Top 5 Natural Ways We Manage Stress

We are officially busy this week at Essential Care.  With our up-coming, super-special surprise taking loads of time, weddings,  the kids half-term, business trips abroad and a multitude of other tasks that all need our attention right this second, it will come as no surprise that tension levels in the office is on the increase. 

 

lavender is good for stress

Rose Water, Rose Hydrolat, Rose Absolute – What Makes The Best Skin Care?

Our suppliers in the Stara Planina rose valley of Bulgaria have just finished harvesting roses for our beautiful floral water which will be making its way into your Rose Moisturisers and Rose Petal Tonics very soon.

I thought it might be a good opportunity to tell you more about the benefits of our particular rose water and in a second blog I’ll talk about how rose can help the skin.

Allergic to Aloe Vera in Skincare? Maybe Not! Find Out Here!

Occasionally we come across people with an allergy to aloe vera, but  very often it’s not what you might think. But there is aloe vera and there’s aloe vera. As I explain here, it’s important to use good aloe vera to get the most from natural skin care.

When will all organic beauty products finally be organic?

Those not accustomed to my ranting about the lack of regulation in organic skin care products might be a bit confused about the title of this blog. So as a quick explanation, here’s the issue… you can go into a shop and buy a shampoo made by a company called Acme Organics and it could have never seen an organically grown plant and could contain a host of synthetic chemicals you might have wanted to avoid…

What causes eczema and what’s best to treat eczema?

Eczema is tricky because it has so many causes. Scientists at the University of Oregon State recently found that eczema may be due to a malfunctioning protein which is a genetically inherited condition. But as yet no cure or permanent solution for eczema has been found and we are still in a situation where minimising and managing it is the best we can do.

The Best Organic Cleaning Products

Every April organic producers large and small gather in London to showcase its wares to potential and current trade buyers. …Lucky me also got the opportunity to discover and sample the wonderful emerging products in the organic world. I thought you might like to hear about my pick of the best of the bunch, so over the next couple of days I’ll bring you a couple of blog posts about what’s new and great in organic – from chocolate to fabric softener!

How was Gentle Herb Shampoo born?

Our Gentle Herb Shampoo is in the news this week having been shortlisted for a Free From Award. So I thought it a good moment to let you know a bit of history about this (amazing) and much loved natural hair product.

Uses for Coconut Oil!

In the last blog of our Fairtrade Fortnight ingredient series, we take a look about one of our favourite ingredients, organic virgin coconut oil…

Shea Moisture Through Raw Shea Butter

Not all shea butter is made equal. And not all shea butter growers and producers are treated in the same way. Read about the benefits of shea butter in skin care and why buying fair trade shea butter can make a big difference.

Organic Mascara: Top Tips on Volumising and Lengthening

Recently we re-launched our industry leading Organic Mascara to ensure a really long lasting effect. As well as some nice feedback (thank you!), its launch has also generated lots of interesting questions about mascara use and mascara ingredients; in particular about volumising and lengthening.

The Benefits of Citrus

When the snow is falling and the sky is grey, I definitely find I need some injections of colour and brightness to cheer me up, which is why I love Citrus fruit – and colours – so much. Indeed – Colour Psychologists, Beauty Therapists and Nutritionists alike highly rate the cheering scents, invigorating colour and uplifting properties of Citrus fruits.

How to make BB Cream or Tinted Moisturiser

So excited to have launched Margaret’s latest wonderful creation – the fab new mineral concealer! The reviews of our tester panel speak for themselves, so I won’t wax lyrical here about how great it is. But what I didn’t know is that concealer is about so much more than covering up spots and dark circles (much needed after my late night sporting viewing of the past 2 weeks!). We’ve posted a tutorial, written by Margaret and our makeup artist guru Kirsty as to its other uses.

Summer Skincare for Sensitive Skin

Continuing Margaret’s articles on summer skincare for sensitive skin (see Margaret’s previous blog on sunburn), this post covers Heat Rash and Prickly Heat, as well as PMLE and sensitive skin problems like eczema that are often worsened by summer heat.

Are Organic Cosmetics Effective at Anti-ageing?

A criticism or perhaps doubt sometimes levelled at organic beauty products is that they can’t compete with the ‘big brands’ on anti-ageing performance, even if they are healthier. So can natural ingredients really perform like the latest wonder ingredient from a hi-tech laboratory?  Well we really believe organic skincare can be more effective! Here’s why…