The Organic Expo & Green Show was held in Sydney 20-22 August and what a fabulous show it was, so many like-minded people we were all delirious with joy by Sunday evening, a real love fest! Despite the election being held on Saturday we were still incredibly busy, there were three of us at the Pure & Green Organics stall and none of us could even take a 5 min break until late in the afternoon – it was just constant talking and engaging with people.
A very large percentage of people who we had sent free tickets to came over to say hello, which was wonderful as we really wanted them to go to people who would appreciate and use them so a big shout out to you guys, thanks for making the effort to come along.
My most special moment was the opportunity to met Katherine, head of IFOAM and Andre, Chairman of the Organic Federation of Australia. Up til the Expo I had been a bit slack and not become a member of the OFA but after listening to Katherine speak I realised the immense value of becoming a member and contributing to the growth and protection of the organic industry in Australia. We often hear people complain “why doesn’t anyone do anything about …” well that “anyone” is generally the OFA and they can only take action with the money they raise from membership so please consider joining. The OFA is our member body and acts as the collective voice of all who work in the organic industry – farmers, processors, wholesalers and retailers.
This year focused on the women in the organic industry and Katherine gave a beautiful address during the exhibitor’s breakfast on Friday morning emphasising how women and organics are linked. We often associate organics with a nurturing for the land, a sense of care and responsibility for our actions and a desire to do what is best for our children and future generations. These caring qualities are more feminine than masculine and yet very few women were involved in the “running” of organics. Katherine is the first female President and she strongly encourages women to become involved in the decision making process. Women have often been slaves to farms and organics is the solution to this – through funding initiatives we see organic farming enabling women to run financially viable farms and women can say to their daughters, you stay in school you don’t need to work on the farm. That is powerful, organics is empowering women in third world countries and we don’t acknowledge this enough – its generally fair trade that gets a mention in this arena but organics can hold its own here too.. Andre spoke of his desire to see more women involved in the OFA so if you are willing why not contact him to learn more about how you can help the organic industry in Australia.
Teri from Blue Marlin and I presented a seminar on Sustainable Packaging on Thursday, that was loads of fun (despite the bright spotlights in our eyes the whole time !) Great to work with you Teri.
Did I mention we won some awards?
Our Rejuvenate Beautifying organic night cream won the silver medal for best beauty product and our range as a whole won the bronze medal. We were the only certified organic beauty product to win medals so we feel this was an awesome achievement.
Market Report 2010/11
Good news here – organic sales up by 15% despite the GFC! Who would have thought? Here are some highlights of the report reproduced with permission from BFA:
The Australian organic industry is forecast to become an AUD$1 billion industry in 2010 according to independent research report commissioned by the Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA). This was highlighted in the Australian Organic Market
* More than 60% of Australian households now buy organic on occasion, up from 40% in 2008
* Stand out performers include: essential oils production (up 155%) feeding the growing cosmetics sector; Poultry (eggs) (75%); Milk & dairy (36%); Fruit & wine (16.5%), while the main processors for the meat sector have reportedly grown in turnover by 25% in the past year.
* 91% of Australians say ‘chemical-free’ is important to them, being a stand out feature of organic production.
* The organic industry employs an estimated 25,000 people domestically, while organic farmers tend to be younger on average than non-organic farmers
* Operator growth numbers continues to rise, in a sustainable manner (4-5% PA), delivering higher farm gate values for the average operator.
When it comes to deciding which personal care product to purchase for your family, I believe there are many parents who would choose differently if they had a greater knowledge of ingredients and what toxins to watch out for on labels. Knowledge is power, so with a view to empowering families I have written a series of blogs exposing some common toxic ingredients contained in personal care products, particularly those aimed out our precious children. Eventually I will organise this into a toxic ingredients guide but I’m still working on that!
Mineral Oil:
An incredibly common ingredient in personal care products is mineral oil. Statistics indicate 98% of the cosmetic/personal care products on the US market contain mineral oil and the figures would no doubt be similar for Australia, which is why this ingredient has the honour of being discussed first. The majority of parents simply do not realise that most baby lotions are nothing but mineral oils in different forms (liquid and solid), that are modified with fragrance.
Mineral oil is produced as a by product of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. It has absolutely no nutritional value. John Hopkins University named mineral oil in cosmetics and moisturisers as the number two cause of aging – the first being direct exposure to the sun. The reason mineral oil causes aging is that it forms a thin layer on the skin that resembles a layer of plastic. This is commonly referred to as the “cling film” effect that leads to many of the known side-effects of the use of mineral oil.
The oil film on the skin blocks the pores and the skin’s natural respiration. It traps dirt and bacteria and blocks the absorption of vitamins, minerals, and botanicals that may be in a product. It can cause skin itching or rashes and there are some studies that have shown forms of pneumonia caused by mineral oil decreasing lung function, known as lipoid pneumonia. Because of these dangers, the use of mineral oil taken orally or as an ingredient in medications particularly in the case of pregnancy or for infants is restricted. A mineral oil manufacturer’s website (Caltex –yes, the same people who you buy petrol for your car from) contains this CAUTION - An orally administered mineral oil should not be used during pregnancy or for infants, except upon advice of a physician.
Given these harmful effects, when caring for babies or small children it is best to use all natural and preferably organic products. Babies love to put their hands in their mouths, this is how they explore the world. By extension this means that whatever is on your baby’s hands is also going into their mouth and into their body so you need to be alert to dangers.
With this caution in mind a good rule of thumb is to decide to use a product only if the expected benefit outweighs the possible risk. In the case of mineral oil, the claimed benefit of moisturised skin could be obtained from any number of non-reactive organic vegetable oils (like sesame oil or avocado) which present none of the harmful side-effects listed for mineral oil, so the risk of using mineral oil is greater than the claimed benefit in this instance enabling you to easily decide against mineral oil based products.
So, if this ingredient causes premature aging and has some serious known health risks the genuine question remains – why do so many products contain mineral oil?
Mineral oil has two benefits that cosmetic manufacturers love. Firstly, as mineral oil is essentially a leftover liquid and very abundant it is inexpensive, dare I say it – cheap. In fact, it is more expensive to dispose of mineral oil than to purchase it. This means higher profits for the manufacturer. Secondly, these non-biodegradable oils provide long-term oxidative stability and they have replaced natural oils in cosmetic formulations – this means they never go rancid and last forever!
How to identify mineral oil on labels:
Depending on its state, mineral oil has three official names (1) mineral oil – for liquid state, (2) petrolatum – for jelly state and (3) paraffin wax – for solid state.
However, manufacturers often opt for a common synonym – like liquid paraffin. Here is a list of some of the common synonyms mineral oil, petrolatum and paraffin wax are labelled as:
Paraffin oil; liquid paraffin; paraffinum liquidum; light liquid paraffin (paraffinum liquidum); paraffinum perliquidum; oil mist; oil mist (mineral); mineral oil mist; mineral; mineral syrup, mineral oil hydrocarbon solvent (petroleum); mineral oil (saturated paraffin oil); petroleum; white mineral oil; white oil; white mineral oil mist; hydrocarbon oils; petroleum hydrocarbons; paraffinic; petroleum jelly and soft paraffin.
Important tip:
If you don’t understand what an ingredient is or don’t recognise the name DON’T BUY THE PRODUCT.
If the product’s claims sound good (ie, fantastic for dry skin) and it’s reasonably priced the deciding factor still needs to be a correct understanding of the ingredients to enable you to weigh up the claimed benefits over any possible risk. Please stop and check you understand what you are putting on your skin before you buy.
The best money you will ever spend is investing in a cosmetic dictionary to enable you to quickly look up ingredients and determine their true name/source. I can recommend “Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients: Complete Information About the Harmful and Desirable Ingredients in Cosmetics (7th edition), by Ruth Winter. You can buy this dictionary in an ebook format for only $12.95 which you can download onto your mobile to take with you to the shops or load onto your PC at home.
Buying a certified organic product range means you have a guarantee there are no petroleum based ingredients, no toxins and all plant material has been grown without the use of pesticide or synthetic fertilisers. What might cost a little extra at the start will soon pay off as your skin’s health improves and you see the benefits a certified organic skincare product, like Pure & Green Organics, will bring you.
Tags: cosmetic dictionary, liquid paraffin, mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum, reading labels
Give your mouth a refreshing spring clean every day using toxin-free natural ingredients known to promote a healthy pH balanced environment for beautiful teeth & gums.
One of the amazing benefits of our Teeth & Gums toothpaste is the fact that it is a gel concentrate. One tube of Teeth & Gums equals 300 brushes or six tubes of standard (110g) toothpastes . This is really important because tubes are rarely (if ever) recycled in Australia. While the material is recyclable in theory, in practice tubes are not recycled in this country. So, by choosing to use Teeth & Gums you save 5 lots of packaging from ending up in landfill.
Use of our certified organic Teeth & Gums with also enhance your wellbeing as you are eliminating toxins that are commonly contained in conventional toothpaste – think triclosan, SLS, and fluoride. Triclosan is referred to as an anti-bacterial agent and is now being investigated by the FDA after studies revealed it has effects on the human endocrine and immune systems. In January 2010 Australia’s NICNAS released a report stating that triclosan passes from mothers into their breast milk.
But wait – it gets worse!
Studies have shown that triclosan can combine with chlorine in our tap water to make chloroform gas (click on link to view report). This gas is a probable human carcinogen (do you really want to brush your teeth with chloroform gas?) One study even showed that triclosan was broken down into dioxins in river water (link to the study) because of the presence of sunlight. So mixing this chemical with water, either inside or outside of the house, results in toxins thought to be carcinogenic.
Instead of relying on chemical bacteriacides, Teeth & Gums harnesses the anti-bacterial properties of certified organic essential oils of clove, spearmint and mentholated peppermint to freshen your breath and minimise bacteria – naturally.
Teeth & Gums is also fluoride free. Fluoride is not an essential nutrient, the body has no need for it and it is a highly toxic poison, more poisonous than lead. It is the main active ingredient in rat and cockroach poison and the only thing that can cause dental fluorosis (destruction of tooth enamel). Brain damage in children is one of many well documented effects of fluoride ingestion. You can not stop children from swallowing some of their toothpaste and toothpaste chemicals are absorbed through the lining of the mouth into the blood.
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) a foaming agent commonly added to toothpastes is also the leading cause of mouth ulcers and damage to mouth tissue which allows greater absorption of other toxins, such as fluoride. Instead of SLS Teeth & Gums uses pure organic coconut oil as its foaming agent. Isn’t it time you switched to a healthy, ethical toothpaste?
Tags: concentrate, fluoride, recyclable, sls, teeth & gums, toothpaste, triclosan, tubes
Our dear friend Dan from www.edan.com.au sent us some beautiful photos of Finland and we wanted to share them with you. So peaceful and gorgeous, a vision of how lovely our planet is when left in stillness.
Thank you Dan, these are lovely I am sure all our readers will enjoy just as much as we did. Click on each image to enlarge.
The organic expo & green show is here again – yeah! It’s being held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. Please note, we have a new stall number 101 A.
Loads of fantastic events for all, here are some of the highlights:
For Foodies: chefs Kylie Kwong, and Tobie Puttock
For Kids: the organic kids fun zone has baby animals to pet, veggies to plant, garden creepy crawlies to watch
For green thumbs: gardening guru Jerry coleby-Williams and Costa Georgiadis.
Plus loads of other exhibits featuring wine, eco cars and the home.
Purchase tickets online at www.organicexpo.com.au
And the winners are!
Our last organic expo blog post announced that we had 20 free tickets on offer and we are happy to announce the winners – your 2 tickets each will be sent via post. We do hope you will come and meet us at the expo:
Sarah from Pyrmont
Larissa from East Albury
Ines from bermagui
Beverly from Kensington
Ann from Stanmore
Piper from Helensburgh
Julie from Darlinghurst
Craig from Dulwich Hill, and
Harry from Stanmore
Tags: darling harbour, expo, organic, Sydney
We are tickled pink (or should we say tickled green?) to announce that our display room/shop front is finally open!
Our store is located at:
160 Parramatta Road
Stanmore NSW
Our opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm and Saturday 10 am – 2pm
Parking on Parramatta Road after 10am and offstreet parking available all day – closest options are Northumberland or Corunna Road.
This space has been a real labour of love and we thought you might be interested to see the photos of our journey, you’ll be amazed at the before & afters!
Shop front – before
Shop Front – After
The awning had to be completely rebuilt – you can’t see in this picture but its lovely! Outside walls were rendered, new glass fitted and all new signage.
Inside LHS – before:
Inside LHS – After:
The floor had to be chased to allow for plumbing for our sink (which you can’t see in the photo its in the far right hand corner). The gas piping replaced and all new cupboards built to house our lovely certified organic product range.
Inside RHS before:
Inside RHS – After:
The metre box was moved and replaced with a much smaller one, and the new walls created to give a smooth surface, this wall was a shocker! Built a register desk and soon a lounge will be here for our guests (in place of the timber chairs).
Back inside wall – Before:
This was one large area which has now been blocked off to form the small store and the very large manufacturing lab behind it. The lab is sealed off from the front and is entered via the rear through a “suit-up” station first and then via a dust catch area before moving into the lab. All very high tech now! We created a corridor which allows guests to flow through the store to the upstairs office if needed. After:
Tags: Pure & Green Organics, shop, Stanmore
What do you do with your mobile phone when it breaks down or you are ready to upgrade? It is estimated that 12 million or more mobile phones sit unused in cupboards or drawers in Australia. Do you have any? If you do, why not recycle them?
According to WWF Australia “About 90% of your mobile phone can be recycled and used to create new products. A survey of phone owners found that about 4% of mobile phone owners currently recycle their phone. While 4% may not sound like a lot – and it would certainly be great if more people did it! – this will stop around 55 tonnes of mobile phone material from ending up at the garbage dump each year.”
Clean up Australia have posted research on their website concerning the toxicity of mobile phone components.
This was alarming to me, I hadn’t even thought about whether my mobile contained anything poisonous or hazardous to my health. My focus is always on the radiation levels from use, not the phone itself so this was a big surprise to me.
Apparently if a mobile phone is not recycled but instead dumped in landfill the Clean Up Australia site states “poisonous substances can decompose and seep into the soil and groundwater; affecting the food chain. Moreover, these chemicals can also cause you personal harm! Even in small amounts, hazardous chemicals inside mobile phones can cause environmental contamination because like plastic bags and styrofoam, they cannot be easily broken down and can stay in the environment for an indefinite amount of time.”
These are the substances inside your mobile and what they can initiate:
Brominated flame retardants
- Used to prevent fires occurring within mobiles yet highly flammable themselves.
- Hormone disruptors and can cause cancer and complications in pregnancy.
- Can trigger learning disabilities and behaviour problems.
- Banned substance in some European countries.
Cadmium
- Poisonous heavy metal substance known to cause lung and prostate cancer.
- Toxic to the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, respiratory, cardiovascular and hormonal systems.
- The 7th most dangerous substance known to mankind.
Lead
- Can damage almost every organ in the human body, particularly the central nervous, immune and cardiovascular system.
- Can cause decreased mental ability, developmental delays, behavioural disorders and reproductive defects.
Lithium
- Can cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs and can irritate the nose and throat.
- Dangerous when exposed to water (present in most landfills).
- Can burn creating underground fires which are difficult to extinguish.
Mercury
- Recognised developmental toxin and suspected hormone disruptor.
- Known to pollute water and accumulate in the fatty tissues of living organisms such as fish. Harmful when fish is consumed by humans.
But wait, it gets worse! According to the Jane Goodall Foundation http://www.janegoodall.org.au I have copied the information direct from the site as I wanted to get every detail correct, this information needs to get out there – please talk about this! “The western worlds reliance on mobile phones is known to be directly linked to the accelerating demise of at least 10 of Africa’s primate species, including the Eastern Lowland Mountain Gorilla. Eighty percent of the world’s coltan reserves are located in Africa, with the majority of the deposits located within the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is the same location that hosts some of our world’s last remaining primate populations and the mining of this metallic ore is causing catastrophic impacts on endangered wildlife species such as the Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) and the Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri). Coltan, short for columbite tantalite, is the principal source of tantalum, a rare and valuable metal in huge demand in today’s high technology industries.
Coltan is used to coat the capacitors in mobile phones, and despite the fact that it is illegal to mine for Coltan in the Congo, the mining continues on a large scale and coltan can fetch as much as $400 a kilogram. The mining of this commodity within the Congo River Basin, is contributing to forest loss and unrest in the region, and is accelerating the loss of Mountain Gorillas at an alarmingly fast rate.”
So now, like me, you are convinced that recycling your old phone is the best and only option for a healthy planet (apart from giving it to friend to use that is).
You have several options when it comes to recycling, basically
(1) donate it outright to one of the many fantastic organisations in Australia that are determined to make a difference – like Clean Up Australia or the Mobile Muster program. Via http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Campaigns/what-can-i-do.html you can donate your phone at no cost and you don’t have to travel anywhere, just register and a pre-paid satchel will be sent to you to enable you to donate at no cost to you or visit the mobile muster program http://www.mobilemuster.com.au/; or
(2) donate it to Aussie Recycling Program http://www.arp.net.au ARP also have a prepaid mailer system to enable donation at no charge but you can select a charity to receive the proceeds from the sale of your recycled mobile, or to the Jane Goodall foundation and the proceeds will go direct to her conservation initiatives http://www.janegoodall.org.au Yes, that’s right when a mobile is recycled the components are actually worth something so you can select an organisation to receive the proceeds- places like Australia Zoo, Children’s Charities, Cancer Support Centres (there is a very long list of who you can select from on the ARP website); or
(3) recycle the phone through either http://www.money4mobiles.com.au/ or http://www.mazumamobile.com.au/ and keep the proceeds yourself. I should note that money4mobiles allows you to donate part of your sale to charity and keep part for yourself if you so desire.
So there you have it, no real reason not to recycle your mobile phone, no driving to a recycling depot, no cost to you and it could even allow you to support your charity of choice or make a little extra cash to buy yourself a nice eco gift.
Tags: clean up australia, congo, green tip, jane goodall foundation, mobile phones, recycling
Part One – Health Benefits
The simple action of adding a little salt to your bath can bring many unexpected health benefits. Bath Salts are a wonderful way to relax your body, relieve sore, achy muscles and are particularly useful in the treatment of insomnia as the release of tension ensures a better night’s sleep
Draw your bath an hour or so before getting ready for bed. Use warm water but make sure it is not hot as this can dry out your skin (if your skin turns red the water is too hot). Add a generous amount of Pure & Green Organics bath salt while the water is filling to ensure good agitation.
Next, take a nice long soak! You will start to feel your muscles loosen up and the tension of the day wash away!
Pure & Green Organics bath Salts are also very effective at opening the pores to purify and cleanse the skin, ridding the body of dirt, sweat and harmful toxins. Our unscented salts with shea butter are particularly helpful for people with dry skin as it softens the skin and provides a lipid barrier.
Salts can also be used for their exfoliation benefits. Dampen a cloth, add some salt to the cloth and then rub over the knees, feet or elbows for an amazing therapeutic bath session.
If you don’t wish to soak your entire body, try soaking just your feet in a warm pan of water with some salt. Soak until your skin is softer and suppler.
Salts are also good for the mind, using scented salts results in an aromatherapy bath session which can help reduce your stress levels, and enhance relaxation, both vital elements to achieving a sound night’s sleep.
Part Two – Ecological Benefits
Now that you are relaxed you can afford to contemplate some deeper ecological questions. With so many types of salt on the market – dead sea, sea salt, Himalayan salt– it can become a difficult choice. Which salt is the most ecologically sound?
Australia is the second largest producer of salt in the world but practically all of this salt is produced from sea water which is processed using various chemical agents to remove all the inherent trace minerals found naturally in sea water. This type of manufacture also requires salt water to be heated to very high temperatures thereby creating significant CO2 emissions. With greenhouse gas emissions being the biggest environmental problem facing humanity we searched for a better solution and found it!
The salt Pure & Green Organics source to create our bath salts is naturally harvested from 5 million year old salt lakes situated in the remote regions of Western Australia, an ecologically pristine environment. It is a superior food grade salt product which is simply harvested; thus retaining all the naturally occurring trace minerals such as calcium; magnesium; iron and potassium all of which are essential to human health.
Harvest is slotted into the natural seasonal cycles of the salt lake. The rainfall over the winter months lifts some of the crust of the lake into solution to create brines that cover the surface of the lake. The summer sun evaporates the brine, new salt crystals form. When the new season’s crop of salt crystals dries, it is simply collected by scraping the crystals from the surface of the lake. Winter makes new brine. Summer evaporates the brine and salt crystals form and so the seasons repeat this entirely natural process. By comparison Lake Crystal’s natural production methods create only 1/10th of the greenhouse gas emissions that are produced by other salt products
There is practically no invasive development of the local environment whereas sea salt manufacturing requires great tracts of land to be cleared in order to build artificial evaporation ponds.
In terms of sustainability, lake salt is far more ecological than Himalayan salt also. Himalayan salt is a marketing term for rock salt from Pakistan, it is mined in the Khwra Salt Mines some 300km from the Himalayas. During the mid 1990’s the mine was the subject of an important environmental case against the mining company. The salt workers union alleged that as a result of mining in their water catchment area, poisonous waste water discharged from the mines polluted the reservoir creating a health hazard for the workers and the local community. While working conditions have now improved as they won their case, the case is now used to highlight that harming the environment inevitably harms humanity. http://www.unescap.org/drpad/vc/document/compendium/pk1.htm
The extreme purity of the lake from which our Australian natural lake salt is harvested has been documented for almost 100 years. The salt is harvested naturally, filtered and kiln dried so the salt’s natural characteristics and composition remain undisturbed. This natural lake salt is accredited by the Biological Farmers of Australia and Pure and Green Organics Bath Salts are certified organic by Australian Certified Organic (ACO).
Tags: bath salts, himalayan salt, insomnia, lake salt, relax, sea salt
Dry skin is a very common skin problem and is often worse during the winter when environmental humidity is low (i.e., “winter itch”). It can occur at all ages and in people with or without other skin problems. In the discussion that follows we will examine the causes of dry skin and how to treat and prevent this problem.
Dry skin results when there is not enough water in the stratum corneum for it to function properly. The strateum corneum is the outermost layer of the epidermis (the top layer of your skin) and the primary function of these cells is to keep the skin hydrated by preventing water evaporation, but at the same time they can absorb water. One way for the strateum corneum to falter is when protective oils in this layer are lost and the water that is normally present in the skin is allowed to escape. Some of the causes of this oil loss are (1) too much soapy water, (2) exposure to harsh chemicals, (3) the normal aging process and (4) certain types of skin diseases. As the stratum corneum dries out it shrinks and, as it shrinks, small cracks can occur. This exposes the underlying living cells to irritating substances and germs in the environment. The use of certain medications such as anti-acne treatments can produce considerable facial dryness in the winter or summer.
Treatment: Anyone who has tried to wash a greasy frypan in cold soapy water knows that it doesn’t work very well. Apply heat and the grease/oils in the pan soften up allowing them to be washed away much more easily. The same rule holds true with our skin. The hotter the water you use to bathe/shower with the more oils you will lose from your skin, actually worsening the dry skin problem.
Tip # 1: take a short shower/bath in warm (not hot) water. If the water turns your skin red it is too hot! Limit this to no more than once in every 24 hour period.
Tip # 2: Soap should be used minimally. Avoid harsh cleansers with chemical surfactants (eg. sodium laurel/laureth sulphates) or harsh oils (like palm oil) that strip the skin of its natural oil content.
Hint: try a Pure and Green Organics cleansing moisture bar. Our cleansing bars are superfatted which means a minimum of 5% of the oils in the bar do not convert to a solid, but remain in the bar to nourish your skin. We achieve this result through the ancient cold process saponification technique – something you won’t find in a mass produced product.
Tip # 3: Following your bath/shower gently pat the skin partially dry with a towel (don’t rub!) and within three minutes of getting out of the water apply an effective moisturiser. The oil in the moisturiser helps trap and seal water in the stratum corneum before it can evaporate and makes the skin softer and less likely to become dry, cracked and itchy.
Moisturisers should be reapplied liberally during the day and evening when possible especially to those areas prone to dryness (hands, arms, legs) and when itchy.
Hint: try Pure and Green Organics Hydrate deep moisture lotion, suitable for face and body and our Rejuvenate Night Cream for use on face at night. Our Hydrate and Rejuvenate products have been specifically designed to readily absorb into your skin’s deepest layers providing deep and long lasting hydration and nourishment for your skin. Rich in jojoba oil (the closest match to the skin’s natural sebum oil) you will feel an instant softening and smoothness after application. Rejuvenate is our product spotlight for July and available at 10% discount this month only .
Tip # 4: Be careful about using over-the-counter anti-inflammatory and itch-suppressing creams or lotions. Many of these products contain chemicals that can irritate or cause allergic reactions in dry skin. Anti-itch products containing menthol and camphor are generally safe to use. However, these products are not treating the cause of skin dryness, they are only temporarily treating the itching that accompanies it.
Tip # 5 Any way that you can increase the humidity level in the air of your home and workplaces would be advisable. You should consider adding a portable humidifier in your bedroom at night.
Tip # 6 Exfoliate once weekly to help slough off dry dead skin cells. Ensure you use a very gentle exfoliate, so no chemical peels which could exacerbate your condition. Among the physical exfoliants the most widely favoured are aluminum oxide crystals, used in a spa treatment called microdermabrasion. There are now several companies that sell home use microdermabrasion kits, all based around aluminum oxide crystals. Aluminum oxide crystals aren’t harmless to humans, but when you’re done washing your face, those same crystals go down the drain, into the sewers and out into the oceans, where they cause massive harm. The US EPA flatly states that any form of aluminum is “highly toxic to many species of aquatic organisms”. In fish, the metal has been linked to birth defects, increased mortality and a host of other complications.
Hint: try Pure and Green Organics “exfoliate” available in high, medium or low scrub content. With a pH range of 3.5-4.5 you can gently break the bond between old and new skin without harm to your delicate skin or our precious aquatic life.
Tags: dry skin, how to treat dry skin, hydrate, hydrate moisture lotion, moisturisers, rejuvenate, rejuvenate night cream, stratum corneum, treat and prevent dry skin, winter itch
We have 20 free tickets to Sydney’s Organic Expo being held at Darling Harbour, from August 20 – 22nd.
This expo really is the organic lovers highlight of the year and would have to be my favourite show to exhibit at. You will find Pure & Green Organics at stall 110 in Hall 1 and we look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. It truly is an environment we enjoy, conversing with like-minded people and getting all the latest and greatest certified organic products.
Please be aware that not all the cosmetic/body care products at the expo are certified organic. You would think an “Organic Expo” means everything there is certified organic, but NO. In a positive step forward this year the organisers have tried to make it more clear to attendees just who is really certified organic and who isn’t, but just be sure to ask the stall holders for their organic certification to make sure. We will have ours proudly on display – you can be sure of that!
Now, no experience is quite as good if it isn’t shared, so we are going to offer you two tickets so you can take along a friend. Sounds good? Well, all you have to do to receive your two free tickets is (1) live in Sydney – just because we want to make sure the tickets go to someone who will use them, and (2) purchase $50 or more through the Pure and Green Organics shopfront or online store (excluding gst and postage). The first 10 Sydney based shopping baskets that reach that number will win and your free tickets will be mailed with your order.
See you at the expo!