07.28.2010
Vitamin and Mineral Skin Care Tips
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Vitamins and minerals are a crucial component when it comes to good health both inside and out. They help aid the process of healthy skin cell turnover and renewal, build strong bones, and promote good vision. Vitamins and minerals also offer many aesthetic benefits like treating  common skin problems such as acne and aging. Moreover, some vitamins also fight free radicals, which are known for disrupting the balance of good health.
Read your labels carefully to ensure that the SOURCE OF YOUR VITAMINS is from whole FOOD or is plant based.  Synthetic vitamins are vitamins indeed, but the body can use very very little of their contents. Check your products online or on the label and put them back on the shelf if they do not offer optimum support for your health.
Next, ask these questions about your vitamins:
Are they whole food based?
Is it vegetarian? (vegan is even better for health)?
Are they all natural?
Are they additive free?
Do they contain binders?
Are they allergen free?  (No soy, wheat, dairy)
Now, find out which vitamins are the most important in vegan skin care and why you should take them.
Vitamin A is commonly found in a lot of vegan skin care products, and for good reason! This vitamin contains retinol , a compound that is used to treat severe acne disorders. Retinol is used as a remedy for psoriasis.
Vitamin C is good for fighting the effects of aging and long term sun exposure(both of which often go hand in hand).
Vitamin B is an important vitamin when it comes to alleviating severely dried skin and a lack of this vitamin can cause hair loss.
Zinc is a good mineral that helps slow down your skin’s natural oil production which in thus halts moderate to severe acne problems.
Copper has a more complex purpose as it develops and strengthens your skin’s natural elasticity.
The five vitamins and minerals listed above are important when it comes to a healthy vegan skin care routine. Some will be found in your vegan skin care products and some won’t. To cover all bases, you can take a daily supplement vitamin to complete your adequate nutrition needs. Or you can avoid fast food, prepared foods, processed foods and substitute whole foods, lots of green leafy veggies, plant-based protein, fruits nuts and seeds to get your nutrition from food itself. You may have to change some old habits and relearn how to cook given a new ingredients list but, you can do it.  The food is both nutritious and delicious.
If in doubt, check with your doctor or nutritionalist.
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07.27.2010
Ask the 5 “W”s about Vegan & Organic Skin Care
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“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Benjamin Franklin had said. This was actually advice for fire protection against economic loss due to house fires. Wisdom here can also be applied to our health by choosing vegan and organic foods plus a healthy lifestyle.

Undoubtedly, organic foods cost a little more than the average. At the same time, think about what vegan and organic nutrition  gives to your health: no pesticides, no chemicals, no preservatives, no GMO (genetically-modified organisms). Over time, the investment is worth the abundant return. Think organic in it’s wholistic offerings: food, clothing, makeup, beauty skin care products and even cookcare.

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07.22.2010
Tips For Vegan Beauty While Traveling
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Summer is the most common time for traveling, but don’t let that vacation cause you to neglect your vegan skincare and beauty routines. While it completely impossible to bring your entire routine of products with you on the airplane, it is possible to replace a few products with smaller sized versions and learn to adjust to the temporary changes. Before you start packing for your journey, check out this pre-travel vegan beauty list for tips and products you can use!
Stock Up On Travel Essentials: What are your favorite vegan skincare products? Can you find travel-sized versions? If not, then buy a few travel sized containers and fill them up with your favorite products.
Don’t Pack A Lot: A vacation is a vacation, and you don’t need to stuff your luggage with a bunch of bottles are just going to spill out and get all over your clothes and other personal belongings. Pack the minimal and keep it light.
Keep A Separate Bag of Cosmetics: Keep the same minimalist approach when selecting items for your cosmetics case. Bring the basics(mineral foundation, lip balm, moisturizer with SPF, natural vegan soap) and add some extras(lip gloss, mascara).
Prepare For Climate and Environmental Changes: This is crucial especially if you’re traveling far away from home. Check the weather at least a few days in advance so you can prepare accordingly. Traveling to an exotic island? Bring a natural sun-block product and hat!
Drink Plenty of Water: And no, cocktails don’t count! Try to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day just like you do at home.
Maintain A Health Diet: If you want to come home feeling happy and healthy, then please don’t neglect your healthy food habits during the vacation.
Relax and Enjoy Yourself: This is the whole purpose of the vacation.
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06.29.2010
Natural Skin Care Toners
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Astringents or toners, also know as facial mists, floral waters, etc are an important part of the face cleaning process.  These natural beauty products are used for removing make up and any excess oils on the skin, or soap residue.

I always look for astringents that have flower and herbal essences that can deposit active ingredients to the skin while soothing, nourishing and cleaning and even lightly moisturizing the face.  Such natural skin care products should contain little to NO alcohol, dyes, synthetics, or fragrances (use essential oils instead).

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06.25.2010
Healthy Vegan Fitness
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For much of my childhood, I was an active dancer and I loved to ride a bicycle and roller skate.  But unfortunately, my eating habits weren’t healthy and my strength level went up and down.  My unhealthy eating habits interfered with my activities and I sometimes found myself lacking interest in any kind of dance movement or outdoor activity.  The day I discovered healthy organic vegan nutrition changed my life dramatically and I became a different person.

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06.22.2010
Living The Vegan Life
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Living the vegan life is much more than just lifestyle choices. Its also a personal decision that can really hit home. Eating the right foods and consuming the right products are only part of the story. Living a healthy and active life ia also just another part. But the most rewarding thing a vegan can do is to create an active awareness of the causes that matter most to their heart.
Whether its writing and publishing a blog post a few days a week, teaching others how to make good tasting veggie recipes, even volunteering for a non-profit organization to further the understanding of compassionate living or how to be healthy, it’s important to know the difference you can make. Here are a few ways to get inspired today!
1- Start Locally and Give Your TIme
The saying charity starts at home definitely has some truth to it. Find out what cause you’re most passionate about and let that be a guide. For instance, if you love dogs and cats, volunteer at a local animal shelter. If you care about the environment, join a group that focuses on teaching the community about environmental or vegan issues. And you don’t have to volunteer every week, you could also donate your time at least once or twice a month.
2- Go Online and Network
Reach a wider group of people and let your voice be heard! Start a blog or website that focuses on one or more of these topics. Once you get your blog out there, join web communities or social networks to spread the word and meet like-minded people.
3-Let Your Voice Be Heard
As a consumer you have the right to be vocal. Ttry to reach the CEO or a company representativeand and send them your opinion. Let them know what you think and feel about their products/services in a heartfelt but tactful letter. While you may not get a response or even positive reaction, you will communicate your ideas, which is the whole point anyway. This also works for government agencies, both local and state.
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06.02.2010
Vegan Remedies For Oily Skin
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At one point or another, we all will have oily skin. Besides using special natural vegan products such as the LeMudd Clay Masque by foreue mother nature offers other interesting alternatives.So here, we will take a look at a few uncommon natural vegan ideas that you can use to help control your oily skin.
Tomato Paste
This may sound like a rather odd idea, but it is a proven zit cure that is vegan and animal friendly. A can of regular tomato paste can dry out a zit and slow down your oily skin with the help of lycopene. Lycopene is a natural byproduct of tomato’s that helps control your oil pores. You can use it right out of the can or add herbs to it and use it like a regular face mask.
Orange Rind
This sweet smelling vegan option is a good choice for those who like high scented options that most stores sell. Rubbing the rind in water and splashing it onto your face will sooth and dry out the zit or skin with the acid in it.
You can also use lemon juice as well, diluted or not with water. Again, it works much like an orange rind does only with a bit more acid in it.
Garlic
This may sound like a unpleasant option, but garlic is a known blood stream cleaner. You can rub pure and raw garlic on the zit or oily skin, which cleans the pores plus skin. This is a good option that can be bought locally and is ready with little to zero prep time. Great for in a hurry rush answer to excessive oil.
Cucumber
Slicing or grating cucumbers and placing them all over, the skin absorbs the oil that causes breakouts or blackheads.
The Conclusion
These are simple vegan and cheap answers to your oily skin problems. Not only are they animal friendly, but many also give your skin that extra something that only natural plants can give to your skin.
Have fun with these solutions!
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05.19.2010
Vegan Hair Care Made Easy
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You already live a natural life. You eat healthy, consume the right products, and you may even be a healthy vegan, but what about your hair?  Are you aware of the dangers in using harsh shampoos, conditioners, styling products, or boar bristle hair brushes?  Like choosing your food, natural skin care products, and cosmetics, you must make smart choices when it comes to choosing vegan products for hair care. Here are just a few ways to beautify your tresses the vegan way!
1- Rethink Your Products: Despite what most hair care product companies will tell you, shampoo is really just soap. Choose one that was formulated with pure ingredients like Ole Henriksen Natural Hair Wash wit Sea Kelp. Keep the same method in mind when it comes to selecting conditioners and treatment products.
2- Embrace The Nature Of Your Hair: You already know that frequent use of heat styling hair appliances will eventually damage your hair, so why continue fighting nature? Instead of trying to change your hair, you should work on nurturing it. Instead of blowdrying your hair 4 or 5 times a week, let your locks air-dry. Instead of trying to straighten your curly locks, use vegan hair care products specially formulated for frizzy and dry hair. Try Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum and Phyto 9 Daily Ultra Nourishing Botanical Cream for Ultra Dry Hair, Dread Fusion or Knotty Boy Soap
3- Be Creative: Say your hair is dread locked and of course you want it to be ” fab”. Get an interesting professional hair cut, or braid or twist your wet hair to form waves or that curly look.  Once your hair is dry, you can undo them and arrange your style.  Grab any loose hairs that show up before you twist you hair and roll them together in your fingers like you would a lock, finally you place them inside the base of the nearest lock and up along side the lock while you twist the two together. Repeat this with all other loose hairs. You will gain a cleaner look.  Remember, African hair (especially if treated like European hair) is more fragile than Caucasian hair.  For this reason, use products made especially for your hair, whenever possible.  Dr. Bronner’s shampoos are vegan friendly, organic, fair trade and so good for the environment and humanity at the same time. Style by allowing hair to hang freely, or  tie hair with some of the longer lock strands, with clips, with other ponytail holders.
4- Think Simpler Hair Styles: You don’t need 30 different hair products to have fun with your hair, you just need a little imagination. Do you want to transform your straight hair into loose and soft waves? Start with clean damp hair and make a loose braid,  then secure it with a ponytail holder. Let your hair naturally air-dry before taking out the braid. Gently brush the waves to enhance your hair’s look. You can also try different styles of ponytails, braids, and more. All you need is a comb and ponytail holder or two.
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05.10.2010
4 Steps To Natural Skin Care Products for Tooth Care
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A beautiful smile always complements great skin! That is why you should never forget about natural skin care products for tooth care. Mainstream products that contain dangerous ingredients like fluoride and peroxide are more like what you may want to forget. If you are not going to “clean” your skin with these types of products, why would you  “clean” your mouth with similar products? Read below for tips to help you really clean your smile the natural way!
1- Seek natural skin products (toothpastes) with key ingredients to protect and ward off oral infections.  Peppermint essential oil or other mint oils are choice for antibacterial purposes. Cranberry extract prevents plaque, and baking soda is the whitening alternative to hydrogen peroxide. Its rare to find a natural toothpaste will all three of these ingredients so you may have to pick and choose which you need more.
2- Don’t neglect other dental care essentials like mouthwash and dental floss.  Many companies who make natural toothpaste also make natural or herbal-based mouthwashes and dental floss products. There is also the old-fashioned do-it-yourself route with homemade herbal mouthwashes which you can google up for recipes.
3- The natural health foods you eat can help in more ways than one! Use strawberries to brighten up your smile, green tea as a oral rinse, and mix a little tea tree essential oil in your natural toothpaste for healthier gums. If you ever get gum disease, you might want to consider neem oil as an alternative therapy as it features anti-fungal properties that fight against the infection. Remember to consult your dentist before trying any therapy or medicine, natural or otherwise.
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05.06.2010
Summer Vegan Skin Care
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The days are getting longer, the sun is shining brighter,  and you know its time of the year to start wearing sunscreen.  Although sun safety is something we should think about year-round, most of us don’t really start wearing sunscreen until the start of early summer. But the smartest rule of thumb is to wear sunscreen year round, and just switch to a natural skin care product with a higher SPF(sun-protection factor) during the summer.
Of course, you may not find vegan sunscreens or vegan skin care products with a form of SPF, you may have to look for these types of vegan products in specialty stores or online. Here are a few vegan skin care sun essentials to look for:
  • Moisturizer Your Face With SPF- You should always select a moisturizer with SPF, which is not only your best defense in anti-aging, it will also protect your skin from the sun’s dangerous cancer-causing UVA and UVB rays.  Try Alba Botanica Sea Moss Moisturizer SPF 15.
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04.22.2010
How To Look and Feel Vibrant with Healthy Skin Care
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Invariably, when I’m out doing errands, my youthfulness comes up in conversation.  Many people, especially those who are over 50, are very intrigued by the fact that I look more than 10 years younger than my age.  Their surprised reactions  to hear that I’m approaching my big 40 are often very funny.  Granted, 40 is just another number, but considering how difficult and stressful my life has been, I feel very proud and grateful that I’m able to look as healthy as I do.  I pause and smile and explain very clearly how I do it.

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03.30.2010
Vegan Skin Care Made Simple
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One of the best things about the vegan lifestyle is that you’re much more likely to make healthier food choices. And when you eat healthier, you reap the benefits both inside and out. People who eat a balanced vegan diet reduced their risk of heart problems and cancer, but many vegans also enjoy aesthetic benefits like good skin, stronger hair, and healthier nails. The key is to eating the right foods to reap the most beneficiary nutrients and vitamins. Vegan skin care is more about what is on the inside than what is on the out. Here is a list of the most healthy food choices that will give you beautiful skin, healthy fair, and overall better health.

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