Posts from — May 2008

Let your face have its oatmeal for breakfast. Yup, you read it right. The face. Oatmeal. For breakfast.

Haven’t you noticed how many skin care brands are boasting boldly that their products contain oatmeal? Why is that? Simple. Oatmeal is a wonder grain. It does wonders for your skin and its properties have been known for ages. It’s a fantastic natural cleanser, scrubber, exfoliant, toner, soother, nourisher… you name it.

So, how exactly do we treat our skin with this divine delicacy?

First, buy some nice organic plain rolled oats. Of course I say organic cause this is an organic skin care site. But if by some strange chance you are still not into organics (oh, come on now!) but ended up on this site, just use regular oats. But please, no instants! And no flavored anything! Ok, now that we’ve sorted that out – buy organic plain rolled oats. Either whole or crashed. If you bought the biggish looking ones, grind them a bit in the coffee grinder or equivalent (I use Magic Bullet). Not so small that they turn into flour. You want little particles for the scrubbing. So just a few spins should do the trick.

Transfer the mix into a sealable container. Take the container into the bathroom where you do your morning face routine. Put it there. Wait till morning.

In the morning, as you are about to wash your lovely face, open the magic container. Splash some water on your face to give it a wet start. Take a fistful of oats (pour into your hand – don’t get all the other oats wet! Or dry your hands first…) and run a bit of water into it, so that it soaks and turns into a mush. (You can also soak it up in some other container. But I use my fist, cause I always forget to bring containers upstairs, and I’m too lazy to go looking for them in the morning.) Then gently massage the mixture into your skin, using small circular motions. Be tender. Don’t squeeze or rub. Avoid the eye area. Work a little more diligently on trouble areas (around the nose, forehead). You can leave it on for a little while (five minutes or so) or wash it right away. (I wash it off with lukewarm water, and then rinse my face with cool water.) After that apply your moisturizer.

This will gently exfoliate, clean, soothe and nourish your skin all at once. It will also brighten dark spots, lighten out freckles and marks, and tone down inflammations.

I have been diligently using this method for a few days now, trying to combat the dandruffy/pimply/look-at-me-I-am-so-red-I-want-a-job-as-a-stop-sign forehead atrocity. And guess what? This morning my husband commented that my skin looks so even, what am I up to? (He has noticed the oatmeal jar in the bathroom, but must’ve thought that it was there for my secret midnight snack…) In fact, at this rate of improvement, my face will soon be competing with my imaginary porcelain doll collection.

This method is good for all skin types. And all budgets. And all skill sets. And all ages.

So treat your skin to a healthy oatmeal breakfast. It will thank you.

I have to admit, at first when I dived into the world of organic skin care and makeup, the term “biodynamic” left me completely buffled. It was highlighted on a few sites I checked, but to the best of my knowledge it was another term from the modern scientific mumbo-jumbo marketing world created just to attract my attention.

How wrong I was. The more I researched it, the more amazed I was by how little exposure this concept has had in main-stream North America.

And guessing that there are probably readers on this site who are not all too familiar with the term as well, I am creating this biodynamic post, just so I can link to it every time that it comes up in the future.

So buckle up, and let’s dive in.

Biodynamic – what is it?

The term biodynamic refers to a type of farming/agriculture. Sometimes it is simply shorthanded as BD. The method dates back to 1924 and is one of the original approaches to organized organic farming worldwide. It was founded by Rudolf Steiner, a philosopher, who established the spiritual movement of anthroposophy. (Rudolf Steiner is such a multifaceted figure, that it is impossible to summarize him in a few sentences. Thus I must respectfully send you to Wiki, if you would like to learn more about him and his teachings.)

Originating from a spiritual view of the universe, biodynamic farming regards the farm as a living organism.

The best way to envision this living organism approach is to think of a wild forest. The forest is a system with a high degree of self-sufficiency. It doesn’t need external input to sustain itself. It’s fertilized through recycling of organic material within its own system. The intrinsic biological and genetic diversity of the forest inhabitants prevents pest species from moving in. And the water is cycled through the system efficiently.

In the same way, biodynamic farming practitioners view a farm as a closed system. Sustainability and self sufficiency is the key. Thus most seeds and fertilizers are self produced. Working by hand is essential (for the living connection between human and earth) and sowing and harvesting are matched to the rhythms of nature. Harmony with the world and other organisms, regeneration instead of degeneration, and sustainability as opposed to depletion are the values that guide biodynamic farming.

Needless to say (but I’ll mention it anyways) that biodynamic farming does not use artificial fertilizers or pesticides. Instead the fertilizing preparation are made from farm-sourced materials.

Today biodynamics is practiced in more than 50 countries worldwide.

There is also a biodynamic certifying organization, Demeter International, who also hold the trademark to the word biodynamic. Demeter certification is the oldest traditional organic certification in Europe and is regarded as the highest grade of organic farming in the world.

These are its typical logos (though there are some other variations within specific country markets):

Sample of cosmetics brands that use biodynamic ingredients:

Dr Hauschka

Jurlique