Sunday, October 16, 2016

Olive Essentials Facial Oil #2 - Nature's Skin Food

Greetings My Fellow Health Seekers - Let's talk about your skin and its particular needs for today.  It's fall and the temperatures are beginning to drop, the air is becoming less moisture-laden (full of water that your skin needs and loves), and soon your skin - especially if you live in the northern tier of the U.S. - will start to lose youthifying hydration.  Moisture, or water, or humidity is what helps keep your skin looking alive, plump, dewy, and young.  Without it . . . your skin tissue gets thirsty, crepey, and looks dull and lackluster.  Nobody wants that . . . no matter what your age, right?

So, what to do, what to do?  Well, you could rely on a typical, cheaply-made (but not so cheaply priced) drug-store moisturizer that's primarily water, glycerin, and mineral oil - oh no you don't!  There's nothing nourishing in there at all . . .  just cheap crap (pardon me for my honesty) and the mineral oil will suck the life out of your skin and leach the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. The water will evaporate off your skin in no time flat!  OR, you could visit a high-end department store cosmetic counter and fork over loads of hard-earned $$ for a jar/bottle of "youthful promises" that also contains primarily water, glycerin, and mineral oil and maybe a handful of better grade ingredients, plus irritants like DEA; texturizers like polyethylene glycol; preservatives, artificial fragrance and/or color.

If you chose to visit Whole Foods, or a similar natural grocer, you might be able to find a relatively decent natural moisturizer or facial oil, but generally, they have some deleterious ingredients on the label or are actually rancid already.  Just sayin' . . . 

Well . . . you can stop looking!  Your SOLUTION is here.

If you read my blog from late July 2016 titled, "Olive Essentials Facial Oils - Food For Your Face", (you can still find it by going to my website www.stephanietourles.com and click on the "B" icon in the upper right hand area and scroll around until you do - or you can still find it on the front page of my website TODAY), you'll remember that I partnered with Karl Burgart, owner of Healthy Harvest www.healthyharvests.com (yes, there is an "s" at the end of 'harvests') to formulate our new Olive Essentials Facial Oils # 1 & #2.  Karl is a fine olive oil importer and imports this amazing organic, low-acid, unrefined, unfiltered, unheated, raw Tuscan olive oil, high in anti-oxidant polyphenols and live enzymes, from a 200 year old olive oil family farm in Italy. It comes from a single estate and is not blended with other olives from anywhere else.  Guaranteed absolutely pure!  It's not grocery store olive oil folks!

When I tried the smooth, velvety Tuscan olive oil for the first time on my skin last winter, I just knew that I had to formulate a couple of exquisite facial oils for Karl's company, Healthy Harvest www.healthyharvests.com.  They are designed to be used IN LIEU of your normal moisturizer, twice daily.  The facial oils actually seal in the important moisture remaining on your skin from your toner/astringent/hydrosol - after you've cleansed - and truly nourish your skin, leaving it feeling fabulous, toned, and lifted - like it did when you were a young adult.  

Remember, ladies/men (or if you're new to my blogs, listen up) . . . I'm a licensed holistic esthetician, herbalist, professional aromatherapist, and author of 12 books on natural skin and body care and I've been formulating pure skin care products for years and teaching folks how to do it themselves.  I'm not new at this . . . so, trust me when I brag about a product that I've made.  Healthy Harvest Olive Essentials Facial Oils #1 & #2 are all your skin needs . . . to preserve its life and infuse it with vital nutrients and remedial essential oils. I care about my skin and I care about yours.  That's the God-honest truth!!

Today, I'm going to tell you more about the first facial oil I developed using Karl's Tuscan olive oil . . . which happens to be formula #2 . . . lol.  Formula #1 came second.  Don't ask - ha ha ha.

Olive Essentials Facial Oil #2

Firstly, these are the simple ingredients . . . nothing more, nothing less . . . Organic Tuscan olive oil, and essential oils of wild-harvested Frankincense CO2, organic French Highland Lavender, and organic Australian Sandalwood. That's it . . . and that's all you need for glorious, healthy skin.

Secondly, here's a detailed description of each of the essential oils so you know exactly what they will do for your skin.  How many manufacturers give you this kind of information?  This is small-batch, artisinal skin care here . . . Karl and I want you to have the VERY BEST for your skin . . . and want to be transparent about our products!

Frankincense CO2 essential oil: Carbon dioxide extracted from ethically wild-harvested frankincense resin (this is a 'complete' frankincense essential oil, processed at low temperatures and high pressure - with a deeper aroma and higher percentages of rejuvenating benefits than steam distilled frankincense). Frankincense has an intensely rich, sweet, resinous, complex fragrance with properties that are antiseptic, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, gently stimulating, and strengthening to skin tissue. It invigorates and rejuvenates the complexion and helps repair skin damage and heal wounds - a perfect choice for mature skin that's normal to dry, dry, or very dry, chapped, environmentally damaged, or cracked. Many find that it grounds emotions, calms anxiety, and balances mood swings.

- French Highland Lavender essential oil: Organically grown in France and steam distilled from fresh lavender buds.  Lavender is considered a 'medicine chest in a bottle' and is the most versatile and widely used of all the essential oils, having calming, relaxing, soothing, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiseptic properties.  Its regenerative effect on the skin stimulates the growth of healthy new cells, promotes rapid healing, and helps prevent scarring.  Perfect for all skin types, especially red, couperose (dilated capillaries with diffuse redness), rosacea, and inflamed conditions.

- Sandalwood (Australian) essential oil:  Steam distilled from organic, sustainably-grown and harvested sandalwood trees.  It has a warm, woody, smooth, musky base scent with a light spicy note.  Australian sandalwood has similar properties to traditional Indian sandalwood (which has been over-harvested and is at risk/endangered).  It is a soothing antiseptic with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.  Rejuvenating and protective.  Helpful for dry, red, inflamed, and flaky skin conditions, and has a balancing action on oily skin, as well. Sandalwood is useful for easing tension and anxiety.

Glowing Testimonials


"I absolutely love the Olive Essentials Facial Oil #2 - best product I've ever tried.  I ordered 2 at the recent Mother Earth News Fair in Pennsylvania.  I've only been using it for a week and I can honestly say that I can already see a difference in my skin, especially around my eyes.  I enjoyed hearing you speak, Stephanie, and plan on telling others about this great product!  I'm 63 and I feel that I've tried so many products - even items sold by doctors - and none of those products have done what this oil has done!  My skin appears so much smoother.  Thanks for creating such a great product.  Don't ever let it run out!" - Jan Norris, Oct. 5, 2016

"I wrote to you the other day on Facebook and just wanted to tell you that I'm passing the word along to my friends about your facial oil.  My best friend lives in Miami, FL, and she ordered a bottle today.  I sure wish I had a before and after photo of the area around my eyes.  I've been using more facial oil than called for just because I've been using it on my full face, neck, and chest area, and then one more dab around my eyes.  I'll be 64 in January and even my husband said the area around my eyes looks better." - Jan Norris, Oct 8, 2016

"I love this oil so much and use it a lot more than just on my face.  I use it on my neck, chest, and back of hands.  I was born and raised in Miami, FL and therefore lots of exposure to the sun with scuba diving, skiing . . . anything outdoors.  I've had 5 malignant skin cancers over the years, the first one on my nose when I was 35 years old.  There are lots of procedures you can do to help with your face, but not much that can help your neck or chest area and as we age we tend to get crepey skin.  Could you consider making a larger bottle than the 1-ounce?" - Jan Norris, Oct. 16, 2016

- "Dear Stephanie . . . A much-overdue 'thank you' for the totally amazing bottle of Olive Essentials Facial Oil #2.  I'm hooked!  And, as usual, I'm impressed with your cleverness and initiative at seeing the possibilities for a new and wonderful product!  I hope it does well!" - Deborah Balmuth, Publisher, Storey Publishing

To wrap up this long blog, if you're searching for skin care that's ALL GOOD with NONE of the bad - then please give either Olive Essentials Facial Oil #1 or #2 a try (you can find out more about #1 from Karl's website www.healthyharvests.com and I'll detail it next month in another blog).  Your skin will thank you (and so will Karl and I).  The bottles are 1-ounce each and retail for $44.95 OR purchase 2 bottles for $80, and will last for approx. 2-4 months, depending on how many drops you use each day. The full directions are on the labels. Thanks for listening folks!




Herbal Tick Repellents: Sage, Rosemary & Basil

Hello Everyone . . . it's feeling very much like fall here in northern, coastal Maine - and I LOVE this kind of weather!  Along with this chill, I would have thought that the ticks in my lawn and outlying "wild property" would have become more scarce, especially after our first-of-the-season frost last week.  Sadly . . . they have not!  After walking my two indoor kitties  outdoors around my yard and garden (they've been leash-trained) a couple of days ago, I discovered several ticks crawling about on their bellies and faces . . . yuck!  I always do a thorough inspection and combing of their fur after every walk just to remove any fleas and ticks that may have pounced on them. I was truly surprised to see this many parasites - didn't have that many all summer long - and it was a hot, sticky summer (favorite weather for ticks - and fleas)!  The weekly powder blends that I'd been rubbing into their fur hadn't been enough this go round - apparently.  Time to use other "tick shield" treatments in my arsenal of herbal tick repellents (they also work great against fleas, too). 

That's just what I'm going to share with you today . . . these are simple to make formulas using inexpensive, commonly available herbs.  The recipes come from my latest book, "Naturally Bug Free: 75 Nontoxic Recipes for Repelling Mosquitoes, Ticks, Fleas, Ants, Moths & Other Pesky Insects".  The book is only $10.95 and offers a boat load of valuable information on how to keep all manner of bugs off yourself, your dogs and cats, and out of your home - naturally and totally chemical-free!  If you haven't purchased a copy yet (available from online retailers and lots of bookstores nationwide) please do . . . and get another for your pet-loving friend(s).  They make great Holiday and birthday presents.


Herbal Tick Repellents: Sage, Rosemary & Basil

Powdered rosemary and sage are particularly effective against ticks.  Infused basil tea used as a spray creates an effective tick-repelling herbal haze around your pet. These also make fleas hop elsewhere, too!  Here are the DIY details . . . 

Herbal Powders

Grind 1/2 to 1 cup of dried, whole sage and/or rosemary leaves in a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor.  To use, massage the powder into your pet's fur, all the way down into the skin.  Most pets will shake off a good bit, so apply it outdoors in order to prevent a dust cloud in your home - but enough should remain to be effective.  Store powder in an airtight container by the door where you can apply it before every outing if you wish.

NOTES:  Powdered sage is readily available at most grocery stores or in bulk at natural markets (if you don't want to grind your own) and both herbs can be found in powdered form online - try www.mountainroseherbs.com. You can use the above technique to make almost any herbal powder, including lavender, neem leaf, and lemongrass - which are included in other flea- and-tick-fighting recipes in my book.

Basil Infusion Spray

Pour 2 cups of boiling water over 2 tablespoons of dried basil or 4 heaping tablespoons of fresh, finely chopped basil leaves.  Cover, and steep for 2 hours.  Strain the liquid, then pour into a 16-ounce plastic spray bottle.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

To use, spray your pet's entire body before every outing; the effect lasts several hours.  If your pet spends most of its time outdoors, reapply several times per day in the height of tick (and flea) season.  

NOTE:  Portions of this blog have been excerpted with permission from the author's book, "Naturally Bug Free"  (Storey Publishing, c2016).  The information is true and complete to the best of Ms. Tourles' knowledge.  All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the Ms. Tourles.  She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information.  It is for educational purposes only.