What are Parabens?

        There are many products on the markets saying their products are paraben free. But, the question I had when I see these labels are....What are parabens and why shouldn't we use them. So I dived in searching and looking for the answers to my questions. According to Wikipedia, parabens are man made chemical preservatives. They are used in cosmetics, medicines, and even in our foods & drinks. (WOW) 

       Parabens have been used in products, as preservatives, since the 1950's. Many times more than one type of parabens are used in the same product. The well known types of parabens are, butylparaben, methylparaben, and propylparaben. In the 1990's, parabens was said to imitate the estrogen in the body, thus contributing to the cause of breast cancer and reproductive problems. Research conducted by Philippa Darbre, Ph.D, found parabens in malignant breast tumors. Since only cancerous tumors were study, many scientist and doctors are unsure of these results. The amount of parabens used in products are small and, some believe, the evidence is not there to prove parabens are bad for your health. As stated by the Journal of Applied Toxicology, “No claim was made that the presence of parabens had caused the breast cancers.” Metabolites, one of the chemical components of parabens, was found in the breast tumor, not the parabens themselves.

This cause some concern for me. Even though only one component of this preservative is found in breast tumors, and companies only use small quantities of parabens in their product. There are many different variations of parabens used in one product. Just think how many products with parabens do we use on a daily bases, the lotions, make-up, fragrances. Then, how many foods and drinks containing parabens are we consuming on a daily bases. Now, if we add the amount of parabens in all of these products together, you will not get small doses of parabens in your system... you will get a COMBINED dose. The Center for Disease Control does have a fact sheet with more information about parabens and what they found in their study. But, why take a chance on how much is to much. Go Paraben Free!!!

 

+Bloomfield Bath has made a promise not to use any prabens in their products. We use all natural plant base preservatives and all orders are made fresh when ordered. We offer handmade soaps, lotions/creams/butters, scrubs, hair products such as cleansers and conditioners, and much much more. You can't go wrong when your going natural.

Koketta Knowles

       

What Are You Putting Under Your Arms?

Do you know what goes into the making of commercial deodorant? I thought the brand that I used was the best. It kept me smelling fresh and it kept me from sweating. Now that I am transitioning to using all natural ingredients, I decided to read the label on the commercial deodorant in my home. I was shock when I realized what I have been putting under my arms since I was old enough to use deodorant. I decided to check my husband deodorant ingredients, and yes pretty much the same thing.
"Deodorant" is actually a cosmetic substance applied to your body to help prevent odor. People commonly brand any substance placed under the arms, deodorant. However, if you use antiperspirants your not just using deodorant, you are using a FDA approved over-the-counter drug under your arms. If you are wondering how an antiperspirant deodorant can be classified as an over-the-counter drug, here is why. According to Wikipedia, an over-the-counter drug is a substance use to treat a specific condition, in this case sweating, without the supervision of a physician. This substance also has to be proven to be "reasonably safe and tolerated". What makes antiperspirant deodorants an over-the-counter drug is that it contains aluminum. Aluminum can cause contact dermatitis in those that are allergic. Different brands of antiperspirant deodorants uses different compounds of aluminium, there are aluminium cholorhydrate, aluminium zirconium tetracholohydrate, aluminium salts, etc. It all varies on the commercial brand.

a famous anti-antiperspirant deodorant brand

The aluminium reacts with the oils produces by your sweat glands to create a plug. The more you use antiperspirant deodorant to less you will sweat because your sweat glands are being blocked. This could result in several side effects, such as darken armpits. Also with frequent use, your body will began to product an organically, Synthetic Musk Galaxolide. This is a musky, flowery, wood scent. Galaxolide is a fragrance sometimes used in commercial soaps, cosmetics and detergents. Just imaging the damaged your doing to your armpits.
Also, it is thought that the aluminium in antiperspirants causes breast cancer, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. There is even a warning on the label that states to consult with your doctor if you have kidney disease. Patients with high levels of aluminium and kidney disease are more likely to develop dementia. Thus, the FDA requires this warning on the labels. A study completed in the European Journal of Cancer finds between 1945 - 2000 antiperspirant sales increased 14,000%. With this increase many of the women who uses antiperspirants and shaved under their arms has been diagnosed with breast cancer 19 years earlier than women who did neither. This study is accepted, because the lymph nodes in your armpits are connected to the lymph nodes in your breast. Thus, linking what you put under your arms to the changes in your breast tissue.

How antiperspirants work. 

Other studies have been conducted to refute the study done by the European Journal of Cancer. According to Ted S. Gansler, MD, MBA, and director of medical content  for the  American Cancer Society, "There is no convincing evidence that antiperspirant ... use increases cancer risk". This is thought so because the aluminium is not absorbed into the body but forms a plug in the sweat duct as a chemical reaction. Although there has been a few chemicals produced from antiperspirants found in breast tissue, there is not enough evidence to show these chemicals are the cause of breast cancer. Right now scientist are still in the research phase. Studies are contradicting themselves on whether using antiperspirant is good or bad for your health. Since there is no confirmation of whether commercial deodorants can cause health problems or not, an alternative to using commercial deodorants/antiperspirants is make your own homemade deodorant. Therefore, knowing what you are putting under your arm.

Did you know you can easily make your own deodorant at home with kitchen ingredients familiar to you? Making your own deodorant will mask the odor, however, you will sweat. Sweating is your body's natural way of cooling down and removing waste. The perspiration from your body is really odorless. The odor comes from bacteria feeding on the oils from the sweat glands, dead skin and hair cells. When making homemade deodorant, if you use essential oils it will inhibit the growth of microbes, like bacteria. Thus, preventing odor. There are a wide range of deodorant recipes available on the internet. The one that caught my attention was the information offered by Wellness Mama. All the ingredients she used to make her natural deodorants were similar to the ingredients +Bloomfield Bath uses to make all of their Natural Body Care products.

Ingredients Needed:

1. Corn Starch/Arrowroot 
2. Baking Soda
3. Coconut Oil
4. Essential Oil 
1. this is the fragrance
5. Vitamin E
1. to keep the armpit area soft
6. An empty container

Directions: Quick and Easy

     Mix baking soda and corn starch together.(1/4 of cup of each) Mash in the coconut oil (6 tablespoons) with fork until well blended. Add oils (about 1 tablespoon) and store in container. 

I adjust this recipe based on what I had available in my cabinets. I did not have coconut oil, so I used Bloomfield Bath's Premium Body Butter~Unscented. As for Essential Oils, I used +Bloomfield Bath's Miracle Oil Hair and Body. When I placed my finished product under my arms, it had the same consistency of the antiperspirant I used before. If you have sensitive skin you may want to replace the baking soda with bentonite clay or using less baking soda. As I read some of the responses to this recipe, some of the makers added other ingredients like bees wax, unrefined, or a little lemon juice. The bees wax works like a hardener and the lemon juice is great with preventing your armpits from getting darkened. It's great to experiment to find the perfect product for you.

all the ingredients mixed

Applying homemade deodorant under your arms has other benefits, besides preventing clogged sweat glands. Homemade deodorants moisturize your armpits, allows your body to rid itself of toxins, keeps you from have under arm odor, and its budget friendly. When creating your own homemade deodorant, play around with the essential oils and ingredients until you find the consistency the works best for you. When I make my next batch, I am going to try with the Honey Almond Premium Body Butter. I like that signature scent from Bloomfield Bath. Although there are 11 other Signature Scents options, I want to start with my favorites until I find the right scent for me. There are more and more options available now for taking care of your skin and keeping it healthy and beautiful.  Using natural ingredients is the best way to preserve your skin's radiance.

after sanitizing my container, added the mixture.

The finished product

Witch Hazel & Ethyl Alcohol ~ What's the Difference?

Hamamelis virginiana tree

Hamamelis x. intermedia

 +Bloomfield Bath uses two alternatives to alcohol in the making of their skincare products, Witch Hazel and Cetearyl Alcohol. The cetearyl alcohol is used in the lotions, creams, butters, and conditioners to prevent the product from separating. The witch hazel extract is used in the Floral Water Skin Toner to help cleanse and moisturize your face, gently. This blog is going to address effects of witch hazel, cetearyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol on the skin and is only for informational purposes only. Please consult your dermatologist regarding your skincare needs.
  If you are wondering, "What is Witch Hazel?"It is a small tree found in the damp woods through out North America and Asia. There are 3 species in North America and one each in Japan and China. The extract is made from the bark, flowers and leaves. The colors of the petals can be yellow/pale, orange or red. The fruit has two parts each with a black, glossy seed. Eight months after the tree has flowered, the seed explodes from the fruit, flying up to 33 ft away from the tree. Most of the species of the Witch Hazel Tree blooms between January and March, except for the Virginian species. This species blooms between September and November. The branch of a witch hazel tree was once used to find water, now this tree is used as a natural herb for cleansing, moisturizing and toning the skin.

the buds on the witch hazel tree

The bark, leaves and twigs of the witch hazel tree has high amounts of tannins, which when used on your skin, will tighten pores, reduce/soothe aching, inflamed varicose veins and remove excess oils. All this without drying out or breaking down your skin cells. The properties of this tree causes the body tissues to contract which helps with reducing blood flow in minor bruises. There are many uses for witch hazel, most being external, and it is an ingredient used in many healthcare products. In addition to being able to tighten the skin and remove excess oils, witch hazel can be used as a natural remedy for psoriasis, eczema, cracked or blistering skin, poison ivy and even treating insect bites. Witch Hazel is a powerful antioxidant and it also contains procyanadins, resin, and flovonoids. These antioxidants contributes to the removal of damaging impurities. Witch Hazel will even treat sunburn and it will disinfect minor cuts. Many tattoo artists use witch hazel in the after care of doing a tattoo.

Home Remedy uses for Witch Hazel

Why shouldn't we use rubbing alcohol on insect bites, cuts and bruises? Ethyl Alcohol (also known as rubbing alcohol) is a flammable chemical made of a specialized methylated spirit (also known as Denatured), ethanol alcohol and water. (Denaturing makes the solution undrinkable when mixed without altering the chemical makeup.) Rubbing alcohol breaks down your skin's barriers preventing the skin from naturally protecting the body. Witch Hazel, on the other hand, nurtures the skin by moisturizing and preventing it from drying out. When you use witch hazel instead of rubbing alcohol, your skin will continue to doing what it is made to do, defend your body against harmful dirt and grim.

long term alcohol use on the skin prevents your skin from doing its job.

Alcohol can be mixed with any ingredient easily and some skin and hair care companies add this to their products, to increase the ability of their ingredients penetrating through the skin. Some of the ingredients may be good for the body, but there are some ingredients that could be damaging. The more you use alcohol on the skin, the more damage you are doing to your skin cells making it more difficult for them to be repaired. Some with oily skin may think that using ethyl alcohol to wipe away excess oils is helping, but this is not good practice. The alcohol will not only dry up the skin, but it will also cause your pores to produce additional oils as a response to the dry skin. Thus, causing you to use more alcohol. This is not a chain reaction you would want to repeat. The more you apply the alcohol to your skin to more it will tear down your skins barriers. Making you more susceptible to the invasion of impurities. There are natural options available to help keep your skin soft, beautiful and protected. Bloomfield Bath offers a Beautiful Face Set that comes with a cleanser, a toner (alcohol free) and a moisturizer. The beauty in the set is you do not have to use all ingredients at once for the product to work. If you use the cleanser in the morning, there is no need to use the toner. If you choose to use the toner that night, no need for the cleanser. You may want to use the face cream to add moisture, but the key here is minimum works best. There are three floral water options: jasmine, lavender, and rose. This is not a scent choice, it is more of a type of flower you would prefer to receive floral water from. 

Another way to draw out impurities and gently exfoliate your face is using the Facial Mask. The mask contains natural fruit extracts and are beneficial to your body's care as well.

The 2nd alternative to alcohol that Bloomfield Bath uses to keep your skin protected is a natural vegan alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol. Cetearyl Alcohol is a mix of  cetyl and stearyl alcohol and it is found in plants. Cetearyl Alcohol works as a foaming agent in addition to be a stabilizer. This alcohol helps binds ingredients together, naturally. The added bonus of Cetearyl Alcohol is the calming properties that maintains the skins smoothness and softness. Your skin's barriers is the protection your body requires. So Use alcohol free products and say "Bye-Bye" to ethyl alcohol for your skincare needs. 

Bloomfield Bath

Lavender Love

This month, +Bloomfield Bath's Charity Soap of the Month is Lavender Love. In lieu of this month's charity soap, I will be talking about the effects of lavender on your skin. If your wondering what type of flower lavender is, well, it's actually an herb. Lavender can be used for many things, such as, consumption in baking products and teas, or as a fragrance for your home. Bloomfield Bath uses lavender in our body products. Lavender is native to northern Africa and the mountainous regions of the Mediterranean and it can come in a variety colors like yellow, green or white. The Latin version of Lavender is "lavare", which means, to wash. This herb has a nice refreshing smell. Lavender has many uses, one being a great aromatherapy agent. When dried you can place inside pillows or sleeping masks and this will help you to sleep, naturally. It is thought that lavender slows down your nervous system. *Do not use Lavender with any additional sleeping aids*  You can dry lavender flowers, place inside cloth bags, and use as dryer sheets. Thus, giving your linen a cool, refreshing, natural scent straight from the dryer. The natural scent of lavender can keep bugs away. Yes, no more buying those "chemical" bug sprays, when you apply the lavender essential oil you shouldn't have to worry about bug bites. Lavender is effective against most bugs like mosquitoes and moths. If you were to get bitten by a bug, all you would have to do is apply lavender essential oil to reduce skin irritation and pain. Not only is the lavender essential oil a great anti-inflammatory, it can help with skin acne and provide minor burn relief. When added topically, the essential oil of lavender can help hinder bacteria growth by reducing scarring when the acne begin to heal. Also Lavender relieves the pain of minor burns when applied to the skin. 

I have only spoke of a few of lavender's properties, but there are many other qualities that lavender posses in addition to relaxing the mind, soothing minor burns, and/or bug bites. Scientist are researching the effects of lavender and finding more and more great advantages of it's use. For example, researchers from the University of Coimbra in Portugal found that Lavender oil is lethal to an array of skin pathogenic strains. Another study completed by The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database says that, "...lavender can promote hair growth..." WOW, "hair growth". When I read that, I wanted to know more. This was then backed up by a Scottish study report. The, "[l]avender oil increases blood circulation..." when rubbed on your scalp regularly. They reported that patients with alopecia showed 40% more hair growth when using lavender essential oils on their scalp. 

Lavender is a great herb with healing and soothing properties. Bloomfield Bath adds lavender to our soaps, creams, lotions, butters, and polishes. When you've had a stressful day, why not take a bath with our Lavender Love homemade soap bar, then moisturize your skin with the cream. Now watch all your stress go away. The bonus in using Bloomfield Bath's lavender soap bar is knowing that we truly use all natural, unrefined lavender essential oils. Get soothed today with our Lavender Love Signature Scent. 

Lavender Love - a blend of lavender & lemon

Lavender Love

Let the SUN shine on your skin.

                                                   

Your body needs vitamin D and the sun is a great natural way to get that vitamin D. Sun therapy was used in ancient Greek times. The sun was thought of as a natural healing property for the body. Today, we seem to bath in sunblock not realizing we are putting ourselves at risk for Vitamin D deficiency among other health risk. Many people believe that to much sun can be dangerous, but the sun is needed and provides a key vitamin for our bones. In America, 24% of our citizens have Vitamin D Deficiency. It is commonly thought that by using sunblock, we are preventing cancer and anti-aging effects, but knowing the right balance of sun exposure, however, can have healing benefits for you too.  Not only is sunlight a key component in bone health, but it can also boost your immune system, strengthen your teeth, and oddly enough it can help prevent depression. Have you ever notice when you go out into the sun, you automatically smile. The sun light is the, "illumination of nature". 

The UV light from the sun can not be seen by the naked eye. This makes it hard to justify how much sun you are getting and when to say, "enough is enough". In addition to that, there are 3 different types of UV light, ultraviolet A, ultraviolet B, and ultraviolet C. UVB (ultraviolet B) are the rays that help your body with the production of vitamin D. Just remember you only need 15 minutes of sun on your unprotected skin a day to get the proper amount of vitamin D. Once you get that 15 minutes, put on some protection, either with clothes or a natural moisturizer like shea butter for example. The best time for your skin to get the UVB rays need is when the sun is 50° from the horizon. Who knows when the sun is 50° from the horizon? I don't, but you can find this out using Google Earth. Or you could use the UV Index. The UV Index gives values to the UVA and UVB rays ranging from 0 to 17. 

Use the shadow rule when exposing your skin to the sun. If your shadow is taller than you, then the UV levels are going to be low. If your shadow is shorter than you, then the UV levels are high.

Now that you know how much sun your skin should be exposed to, here are some ways to protect your skin from to much exposure. One way is by covering unprotected areas of the skin with clothes or getting into the shade of a tree or an umbrella. Another natural way of protection, is using a natural moisturizer like shea butter. The use of Shea Butter has great healing and prevention properties. The best bonus of using shea butter, is it can help with prevention and it can heal sun burnt skin. +Bloomfield Bath uses shea butter in all of it's products and it can be purchased in it's rawest form. Shea butter is extremely rich in Vitamins A,D,E,F, and K and is great for soothing skin irritations, like sunburns, making it a remarkable moisturizer. Bloomfield Bath offers two types of Shea Butter. We have the Shea Butter from the Karite Tree and Shea Nilotica, from a sub-species of the Karite Tree.  Shea Nilotica is produced in Uganda and Sudan. It is softer, has a high absorption rate, and has a softer smell than the Shea Butter of Ghana. Learn how much sun your body can handle and let us appreciate the sun and all of the amazing benefits it gives us.  

Organic Shea Nilotica

     

Organic Shea Butter (unrefined)

Cocoa Shea Butter

Bloomfield Bath

Orange Goodness

+Bloomfield Bath is introducing a new scent for the summer, it is called "Orange You Glad".  You can have that scent, or any of Bloomfield Bath's other signature scents, applied to any of our signature soap bars or body products. Today I am going to talk about the advantages oranges provides for your skin. Most people understands that oranges are a great source of calcium and folic acid and this is a great aid for your health in general. Did you know that the orange also produces ingredients that aid in great skin care? Even the peel of the orange will help protect and care for your skin. Let's talk about the orange peel. 

   

The orange peel has more Vitamin C than the pulp of the orange, it helps reduce aging and oiliness of your skin, and it can aid in the cleaning out of excess dirt and bacteria that could clog your pores. Orange peels can even lighten dark spots and give your skin that shine everyone strive to get. Since the orange peel have more Vitamin C than the orange itself, it will protect your skin again premature ageing. You can use the orange peel by drying it, then grind it into a powder to be use as a body scrub or by placing the powder in milk or milk cream to be applied to your face.(Please dilute the paste because of the high content of citric acid) When the orange peels are added to the upper layer of your skin it will meet 16% of your daily dietary supplements for calcium. Which is also great for bone strength. Over time, the orange peel paste will reduce any blemishes and dark spot and provide your skin with a natural glow. Topical application of oranges peels on your skin removes dirt and dead skin cells keeping your skin moist and toned. It also defends your skin against harmful UV rays. The Vitamin C and calcium antioxidants maintains the oils in your skin reversing dry skin helping your skin look and feel healthy.

Not only are oranges good for your skin but they, also, boost your hair health. Oranges stimulates hair growth, treats dandruff, and is the perfect conditioner for your hair and scalp. In addition to vitamin C, the orange contains vitamin B and insonitol, which helps avoids hair loss and stimulates hair growth. When applied to the scalp or used as a cleanser or rinse, the orange, naturally can rid your scalp of dandruff leaving your hair clean and shiny. Now you can add the orange to your list of natural products usable for great skin health.

Orange You Glad

It's your Face...be Gentle.

The face is the first body part seen. We do so much to our face without noticing the effects of what we do. Always consult your dermatologist if your skin problems are serious. There are 4 different skin types of the face, normal, oily, dry, and combination. Most people with normal skin believe they have combination, but this is a misconception. Normal skin will be dry on the cheeks and oily in the "T zone" and nose. Also, normal skin changes with the seasons. For example, it will be dry in the winter and oily in the summer. Someone that has combination skin will have extreme skin differences on the face, like acne or oil in one area of the face while the other areas are generally dry. Treatment for normal skin is washing with a cleanser designed for the area type you have and applying a  moisturizer. Use moisturizer more frequently on the dry areas of the skin. Treatment for combination skin will vary by the degree of condition on your skin. Always consult your dermatologist regarding serious skin conditions.  

Early Morning after washing with water & lip butter.

When you have dry skin, your skin lacks elasticity and maybe sensitive to the elements. The plus side is you will have fewer break outs :o) Taking care of dry skin is a little bit easier. You want to avoid alcohol on your skin. It will only take away what little moisture your skin has making your skin flaky. Wash your face once a day with a creamy cleanser and warm water. Than pat your skin dry. Try using +Bloomfield Bath's Floral Water Skin Toner. It's alcohol free! The two main ingredients in our toner is floral water and witch hazel. If you wondering if these ingredients are natural, I will tell you yes and they are both made from flowers. Witch Hazel is made from the bark and leaves of  "a shrub with fragrant yellow flowers..." and the floral water is produce after plants are steamed in the process of making essential oils. Floral Water have similar properties of essential oils but are less concentrated. 

 Our toner comes with 30 pads, one side soft the other side for exfoliation. Don't scrub to hard. :o)

Someone with oily skin are more prone to break outs. The pores on their skin are slightly enlarge and the texture of the skin is coarse. Oily skin has a lot of shine after cleansing. Even though the skin is oily, it still needs to be moisturized daily. When doing so, you would want to use a lotion that has little oil in it. You would want to use a gentle non-foaming cleanser to clean your face. Bloomfield Bath has a face cleanser that does not have any harsh chemicals. The main ingredients in our Premium Face Cleanser is purified water and aloe vera. 

A person with sensitive skin can have any of the four previous stated skin types in addition to the sensitive skin. According to Dermatologist Leslie Baumann, MD, there are four different types of sensitive skin all causing inflammation of some type, acne, rosecea, burning/stinging, and contact dermatitis (allergies/irritants). You will want to understand the type of sensitive skin you have when buying anything labeled, "for sensitive skin". Anyone with Sensitive Skin should be very selective about the product use on their face. When using Bloomfield Bath's facial products,or any product made by us, remember we do not use "...artificial coloring, fragrances, parabens, urea, paba, phthalates, paraffin, propylene glycol, mineral oil, petrolatum, animal ingredients or sulfates." And an added bonus, we do not test on animals. When it comes to your face you want to take it easy and not use to much at one time. 

 The Beautiful Face Set comes with our face cleanser, toner & facial cream.

Bloomfield Bath has additional natural facial care products to gently clean, exfoliate and moisturize your face:

• Vitamin A Serum - use once a week, helps reduce wrinkles, use at night. 
• Vitamin C Serum - use 1-3 times a week (depends on skin sensitivity), helps reduce the unstable molecules that cause aging, use at night
• Butter My Lips - Lip Butter - once daily, helps moisturize & soften dry lips, main ingredient is shea butter 
• Facial Mask - use weekly, helps draws out impurities & exfoliate the skin, keep refrigerated, use at night. 
• the facial mask is made of Kaolin Clay, brown sugar & fruit exact acids.
• it is suggested, when using the facial mask use the face cream to moisturize and nothing else but water.  

Routine Skin Care