The prospect of getting skin cancer is frightening for anyone. If the prognoses of doctors, dermatologists, beauty magazines and the media in general are to be believed, everyone is at risk any time they step into the outdoors without some form of protection. And yet, there's no hard scientific evidence that this is true. In fact, there's a growing consensus in the medical community that the anti-sun rhetoric that's had everyone slathering on sunscreen every time they step outside, is over-stated.

     In the absence of any consistently reliable standards or scientifically proven information, it helps to know as much as you can to make an educated guess as to the best options for minimizing the risk for yourself and your loved ones. Here's a brief summary of what you need to know:

     As part of our daily routine, most of us reach for some form of antiperspirant or deodorant in an attempt to either control or eliminate the unpleasant body odors that can arise when we sweat. This need, like so many of the ones that dictate our personal hygiene habits, probably stems from early advertising campaigns designed to sell a related product. So effective were these campaigns in establishing our cultural distaste for body odor, that every day 95% of Americans over the age of 12 reach for a deodorant or antiperspirant to help address their insecurities about the way they smell. In 2006, U.S. sales for this category of product reached a staggering $2.5 billion!

   Just when you thought you had this issue sewn up tight, comes the speculation and growing concern as to whether deodorants and antiperspirants are harmful or even a possible cause of cancer. These concerns arise mainly from the use of antiperspirants which all contain an aluminum-based compound as their main ingredient. The most commonly used of these active ingredients are aluminum chloride, aluminum zirconium tricholorohydrex glycine, aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum hydroxybromide --sometimes referred to as aluminum salts.

     The link between aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease aside, the aluminum found in antiperspirants has been shown to cause DNA mutation --a pre-cursor for uncontrolled growth of cells, and hence cancer. It has also been found to have estrogen-like effects when frequently placed on and absorbed into the skin. The latter finding has led some scientists to believe that using antiperspirants may be linked to breast cancer.

     Equally alarming is the finding that aluminum can be fatal in large enough doses to people with impaired kidney function, causing some antiperspirant manufacturers to place warnings on their product labels.

     Up until now none of these research findings have been conclusive, but questions still remain about the safety of underarm products. This has given rise to new, healthier alternatives, but its not clear if these products are entirely safe either. So how do you know what product is the best product for your needs?

     The basic difference between antiperspirants and deodorants is that the former keep you from sweating, while the latter cut down on what makes you stink when you sweat. Understanding the difference between the two, and the pros and cons of each is the key to identifying the safest and most effective options out there.

Survival Instinct: Sweating Does a Body Good

     It helps to understand why and how we sweat in the first place. Sweating is your body's natural way of cooling itself off --whether that extra heat comes from hardworking muscles (the result of exercise or over-exertion), from over stimulated nerves (being nervous), or from the burning of food via the body's metabolic processes. When sweat evaporates from the surface of your skin, it removes excess heat and cools you. So even though sweating can sometimes be embarrassing, it's a natural bodily function that regulates and maintains the body's normal temperature, which is crucial to our survival.

     The average person has 2.6 million sweat glands in their skin. There are two different types of sweat glands in our underarms, apocrine and eccrine. The eccrine glands are by far the most numerous and produce most of the sweat in our underarms, as well as other areas, including the forehead, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet.

     For the most part, human perspiration has no smell until fermented by bacteria, which thrive in hot, humid and acid pH environments like your armpits. The apocrine glands are responsible for making you stink. That's because the sweat they produce contains fats and proteins from within your body that are carried to the exterior surface of your skin where they react with bacteria that live under your arms --creating odors.

Antiperspirants vs. Deodorants: What's the Difference?

     Deodorants target the bacteria that hang around your armpits by making the skin there too salty or acidic (low pH) for bacteria to live in. No bacteria, means no smell. Most deodorants use alcohol to accomplish this and many use synthetic fragrances (which have their own inherent safety issues) to mask whatever smell is not fully eliminated by the other active ingredients.

     Antiperspirants do the job using the exact opposite principle: they actually keep you from sweating by plugging the ducts that carry sweat from the glands to the skin's surface. Without any sweat, the bacteria in your underarms don't have anything to feast upon. Most antiperspirants have some of the same ingredients found in deodorants that kill bacteria as a failsafe. Their main function, however, is to keep you from perspiring, and alas, this only works for a short time before you have to re-apply it.

     Ironically, antiperspirants are designed to decrease the production of eccrine sweat, which has no odor and therefore no substances for bacteria to thrive on. And neither antiperspirants nor deodorants can decrease apocrine sweat. This begs the question of which product is safer? While both types of products can be seen as interfering with our body's naturally occurring processes, antiperspirants are clearly more disruptive as they are intended to stop you from sweating altogether and sweating is necessary for regulating body temperature. If body odor is your main concern, then deodorants are a more appropriate choice.

Safer, Natural Alternatives to Help You Stay Fresh and Dry

     Knowing that the primary action of a deodorant is to either kill the bacteria in your armpits or turn the armpits into a hostile environment for bacteria, you can focus your efforts on finding or making a natural deodorant with ingredients that will do the job without posing the risk of harm.

     The good news is there are plant-based and natural ingredients that can produce both deodorizing and (to a limited extent) antiperspirant effects. Some of these include:

Tea Tree essential oil (antibacterial)
Sage essential oil, sage tea or other form of sage extract (astringent --helps inhibit sweat production)
Witch Hazel extract (astringent and antibacterial)
Goldenseal extract (astringent and antibacterial)
Baking Soda (adsorbent and antibacterial)
Cornstarch (adsorbent)
Arrowroot powder (adsorbent)
Kaolin or Bentonite Clay powder (adsorbent)
Apple Cider Vinegar (antibacterial -lowers pH of the skin)
Other ingredients that are safe to use as fillers or binders include aloe vera and vegetable glycerin (for roll-ons), coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax (for solids), and additional essential oils for fragrance. If you're making your own deodorant powder you can grind fragrant herbs like lavender buds, lemon verbena, or rose petals in a coffee grinder and mix them in with your other powders. Stay away from any form of Talc or Talcum Powder as this can be toxic to your lungs when inhaled!

     Last but not least are natural deodorants made from potassium alum or ammonium alum. Not to be confused with metal aluminum this alum is a compound found in alum salts and used to make solid crystal deodorants -a popular natural alternative. Crystal deodorants leave a layer of natural crystal salts on the surface of the skin producing a hostile environment for bacteria, and have been used as a deodorant throughout history in Thailand, the Far East, Mexico and several other countries.

     Using mass-market antiperspirants and deodorants may seem like a simple and innocuous thing to do to assuage your fears about the way you smell. But knowing the facts will help you identify the safest and most effective options to meet your needs. Choose wisely ...

Copyright 2010 Dropwise Essentials

     Donya Fahmy, is a green business owner and the creator of Dropwise Essentials' spa-quality aromatherapy body products that help you safely relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or simply manage your emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. For more free tips and valuable information visit www.dropwise.com and subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or blog feed.

     Now that summer is in full force, are you feeling Hot, Hot, Hot? Well, along with feeling hot comes lots of sweat, sweat, sweat! Sweat is one of our body’s main mechanisms of detoxification. Detoxification is a method of removing or cleansing harmful toxins out of the body, restoring health and vitality to our organs and tissues.  It is a means of total body rejuvenation.

     Most commonly when we think of cleansing, we think of fasting from different types of food or perhaps popping the latest “cleansing miracle” pill.  In reality, our bodies naturally detox in times of rest.  This is why when we go on vacation, so often we come home feeling under the weather…we have had a chance to relax, signaling to the body that it is a good time to release some of the junk inside of us.  Hence, we may get a head cold, sore throat, or ear infection as toxins are passing out of us. 

     There are foods that help speed up the detoxification process.  These foods not only work internally, but also are tremendously beneficial when applied externally. Some of these key foods are citrus fruits like lemons, limes, grapefruit, and oranges, and other cleansing fruits such as pineapple, kiwi, cherries, and figs.  Dark greens, especially in the form of juice, are especially detoxifying to the liver and kidneys, the main toxin filters in our bodies.  It’s often said that a healthy liver equals a healthy body.

     Healthful detoxification has lead to many reported health benefits, some of which include:
o Elimination of several allergies
 Quick and strong growth of hair and fingernails.
 Faster reflexes.
 Increased endurance and energy.
 Better sense of smell and hearing.
 Fresher breath and a decreased body odor.
 Greater concentration, memory, and mental focus.

    Shear Miracles® believes whole-heartedly in the awesome benefits of body detoxification and rejuvenation. Many of their high-quality ingredients are also prime bodily-cleansing nutrients like aloe vera, and citrus oils of lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit.

**Check out http://www.shearmiracles.net for our detox-ready July Special on Detoxify Shampoo and Shine like a Star Leave-In Conditioner!  Start rejuvenating from the outside…in!

     If the old axiom "you are what you eat" is true, then it follows that you are what you drink as well. Your body is made up of at least 60-70% water, and the chemical reactions that support life in all plants and animals take place in water. Given that simple reality, it would be wise to consider how the quality of the water you drink and how much you drink of it fit into the bigger picture of your health and well being.

     There's no surprise that drinking or even showering in unfiltered water can compromise your health. According to the National Tap Water Database, tap water in 42 states is contaminated with more than 140 unregulated chemicals. Is it any wonder that so many people now choose to drink bottled water over tap water?

     Unfortunately, bottled water is not without its safety concerns. There's little real evidence that most bottled water is any cleaner than tap water. The National Resources Defense Council spent four years investigating the quality of bottled water. Twenty-five percent of those tested had chemical contaminants that were higher than the concentrations allowed by many state regulations. From fecal coliform bacteria (bacteria from animal intestines that can contaminate waterways as a result of farm pollution) to arsenic and lead (known carcinogens), in many cases bottled water rated just as poorly. Health concerns aside, the rabid consumption of bottled water creates serious environmental issues too. It's estimated that each year, 1.5 million tons of garbage is generated from drinking bottled water and as much as 47 million gallons of petrol goes into the production of plastic bottles.

     With the hidden potential dangers in both tap water and bottled water, you may be tempted to switch to buying distilled water or even distilling your own. For a long time this was considered the best method for purifying water, making it clean and safe for drinking and other uses requiring sterile water. But with advances in water filtration and purification systems and our increased understanding of how filtered water affects our bodies, many now believe that distilled water may actually be harmful to your health.

     Purified or distilled water has had all the naturally occurring minerals in it removed. Because of its extreme purity, this water absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, making it acidic and even more aggressive at dissolving alkaline substances it comes in contact with. When consumed internally, this water makes your body acidic, leaches vital minerals from your teeth and bones, and does not hydrate your body as well as "living" water. Distillation essentially robs the water of its life, while the water inside your body, by definition is "living."

     The notion of "living" water is supported by the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto, which is summarized in his books The Message from Water and The Hidden Messages in Water. His ongoing research demonstrates that water has distinct reactions to both positive and negative energies, including those associated with verbal expressions and human thoughts. In his studies, water exposed to positive words and prayers formed beautiful crystalline structures, but water exposed to negative thoughts, chemicals, or bad bacteria was greatly deformed in appearance, and in many cases didn't even form crystals. This phenomenon was documented by freezing samples of water after being exposed, then photographing them through a microscope to observe the crystals or other shapes that formed. One startling revelation: with the exception of New York City's tap water, none of the other major U.S. cities' tap water even formed crystals, placing them on the low end of his classification scale.

Cleaner Water, Better Health

     The problems inherent with drinking bottled and distilled water make for a strong case to use some type of home filtration system with your tap water. Whether it's simple charcoal-based filtration like the kind you get with a BRITA pitcher or a more sophisticated and expensive unit, there are a few things to consider when selecting the right system for your needs.

     Ozone filtration. In this technique a gas called ozone is added to water. The ozone reacts with the naturally occurring metals in the water to form oxides that are later removed in the filtration process. The goal of this type of system is to "oxidize" the water, thereby rendering it as clean as possible. The bad news: ozonated water can pose the same problems caused by drinking distilled water (which is also oxidized).

     Reverse Osmosis filtration. This type of system consists of a multi-step process using several different filters. It starts with two-tiers of sediment filters to trap problem particles like rust and calcium carbonate and even smaller particles. Then, an activated carbon filter eliminates chlorine and other organic chemicals, followed by a reverse osmosis filter that traps molecules too small to be caught by all the other filters. Finally, ultraviolet light is sometimes used to help kill microbes that may have breached the reverse osmosis membrane. This is the preferred method of filtration in rural areas and by soldiers on missions across the globe, but this water is also oxidized and void of vital minerals the body needs to stay healthy.

     Ionization. This is a newer and increasingly popular system making waves in the market for water products. By passing water between magnetically charged plates and a ceramic separator, alkaline minerals are drawn to one side, and acids are drawn to the other. The result is the ability to choose the type of water you prefer (i.e. balanced and alkaline vs. pure and acidic). Some suggest balanced, alkaline water is the only way to cleanse and properly rehydrate your body. In fact, hospitals and clinics throughout the world use this system to help treat a variety of problems, but because this purification method is still fairly new, there's not enough solid scientific evidence yet to support its health claims.

     Clearly, filtering the water you drink plays an essential role in your overall health, but the question still remains as to which filtration system is the right one for achieving optimal health. Whatever system you choose, its primary aim should be to properly remove potentially harmful chemicals and bacteria. But keep in mind, a reasonable dose of naturally occurring minerals is desirable and may ultimately prove to be indispensable.

Copyright 2010 Dropwise Essentials

     Donya Fahmy, is a green business owner and the creator of Dropwise Essentials' spa-quality aromatherapy body products that help you safely relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or simply manage your emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. For more free tips and valuable information visit www.dropwise.com and subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or blog feed.

   Natural Perfumery is becoming more popular all the time as people realize that standard perfumes are not all that they're cracked up to be. We think you'll enjoy the article 'Making Flowers Into Perfume' from the New York Times. There are even quotes from our friend, Jeanne Rose, of Jeanne Rose Herbal BodyWorks.

Enjoy!

Click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/10/garden/10perfume.html?pagewanted=1  

Visit Jeanne Rose's website for her own Herbal BodyWorks beauty and aromatherapy products, articles, books, and class information. Ms. Rose gives classes on Natural Perfumery at her home in San Fransisco as well as across the country.  http://www.JeanneRose.net

See Jeanne Rose's latest article about Natural Perfumery at the ANB Portal 'Fixatives and What are They?'

When I think of summer, I think of fresh ingredients like berries!  This month I decided to profile one of the berry seed oils I use in my skin care line: Earth Alkemie.

Cranberry seed oil is a carrier oil extracted from cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) seeds. It absorbs fast, is very emollient, and is excellent for all skin types.  Cranberry seed oil is a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins, and nutrients, including carotenoids and several types of vitamin E.  It also has a unique ratio of Omega 3, 6, and 9 essential fatty acids.  I recommend using cold pressed, unrefined cranberry seed oil since cold pressed, unrefined oils usually contain more nutrients and vitamins than solvent extracted and highly refined oils.  (I use mostly cold pressed unrefined or expeller pressed unrefined oils, and organic oils when I can find them!)

Like many of the berry seed oils, I love using cranberry seed oil for skin care.  It makes my skin glow, and though can be used by many skin types, it is especially good for extremely dry, scaly skin, and also blemished skin.  I use it in my newest elixir (oil based facial serum) called ‘Serenity Terra Elixir’ (a high antioxidant, nutrient rich, soothing, and scent free elixir.  Serenity is only scented with the natural scents of the carrier oils). See our brand new Terra Elixirs here

http://www.earthalkemie.com

 

     In our culture, we are so conditioned to thinking that all fat is bad for us. While it is certainly true that certain processed and hydrogenated fats are very detrimental to our health, it is definitely not true that “all fat is bad”. Many fats, in fact, are very beneficial to our health and are required by our bodies to perform daily functions.

     One such classification of healthy fat is the Essential Fatty Acids, or EFAs. Nutrients are considered essential when they are necessary for health but cannot be made by the body. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain them from the foods in our diet or other external sources. EFAs have many vital functions in the body, including the oxidation of food into life energy, oxygen transport, and the formation of the molecules in blood and cell membranes of every cell in the body. The two primary essential fatty acids are Linoleic acid, also known as the Omega-6 fatty acid and Alpha-linolenic acid, also known as Omega-3 fatty acid.

     There is an integral ratio of Omega-3 and Omega -6 fats needed by our bodies to function optimally.  Omega-3s, however, are often deficient in the diets of North Americans, due to our consumption of highly processed, refined fats and animal fats, leading to staggering numbers of nutritionally-based diseases. What can we do to make this better? We can increase our dietary intake and topical use of health-giving Omega fats. These healthy fats are found in sources such as cold-pressed plant oils, raw nuts and seeds (like walnut, sunflower, sesame, and flax), cold-water fish, olives, and beans.   

Essential Fatty Acids:

- Are integral for normal and healthy growth and brain development

- Regulate hormone production

- Improve condition of dry skin, hair, and brittle nails

- Lower blood pressure

- Lower cholesterol levels

- Reduce risk of blood clots and stroke

- Elevate mood

- Aid in weight loss

- Are used to treat skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema

EFA deficiencies can result in acne, hair loss, dry skin/eczema, slow healing of wounds, slow growth, asthma, gallstones, and hyperactivity disorders. 

Nearly all Shear Miracles® products contain high-quality, plant-based sources of essential fatty acids.  This is one of the main reasons why Shear Miracles® products are actually beneficial to the consumer using them.  Not only are they non-toxic, they can actually be therapeutic and anti-aging when used regularly on hair, face, and skin.

**Check out www.shearmiracles.net for our EFA-packed June Special on Paradise Shower Gel & Orange/Ylang Ylang Body Butter!  Your body will thank you for it!

     Everywhere you go, germs and bacteria surround you and so does the fear of how they may harm you. The media is saturated with sensational stories about the hidden germs in hotel rooms, and the ever-encroaching threat of foreign and exotic, even life-threatening viruses. We have become obsessed with germs and bacteria, but bacteria are everywhere --around us and inside us. And even though we know that not all bacteria are harmful, we are constantly seeking to eliminate them ... consequences be damned!

Creeping In: How The Seeds of Germaphobia Were Sowed

     Our national obsession with germs and bacteria may have started as far back as the Civil War but seems to have taken root in the early public health campaigns of New York City. With the advent of clean drinking water and new sewer systems, came a new level of awareness regarding the importance of cleanliness and good hygiene as well as the hidden health threats looming in filthy, unsanitary conditions.

     Many of our beliefs around germs and disease may have been fueled by the work of Pierre Bechamp, and later, Louis Pasteur. Pasteur is well known as the scientist who brought us "Germ Theory" and led us to believe that germs from the outside world invade our bodies and "cause" disease, which is why we have to kill them before they kill us. In an ironic twist, it turns out that Pasteur had plagiarized some of the work of Bechamp, who demonstrated that it's the "terrain" (meaning the environment inside your body) that matters more than the germs themselves. Pasteur distorted the work of Bechamp and made a name for him self by asserting that it was the other way around. As he lay on his deathbed, he admitted that Bechamp was right when he uttered "The microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything."

     The proliferation of Pasteur's "germ theory" combined with the success of early public health campaigns eventually gave rise to a new generation of household cleaners, personal care products, and drugs designed to kill bacteria and germs. Juliann Sivulka's extensive research, presented in Stronger than Dirt: A Cultural History of Advertising Personal Hygiene in America, suggests some of the "anti-microbial" advertising began as early as 1875 and continued well throughout the twentieth century.

     Without any guidance on how to lead healthier lives and strengthen our immune systems to better handle the biological challenges we might encounter, we've increasingly come to rely on anti-bacterial (and potentially toxic) products like bleach, ammonia, isopropyl alcohol, and more recently, hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps, to assuage our fears. Many of these products now contain worrisome ingredients like Triclosan, a derivative of Agent Orange, whose over-use is creating new resistant strains of bacteria or "Super Bugs." Ironically, these Super Bugs pose an even greater threat to our future ability to resist infection and disease, which begs the question is our fear of germs really helping us or could it be inadvertently hurting us? Knowing the genesis of our "germaphobia," it's not hard to see how the work of a misguided scientist coincided with larger commercial interests to bring us to this point.

     Germaphobia: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

     There's no question that there are harmful bacteria that can make you very sick or even kill you --the SARS and Swine Flu strains being the most recent threats that come to mind. But we can't let our fears of these viruses blind us to the potential harm that comes from trying to kill all germs and bacteria (real or imagined). Or more to the point, what's the hidden price we pay when we use a product or take a drug that's designed to kill "bad" bacteria but it also kills "good" bacteria in the process?

     Our intestines are loaded with "good" bacteria (intestinal flora) that help break food down so the body can make use of its nutrients. Much of the "good" bacteria in your digestive tract also protects you from poisons in food and other infections like yeast infections which thrive on excess sugar in your gut. When you have an infection (like a bladder or upper respiratory infection), the antibiotics your doctor prescribes kill both good and bad bacteria. While you may rid yourself of one problem, in killing the "good" bacteria, you may be getting another problem. Women often get a yeast infection as a direct result of taking antibiotics for other infections. Then they are given a different antibiotic to address that problem and the cycle perpetuates. Or, as is often the case, the condition clears up only to return months or even years later.

     This phenomenon, when played out on a big scale, can have significant consequences, as was the case in 2007, when there was a huge outbreak in drug-resistant staph infections. While this has been an ongoing problem in hospitals, it was rare to see an outbreak of this magnitude in schools and even the locker rooms of professional sports teams. Thanks to our incessant use of antibiotics, this bacterial strain has become immune to what was previously used to kill it. The result? Each year in the United States, we lose almost 18,000 people to this type of infection. Ironically, it seems the only cure is to further the cycle by creating stronger (and theoretically better) antibiotics.

     The good news is that science is beginning to recognize that we've gone too far with antibiotics and is looking at the use of gentler, safer plant-based alternatives. Tea Tree essential oil, with its strong anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, has shown promise in a number of different studies as a safe and effective way of killing "bad" bacteria without destroying the "good." It is widely used in Australia (where it grows in abundance) to successfully treat conditions like yeast infections and Athlete's Foot.

     In his book "Life Helping Life," Dr. Daniel Penoel, a renowned expert in medical aromatherapy, points out that Tea Tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia) has great potential as an antibacterial agent, but its different from conventional antibiotics in that it attacks only destructive bacteria. It was "created from life to help life," so it knows what to do. Other essential oils that show promise in the treatment of bacterial infections include Thyme, Oregano, and Clove Bud. And a number of other essential oils with their anti-viral properties, have been identified as strong immune system defenders. To put things in perspective, studying the use of essential oils in the treatment of illness and disease is a required part of the curriculum at medical schools in France, indicating their validity as a legitimate alternative.

     The world is undeniably full of bacteria. Both modern medicine and society have long exceeded the boundaries of sensible practices in their respective approaches to dealing with it. Only by taking a step back and openly embracing natural alternatives will it be possible to successfully turn the tide of antibiotic-resistant infections that threatens us today.

Copyright 2010 Dropwise Essentials

     Donya Fahmy, is a green business owner and the creator of Dropwise Essentials' spa-quality aromatherapy body products that help you safely relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or simply manage your emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. For more free tips and valuable information visit www.dropwise.com and subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or blog feed.

     Every summer we're faced with the challenge of what to get the men in our lives for Father's Day. Instead of the usual collection of cliché items like silk ties, power tools, a barbecue set or accessories for his car, why not consider another alternative: natural grooming products.

     Most men don't like to think of themselves as "metrosexuals" (the popular term coined to describe men who like to go to spas or otherwise indulge in various forms of self-grooming). Nevertheless, men have skincare challenges that can be addressed and resolved with some guidance and a little push in the right direction. A nice collection of natural plant-based skin and body products along with a few natural grooming tools might be just the thing to put him on the path to smoother, softer, and healthier skin.

     You can add your personal touch to it by typing or handwriting some of the simple instructions and tips below, and turning them into a small pamphlet or enclosure that you can include with the products you've selected.

Shaving: A Man's Biggest Challenge

     A man's facial skin takes a lot of abuse due to the need for frequent shaving. It's been said that a man shaves his face and neck over 20,000 times during the course of a lifetime, and how he does this makes all the difference in the quality and appearance of his skin. Using a razor without proper preparation and lubrication can lead to razor burn and ingrown hairs --a common problem for many men.

Here are some tips for a cleaner closer shave and healthier skin:

- Always shave during or after a hot shower, never before. Use hot water when you shave as it softens facial hair, opens pores, and cleanses the skin.

- Use a moisturizing oil or blend of oils like coconut, jojoba, olive, high-oleic safflower or sunflower to protect and lubricate the skin prior to shaving. Rub a small amount in the palms of your hand and massage upwards into your beard to soften the hairs and ensure a protective coat is applied to the skin. The oil provides a thin layer of protection to the skin and allows the blade to glide more easily without removing or damaging too much of it --a leading cause of irritation and razor burn.

- Use a razor with 3 blades and a swivel head and start by shaving with the grain (meaning the same direction that the whiskers grown in). This minimizes the risk of scratching the skin, which typically happens when shaving against the grain. Be aware of the pressure you're exerting and use a light stroke. Check to see if hair on your neck grows in the same direction as the hair on your face, otherwise change the direction of the blade to go with the grain.

- Lather up with a shaving brush made from soft natural bristles and a shaving cream made with lubricants like glycerin, and essential oils like tea tree, eucalyptus, lavender or clove whose antiseptic and healing properties can prevent irritation and speed up healing of nicks and cuts. You can also use a natural liquid soap or body wash in a foaming dispenser to create a nice lather.

- Change your blade every 3-5 uses --more often if you have a coarse beard. For an extra-close shave, make sure you re-lather after your first pass, and then shave lightly against the grain. Doing this without lathering can irritate and damage your skin.

- Use a moisturizer that's hydrating and rich in antioxidants. This can be a cream or lotion made from plant oils like extra virgin olive (EVOO), virgin coconut, grape seed, golden jojoba, or a combination of these oils. Products that contain herbal extracts or infusions like calendula, chamomile, mallow root, and comfrey can speed cell regeneration and healing in addition to protecting the skin.

- Avoid products, especially aftershaves, made with alcohol, perfumes, synthetic fragrances or dyes as these can dry out the skin, or irritate it even more. Try a hydrosol, aromatherapy mister (especially one made with a hydrosol), or herbal toner made with witch hazel or cucumber extract.
Overexposed or Sun Damaged Skin

More Tips

     Some of the latest research in this area indicates that many of the antioxidants found in vitamins and botanicals when added to the skin AND taken orally - can significantly boost the skin's natural UV-filtering properties while enhancing its defenses against free radical formation.

     To clean up skin that's already damaged use skin care products that are rich in antioxidants like Vitamins C & E and Green Tea extract. Jojoba, coconut, and olive oils are excellent ingredients to look for when seeking antioxidants and other deeply restorative properties.

     For ongoing protection, increase your intake of vitamins and antioxidants either through diet or supplementation. Be sure to consume carotenoids like Beta-carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, and Zeaxanthin, which are found naturally in green leafy vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, corn, and eggs. Enhance your body's ability to properly utilize these nutrients by eliminating trans-fats and reducing consumption of saturated fats. Increase your intake of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) through flaxseed or fish oil supplements, to help balance and regulate excessively oily skin.

     Don't overdo it with the sunscreens because they impede your body's natural ability to synthesize Vitamin D --a vital nutrient that can protect you from common cancers like prostate or colon cancer. Because SPF ratings are notoriously unreliable don't depend on sunscreens as your only form of protection. Whenever possible choose sun blocks like zinc and titanium dioxide over chemical sunscreens.
Hard-to-Reach and Often Neglected Spots

     Lips, cuticles, elbows, knees and feet are usually the most neglected parts of a man's body so don't forget to include some of these items in your gift set:

     Petroleum-free lip balms to keep lips hydrated and soft --especially when exposed to the elements.

     A protective and emollient balm for elbows, knees, and heels (and even cuticles). One made with herbal extracts, olive oil, and/or shea butter will work wonders. For cracked skin use Tea tree essential oil which can be applied directly to the skin and is an excellent first aid assistant.

     Exfoliating salt or sugar scrubs can help slough off dead skin cells and soften skin on cuticles, elbows, knees, heels, and feet.

Copyright 2010 Dropwise Essentials

     Donya Fahmy, is a green business owner and the creator of Dropwise Essentials' spa-quality aromatherapy body products that help you safely relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or simply manage your emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. For more free tips and valuable information visit www.dropwise.com and subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or blog feed.

     More than ever before, consumers are clamoring for 'greener' products. Their growing and legitimate concerns about the health and safety of their families and the planet are driving this demand for more genuinely "green" and sustainable goods and services.

     In its 2009 report "The Seven Sins of Greenwashing," environmental marketing firm Terrachoice, noted that manufacturers and retailers are stepping up to meet the growing demand for more environmentally safe products. But, as the title of their report suggests, the dark side of this trend, "Greenwashing," continues to be a concern and possible impediment to wider adoption of greener options due to the mistrust and skepticism it creates.

     The term, "Greenwashing" refers to a widely used practice of misleading consumers with deliberately vague or even false claims about the environmental benefits of a product or the environmental practices of the company who produces it. This trend stretches across a variety of industries, but is prominent in the Health and

Beauty (HABA) category, where the potential for confusion regarding product claims is probably greatest.

     Consider the results of another recent market research study done by The Shelton Group. Their Eco Pulse study on natural and organic label claims revealed that a surprising number of Americans (over 50% of those surveyed) erroneously believe that the term "Natural" is regulated by the government and therefore more reliable, while "Organic" is an unregulated, fancy, marketing buzzword slapped on products to justify a higher price point. Of course, this is the opposite of what's true.

     With so many different standards and claims floating around out there, how can you know what to look for in your personal care products to ensure you're not being "greenwashed." Here's a brief round up of some of the types of claims you might see and how to evaluate them:

Natural Claims

     This is the most common and the most nebulous of claims on personal care products. Since there are no regulatory standards here, you have to educate yourself as much as possible on the difference between natural and not-so-natural ingredients to decipher the claims. The main things to consider are a company or brand's track record, and hidden trade-offs with respect to the product's ingredients.

     The Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep database enables you to see how both companies and their individual products rank in terms of health and safety. Products with higher rankings (i.e. 7-10) generally contain a higher amount of potentially toxic chemicals and questionable ingredients. Companies whose products rank in the middle to high range should be scrutinized more carefully. Their claims of being "natural" likely involve trade-offs - meaning they may contain natural ingredients but they also contain harmful ingredients. Keep in mind that the term "natural" does not speak directly to the environmental benefits of the product or the manufacturer's environmental practices.

Free From Claims

     Beware of "free from" claims - ones that tend to emphasize what's not in the product at the expense of what is. These can be highly misleading because they either imply that the free from ingredient is in some way undesirable when that may not be the case, or worse, the free from ingredient is one that has no relevance to either the safety of the product or its environmental impact. These types of claims can also be another way of re-directing attention from the hidden trade-offs mentioned earlier.

     For example, a company that makes scented products using "fragrance" may put a "free from phthalates" claim on its label. Since the term "fragrance" is not regulated, how can you know that this claim is true? What proof is being offered to validate the claim either on the label or elsewhere? In this example the only way you can judge is if the product is still scented with "fragrance" as opposed to pure essential oils.

     Obviously, products that are free from petroleum-based ingredients or synthetic chemicals are by nature going to be safer for you and more environmentally friendly, but you yhave to know how to read and understand the ingredient panel to determine its legitimacy.

Organic Claims

     Market research clearly indicates that this claim doesn't currently hold much authority with the average consumer, but the increased use of organic and especially certified organic ingredients plays a critical and often overlooked part in the environmental sustainability movement. Most consumers understand the importance of buying food products that are organically grown or produced, but many have not yet made the connection to their importance in personal care products. Because most of these products are either applied directly to the skin or consumed orally, it makes perfect sense that they should also be free of pesticides. The only way to know if they are, is through some form of certification.

     The waters surrounding organic certification are a little murky right now. The USDA NOP (National Organic Program) seal is the only legitimate seal currently recognized by consumers, however the standards for that seal were designed specifically for agriculture, and as such present problems with respect to its application to many personal care products.

     In the absence of clearly defined standards for personal care, various industry alliances have formed to come up with their own standards to fill the void. Some of the standards that have recently emerged include OASIS (Organic and Sustainable Industry Standards), NPA (Natural Products Association), NaTrue (the National Science Foundation's standard negotiated in conjunction with European manufacturers), and COSMOS, which represents the harmonization of 6 different European certification bodies (including France's Ecocert, Germany's BDIH, and the UK's Soil Association). These are still a lot of competing (and possibly conflicting) standards to navigate, so your mileage may vary ...

Social and Ethical Claims

     The most common of these are Fair Trade and Cruelty-Free or Not Tested on Animals. At the moment Fair Trade claims on personal care products are rare as the specifics of that type of certification typically apply to agricultural products like coffee or chocolate, or products (like clothing) made from cotton or other natural fibers that are grown and harvested by farmers in poor countries.

     The Cruelty-Free and animal testing claims typically apply more to cosmetics (make up) than to personal care, but often get slapped onto the latter for marketing purposes. The best way to validate this sort of claim is to look for either the Leaping Bunny seal (a program of the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics) or a Friends of PETA endorsement - either on the product itself or on the company's web site and marketing collateral. You can also verify by going directly to these sites, and searching their list of participating companies.

     While certifications and endorsements play an important part in helping consumers identify products that are legitimately green and safe, we still have a ways to go before they become truly reliable. It's also important to remember that the absence of such seals doesn't mean that a product is not green or doesn't live up to its claims. Certification can often be quite costly and out of the reach of smaller companies whose whole purpose (ironically) revolves around providing truly green or natural products. In the absence of a reliable eco-label or seal, your best bet is to choose the products and companies that offer transparency, information, and education.

Copyright 2010 Dropwise Essentials

     Donya Fahmy, is a green business owner and the creator of Dropwise Essentials' spa-quality aromatherapy body products that help you safely relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or simply manage your emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. For more free tips and valuable information visit www.dropwise.com and subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or blog feed.