But it wasn’t just the fact that I really thought fragrance was one of the most toxic things I could put on my skin or hair. I must admit I also had a slightly hidden agenda in making the switch and it had to do with how my skin and hair actually felt and looked too (yeah, ok I’ll call a spade a spade – it was vanity

I remember a few times way back when the hyper-fragranced products were really popular when I was in my early twenties. I won’t name the exact stores that sold them, but suffice it to say the fragrances of these creams, lotions and sprays were so potent that they were almost nauseating at times.

Every single one of these heavily fragranced creams and moisturizers actually DRIED me out.  Sure, they may have advertised some enticing “natural” oils or emollients, but even those natural additions couldn’t compensate for the drying effects of the chemicals that not only made up the fragrances.

This includes  the likely presence of pthalates, which are a plasticizing agent which helps stabilize and prolong fragrance, and many times the presence of drying alcohols that had to be added to the formulas in order to help merge the scents together and create a more uniform smell.

Alcohol is often used in perfumes to help the perfume be preserved for a longer shelf life as well as a sort of blending agent that helps the scents disperse and meld together for a more pleasant scent.

Combine these with the presence of any number of drying chemicals in a perfume that are used to achieve whatever scent they are going for, and you have a cocktail of solvents and chemicals that are highly likely to rob your skin of moisture or at the very least do some damage to that top protective lipid (fatty) layer of skin that helps seal in the moisture.

I not only found this to be true for heavily artificially fragranced skin products, but also for hair care products that used a lot of artificial scents. I found that the stronger the scent in a hair product, whether it was a shampoo or conditioner, the drier my hair would be.

I’m basing this on years of experience with literally hundreds of brands. So much so that I became wary of using brands that used heavy artificial fragrances in their products so I would do a sniff test before buying if I could.

These are just a few of the reasons we do not use ANY artificial fragrances in our skin or body care products. We only use all natural essential oils to scent our products, and most of them also serve a dual purpose as a therapeutic agent of sorts. For example, citrus oils are cleansing and antibacterial and add a superior shine to the hair, while also acting as a natural, non-drying astringent to the skin.

Lavender oil is a natural skin soother and antibacterial agent. It can help with skin redness and also has a calming effect on the mind due to its sensory impact on the brain.  These are just a few examples of what these all natural plant extracts can do.

We get ours from a bee keeper down south here in the US, and when we get the shipments in, I cannot tell you how WONDERFUL it smells. You can smell it right through the box it’s shipped in. It smells like sweet honey, and it really is the most naturally pleasing smell in the world. No “artificial fragrance” of honey could ever compare to the real thing that’s for sure.

So, what exactly IS beeswax? Why do bees make it, and what purpose does it serve for them and their colonies in nature?

Bees are actually a really fascinating insect. Not only do they make some of the most incredible tasting “nature’s candy” in the honey they produce, but they are also an interesting culture. As you probably already know, the bee’s primary purpose in nature is to pollinate plants.

They actually do this by groupings. They will do one type of plant for a while then another, and they actually have a whole communication system to let the other bees know what they’ve done for that day. The worker bees, that is. The worker bees make up most of the bee colony, and they are all female. There are male bees as well, but their only purpose is really to mate with the queen bee.

There is one Queen bee in the colony, and all the bees basically work all day long to support and nourish her since she lays all the eggs that produce all the baby bees. A baby bee takes about 3 weeks to gestate, and interestingly enough, this is the same time they have on this earth (three weeks is a very short life span to us, but to them it’s normal) and they spend most of it working all day long to support their colony.

Bee colonies are basically a whole ecosystem of their own, and they rely mostly on the work of these little worker bees (hence the saying goes that you’re a worker bee if you’re a hard worker).

So what is beeswax, and why do bees produce this stuff that feels so good on our lips and acts as a natural binder and hardener for our natural deodorant? Well, beeswax is a natural combination of mostly esters and long chain alcohols.

Basically, the wax is a natural structure-enforcing secretion that the worker bees make from special glands where they secrete it. It reinforces the honey combs where the young are raised and also provides support to the overall structure of the honeycombs where the pollen is stored. Generally beeswax starts out a whitish color and becomes progressively more yellow as the nutrients are stored within it.

When beeswax hardens, it becomes extremely hard and must be heated to become more pliable. This make it an excellent, truly all-natural base for many of our cosmetic and personal care products. It also has naturally protective capabilities since it forms a protective barrier between your skin and the elements.

MSM is a naturally occurring or organic sulfur compound (sulfur compounds are the main health benefit in veggies like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and other veggies that tend to “stink” when cooked, and by the way our cream does not smell unappealing at all as MSM has no scent itself and we add pure essential oil of pink grapefruit for a light natural citrus scent).

So, why did we choose MSM of all things to put as one of the main ingredients in our rich nourishing facial moisturizer?  Well, MSM has some very impressive benefits when applied topically to the skin. Over time, the results get better and better. It is totally natural, has no known sensitivities or interactions, and has proven itself to be a very naturally therapeutic compound for the skin.

MSM helps maintain joint flexibility, acts as an internal “lubricant’ when taken internally

MSM is a popular supplement to take internally because it helps to keep the joints and ligaments healthy by keeping them limber and flexible. It has this same effect on the skin cells when applied topically to the skin.  Because it helps to keep the skin cells soft, permeable and flexible, it greatly soften wrinkles and fine lines over time and helps keep the skin cells from becoming rigid and dried out.

It is excellent at keeping the skin hydrated all day long.  Especially when combined with our Hyaluronic Acid Serum which also adds actual water content to the skin cells, keeping them plump and moist all day long. When you pair these two products (you still need a moisturizer like our Nourish and Hydrate facial cream with the hyluronic acid serum), your skin looks hydrated, moist and vibrant all day long because it retains moisture and plumpness so well.

MSM helps fade brown spots and even skin tone

There are actually two ingredients in our Nourish & Hydrate face cream that even the skin tone, the MSM helps and the vitamin C ester also is known for it’s skin brightening capabilities and ability to help smooth and even the skin tone.

MSM has also been useful in fading old acne scars, brown spots and melasma and overall reduction of hyperpigmentation and other spotting or uneven skin tone issues.  Since I’ve been using the Nourish & Hydrate cream with MSM and Vitamin C ester, I’ve noticed a substantial improvement in some of the ages spots that appeared due to sun exposure (I’m also on an oral contraceptive which can increase brown spots and melasma) on my face.

Get your natural dose of MSM internally by eating these foods

In addition to using MSM externally on the skin, make sure you get enough naturally in your diet. Increase your intake of foods like garlic, broccoli, cabbage, onions, asparagus and dark green vegetables.  The less you cook them, the more natural MSM they retain, and the more your skin, hair and nails benefit by the internal effects this nutrient has on their growth and their health.

You can supplement your diet with a powder or pill, but it’s really best to just get the natural food since you also get the benefits of the synergy of vitamins, minerals and organic sulfur compounds. After all, nature does it best!