Next time you shop at your grocery store why not pick up a a few extras of your favorite foods to make homemade vegan skin care products? Stock up on fresh strawberries(which makes an excellent whitener for teeth), organic brown sugar(an all-natural exfoliant), and extra virgin olive oil(the perfect moisturizer).  Even better, search up beauty recipes for vegan skin care products, and print out the beauty recipes that you would like to try. Then make a list of what you need and bring it along with your main grocery shopping list. What you add to the list is up to you, but here is a small sample list of natural foods that also make great beauty products.

If you love the scent of fresh citrus food then you will be pleased to know that both lemons and oranges offer plenty of benefits for your body, face, and hair! If you’re naturally blond but want a brighter shade of hair, squeeze lemon juice in your hair and blow-dry on low to enhance natural highlights. Additionally, lemon juice makes a good facial scrubs and peels. When it comes to oranges, you’ll want to save those peels! Vegan skin care products that contain orange peels will brighten, enhance, and protect your skin. Citrus fruits are key in natural beauty products.

Sea salt is another another food to add your list. What sets this salt apart from typical table salt is the mineral content, with the former containing more minerals including calcium and magnesium. Like sugar, sea salt is often used in natural scrubs, but can also be used as bath salts which you can use as a nourishing bath soak. Tea is just as healthy for you both inside and out. Some of the most common teas used for natural skin care beauty products include green tea and chamomile tea, both of which contain antioxidant properties that leave your skin looking and feeling refreshed.

Its time to spoil yourself with healthy food-based  vegan skin products.

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Most of us face the challenge of finding the right method of hair removal. Sure we can shave, but what if we want something that lasts longer? How about something that works as good as a depilatory without all the harsh chemicals? There are plenty of options, some of which have been around for a long time. Let’s take a closer look at three of the best methods of natural hair removal.

1- Sugar Hair Removal

The most natural product you can use to remove hair is similar to waxing, but there is no wax involved. Simply smooth on a sticky sugar mixture and pat a cotton cloth strip onto your skin’s surface so it sticks to the strip. Once its stays put for a while, then you can pull the strip off and remove hair along in the process. Like waxing, sugaring is a rather painful method, but it works and lasts long. Make sure you have at least 1/2 of hair growth, otherwise it won’t work as well.

2- Threading

Even though it sounds new, threading is actually a natural hair removal method used by the ancient people of India. This is actually no more different than plucking except you use a fine piece of a twisted cotton thread, then wrap/tie it around the hair and pluck the hair out. This method is best left to professionals in a salon, and only works for eyebrows and stray hairs. Threading is not recommended for those with sensitive skin.

3- Buffer Hair Removal

This natural hair removal method has so many benefits including low cost, minimal pain, plus it doubles as an exfoliation method. Unfortunately, you have to buff hairs away as often as you shave. You can use either buffing mitts or pumice stones to achieve this method. Buffing works great for those with dry skin, but is not recommended for those with sensitive skin.

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The main cause of face wrinkles is a loss in the elasticity of the collagen layer, which is a connective tissue supporting the outer skin layer or the epidermis. There are many expensive treatments offered in the market, which are full of chemicals, side effects, and costly, thus it is advisable to erase wrinkles through some lifestyle changes, home remedies, or natural, organic, vegan method, that would be more safe and natural.

Mentioned below are a few causes and ways to prevent face wrinkles-

• Sun exposure- It causes premature aging and may lead to brown spots on the face, wrinkles and even skin cancer. Avoid going out in the sun between 10:00am to 2:00pm, which is the worst time for your skin. To prevent this from happening, you should use a vegan sunscreen with an SPF of 15 and above.
• Smoking- It may lead in making you look elderly, giving you those unwanted face wrinkles, as the exposure to smoke contributes to its dryness, leading to wrinkles as the smoke exhausts Vitamin C in the body, which is responsible for a younger looking skin, thus it is advisable to give up or lessen your smoking habits.
• Diet- If your diet is poor, it can lead to early facial wrinkles, or overall aging, as the body fails to function properly if the correct nutrients required from the food you eat, are not absorbed properly. Switch to a vegan diet, rich in anti-oxidants like fruits and vegetables, which make possible a blemish free, moist and firm skin.
• Stress- It is a major cause of looking older than your age, as dull skin, dark circles under the eyes, wrinkles, are the direct result of too much of stress and tension. So, learn to relax and sleep well, to have a youthful looking face.
• Avoid- Too much of alcohol, exposure to cold, lack of exercise, illegal drugs to overcome the problem of face wrinkles.

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Taking good care of your hands and feet are just as important as taking care of the rest of your body, maybe even more so. The skin on your hands and feet should never be forgotten about, especially since they take the most “abuse” on a daily basis. You use your hands for a variety of daily tasks such as cooking or cleaning, and your feet suffer from walking and standing all day. The effects of daily activities wreck havoc on your skin and can cause dry, irritated skin or other skin issues. You cannot stop living your life, but you can take the necessary precautions to prevent problems and pamper your delicate skin. Here are some smart tips you can use.

1- Moisturize frequently.
Start with a vegan skin care lotion. Use this at least two times a day, but you may want to use it more depending on the dryness or season. And don’t forget to use a natural moisturizer for your feet on a daily basis. Here’s a smart tip for winter foot care: before going to bed, use an extra thick vegan skin care lotion specifically designed for feet, and then cover your feet with socks. Leave them on for at least 8 hours(or however long you sleep) for the moisturizer to seep into your skin and leave you with softer feet.

2- Pay attention to temperatures
Shower and wash hands in luke warm, not steaming hot water, because hot water tends to dry out your skin. Wear warm gloves on your hands during winter and good shoes that keep your feet warm. Mercurial temperatures can effect skin in a negative way to try to keep a little bit of heat or air conditioning on at all times, your skin will thank you.

3- Treat your feet
Use a pumice stone on a weekly basis to soften your feet and remove callouses. First soak your feet in a small tub of pure water for about 10 minutes, then using a pumice stone, gently buff away dead skin and corns. After that, dry your feet well with a towel and moisturize with a vegan skin care lotion made specifically for feet.

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Deodorant is something that most of us use everyday but don’t really think about. But many of the deodorants that are currently on the market contain harmful chemicals like aluminum or parabens. And while it would not be wise to completely skip deodorant, it would be wise to switch to a natural deodorant. One word of caution: it may take awhile to find a new natural deodorant that works as well as you want it, but when you find one that does, stick with it. Luckily, for us, it should be pretty easy to find one that works great as there are dozens of organic and natural deodorants on the market, some with natural fragrances and some without. Here are a few natural products you might want to try.

Lavanilla Healthy Deodorant
If you’re familiar with the fragrances from Lavanilla, then chances are you heard of the Lavanilla Healthy Deodorant, which replaces harsh chemicals and propylene glycol with essential oils and antioxidants. They also come in four vanilla-based fragrances including lavender vanilla, pure vanilla, vanilla grapefruit, and vanilla coconut. You can buy these deodorants from the Lavanilla Laboratories website.

Weleda Wild Rose Deodorant
This non-aerosol spray actually neutralizes body odors and replaces it with a freshly floral scent. If you’re looking for unscented natural deodorant, this is not for you. The Weleda Wild Rose Deodorant features organic rose leaf extract for naturally detoxifying and toning your skin.  You can purchase this product from the Weleda web page.

Lavender  Deodorant Stick by Alba Botanica
It may look a lot like a typical deodorant product on the market, but this deodorant is different as it contains about 55% certified organic ingredients including lavender hydrosol, calendula, and aloe. The Lavender Deodorant Stick also contains essential oils, myyrh, and grapefruit seed extract. This deodorant is available at eVitamins.com.

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Modern science and technology is forever changing the skin care industry. Every month, it seems that there are hundereds of new products introduced on the market. And many of  these  so-called professional skin care products feature various lab created chemicals and agents that are not thoroughly researched enough for safe use. Moreover, many of these products are tested on animals. This then leaves us to question if there is such a thing as natural or vegan professional skin care products.  Fortunately that answer is yes! It is possible to find professional skin care products made with natural, organic, or vegan ingredients. Now the next question is which brands to look for and where to find them.

One great company is foreue, an all natural vegan skin care company which uses no chemical preservatives.  That’s right none!  And, naturally, no animal testing. Their Le Mudd Masque and Replenish facial serum are magnificent.  Other products are just as accommodating in price and quality. Visit the foreue website to order product and learn more.

Another great company is called Sophyto, which specializes as organic skin care that also happens to be organic. They are also a licensed certified organic manufacturer and registered with PETA. Sophyto Organics makes all their products with about 95% organic ingredients to ensure that you’re getting a product that is safe to use. Try their Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser which is choice for all skin types. Visit the Sophyto website to order their products.

Another good natural professional skin care line is Astara. Known for their biogenic skin care line, Astara’s products use very minimal preservatives and zero animal byproducts. They also don’t test on animals. You will love their Aromatic Seaweed Body Wash which contains aloe vera, kelp, white tea and essential oils to cleanse and moisturize. You could also use the Aromatic Seaweed Body Wash as a bath soak. You can shop for all Astara products on their website.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Dr. Hauschka, a well known organic beauty brand from Germany that happens to be quite a hit with young Hollywood. Dr. Hauschka makes a wide range of terrific products which ranges from bath treats to skin care to cosmetics. One recommended product is the Dr. Hauschka Soothing Mask which was made to soothe irritated and red skin. This product includes shea butter, macadamia nut, and coconut. Visit Saffron Rouge to purchase this and other Dr. Hauschka products.

Created by a chemical reaction between water, oils, and lye, handmade natural soap is the oldest cleanser around. While the process of making soaps from raw material is called soap making, the scientific term of actually mixing all the ingredients is called sponification, which requires mixing the oils and fats with alkali to produce a potassium or sodium salt. There are many vegan facts regarding handmade natural soaps as mentioned below.

• All handmade natural soap bars contain lye, a vital ingredient for soap making. Ensure you wear gloves, goggles, and an apron when making soaps, as they may cause burns.
• Different oils are used to make different kind of soaps, each adding different qualities to the natural soap.
• One of the most important of vegan facts remains, that all natural and vegan soaps contain no animal by-products, no preservatives, no petrochemicals, no parabens, and no phthalates.
• Most soap are made from vegetable based oils like coconut, olive, palm, with a blend of healing herbs, which do not contain any harmful chemicals that are found in conventional soaps.
• Vegan handmade natural soaps and personal products like the ones at foreue.com make use of handpicked vegan ingredients like flowers, seeds, herbs, spices, nuts, vegetable base oil, essential oils, clay, and oatmeal. The soaps are made in the old-fashioned manner, making use of the cold pressed method, and taking 5 weeks to finish a single batch.
• Amongst other vegan facts, regarding soap making is that there are 3 methods of making soap- hot process, which involves mixing the ingredients while the mixture is hot; cold process, where the temperature is slightly raised just to ensure that the soap mixture is liquid; and the melt and pour method.
• The base oil or the carrier oil is essential in the natural soap making process.

After having learned so many vegan facts, you may become eager to make your own soaps because making vegan soaps can be a fun activity for anyone!

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Organic skincare products using vegan ingredients help make your skin look more radiant, smoother, and youthful. Mentioned below are the best organic skincare products, which are generally used.

• Organic Sweet Almond Oil- It is one of the most popular organic skincare products due to its beneficial and gentle nature. Sweet Almond Oil can easily be colored, tinted, or scented and has a light texture that moisturizes well. It forms a good base for creams, lotions, soaps, body butters, and scrubs.
• Baobab Oil- It provides intensive moisturizing for the hair, skin, and nails. Derived from the seeds of the African Baobab tree, it is rich in Vitamins A, D, E, F, and Essential Fatty Acids, generally used in lotions, creams, hot oil treatments, and salves.
• Pistachio Butter- It is soft, creamy, and made by hydrogenating pure Pistachio Oil along with Vegetable Oil, resulting in a spreadable, smooth butter, with a fine texture to be used in lotions, balms, salves, or even in soaps to add additional moisture. It can be included in body care products as it can penetrate the skin easily, thus an ideal vegan ingredient for massage lotion.
• Vegetable Squalene- It is one of the organic skincare products that keeps skin in good condition by keeping it hydrated, fighting wrinkles and other signs of aging, thus encouraging the growth of healthy cells. It is found in certain plant oils like rice bran, wheatgerm and olive oil, which has proven to be its richest source. Being colorless, and odorless, it blends with oil-based ingredients and is used in body lotions, facial creams, and hair conditioners.
• Rice Bran Oil- It is non-greasy, light, moisturizing, and an emollient that is rich in fatty acids, besides being a natural antioxidant. It is used in hair care and baby care formulas, making a great base ingredient for lotions, balms, and scrubs.

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Vegan almond soap contain natural vegan ingredients, it is less harsh on your skin, and leaves your skin healthier. Almond soap is mainly made of almond oil, which besides moisturizing the skin, produce nicely scented almond soap. Being a soothing soap, used for those with sensitive to normal skins, it is ideal to be used on sore skin, sunburns, or rashes.

Follow these simple tips to make almond soap.

• You can use finely ground almonds and a little amount of almond oil for making the vegan soap.
• It is better to use a glass or ceramic bowl, as plastic, aluminum, or metallic containers can taint your soap.
• You can add rosewater in the recipe if you wish to have it lightly scented.
• You can use sweet almond oil that is high in linoleic and oleic essential fatty acids, which is easily absorbed and safe to use on all skin types. It does not leave an oil residue, relieves muscle pain, nourishes, and revitalizes the skin, besides restoring moisture, relieving dryness, and itching.
• Wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt while making the soap, especially while handling lye, and ensure to measure the lye accurately. Being a dangerous chemical, lye should be kept out of reach of children and animals.
• Use a wooden or plastic long-handled spoon for making the soap, and work in a ventilated area so that you do not inhale the fumes around the mixture.
• You can use a combination of grated castile soap, organic sweet almond oil, purified water, and a few drops of essential oils.
• Do not use bitter almond oil as a substitute for sweet almond oil, as the bitter almond oil contains cyanide and is toxic.

Once the almond soap is made, keep it away from sunlight and allow the bars to cure in a cool dry place for 3-4 weeks before using them.

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Vegan Shea butter is known to nurture the skin with Vitamin A, E, and F, serving it to preserve the skin maintaining its clarity and health. While Vitamin A and E are helpful to prevent untimely wrinkles, facial lines, sun damaged hair, Vitamin F is a skin protector and rejuvenator, soothing dry, rough, chapped skin, and softens damaged and dry hair. Shea butter cream is a moisturizing vegan body-care product useful to help the skin retain moisture.

A basic shea butter cream normally includes a mixture of vegan whipped oils, with the oils from shea nuts being the main ingredient, besides stabilizers that are used to keep the cream from going rancid. You can choose from three butter creams at www.foreue.com

The main benefits of shea butter cream are as under-

• It is absorbed easily, without leaving a greasy residue. It penetrates the skin easily, allowing the skin to breathe and not clogging the pores.
• It lessens scarring and blemishes.
• It lessens acne and gives an even skin tone.
• It prevents stretch marks during pregnancy.
• It helps to restore elasticity to the skin.
• It softens the skin on the feet and heels.
• It takes care of small skin wounds.
• It prevents skin rash, diaper rash, eczema, minor burns, and sunburns.
• It prevents after tanning and skin peeling.
• It works as a guard against sun and wind protection, as it contains a high level of cinnamic acid that is a natural sunscreen.
• It cures the itching skin that arises due to dryness.
• It prevents dark spots, and skin discoloration.
• It reduces the irritation of psoriasis.

Shea butter cream is paraben free, contains antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and its butter-like texture readily melts into the skin. Some people use shea butter cream after a shower, when the skin is clean and the pores are open, and apply the cream to the hands and feet, slipping on gloves and socks, which softens and moisturizes the skin.

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