What is a Natural Moisturizer? Part Two

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Salves and Oils

Hey there! And welcome back to our in-depth conversation on natural moisturizers. Two weeks ago in a blog we covered lotions and body butters, and now we’ll talk about two lesser-known but extremely effective options: salves and oils.

With all the natural moisturizers that exist you might be wondering…what’s the difference between these moisturizing products? How do you know which is the best natural moisturizer for your body versus which acts as the best natural moisturizer hair treatment? What about natural options for acne-prone skin? And how about natural options for face, hands and scalp? Yikes, so many questions! Don’t worry, we’re about to find out!

Wait! Can Natural Soap Be a Moisturizer Too?

I know this blog is focused on our non-soap products, but you really can’t talk about moisturizing products without mentioning natural soap! While glycerin is typically removed in mass soap production, our natural soap is handmade in small batches and maintains a glycerin content. Glycerin is a naturally occurring chemical compound that attracts water, which means that your hair and skin will benefit if they are covered in a product containing glycerin. 

If you find that you have perpetually dry skin and always use commercial brand soap, you should try switching to natural soap. That little extra boost of moisture could be just what your skin needs.

Are Natural Products Better For Your Skin?

Before I jump into specifics in this blog, I want to say one very, very important thing. Just because something is natural…does not automatically mean it is SAFE for you or even benefits you (please do not rub your entire body with poison ivy) which is why you still need to be careful when choosing natural products. Every ingredient we put into our products is as safe for you as possible. We are constantly reevaluating our products, taking out ingredients that can be substituted with safer options or taking out ingredients based on new findings suggesting any negative effects. 

AVNS Products Containing CBD

With so many CBD producers on the market, how do you know who to trust? Our relaxation salve, tincture, balm, cooling cream and face lotion are produced for Apple Valley Natural Soap by a facility which rigorously evaluates every stage of the process. From soil to oil, the process is standardized and controlled to produce highly rated and effective products. 

What about THC? In order for a product to claim to be THC free, it needs to contain less than .3% THC. All 4 of our full-spectrum topicals (Relaxation salve, Extra Strength Balm, Pain Relief Cooling Cream and Rebalance Face Lotion) including our topical Hemp Facial Oil, contain no THC, not even traces.

For more info about CBD products, check out this blog!

Salves

A salve is often used to target specific areas of the body and to provide a medicinal benefit of some sort. 

Why Should You Use a Natural Salve?

I would probably compare choosing a natural salve over a commercial brand salve to choosing a natural bug repellent spray to a commercial brand. Both will work, but one contains ingredients that are lower risk to your safety. We have some specially formulated salves that range in potency to cover everything from bug bites to muscle aches and pains. 

Our Natural Salves

Organic Herbal Salve 

This Herbal Salve Works Best For: daily application for rashes, bug bites, sun burn, wounds, dry, cracked skin, bruises, diaper rash and more!

Chock full of soothing, certified organic herbs infused in a base of organic, extra virgin olive oil and unrefined beeswax, this salve is amazingly multi-purpose and economical. Here are some of the beneficial ingredients in this salve…

St. John’s wort: has historically been known to help speed up the healing process and prevent scarring. (Don’t worry, it isn’t an actual wart, it’s a flower).

Echinacea: has a long history of success with venomous stings and bites and is anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. 

Comfrey & Yarrow: have astringent properties and have been used to promote cell regeneration and healing. 

Plantain: is acclaimed for its ability to relieve bee stings, insect and spider bites and rashes.

Calendula: is impressive because of its ability to speed healing, improve the appearance of the skin, lower inflammation, and protect the skin against infections. 

Rosemary: has natural antiseptic properties, which makes it a superior disinfectant for our skin. It can also help protect skin cells from damage often caused by the sun and free radicals. 

Grapefruit seed extract: is an excellent anti-fungal agent.

Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil*, unrefined beeswax, St. John’s wort*, echinacea purpurea root*, echinacea purpurea leaf*, comfrey leaf & root*, calendula blossom*, yarrow flower*, plantain leaf*, rosemary leaf*, grapefruit seed extract and vitamin E oil (from Non-GMO sunflower oil).  *certified organic

Oils for Skin and Hair

Oils are making a big splash in the beauty industry, why? When applied to hair and skin, oils coat the surface they interact with and create a protective barrier that traps moisture and prevents things like dryness, breakage, and heat damage.

Why Should You Use Natural Oils

Yes, oils are popular right now, but not every oil on the market is the miracle you’ve been looking for. Unfortunately, many beauty companies are taking advantage of pure oil’s good reputation and are selling “beauty oils” made with low quality oil and a bunch of other additives. I recently received a facial oil sample that contained a bunch of dye used to give it a midnight blue coloring. Why would you ever want to put artificial dye on your face??? Natural oils will either be made of one pure oil or a blend of pure oils and few other ingredients. We have a few different oils that have been life-changing for our customers

Jojoba Oil

This Oil Works Best For: everyday use for every skin type.

Our pure, organic jojoba is the most natural way to moisturize both skin and hair. The benefits of jojoba are numerous and unparalleled. Jojoba is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, moisturizing and easily absorbed into the skin, leaving no oily residue, making it the perfect massage oil. It is used to maintain skin elasticity and leaves skin literally glowing. You can use jojoba to remove makeup, combat conditions like athlete’s foot, dandruff, eczema, skin bacteria and other skin infections. It improves hair quality and stimulates hair growth.

This has, and always will be, one of my favorite AVNS products, and I have used it for years. It is simply amazing, and try as I might, (when I’ve forgotten to pack mine, when traveling), there’s nothing else out there that compares–even at a significantly higher price point. I apply after every bath. A little goes a long way, and despite using it on a daily basis, one bottle lasts a long time. There is nothing that moisturizes my skin better. My daughters are constantly telling me how soft my skin is. The twist-to-open applicator makes it a breeze to apply, with no waste. Pamper yourself. You will not be disappointed!

-Satisfied Customer

Argan Oil

This Oil Works Best For: Dry skin, mature skin, and hair 

One of the world’s most rare and potent beauty serums, this unrefined (virgin), certified organic, Moroccan argan oil is rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids. As a non-greasy, fast absorbing oil, it offers better protection for skin and hair than any other oil on the planet. Argan oil is high in something called oleic acid and even though it’s still considered a “dry” oil, meaning it won’t leave an oily residue and will absorb quickly, it’s an oil which will keep the skin moisturized, help battle the loss of elasticity and reduce inflammation. Oleic acid adds a richness to oils, making argan oil an excellent deep moisturizer. It penetrates easily and deeply into the skin’s surface, replenishing lost moisture that naturally comes with age, it also helps the moisture from evaporating.

Argan oil’s benefits for skin are many, here are the highlights:

  • Enriched with antioxidants it protects skin from sun damage and helps with skin repair from sun exposure.
  • Moistures skin, packed with vitamin E and fatty acids it hydrates, nourishes and moisturizes effectively and replenishes skin cells.
  • Prevents and reduces stretch marks as it helps improve skin elasticity.
  • Heals infections with it’s anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. Speeding up the healing process of wounds, infections and burns is a wonderful benefit of this amazing oil.
  • Treats acne, heals blemishes and evens out skin tone.

Moroccan Argan oil has multiple uses for hair and body

  • Thermal heat protectant for hair: put 2-4 drops in the palm of your hand and massage into damp hair after showering. Your hair will feel silky soft after blow-drying. Check out our BLOG for more information about this and amazing results you can see!
  • Deep conditioner: wet hair with hot water, massage a small amount into the scalp and down the shaft of the hair, wrap with a towel, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Wash hair as usual. Alternatively, apply to dry hair before going to bed at night. Wrap in a towel and wash in the morning for soft, silky locks. Argan oil helps with dandruff and other dry scalp symptoms.
  • Makeup remover: put a couple of drops on a cotton ball and and gently remove eye makeup. Leaves the delicate skin around your eyes moisturized.
  • Facial moisturizer: apply a few drops to your delicate facial tissue and around your eyes and watch your skin soak it up and start glowing.
  • Beard oil: bearded people, you know what I’m sayin’. Or if you want something designed specifically for facial hair, check out our Men’s Nourishing Beard Oil.
  • Cuticle and nail repair serum: apply a drop to cuticles and nails at night and say good bye to cut, sore finger tips. Argan oil will strengthen and nourish your nails too.
  • Night hand oil. Two pumps rubbed into your hands before you go to bed leaves them soft and silky in the morning.
  • Expectant mothers: apply organic argan oil to your tummy to help prevent and reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Ingredients: pure, unadulterated, cold pressed, undeodorized, virgin, organic argania spinosa (argan oil).

I had a bottle of Argan oil that I used previously and It was ok, but I had nothing to compare it to. After using Apple Valley Argan oil I would guess the other is not pure. Anyway, I get 1-2 pumps and add a drop of lavender essential oil to it and dab it on my face especially under eyes. The oil has a thicker consistency but does not feel greasy. Also it melts into my skin quickly and leaves it looking so nice. Whatever is remaining on my fingers I gently swipe into my fine hair and is lays nice with no flyaways and it does not cause it to get greasy at all. I have also rubbed this on my knees and elbows and it is amazing for smoothing and moisturizing skin.

-Satisfied Customer

What is a natural Moisturizer? Part 1

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Going Natural

If you’re looking for a natural moisturizer, you might be surprised by just how many options you actually have. Natural lotions, natural body butters, natural oils, natural salves…what’s the difference between these moisturizing products? How do you know which is the best natural moisturizer for your body versus which acts as the best natural moisturizer hair treatment? And how about natural lotion for face, hands and scalp? Yikes, so many questions! Luckily, we happen to carry every type of natural moisturizer mentioned above. I had planned to cover all our natural moisturizers in one blog, but I soon realized how long that blog would be so I decided to beak it down into two parts. This week I’ll be looking at lotions, lotion bars, and body butters. Next week I’ll be revealing our top 5 best smelling shampoo bars according to customers (take the survey now to pick your favorites!) And the week after that I’ll return to natural moisturizers to discuss the awesome benefits of oils and salves!

Wait! Can Natural Soap Be a Moisturizer Too?

I know this blog is focused on our non-soap products, but you really can’t talk about moisturizing products without mentioning natural soap! While glycerin is typically removed in mass soap production, our natural soap is handmade in small batches and maintains a glycerin content. Glycerin is a naturally occurring chemical compound that attracts water, which means that your hair and skin will benefit if they are covered in a product containing glycerin. 

If you find that you have perpetually dry skin and always use commercial brand soap, you should try switching to natural soap. That little extra boost of moisture could be just what your skin needs.

Are Natural Products Better For Your Skin?

Before I jump into specifics in this blog, I want to say one very, very important thing. Just because something is natural…does not automatically mean it is SAFE for you or even benefits you (please do not rub your entire body with poison ivy) which is why you still need to be careful when choosing natural products. Every ingredient we put into our products is as safe for you as possible. We are constantly reevaluating our products, taking out ingredients that can be substituted with safer options or taking out ingredients based on new findings suggesting any negative effects. 

Lotions

The Merriam Webster definition of lotion, “a liquid preparation for cosmetic or external medicinal use” won’t help us learn much. The main aspect of lotion that you need to be aware of when deciding on moisturizing products is the fact that lotion usually has a higher water content than other moisturizing products. What is the benefit of a lotion compared to say, an oil? Well, lotions typically have a lighter feel on your skin and won’t feel as greasy. Lotion will also absorb more water into your skin because of its preexisting water content. 

Why Should You Use Natural Lotion?

As someone who has battled acne for years, I understand how truly trying “acne curing” lotions can be. They stink. They sting. And they dry out your skin.

Natural lotion is a great option for sensitive or acne prone skin. Natural lotion will still be effective in correcting skin problems, but won’t dry out the skin in the process and will maintain healthy and moisturized facial tissue.  

Our Natural Lotions

Naturally Clear Face Lotion

Skin Type: Normal to oily/acne-prone facial skin

Our Naturally Clear Face Lotion is a favorite of teenagers and young adult’s alike for keeping skin clear and moisturized without weighing it down.

What do we love about about this lotion? Naturally Clear contains ingredients known to help keep acne at bay while moisturizing & revitalizing skin.

Our Naturally Clear lotion is applied morning and evening after gently cleansing facial skin with any of the following soaps: Acne Battle Bar, Charcoal Detox, Honey Carrot Tangerine or Cucumber Lime. It can also be used in conjunction with our Calming Toner for additional benefits to assist with irritated or problematic skin.

Moisture Rich Face Lotion

Skin Type: Dry, mature or combination facial skin

Do you love only having one lotion to cover many facial needs? Then this is the lotion for you! Watch it nourish and revitalize skin around the eyes & mouth, see it naturally deliver rejuvenation for beautiful, radiant facial skin. 

Our Moisture Rich Face Cream/Lotion was first created in 2010 and was an instant favorite amongst family and friends. Since then it’s been tweaked, tested and improved upon to what it is today. 

What do we love about about this lotion? We’re glad you asked! As our best-selling natural face lotion, Moisture Rich is the ultimate superfood for your skin. Known to renew and protect a variety of skin types, especially dry, mature or combination skin, antioxidant rich Moisture Rich Face Cream leaves your skin soft and radiant while imparting a beautifully light fresh scent from the natural jasmine extract.

Our Moisture Rich Face Cream can be used by itself, or as a day time lotion in conjunction with other skin care products. Our Intensive Renewal Night Cream is used for dry or mature skin at night.  We love how both complement each other, delivering what skin needs at all times of the day.  

Different than a lotion because of its lack of water content, different than a body butter because of its solid form, a lotion bar is a little like the Superman of the moisturizing world. 

Lotion Bars

Different than a lotion because of its lack of water content, different than a body butter because of its solid form, a lotion bar is a little like the Superman of the moisturizing world. 

Why Should You Use a Natural Lotion Bar?

Lotion bars are the best option for someone who is always on the go. They can be applied right after getting out of the shower (yes. Right on wet skin) and they can be packed in a carry on or personal item without taking up room in the 3-1-1 bag (travelers know just how important this is). We have two lotion bars.

Lavender Lotion Bar

Skin Type: All

Our luxurious Lavender Lotion Bars combine nutritious organic oils and butters with the healing power of organic lavender essential oil for a powerhouse of moisturizing properties for your skin. With a lighter textured than our Creamy Butter Bar, this lotion is great for everyday use or problematic skin. With the inclusion of organic virgin jojoba, organic virgin coconut oil, unrefined organic cocoa butter, unrefined organic shea nut butter and powerful organic lavender essential oil, this lotion bar is a wonderful option for a wide range of skin types from the delicate, to the problematic.

Why lavender essential oil? Because of its many health benefits for the skin, most of which can be attributed to its antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. Lavender essential oil is widely used to treat various skin issues such as acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and other inflammatory conditions, it is also commonly used to speed up the healing process of wounds, cuts, burns, and sunburns because it improves the formation of scar tissues.

Ingredients: unrefined beeswax, organic coconut oil, unrefined organic cocoa butter, unrefined organic shea nut butter, organic virgin jojoba, organic virgin olive oil, organic lavender essential oil and vitamin E oil (from non-GMO sunflower oil). All of our organic ingredients are USDA Certified Organic.

Creamy Butter Lotion Bar

Skin Type: Dry skin

There is no skimping on the luxurious ingredients in our versions of a hard lotion bar. For this Creamy Butter Bar we use organic virgin jojoba, organic coconut oil, unrefined organic cocoa butter, unrefined organic shea nut butter and mango butter, making a concentrated, rich, all natural, moisture-drenched solution for extremely dry, problematic skin. Use it on your heels, knuckles, elbows, cuticles—or anywhere else you have patches of dry skin. We left this one unscented so that even the most sensitive skin will fall in love. However, you CAN smell the delicious, creamy, mild scent of the unrefined cocoa butter, yum!

Ingredients: unrefined beeswax, organic coconut oil, unrefined organic cocoa butter, mango butter, unrefined organic shea nut butter, organic virgin jojoba, organic virgin olive oil and vitamin E oil (from non-GMO sunflower oil). All of our organic ingredients are USDA Certified Organic.

Body Butter

Body Butter is thicker than lotion because of its higher butter/oil content. A body butter is meant to target problem areas of dry skin and its thick, creamy texture helps create a lavish bathing experience. 

Why Should You Use Natural Body Butters

Body butters are often marketed as luxury products and are created with intense scents to match their intense textures. The problem with adding this much fragrance is that it means you’re upping your body’s chemical intake. Many chemicals in cheap fragrances cause a lot of skin problems such as irritation and dryness. Some chemicals can even leak into your bloodstream and cause even deeper issues, which is why you hear about recalls on certain products. We have two types of natural body butters that are gentle and powerfully effective for skin.

Whipped Body Butter

Skin Type: Extremely Dry

Using only organic ingredients packed with intense nutrition for your skin, this unscented body butter is a soothing and effective way to moisturize all over! We’ve included ingredients such as Organic Unrefined Cocoa Butter which can actually penetrate further than the top layer of the skin, it moisturizes deep-down and really nourishes the skin. And organic Shea Butter which has a high content fatty acids which gives it the ability to deeply moisturize and retain the elasticity of the skin. This all natural, 100% organic, uber moisturizing body butter has no added scent, but a soft, oh so good, chocolatey scent is evident from the organic unrefined cocoa butter. An amazing treat!

Our body butters are natural, gentle and safe for every type of skin. Please note that just a little bit goes a long way, so use sparingly!

Ingredients: organic shea butter, organic unrefined cocoa butter, organic virgin coconut oil and organic jojoba oil.

Shea Butter Skin Therapy

Skin Type: Extremely Dry, Oily and Problem Areas (including scalp)

NEW to our collection of butters, experience Intense Nutrition for Skin with Shea Butter Skin Therapy, this butter is a super food for your skin! Organic, unrefined African shea butter is intensely moisturizing, it can not only help relieve dry itchy skin, but can help eliminate greasy scalp and hair issues, as well as balance oil production which makes it also great for oily complexions. We have chosen to use only USDA CERTIFIED Organic Raw Unrefined African Shea butter, this pure and natural organic shea butter is the only way to go in order to reap all the benefits. 

What makes Organic Shea Butter so good for the skin? It has a high content of fatty acids which gives it the ability to deeply moisturize and retain the elasticity of the skin, it is also a great ingredient for those with inflammatory skin conditions, like eczema and dermatitis. Unrefined Shea Butter is loaded with natural vitamins A, E, natural antioxidants and fatty acids for maximum natural moisturizing power, it is an amazing body healer. Try it to help treat skin conditions such as dry skin, eczema, rashes, stretch marks, and burns. It may also help lessen the irritation of psoriasis and eczema, help diminish wrinkles, clear blemishes, and heal wounds, scars & skin discolorations. 

Ingredients: USDA CERTIFIED Organic Raw Unrefined African Shea Butter with no added scent.

Hopefully this blog is leaving you with a better sense of what type of natural moisturizer is best for you and your skin. Come back in two weeks for part two when I cover oils and salves…two more amazing types of natural moisturizer!

Much Love,

Nora