops on the face at bed time and/or in the morning as needed. I especially love to follow application with a clean spray of my white peach & rose facial mist for extra hydration. Any hydrosol will do, and it seems to just revive and refresh in all the best ways. This bottle of skin serum will last you a very long time when you’re only using 2-4 drops a day!

INGREDIENTS:
Jojoba oil infused with organic calendula blossoms (much like the skin’s own natural sebum; healing),Hazelnut oil, Meadowfoam seed oil (rejuvinating), Rosehip seed oil (anti-wrinkle), Vit E (antioxident), Rosemary oil extract (antioxident), seabuckthorn berry oil (prized for damaged skin; anti-aging, anti-wrinkle), evening primrose CO2 extract (nourishing), helio carrot (root) CO2 extract, calendula CO2 extract (healing); essential oils of patchouli (anti-acne, regulates oil production), vir. cedarwood (toning), palmarosa, tea tree (healing, anti-acne), lime (toning), ylang ylang, lemongrass (balancing oil production)

My next post will start looking more closely at some of the CO2 extracts (and what that means)…

Clarifying Skin Serum