Why Natural skincare?

Your skin is one of the largest organs in your body and readily absorbs all & everything that touches it thru the elaborate pore system.

Simply put, if you would not eat it, do not put it on your skin. J

Different types of Soaps & their Origins.

Gaia Essential soap is created thru the careful blending of select vegetable oils (quality food grade) and an alkali (salty derivative of wood ash called Sodium Hydroxide), this yields sodium palmitate (soap) and glycerin upon saponification. Also called old fashioned “Cold Process” Soap making.Handmade soap differs from industrial soap in that an excess of oil is used to consume the alkali (superfatting), and the glycerin is not removed.

Superfatted soap is more skin-friendly than industrial soap.

Different types of oils create different types of lather for various soaps. For the most part all my recipes contain Olive (conditioning), Coconut (explosive lather), Palm (bar hardness) and an emollient oil for moisturizing (called superfatting).

This is the only true way of “Soap Making”.

Now there are quite a few processes’ that go further and create other types of bases for “Soap Crafting”. Manufacturers chemically extract the natural glycerin, add a few things and produce products they call “natural Glycerin Soap” or “Melt & Pour Bases”. These are either grated or slabs and crafters can re-melt, add fragrances & colorants pour in cute molds, add decorative swirls or even items, and call it hand made soaps. Most “Goat Milk” soaps are made this way as well. Although very artistic and eye-appealing, it is not true natural soap.

“Commercial soap” (referred to as “beauty bars”, deodorant bars”, “facial bars” or “antibacterial bars”) is in fact Detergent, not soap. Some antibacterial cleansers have chemicals killing bacteria that coexist on the skin's surface and are essential to skin health. More alarmingly, the rise of antibacterial cleanser contributes to antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Even worst for skincare are the popular “liquid” cleansers, as not only are they evasively stripping your skin of needed oils, they contain alchohol to keep formulas’ from solidifying which is too harsh an astringent for your skin.

***Take care of your skin the natural way. J

Pure Essential oils vs Fragrance oils

Fact, Pure Botanical Essential oils are “active”. Not only do they produce a natural Aroma but have medicinal values for your health as well. Aromatherapy is proven, and Botanicals used for homopathic remedies has been around as long as humanity.

Synthetic & chemically made “Fragrance oils” smell good, that’s all.

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy is the use of volatile liquid plant materials, known as Essential oils (EOs), to affect someone's mood or health. The word was coined in the 1920’s  by

French chemist René Maurice Gattefossé, who devoted his life to researching the healing properties of essential oils after a lucky accident in his perfume laboratory. (In the accident, he lit his arm on fire and thrust it into the nearest cold liquid, which happened to be a vat of lavender oil. Much to his amazement, the burn quickly healed without a scar.)

Gaia Essentials’ beneficial Aromatherapy blends are created using the same quality & care as my body oils and may be used as such or add to bath if preferred.

Partial list of most commonly used Essential oils & their benefits

Lavender: Renowned for its calming and balancing effects, it is also reputed to have excellent results with scarring and burns.

Bergamot/Citrus: Great aroma to balance the mind and regenerate. Citrus oils help to eliminate emotional confusion and increase ones sense of humor and well-being.

Rosemary: Refreshing, empowering, mind-clearing, it is very popular in hair care, skin care and to enhance memory.

Patchouli: Great skin care ingredient and cell rejuvenator. Helps to find peace of mind and is a great aphrodisiac.

Eucalyptus: Cooling, refreshing, energizing. Used in skin & hair care, to deodorize.

Wintergreen: From the Birch family, stimulating yet warming and wonderful in muscle ache massage therapy.

Cedar/Fir: Warming, uplifting, and toning. Comforting and reviving. Grounding and inspiring at the same time. Confidence building.

Sage: Strengthens the senses and the memory. Wonderful for hormonal balancing.

Lemongrass: Refreshing and rejuvenating. Stimulating and balancing. Its aroma inspires and brings fresh energy, clears the mind. Popular skin care ingredient for oily, mature and inflamed skin.

Frankincense/Myrrh: Great for visualizing, spiritual connection, centering. Balances extremes of emotion and restores inner tranquility. Clearing, purifying, warming, uplifting and revitalizing. Great meditation aid and skin care component.

Tea Tree: Medicinal, stimulating, purifying.

Peppermint/Mints: Refreshing, mental stimulant, energizing, used to enhance well-being of digestive and respiratory system. Good nerve tonic that helps with mental fatigue and nervous stress.

Ylang Ylang: Strongly relaxing, it aids it reduces stress and tension, helps to release frustration and anger, and eases depression. It is also a great aphrodisiac and sleeping aid.

Tangerine: Refreshing and rejuvenating. Its aroma inspires and brings fresh energy, clears the mind.. Very comforting/soothing and warming. Tangerine is an effective skin care ingredient.

Petitgrain: Hypnotic and sedative. Calms anxiety and panic attacks. Uplifting, and easing the mind, restoring ones energy.

Cassia/Cinnamon: Warming, tonic, aphrodisiac, restorative, uplifting.

Clove: Stimulating, revitalizing, warming, purifying, energizing, aphrodisiac, tonic.

Black Pepper: Warming and comforting. Aphrodisiac. A mental stimulant that is uplifting, strengthening and inspiring.

Rosewood: Pleasing, comforting, and warming. Aphrodisiac and very soothing to the mind. Balances the emotions. Valued in skincare for its moisturizing and skinhealing properties.

Note: Please follow any and all instructions pertaining to Pure Essential oil usage, especially if there are any medical conditions applicable.

Different ways to Moisturize and Condition skin

Gaia Essentials’ handmade “Moisturizing Skin sealants”, “Body Butters” and “Lotions” are created with high quality food grade & extra absorbent oils & butters for natural skincare without a greasy feel. Each oil/butter is carefully selected for the recipe.

With three basic ways to moisturize skin, personal preference comes in to play. Oils are the purest form and the longest lasting. Butters are thick creams and a combination of oils & water bonded together with an emulsifying wax. Lotions are oils & water combined as well, but thinner in consistency for quicker absorption.  You only need to feel the difference to understand to select what best suits your needs.

As with my soaps, the skin care products I create use only pure Botanical Essential oils for the Aroma & benefits. You will find no artificial fragrances added.

Partial list of Gaia Essentials’ most commonly used recipe ingredients and their benefits.

Olive oil: (soap making ingredient), it is high in oleic acid, good for skin cell regeneration & conditioning.

Coconut oil: (soap making ingredient), it is rich in lauric acid, and producing a wonderful explosive lather.

Palm oil: (soap making ingredient), is the largest natural source of tocotrienol, part of the Vitamin E family. Also creates a hard bar for longevity.

Soya oil: This oil replenishes the lipid barrier to help hold in the skins intrinsic moisture while softening dry, chaffed and damaged skin.

Grape Seed oil: A light weight oil that is high in Vitamins, Minerals & Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids. The oil is believed to preserve the natural moisture in aging skin. It has a reputation for being highly absorbent.

Hemp oil: Full of essential fatty acids thus high in antioxidant protection for your skin from moisture loss. It is high in vitamins A and E. Hempseed oil has been reported to reduce inflammation, eczema, & psoriasis.

Apricot oil: It is high in linoleic and oleic acids. It is readily absorbed into the skin and makes an excellent massage/carrier oil.

Hazelnut oil: This oil is gentle, non-greasy, and is recommended for very dry skin.

Macadamia oil: - This oil has excellent transdermal properties. A very luxurious oil, it is easily absorbed into the skin and acts as an effective emollient.

Shea oil: This oil is fractionated Shea Butter. It is a very lubricating oil and is a good addition to massage oils.

Almond oil: Excellent as a massage/carrier oil, this luxurious oil is renowned for its rich concentration of oleic and linoleic essential fatty acids which help to give it unequalled penetrating and restructuring properties.

Jojoba oil: This unique product is actually a liquid wax renowned for its absorption and moisturizing abilities.

Avocado oil: This is a wonderful massage/carrier oil because of its natural vitamins B1, B2 and A.

Wheat germ oil: It is high in Vitamin E making it especially good in massage/carrier oils.

Emu oil: This is an incredible lipid replenishing ingredient. Its unique penetrating properties make it an excellent carrier vehicle for other ingredients. Emu Oil has been used in Australia for thousands of years as a natural remedy for the treatment of skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, burns, sunburns, abrasions and dry skin. It is believed to have natural anti-inflammatory properties.

Aloe Vera butter: Enhances moisturization with the legendary properties of Aloe.

Shea Butter: Used in all my body butters, it is known to benefit dry skin.

Cocoa butter: Cocoa butter is one of the most stable fats and also contains natural antioxidants. It is reputed to provide a barrier that helps retain and restore the moisture in your skin.