Archive for ‘Helpful Articles’

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May 18, 2012

How Can I Heal My Hair Without Nasty Chemicals?

Moroccan Oil or Coconut Oil? Which is better for your hair

There was some questions and talk around the Batty’s Bath studio this week about how to deal with unruly, frizz hair. While I will provide a quick “band-aide” solution in upcoming posts to help you deal with the symptoms of damaged hair, like being unruly, frizzy, breakage, etc… This post is about how to heal your hair so you start working towards solving the problem of damaged hair first! :)

There are many products on the market claiming to calm frizzy hair.  One of these products that are part of the “natural care” world that I am sure you have heard of to tame this type of mane is Moroccan oil.

 Moroccan oil is touted as being able to lubricate and help to rebuild the broken hair cuticle which takes away the frizz. This oil is also said to help make the hair shinier as well as help it grow faster.  I know, when you heard about it, it’s like wow! The frizzy hair miracle!

 However I’m sorry to bust your hair cuticle, but this is one of those infamous hair myths. Sadly, even though it is natural and smells good, it just didn’t get the job done for the hair frizz blues!

Moroccan oil is like the mineral oil of the hair care world, it just lubricates the top layer.

Moroccan oil doesn’t really do anything to heal the hair and banish frizz into oblivion. So what to do you ask? How can I heal my hair without nasty chemicals?

The answer is the oil of our tropical friend the coconut! Coconut oil not only helps to lubricate the hair, rebuild the broken hair cuticle, but it actually penetrates your beautiful locks, for 360 degrees hair health. Coconut oil unlike Moroccan oil contains an essential acid called lauric acid. Lauric acid  is what helps this oil penetrate your hair, and moisturize it from the inside out.  Coconut oil also helps the hair to retain moisture (which is really important when your hair is already looking crazy!). This is due to it not being easily broken down and coconut oil being high in moisture. Wow!. It also has vitamin E, which helps to keep hair in good health.

Coconut oil is the solution no matter how your hair got frizzy, whether it be from being in the sun too much,  genetics, or chemical damage (coloring, perms), and too much heat (curling irons, blow dryers etc).

Here at Batty’s Bath, we know the power of the lovely coconut.

You can find it in the hair serum, which is chock full of coconut, as well as in our shampoo bar!

Stay tuned to the blog for more healthy hair advice or never miss an article by signing up for email updates (see the top left of this blog).

P.s. Have a great long weekend!

<3 Batty


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May 12, 2012

Aromatherapy Wellness Cabinet DIY Series: What’s in Mine

beautiful hankies that hold and protect special beloved treasures.

beautiful hankies that hold and protect special beloved treasures.

As many of you know my beloved MacBook Pro died about a week ago and I’m in another flare up – a flare that has lasted longer than they usually do (not that they are totally predictable).  The silver living is that because my laptop died while I was in a flare up, it gave me the break I needed. I’ve felt less guilty about taking time to take care of myself and reflect while I wait for a new MacBook Pro to arrive. Now, instead of filling this post with my computer and health woes, I thought I’d start a series that will help YOU!

Some, but not many, of my friends have “wellness cabinets”.  Wellness cabinets are similar to medicine cabinets (and some aren’t cabinets at all! Even a small box works!). 

And I think they are wonderful things to work into any families home and add to it as you find more ingredients, and other items that are suitable for it. Put it near your first aid or emergency preparedness kit. One of the things we have in ours, is essential oils.

As you may have noticed, essential oils are used abundantly in the product line, and rightfully so as they are superbly healing on many levels as well as smell delightfully well.  You may be wondering, hmm how can I harness the healing power of essential oils outside of these wonderful creations by Batty’s Bath. Well in this series I will cover ten basic essential oils, that everyone should keep in their wellness cabinet. These oils have a wide variety of uses, and we will touch on them each individually.

   The ten basic essential oils that will be introduced to you for this DIY series are:

  • lavender
  • chamomile
  • tea tree
  • eucalyptus
  • lemon
  • peppermint
  • geranium
  • thyme
  • rosemary
  • clove 

In each section of this series basic information will be given on their properties, how you can use them, and even a little treat at the end of each piece with a DIY recipe.

Now before we get into the fun stuff. …..

I want to make sure you are a savvy essential oil shopper!

So I have to give you a quick briefing on how to buy the high quality essential oils. There are a lot of essential oils out there on the market, some are excellent, some belong in the trash can of grouch from sesame street. Here’s why. Top quality essentials oils are of a therapeutic nature.

Here’s a quick list of how to make sure you get the best essential oils:

  1. They will have their scientific and common name on the bottle.
  2. Also check the prices, because different oils take different amounts of material to produce the essential oil, it causes a variety in prices. For example rose essential oil and lemon essential oil should not be the same price. If you see essential oils that are all the same price, or nearly the same price, run to the next brand. This is one of the indicators that the essential oil may have been cut substantially with a substance, so it may be one drop of the essential oil to give it a scent, and it will lack the healing power that the aromatherapy world claims.
  3. You will also want to check how the bottles are stored. Essential oils should be in an amber or other dark colored bottle. This helps to protect it from its properties being destroyed by light.

Now my savvy shopper, once you get your goods home, you will want to make sure that you properly care for your oils.

  • One is to never store them in direct sunlight, keep them in a cool dark place such as a cabinet to help preserve them.
  • Secondly replace the top (lid) of the essential oil bottles as soon as you are done with them, as they can evaporate fairly quickly.
  • Thirdly, and most importantly is to keep the essential oils out of reach of children and pets. Even though essential oils are lovely, they are still medicinal in nature and can have very harmful effects if they get into the wrong little hands or paws!

Well now that those things are covered, we can move onto the fun stuff. Look for my piece on lavender essential oil which will be coming to the blog within the next couple weeks. Until then I have some other topics I’d like to share so stay tuned :)

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April 27, 2012

Have you detoxed your skin lately?

Clay Masks

A weekly detox is extremely important to keeping – or getting – your skin glowing!  Don’t leave all the gunk of the week hanging out in your pores! No good can come from leaving debris, oils, and dirt to irritate your skin!  Detoxing is as easy as using one of my clay masks! I recommend the dry clay mask for most people. The only exception is if you have rosacea or red irritated and sore skin. In that case, use the wet clay mask!  Check out the how to video for my dry clay mask here.

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April 9, 2012

How to Use Lavender from Your Skin Care Garden

I have been talking to you in the last couple of entries about using herbs from your skin care garden. Today I am going to be talking to you about one of the most common and yet those most fragrant herbs: Lavender!

This is one of the most commonly known herbs and one of the most versatile that I know.  If I were to just grow one skin care herb in my garden this would be it.  It is gentle enough for babies yet hardworking at the same time, and almost everyone likes it. And since you may have already planted some after reading the first part of this series, I will get on to how to use it. :D

One way that you can use it is by making lavender water.

Lavender water is great to have on hand for sunburned skin or when your skin is just feeling irritated in general. Lavender water will cool and soothe it.

To make it……

First you need about a cup of water, three tablespoon of dried lavender buds, a pot, and a 8-10 ounce glass bottle.  Now, I am sure the lavender that you just harvested is not dry yet, but if you read the previous post in this series, I talk to you about how to dry herbs. So what you do now, is bring the water to a boil, and then pour it over the dried lavender buds in a small sauce pan. Let it steep for five minutes or so, and then let it cool. Strain, bottle, and then refrigerate.  Splash on your skin anytime it needs to cool off.

Another way that you can use this lovely herb is coupled with oatmeal in a bath.

Lavender combined with oatmeal is great for skin that is dry and itchy or even bothered by rash.  Place two tablespoons of dried lavender and two tablespoons of oatmeal in a muslin bag or one of the handmade fabric bags you’ve received from an order at my online shop. Pull the drawstring on the bag tight, and place in a warm bath.

Did you know that lavender makes a lovely essential oil?

If you’ve ever used any handmade bath or beauty products with it you do! And while you can’t turn the lavender you harvested in you’re your yard into an essential oil without very special and expensive equipment, I can help you benefit from this healing essential oil.  I have harvested the healing power of lavender essential oil in my lavender swirl soap that will compliment and enhance anyway that you choose to use the lavender from your garden.

Happy gardening :)

lavender swirl soap

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March 28, 2012

Skin Care Garden Series: Lemon Balm

Hello again, I’m back with another post about the herbs that you grew in your skin care garden. This time I’ll be talking about the lovely lemon balm, and how you can use it! I think you will enjoy the many versatile uses of one of my favorite herbs.

One way that lemon balm can be used is as a natural insect repellant. Summer is soon coming, and with the way this weather has been, some of us have met summer very early. You know what warm weather and summer mean! Mosquitoes!! Yes those things that go bzzzz in your ear and go after your blood leaving you with bites. This natural insect repellant is very simple to make, and doesn’t require a degree in chemistry.  All you need to do is harvest some fresh leaves, crush them with your mortar and pestle, rub them on your skin, and bam you’re free to hit the outdoors! Wow!

Speaking of the itchies and things that go bite in the night, lemon balm is great to use for skin afflicted with skin boils, chicken pox, and insect bites.  One way to use lemon balm is by making a poultice. To make a lemon balm poultice, you will need to harvest a few fresh lemon balm leaves. Place these lemon balm leaves in a small bowl or tea cup and pour boiling water on them; just enough to cover.  Next mash the moistened lemon balm into a pulp with a spoon or your mortar and pestle.  Let cool. When cool, apply to afflicted areas of skin, and then place sterile gauze pad on top. You can then tape this in place with some medical grade tape (you can get this as well as the gauze from any drug store). Leave on for a few hours or overnight if needed. Lastly, you can use them in a refreshing soak. Harvest some fresh leaves, and add them to a warm bath along with some bath salts  for an extra skin healing experience.

I hope you enjoyed learning how lemon balm can keep your skin as lovely as you are!

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March 23, 2012

Video: Morning Beauty Tip: Dry Brushing

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March 19, 2012

Skin Care Garden Series: Calendula

If you missed my post from last week – the first of the Skin Care Garden Series, The Skin Care Garden How-to – then you may want to check it out here.

In a recent post, I discussed gardening for skin care. You may be wondering, I have all of these herbs that I’ve grown. Now what?!?! Well have no fear, as I will be discussing how to use the herbs that I mentioned in that post. However, so I won’t bombard you with too much information, I want to just discuss one herb at a time. Since spring is nearly here (it sure FEELS like it’s here! I’m loving the nice weather!), and summer shortly thereafter, I wanted to start with calendula. Calendula sometimes known as pot marigold is a bright and cheery orange, and makes all happy who come upon it. Think of it as a smiley face sticker for your skin. It can be used in various ways, and it is really good for pretty much every skin type. It is rich in beta-carotene like carrots, and that is what gives this flower its bright orange color. It is also rich in vitamin A.

One way that calendula can be used is as a tea.

Calendula tea helps to heal your skin from the inside out. This herbal tea helps to relieve skin irritation, heal your skin from small cuts, bruises, inflammation, and it helps your skin to build collagen (collagen is what gives youthful skin that plump appearance). The tea is made by first drying your flowers. To dry your flowers, after you are done picking them, laying them on a drying screen in the sun, and let them dry for a couple of days. Then you take the flowers, and you can put them in a twisty bag or in a canister if you wish to keep them dry and for general storage purposes. Take about two tablespoons, and pour boiling hot water over them in a small saucepan. Let steep for five to ten minutes, and then strain into a cup. Sweeten if desired.

Another way that it can be used is as a paste.

Calendula paste is good to use for skin issues such as dry itchy skin, chicken pox, insect bites. It is also good to use on skin that has been burned (like when you were trying to pull that pie out of the oven and are so excited you get careless). To make the paste, place freshly picked flowers in the blender (stem removed and you don’t have to dry them). Add a little bit of water, and blend until a paste is formed. Then rub on afflicted skin.

These are just two of the effective ways that calendula can be used in your skin care regime. Stay tuned next week for the next addition in the Skin Care Garden Series!

One more thing before you go off to pick your calendula flowers, did you know that Batty’s Bath has harnessed the power of calendula in its lip balm?

Calendula is good for cracked, chafed skin, and is great on your lips to keep them kissable soft. Check it out here

Lip Balm with Calendula

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March 14, 2012

Skin Care Garden How-To

Skin Care Garden and Herbs

Spring is fast approaching, and you know what that means. Time for gardening! 

I am sure you see the garden gloves, the pots, and all the seeds out on display by your favorite retailers.  I know when you see the wide array, you may be thinking that gardening is only for the flower lovers, or veggie lovers. However did you know that you can grow herbs for your skin care routine as well? And no, you don’t need to own a sprawling acre with the perfect soil to have a perfect garden. You can have a little bit of land to work with or none at all. Even those who live in apartments or condos can grow at home as well.  Herbs are great for beginner gardeners all the way up to the expert gardeners.  Herbs can be grown inside in containers, or outside.

Alright now to the good part. Herbs that are good for skin no matter the type include lavender, calendula, chamomile, and lemon balm.

Lavender is good for the skin because it is antibacterial and antifungal. It also helps to heal the skin by reducing scarring (you know from picking at ickies you may have had on your skin or from cystic acne), softens it (for those of us that don’t have the baby bottom soft skin anymore), and it keeps all skin types balanced.

Calendula is good for the skin because it helps to heal wounds, high in anti-inflammatory disease, and can heal skin that is suffering ailments such as eczema or dermatitis.

Chamomile is good for skin that has been burned, afflicted with acne, scraped or is irritated from things such as rashes.

Lastly, there’s my good friend Lemon Balm. Lemon balm is good for healing wounded skin, and helps with those pesky insect bites such as those spiders that might be wanting your skin for a midnight snack!.

Apartment Balcony Garden

It is easy to grow these plants indoors and outdoors.

There are many medicinal herb kits that sell the seeds of these herbs and mini containers. Many gardening centers sell the products. They are also easily found on sites such as amazon and other online retailers (try Etsy! They have some really cute and unique kits).  You can also just buy the individual seed packets from your local health food store if you already have plenty pots or containers to grow your skin herbs in.  You probably want to plant these skin loving herbs as soon as it is time for growing them in your growing zone. You can usually find your growing zone on the back of the seed packet. This way you can get the most out of your harvest. Gardening stores may also carry plants that are already mature enough for transplant into any indoor containers or outside plots.

Cold Press Natural Soap Honey and Oat Delight

 Gardening can be a little rough on your hands, so a good exfoliating soap such as my honey oat delight.

A good skin care regimen should include both inside and outside measures. Using good quality chemical free products such as ours, as well as using your new herbs in skin teas will keep you glowing for years to come!

Pink Flower

Stay tuned to the blog because over the next few weeks I’ll show you just what to do with your herbs! Each week I’ll feature one of the herbs mentioned in this post. So get GROWING ;)   and I’ll be here to show you what to do with your lovely greenies when they’re ready! :)

Blue Flower

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March 12, 2012

Glow On Girl! Skin Saving Smoothie Recipe Plus Nutrition for Skin Health

Glow on Girl! Skin Saving Smoothie

We all have heard the saying you are what you eat. It’s true, and especially when it comes to healthy skin. Our skin is the largest organ we have.  When we eat healthy our skin is healthy.

                         

So what foods should you incorporate into your diet to have the skin of your dreams?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

First I suggest you get your essential fatty acids.

The good fats ..the essential fats come from foods such as salmon, cold pressed fish oil, walnuts, eggs, olive oil, flax seeds, avocados and other good for you fats. So how do foods such as these keep your skin in good condition? Well for one essential fatty acids ( more commonly known as Omega 3s), help to keep the inflammatory response of your body down. Skin issues such as acne, eczema and psoriasis are an inflammatory response of the body.  These essential fatty acids also help to prevent water loss from the skin’s cells, and helps the skin maintain moisture and suppleness. When the skin is moist and supple, it helps the skin maintain its barrier to many of the nasty bacteria out there like staph. When the skin becomes dry, and begins cracking, it’s like letting unwanted people into a party and taking over a good thing. You don’t want that.  When the skin is dry as well, you are more prone to wrinkles and other premature aging signs. Increasing essential fatty acid intake is one of the most essential ingredients to skin care, as when you are deficient your skin is the first place that it shows up.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Next, you want to make sure that you get your fresh fruits and vegetables.

Organic is best, because they have more nutritional value than their non organic counterparts. Also non organic produce is grown with chemical pesticides. Those pesticides get ingested by you and then your bloodstream gets unhappy and your skin therefore gets unhappy as well. Anyways, there are many vitamins and minerals in produce that contribute to skin wellness.  They are also full of powerful antioxidants and plant compounds which also to help protect the skin. Zinc for example helps to keep inflammation at bay, it also helps to reduce scarring ( you know from popping zits or from  burns and scrapes ). All of the B vitamins help by providing good circulation to the skin, help reduce stress which can cause flare ups, keep the skin from cracking and drying out as well as help us to grow healthy new skin cells. Vitamin C helps our skin keeps its flexibility and retain our collagen which contributes to our skin glow and suppleness. Silica which is a mineral helps our bodies make collagen. Vitamins E and A have antioxidant properties which helps our body rid itself of free radicals. Free radicals are those body bandits that destroy skin cells and can cause us to get skin cancer and other forms of cancer. Fruits and veggies are also full of water.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

What about Water?

Getting enough water keeps our skin hydrated and moisturized from the inside out. Drinking water also helps the body flush out toxins from the system. Remember, that when we have a lot of toxins swimming in our system, our skin shows it.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Putting what you know into action!

Here’s a delicious smoothie recipe that is full of the vitamins and minerals that your skin needs! Yum yum! Who doesn’t love a smoothie :)

                                                                               

Glow On Skin Saving Smoothie

1 organic banana peeled and sliced

1 organic mango peeled and sliced

1 cup organic spinach leaves

1 ½ cups coconut milk (not canned but the kind in the refrigerated section)

1 tbsp ground flax seed

Place all ingredients in your blender. And blend until smooth. Delish

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March 8, 2012

Video: Beauty Tip – Active Charcoal and Facial Massage

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