Naturopathica Review

Naturopathica Starter Kit Normal/Dry Skin Review

By Radha Crawley, LMT, Ayurveda Educator

This kit contains: 

·       Chamomile Cleansing Milk (1 oz) EcoCert*

·       Oat Facial Polish (.5 oz)

·       Rose Geranium Soothing Mist (1 oz) EcoCert*

·       Beech Tree & Ginseng Daily Moisturizer (1 oz) EcoCert*

*ECOCERT (source: Organic Spa Magazine) www.ecocert.com

Certification Type: Natural and Natural/ Organic

EcoCert requires a minimum of 95 percent natural origin as a baseline entry and a minimum of 5 percent organic content for the “Natural” standard, and a minimum of 10 percent organic content for the “Natural / Organic” standard. Up to 5 percent of ingredients can be synthetic. Limited synthetic preservatives are allowed. Water can be included in its calculation of organic content. Country of Origin: France Business Type: Profit

This kit contains four products to cleanse, exfoliate, fortify and nourish. 

The Chamomile Cleansing Milk is soft and like the title suggests, milky.  The aroma is soft and slightly sweet, like chamomile and rose.  This cleanser is very gentle and leaves the skin soft and dewy.  I read the ingredients on the insert, which is a very long list, and wondered about the purity of some of them. As the EcoCert description states, the manufacturer can use up to 5% synthetic ingredients. The label from this product states that 98.99% of ingredients are from natural origin. 

 There are many beneficial botanicals in the products, which I can commend.  Naturopathica has a full ingredient glossary on their website, so you can read about each. I would also recommend doing your own research on any questionable additives, perhaps: Coco-Gluocoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Sucrose Cocoate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Gluoside, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Dehdroacetic Acid.

The Oat Facial Scrub is not EcoCert.  This is very similar in consistency to the Chamomile Cleansing Milk, but thicker.   There are beads of jojoba for a very mild exfoliation. Personally, my skin “builds up” faster and I prefer a stronger exfoliant 2-3 times per week.   The Oat and Facial Scrub you could use daily.

I quickly became fond of the scent of the Rose Geranium Soothing Mist.  The aromatherapy blend is delightful to the senses, calming and balancing.  It contains: Aloe, Rose Geranium Flower Water, Rose Geranium and Ylang Ylang essential oil, and then, in my opinion, some less desirable dispersants and stabilizers: Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate. 100% of ingredients are from natural origin.

The Beech Tree and Ginseng Daily Moisturizer is light and fast absorbing.

You can find these products in spas around the country.

www.naturopathica.com

Inspiration

Where does my inspiration come from?
I had the pleasure of attending a week long Ayurveda bodywork course taught by a Dr from South India, Dr Hari. He has a wealth of experience, kindness and stories to boot. My favorite stories are the ones describing in detail the wild things that happen daily in India. Monks hiking into the Himalayas searching for enlightened beings and when found, have seen their eyes, and third eyes glowing in the night.
 I received and gave many body treatments that week wearing a loin cloth, a new experience for me... it is good to feel the naturalness of the body, exposed and vulnerable, yes, but in a way it exposes a part of us that is too closed anyway... byt this could be a whole post in itself....

I left this workshop remembering my TRUE SELF. The reason I sought out natural health and healing and really why I moved to Sedona.... to practice and work with Ayurveda.
The feeling I feel when I am coated in medicinal smelling sesame oil and herbal pastes. The craving for spices, chai and lime on everything. This is what I want to share with you....
a vessel for you to find that which makes passion ooze from your every pore...

namaste' friend.

Purity and Sensual Pleasure found in the Organic Body and Massage Oils by WoodSprite Organic Body.

 

I am a massage therapist and so when I come across a good oil, I am pleased.  Well folks, I am pleased!  It is so important to nourish our clients and our own skin with oils that are of the highest purity. Massage Oil does more than just moisturize our skin. It allows for a gentle detoxification of the body by absorbing into the blood stream and dislodging toxins so they can be eliminated from the body.  The oils aid in digestion, they protect our skin from the elements, and they provide snehana, a Sanskrit word for oil therapy or LOVE therapy. Oil is a form of love, true pure love.  Choosing a pure and organic oil to give a massage is like choosing a golden carriage to carry a loved one. 

The WoodSprite Organic Oils are a collection of pure and light nut and fruit oils that are easy for the skin to absorb with a smooth glide for massage and bodywork. 

The Lavender Organic Body and Massage Oil is the perfect match for easing stress, anxiety and quieting the mind after a long day.  The Organic Lavender essential oil is full of juicy, flowery middle notes.

 Try the Grapefruit Mint Oil for a refreshing and uplifting massage after your morning shower or as a detoxifying and analgesic massage oil choice in the spa. The first time I tried this oil I was pleasantly surprised by the coolness imparted to my skin by the peppermint oil, just enough to lend a gentle alertness.

The Ginger Glow Botanical Oil is perfect for enhancing circulation in the skin and muscles, perfect anytime of year and especially in the fall and winter seasons. Ginger Glow has essential oils of Bergamot, Organic Lavender, Ginger, Clove, Allspice, Lime, Grapefruit, Chamomile ,Ylang Ylang and Cassia. YUM! A very balanced blend.

Ahhhhh, The Sacred Collection. These oils have 100% organic base oils of sesame, sunflower, sweet almond and macadamia nut.  These oils are of medium weight and are filled with sacred resins and essential oils to enhance spiritual and emotional health.  The blends come in scents beautifully named Zen, Bliss and Spirit.  Perfect for all purists searching for inner peace. I would recommend using these oils along with energy work, marma therapy, head massage, lomi lomi, and any bodywork that offers a spiritual side. 

These oils all come in retail and professional sizes for back bar at the spa and wellness clinic.  

Please visit www.woodspriteorganicbody.com for more information

Looking for a refreshing and cooling summer treatment for your Spa or home? Here it is! Coconut Lime Refreshing Body Treatment from WoodSprite Organics

This is part of a series of reviews I am doing for The Spa Buzz, www.thespabuzz.com, as their Organic Products Expert, Enjoy!

 

This treatment uses Coconut Lime Sugar Polish which has Virgin Coconut oil that’s smell will bring you straight to the tropics, mixed with rich Mango Butter, perfect for your sun-parched skin and Cold Pressed key Lime essential oil to balance your temperature and your mood.   Immediately upon opening this jar I was drooling. It literally smells like you should be eating it! I have never been a fan of sugar scrubs before this one.  I loved the way the finer crystal sugar slowly dissolves as you are exfoliating your skin feeling less abrasive and more nuturing.  In Ayurveda summer is the season of fire (pitta) and so care needs to be taken to cool and calm the body mind.  It is said that Coconut oil is the best oil to cool and nourish the mind, body and spirit in the summer and one should use this oil daily for self-massage or Abhyanga.   Using this sugar polish in the shower at home or vichy in the spa, is a great way to refresh your mind and cool your body for the heat of the summer!

Look at the pure ingredients:  *Organic Raw Sugar, *Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, *Organic Sunflower Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Mango Butter, Key Lime Peel Pure Essential Oil and Vitamin E. (*Certified Organic) Vegan.

The entire protocol also includes a hydrotherapy portion using Coconut Lime Milk Bath or Coconut Fizzing Bath Bomb, rehydration and a wrap using Coconut Lime Whipped Organic Coconut Body Butter, Divine!

 

www.woodspriteorganicbody.com

Truly Green Body care and why we should demand purity in the Spa Industry

It is so important that we as consumers, and spa professionals know exactly what is in the products we promote and literally spread on thousands of bodies in our homes and establishments daily. Our skin “eats” everything we put onto it, and at a time when cancer and so many other auto-immune diseases are increasing, I cannot see a better time to become deeply aware of the difference between truly green, pure and organic products and products with greenwashing marketing schemes.

The word Organic is such a buzz word today, what does it mean? I have had the luxury to have lived in an Organic farming community in Wisconsin for the past 10 years and witness firsthand the care and consciousness that goes into such work. Organic farmers work WITH nature, not against it. They feed the soil with compost adding nutrients to the soil, which directly translates to the nutrients the crops have that grow in the soil. Ever hear Organic food has more vitamins and minerals in it? This is why. Naturally the added vitamins and enhanced herbal extracts carries over to more effective organic body care product as well.

I have seen organic apples orchards use pigs to root around the trees keeping all of the weeds out of the orchard and eating the fallen fruit that would rot anyway, leaving their waste to fertilize the trees. Seems a lot more balanced to me than spraying toxins over the trees and fruit leaving dead strips of grass in the rows beneath. A part of me wonders how the trees can live while the grass and weeds are getting exterminated. I know there is a scientific reason for this, but intuitively it seems wrong.

In organic farming there are no chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, or artificial anything. This means the earth is happier, or bodies are happier and the future generations are left a planet that is happier. There are strict organic certification processes that safeguard this industry from it getting “greenwashed” or compromised in anyway. If you find a company that is claiming organic on their label, look for the white and green USDA ORGANIC label to assure its quality and integrity. You can also look for the third party certification such as OCI, MOSA or other. However, I will say there are more than a handful of smaller, superior body care companies who are using organic ingredients and have not obtained certification for one reason or another. Confusing, I know. Here is where you must scour the label and ingredients list, inquire directly to the company about the certification and/or avoid the product. Some of my very favorite body care companies are not certified, but have the utmost integrity and consciousness surrounding organics and pure products.

The spa industry is a healing one, a place people come to escape the stress and toxins of daily life. It is so important at this time when our industry is growing at rates no other industry can compare, that we maintain the integrity of true health. This health includes PURITY from organics, and this purity comes from awareness. Educate yourself; find out what is REALLY in your body care line.

More information can be found at:

www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

Kapha Season Readiness

Greetings to all reading this...

 

www.toddsmithphotography.com

Prepare yourselves, we are in Kapha season!  This is when the atmosphere is saturated with the elements of Earth and Water. Even here in the dry desert of Sedona we have cool and wet weather. This is the energy that allows the plants to fill up with prana before they burst forth in late Spring.

The qualities of this season are:

• heavy ( imbalancing tendency: don't want to do yoga, or movement at all, how about sleep??)
• moist (mucous anyone?)
• stable (even stuck, think earth+water = mud)
• cold and cool 

In order to promote balance this season we apply the opposite qualities through the food we eat, activities we participate in and thoughts we think.

• light 
• warm 
• flowing (think circulation increasing)
• dry (less oils and fats in diet)

examples: smaller meals with the last meal and food taken before 7pm, bed before 11pm, rise 1 hour before sunrise, brisk walks and cardiovascular exercise, lessen sweet taste, sour and salty tastes.

Ideal foods for Spring are as follows:

• barley
• asparagus
• dry fruits
• alfalfa sprouts
• bean sprouts
• brussel sprouts
• carrots
• cauliflower
• celery
• chilies (with care if you are Pitta, can cause aggravation)
• collard greens
• dandelion greens
• green beans
• kale
• mustard greens
• spinach
• radishes
• watercress
• honey (if doing sweet, this is best, BUT NOT COOKED!)
• ghee in small amounts
• cumin
• black pepper
• tumeric
• clove
• saffron
• rosemary
• thyme
• basil
• coriander

Reduce dairy and avoid ice cream.

Spring is the best season for detoxification, gently and with care. Here are a few simple things you can do at home for detox this season:

•  Warm oil self massage; treat yourself to this amazing ritual which aids in loosening toxins deep within the body, loosening them and bringing them to the digestive tract to be eliminated. Use Kapha Oil, buy kapha oil here, and start with the feet and ankles, circular motions on the joints and straight up and down on the limbs. Massage all the way to your head, ending with a nice head massage.  Stay warm for 10 minutes allowing oil to penetrate.  Follow with warm bath or shower, do not soap off the oil.
• Dry body Brushing; this stimulates circulation and increases lymph system which in turn boosts your immune system
• Light meals for 3-7 days, oats and peeled apples in the morning with whole clove, powdered cinnamon and cardamon, split mung and barley kitchari (click here for: kitchari recipe) for lunch and vegetable soup for dinner.  Avoid sugar, caffeine, dairy (except ghee) leftovers and processed foods. Herbal teas such as ginger and peppermint are great. 
• Detoxification formula: Triphala, three fruits of amalaki, bibhitaki and haritaki, is a formula that you can take to assist you in regulating and aiding in regular bowel movements, which is key to remove the toxins we have loosened and brought to the intestinal tract in the above processes. buy Triphala here.  1/2 tsp in warm water before bed

Hope this gives you a spring in your step!
Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation to go further with your wellness!

Blissings
Radha

radhacrawley@gmail.com

40 days to greater inner peace

Did you know that scientists have measured the synapses in the human brain and discovered we think an average of 40,000-90,000 thoughts in ONE DAY!  Yikes.....  Add on top of that all of the outside stimulus, the car radio, magazines, newspapers, musak in stores, TV, internet, this blog ;), for me, my girls constantly talking to me... we are inundated with information and stimulus all the time...

Where do we get SPACE to not think??... to have epiphanies, to have source tell us what way to go, our intuition to be heard? What is our life purpose? Who am I?

Well, let me share with you, many of you already know this method, but hopefully this will validate and encourage you on your path.... meditation will help you find the peace it takes to allow these answers to unfold.

PLUS, meditation has been proven to lower blood pressure, increase the immune system, reduce depression, and decrease stress levels and stress hormones in the body.

Who wouldn't want less stress this time of year? Anytime really?  I could do without my mind playing its usual tricks on me.... 

Here is a great way to start or continue a meditation practice knowing that you are held by all of the other thousands of people across the globe committing too...  Winter Feast for The Soul.

click here to find out more about this FREE committment to Inner Peace

"What nine months does for the embryo
Forty early mornings will do
For your growing awareness"
Jelaluddin Rumi

Join me with many other folks in this project...  January 15, 2010- Febrauary 23, 2010

Everyday for these 40 days, 40 minutes of meditation practice....

 photo credit to Lisa O'Connor

My daily practice will look like this:

Awake at 7am

drink a glass of room temperature water

Wash my face, scrape tounge and brush teeth

Apply few drops of nasya oil in nose

sit on meditation cushion, light candle and stick of sandalwood, or frankincense and myrrh incense

apply small amount of sandalwood essential oil (Source for sustainable sandalwood: Floracopeia Aromatherapy 

to third eye chakra/ajna marma to calm and pacify the mind

 meditate for 40 minutes.

please let me know if you are joining me and how your experience goes...