The Greenridge Herbal Thymes

Oh la la! Raw Shea Butter

Ten years ago when I first started my biz, I remember people asking how to pronounce Shea Butter. I've heard them all!!! :-)
Now, everyone is mostly familiar with this incredible ingredient's benefits and how to pronounce it, but not everyone is familiar with the differences of the types of Shea Butter out there.
Recently I have come across an amazing Shea Butter, the most incredible one I have ever used, which is imported directly from Ghana, Africa. This Shea Butter is not refined. Refined Shea Butter is bright white in color, because it has been bleached, heated, and stripped of many of its beneficial properties. Unrefined Shea Butter - which is what we use - is a little off-white in color, and contains high amounts of Vitamins A and E, plus anti-inflammatory agents, and suncreen benefits. It helps to transform the skin to be smoother, more radiant, and softer. It provides benefits for skin that suffers from blemishes, sunburns, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, allergies, irritations, wrinkles, itching, and small skin wounds.
I am so excited to incorporate this new Shea Butter into our formulations I just had to share the news! After searching far a wide, testing out a whole range of various shea butters over the years, I am proud to say I have found the best. Dreamy and soft, this one is a joy to work with. Some of the unrefined shea butters have a strong, unpleasant smell, but this one has a glorious, fresh, feel and natural aroma that just smells almost good enough to eat. You'll especially love a few new products coming out new week with this awesome ingredient, so stay tuned!

Detoxing the Skin, Fiberizing the Body

The skin is our body's largest organ using up 15% of our body weight. You've heard that a million times, right? But what does it really mean? Here's a quick science experiment for you to try: take a piece of garlic and rub it on your feet. See how long it takes for you to taste the garlic, in your mouth! That's how fast our skin absorbs things that we put onto it. Can you believe that? Our skin absorbs more chemicals during a shower than by drinking non-filtered water.

Dry or Oily skin is caused by hormonal fluctuations in the body, which lead to a DHT (hormone) sensitivity. This sensitivity means that the skin begins to lose moisture and essential fatty acids (linoleic acid in particular), causing thousands of skin cells to die, so the skin compensates for this loss of moisture by producing higher or lower levels of oil. Hormonal fluctuations can be caused by environmental factors such as chemcials found in your bodycare products. The water you use, the skin products you use, the air you breathe, all contribute to the overall health of your skin cells.

The skin supports it own ecosystems of yeasts and bacteria. Chemicals can upset this natural balance and work against your skin, causing fluctations in oily and dryness. Using natural products with essential oils work together with your skin, and since they are food-grade the body can recognize them and use them.
Remember that our skin also acts like a water barrier, so what we absorb is not easily released. That is why toxins are able to penetrate through the skin, and stay in our bodies for long periods of time. Especially too since many of them are not very easily biodegradeable.

Tips on How to Detoxify Your Skin
Eating fresh, raw, organic, unprocessed food greatly helps to detoxify your skin and provide your skin with a natural glow. It's so true! Including more fiber in your diet such as leafy greens will help to release the toxins that may be already in your body. The fiber absorbs the excess chemicals and helps them move down the digestive tract and out of the body.

Foods high in fiber include:
Fruits
Bananas, Oranges, Apples, Berries, Avocados, Apricots, Prunes, Raisins, Dates

Veggies
Green leafy veggies such as spinach, collards, kale and lettuce, peas beans, lentils

Nuts and Seeds
Almonds, flaxseeds

So, pump up the fiber and pump out those toxins!

Detoxing Facial Skin with Natural Masques

Indulging your face with a masque treatment once a week can lead to healthier, more radiant skin. Enzyme-rich powdered facial masques are innovative and extremely effective. They are able to pull toxins deep within the skin's surface. That's right - environmental pollutants, grease, dirt, and other impurities found beneath your skin that are blocking pores and possibly causing fluctuations in your skin's own healthy detox. Powdered masques are like a smoothie in a bottle rich with age-fighting anti-oxidants and nutrients that work to restore vitamins to the skin. They work to dramatically firm facial skin, smoothing fine surface lines,
clearing up blockages from pores, decongesting sluggish tissue and revealing fresh, new, more youthful skin within minutes.

How to use:

Use 2-3 times weekly
After cleansing, combine masque and activator (choose from list) about equal parts into a paste.

Choose from the following activators:

* Distilled Water (it contains no chemicals unlike some purified waters)
* Toner (Aloe Rose, Lemon Tea Tree, or Bloom)
* Pureed fruit for a fresh, healthy face smoothie! (I recommend Banana, Apple Juice, Aloe Juice, Kombucha Tea, Avocado, Strawberries, Raspberries or Blueberries)

I personally like to use Kombucha tea or just distilled water. Using distilled water, you get to really experience what is in the masque itself, instead of the other added ingredients. BUT they are nice to play around with from time to time, and an added bonus for the skin.

Use masques 2-3 times per week on freshly cleansed skin, by applying masque with purified water to make a paste. Apply using a masque brush (now FREE with every purchase of a masque) and leave on for 10-15 minutes while relaxing. Rinse, and follow with toner and your favorite Greenridge Herbals moisturizer. For more information on our natural facial masques, click here