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  • Sugar scrubs, should they be an oily mess????

    Should your sugar scrub leave a oily feeling on your skin after use? I hope to answer this and more in the following blog. The picture above is why I am asking this question. We recently bought a sugar scrub from a larger company. We have to cheat a little and see what the competition is making. Both my daughter and I were a little disappointed with the product we received. The oil had seperated and when we mixed it together we lost some of the oil. Is that a bad thing, yes and no. The yes is because we paid for certain amount of product and when we lost that oil we also lost money. The no, it didn't have as much oil and it was not a slick mess when we used it. I can imagine how oily my skin would have been if we didn't lose that oil. So what do I feel a sugar scrub should be? After much trial and error my daughter came up with what we feel a great product. She used just enough oil to make the scrub stay together. When you use her scrub you will have a slight oily feeling on your skin but it is gone when you use a towel to dry. The great thing about her scrub is that you still get the cleaning properties and benefits of the oil just without an oil slick. If you have used other scrubs you may notice your tub gets a ring and may be slippery after use. Well we worked on that too. Her first scrubs were what I would call dangerous in the tub. I used them and had to grab onto whatever I could to not fall. Again trial and error and she found the perfect match. I no longer fear that I will "ice skating" in the shower after using her scrubs. We bought other scrubs to compare what we make and see how it holds up against the competition. I won't go back over the oil slick but will focus on the ingredients. I really wanted to see what all these exotic oils and ingredients were all about. Come to find out they really don't do much but drive the cost up. I understand the sales and marketing side of using something like emu oil but there are other oils that do the same thing. If you would like to read about emu oil this is what I found. https://www.healthline.com/health/emu-oil So why add things like emu oil or parts of bananas, etc, etc, etc? From what I reseachered, mostly markerting and its the next new fade. Am I saying the emu oil may not do a better job than castor oil, no, but the difference may not be worth the extra cost. Lets talk about sugar type. There is a difference in what type of sugar you use in your scrubs. Sugar is a natural exfoliant. It helps remove dead skin cells which can clog pours, cause acne and black heads and other skin problems. So what is the difference with white and brown sugar in scrubs? Long story short, it is the chemical process that each goes through. Brown sugar is less processed. After reading and watching many videos and articles we decide white sugar was fine. Your skin doesn't absorb the sugar and it is used to remove dead skins cells. Very little if any of the sugar is left behind after you rinse. It is a personal choice and I don't have a real opinion on whether brown is better than white. I have used both and both worked well for me. Sugar is a natural humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the environment into the skin. So when you apply products with sugar, they'll actually help hydrate your skin and keep moisture within. If you want more information on this I would do a duck duck go search. There is plenty of information out there. Sugar verse salt salt scrubs. There are benefits to both but salt can be harse on your skin. Because sugar has smaller particles it is gentler than salt and they are more hydrating than salt scrubs. There is a difference in sugar too. Granulated sugar is larger and should be used for body scrubs where as brown sugar with a smaller particle size can be used for more sensitive skin and areas. You only need to use a topical sugar scrub about twice per week. Sugar scrubs are great to use in the winter, as exfoliating the top layer of skin helps moisturizers penetrate more deeply. How many ingredients are needed for a good sugar scrub? What we found is that you need three. An oil, sugar and essential oil. Thats it, no more no less. The one draw back to this is that in order to keep your scrub fresh you will need to use it within a month or put it the refrigerator, which will give you about six months. I am willing to use some refrigerator space to get a good product with the least amount ingredients. Overall I have seen some good products and bad ones in recent months. I never thought I would be using so many different scrubs but it was worth it in the end to make a great product that both my daughter and I can stand behind and be proud of. I hope you learned something from this piece and if you are interested please check out Julzes Sugar Scrubs.

  • What is in that store bought soap???

    Want to know more about what is in your soap? Know what you are putting on your body. What are you washing your body with every day? That is the question I asked many years ago and found a lot I didn't like. Why would a soap company put the chemicals they do in their soaps? Why would you "clean" your body with those chemicals and pollute the environment with those chemicals? If you look past the claims made on TV by big companies telling you how good their soap is for you, you will find the real problems. The skin is the largest organ in the body and should be cared for properly. Store bought soaps claim to moisturize your skin and make it "healthy". Most soaps actually should be called detergents because they contain lathering and sudsing agents. What is in those soaps/detergents that you use on your kids and your loved ones? These are just a few chemicals used in store bought soap. 1,4 Dioxane The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies 1,4-dioxane as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” which means that there is some evidence that the chemical can cause cancer. Please read the website for more information. https://www.floridahealth.gov/%5C/environmental-health/hazardous-waste-sites/contaminant-facts/_documents/final-faq-14dx.pdf Triclosan Some short-term animal studies have shown that exposure to high doses of triclosan is associated with a decrease in the levels of some thyroid hormones https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/5-things-know-about-triclosan Parabens: Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as artificial preservatives in cosmetic and body care products since the 1920s. Since cosmetics contain ingredients that can biodegrade, these chemicals are added to prevent and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and mold, increasing the shelf life of the product. The concern with these chemicals is that scientific studies suggest that parabens can disrupt hormones in the body and harm fertility and reproductive organs, affect birth outcomes, and increase the risk of cancer. They can also cause skin irritation. Moreover, studies have detected parabens in nearly all urine samples taken from adults in the U.S., regardless of demographic (Ye 2006). Given the endocrine disruption capacity and documented female and male reproductive harm, coupled with the potential for repeated lifelong exposure, it is clear that long-chain parabens (isobutyl-, butyl-, isopropyl- and propylparaben) should not be used in personal care or cosmetic products. Further, products can be made without these chemicals. So why do they use these chemicals? Its cheaper and easier to use them than to use real, non-GMO chemical laden materials in your skin care. What can you do about this? I asked that question and made a decision I would no longer use or allow my family to use those "skin care" products. Companies would rather increase profits than put a good quality, healthy product on the shelves. What did I do to solve this problem? I started a many year process of getting the best products and recipe to make my soap. I use only the highest quality materials which include olive oil, coconut oil, mango butter, shea butter, lye and water. We do add fragrance oil and charcoal to add some cleaning power and make the bars smell wonderful. I have used these products on my family and myself for over 10 years. Do you ever wonder why your skin cracks in the winter? It does have to do with the cold but it also have to do with the soap you use. Above I wrote about some of the chemicals that are in store bought soaps. Some of those dry your skin and help promote your skin to crack during the cold winter months. I won't tell you my soaps will completely stop this process but I have had no issues with cracking/dry skin in winter since I started making and using my soaps. If you want a product that I stand behind and use on my children look no further. Check out my soaps and give them a try. They are long lasting and have been tested on adults and children. We use organic materials that are cruelty free and never tested on animals.

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