Next time you shop at your grocery store why not pick up a a few extras of your favorite foods to make homemade vegan skin care products? Stock up on fresh strawberries(which makes an excellent whitener for teeth), organic brown sugar(an all-natural exfoliant), and extra virgin olive oil(the perfect moisturizer).  Even better, search up beauty recipes for vegan skin care products, and print out the beauty recipes that you would like to try. Then make a list of what you need and bring it along with your main grocery shopping list. What you add to the list is up to you, but here is a small sample list of natural foods that also make great beauty products.

Taking good care of your hands and feet are just as important as taking care of the rest of your body, maybe even more so. The skin on your hands and feet should never be forgotten about, especially since they take the most “abuse” on a daily basis. You use your hands for a variety of daily tasks such as cooking or cleaning, and your feet suffer from walking and standing all day. The effects of daily activities wreck havoc on your skin and can cause dry, irritated skin or other skin issues. You cannot stop living your life, but you can take the necessary precautions to prevent problems and pamper your delicate skin. Here are some smart tips you can use.

Dry skin has a low level of sebum, can be prone to sensitivity, has a parched look caused by its inability to retain moisture, and feels tight and uncomfortable after washing. Dry skin care is needed, especially in the winters and you can use the following herbs, which will be beneficial for your vegan skin. To name a few essential oils for dry skin care are Geranium, Lavender, Chamomile, Hyssop, patchouli, Sandalwood, Rose, and Ylang-Ylang.

• Calendula and comfrey have properties to soften the skin and can be used in a facial sauna or to make herbal or floral waters. Comfrey tends to lessen redness and soothes irritated skin.

Did you know that nearly 60% of what you apply to your skin is absorbed into your body? Thus, it makes sense to choose only those products that are made only with the purest of skin care ingredients. Use vegan skin care ingredients that are 100% organic, or raw/living and truly natural and vegan, that is, plant derived and not chemically altered. Listed below are the top 5 skin care ingredients.

Dead Sea Mud

Did you know that nearly 60% of what we put on our skin gets absorbed into it and travels right into our blood stream, so whatever ingredients you choose while shopping for cosmetics should be considered carefully. One such often overlooked, but potentially hazardous product is the lip balm, that keeps your lips from chapping, tastes nice, and depending upon the brand you use, can contain ingredients that lead to many types of cancers.

People who prefer using vegetable based instead of animal based soaps or products have the option to choose vegan soaps, which are mild and often include things like spices, herbs and oatmeal nicely. A soap or skin care products can be defined as ‘vegan’ if they meet stringent guidelines, for example- vegan soap and vegan skin care products cannot contain the following ingredients.

Lanolin- is a residue extracted from lamb’s wool. It is available in synthetic form, though may contain a percentage of animal lanolin and often causes comedogenic reactions, or allergies.

You have the power, as a customer to vote against animal experimentation and buy only vegan products or those products, which are free from any animal ingredients, and have not been tested on animals. Use those vegan products, which are free from animal products or by-products and be careful while choosing and selecting them.  Be extra careful with the following ingredients.

Emu oil or mink oil

Minks are used for their fur, and emus for their feathers or meat, and these oils are extracted and sold to the cosmetic industry, after they are killed by rendering or boiling the animals.

Nearly 60% of women over the age of 18 years complain of dry, dehydrated skin as their main concern during winter, as the skin produces less sebum and looses more moisture. You need to take care and adjust your skin care routine by following these vegan skin care tips to keep your skin looking its best during the colder months.

Change Your Cleanser

Funny how the name aloe vera actually is derived from the word  Alloeh, which means “bitter” in Arabic. Well, yep, it is bitter to the taste, but this member of the lily family has a wide range of skin care benefits, and that would explain why you see Aloe Vera skin care products included in those products which claim to be natural/organic/vegan products, as well as other not so natural products. This natural remedy is good for dry skin, eczema, minor cuts/burn, and more. However,  it’s important to keep in mind that most products add more than just Aloe Vera in their skin care lines, so sometimes it is best to go with pure Aloe Vera skin care. Lets find out how we can do that.

Today many companies offer different types and packages of cosmetics and amongst them vegan cosmetics are gaining acceptance widely, and at a rapid rate. As the name suggests, vegan means anything that is plant oriented, does not contain any animal extract or properties like eggs, dairy products or other animal derived ingredients like gelatin. Made from natural ingredients, it is devoid of any artificial substances or harsh chemicals, and provides you with the best organic supplements.

Although summer is nearly over, we’re still spending plenty of time outdoors. Whether we are taking a walk, bicycling or jamming at an outdoor concert, we’re not usually thinking about the dangers of being exposed to the sun’s UVA and UVB rays.  But the dangers are real, and its not something that we can just ignore as the rates of melanoma and other skin cancers are on the rise,. So, we just want to keep our skin hydrated and healthy. It is important to wear sunscreen year round. But some of us don‘t like putting foreign chemicals and agents on our skin, so we must find alternatives to the sunscreens with toxins that many cosmetic companies make.

Coconut oil is considered a top choice in soap making. Just the vision of an opened creamy white coconut conjures up the words smooth and silky. Just how does this magnificent oil do its job?
Being an important ingredient in the “Cold Process Method” for soap preparation, coconut oil mixed with lye causes a chemical reaction called saponification. The resulting reaction is soap.

The first contribution coconut oil adds to handmade soaps is hardness to the bar. This will be very important if one is looking to make a stable, very white bar of soap as the base.