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Speedy green curry crunch.
Ingredients:
1. 500 g snake beans. If you can't find snake beans, use long green beans or french beans.
2. Carrots
3. Good quality green curry paste. Read label carefully to be sure. Look out for MSG or flavour enhancers and avoid those!
4. Fried shallots (optional)
Method:
1. Chop carrot into small cubes.
2. Slice green beans into 2 cm lengths.
3. Saute 2 tbsp green curry paste until fragrant.
4. Add chopped vegetables and toss till just cooked through and still super crunchy.
5. Top with fried shallots (optional).
Serve with rice.
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If you love peanut butter, try this satay sauce inspired recipe. It's so easy, quick and delicious.
Ingredients:
1. Good quality crunchy peanut butter.
2. Good quality unsweetened chilli sauce.
3. 1 eggplant
4 1/4 cabbage
5 1 cup green beans cut to 2 cm lengths.
Method:
1. Heat up 2 tbsp olive oil
2. Add 1 heaped tbsp good quality crunchy peanut butter
3. 1/2 tsp chilli sauce of choice (depending on your heat threshold!)
4. Add eggplant. Mix well and cook until eggplant is very soft and thoroughly cooked through.
5. Add cabbage to the same pan with another spoon full of peanut butter and chilli sauce to taste.
6. Cook cabbage till just soft with a little bit of crunch.
7. Finally stir in the green beans to the mix, once again layering with the peanut butter and chilli sauce.
8. Mix everything well and season to taste.
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Rosehip oil or rose hip seed oil is extracted from the 'hips' (fruit) of the rose. The hips are the small berry like fruit that's left once the roses have bloomed and lost their petals.
It is entirely different in chemical compounds and aroma to rose flower oil. Rosehip oil is usually harvested from Rose Moschata, Rosa Rubignosa or Rosa Canina varietals. This is in contrast to rose flower oil which is widely derived from Rosa Damascena or Rosa Centifolia.
Rosehip oil contains transretinoic acid (up to 0.357ml/L), tannins, flavonoids, vitamin C and β- carotene . Transretinoic acid (tretinoin) is the pre cursor for a potent and effective form of Vitamin A. This natural retinoid ( Vitamin A ) stimulates the dermis where collagen, elastin and blood vessels reside thereby helping reducing dark spots and wrinkles. Vitamin A is
Bear in mind that Vitamin A breaks down and deteriorate when exposed to air and light so any formulation containing a high content Vitamin A is best used at night. If used in the day time, be vigilant about using a good sun block.
Rosehip oil is often touted as being rich in Vitamin C. However it is the hip or the fruit that is rich in Vitamin C, not the oil itself. Most of the Vitamin C is destroyed in the extraction process. Vitamin C is also water as opposed to lipid soluble. Certain rosehip oil formulations contain added Vitamin C from alternative sources.
The oil is primarily composed of essential saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. It contains Linoleic acid (41%-50%), linolenic acid (26%-37%), Oleic acid (10%-20%), palmitic acid (3%-5%), stearic acid (1%-3%).
These fatty acids; particularly linoleic acid are an important component of cell membranes and is the key reason behind the regenerating, wrinkle and scar reducing qualities of rosehip oil.
The high content of linoleic acid can cause it oxidise or go rancid quickly which explains why most formulations with rosehip oil also contain antioxidants like Vitamin E to extend the shelf life.
Linoleic acid is ideal for acne prone skin. Skin prone to acne out break outs have a higher percentage of oleic acid in the sebum. Rosehip oil has a higher ratio linoleic acid to oleic acid thus making it a lighter, non greasy, non comedogenic skin serum.
Orli's Silky Serum is made using organic pure rosehip oil. It is the perfect skin booster and works best underneath the Luxe Lotion or Plump Skin Lotion.
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Good quality custard never goes out of style. Here's one of my latest winter addictions. The custard in the recipe is so delicious and it firms up even without using cornflour.
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
37g castor sugar
250ml thickened cream
Store bought puff pastry
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 200º C.
2. Combine cream and sugar in a small sauce pan over moderate heat and stir until just dissolved.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Whisk egg yolks then whisk them into the cooled cream mixture. Set aside.
5. Grease a 12 cup capacity muffin tray.
6. Cut a sheet of puff pastry into half.
7. From the short end roll the sheet to form a firm roll of pastry.
8. Divide the pastry into 6 sections.
9. Using a rolling pin, gentle roll out each section into roughly a 10cm diameter circle.
10. Press each circle into the muffin pan.
8. Spoon the cooled down custard and fill 2/3rd of each pastry shell.
9. Bake for approx 20 minutes until it starts to brown and caramelise at the top.
10. Let sit for several minutes before removing each tart from the pan.
11. Best eaten warm.
12. Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge. Warm up cold tarts in the oven at 100º C before serving.
If you have leftover custard, make a few mini versions in a mini muffin pan. One- Bite, sized portions!
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This is a tasty tangy tomato based curry without coconut milk.
A perfect winter warmer.
Ingredients:
2kg chicken thigh fillets cut into 3 cm cubes and lightly salted
10 dried chillies soaked in how water
1 red onion
5 cloves garlive
40g ginger
2-3 star anise
4 cloves
2 inch cinnamon
3 cardamon
1 (450gm) canned tomato soup. Preferably organice
3 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut.
Method:
1.Roughly chop onion, garlic and ginger. Transfer to a food processor together with hydrated chillies. Process to a paste.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan or wok.
3. Add cloves, cinnamon, star anise and cardamon and saute until fragrant.
4. Add the processed paste. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat. Stir over low heat and keep adding a little extra oil if it gets too dry.
5. Simmer till fragrant or till oil separates from the mixture.
6. Add chicken pieces and coat thoroughly with the fragrant spice mix.
7. Add canned tomato soup and bring to a boil.
8. Once it bubbles lower the heat to a simmer with the lid off.
9. Keep stirring every now and again.
9. Cook until the oil once again separates from the mixture or until chicken is completely cooked through. This should take roughly 20minutes.
10. Once cooked, add lime juice and desiccated coconut and mix through.
11. Season to taste.
Serve with basmati rice cooked with a dash of tumeric.
What are you paying for when you buy perfume?
Very expensive packaging and very cheap toxins.
Perfume companies love to sell you the 'idea' of feeling sexy, more feminine, more confident and alive with a spritz of their intoxicating (literally) blends.
The reality is the components of that blend don't need to be disclosed under labelling laws and it could be made out of dozens of petroleum based synthetic chemicals that aren't doing your health much good.
The fragrance industry is home to more than 3,000 different chemicals of which we will never know which are used in a particular perfume.
These concoctions fall under the umbrella of "Fragrance, perfume, parfum, essential oil blend, aroma" in product labels.
NOTE: Parfum or Fragrance is also the generic name for the ingredient Naticide®, a vegetable-based fragrance which acts as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial preservative. It has a scent of vanilla and inhibits the growth of bacteria. It is approved for use in organic skin care in Australia. Naticide® is the trade name owned by its manufacturer, Sinerga of Italy, and therefore not acceptable for use on a product ingredient list under International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (‘INCI’) rules. INCI requirements are to list this ingredient as either "parfum" or "fragrance" on the ingredient listing.
Upon analysing the data from the Safer Cosmetics campaign, EWG concluded that “The average fragrance product tested contained 14 secret chemicals not listed on the label. Among them are chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions, and many substances that have not been assessed for safety in personal care products.” EWG adds that some of the undisclosed ingredients are chemicals “with troubling hazardous properties or with a propensity to accumulate in human tissues.” Examples include diethyl phthalate, a chemical found in 97 percent of Americans and linked to sperm damage in human epidemiological studies, and musk ketone, which concentrates in human fat tissue and breast milk.
It's almost impossible to avoid artificial fragrances in our society. Everything from cleaning products, soaps, make up, skincare, bug sprays, candles and diffuser reeds are culprits. It's near impossible NOT to be exposed to it. Almost 20% of the general population is sensitised to at least one allergen, and studies find that fragrance is one of the most frequently identified substances causing allergic reactions.
There are different degrees of reactions but synthetic fragrances can cause:
A study from the University of Melbourne discovered that 7.7 per cent of Australians said they had lost workdays or a job in the past year due to illness caused by fragranced products in the workplace, and 11.6 per cent of Australians are unable to use a public toilet if there is an air freshener.
95 percent of chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum and include benzene derivatives (carcinogenic), aldehydes, toulene and many other known toxic chemicals linked to cancer and hormone disruptors.
Here are the EWG findings of just two (of many) examples of synthetic fragrances"
Acetaldehyde: Acetaldehyde adversely affects kidneys and the reproductive, nervous and respiratory systems.This chemical is listed as known or suspected to cause cancer in California’s Proposition 65. Both the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Toxicology Program classify acetaldehyde as potentially carcinogenic to humans.
Benzophenone: Benzophenone is linked to endocrine disruption and organ system toxicity and experimental studies suggest benzophenone may lead to several kinds of tumours. Derivatives of benzophenone, such as benzophenone-1 (BP-1) and oxybenzone (BP-3), are potential endocrine disruptors.Benzophenone is listed as a possible human carcinogen under California’s Proposition 65.
The list goes on! For a more extensive list head to http://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/fragrance/
So the next time you feel a tinge of nausea as you're leaving a candle laden gift shop or even just being around someone wearing perfume; it's probably not coincidental. Your body is reacting to those petroleum based chemical substances disguised as perfume.
At Orli we only use organic essential oils to scent our products. These oils not only smell naturally beautiful but have therapeutic and mood improving properties.
The scent of essential oils don't linger as long as artificial fragrances as their molecules disperse quickly into the air or into your skin (which is a good thing as they are beneficial to your health). In contrast, artificial fragrances are designed not to break down easily and end up 'sticking' to your clothes, skin and the environment for a lot longer
As an alternative to perfume, try our Eau Well healthy perfume range. It does far more than smell good. With antibacterial and congestion clearing properties, it relieves a headache instead of causing one.
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These noodles are so satisfying especially on a cold winters day. The combination of sweet, salty, sour and spicy kimchi comes through in the broth and gives it a good 'kick'.
Ingredients:
1. Rice noodles.
2. Any vegetables you have in the fridge. I used cabbage.
3. Good quality preferably organic kim chi from your health shop
4. 1 green chilli. Finely chopped.
5. 1.5 cups vegetable / bone /chicken broth. I usually have a float of bone broth in the fridge.
Method:
1. Cook rice noodles to packet instructions. Rinse with cold water.
2. Gently bring broth to a boil.
3. Add cabbage or any vegetables that you are planning on using.
4. Gentle simmer till it's cooked.
5. Add a heaped tbsp of kim chi.
6. Taste and season broth with salt and pepper and a dash of soy sauce
7. Combine kim chi with the broth.
8. Place a handful of the cooked rice noodles in a bowl.
9. Pour the kim chi broth and vegetables over the cooked noodles.
10. Top with green chilli (optional) .
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Deliciously healthy soba noodle salad.
Ingredients:
1. 1 serve soba noodles.
2. Bean sprouts
3. Baby tomatoes. Cut in half.
4. Peanuts. Crushed or whole.
5. Rocket
6. Sesame oil 1/4 cup
7. Soy sauce 1/4 cup
8. Apple cider vinegar 1tsp
Method:
1. Cook soba noodles to packed instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Add everything together.
3. Combine sesame oil, soy sauce and apple cider vinegar for your dressing.
4. Pour and mix through.
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Sometimes you are simply in the mood for green....everything. This delicious guilt free zuchinni pasta dish will satisfy all your taste buds!
Ingredients:
1. 2 whole Zuchinis shredded
2. 1/2 cup frozen peas
3. 2 cloves garlic
4. 1 small green chilli
5. 1 tbsp olive oil
Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan.
2. Add garlic and green chilli. Saute till fragrant
3. Add shredded zuchinni
4. Add peas
5. Stir gently till cooked through or al dente
6. Season with salt and pepper
7. Serve with fresh rocket drizzled with olive oil and salt
8. Garnish with fried shallots
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Spruce up lentils with some delicious spices. This is a great vegan staple for your natural skincare regime. Perfect for nourishing your skin from the inside out. Remember...always soak your lentils for at least 8 hours before cooking. This will allow your body to absorb precious nutrients without putting a strain on your digestive system.
Ingredients:
1. 1 cup dried green or yellow lentils
2. A couple of sliced carrots
3. Curry leaves.
4. Tumeric 1 tsp
5. Garam masala 1tsp
6. Black mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
7. Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
8. 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
9. Fresh chilli or chilli powder
10. 1 medium onion. Diced.
11. 2cm ginger. Diced
Method:
1. Soak lentils overnight or for at least 8 hours. This will activate it and allow for easier digestion. Wash, rinse and drain.
2. Heat a tbsp of olive oil.
3. Add onions, curry leaves, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Fry till onions turn soft and both cumin and mustard seeds start to pop.
4. Add tumeric, garam masala and your desired amount of chilli powder or fresh chilli. Saute till fragrant.
5. Add the drained lentils and coat thoroughly with the spice paste over low heat.
6. Add fresh tomatoes and combine.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Add carrots.
9. Pour just enough water to cover the mixture.
10. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cover. Keep adding water and stir every now and again.
11. Cook till the lentils and carrots are softened. It'll take about 15 minutes over simmering heat. Keep adding just enough water every now and again, if necessary to soften the ingredients.
12. Season to taste.
]]>The fragrance and flavour of peppermint oil is instantly recognisable and widely loved. It's used in everything from lollies, toothpastes, balms and rubs. Peppermint though isn't just a popular flavour. It also boasts antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, analgesic and antiedema properties.
Peppermint leaves were used by the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks to soothe their stomachs. The plants was also used by Europeans in the 18th century for stomach ailments and menstrual disorders. The variety of peppermint with remedial effects is Mentha Piperita ; a cross between water mint and spearmint.
Here are some of peppermint's uses:
1. Muscle and Joint Pain Relief –Peppermint essential oil is a very effective natural painkiller and muscle relaxant. It is especially helpful in soothing an aching back, sore muscles, and melting away a tension headache. Apply diluted with a carrier oil on location.
2. Sinus and respiratory Care – Peppermint acts as an expectorant and may provide relief for colds, cough, sinusitis, asthma, and bronchitis. Peppermint essential oil has the ability to open your airways and act as a decongestant. Inhalation method (Use 1-2 drops and rub in palms of hands, cup over nose and mouth and inhale) or diffuse.
3. Natural Energizer – A whiff of peppermint essential oil is like a breath of fresh air. It clears your mind and helps perk you up when you're feeling fatigued.
4. Hair and Scalp care –Add 2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil to your regular morning shampoo and conditioner to stimulate the scalp, remove dandruff and eliminate lice.
5. Allergy Relief –Peppermint oil is works by relaxing muscles in the nasal passages and helps clear out the muck and pollen.Use inhalation method or diffuse.
6. Relief for itchiness –Use in combination with with lavender oil and a carrier oil for a soothing itch relief balm.
7. Fever –Mix peppermint oil with a carrier oil and apply on neck, chest and on the soles of feet to help stabilize a fever.
8. Natural Bug Repellant – Dilute in carrier oil and apply to skin to protect against mosquitoes. Spray diluted peppermint oil on surfaces or pop a few drops into your floor cleanser to repel cockroaches, ants and spiders.
9. Skin Health - It's anti inflammatory properties make it useful for alleviating eczema and psoriases especially when mixed with lavender. The anti-microbial properties make it an excellent remedy for acne. Use diluted with a carrier oil.
10. Headaches and migranes - Peppermint oil has the ability to improve circulation and relax tense muscles. All of these conditions can cause tension headaches or migraines making peppermint oil an excellent natural treatment. Apply diluted to forehead and temples.
11. Relieve Bloating and Indigestion -Peppermint oil has been established as a natural alternative to drugs like Buscopan to reduce spasms of the colon. It works by relaxing the muscles of your intestines, which can also reduce bloating and gas. Drink as a tea or apply diluted around the navel.
12. Reduce Nausea – Drinking good quality peppermint tea or rubbing 1-2 drops behind your ears and using the inhalation method can help to reduce nausea.
13. Immunity - Peppermint oil has powerful antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal effects, which is why it is used in so many alternative treatments. It is composed of camphor, menthol, and carvacrol, which are resistant to certain dangerous bacterial strains like E. coli, salmonella, and staph infections. The full range of resistance to bacteria is not quite known yet, but studies continue all the time.
14. Circulation - Studies have shown that as soon as the essential oil vapor touches the end of the olfactory nerve endings, there is an almost instant increase in pulse rate and blood circulation; helping to oxygenate the body's organic and increase metabolism.
15. Surpress food cravings - Peppermint has always been used in after dinner teas and chocolates as it not only helps with digestion but also affects the brain's satiety centre; helping you feel more content after a meal.
Peppermint oil's main components are menthol and menthone. Other constituents found in the oil are menthyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, limonene, beta-pinene, and beta-caryophyllene.
Avoid peppermint when pregnant or breastfeeding. Use only pure top quality peppermint essential oil and avoid synthetic diluted versions. At Orli we use certified organic peppermint oil in Eau Well fragrances, The All Spritz and the Orli Shampoo.
xo
Jo
]]>These active ingredients are the components that keep your skin from burning in the sun for a period of time. The problem with these active ingredients is that when exposed to sun, they break down and create free-radicals on the skin. Free radicals can cause cancer. So, even if you're not being visibly burned, your skin can get damaged invisibly from these chemicals. How does this happen? Instead of being a sunblock that reflects the sun's rays, these particles absorb the sun's energy. The energy has to be released from the particle somehow, so it breaks down and creates free-radicals
Active ingredient toxicity:
The following active ingredients in chemical sunscreens have been found in mother's milk (indicating it penetrates the skin and into the bloodstream) and are known hormone disruptors:
1) Oxybenzone also produces excess reactive oxygen species that can interfere with cellular signaling, cause cell mutations and lead to cell death.
2) Octinoxate (Octylmethoxycinnamate) also produces damaging reactive oxygen species upon exposure to sunlight.
3) Homosalate
4) PABA (Octyl Dimethy PABA, PABA Ester) has a long list of concerns. In the manufacturing process, it can be contaminated with nitrosamines, a group of dangerous carcinogenic chemicals. It too produces free radicals on the skin, and lab tests have shown it to cause cellular mutations. PABA has long been an ingredient to be avoided.
The following two active ingredients, whilst are not proven hormone disruptors penetrate the skin and have been found in mother's milk
1) Octisilate
2) Octocrylene. Octocrylene is restricted in Japan because it creates free radicals on the skin when exposed to sunlight and is a penetration enhancer. One study says that "when octocrylene penetrates into the skin, the level of reactive oxygen species increases above that produced naturally under UV illumination." Another free-radical-forming chemical.
Avobenzone and Mexoryl SX are two active ingredients with very limited skin penetration and no evidence of hormone disruption.
However, avobenzone alone may break down when exposed to sunlight and must be stabilized with other chemicals such as octocrylene.
Laboratory studies of several sunscreen chemicals indicate that they may mimic hormones and disrupt the hormone system (Krause 2012, Schlumpf 2001, 2004, 2008). Some research on animals suggests that oxybenzone and other sunscreen chemicals can be toxic to reproductive systems or interfere with normal development. Another sunscreen chemical, 4-methylbenzidyl camphor, used in Europe and under petition for use in the U.S. is a hormone disruptor.
Two European studies have detected sunscreen chemicals in mothers’ milk, indicating that the developing fetus and newborns may be exposed to these substances (Schlumpf 2008, Schlumpf 2010). A 2010 study by Margaret Schlumpf of the University of Zurich found at least one sunscreen chemical in 85 percent of milk samples.
The most problematic of the sunscreen chemicals used in the U.S. is oxybenzone, found in nearly every chemical sunscreen. EWG recommends that consumers avoid this chemical because it can penetrate the skin, cause allergic skin reactions and may disrupt hormones (Calafat 2008, Rodriguez 2006, Krause 2012). Preliminary investigations of human populations suggest a link between higher concentrations of oxybenzone and its metabolites in the body and increased risk of endometriosis and lower birthweight in daughters (Kunisue 2012, Wolff 2008).
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected oxybenzone in more than 96 percent of the American population, based on a representative sampling of more than 2,500 children and adults (Calafat 2008). Researchers found higher concentrations of oxybenzone in samples collected from participants during the summer months and concluded that sunscreen use may explain this seasonal difference.
FDA must also take a close look at the so-called “inactive ingredients” in sunscreens. These typically make up half to nearly all of a sunscreen product.
One ingredient in particular is a cause for concern: methylisothiazolinone, or MI, a preservative. This year, EWG has found MI listed on the labels of 91 sunscreens, 13 marketed for children and 54 SPF-rated daily moisturizers. MI is used alone or in mixtures with a related chemical preservative called methylchloroisothiazolinone, or MCI.
in 2013 Laboratory studies indicate that MI is a skin sensitizer or allergen. Over the past several years, physicians have reported serious cases of serious skin allergy, most notably in children exposed to MI from baby wipes and other products meant to be left on the skin (Chang 2014). In a study published last year, researchers surveyed the ingredients in 152 children’s body care products labeled “hypoallergenic” and found MI in 30 of them (Schlichte 2014). One of these was a Neutrogena sunscreen marketed under the name “Pure & Free Baby” sunscreen.
In January 2015, researchers from 15 clinics in the U.S. and Canada reported an increase in MI allergy in patients. The researchers concluded that they had documented “the beginning of the epidemic of sensitivity to methyliosthiazolinones in North America.” (Warshaw 2015).
Mineral sunscreens are made with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as active ingredients. They form a film on top of the skin that reflects or scatters UV light. Not as popular because it can create a white and pasty sheath on your skin but it offers the safest and best protection around.
It is important that non nano zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are used as nano particles can penetrate the skin.
I mix some my zinc suncreen with mineral foundation to effectively reduce the 'white' effect.
The best protection is of course to reduce exposure to the sun especially between 11am and 4pm. Cover up with a hat and protective clothing. Even if using mineral sunscreen, be sure to apply it frequently. Every hour if possible. We are not designed to have prolonged exposure to the sun. The natural reaction of our skin is to burn in the sun after a certain amount of time. This is our in-built protection from from UV rays. It's our bodies way of saying to us "Hi..you're burning and those free radicals are multiplying. Get out of the sun!!"
Triethanolamine is a common ingredient in conventional beauty products. I've noticed it on the ingredient listing on a wide range of personal and skincare items....from soaps & shampoos to mascaras and hair conditioners.
It's used as a emulsifier, surfactant, masking and fragance ingredient.
Like all ethanolamines including diethanolamine (DEA) and monoethanolamine (MEA), triethanolamine is formed by a reaction of ethylene oxide and ammonia. Ehtylene oxide is a known carcinogen and ammonia is a known toxin.
Amines such as TEA can degrade and break down to carcinogenic nitrosamines in the presense of N-nitrosating agents like sodium nitrate, bronopol and brondiox. The FDA recommends keeping TEA and nitrosating agents apart and prohibits formulations using a concentration of greater than 5% of TEA in formulations.
TEA is often a blend of 85% TEA and 15% DEA. DEA, its close relative has been linked to certain cancers in laboratory tests on animals.
Some common abbreviations of ethanolamines in skincare and beauty product ingredient listings are:
TEA is can cause skin irritation if not washed off properly and respiratory responses in airborne products like hairspray.
TEA can result in irritation if not washed off properly. Imagine the long term effects of using a product with ethanolamines.
I would always err on the side of caution and steer away from it. After all, anything that is a by- product of reaction of two known toxins (ethylene oxide and ammonia) can't possibly be good!
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This unbelievably colourful veggie dish is packed with anthocyanins and carotenoids, two powerful plant antioxidants. As we know our skin can't get enough of antioxidants from the inside out and the outside in.
I've cooked the spinach with a mellow sauce. The creaminess of the spinach is offset by the fiery spiciness of the sweet potato.
Ingredients:
Method:
Preservatives are very potent. A small dose...as low as 0.6% has the ability to protect an entire formulation from mould or bacteria. This potency cuts both ways. A small percentage of a harmful preservative, used a few times a day over many years the potential to impact your cells and your health.
Preservatives are ubiquitous in skincare and food in our society. This makes it important to be aware of any potential health risks in order to make more informed decisions.
There is a huge range of preservatives. Instead of going for the more economical options, which are potentially linked to toxicity and allergies, we use Naticide, a broad spectrum anti microbial preservative. It is vegetable-based and approved for use in organic formulations.
The INCI requirements however, confusingly requires it to be called Parfum (Fragrance) on the label. Whilst it has a mild vanilla aroma, it is an entirely different substance to perfume or artificial fragrance. It is non-toxic and non -hazardous.
Below is a brief summary of some common preservatives used in skincare...both conventional and 'natural' skincare so please read your labels.
1. Parabens
These include Germaben, Methylparben, Propylparaben and Butylparben
Widely used because they are cheap. Controversial due to studies linking it to estrogenic activity and how it can be easily absorbed into the body.
2. Formaldehyde releasers
These include Germall Plus, DMDM Hydantoin, Imadozolidinyl Urea, Diazolidinyl Urea. You can often find the latter two in chemical sunscreen formulations. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, allergen and skin irritant.
3. Phenoxyethanol
Synthetic preservative commonly found in natural skincare products. Optiphen, Optiphen Plus, Phenoxyethanol.
These can't be used in organic formulations or those claiming to be petrochemical free. There have been studies proving it can be an allergen, skin irritant and neurotoxic.
4. Benzoic acid, Sodium Benzoate,
It can interact with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to form the carcinogen Benzene. Make sure the formula doesn't contain these two compounds together.
5. Potassium Sorbate
This preservative is allowed in organic formulations even though it is synthetic (nature identical) instead of naturally derived.
Studies have linked Potassium Sorbate to the alteration and deterioration of the DNA of white blood cells, in vitro.
5. Grapefruit seed extract
Citricidal, grapefruit seed extract
Widely used in natural skincare products because it can be extracted from chemical-free and even organically grown grapefruit. However there is controversy surrounding the end products because of the additives used during the manufacture of this extract and the residual contamination.
During the extraction process, grapefruit pulp and seed are treated with hydrochloric acid and ammonium chloride. After numerous chemical reactions, the final composition contains around 60% diphenol hydroxybenze (also clasisified as a quaternary ammonium chloride and benzethonium chloride). This chemical contains carcinogenic Benzene rings in its molecular structure.
According to studies, a truly natural extract of grapefruit seed and pulp in ethanol or glycerin, has ineffective antibacterial properties.
Given what we've researched on the many different options of preservatives, we have, and always will select the best quality, safest, least controversial and effective ingredient possible. This usually comes at a higher cost of raw materials but it is our promise to use and deliver non-toxic natural skincare, right down to the preservative used.
So if you see the word Parfum (fragrance) on our labels, please don't assume it is synthetic fragrance because we would never use that ever! It's simply the INCI name for the plant based preservative, Naticide.
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Ingredients:
1. 2 eggs, lightly beaten with a dash of milk
2. roasted or boiled beetroot cut into cubes
3. black beans, drained and rinsed. Season
4. Ricotta with a pinch of salt, stirred through
5. 1 tsp butter
6. Fresh rocket (handful)
Method:
1. Heat a tsp of butter in a non-stick pan.
2. Pour the beaten eggs and milk mixture into a non-stick pan.
2. Lift the pan off the heat and make circular motions to get the egg mixture to spread out evenly. You can use a spatula to do this.
3. Once it has just set, slide out onto a plate.
4. Fill one half of the omelette base with the roasted beetroot, fresh rocket and black beans.
5. Top with the salted ricotta.
6. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste.
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There is a huge market of essential oils out there and you will notice they vary greatly in pricing. It is paramount to use unadulterated essential oils; distilled correctly (at lowest temperatures) from organically grown plants. Use of herbicides creates an inferior plant and on a more risky front produce toxic compounds in the distillation process. The active properties or chemotypes found in pure essential oils are significantly higher than normal essential oils.
Some oils may have been exposed to high heat and pressure in the distillation process and this compromises their chemical structure. It requires a large volume of plant material to produce a small quantity of essential oil . Its takes 5000 pounds of rose petals to make 1kilo of rose oil so it is not uncommon for certain oils to be 'adulterated, filled, engineered or 'extended' with colourless odourless solvents such as diethylpthalate or dipropolene glycol.
There are as many sceptics about essential oils as there are believers. Whilst essential oils are certainly not a cure-all miracle, it is hard to dispute laboratory studies which indeed prove that the constituents within these super complex oils do have bacterial and viral fighting properties. The plant kingdom has stood the test of time; without doctors or medical intervention. Drug companies are constantly researching plants to find cures.There must be something in that.
We only use organic essential oils in all our formulations because we want to be sure it's 100% pure.
Vitamin E is a valuable part of natural skin health because it's such a powerful antioxidant. The antioxidants in Vitamin E help prevent the skin cells from free radical damage. It's potency as an antioxidant is not only beneficial for skin but also as an ingredient that prevents the skincare formula from oxidisation (going rancid).
As with all my recipes, please experiment, adjust quantities to suit your tastes and have fun with it!