As I Am Naturals: Natural Consistencies

     It seems like an ever increasing number of people are moving towards a more natural and “green” way of living.  As we do this, we find that there is a need to educate ourselves as we try to make decisions that are best for us.  Questions come up about what is healthy for our bodies, for our families and for the environment.  We’ve learned to recycle, reuse and even compost.  Paper or plastic isn’t really an option much anymore.  We’ve also come to realize that convenience and bargains aren’t necessarily better for our health or the environment. Change isn’t easy and it takes time to adjust to our new ways. 

     The differences between natural and mainstream skin care can be the same way.  It is comparable to the differences between whole grain, unprocessed foods and processed ones.  Typically with natural skin care, consistencies, textures and fragrances are the most noticeably different.  For us at As I Am Naturals, we choose to make balms, body oils, face serums and use essential oils.  The reason for this is simply to keep our products as clean and pure as possible.  In order to make skin cream, water is added, but where there is water a preservative is needed too.  Often times it is the preservatives that can be unhealthy in skin care products.  Our balms, oils and serums are made with oils that have long shelf lives and without water.  Therefore, we don’t need to use preservatives.  The result is a very pure product. We understand that the “feel” of a product is important too.  Because As I Am products are of such good quality, a little goes a long way.  You don’t need to use a lot to moisturize and you can control the amount you want to use.  We have experimented with many different oils and have come up with what we feel is a truly superior and safe product that feels luxurious too.

      Another good thing As I Am does, is use therapeutic grade essential oils to scent our products.  Essential oils are beneficial on many levels.  Besides smelling so good, they affect us on the spiritual, emotional and physical levels.  Lavender enhances relaxation and sleep, while Lemongrass relaxes us, but also fills us with good cheer.  There have been studies that report Peppermint aids concentration and can even improve test scores.  Rose is said to open our hearts to love and healing.  Sandalwood and Patchouli are both romantic and spiritual scents.  Since they are all natural, distilled from flower, leaf and stem, essential oils are softer and gentler.  There is an intimacy to them.  They seem to work with our energies and enhance our well being. 

     Synthetic fragrances on the other hand, are strong, long lasting and consistent.  Their shelf life is infinite.  You can design any scent you want and they are cheaper.  Sound good?  Not really, as one synthetic fragrance can consist of up to 200 chemical ingredients.  They can contain things like phthalates and derivatives of petroleum.  They have been associated with headaches, asthma, sinus inflammation, nausea, allergies and the list goes on.   It becomes apparent that what is cheaper, more convenient and in ways easier to use, isn’t necessarily always good or wise.  

    As we go down this road together toward a healthier more compassionate planet, we now know that we can change and we can adjust too.  And regardless of the way things have been, we can learn and make new and better choices that will have a positive affect on us and the planet.

As I Am Naturals: The Energy of Things...

     My neighbor asked me the other day how my Reiki practice relates to my natural skin care line. We were already discussing the health and safety of mainstream skin care products and this question segued into a whole other exciting area.  I responded with a short sentence that is borrowed from the ideas of quantum physics and Einstein “everything in the universe is made up of energy."  It is...you, me, the thoughts we think, the words we say, our food, a smile, a feeling, a gesture, kindness, love, everything. All these things vibrate at their own frequency too.  Some things vibrate at a higher frequency and others at a lower frequency.   Higher and lower vibrations feel differently from each other and affect us differently too.  Higher vibrations are lighter, where lower vibrations will feel denser and heavy.

     Many ancient cultures believed that each person has a life force energy.  It can be called by different names like Prana or Chi.  Reiki is a form of energy healing that is guided from a universal wisdom through the practitioner to the recipient and helps keep the energy of the recipient in balance. When we are in balance our energy is strong and we feel better.  Things with higher vibrations support this balance and strengthen our own energy. We can support our energy and health in many ways.  One way, I believe, is to use natural things in our daily routines.  As our skin is our largest organ, it is important to remember the quality of what we use and absorb through the skin.  Using pure, clean products is a way of keeping our bodies free of the lower frequencies that come with synthetics, chemicals and preservatives. 

    

When You Least Expect It......

    Finding an arrowhead this summer was - exciting.  The thing is, I had been looking for one for about, hmmm, 30 years!!  So, it was kind of monumental.  Let’s just call it on the scale of “life time dream come true.“

    I always get a little chuckle when I think about how ordinary that morning was and how clueless I was to what I would find.  As I made my way through the woods, the dew was still heavy on the long grass. The air, already warm, was making promises of another hot day.
I noticed that spring was over and the deepening green of summer had begun. The trails were still a little soft and even somewhat disheveled in places from the rains the week before.  I had walked this path hundreds of times, but the rain stirred things up.  And on an uphill path towards the top where the ground had given way, I noticed something unusual nestled into the ground, half peering out.  And there it was, so simple, as if waiting to be found.   

     Historical objects, especially those made by hand, always give me the chills. And in the days afterward, I could not help but think of the arrowhead and the indigenous man who made it so many years ago, his skilled hand turning stones into tools. Who was he? What was his life like? What were his dreams?  I can only IMAGINE, and now as it lay in my hands, the thread of time weaving two stories together.  

     I had looked in fields and in forests.  I walked creek beds and asked the locals. I had all but given up on finding one.  Staying open to possibility can be difficult in the face of challenges and disappointment.  It can certainly seem better to reside in the black or white of what we think we know.  Sometimes this is prudent.  But do we really know?  What happens when a life long dream comes true on an ordinary day when you least expect it?  What happens when we open our hearts to the possibility that things can change, that things can be different, that good will come?  What happens when we no longer let disappointment dictate our future, what we hope for and want?  It’s a risk- I know and not always easy.  But it softens us and it softens our hearts as we learn to trust in our dreams again and leave the questions to the universe as they unfold one moment at a time. 

As I Am Naturals: The Beauty of Being Who You Are

I am outdoors selling my products.  A woman comes to the table. 

I am not good with ages; she is maybe in her sixties.

She is petite; her hair is graying and swept loose in a bun. 

Her face is lined, bright and friendly. 

Her manner is elegant.  She is radiant. 

Her eyes are luminous.  They are curious. 

I think she is beautiful. 

She smiles often and inquires about my products.  

 I tell her how natural is so much better for you.  

She wonders about the face serums and we discuss what they do for you. 

How they soften, how they tone. 

She says she doesn’t care much about wrinkles,

She thinks there is more to beauty than lines on a face

But she likes to take care

of herself too.    

I agree and nod and say yes.  

I am smiling. 

She understands.    

The beauty secret of As I Am products is being who you are.  Nothing more is required.  It’s about accepting ourselves and each other the way we are with kindness and compassion.  It is an act of courage to be who we are.  We don’t fit into boxes and we don’t fit into molds either.  We are complex. We are vulnerable.  We have good days and bad.  We do not have to change or be different to be loved or accepted.  When we see past the illusions that the world would have us believe and step into our own being, we let our true beauty and that of the world shine through.  This is all we ever have to do.  But be prepared, because it’s a process that can take a little time and some grit.  But it’s worth it, as the rewards are great.  As it has the potential to transform the world around us and in the process we find a beauty that age only enhances and time could never take away.  In this way we not only honor ourselves, but light a path for others to be the beauty of who they are too.