What would you pay to be stink free naturally? How's .35/day sound?

You have been on a search for the best natural deodorant, feeling lost, disappointed and tired of wasting money on ones that do not work, break you out or stain your clothes. We feel ya.

As you already know, hydration is important for the skin to keep the cell production good. etc. But what about food? Food can have an effect on our body and our skin, too, and certain types of foods bring amazing benefits to our skin.

So if you want to eat well to improve your skin, the types of food to look for are those that are rich in antioxidants, omega-3, and even fats! Here is a list of the best foods for healthy skin and how they help to boost skin health:

Antioxidants

In short, antioxidants inhibit oxidation in the body. Oxidation happens naturally in the body and is a chemical reaction that produces free radicals, which damage cells in the body. Antioxidants help to prevent or stop cell damage caused by oxidation.

Loading up on antioxidant-rich foods will help to boost your health and even lower your risk of certain types of cancer. For the skin, antioxidants help to protect the skin cells from damage caused by free radicals.

Antioxidants include a special group of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, C, E, and selenium, as well as lutein and lycopene. They are easily found in plants, so you'll find a lot of fruits and vegetables in this list of foods for healthy skin.

Here are some of the most antioxidant-rich foods you should load up on for healthier skin:

Beta-Carotene

Beta-Carotene helps to reduce sun sensitivity, repair skin damage and is effective in the treatment of skin conditions like dry skin, eczema, and psoriasis. It's abundant in fruits and vegetables that are green, yellow or orange in color, such as:

Carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, mustard greens

Lutein

This preserves skin health, prevents light-induced skin damage and fights skin cancer. Lutein also offers protection against signs of aging and boosts healthy glowing skin. To load up on lutein, eat more of these:

Kale, papaya, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts

Lycopene

Lycopene is a protective antioxidant compound that protects the skin from overexposure to damaging UV light. It also aids in reducing inflammation, encouraging cell renewal, and slowing down signs of aging. It can be found in:

Sun-dried tomatoes, watermelon, tomatoes, papaya, grapefruit, sweet red peppers, asparagus, mango, red cabbage

Vitamin C

A super antioxidant! Vitamin C is needed for a strong immune system, radiant skin, and to help blemishes heal properly. Best of all, vitamin C also helps to produce collagen, which strengthens the capillaries that supply the skin. Load up on:

Black currants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi, oranges, papaya, strawberries, sweet potatoes

Selenium

This boosts the immune system and helps to protect against skin cancer, sun damage and age spots. Boost your selenium intake with:

Brazil nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, wheat germ, tomatoes, broccoli

Vitamin E

Vitamin E protects skin from oxidative cell damage and supports healthy skin growth. Increase your vitamin E intake with:

Almonds, avocado, hazelnuts, pine nuts

Fat

Fats can be good, too! Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats provide essential fatty acids that act as a natural moisturizer for your skin. This helps to keep skin looking supple and slow down effects of aging skin. These fats also come packaged with a healthy dose of vitamin E - it's a win-win situation! Find healthy fats in:

Avocados, fish, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil

Omega-3

These are essential fatty acids that encourage the body to produce anti-inflammatory compounds, which can help skin. Omega-3 is particularly helpful to relieve and treat inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Get more omega-3 by eating more:

Wild salmon, flaxseed oil, linseeds, walnut, rapeseed oil

Zinc

Zinc helps sebaceous glands in the skin (which produce oil) function normally, and it also aids in skin damage repair. Having more zinc in your diet helps keep skin soft and supple.

Fish, lean red meat, whole grains, poultry, walnuts, seeds, shellfish, oysters

Dark Chocolate

Yes - it's true, dark chocolate is good for the skin! When we say dark chocolate, we mean those with 70% cocoa and above. They're rich in antioxidants and also loaded with trace minerals such as magnesium, iron, and manganese, which the body uses for cellular regeneration, oxygen transport, and stress reduction. Opt for certified organic, fair trade chocolate and be sure to go for at least 70% dark chocolate - anything less and you'd just be loading up on sugar.

Green Tea

Green tea's actually been shown to slow down signs of aging skin. Studies have found that green tea is a powerful antioxidant and can protect the skin against sun damage and skin cancer. When buying green tea, look for the powdered kind (matcha) as it's the most beneficial, containing a higher concentration of vitamins and antioxidants.

Water

This should be a no-brainer, but we need water to keep skin hydrated and allow skin cells to function properly. Even a little bit of dehydration is bad for the skin, so keep it hydrated with at least 6 to 8 glasses of water a day, and use organic moisturizers or body butter to keep it hydrated on the surface, too.

With this list of foods for healthy skin, don’t just eat them - some fruits and vegetables, like avocado, kiwi, and tomato, can be used like an organic facial mask, straight on the skin, too! And with everything you do, invest in the best for your body and opt for organic fruits and vegetables that are pesticide-free and herbicide-free.

So now that you know the best foods for healthy skin, be sure to add them to your list the next time you go grocery shopping.

For a fresher look, you'll need more than just exfoliating and cleansing. Here's why you should also add toner into your organic skincare routine.

What exactly is Toner?

A toner is basically a water-based liquid used for removing oil and makeup from the face.

The typical routine for most of us would be to cleanse, tone and moisturize. As cleansing or exfoliating cleans out the dirt from your pores, it only makes sense to shrink the pores down to minimize future debris from clogging the pores on your face.

Apart from refreshing your skin and shrinking your pores, there's actually a few other benefits unbeknownst to most of us.

5 More Reasons to Add Toner to Your Organic Skincare Routine

It is important to note that while most toners are generally safe, some do contain alcohol and that is potentially an irritant for many as it tends to dry skin out. This is why moisturizing is important after using a toner.

It's best to get organic facial toners as these are made with organic extracts and zero preservatives and will be healthier and more gentle on your skin. It's also possible to get toners made with organic rose water to really soothe your skin.

Here are five benefits that a toner will bring to your organic skincare routine:

Soothes, repairs and smoothes the skin

Doesn't it feel super fresh after cleansing, toning, and moisturizing? While most of the grunt work is achieved by cleansing or exfoliating, you can think of using a toner as fixing up the finer details.

Once the touch ups are done, your skin will look beYOUtiful.

Minimizes signs of redness and inflammation

There are times when it feels like you have the worst acne outbreak and don't even want to go out and see anyone. You then proceed to exfoliate, but still, need to remove any inflammation and redness from the breakout.

While a toner will not provide an instant remedy, it'll help to subside any redness from the earlier scrub.

Balances the skin’s pH levels

Humans have naturally acidic skin, and soap is of an alkaline nature. Whenever we wash our hands or face, the pH balance will get disturbed.

In order to restore the balance, a toner can be used as they typically have a slight acidity - enough to safely bring your skin back to its normal pH.

Adds a layer of protection

Besides repair work on your skin by shrinking pores and removing debris, toners also help reduce any further impurities or oils from contaminating the skin.

While the effects don't last forever, it'll still help protect your skin against chlorine and harmful minerals present in tap water.

Prevents ingrown hairs

Using a toner in your skin care routine can also help to prevent (or treat) ingrown hairs.

Cleansing, exfoliating and general hygiene is definitely a good way to keep your skin constantly looking fresh and rejuvenated. Adding a great toner to your organic skincare routine will compliment and nourish your skin to look beautiful every day.

You’d think that most major companies would have started making cruelty-free skin care and cosmetics, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Some of today's biggest beauty brands, including M.A.C., Maybelline, L’Oreal, Aveeno, Kiehls, Dove, and Estee Lauder, still test on animals.

An estimated 100,000 to 200,000 bunnies, guinea pigs, mice, and rats are used for testing every year around the world, all in the name of cosmetics. They go through painful and torturous experiments (imagine getting chemicals rubbed onto shaved skin or dripped into eyes without any pain relief) and many die in the process.

Animal testing for drugs and cosmetics exist because of the need to establish the safety of a product or ingredient for public health before allowing it on the market. But here's the thing - animal testing for cosmetics isn't even required by law. In fact, results from animal testing do not directly prove safety for humans,, and there are alternative testing methods such as testing on microorganisms, cells, tissues, and even volunteering humans, that are more humane and literally safer for humans.

Buy cruelty-free organic skin care and cosmetics

Cruelty-free products are manufactured or developed using methods that do not involve experimentation on animals. This means everything - including the ingredients and the finished product - did not harm an animal.

Organic skin care products are almost always cruelty-free because they are made out of ingredients that are derived from plants or that are naturally occurring. More importantly, these organic ingredients are grown without the use of harmful chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Because organic skin care products do not contain these chemicals, and because organic skin care products are derived from natural, organic ingredients, their contents are easily recognized and can almost always be deemed as safe for humans. And because they are safe for humans, there is really no need for animal testing at all.

The reason we’re not stating that organic products are always cruelty-free is because there is no way to guarantee that as a fact. There may be companies that produce organic products but still put its ingredients or the finished product through animal testing for a variety of reasons, including “as required by law” to be imported into specific countries such as China. Therefore it’s always safe to check the product label and check the company website to find more information about whether or not the product is truly 100% cruelty-free.

What we can guarantee you at Be Well is that all our products are organic, natural, and 100% cruelty-free. All of the ingredients that we use are chemical-free, toxic-free, paraben-free, and fragrance-free, and all of the finished products that we create have never ever been used in animal testing. You can read what We Believe here.

As consumers, we can make a difference by paying attention to what we purchase. Be conscious about what you buy, and support cruelty-free skin care and cosmetics to take a stand against unnecessary and inhumane animal testing.

What is Oil Cleansing?

Oil cleansing is basically a method of cleansing your skin with oil. As crazy as it sounds - oil cleansing actually works! It only sounds unbelievable because we're so used to having commercial products cleanse our skin by removing oil, not adding oil.

When commercial products clean our skin, they strip oil off, and our skin becomes dry and is forced to repair itself. Our skin then overcompensates and creates more oil, which we remove again with more cleanser. Thus starts the never-ending cycle of having oily skin, dry skin, and then oily skin again.

Our skin actually naturally lubricates itself with oil, and we’re not doing it any good by scrubbing it away. You see, our skin needs oil to stay healthy and function properly. The skin's natural oils help to lubricate, heal, protect and moisturize skin, creating healthy skin that is beautiful, clear, and glowing.

That's the idea behind oil cleansing - natural oils in specific combinations help to cleanse the skin and naturally balance the skin's oils. The basis behind oil cleansing is that "oil dissolves oil" and that natural oils can penetrate the skin's pores and remove impurities while nourishing and moisturizing the skin.

Contrary to popular belief, oil will not cause greasy skin or create blemishes, pimples, blackheads or whiteheads. These are a result of various factors including hormones, bacteria, dead skin cells, and the buildup of them. In fact, oil cleansing can help prevent these and other common skin issues.

So how do you get started with oil cleansing? Here's what you need to prepare.

What to prepare for oil cleansing

All you need for oil cleansing is:

organic facial oil cleanser

a clean washcloth

hot water

Easy, right? Now, let's get started.

How to oil cleanse

Pour about a quarter-sized amount of facial oil cleanser into your palm and rub your hands together to warm the oil.

Massage the oil into your face for about a minute or so to allow the oil to penetrate your skin and dissolve the impurities inside your pores.

Soak the washcloth in hot water and place it over your face for a few minutes until it cools. This opens up your pores so that the impurities can be easily removed later.

Wipe your face gently to remove the oil.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 for another two to three times.

The end result is a clean and refreshed face. If your skin feels tight or dry when you are done, gently massage one drop of the facial oil cleanser into your face until no oil residue is left.

If it’s your first-time oil cleansing, you may have really oily skin for the first few days. This is completely normal and is a good sign that your skin’s pores are trying to balance itself out again. Let it readjust and adapt on its own for a few days - once it clears up you’ll have beautifully balanced skin in no time.

Do oil cleansing regularly and after a few sessions, your skin's natural oils will balance itself out, giving you beautiful, clear and healthy skin. Now you can understand why so many people love oil cleansing!

A consistent and effective skin care routine is important to promote healthy, beautiful skin. Just as important as that, though, is the type of skin care products that you use. Using organic skin care products ensures that there are no harmful chemicals and artificial ingredients potentially harming your body and health. Other than that, organic skin care benefits your body in that they are gentle to sensitive skin, non-allergenic, and they work better for your skin.

Having an organic skin care routine helps you take better care of your skin without drying it out or losing its natural oils. A proper skin care routine also helps to really boost your skin health without having any harmful negative effects that you would get with commercial, non-organic products.

Here's the best organic skin care routine to follow to really boost your skin health.

Organic skin care routine for beautiful skin

1. Detox

Our skin is constantly in contact with pollutants and dirt that clog up our pores, and toxins from our diet that can damage our complexion. A regular detoxification routine for the skin can help to clean up pores, brighten skin, and reduce acne and redness.

Use an organic detox mask to draw out bacteria, toxins, and dirt from your face. It also helps to repair skin cells and promote healthy cell growth. Apply to a clean, makeup-free face and leave on for 20-30 minutes before rinsing off.

2. Cleanse

Commercial cleansers dry out your skin and starts a nasty cycle of dry and oily skin that never seems to end. On the other hand, oil cleansing cleanses your skin using natural oils without drying your skin helps to keep it nourished and moisturized.

Find out what is oil cleansing and add it to your organic skin care routine with an organic facial oil cleanser.

The routine is simple - pour a bit of oil into your hands, massage it into your skin, and then cover your face with a hot washcloth. After a few minutes, wipe your face to clean out your pores. Use daily. Can also double as a makeup remover.

3. Exfoliate

Exfoliating can help to remove dead skin cells, reduce the appearance of cellulite, and improve blood circulation around your body to give it a healthy glow. Exfoliating regularly will also help to encourage new cell growth, banish dull skin as well as brighten and soften your skin.

Use an organic facial exfoliator once or twice a week to reduce the buildup of dead skin cells on your skin. If you have sensitive skin, exfoliate less regularly to prevent any skin irritation.

4. Tone

Adding a toner to your organic skin care routine is important to refresh your skin and reduce the size of your pores, especially after cleansing and exfoliating. Toners are also excellent to reduce the appearance of your skin, reduce redness and inflammation, and soothe repair, and smooth your skin.

Use probiotic facial toners to balance the pH levels on your skin. Spray 3 to 4 pumps over the face just before moisturizing and pat the surface of the skin to encourage maximum absorption. The toner can also be sprayed over makeup to freshen and re-hydrate your face throughout the day.

5. Moisturize

Don't forget to moisturize! After all that cleansing and toning, your skin needs to be replenished in terms of moisture.

If you use a facial oil blend, place a drop of it into the palm of your hand. Massage this into your face until no oil residue is left. That's it! Otherwise, you can also use an organic nourishing face cream to do the job. For your body, apply some organic body butter to keep the skin on your body well-hydrated.

6. Protect

If you're going outdoors, always remember to put on sunscreen. Any exposure to UV radiation damages your skin and increases your risk of skin cancer, so sun protection is crucial. And don't forget your lips too - use an organic lip balm with SPF protection to shield your lips from the damaging UV rays.

By following an organic skin care routine regularly, you'll see the benefits to your skin almost immediately. Be consistent with your routine and we guarantee you that you'll have amazing, healthy, glowing skin within a few weeks.

Benefits of Probiotics for Skin Care

Probiotics are known as healthy bacteria that help the body maintain its function of the intestines and to support the immune system. They are also the key to a healthy digestive system and used to detoxify the system. Recently, however, there has been talk about using topical probiotics for acne, which really led us to ask... what are the other benefits of probiotics for skin care?

Benefits of probiotics for skin care

Other than promoting gut health, probiotics actually play a number of important roles throughout the body when it comes to our health.

Probiotics help to fight off viruses and colds, and repair tissue damage and injuries. Other than that, they also help to regulate our appetite and manage our weight. Also, probiotics also play a part in the production of serotonin - a feel-good hormone - and as such, they help us to manage our moods.

When it comes to our skin, probiotics helps by protecting and strengthening the skin’s mechanisms. To expand, here are 7 benefits of applying a probiotic skin care routine:

1. Probiotics strengthen the skin's natural defense mechanisms

When applied topically, probiotics form a protective shield on the skin's surface. This shield helps to strengthen the skin's natural defense mechanisms and make skin more resistant to damage from environmental stressors.

2. Probiotics are calming and anti-inflammatory

Probiotics help to stabilize the lining of the intestinal walls. This limits the growth of inflammatory-inducing microorganisms. By doing that, probiotics also help reduce inflammation on the skin that causes skin conditions such as acne and rosacea.

3. Probiotics enhance anti-aging effects

Topical probiotics help fight the effects of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles. Probiotics might also help in building collagen, which helps the skin retain its tone and texture and reduces the signs of aging.

4. Probiotics protect against damaging UV rays

Applied topically, probiotics offer more protection against damaging UV rays. Of course, you should still apply organic sunscreen and wear a hat for protection from the sun, but probiotics provide some help by strengthening the skin's immune system and speeding up skin cell repair.

5. Probiotics are friendly to sensitive skin

Unlike antibiotics and antibacterial products that damage our bacterial ecosystem, probiotics introduce friendly bacteria that help to rebuild and protect our skin's ecosystem instead.

6. Probiotics for acne

Topical probiotics have been found to be effective in preventing acne. When applied to the skin, probiotics form a protective shield that prevents harmful pimple-causing bacteria from reaching the skin. By doing that, probiotics help to prevent these bacteria from aggravating the immune system and triggering inflammation, therefore reducing active skin lesions and preventing acne from developing.

7. Probiotics for rosacea

Similar to how probiotics help to reduce acne, topical probiotics help to control rosacea by acting as a shield on the skin and strengthening the skin barrier to reduce redness, burning, stinging, and dryness.

With all these benefits of probiotics for acne, rosacea, and skin health, it's no wonder why so many people are jumping on the bandwagon and trying it out for themselves. Include probiotics into your organic skin care routine and try it out for yourself. Use probiotic skin care products, like our probiotic facial toner, for 4 to 8 weeks and enjoy the positive effects it will have on your skin.

The sun is more intense in the summer, which means that exposure to UV rays is greater. While sunburn is a clear sign that UV radiation has damaged the DNA in skin cells, the damage to your skin actually occurs as soon as you go under the sun.

When sunlight comes into contact with our skin, it damages our skin by stripping of barriers of lipids, causing inflammation, and stimulating collagen-destructing enzymes. This ages our skin prematurely in the form of brown spots, coarse skin, and wrinkles. 

Getting sunburned just once every 2 years can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer. However, even cumulative UV exposure will increase your risk of skin cancer. That’s why it's so important to follow summer skin care tips to protect your skin and reduce damage caused by UV exposure, especially during this time of the year.

8 summer skin care tips

1. Spend less time in the sun

The longer you are out in the sun, the more UV rays your receive. 

Reduce your risk of skin damage by spending less time under the sun. Walk under shaded areas and minimize your time outside during the sun's peak hours (10 am to 4 pm) when UV radiation is at its greatest. As a general rule of thumb, if your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade.

2. Protect your skin with sunscreen...?

Sunscreen has been proven to actually cause cancer. We think this article by Wellness Mama explains it best! While we are not encouraging you not to use sunscreen, we are encouraging you to do your own research.

Remember: any skin care product that you apply is absorbed into your body through your skin. So, if you do use a sunscreen make sure that is natural, toxic-free and chemical-free.

3. Wear protective clothing

Cover up exposed areas of skin with hats, sunglasses, and long-sleeved clothes and pants before going outdoors. The more skin you can cover, the better you can protect your skin from the sun. 

4. Use sunscreen lip balm

We often forget to protect one of the most exposed (and sensitive) parts of the body - the lips! Lip cancer is rarely heard of but more common than we think, and sun exposure is one of its major risk factors.

Regular lip balm won't stop UV rays from reaching your lips and may even focus UV rays on your lips.

Protect your lips using SPF-fortified, organic lip balm that's toxic-free and chemical-free. It'll also prevent cracked lips and keep your pout hydrated. Don't forget to reapply lip balm regularly and after every meal or drink.

5. Don’t forget these typically missed spots

If you do apply sunscreen, we tend to forget these areas; neck, ears, scalp, feet, and eyelids because we can't see them without a mirror.

Wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes and the delicate skin around the eyes.

If you are going to be exposed to the sun for longer periods of time, remember to apply organic all natural sunscreen to the tops of your hands and feet, and the front and back of your neck and ears. To protect your scalp, wear a broad sunhat or spray sunscreen directly on your scalp and hair.

6. Stay hydrated

Dehydrated skin is more vulnerable to damage, so it's important to stay hydrated. Drinking enough water keeps skin hydrated and also assists in detoxification. 

Drink at least eight glasses of water a day or more if temperatures are high or you're spending more time outdoors. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks as these dehydrate your body. Stick to good ‘ol plain water instead.

7. Soothe sunburns

Treat sunburns or skin that’s been overexposed to the sun as soon as possible. Take a cool bath or shower to reduce heat, and use an organic moisturizer that's chemical-free and toxic-free to ease the discomfort after dryness. Apply the moisturizer within 2 minutes after a bath or shower to trap the hydration in your skin. 

8. Check your skin regularly

Examine your skin regularly to detect any suspicious growths or changes. Doing so regularly can also help you detect early warning signs. If you notice anything unusual, contact a dermatologist immediately. For those who spend time in the sun regularly, it's a good idea to schedule yearly skin checkups to stay safe.

While we all need sun exposure daily its important not to burn your skin. UV exposure is the greatest during the summer, it's important to keep in mind that UV rays still reach the Earth every day regardless of the season. During winter, snow can reflect 85 to 90% of the sun's UV rays! So follow these summer skin care tips not only during summer but all year round to stay sun-safe and protect your skin.