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Organic soap: Why it's better than commercial brands

Following from my previous post, I'm going to talk about organic soaps, which are all the rage nowadays. There are a lot of emerging brands, small businesses selling this, especially online.

Cyleina tomato soap

Ilog maria carrot soap

Spa ingredients mango soap

Organic soaps are an alternative to market-brand, non-organic soaps. The main difference is that organic soaps are made with natural ingredients, which means that there is little synthetic and chemical ingredients used, or none at all. Instead, organic soaps rely on essential oils (or honey beeswax, you really have to check websites to see what they use), which are rich in vitamins.

Here in the Philippines, most of the organic soaps can be purchased online. (As it happens, I just rummaged Watson and they do have a brand for organic soaps, but one costs more than P100, which is really, really overpriced if you ask me.) Just try Sulit; there are organic soaps that are branded and unbranded, and most of them hand-made.

There's Cyleina, Spa Ingredients, Zen Zest, and Ilog Maria, to name a few.

Normally, organic soaps are made in small batches. The soaps are fused with various herbs and fruits such as papaya, strawberry, mango, kiwi, green tea, carrot, pineapple, and so on. Essential oils are added, as previously mentioned. The good thing about organic soaps is that you can experiment and be creative on what ingredients to use.

Unlike commercial, non-organic soaps, organic soaps are perfectly harmless to your skin; your skin will feel nourished and smooth without all the chemical stuff. (Note: an exception is when you have an allergy to the main ingredient used, i.e., almonds, so obviously you should not use that soap variant.) It also solves specific skin problems such as rough or spotty skin.

Fruit masks: Food for your face

I'm a big fan of organic products, and even more of raw, organic fruits and veggies. We've all heard of the benefits of eating fruits to a healthy and beautiful skin, but did you know that you can also use these produce as facial fruit masks? The really good thing about a facial fruit mask is that it is natural and does not contain chemicals but can still give you that smooth skin you see in commercials.

Here are the things you have to know about a facial fruit mask:

• You can try different fruits such as apples, bananas, grapes, and avocados. There are a lot of fruits to choose from. Strawberries can be used for oily skin, bananas for moisturizing, papaya for removing dead skin cells. The list goes on.

• A facial fruit mask has a lot of wonderful benefits. First, it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. Also, the mask serves to gently exfoliate the skin to remove black heads and dead skin cells and, at the same time, hydrates the skin. It can also be used to fight wrinkles.

• A facial fruit mask is also good for acne and blemishes. These masks are all natural and safe, so you won't have to worry about outbreaks. These nourish and heal the skin and help control oil excretion on your face.

• Generally, you need to mash the selected fruit into a pulp (try using a blender) and apply it all over your face, especially on problem areas. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, then wash with warm and cold water, respectively.

• You can add other ingredients in your facial fruit mask such as honey, oatmeal, sugar, or clay powder.

ESSENTIAL INFO when applying a facial fruit mask:

• Avoid using metallic bowls or spoons since metal oxidizes (i.e., spoil) the fruit.

• Always read up on the fruit to use for your mask, especially if you are looking for a specific effect, e.g., you are looking for a solution to flaking skin, in order to obtain maximal results. Also, avoid acidic fruits because these might cause allergic reactions.

• Apply the mask immediately after preparation or, at most, within the day.

WHAT TO EXPECT from using fruit masks: Healthy, smooth, and glowing skin. I know that there are a lot of convincing products out there, but you should really give facial fruit masks a try because these are all natural and healthy. 

PS: Do not eat your fruit masks. :(