Tag Archives: Wheatgerm

What’s In Your Fridge?

What's in Your Fridge

What’s In Your Fridge?

Contains many All-Natural Goodies
which benefit & assist your body & skin!

QR BLOGDEC17

Have you ever thought of opening your fridge to have fun with what’s in there?
We often just associate the fridge with foods and drinks for consumption, but not for the other benefits they may contain.

When my sister and I were in our teens, we used to wait for our parents to leave the house for a few hours before raiding the fridge! Out came the yoghurt, eggs, lemons and more as we experimented with hair treatments, colouring, face masks and girly things. We had some hilarious incidents during these sessions, though often the clean-up was more challenging than the task we were trying to reach.

During my Holistic Skincare Product making Diploma course, we learned about the kinds of ingredients that are contained in Commercial products compared to what we put in our Naturally made products. I have chosen to only use Naturally sourced ingredients as it goes with our Brand, Integrity and stays true to the About Me Story.

A while ago I wrote to my Facebook friends what they could do for a quick remedial way of treating their skin.  I shared this because often we think that we should spend loads of money on expensive Masks and Treatments, which often contain a combination of synthetic chemically made nasties that do more damage than good.  I often say to my customers, if you can read the ingredients without needing a Dictionary, then you’re on the right track!

Typical ingredients found in Commercially bought Masks include: Aqua (Water), Cetearyl alcohol, Glycerin, Kaolin, Magnesium aluminum silicate, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Rosa damascena flower water, Cera alba (Beeswax), Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan stearate, Urea, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-20, Xanthan gum, Pelargoneum graveolens (Geranium) oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Allantoin, Tocopheryl acetate, Benzoic acid, Althaea officinalis root extract, Dehydroacetic acid, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Mannan, Salix alba (White willow) bark extract, Citric acid, Polyaminopropyl biguanide, Potassium sorbate, Sodium benzoate, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Butylphenyl methylpropional, Limonene, Linalool, Citral, Dipropylene glycol.

To be safe, just check the ingredients of the products you’re using, especially if you have sensitive skin and are prone to breaking out in red blotches or spots.

To end the year with something fun, here are some tips on taking care of your skin with what’s in your fridge.  Remember to wash your face with warm water before and after applying a face mask as this will help keep your skin clean and allows valuable nutrients to penetrate!

Let’s start with these:

Apple, Grapefruit, Honey, Lemon are all great for adding to your Mask.
Apricot – Fresh or dried is rich in Vitamin A.
Avocado – flesh of the fruit has high oil content, as well as lecithin, Vitamins A and B.
Avocado butter has Vitamins A, B, G and E.
Banana – Rich in Vitamin A, great to mash and put on your face.
Blackberry – use the fruit to make a mask, the leaves in a toner can help refine the pores.
Carrot – Rich in Vitamin A, use the juice with your face mask.
Cucumber – very similar pH to the skin, is soothing, cooling and healing. Use the juice in your face mask and slices on your eyes whilst relaxing;
Eggs – Use the Yolk to make a mask for dry skin and the whites to make it set!
Mayonnaise – the vinegar helps restore the acid balance of the skin whilst the oil is softening and moisturising.  I have found for me, products with Vinegar irritates my sensitive skin, so be careful if yours is the same.
Melon – added to face mask for cooling effect.
Oatmeal – is great added to masks!
Peach – the whole fruit can be used in a face mask.
Strawberries & Tomatoes both have astringent action on the skin, which is great for face mask.
Wheatgerm – Rich in Vitamin A, B and E, used dried for masks.
Yoghurt – Good for removing blackheads, great on your face.

Some other great ingredients for using in masks are: Green Clay, Kaolin Clay, Kelp, Pink Clay and Rhassoul Mud. The benefits of these ingredients is that they draw the impurities from the skin, they are rich in minerals, and are able to deep cleanse the face, body and hair during the mask cleansing process.

We will begin supplying Pink Clay in 2018 as part of our Essentially Lili Range.

Gallery: Fresh Ingredients, Bananas & Oats, Strawberries, Cucumber & Yoghurt, Avocados, Aloe Vera & Pink Clay.

How to Make Your Own Face Mask:

FIRST ONE:
1. Avocado Mask – is an excellent choice for making homemade face masks for dry skin, as it contains a has Vitamins A, B, G and E.  You only need half of the avocado, you can eat the other half and give your skin a boost from the inside as well!
2. Ingredients:½ very ripe, soft avocado &¼ cup honey
3. Directions: Mash the avocado in a bowl, then stir in honey. Apply to skin and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse face with a cool washcloth.

SECOND ONE:
1. Oat Bran Mask – is great added to masks!
2. Ingredients: 1 Tbsp Oat Bran or Oatmeal, 1 Tbsp Yogurt, 1 Tbsp Honey, 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil, 1/8 Teaspoon Bee Pollen (optional).
3. Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small dish, apply to you skin and leave it for 10 minutes or until it is dry. Rinse.Moisturize your skin with a good serum or argon oil.  Store any leftover homemade facial mask in the fridge in a sealed container. It should stay fresh for about one week.

THIRD ONE:
1. Banana, Honey and Oatmeal -For a deep moisturising Facial Treatment!
2. Ingredients:1/2 banana, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 Tbsp honey & Water
3. Directions: Cut the banana in half & mash it with a fork.Mix in the oatmeal, add honey & mix well. Then add water & mix until the mask’s consistency is creamy. Apply evenly to clean skin, leave it on for 15, then rinse with warm water and pat your face dry.

FOURTH ONE:
1. Cucumber & Yoghurt Mask – Cucumber has very similar pH to the skin, is soothing, cooling and healing, whilst Natural Yoghurt is good for removing blackheads, great on your face!
2. Remember to put 2 slices of cucumber on your eyes whilst relaxing.
3. Suitable for both oily & dry skin, depending on how you manipulate this versatile fruit!
4. Ingredients: 4 Tbsp of cucumbers mashed & 2 Tbsp Yoghurt.
5. Directions: Combine the mixture. Apply the mixture to your clean skin. Leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse and dry.

LAST ONE:
1. Papaya and Strawberry Mask – Many commercial masks use fruit ingredients.Here you will find a lovely fruity recipe to make for your dry skin, if you can stop yourself from eating it!
2. Get yourself some extra strawberries, and you can make a fruit salad with the other half of the papaya.
3. Ingredients: 2 large fresh strawberries & 1 cooked peach, 1/2 ripe mashed papaya,1 Teaspoon organic honey & 1 Tbsp oatmeal
4. Directions: Place strawberries, peach, papaya, honey in a mixing bowl, and mix until the fruits are blended.Stir in oatmeal a bit at a time until a paste is formed.
5. Apply the mask to the face and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water and finish by applying a good moisturizer.

BLOG PARTICIPATION:

  • What has been your favourite fridge raid ingredients for your face, body or hair?
  • What benefits did you find using them or was it a total disaster?
  • I look forward to hearing your stories and what you’d share that’s not on the list. You can read more About Lili here, see the range of Products on offer at Shop Categories or refer to our Blog Library for more topics covered.Kind Regards Lili @ Essentially Lili 

Favourite Vegetable Oils

Sunflowers in Zurich

Favourite Vegetable Oils

Sunflower is amongst the richest Carrier Oils,
loaded with benefits, which allow
for direct & safe application of
Essential Oils without causing irritations.

QR BLOGMAR17

The Vegetable Oils used for Product making are not the kind you would normally buy at the Supermarket. Those in the stores are exposed to direct Sunlight, shop lighting, and heating which can cause the oils to degrade. Extra Virgin Oil is normally stored in dark glass bottles, so taking this from the back of the row is a good idea!

As our bodies’ cell walls and membranes contain quite a lot of fats and oils, it makes sense for us to use nutritious oils in our foods and skincare products. These will help us maintain the fluidity of our cells.

Did you know that using oils as a cleanser actually helps your skin?The oil softens any sebum which
may be blocking the pores, allowing these to be removed. For this, I have added Sunflower Cleanser to the range of products.

There are plenty of Vegetable Oils to choose from, which vary in colour, natural fragrance, and price. Familiar oils include Apricot Kernel, Sweet Almond, and Coconut. These are found in many skincare products that help repair and calm sensitive skin.

The following Vegetable Oils are some that I use in the Essentially Lili range because I love what they do for the skin:

Sunflower Oil (Helianthus annuus) has very little scent compared to another vegetable/carrier oils, and absorbs easily into the skin, leaving very little residue. Sunflower Oil has high concentrates of Vitamins A, B, D, and E, as well as minerals, lecithin, insulin. It is a great product for the skin, adding UV protection qualities together with the unsaturated essential fatty acids. Sunflower is amongst the ingredients found in Sun Kissed Serum to help with the effects of the sun for those that have been ‘kissed’.

Wheatgerm Oil (Triticum sativum) is obtained from the germ of the wheat. It is extremely high content in Vitamin E which is a natural antioxidant and preservative, together with essential fatty acids, Vitamins A, B & D. Wheatgerm helps promote circulation and increase blood flow, which is great for damaged or scarred skin. It helps form new cells to improve the appearance of the skin and to help repair sun damage to the skin.

Argan (Argania Spinosa) originates from Southern Morocco which makes this product quite expensive.It is yellow in colour and has a lot more Vitamin E (Tocopherol) than olive oil. It is resistant to oxidation with good free radical scavengers.It’s great for damaged and mature skin as it assists the restructuring of the cells.

Avocado (Persea Gratissima) contains essential fatty acids that our body needs but cannot produce. This helps create and rebuild new cells, contain omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids, Linoleic Acid (LA), Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA). So if this is what Avocado does for our bodies from the inside, the outside
is going to love it just as much.

Avocado originally came from Central America, but now is grown around the world.It is rich in Vitamins A, B1, B2, D, E, and Beta carotene. Classified as a monosaturated oil, Avocado is best suited for dry skin conditions in topical applications. It should be green in colour if unadulterated and it comes from the flesh of the fruit. It is great for rehydrating, regenerating and helping the elasticity of the skin.With other carrier oils, Avocado enriches the vitamin and protein content.

Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) has anti-inflammatory properties and promotes wound healing.It is used in sun and after-sun products, as well as to help children with nappy rashes, grazes, and Mums who are nursing.

Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) comes from the seeds of the plants which are grown worldwide.It is very rich in Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA), a fatty substance used for skin conditions like Eczema. Evening Primrose is used in various skin products, creams, bath oils, and hair conditioners as it helps the skin’s elasticity and therefore repairing damaged, dry and aging skin. Taking supplements can also be used to help calm skin conditions from within.

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) is actually a liquid wax. Jojoba resembles the sebum of the skin very closely and is naturally rich in Vitamin E.This helps promotes the glow in our complexions, as this oil is very light and is absorbed quickly.

Wheatgerm is found in our Vitamin Rich Range to help with skin that has Acne / Rosacea, has been irritated, damaged, and needs some love and affection. The Vitamin Rich Mens Face Balm and Vitamin Rich Womens Face Balm and Evanesce Balm for those that have Acne which needs treatment.

Vitamin E (Tocopherol Acetate) is a natural preservative and a strong antioxidant. It is used in various skincare products such as acne, lip balms, anti-wrinkle, cleansers, and peels for sensitive skin.

What I find amazing is how much better these Vegetable Oils have. Their wonderful properties boost our skin’s reserves with goodness and help maintain the elasticity whilst promoting cell regeneration. Combined with the Essential Oils, there really is no need to include other unnatural ingredients to our blends.In future blogs, I can share more information about how wonderful these Vegetable Oils are, in the quest of choosing the best ingredients for making the Essentially Lili Skincare products. If there are any Oils that you would like me to include, please let me know.

Check out the Gallery of Pictures – includes Giant Sunflower, Vitamin Rich Womens Face Balm, Diamond Era Serum, Avocado & Samples of Liquid Gold.

BLOG PARTICIPATION:

Which of the Vegetable Oils mentioned above surprised you the most?
What is your favourite and why?
What Vegetable oils would you like me to share about?
Some of the other oils I use in Essentially Lili Products include Baobab, Tamanu, Castor or Macadamia

If I could make you Massage oil, what would you want it to be made of?
And which Essential Oils would you like as the fragrance? I would love to hear your ideas!

Should you wish to Contact us for more information about our All Natural Products, please send me an email info@essentiallylili.com

You can read more About Lili here, see the range of Products on offer at Shop Categories or refer to our Blog Library for more topics covered. Kind Regards Lili @ Essentially Lili