Posted on

The Real Story Behind Skin Lotions

Finding safe, reliable skin care products can be a challenge. In the case of skin lotions, often called skin
therapies and other exclusive sounding names, it is important to look at the ingredients. And more may
be needed for you to be the type of informed consumer you wish to be. Why? Most ingredients are
unknown items, with scientific labels. So, unless you are a chemist, you may need to do some research.
We recently did some label research on skin lotions. A bit scary, to be honest.
Did you know that most leading skin lotions, even one called a ‘baby lotion’ have parabens? Parabens
are common preservatives found in skin and cosmetic products. They provide protection against micro-
organisms. To be fair, the Food and Drug Administration has no opinion or regulations on the use of
parabens. But, concern is growing over potential health side effects. This is worth checking out.
According to Cosmeticsinfo.org, data indicates that certain types of parabens may interfere with the
functioning of the endocrine system. It may be that they disrupt glandular activity and hormone
production. And this may especially be true of infants and children.
As another concern, research has found that parabens accelerate the aging process. It’s ironic that they
are in products designed to enhance the youth and beauty of the skin.
Another ingredient found in a major body lotion product is myristyl myristrate. It is a thickening agent,
which, according to the Environmental Working Group, can irritate skin, lung and eyes.
This is not to scare you, but to increase your awareness of chemicals found in common, popular skin
lotions.
Take heart, there are healthy options. One product, called Renew™, is free of these chemicals. Further,
it has been clinically tested for safety and purity. The USA based green manufacturing company that
makes it, claims that this lotion is also good for treating eczema and relieving psoriass , rosacea and
diabetes skin problems. And there are many anecdotal claims to support this. Historically, steroid
creams have been used for treatment of these conditions. While such creams reduce inflammation,
they also interfere with the immune system – making them potentially dangerous.
Take a close look at what you are using in and on your body. And in this age of concern for the
environment, it is essential that we start with our bodies and our home.

Posted on

What is the Most Efficient Way to Naturally Treat Head Lice?

Can I Naturally Treat The Lice My Child Brought Home?

Back to School time is great, right? Kids are out of the house, they are learning new things, meeting new friends, and bringing new stories back home every day. Unfortunately, for many of us, that’s not all our kids brought back home. 

That’s right: head lice. Millions of kids are infested every year. It is horrible, as a parent, to have these repulsive bugs crawling around on our child’s head. Studies show that there are many more cases of kids coming home from school with head lice in the Winter season. Don’t think that you’re completely in the clear just because there’s no lice in your home after the first month or two back in school. 

If we’re not prepared, our initial reaction is to get rid of them ASAP. Careful though, we want to avoid “fighting fire with fire”, necessarily. What we don’t want to do is just dump a bunch of chemicals onto their heads. Oftentimes, the treatment is worse than the problem! 

Rest assured: you do have options. There have been several home-remedy-type solutions that have become popular through online sharing and word-of-mouth, but which one of these is the safest and most efficient way to treat lice naturally?

The Best Natural Treatment For Head Lice

The best, natural treatment to use is Tea Tree Oil. It’s also called Melaleuca Oil. There’s both types of products and several ways you can apply this child-safe head lice treatment.

  1. You can get a Melaleuca / Tea Tree Oil Shampoo, and have your child (and anyone else in the house!) begin using it for bathing.
  2. You can get the oil in its Essential Oil form, and either place drops directly onto your child’s scalp and/or use an Essential Oil diffuser to fill the room with the Tea Tree Oil vapor 

Which form of the Tea Tree Oil that you use is entirely up to your own personal preference, as their effectiveness is equal.

This will kill both the adult head lice, as well as their larvae and any eggs that they have laid.

Apply this natural treatment for head lice for as long as necessary.

Remember:

You don’t want these abhorrent creatures crawling back onto your child’s head and laying their eggs there again!

Like many of these completely safe, natural, no-side-effects-type of solutions: once your head lice problem has been eradicated, you can continue using the products as a means of prevention.