Think green

A few top tips on refreshing your skin care routine for spring

2011-03-11T12:50:00.006Z

Harsh wintry weather can leave your skin feeling dry and dull. Help your skin rediscover its hidden radiance with our Purifying Mint Mask and daily use of our favourite facial cleansers; Creamy Coconut (normal and dry skin types) or Lemon & Tea Tree Facial Wash (normal and combination/oily skins).

As the weather improves, so does the skin’s circulation and cell turnover. This is beneficial to all skin types to some degree, so most skins require a lighter, less rich moisturiser than during winter - such as our Organic Rose Moisturiser. In preparation for peeling off a few layers, start gentle exfoliation (choose a moisturising plant oil-based body scrub - to provide maximum antioxidant benefit - like our Organic Coconut Candy Scrub). Our Hand & Body Lotion, packed with restorative aloe vera and vitamin-rich shea butter will also help get your skin in tip-top condition.

How to make your own cosmetics

2011-03-09T11:50:00.009Z

Want recipes for natural skin care? Margaret Weeds, founder of the award-winning UK organic skincare company Essential Care, makes a simple natural skin care product with Sarah Brown, author of numerous vegetarian cookery books and presenter of the 1980s TV series Vegetarian Kitchen.

Making your own skin care is fun, but if you don't have time or would like a professional formulation, just visit us at www.essential-care.co.uk

Being pregnant and using products containing essential oils - is there a risk?

2011-01-27T16:25:00.003Z

Whilst a woman may feel confident placing herself in the skilled hands of a professional Aromatherapist during pregnancy, she is understandably less confident when buying 'Aromatherapy' products off the shelf. Considering it is a scientific fact that much of what we put on the skin is absorbed into the body, this is a particularly important time to be really selective on the quality of ingredients you are introducing to your body and that of your baby, both now and after birth.

Certified organic skin and body care products are guaranteed to be free from potentially harmful chemicals and artificial fragrances, so are the perfect choice for daily skin care.

Essential oils should almost always be very dilute for skin application and need to be even more so for use on infants, children and during pregnancy so it is always a good idea to choose products which have been formulated by a professional aromatherapist. Certified organic essential oils have the extra assurance of not being adulterated or contaminated with any toxic residues of herbicides, pesticides or chemical solvents. Pure essential oils of citrus fruits or flowers like chamomile, geranium, lavender, rose and ylang ylang plus frankincense and tea tree have wonderful additional skin benefits and in the dilutions used in everyday skin care formulations such as ours at Essential Care, are completely safe to use throughout pregnancy.

For room fragrancing or to aid relaxation, up to a total of 5 drops of any of the above essential oils can be used either alone or in your chosen combination. Frankincense, tea tree, Atlas cedarwood and eucalyptus are wonderful for colds and respiratory problems and a drop or two of spearmint or ginger inhaled from a tissue or as tisanes using dried mint and sliced inger root, can help relieve nausea.

Essential oils have a long history of safe use, but some have a stronger action so are best avoided in pregnancy in therapeutic concentrations, like rosemary which is widely used to ease pain and relax muscles and clary sage which is ideal as part of a blend just prior to or during labour as it can ease and aids contractions. As a precaution I would not recommend using specific therapeutic products for skin application like pregnancy massage and stretch mark prevention until after the first trimester or using products containing essential oils to babies until they are at least 1 month old. Used appropriately aromatherapy has fantastic positive health and well-being benefits for all.

article written by Margaret Weeds, founder of Essential Care

Skin Care in Winter - top tips from Margaret

2010-12-08T15:43:00.011Z

Margaret is the founder of Essential Care

In winter the circulation to the skin slows and becomes a little sluggish. This means we perspire less and produce less sebum to cleanse, lubricate and moisturise our skin and cell turnover decreases. Combined with low levels of sunlight and the extremes of cold, harsh weather outdoors and the warm, drying artificial heat indoors, this is a recipe for dry, dull, rough and flaky skin.

So winter skin care is important, but don’t despair – it’s easy and besides, a little extra care and pampering pays dividends and has the feel-good factor, something we can all appreciate in the depths of winter.

The first step is daily cleansing, to stimulate the skin’s cell turnover and gently remove dirt and dead skin cells. For dry and mature skin, I recommend our Creamy Coconut Cleanser, or if you have normal to oily or combination skin, use our Lemon & Tea Tree Facial Wash.

For dry and mature skin, follow cleansing with 2 in 1 Purifying Mint Mask mixed with plain water - or customise with a spritz of Rose Tonic, a dash of honey, organic live yogurt, milk or coconut milk – all are wonderful compliments to the cocktail of vitamins and minerals in the mask. Used just every 3-4 weeks, or a week before a special occasion, this will deep cleanse and leave the skin smooth and revitalised. For normal to oily or combination skin follow cleansing with the Mask once or twice weekly - this time customised with a dash of Citrus Tonic, fresh fruit juice or low-fat live yogurt etc as the muse takes you. Alternatively, our Honey & Oat Cleansing Bar will also cleanse and exfoliate in one easy step and is well suited to facial care for all except dry skin. For every day hand and body cleansing / exfoliation the Honey & Oat Bar is great for all skin types.

For totally luxurious pampering, our Coconut Candy Scrub is worthy of a mention, having received rave reviews by every magazine that has tested it. Based on virgin coconut and cocoa butters it gently exfoliates leaving the skin smooth, super moisturised and lightly fragrant. Sheer indulgence although declared an essential by a customer with eczema!

Moisturising is especially important for drier skin and those prone to eczema which tends to worsen during the winter. Moisturise onto clean skin in the morning and again in the evening if your skin feels especially dry. Use a moisturiser naturally rich in antioxidant plant vitamins such as our Rose Moisturiser or Avocado Replenishing Cream (for the face) and avoid any products containing petroleum oils as these provide no beneficial nutrients to the skin.

Our secret weapon for instant radiance is Superfruit Concentrate – a wonderful facial serum packed full of 100% organic vitamins that provides a fabulous nourishing boost and a touch of colour from its glorious antioxidant fruits of rosehips, pomegranate, sea buckthorn and avocado. Just a couple of drops is all that’s needed, either alone or on top of your moisturiser to have you feeling and looking like summer’s just around the corner!

For both face and hands, if you’re outside in extreme windy or cold weather – be it working, walking or winter sporting, rich balms based on beeswax, raw shea butter and cold-pressed virgin plant oils like avocado and olive provide a breathable shield for extra protection. Herbs like calendula, chamomile and hypericum soothe inflammation and promote healing and skin regeneration. These can be found in our Ultra Rich, (a best-seller in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries!), Calendula Balm and Lip Silk. Apply Ultra Rich or Calendula Balm sparingly to the face to block out icy winds!

safe cosmetics please!

2010-12-01T14:08:00.002Z

If you'd like to know more about safe cosmetics and the precautionary principle, have a look at our new online article on our why organic page which also contains a great guide about which additives to watch out for in skin care. We've also just found this video on YouTube which is a bit more relevant to American cosmetics, but still very informative! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfq000AF1i8

Organic Fortnight starts today!

2010-09-03T11:45:00.002+01:00

Essential Care is celebrating Organic Fortnight, the UK’s biggest celebration of all things organic. Organised by the Soil Association, this year’s theme is to “choose organic every day” – make a difference to your well-being and planet through the way you shop.

As part of the festivities, we are delighted to invite you to take part in our Organic Fortnight shopping bonanza (3rd-17th September) when you can claim an unprecedented 20% OFF all our organic skin care.

To enjoy this discount, just enter the promotional code fortn on the checkout page at www.essential-care.co.uk.

Find out how to get involved in Organic Fortnight at www.soilassociation.org. Unfortunately we can’t make it to the Organic Festival at Bristol Harbourside this year, but we will be back there next September and wish those of you going a fun-filled weekend.

Organic Fortnight starts tomorrow

2010-09-02T12:36:00.001+01:00

Get ready for Organic Fortnight! For more info, visit the Soil Association website.

Ysanne Spevack, organic pioneer and writer of the best organic cookbook ever!

2010-07-22T09:40:00.011+01:00

By Abi Weeds, founder of Essential Care (organic skin care)

It’s not often that I wax lyrical about a cookbook (although I do have favourite chefs such as vegetarian pioneer Sarah Brown), but having made yet another delicious recipe* from Ysanne Spevack’s Best-Ever Book of Organic Cooking (Lorenz Books ISBN 978-1-84681-439-6), I felt compelled to spread the word. What is also lovely about this book is the way it’s arranged by season which encourages local sourcing and is great if you have an organic veggie box. I had met Ysanne briefly before ... was it virtually? or perhaps at the Organic Festival in Bristol a few years ago... and was keen to find out more about this organic pioneer. So I was delighted to catch up with her by email as she headed out on a US road trip in pursuit of her other passion; music and violins.

Abi: How / when did you first become interested in the organic movement?

Ysanne: I was always interested in nature and spirit as long as I can remember. I suppose this took the form of actively promoting organic food around 1994, when I started writing for fanzines and independent pre-Internet press... But the roots of this pursuit go deeper than the mid nineties.

Abi: How can we get more people to engage with the organic movement?

Ysanne: Grow your own food, it's the most wonderfully therapeutic and uplifting activity you can do. It's powerful to connect with source in this way.

Abi: What is your greatest achievement?

Ysanne: Living my life as a creative.

Abi: Who or what has been your biggest inspiration in cookery, music, life or otherwise?

Ysanne: Connecting with Spirit. Listening to my Guides, can you hear yours?!!

Abi: What is your favourite recipe in the Organic cookbook?

Ysanne: Mutton stew is pretty yummy :)

Abi: How do you manage to combine your life as a writer, cook, gardener and musician?

Ysanne: Ha ha! Well, right now I'm on a tour bus in Oregon in the USA with Imaad Wasif, and simultaneously have two assistants looking after two edible gardens in LA. They text me photos of stuff in the gardens like bugs or fruit, and I text them back exactly what I'd like done... My lawyer just emailed an agreement to the producer of a feature film I composed the soundtrack to, and I'm doing this interview with you... So I suppose the key is being super organized, finding people who are able to assist me who are deeply committed, talented and pure, people I can totally trust to delegate to, and who are into listening to my ideas and coming through with the best ways to move forward for the ultimate outcome.

Abi: Are you planning any more organic books?

Ysanne: Yes, I'm writing one now!! I'm writing it on the road, at soundchecks and in the hotel. It's for a wonderful independent publisher called Process, and the cool thing is they understand my creative process involves expressing this current through music and food. I'm very excited about this new book...

Abi: Do you buy any other organic products apart from food & drink?

Ysanne: Yes, I wear organic fashion from a UK company called Ciel.

Ysanne was born and raised in London, but is now based in California. You can find out more about her at:

ILoveStrings.com

OrganicFoodee.com

Ysanne is tweeting @ilovestrings

*My favourites from the Cookbook include Rhubarb Meringue Pie, Courgette Fritters and Roasted Shallot & Squash Salad. p.s. Anyone who can make me cook as consistently as this deserves praise indeed, given that I did not inherit my mother’s abilities in formulation, recipes or the like ...

Vanishing of the Bees

2010-07-09T17:24:00.004+01:00

Bees are vital for pollinating the plants we eat, use and enjoy, but the bee population is vanishing! The Soil Association has published a list of measures we can take to help.