olive oil

Olive oil is an excellent nourishing all purpose oil. The olive oil that I use is pure extra virgin olive oil. Not only is it great for dipping warm ciabatta bread but it is easily absorbed through the skin without leaving a greasy feel. Olive oil attracts external moisture to the skin and forms a breathable layer that retains the moisture while permitting the skin to properly release sweat, shed dead skin and release sebum. It is also known to be good for cell regeneration, to soothe inflamed skin, and naturally high in oleic acid.
Extra virgin olive oil can be found in the following products: Ayurvedic Shampoo Bar, Carrot Shampoo Bar (nettle/ burdock infusion)

I. V. Treatment

Here is another update on one of my mad lab creations. While working on a possible collaboration with a salon, I decided to formulate a vitamin treatment. I wanted it to repair damage hair and as always give it moisture. Preliminary formulary includes a vitamin complex, glycerin and coconut endosperm. In the end it should help promote hair growth, protect hair color and repair dry, brittle hair. While working out the formula a thought dawned on me, why not call it IV (intensive vitamin) and work it out as an additive to other hair and bath products. The list was almost endless: conditioner, shampoos, hair and face masks, body washes and of course a stand alone therapy.
I am such a genius, sometimes I scare myself. My stylist is back, so that means, I have my volunteer pool back. I will still keep my product testers as they will serve for at home use challenges.

FYI: the deep moisture cream is a hit. Everyone loves it. I will use the scented monoi de tahiti, to help provide a natural fragrance but that is the only change I foresee doing.

on my soapbox

If you are not into rants then this post is not for you.
OK, so a lot of curly types have been promoting that their hair doesn't respond to protein. Or I hear the comment protein makes your hair brittle. Or, "my hair becomes crunchy when I have too much protein in my hair."

Stop it. Really, press pause, step on the breaks, just stop it. First and foremost the building blocks of your hair and skin is PROTEIN. What people fail to realize is that everything must be in balance. Protein should always be in conjunction with moisture. Protein makes your hair strong, and able to withstand harsh climates. If your hair is breaking then a protein treatment is your best friend. However you must follow any protein treatment with a moisturizing conditioner. Water= moisture. If it doesn't have water in it then it will not moisturize your hair. Once you have these things in balance you will find your hair is soft and manageable. Read the back of a commercial deep conditioner. They will always contain some type of protein. It it doesn't say protein explicitly than take a look at the oils used in the product. For instance, avocado oil has an abundance of good proteins as well as vitamins.

Hair does better when there is a variety of proteins extracted from a vegetable source. Animal protein is too tough (evident in all the activities our friends participate in) versus vegetable protein like wheat which by its very nature bends and flows easily with the wind.

Do yourself a favor, if you want to stop breakage in its tracks, do a protein treatment.

Natural by Design Cosmetics will have a protein treatment available for market soon.

Acne Treatments

You suffered thru your teenage years with horrible pimples and couldn't wait to get older so that it would all go away. Your adult years hit and you still have them.
Or were you one of those annoying people who had perfect skin in high school and now you are afraid to go to your class reunion because all of a sudden your new nickname is pizza face.

Have no fear, strawberries are here. Say what?! First of all let me say, I do not believe in the over the counter acne treatments that are on the market today. Why? They help to promote a vicious cycle. You have acne, you buy an acne product that dries out your skin, you see temporary improvement but then the pimples come back. You buy more acne products, your skin dries out and so on.

Let me make this simple: your skin likes to be in balance. When you use products that claim to reduce the oil you have the very real potential of over drying your skin. When your skin is too dry, its natural response is to produce MORE OIL/SEBUM!

An easy solution is to use strawberries to help clean your acnic skin. Strawberries have a very mild version of the acids found in acne products that help rid the skin of dead cell build up (the stuff that can clog your pores). It is also an astringent that can help remove the extra oil from your skin without over drying it.

It is as simple as mashing a few strawberries and straining out the pulp. Use the fresh juice to clean your face using a cotton ball (avoid the eyes please!). Always rinse your face with cool water to help tighten the pores. Follow with a light moisturizer like jojoba oil or aloe gel.

Too lazy? I have a facial bar, Strawberry Smoothie, that will also do the trick.

www.nbdcosmetics.etsy.com

Update

The results are coming in: the deep moisture cream is a success, sort of. It works wonders as setting cream, especially a wet set. However, I have not gotten feedback on if it is good on dry hair. Whatever. The worst case scenario is I market it as a setting cream.

New creation- I am going to work on a vitamin rinse. I want to call it Nourish and put a vitamin complex and glycerin in it. The goal is to provide "nourishment" to damage hair and provide a healthy environment for it to grow in.

Soon I will be offering a free sample of Berry Juice on my etsy shop. This is just to get every one excite about the product. I just have to work out the details. Shipping isn't cheap and I don't want to sound like an infomerical (just pay for shipping & handling) but we will see.

On a roll

Very productive type day. I finished my mother's order, made labels for printing and worked out a new formula. I plan on taking pics after I finish making this crab jambalaya.

So I figured out the beer shampoo thanks to my dear husband. I decided to make an apple beer shampoo with collagen and pathenol. My only problem is which beer to use. Normally the saying goes whatever you drink should be fine. Well I don't drink and not just because I am nursing. I mean I don't drink ever. I don't like the taste of alcohol and can't stand the smell.

So for all you guys out there, what is a good beer with plenty of hops?

Seriously, I need help.

reset your hair

Here is a quick tip: for those of you who love hairspray, and gel and silicone based products, you need to reset your hair.

Uhn? All of those items will weigh your hair down and block your pores. The end result being lifeless hair and products that don't seem to work anymore.

So some of you have noticed this and have purchased a clarifying shampoo. There is an easier way and it is sitting right in your cabinet. I like to refer to it as resetting your hair, making a clean palette so that your hair can receive all benefits of the products you purchase

You will need baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and water. If you want you may also add a few drops of essential oils.

Warm 3 cups of water and add 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking soda. If you want you may add up to 20 drops of an essential oil like lavender, peppermint, rosemary, chamomile, carrot, tea tree or grapefruit. Pour this mixture over your hair,up to 1 cup at a time and massage scalp and hair. Rinse with lukewarm water between cup pours.

Follow your baking soda wash with an apple cider vinegar rinse. 1 teaspoon of vinegar to 1 cup of water, and any essential oils you wish, up to 8 drops. Pour the rinse over the entire head and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Rinse your hair with cool water for 1 full minute to seal the cuticles.

Your hair will feel softer and lighter and contain a natural sheen after finishing this treatment.

Great Day

so I am sick, like I lost all of my baby weight in one day sick. But today is great day. I just got contacted by a woman who owns a salon. She would like to start stocking and using MY products for her customers. I am really psyched. Of course I still, have to work out all the details but that would make 2 salons I do business with. This hobby thing is really looking more like a business.

Okay, guys so I have completed my moisture shampoo and really need to start on my volume shampoo. But I am having trouble figuring this one out. I normally use a small amount of preservative but I am considering using brewer's yeast or flat beer. I mean, I want the humph but not necessarily give everyone a fungus head. however we eat and drink this stuff everyday, what harm could it cause?

I will let you guys know how this goes.

True Believer

so you know you have done something when you turn your skeptic of a mother into a true believer.
I got a call this morning from my mother asking about the baby and how my first week at work went. Then she informed me that was sending me a check to purchase some products. Can we say shocked?

I just gave her samples of ideas I had been working on and you she like it enough to make a purchase. I mean she purchased stuff I hadn't even finished testing yet. The woman who gave birth to me didn't even demand freebies based on the fact she gave birth to me.

She absolutely loved the Green Tea Conditioner. I didn't even give it a cutesie name yet, just green tea conditioner. Well I guess I better finish testing, 'cause if my picky mother likes it, it must be worth something

Shea butter

How do I love thee, let me count the ways. African born, shea butter is Mother Nature’s way of saying I love you. Shea butter has many uses and can treat a variety of skin and hair problems. Shea butter acts as a natural sunscreen, provides emollience to skin and hair products, and contains vitamins A, E and F. Shea butter moisturizes dry skin and encourages cell renewal making it a wonderful anti- aging product. Shea butter has been used for wound healing, stretch marks, eczema, psoriasis, sunburns, insect bites, diaper rash, dry chapped skin, over processed hair and as a dietary supplement.
Shea butter can be found in the following products: Whipped Shea butter, Asian Silk Body Bar, Carrot Shampoo Bar, Sunshine Conditioning Hair Butter, Strawberry Smoothie Facial Bar, Insatiable Hydrating Hair Balm, and Lavender Milk Leave In Conditioner

About those plans.....

Remember when I said I would make the aloe facial wash, well the container I needed to make it foam will not be in stock until mid April! As a matter of fact, I just made the diaper ointment I said I was going to make Monday. What happened? I had a very rough first week back at work and I was totally wiped out. It is so hard trying to get back into your regular routine after 2 months.

But the good news is I have more people signing up to be product testers. Better yet, I just begun the moisture shampoo- marshmallow root, mullein flowers, comfrey, aloe and a couple of secret ingredients. I also updated my braid cleanser, you know added a couple of things like rosemary and comfrey.

But I really need to focus on making the labels for my diaper ointment and packing samples for my testers. I also need to make more lotion for my son, he tends to have very dry skin if not moisturize properly. My dear child will not use anything that I don't make for his skin, talk about customer devotion :).

Okay, I need to get back to work and finish my mad lab creations. ooh, I forgot I am going to sit down and do an eye cream. Just got a new ingredient that I am dying to try called date palm.

Facial wash

I am so tired, went back to work today after maternity leave, and I believe that they saved everything until I got back. Such is life.

In any case, I decided that may first foaming facial wash, would actually be aloe based. I was thinking of my mother's roscea when I decided to do the aloe line. I am also making an aloe toner and facial moisturizer to complement them. I wanted to do it tonight, but I am absolutely pooped. I will however get to it this week. I need to start making lists again, to keep up with everything I promised myself I would do. I can at least do the diaper ointment tonight, that should be quick and easy.