Concepts and Philosophy

Bio-Energetic Skin Care by Linda Bates B.A., Dip.Herbal Medicine with fresh organic herbs, flowers and nut oils

Concepts and Philosophy

My skin and the skin of my children has been so sensitive that if I apply anything containing any of the following:

Cetyl Acetate, Stearates, Stearic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Dimethicone, Polyacrylamide, Isoparaffin, Laureth-7, Sodium Laureol Sulphate, Phenoxyethanol, Glyceryl Laurate, Sodium Hydroxymethyl Glycinate, Sulphates, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, any Parabens, and Emulsifying Wax (which contains a sulphate), or any sulphates, we get a nasty skin reaction.

The questions I keep asking are:

1. What are the ingredients made from?

2. Where was it grown and have toxic products been used to grow it?

3. Is the ingredient a synthetic copy or a naturally occurring ingredient?

4. How was it processed or extracted and what chemicals were used to isolate this ingredient?

5. Can it be taken into the body without damaging it or overloading the immune system, liver and kidneys?

6. Is there evidence anywhere that the ingredient has caused inflammation or any other bad reaction?

These are all the reasons why I only use whole fresh organically grown herbs and flowers, cold pressed organic nut oils, and beeswax from a Blue Mountains beekeeper. None of my herbs and flowers are processed with heat because heat destroys nutrients. I use my herbs fresh because as soon as they are separated from their roots and Mother Earth they begin to lose their life-force and nutrients. I pick them only when I am ready to immediately make the products.

Essential Oils used in the products are chosen for their ability to support the healing actions. This brings together the knowledge of traditional classical Herbal Medicine with modern scientific research into Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy. The repairing actions of the blends are added to by the aromas and the volatile oils.

When I hear that modern science has discovered that Vit A and beta-carotene are good for the skin I know that these ingredients are orange/red and I think of the bright orange of Calendula flowers and the orange/red of Rosehips and how fabulous they are for healing the body and the skin. Herbalists have been using this knowledge for thousands of years. Caprylic Acid has been hailed in the beauty industry for it's ability to help alleviate wrinkles and to hydrate skin. Caprylic acid can be found in many plants. Allantion is an ingredient that has been found to help only normal skin cells reproduce twice as fast as normal. This means there are plants containing high proportions of this ingredient which can help the skin heal fast enough to eliminate scars, weak blood vessel walls, tissue trauma such as burns, ulcers etc. Vitamin C and anti-oxidants have been found to be essential for reproducing healthy cells. Vitamin C and bioflavanoids are red, orange, green and purple and so exist in high quantities in flowers, leaves and fruit which are these colours. Clean water hydrates the body and the skin.

Fresh organic plants are full of living enzymes, which facilitate and are involved in all cellular activity and the creation of life.

The oils I use to carry the plants into the skin are part of the healing process and chosen specifically for their contribution to this healing depending on the actions I want from the cream. All the oils are rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids which are essential for the health of the body and often difficult for the liver to break down. These essential fatty acids are required by so much of the body that skin is easily deprived as oils get used up by other more needy body systems and functions.

The composition of Jojoba Oil is very close to human sebum making it a compatible and nourishing moisturiser. It also has a high content of Vit U, an anti-oxidant. Macadamia Oil has high content of palmitoleic acid which is a component of our own skin sebum, and is rich in Vits A, I and U. Sesame Oil has a long history of traditional use because of its healing properties, especially in Ayurvedic medicine. It's content of Calcium, Silica, Vitamin A D and E, make it a powerful cleanser and repairer of the body. Avocado Oil contains Vitamins A, B1, B2, Pantothenic Acid, Vit E and Lecithin. It is great for nourishing dry and mature skin. Sweet Almond Oil is rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids and Vitamins A, B1, B6, & E. The oils must be extracted by cold-pressing because the application of heat will destroy some of these vitamins and minerals.

All these nuts are protein foods, rich in amino acids, which are known as the building blocks of life - they help us manufacture strong new cells to replace the old.

The herbs I mix together for each cream are designed to work synergistically to remedy the particular problem.