Why should I look for an alcohol free toner?

 

Our toner is and will always be alcohol free. Alcohol free toner is so important to your skin. If your skin is prone to wrinkles, acne, oily skin or dry skin you should stop using alcohol in your skin care and make up products.  Alcohol is placed in most of the skin care and make up product lines to extend their shelf life. That can’t be good for us. Alcohol is an agent that dries our skin out.  Alcohol is irritating and can cause inflammation.  Why should we put it on our body? We shouldn’t.  It is thought to rob our skin of their natural oils and thus causing your face to then overproduce more oil.  I thought I was getting rid of oil by using my alcohol based toner. Turns out, not so much.

What should my skin care regime look like? You should cleanse your face twice a day. Once you’ve cleansed it then apply your toner. After your toner make sure to use a moisturizer to seal the moisture into your skin. You may now apply light make up and carry on with your day. In this case more washing and cleaning is not better. Make sure you only clean your face in the morning and right before bed. If you do it more than that you could irritate your skin and make whatever skin condition you might have worse.

Our alcohol free witch hazel makes a great toner or astringent. It’s going to give you that fresh face feeling without any of the drying, irritating or inflaming of the skin. So check us out and see if you don’t agree. Our toner will help your skin and give you a nice clean feeling.

Do you have a product that has multiple uses?

Yes, we do. As a mom, I understand the importance of getting more bang for your buck. I have three multiple use products that are easily adapted to mom and/or baby. The first item is the belly oil. This item is an absolute must have for pregnant mommies. The multiple uses  of this product ranges from easing the itchiness of stretchmarks to relieving the effects of hemorrhoids.  Just dab onto a cotton ball and rub on the affected area. The cooling effect will take place quickly.  The belly oil will nourish and tone skin throughout pregnancy and beyond. It is such a nice product to use on your belly as it is expanding with your new baby. No harmful chemicals or additives to worry a mom either.

My second is our most popular item, eczema oil. The eczema oil can be used on your baby’s cradle cap or on  mom’s dry skin/eczema. For cradle crap, you will notice a dry, flaky patch usually right at their hairline. You can simply roll on our eczema oil and feel comfortable knowing you have used a quality product with no chemicals on your precious baby’s skin.  On mom’s eczema, simply remember to roll on yourself the same time you are applying to baby. Doing both at the same time makes it much easier for a new mom to remember to take care of herself as well as baby.  The fact that this product is a roll on will make it so much simpler and less messy for mom.

Finally, the witch hazel is our third multiple use product. It is a great skin toner and cleanser. It tightens the pores and makes your skin feel ready to face the day. The witch hazel is also good for poison ivy. It will quickly wipe away the oil from the plant that causes so many problems and then dry out the affected area. If you know you’ve gotten into poison ivy make sure you shower with soap right away. If you aren’t able to shower than use the witch hazel and wipe the oils off as soon as possible. Knowing you have been in poison ivy is half the battle. The fact that it works on poison ivy is such a plus for me. I’m a mom who seems to get poison ivy just by being in the same area the poison ivy is growing! Witch hazel is also good for disinfecting small cuts and scrapes. What a great product to have in your cabinet so that you can clean children’s booboo!  So, it’s a great make up remover, poison ivy reliever, and a booboo disinfectant! That’s what I call a multiple use product.

At the Homestead Company we know how the economy and this recession is affecting everyone. It only makes sense to try to find a product that has multiple uses. This will save you money and yet still give you a quality product without chemicals or additives. Make the Homestead Company a site you bookmark and come back to!

What is the one product I can begin using that will help me switch to a greener skin care regime?

If I had to choose one product to switch to it would be the alcohol free witch hazel. Witch hazel has so many healing properties. What is witch hazel used to treat? It is used to treat acne, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, bug bites, poison ivy, as a deodorant and so much more. The Native Americans have used this going back centuries. Hundreds of years of using something so pure and chemical free can not be wrong! Be careful of getting your witch hazel from the local drug store. It has alcohol in it and would not be good to use in tinctures and teas for internal healing. If you are going to buy one make sure it is alcohol free so you can use it in many different ways. So, how do I use it?

For acne, consistent use is the best treatment. Clean and tone the face with the witch hazel twice a day. Once in the morning and once before bed.This will decrease oil production and tighten and tone the pores. The one you use for the evening has soothing chamomile and lavender in it to calm and soothe you. To use it on hemorrhoids, apply the witch hazel to a cotton ball and rub the affected area. This will prevent the itchiness that comes with hemorrhoids and it prevents bleeding. For varicose veins or spider veins simply dip your cotton ball in witch hazel and rub the affected area. It is very cooling to the area. Studies have been done that show the witch hazel can help to strengthen blood vessels. Due to its natural healing properties it is especially helpful on bug bites. Not only does it heal it also will make the itchiness recede. It is a great treatment for poison ivy. As someone who is very allergic to poison ivy I’m so glad to know that there is a natural remedy for me to go to. Witch Hazel reduces the swelling and the inflammation caused by the skins reaction to the poison ivy.

There are other uses for witch hazel that we will get into in another blogpost. One for tinctures and teas that do some internal healing. Look for it and how to turn witch hazel into a deodorant coming soon. Don’t forget to checkout www.homesteadcompany.com for all your natural cleaning needs.

Witch Hazel, a natural acne treatment and much more!

Witch Hazel, Hammemilis Virginiana, is a shrub found in the northern hemisphere.  Although many have heard of it, many do not know what a useful product it can be.  Many also know that it is great for first aid, and as an astringent.  What many don’t know is that it is natural, but the cheaper versions are actually more harmful than they are beneficial.  If you have used witch hazel and have not been satisfied, you have probably not tried one that is alcohol free.  The most natural form of witch hazel is an alcohol free Witch Hazel, by The Homestead Company, that is preserved with .15% Benzoic Acid, which is a food grade preservative derived from raspberries.

One of the most needed functions of Witch Hazel today, is for the treatment of acne.  It seems that it’s not only teenagers that are in need, but many into their adult years.  Witch Hazel can be used to cleanse, and control the bacterial growth, and also tighten the pores of the skin and aid in constricting the skin pores to control infections that lead to acne.  It also inhibits the sebaceous glands to control oil production, reducing the look of oily skin.

Using witch hazel on skin affected with acne is known to be effective through constant use and consistency.  It is important to clean the skin daily to maintain the environment needed for clear skin.  Other acne treatments can do more harm than good, so make sure that you are focusing on minimal ingredients that won’t dry your skin, or cause irritation.

Some of the other common and needed uses for witch hazel are: psoriasis, eczema, ingrown nails, blistered skin, insect bites and can be used as a compress for varicose veins, and hemorrhoids.

So, what does Witch Hazel have in it that can do all of this?  Studies have shown that it contains tannins, gallic acid, proacthocyanins, flavonoids, essential oil, choline, saponins, and bitters.  These are all medically proven therapies against various skin conditions, including acne, sores, bruises, and swelling.

Every household has at least one or more reasons to use witch hazel on a daily basis.  Why spend money on products that are made for only one thing, when you have a completely natural alternative that works even better?

Please feel free to ask questions!    We love hearing feedback!

The Uses and Advantages of Witch Hazel

Beauty products and remedies for acne or other type of skin products can range from normal lotions and oils to more creative products like mud masks, mayonnaise, or other house hold products. Our mothers and fathers have passed on age old ways to cure a zit or another type of skin imperfection. Do you use toothpaste to dry out your skin or avocadoes to moisturize it? A common house hold products that can be used as a beauty product among many other medical type reasons is witch hazel. It has been used for centuries and it has many uses. Here are different ways you can use witch hazel and the advantages it has for your skin.

Witch hazel was first used by North American Indians and the southern American area because it is made from a plant found in that area. Its early uses were to help stop hemorrhaging or internal bleeding, sprains, eye inflammation, skin inflammation, and tumors. The plant extract has been known for centuries that it is one of the best products to use an astringent.

One of the biggest advantages of witch hazel is that it is organic and is made from the plant extract so it can be used both internally and externally to treat ailments. You can drink it, gargle it in your throat or rinse your mouth with it, and use it as a douching liquid. You can find recipes for teas where you can add witch hazel which will probably make it taste better if you need to drink it for curing an upset stomach. Gargling it will help sore throats heel faster and feel better. Rinsing your mouth with it will act as an organic mouthwash.

Externally, you can use it to treat skin imperfections, cuts, veins, hemorrhoids, insect bites, and bruises. Whatever you need to treat, you just rub the witch hazel on the area. Most witch hazel you find at the drug store is made with alcohol which can dry out your skin or be too irritating. Depending on what you are using the product for you may not need the alcohol in it.

You can buy alcohol free witch hazel that is more effective for treating eczema or really dry skin, toning your skin, or cleaning a cut. The alcohol free is a better choice for kids because the alcohol can really hurt if you are cleaning a cut. If you aren’t treating acne but are using it for a beauty product on your face, I would recommend the alcohol free so that you won’t dry your skin. When treating burns or severely dry skin this is the best choice because most alcohol free witch hazels also have additives, like Aloe Vera or essential oil which help to moisturize. It can be used to tighten pores and tone your skin that will will make your skin have a beautiful glow.

This product should be kept in your home as a common household ingredient. In addition to treating skin imperfections, inflammation, or internal problems, there are other common uses for it. You can use the product to treat razor burn, alleviate pain from a wind or sun burn, taking off make up, and reducing the swelling from a pesky bug bite.

About the Author: Melanie Nader is the founder of the Homestead Company which makes premium quality natural skin care products including eczema oil and diaper ointment made with the finest 100% natural ingredients. For more information, visit http://www.homesteadcompany.com.