10 Christmas Gifts For The All Natural Beauty Lover In Your Life

Christmas is almost here! Woohoo if you're anything like me it is crunch time with gifts. Today I have for you some of my favorite organic beauty goodies that are perfect for any person in your life who loves makeup, hair, or anything beauty related. Freight no more I'm here to help! So lets check them out!

1. Dr. Bronner's Organic Hair Creme ($7.99)

I prefer the Lavender Cococunt Hair Creme which is a leave in conditioner. It helps with smoothness and adds moisture back into the hair. It does provide light hold. But be careful this product is made from oils so be cautious when applying it to the top of your hair. Work it into the bottom and whatever is left on lightly apply to the top and you should be fine!

2. 100% Pure Fruit Pigmented Eyeshadow Palette ($46)

I'm absolutely obsessed with these! You have 5 different options to choose from and each palette has 5 shades. This is a brand you can trust!

3. Gabriel Cosmetics Lipstick ($17.60)

These super creamy lipsticks are perfect to add a little pop to that pucker. Comes in 30 different shades. These are sure to last you all day! Made with jojoba, sesame oil, and aloe.

4. ZuZu Luxe Trailblazer Gift Set ($50)

Complete with a 4-color eyeshadow palette, mascara, lip and cheek cream, and cosmetic bag. Perfect for getting an all natural makeup collection started.

5. Nature's Gate Shampoo and Conditioner ($8. 36 each)

This is a company I can get behind. They promote wholistic beauty much like we do here at SB. My favorite Shampoo and Conditioner is the Jasmine and Kombucha which promotes shine but they have plenty combos for any of your hair's needs. From revitalizing to replenishing you're bound to find the one for that special someone.

6. 100% Pure Coconut Oil Moisturizing Milk($29)

Milk's are very light on the skin which is good for most days. Smells like vanilla bean. Gently washed away impurities.

7. Smart Ash Organic Teeth Whitening Powder ($30)

This powder is comprised of activated charcoal, which has been shown to whiten teeth, and bentonite clay. It helps whiten, desensitize, and detoxifies teeth.

8. Kiss My Face Eyewitness Eye Repair Creme ($19.99)

It's never too early to start taking care of your skin and combating aging skin. This eye cream helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

9. Physician's Formula Organic Wear BB Cream ($14.95)

Super light on the skin. I love this BB Cream because it provides medium coverage and SPF. Comes in 2 shades which is slightly limited but they can both be bought and you can custom make your shade!

10. Moroccan Organics Hydrating Restorative Treatment ($14.99)

This hair mask is made from 100% organic ingredients. This mask for dry hair helps repair split ends and damage, adds shine, and softens texture. It adds incredible body to the hair without weighing it down.

So as you can see their are plenty gifts for that beauty lover in your life! Merry Christmas!

xoxo, G

DIY Makeup Remover Wipes

You come home from work, or school, or a night out and what's the last thing you want to do? Sit there and wash your face to get all your makeup off. How do I know? Cause I'm with you. Sure you can buy a pack of makeup wipes but lets face it who knows what's in them and they aren't cheap! Let's think of it this way, say you buy a pack once every month (typically there's 25 in a pack). It's about $6.00 for the Neutrogena makeup removing wipes, that's an extra $72.00 a year you're spending on a wipe.
 For me that puts a lot of things in perspective, especially when makeup removing wipes are so easy to make with things you may have at home, and if you don't already have them at home the products used have lots of other household uses. Today I'm gonna show you how I make my own makeup removing wipes!

Here's what you'll need:

- a jar ( I used an old tea tree wipe container)
- Cotton Rounds
- 1 tsp of Castille Soap
- 1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp of Jojoba or Coconut Oil
- Water
- Essential Oils ( I forwent the oils because I used scented castille soap.)

Directions:

1. Mix up the castille soap and either coconut or jojoba oil.

2. Place cotton rounds in jar. Pour soap and oil mixture over top making sure to press down so the rounds absorb the mixture.

3. Pour in just enough water to dampen the rounds. Give a good shake.

That's it! Takes all of about 10 min. Your total investment if you don't have the supplies? It's about $23.00. If only using these products for the wipes thats $23.00 a year vs $72.00 a year. However, the castille soap makes for a great household cleaner and you can check out our article on Coconut oil here to see its many uses as well.

So if you want a great makeup remover thats easy, affordable, and you know what's in it; try this out and let us know what you think in the comments below.

- G

Sky Organics Dead Sea Mud Mask Review

 

  Oh, skin care! One of my favorite things! A year ago I decided to switch to all natural beauty products. Since then I've been on a search for the best organic skin care I can find. I always get a ting of fear and excitement when I get a new product to try. Fear because I always fear that it wont do anything and I'll be let down and excitement because I hope that it will work great! As someone with extremely sensitive skin switching to organic skin care made sense for me. Some of the most popular nonorganic skin care has made me itchy, felt like it was burning, or straight out made me break out in hives. Since the switch I have not had one bad reaction to anything I've used.
  Let me start off by saying that I don't have extremely troubled skin. My skin is sensitive, I have combination skin so right now I'm between normal and oily, I breakout every once in a while. I do struggle a bit with blackheads and enlarged pores on my cheeks and nose. But overall, I have pretty decent skin. However, I believe you can never give your skin enough TLC. After all, I believe that the best makeup is beautiful skin.
  Anyway, the other day I received the Sky Organics Dead Sea Mud Mask as a gift. I was instantly intrigued, 1. because I had never heard of the brand and 2. because I have heard that the dead sea has amazing properties for your skin. The label says that it is a deep skin cleanser, clears acne, and reduces pores. BINGO! On the back it claims to "absorb excess oil, remove dead skin cells, dirt and toxins to reveal fresh soft skin" and "reduces blackheads, stimulates circulation, and helps reduce wrinkles." The ingredients include 100% pure dead sea mud, jojoba, aloe, shea butter, and calendula oil (all organic). Even though this mask is said to remove oil, you can see from the ingredients that it is also very moisturizing.

I'm giving this product a 9/10!

The first thing that I loved about this was the smell. It smells beautiful, like getting a facial at a spa. My skin was less oily immediately. My pores had visibly shrunken in size and it left my skin feeling nice and clean. I definitely will have to try it a few more times but after just one use I can tell this will definitely be one of my new favorite masks to incorporate into my skin care regime. I look forward to trying more products from this line as well!

- Giuliana

Apple Cider Vinegar

  Apple cider vinegar has been all the rage the last few years and for the longest time I couldn't figure out why. The smell of it kind of made me cringe to be completely honest. But after lots of research I realized why this vinegar is so popular. Not only does this vinegar have amazing health benefits but it also has several beauty benefits as well. ACV can improve digestion and provide a quick burst of energy. The reason it's so good for you? This vinegar contains acetic acid, potassium, magnesium, probiotics, and enzymes. This helps kill "bad" bacteria and helps grow new "good" bacteria.

 When picking an apple cider vinegar not all are created equal, you should be picking an organic, raw apple cider vinegar to get all the benefits. This vinegar can be taken orally or can be used topically depending on the benefits you're trying to get. So let's take a look at the benefits I keep talking about!

Health Benefits
1. Detoxes the body
2. Aids in weight loss
3. Relieves allergies
4. Helps cure a cold
5. Balances ph and blood sugar

6. Lowers blood pressure

Beauty Benefits
1. Hair Conditioner
2. Soothes sunburn
3. Whitens teeth
4. Natural deodorant
5. Skin toner
6. Ease varicose veins
7. Heals poison ivy 

    Clearly, this vinegar has tons of benefits. But now you're probably wondering, "How do I ingest it?" Well if you're a brave soul you can head straight for the ACV shot.
    Dr. Axe has a recipe for a warm ACV drink that he calls his Secret Detox Drink, you can find the recipe here. But if even that sounds a little hard, my favorite way to consume it is in lemon and ginger juice. I juice a few lemons, a 1/2 inch piece of ginger, teaspoon of raw, organic honey, and a shot of apple cider vinegar. And as for beauty benefits simply apply ACV to the skin and keep an eye out for my DIY Apple Cider Vinegar Hair Mask coming to Squishy Bananas soon!

- Giuliana

Coconut Oil

Trying to keep your health in tip top shape is hard but what if I told you that when you add a little bit of coconut oil into your food each day that it could help improve your health?
Fats have always gotten a bad rap but they are now on the rise with the latest trend in health being good healthy fats... its a trend for a reason, because it makes sense! Healthy fats were never bad for you in the first place!

First off, when I heard about this all powerful magical oil I  had to find out why it was so amazing. To date, there are over 1,500 studies proving coconut oil to be one of the healthiest foods on the planet.
This is what I asked myself when I went to the store to find this goodie:
What is it's purpose, and how does it benefit me?

• Easier to digest
• Not readily stored as fat 
• Antimicrobial and anti-fungal (this is a biggy especially for diy cosmetics) 
• Smaller in size, allowing easier cell permeability for immediate energy
• Processed by the liver, which means that they're immediately converted to energy instead of being stored as fat

What is the best form of coconut oil?
1.) It has to be organic.
When our food is sprayed with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides all over them then it will deplete the dirt of nutrition and we will also be in taking these toxic chemicals into our system. So not only will our coconut oil have less value it will also bring residues into and onto our bodies therefore making our coconut oil almost useless to us.
2.) You really want to look for unrefined coconut oil. Meaning there has really been nothing done to it. So it will be in its purest form and you will get all of the nutriants and vitamins from the coconut and the powers of the oil.
 Tip: Thrivemarket has a really great coconut oil!

What do I do since I'm not big on coconuts but huge on the healing properties?
You just need to look for the refined coconut oil. Refined just means that it has been heated up at a low temperature. It helps the super strong coconut smell to be almost non existent. This process does take away some of the vitamins but not much and all of the healing powers of the oil are still in tact.

How can you apply it to food and cosmetics?
Cooking with Coconut oil is so great for you. Nutritionists also say that it is better to heat up coconut oil in a pan to cook with than olive oil. Because when you cook with olive oil it actually will go bad faster in your stomach.
Tip: When heating up your vegetables in a pan use clarified butter (ghee) or coconut oil. Olive oil has more powers for you when added to raw or already cooked food.

Cosmetic Tip: Coconut oil is great for burns, scars, bruises, acne and dry skin.
 Look out for upcoming recipes on squishy Bananas!


-Rachel

3 Best & Worst All Natural Deodorants

 So about a year ago I decided to try to make the switch to all natural cosmetics. I switched everything: soap, toothpaste, makeup, and deodorant. My deodorant was one of the first products I switch 1. because most of them really aren't that expensive and 2. As someone with a history of breast cancer in their family the correlation between aluminum in deodorant and breast cancer made me extremely uncomfortable.
     Since then, I've tried a good handful of all natural deodorants. I have been pleasantly surprised by a lot of them but I've also been extremely disappointed by a bunch of them. It's always terrifying when you realize your deodorant is not doing what it's supposed to do. Which is why I have created a list of the top 3 Best and Worst Natural Deodorants.

Best:
I chose these based on how well they protect. All three of these last all day, come in various scents which are from essential oils, and contain no aluminum.

Schmidt's 

You can find these online: https://schmidtsnaturals.com/
or at most health food stores

Alaffia 

Find these: http://alaffia.com/ 
or Marshalls

Every Man Jack

Find this: http://everymanjack.com/ 
or Hannaford, Shoprite, Walmart, etc

Worst: 
These made the list because the three of these don't last. I tried the unscented version of all of them and within two hours needed to reapply.

Tom's 

Alba Botanica

Jason

DIY Moisturizer

Just about all of us go to the store and pick up face moisturizers and body lotions and it's no big deal, right? Not really. Our skin is our largest organ just because you're not ingesting these creams doesn't mean they're not making their way into our bodies.

Above is just a glimpse of some of the ingredients that are in our favorite body lotions and moisturizers. Most of the ingredients are things we can't pronounce and have no idea what we are putting on our bodies. Some of the things these store bought lotions contain are Parabens, Fragrance, toluene, and more. Parabens have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Fragrance is a mixture of a bunch of chemicals used to produce the desired scent. Toluene is especially scary because it can be masked as a few different names. It can effect your respiratory system and can cause developmental issues for babies. 

All of these are extremely unsettling to me hence the reason I figured out how to make my own lotion!

What You'll Need:

- Organic Shea Butter

-Vitamin E Oil

-Jojoba oil

- Essential oils 

To avoid the moisturizer going bad I mix it as I need it. I take about a tablespoon of shea butter, I do equal parts jojoba and vitamin E oil until the shea butter has a creamier consistency (typically 2-3 drops of each.) I then add a drop or two of essential oils. I go for the happiness blend which smells like citrus. 

Not only is this moisturizer better because you know what's actually in it but because the ingredients have properties that are amazing for our skin. 

Shea Butter- Is responsible for moisturizing.

Vitamin E Oil- Protects against free radicals which is responsible for it's anti-aging properties. 

Jojoba Oil- Most accurately mimics the oil our skin naturally produces. While it is an oil it is also effective in curing oily skin. It moisturizes and protects against the elements. 

Since it is all natural, it is not the same as those store bought lotions. With this lotion less is definitely more, especially when you first start using it. It is a bit oily at first which is why I recommend starting with this lotion before bed, that way it has all night to absorb. The more often you use it the more your skin will get used to it and the less greasy it will be. Your skin will thank you! 

- Giuliana