Common Sun Sense - Protect Your Skin Naturally

Hello Everyone . . . I just wrote this blog for my publisher, Storey Publishing, so I'm posting it here.  It's all about how to naturally care for and preserve the health, beauty, and youthfulness of your skin, while intelligently enjoying exposure to the sun.  

This blog promotes another new book of mine called, Pure Skin Care: Nourishing Recipes for Vibrant Skin & Natural Beauty - yes, I wrote 2 books in 2018 (the other being, Stephanie Tourles's Essential Oils: A Beginner's Guide).  It doesn't officially release until late September, but is available for pre-order from quality online book retailers such as Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, and Amazon.

Pure Skin Care was endorsed on the back cover by An G. Hinds, CEO/President of the prestigious "Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics" in Massachusetts.  That's where I graduated way back in 1987!  The book includes recipes of my most beloved skin care, hand care, and foot care recipes - all updated and improved.  I'm sure you'll love it!

Here's the blog - read up and learn!  And . . . thank you!

https://www.storey.com/article/sun-sense-protecting-skins-health-beauty/

Sun Sense: Tanning Potions & After-Sun Relief - Part 3

Greetings to Everyone! I'm feeling like summer is ending early up here this year in my northern neck of New England. The gardens are not as vibrant anymore - still yielding vegetables and berries - but their leaf colors are beginning to wane and wither. The grasshoppers are singing loudly all day and into the evening, which usually heralds the beginning of fall, and the light is decidedly early fall - not quite as blindingly bright as during the height of summer. This is all okay with me as I don't enjoy the heat. Anything over 75 degrees is too hot for me, but early chill is not so welcome right now either. Hmmmm . . . Mother Nature seems to have something up her sleeve this year to surprise me with . . . not unlike she is acting in the rest of the world which is in major flux during this past decade! There's nothing so constant as change - that's for sure.

Anyway . . . on with today's continuing topic of natural skin care for sun exposed skin. I'm going to share with you a recipe for an oh-so-emollient and wonderfully fragrant body oil that I'm sure you're bound to adore. Enjoy!

Tropical Creamy Body Oil

This oil is designed for the die-hard sun worshipper who tans easily and rarely burns. Its SPF is low but the aromatic pleasure it delivers ranks high. It may make you want to bake in the sun all day - but don't! It's highly emollient and beneficial for any part of the body in need of softening, conditioning, and rejuvenating. I regularly use it as a bath and body oil to fend off dry skin - especially in the winter.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut base oil (extra-virgin; unrefined)
1/2 cup jojoba base oil
2 tablespoons cocoa butter
- A few drops of coconut fragrance oil (Optional, but smells divine! Follow manufacturer's directions on the bottle for appropriate amount to add to 1 heaping cup of oil product.)

Method:
In a small saucepan over low heat or in a small double boiler, warm the base oils and cocoa butter until the coconut oil and cocoa butter have just melted. Remove from heat and stir the mixture with a spoon or small whisk for 15 seconds to thoroughly blend. Add the fragrance oil (if desired) and stir again.

Pour the blend into a storage container, such as a plastic squeeze bottle, and cap when almost cool. Allow the mixture to thicken for 12 hours before usage. Recipe will yield approximately 1 1/8 cup of body oil.

Note: If the temperature of your storage area is above 76 degrees F, the product will maintain a liquid consistency. If it's below 76 degrees F, it will be much thicker. To soften before use, set container in a shallow pan of hot water for 10 to 20 minutes. Shake bottle vigorously prior to each use.

No refrigeration is required, but for maximum freshness and potency, please use within 2 years.

Application Tips:
Apply this oil immediately after a bath or shower to seal in moisture and prevent evaporation before heading into the sun. It is very concentrated; begin with 2 teaspoons and use more if necessary. If your skin is greasy and looks like an oil slick, you've used too much. Make sure to massage it in real well. Allow to sink into skin for 10 minutes before getting dressed. Also remember to reapply it during and after sun exposure to ensure that skin feels velvety soft and nourished.

In my next blog, we'll conclude this series on Sun Sense with a recipe for Aloe After-Sun Relief Spray. Good hydrating skin medicine for all skin types. Until then, be happy, be well, and take care in the sun. Blessings Everyone!


NOTE: Portions of this blog were adapted from the book, "Organic Body Care Recipes" by Stephanie Tourles, 2007, Storey Publishing. The information contained within is true and complete to the best of the author's knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author. Ms. Tourles disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. It is for educational purposes only.

Sun Sense: Tanning Potions and After-Sun Relief - Part 1

Summer Blessings To All! My husband and I accompanied some friends on their motor boat yesterday - out in the Penobscot Bay, near Castine, ME. What a glorious day and the BEST way to escape the heat that has penetrated into our northern parts. Was I slathered in natural sunscreen? You bet! But with all that reflective light bouncing up from the water, I still got pink! Not a good thing. So, all this week, I'll be rejuvenating my skin from the shoulders-down by massaging my body with one of my favorite after-sun treatment oils: sea buckthorn. Derived from the orange-red berries of the sea buckthorn bush. It's prized for use on damaged skin, scar tissue, wrinkles, eczema, burns, etc. It's rich in essential fatty acids, carotenes, tocopherols and phytosterols. My favorite brand to use is: Weleda. Their Sea Buckthorn Body Oil is made from a nice blend of oils and sinks right into the skin.

If you decide to make your own sea buckthorn body oil by blending 20% sea buckthorn with 80% almond or jojoba or organic soybean oil, I'll caution you right now that it can be expensive . . . about $24.00 per 2oz. of pure sea buckthorn, and it is VERY ORANGE and WILL stain your skin, towels and clothing orange, too. If you fall in love with sea buckthorn oil, it will be worth your money to buy the pure oil, but try the Weleda brand first and see what you think.

Today, I'm going to start a new series about natural sun care and share several recipes with you to help condition and preserve the health of your skin that you can make at home. Enjoy!

Sun Sense: Tanning Potions and After-Sun Relief

In the last two blogs, "Give Yourself Some Exposure: A Little Sun Is a Good Thing - Parts 1 & 2", I addressed the health benefits of sun exposure and the importance of appropriate sun protection to prevent potential skin damage, but it's important to reiterate that if you want to preserve the beauty and integrity of your skin for years to come and help prevent skin cancer, do not spend excessive unprotected time in the sun. Practice holistic sun care: Avoid chemical sunscreens, but do find a natural one that works and offers full-spectrum protection; use common sun sense by staying out of the sun during the high-intensive hours between 10 and 2 or wearing appropriate cover-up clothing; and always slather on a good quality, moisturizing lotion or cream, from head to toe to prevent epidermal dehydration.

The natural sun protection recipes that will appear in the next several blogs have a low SPF of 10-15 or less and are formulated to nourish and condition your skin before, during, and after exposure to the sun and associated elements such as heat, drying wind, salt water, and chlorine from pools. I will also toss in a few suggestions for natural remedial action when an unfortunate sunburn does occur . . . such as the sea buckthorn oil tip at the beginning of today's blog. Good advice to remember: As with all things in life, the sun should always be taken in moderation.

Until next time . . . be active, be happy, be healthy, and be thankful for all your blessings!


NOTE: This article was written by Stephanie Tourles and adapted from her book, "Organic Body Care Recipes", Storey Publishing, 2007. The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge. All recommendation are made without guarantee on the part of the author. She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information. It is for educational purposes only.