Not Just Skin Deep: Alex's Picks

This is the second post in our series Not Just Skin Deep - the products our staff use every day in their body care routines. Alex is one of the buyers in our body care department and has a background in cosmetology. She's scouted some wonderful new items for the skin care section, including A Wild Soap, and is always on the look out for amazing natural make up products!

alexblog.jpg

1. Heritage Store Organic Castor Oil

This organic castor oil has been a great addition to my oil cleansing routine. I like to mix it with organic sweet almond oil and a touch of rosemary essential oil to create a facial cleansing solution in place of a traditional face wash. Castor oil is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and is a bit astringent, which is helpful for removing impurities from the skin.  Heritage Store’s castor oil comes in a nice big glass bottle, cold-pressed, pesticide and paraben free, the company also tests the oil to be free of solvents and chemicals. My skin is still adjusting to this cleansing method but so far I love it!

2. Bamboobino Baby Washcloths

Ok, so these are supposed to be for babies, but why not get some for yourself? I like to use these after oil cleansing my face, run it under hot water to gently steam the skin and wipe of excess oil. These washcloths are seriously soft! Added bonus, bamboo fiber is hypoallergenic and has antibacterial properties. The company Bamboonino uses organically grown bamboo and cotton and is working towards become a carbon neutral company.

3. Evan Healy Light Moisture Replenishing Fluid

I really enjoy this product, I use it as my moisturizer before I apply my make up. The name pretty much sums it up! Super light, has a more liquid texture than your average moisturizer. Featuring tamanu oil, pomegranate seed oil and organic, sustainably sourced argan oil, it leaves my skin feeling balanced. Despite the fact that there is so many beneficial oils in the product, it is still super light. Evan Healy sources the argan oil from a protected and self governed women’s cooperative in Southern Morocco.

4. Hurraw! Moon Balm

Love this lip balm. First off, it smells amazing, almost like a vanilla cookie! It is intended as an overnight lip balm, as it contains soothing chamomile and a blend of therapeutic oils including meadowfoam seed oil and rosehip seed oil. However, I wear mine during the day - it’s certainly creamy, but I don't find it to be too heavy. And I can’t get enough of the scent! Hurraw!’s balms are vegan, raw, organic, fair trade and they also use sustainable argan oil from the Berber Cooperative in Southern Morocco.

5. A Wild Soap - Sea Scrub Bar with Sea Clay and Kelp

We just brought this line of soaps into the store. They come from a family owned company in Austin, Texas that uses organic and sustainable palm oil, wildcrafted herbs and unique essential oil blends. The Sea Scrub bar is my favorite. It has a super light and refreshing scent (palmarosa, cassia, vetiver are just some of the unique essential oils used!) that is blended with pumice, sea salt, sea clay and kelp. Refreshing, lots of lather and mineral rich!

6. Dr. Hauschka Liquid Eyeliner in Black

If you enjoy makeup and are forever trying to achieve that perfect cat eye, then this liner is for you! The brush on this eyeliner is crazy delicate and thin to help with precision. The eyeliner liquid is infused with eyebright and neem oil to help sooth and rose wax to help maintain color throughout the day. I definitely am still working on the perfect cat eye, but getting closer!

7. Mineral Fusion Sheer Moisture Lip Tint in Adorn

Another product new to our store, I love that this helps round out our cosmetic selection providing a quality yet cost effective (and cruelty free) lip color option or all ages. My favorite color is a rich plum called “adorn”, the darkest of the fun hues mineral fusion offers. It goes on pretty light - the color intensifies as you apply more to your lips. The consistency is super smooth, almost like a gloss, which is great. I keep it in my back pocket and reapply as needed!  


 

Not Just Skin Deep: Our Natural Body Care Rituals

The truth is, when it comes to body care, the products you use every day go more than skin deep. At Cambridge Naturals our mission is to provide you with the best choices in truly natural, healthy and effective body care products that you can feel good about putting onto your body's largest organ: your skin. Whether it's five or 15, each of us on staff has body care products that we just can't live without. They make up our daily body care routines, helping us start and end each day feeling clean, refreshed, beautiful.

In this new blog series, our staff will tell the story of the products they use every day in their own body and beauty care rituals. Zack, our Assistant Manager and champion of our improved Men's Section, is the first one to step up to the plate! Read on for all of Zack's favorites...

(1) Black Willow Bark Shaving Soap by A Wild Soap and (2) Vegan Shaving Brush by Omega

I love shaving, but it took me years of razor burn as well as trying different products and techniques to get to this point. If only I had known about natural shaving soaps! Now I look forward to shaving instead of dreading it. This is an incredible shaving soap infused with Black Willow Bark extract to sooth irritation and Activated Charcoal for exfoliation. Shaving soap is an often misunderstood body care product; it will work on its own but works amazingly better if you use shaving oil and a shaving brush. I like the Omega brand Vegan Shaving Brush and the Badger Shaving Oil. The key is to take your time and turn shaving from a chore to a joy.

Using a wet shaving brush, rub the shaving soap until a dense lather develops and then gently brush the lather into your oiled skin. And only shave in one direction before rinsing off and re-lathering!

(3) Clay Dry Deodorant - White Pine by Adama Minerals

How many deodorants does one have to try before they find the right one?! I have searched high-and-low for a deodorant that works through my entire workday that doesn't irritate my skin and doesn't smell like I'm wearing cologne. This is one of my new favorites, it goes on smooth without friction, smells 'clean', and gives me a good 6-8 hours of full effect. It also comes in three other scents. Two or three swipes and I’m good to go for the day.

(4) Scalp: Follicle Treatment and Volumizer for Thinning Hair by John Masters

Like a lot of people I rotate shampoos and conditioners every so often.  And despite my best efforts, my hair is thinning fast. Some shampoos and conditioners can help by volumizing it or giving me a better balance of cleanliness and moisture, but this spray from John Masters is the best solution I have found. It is light in texture like water, is full of scalp stimulating herbs and essential oils, and leaves your hair and scalp feeling fabulous. Mist on after toweling off and gently massage into the scalp and hair.  It’s no “miracle hair loss cure!” but it has helped improve my scalp and I like the way it leaves my hair looking, clean but not frizzy.

(5) Neem & Turmeric Face Wash by Himalaya

Oily skin can be a struggle, especially when you’ve got blemish prone skin too. This face wash from Himalaya is a great pick for anyone with oily, blemish prone skin who doesn’t want their skin drying out immediately after washing. Not only does it leave your skin feeling super-clean, it smells like fresh marjoram! I like to begin my day with this wash and end it with something more astringent.

(6) Lemon Thyme Hydrosol and (7) Sea Algae Serum by EvanHealy 

What can I say about EvanHealy… their products are simply the best. Their Sea Algae Serum is a slick, lighter serum that is packed with natural antioxidants and beneficial oils and leaves the skin feeling smooth and looking radiant. And I love using their Lemon-Thyme Hydrosol for its oil-balancing and anti-microbial properties. It is honestly my favorite smell in the entire world.  After washing your face morning or night, spray liberally with hydrosol and finish with one or two pumps of this serum. Heaven.

Hawthorn: Herb of the Heart

Crataegus laevigata and related species
Rosaceae Family

By Steph Zabel
Herbal Education and Consultations
Somerville, Cambridge & Boston, MA

Hawthorn tea is one of my favorite and most comforting beverages – it is mellow and gentle, and seems especially fitting for the transitional time of early fall. If you are lucky enough to live near one of these beautiful trees, be sure to keep an eye out for the red-hued berries that resemble tiny apples. Currently these berries, or “haws”, are ripening and will soon be ready for harvest.

Book Review: Missing Microbes

By Martin J. Blaser, MD

Reviewed by Rosalind Michahelles

The author of MISSING MICROBES, Martin Blaser, is near the top of the tree in the U.S. medical establishment.  He is someone to listen to.  Not only is he the head of the Human Microbiome Program – the study of our body’s bacteria – but he has also been the head of the NYU Medical School and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.  He is not by any means the first to warn against the overuse of antibiotics, which has led inexorably to both antibiotic resistance – they don’t work as well – and possibly to other problems, like obesity, esophageal cancer, asthma, juvenile diabetes, and celiac disease. 

Photos from our anniversary celebration

We celebrated our 40th anniversary the weekend of May 16th-18th, and it was a fabulous time! Many of our wonderful vendors came out to sample their products, and local practitioners gave free chair massages. You can read more details about the celebration in our press release.

Scott on our staff took some great photos of the event:


Press Release: Celebrating 40 Years of Locally-Owned Success!

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Cambridge Naturals announces its 40th Anniversary Celebration to take place on the weekend of May 16th-18th.

The celebratory month will kick off in May with daily tastings by local artisanal food producers, 15-minute chair massages by local massage therapists and the customer gift packs with product samples. “We want to commemorate this momentous occasion with our entire community that has supported us for so many decades,” said Elizabeth Stagl, co-owner. “Our staff, our customers and our vendors can all take part in ‘ringing the bell’ with us.”

Book Review: Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease

Book Review: Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease

Book By Dr. Robert Lustig
Reviewed by Rosalind Michahelles

In FAT CHANCE Dr. Lustig analyzes sugar (meaning, carbohydrates generally, glucose and fructose) scientifically, psychologically, and sociologically. He explains the subject from different perspectives:

• How we digest, use, and store the sugars in our diet
• Why sugars are addictive and hard to forego
• And what our society does to encourage their consumption

Health Article: Grape seed Extract (GBE) Emerges as Anti-Cancer Powerhouse Thanks to Pro-Active Supplement Users

Article By Ethan Evers

(NaturalNews) The therapeutic potential of grape seed extract as anti-oxidant, anti-hypertensive and anti-inflammatory is so well established that this natural supplement is now being used in seven on-going clinical trials, only one of which is on cancer (of the breast). But the spotlight may soon shift to grape seed extract’s anti-cancer potential as recent landmark studies on human patients have just uncovered its remarkable protective effects against three major cancers: squamous cell carcinoma, prostate and hematologic malignancies.

Book Review: Vitamin K-2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life

By Kate Rheaume-Bleue (Collins, 2012)

Reviewed by Rosalind Michahelles

The paradox in the title refers to the fact that – according to the author’s research — dietary calcium, unaccompanied by vitamin K-2 may well end up in soft tissue like blood vessels rather than in bones and teeth. In other words, it may harden your arteries rather than strengthen your bones and your teeth. Apparently vitamin K-2 plays a crucial stimulating role where two proteins are concerned: one is osteocalcin, which pulls calcium into bones; the other is matrix gla protein (MGP) which pulls calcium out of soft tissue. Vitamin K-2 thus provides a twofold benefit.

Making the case for wetshaving vs. conventional shaving!

his post was written by Zach, customer service specialist and resident shaving expert! He’s been actively working to improve our Men’s section, bringing in the best natural and effective bodycare products out there!

In my previous post on shaving naturally I mentioned ‘wetshaving’ as a method of shaving that has been gaining a following in recent years amongst those looking for a better grooming experience, to lessen their impact on the environment, and to save money in the process. What follows is a brief explanation of some of the tools and methods involved.