The benefits of lavender oil are many, as we explore in our blog post today. Lavender is a wonderful versatile herb that can be planted directly in the garden or grown in a pot on the terrace. Lavandula angustifolia has slightly pointed thin leaves and a gray-green hue. Relaxation Now that many of us are familiar with the essential oil of lavender it is becoming common knowledge that lavender will help us to relax. Lavender water can be sprayed on pillows or bedclothes to hasten relaxation and sleep. It can also be placed on a cotton ball under a child’s bed to help a small child relax and get ready for bedtime. (Don’t put it close to the face of a small child, because in high doses it may keep a person awake). Soothing Burns Lavender is used in the burn units of hospitals, because … [Read more...]
Should You Go Sodium Laureth Sulfate Free?
Many people question what sodium laureth sulfate is and why it's used in so many products. Today we ask should you go sodium laureth sulfate free? Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate are often used to boost the ability of detergents to remove oily substances from clothes, or in other cleaning products to remove oil from dirty surfaces such as floors and countertops. It is also found naturally in coconut oil. I was surprised to find sodium lauryl sulfate in my toothpaste. It apparently has some usefulness in removing bacterial smells, and is used in toothpaste for that reason as well as for its foaming properties. I don’t mind it in my laundry detergent, but when it comes in contact with my skin, either in my mouth or elsewhere, then I am not so pleased. Sodium laureth … [Read more...]
Are Phthalates Harmful?
I thought we would turn our attention today to phthalates. PHTHALATES! Eek! What does that mean? Are phthalates harmful? What an awkward word, derived originally from the word naphthalene, the chemical used for mothballs. In 2003 the European Union banned phthalates in body care products. The United States still allows them. What are they used for, and where are they found? They are several chemicals used to soften plastic. All those bendable plastic containers are flexible because of the phthalates added to the plastic. Hard plastic containers do not contain phthalates. Small amounts of phthalates added to body care products also make them flexible and help to suspend the fragrances in the air. It is easy to understand why nail polish and hair spray would contain phthalates, … [Read more...]
How to Care For Your Skin Naturally
Many of us are now very much more aware of chemicals in products and thus today we are going to look at how to care for your skin naturally. There are lots of changes going on in skin care products. We are becoming increasingly aware that our skin is an important organ, just as our heart and our kidneys are important organs. I used to think of skin as if it were plastic wrap, as if it were wrapped around our bodies to keep bad things out and hold our tissue and bones together, so that they don’t ooze out onto the ground. (Yes, I did learn in school that the skin processes some waste products and eliminates them through perspiration.) No one ever told me about how skin lets lots of things into the body, too. It is like a very permeable gatekeeper. Anything that you put onto your skin … [Read more...]
Protect Yourself in the Summer Sun
Welcome to our first blog. I hope that you will find the information we can offer you on health care products will be easy to understand and to follow, and that it will help you and your family to stay healthy. Singing Flower Studio has now moved to new location in northern Wisconsin. Herbster is just on the south shore of Lake Superior. It is very beautiful and a little cold and rainy at this time, but I am quickly planting my garden. Always an optimist, I plant tomatoes that my daughter has started indoors, peppers, broccoli and lots of other good vegetables, herbs and flowers. A little nuisance bunny has already eaten the leaves off one of my broccoli plants. Most of my herbs such as lavender and tarragon, survived the winter and are green and growing again this summer. For those … [Read more...]
