Friday, December 17, 2010

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.