Archive for May, 2010

Make your own Calendula Cream

May 18, 2010

Calendula ointment or cream can be used for many skin ailments.  If you can grow calendula officianis (Marigold) in your backyard, you can easily make your own calendula extract.

Use it for:
Insect bites
Very dry skin
Cuts and scrapes
Psoriasis
Eczema
and many other skin problems.

Here is what you need:
Calendula Officinalis: This is a type of marigold. Your gardening store can help you get the right one.

Four cups of Oil: Olive oil or grapeseed oil
One quarter to one half cup of Beeswax for thickness
A few drops of lavender oil as a preservative.

Now put it together:

1. Crush the Calendula in a blender.
2. Use a cloth or colander to extract the juice.
3. Mix the liquid into the oil.
4. Add lavender
5. Heat – very low so that the mixture does not boil to warm the ingredients so that the wax melts, stirring
occasionally.
6. Once melted, pour into smaller containers and let cool.
7. You are done. Keep cool – refrigerator is OK up to a year.

Cetyl Alcohol in Thentix: What is cetyl alcohol?

May 7, 2010

These days many people read the ingredients of what they put on their skin as well as what they put in their bodies. One of the ingredients of Thentix Lotion that I get comments on is cetyl alcohol.  What is cetyl alcohol?  People normally see the word alcohol and immediately assume that it dries out the skin. Cetyl alcohol does just the opposite as you can see from the definitions and reference links below. It will actually absorb moisture into your skin.

This from: http://beautyblitz.com/glossary/list.aspx?fld=160
“A fatty alcohol that acts as a gentle humectant (promotes the retention of moisture in the skin), lather booster, and emulsifier. In hair products, it is used to smooth and soften the hair cuticle.”
(Beauty Blitz has many other definitions regarding skin care and health.)

And this from: www.woodlandherbs.co.uk/acatalog/glossary.html
“Derived from coconut and palm oils. This is not a drying alcohol. Used as an emollient and to protect skin from moisture loss.”

So, before you jump to conclusions about words and their meanings make sure that you get the full definition and meaning.

The manufacturers of Thentix Lotion are very conscientious and really strive to create products that are actually good for you.