Coconut Oil In Depth

I’ve been a huge fan of coconut oil ever since it nearly erased a chronic skin condition I have on my upper arms called Keratosis Pilaris. You may know someone who has this condition, or you may suffer from it yourself. It looks across between red a rash and red goosebumps. I once read a few years back to apply it topically to the affected areas and, sure enough, it really helped me. Ever since that point, I have sought out products with this ingredient. Here at Nature's Basin, we offer many natural skin care products made with coconut oil as a key ingredient.

Skin Care Benefits of Coconut Oil:

There are many skin benefits of coconut oil.

Coconut oil is rich in something called Lauric Acid. In fact between 40-50% of coconut oil is actually Lauric Acid. This is a very promising natural treatment for acne. Not just for acne, coconut oil works on dry skin and on skin with eczema and flakiness.
Did you know, though, that there are many other uses for coconut oil?

I’d like to say that I used to be skeptical about some of the other uses. First of all, I used to cringe when I heard people talking about using Coconut Oil for cooking. It goes against so many things you’ve heard about from traditional practitioners because it being a saturated fat. I used to think I’d get clogged arteries or that it’s make me gain more weight or make my blood pressure go up.

From my own experience, when I use coconut oil in cooking, it is easier to lose weight. Dr. Oz recently has been talking about the benefits of coconut oil and one of the ones he mentioned is weight loss. He mentioned also how it can treat everything from skin conditions (which we have known), ulcers, and more. In fact, just a couple years ago, Dr. Oz was also skeptical of this oil and then decided to do more research. He now speaks of it regularly on his show.

Health Benefits:

*It is said that Coconut Oil can help prevent fatty deposits in the liver.

*Coconut Oil is used by many people now to help control diabetes.

*Coconut Oil is used by naturopaths to treat pancreatitis symptoms.

*Many believe Coconut Oil helps your bones absorb magnesium & calcium more effectively.

*Anecdotal evidence shows Coconut Oil can help prevent tooth decay.

I’ve recently been incorporating more & more Coconut Oil into our meals here at home. Some of my tried & tested favorite recipes using Coconut Oil:



Vegan, Gluten Free Coconut Snowballs

Vegan, Gluten Free Almond Lace Cookies

Coconut Shrimp

Super Yummy Baked Apples

Do you have a favorite use for Coconut Oil? Please share it with us!

Golden Globe Looks

There were so many stunning red carpet looks at the 70th Golden Globes Sunday night. So how do you translate the A-listers' looks to your own routine?  Start small.  Pick one look you like and try it one evening:

All products are paraben-free, cruelty-free, and contain the highest quality natural ingredients.  Find them in the boutique at Nature's Basin.

Weekend Pampering: An at-home facial

There's nothing more pampering you can do at home than give yourself a relaxing facial.  I look forward to carving out a bit of "me" time to do this. It's important.  I don't know about you, but the holidays can be a hectic time and we're always doing things for others (rightfully so) and neglect ourselves.  Maybe you're too tired after that holiday party to remove your makeup.  Perhaps your children have been up all night with colds and you're sleep deprived. Or maybe the thought of having your in-laws stay with you for a week is having you feel extra stressed.

All of these things can wreak havoc on your skin.  Carve out a bit of time and treat yourself with natural skin care products available right here at Nature's Basin.

Today, we'll be using the highly acclaimed Pangea Organics line for our facial.

1. Start with a clean slate.  This means you'll need to remove all traces of makeup.  Even if you don't wear makeup, you need a good facial cleansing. I like all natural oils to remove my eye makeup and stubborn mascara. Stay away from petrochemicals like mineral oil and use olive oil, safflower oil, grapeseed, or jojoba. After removing makeup, cleanse with a gentle cleanser. I recommend Pangea Organics Facial Cleanser with Calendula & Blood Orange.

2.  The second step is to exfoliate your skin.  This is such an important, yet overlooked, step. Exfolitation is crucial. You need to slough off dead skin cells and help encourage cell turnover. Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium Facial Scrub with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Scrub is just lovely and will do a proper job sloughing off dead skin without it being too harsh.

3.  Now you'll gently steam the skin.  I fill my tea kettle with boiling water and then pour it into my sink.  Add some cool water. Now, create a tent with a towel and stand with your face about a foot over the water.  Let the steam seep into your pores. Do not let the water touch the skin and be careful. I steam my skin for about five minutes.

4. A good facial mask is next.  You will adore the Pangea Organics Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Mask. The cool, refreshing clay will feel divine on your skin.

5.  Next up is a toner.  Toners help restore skin's pH and also help treatment products to absorb even more into the skin.  Spritz on some Organic Facial Toner from Pangea and you'll be ready for your next step.

6. Apply a gentle facial cream all over. Pangea Organics Italian Red Mandarin With Rose is packed with nutrients such as pumpkin seed, shea butter, and argan oil to make your skin feel and look refreshed and radiant.

Tips to Help Rosacea

I'd like to talk about what Rosacea is and what ingredients you'll want to look for -- and avoid -- if you have this skin condition.

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition.  Sufferers may experience spider-like blood vessels, redness, inflammation, swelling, and acne-like skin eruptions.  This can appear on the cheeks, eyelids, nose, or any other area of the face.

People with Rosacea will often have a flushed appearance to their skin, bloodshot or watery eyes, a red nose, and overall red appearance to the face.

Rosacea will not just impact ones appearance.  The condition can be painful, resulting in a stinging or burning feeling on the skin.

Women (and men) between the ages of 30 and 50, those with fair skin, and the tendency to blush easily are more prone to suffer from Rosacea.

There is not cure as of yet for this condition, but there are known triggers. If one avoids the triggers, that can help ease the number of flare ups.

Common Rosacea Triggers:

Hot drinks such as coffee and tea
Spicy foods
Eucalyptus
Menthol
Witch Hazel (standard containing alcohol)
Clove
Peppermint

Products We Recommend for Rosacea:

Natural skin care for those with Rosacea isn't a one size fits all solution. Some people have this condition but are quite oily, while others border on being dehyrdated.  That is why finding the best natural skin care regimen is crucial.  The brand that always comes to mind for me when it comes to skin care for Rosacea is Suki.

Anti-inflammatory ingredients are key to conquering the side effects of Rosacea.  I like Suki Transformative Cleansing Clay for both skintypes.  This will help fight inflammation and it contains zinc to act as an anti-bacterial, while the natural white willow bark extract helps get deep into the pores while acting as an anti-inflammatory agent. It also contains Witch Hazel Distillate. This is not your standard witch hazel.  This is an alcohol-free variety known for minimizing the pores and soothing the skin.  Kaolin, a clay, helps to purify the skin as well.

I love this product for those suffering from Rosacea because it is a true multi-tasker.  You can use this as an overnight spot treatment to help ease redness.  It can also be used as your daily cleanser.  Just apply to your dry face, leave on 5 minutes, and rinse off.  As a mask, you apply it to the dry face and leave it on for up to 15 minutes and rinse off. It's gentle enough to use daily, even when functioning as a mask.

This product is one we recommend for dry and oily skins.

Suki Balancing Toner is also recommended.  This is ultra gentle with natural aloe vera to calm your skin. After cleansing, you will want to apply this with a cotton pad.  This toner will help to restore your skin's pH, as well as soothing irritation and redness. It act to prepare your skin for other treatments as well.

Of course, both skin types will need a moisturizer.  If you're more oily with Rosacea, choose the Balancing Pure Facial Moisturizer.  If you're dry, I like to have you go with the Nourishing Pure Facial Moisturizer.

Do you have a particular skin care concern? Please email me at karley@naturesbasin.com and I will address it for you on the blog.

Sale Continues!

We want to share that our special savings,  20% off all products from Christopher Drummond, is still going on!

Simply use code CD20 at checkout, and we will take 20% off your entire purchase of Christopher Drummond beauty products.

Celebrity makeup artist Christopher Drummond has a passion for real beauty and simple glamour. His natural makeup line skips irritating ingredients typical in mineral makeups for antioxidants and plant extracts that hydrate and protect. A former fashion model who once had trouble finding makeup to complement his own skin, he created the line with colors that look good on all skin tones and can be custom blended for a perfect match. Shop now!

Healthy Living Friday: Vegan Chili

It is super windy, cold, and snowy here today.  Nothing makes that better than some hot soup or a warm bowl of chili.

At Nature's Basin, we believe in healthy products and living well, too. Today, I'd like to share a vegan chili recipe with you. I like to make a big batch because we can use it for chili, then have the leftovers for chili "dogs" over veggie dogs, and as a fun snack of tortilla chips.

How does one make a nice "meaty" chili without meat? Easy.  If you haven't tried it before, try Textured Vegetable Protein. It's also known as TVP and I only recently became introduced to it. I like Bob's Red Mill, as it is non-GMO. You need to rehydrate it, which simply involves pouring boiling water over it and letting it sit for a few minutes. Easy peasy.

I also prefer my chili to have a warmth and cinnamon tinge a la Cincinnati chili. I've been tinkering around for the past few weeks to get a recipe that gets my family's seal of approval. My husband loves a beefy chili and my 9 year old also loves chili (my 7 year old, not so much, unless it is over a hot dog!).

Here is my recipe:

2 cans black beans, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can red kidney beans, drained
2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 diced onion
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
1 can (4 oz.) mild diced green chiles
1/8 t. ground cloves
2 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1 t. cocoa powder
3 T. ground cinnamon (this seems like a large amount, but gives a really comforting flavor!)
1/2 cup to 1 cup TVP (which needs to be soaked in the same amount of boiling water that you used for the TVP)

Combine all in a crock pot on low for 6 hours.

Now, I don't know about you, but I just cannot eat my chili without cheddar on top. That's pretty hard when you're not eating dairy. So, folks, I cannot say enough about the Daiya cheddar style shreds. I put this on my chili. Yum!

Happy New Year!

I am not really into making New Year's resolutions.  I kind of live by the philosophy that each day should matter, so strive to make each day count--365 days of the year, not just at the beginning of a new year.

That said, I do have some natural skin care  New Year's resolutions that will benefit everyone:

1.  I resolve to always wash off my makeup each night. No more excuses!

Dermatologists recommend removing makeup each night for several reasons.  First of all, if you do not remove your makeup, your pores will not have a chance to "breathe".  Your pores will become clogged with the ingredients in your makeup, no matter how natural it may be.  The sebum will become trapped in your pores and you're risking a breakout.  Leaving on eye makeup can cause other issues, such as redness, irritation, and even infection.

Environmental contaminants also lurk on the skin, so a gentle cleansing is in order. 

You also may begin to look older if you do not remove your makeup at night.  Why?  Your skin cells regenerate at night at a faster rate than daytime.  If your skin cannot breathe because of makeup left behind, the cell regeneration process won't be effective, making your skin look older over time. 

Natural Being makes lovely skin cleansers for normal to oily and normal to dry skin. They contain Manuka Honey and are a bargain and less than $10 per tube!

2.  I resolve to wear a natural sunscreen every single day!

Natural sunscreens generally are more costly than drugstore chemical-filled and potentially harmful sunscreens. This is true.

What is so important to remember, though, is that a good sunscreen is going to be your best anti-aging product. Since much of aging can be attributed to UV damage, sunscreen is imperative.

Most people will not hesitate to spend quite a bit of money on a night cream or serum or on a handbag or shoes. In fact, I know of people who will spend $250 on a handbag, but do not want to spend the money on an effective natural sunscreen.

Think of it this way: you only have one skin. It should only make sense that you take care of it. Sunscreen can help prevent skin cancer AND help prevent the signs of aging. Not many products can say that!

Try Badger Face & Body Sunscreen SPF 30.

3.  I will exfoliate regularly!

Exfoliation is one of the most overlooked steps in one's skin care regimen.  It is a must do, though. Exfoliation need not be painful or harsh.  As an aesthetician, I have seen the negative results of harsh chemical peels, prescription skin care creams, and microdermabrasion. I firmly believe that a natural approach to exfoliation is best. 

Everyone needs to slough off dead skin cells.  Without doing so, skin becomes thickened, uneven, and will lose its radiance.  You should exfoliate between 1-3 times per week.  Using a gentle scrub, you will be able to remove the top layer of dead skin cells to reveal a more radiant and even tone.  Skin will appear more youthful and brighter.

Pangea Organics makes a lovely scrub with cranberry and adzuki beans. It is gentle, but works well to remove dead skin cells.

My favorite potent, spa-quality exfoliant is Suki Spa Renewal Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel. This will give a spa like results without the harsh chemicals.

4.  I resolve to moisturize my skin!

Everyone needs to moisturize.  Everyone.  Even those with oily skin.  Moisturizing the skin isn't about adding oil to it--it is about helping to provide a temporary barrier, maintaining the proper moisture balance, and soothing & protecting the skin.

There are so many natural moisturizers on the market for each and every skin type--from the driest of dry skins to very oily skin.

I am happy to help you find the best product for your skin.  Email me and I am happy to help.  Here are some of my favorites, though:

For dry skin, I recommend Living Nature Rich Day Cream.

For oily skin, I know you will adore Suki Pure Facial Moisture Balancing.

Nearly all skin types will do well with Weleda Wild Rose Facial Lotion.