I have sensitive skin – skin that is sensitive to fragrances, dyes and petroleum based products. I can’t have artificial fingernails and my hair dresser has to color my hair very carefully because I develop flu like symptoms that last for days. So, when the Made From Earth skincare company approached me about reviewing some products from their line of organic skincare essentials I was both interested and concerned at the same time.

1. Green Tea Toxin Cleanser – The Aloe Vera base in the cleanser combines with Green Tea to provide an antioxidant boost to remove free radicals restoring healthier skin. This product does not contain the typical surfactant or detergent ingredient that most cleansing gels contain; it is a chemical-free gentle cleanser. In my opinion, this cleanser will become your skin’s best friend, especially in the summer. If you just happen to get a sunburn, use this. The Green Tea will help pull out the redness and the Aloe Vera will help soothe the burn. It has a very creamy consistency,  which feels wonderful on overworked skin. I just so happened to get awful sunburn on my nose and cheeks over the weekend and after using this for about 3 days, I could tell a major difference in my skin. The sunburn was almost gone, and it had pulled out almost all of the redness.

2. Rosehip and Hibiscus Facial Serum – Rose hips are a rich source of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids and Vitamin C. The serum’s ingredients play a primary role in the regeneration process of skin cells and repair of damaged tissues. Hibiscus extract, with its antioxidant properties, blends perfectly with the Rosehip Oil and provides natural astringent properties. Again, all of you with sensitive skin, this product is perfect for you. This serum in particular, is very gentle , and it helps to repair damaged tissues and cells. It absorbs in about 5 minutes, which allows you to apply your moisturizer even quicker.

How I like to use it: After I shower or wash my face, I pump a small amount in my hands. I like to pat or press it onto my skin rather than rub , this will allow it to penetrate the skin more efficiently. I wait 4-5 minutes for it to absorb and then apply my daily moisturizer.

3. Lip Balm – Taking care of your lips is so important all year long. I have tried countless lip balms, but I really love this one. My favorite flavor would have to be Blueberry, it smells like muffins , and isn’t overpowering. Made From Earth, has created 6 flavors total, so all you have to do is pick your favorite! The flavors include: Blueberry, Citrus (also fabulous), Ice Cream, Mocha, Spearmint, and Vanilla. These are perfect for throwing in your bag to use throughout the day. The chemical free lip balm contains vitamin-rich sunflower seed oil and protecting beeswax. Also, not only is the lip balm flavored with a scent, but each one is almost personalized to its name. For example, with the Blueberry flavor, it is designed to heal your lips, with help from antioxidants in blueberries. The Citrus flavor, contains high amounts of Vitamin C to help detoxify lips and heal.

If you are looking for something fresh and new to treat your skin to, I recommend you check out the Made From Earth site for the latest additions to their line – your skin will thank you.

Disclosure: I received some products and samples from the Made From Earth company in exchange for an honest review of their products. The opinions of the products are my own.

While it is great to get outside and exercise, you should not forget the sun block. The suns rays can be dangerous, and to much sun exposure can lead to serious help problems. To prevent damage from the sun, be sure to apply the proper sunscreen. This is especially important for your young kids that do not think to protect their own skin from the sun.

When deciding on your sun screen, take into account what type of activity you will be participating in, and choose accordingly. Remember there are sunscreen lotions that are better for kids and softer on sensitive skin. Let me educate you about what sunscreen is and how it works.

What is Sunscreen?
Sunscreen is a chemical agent that helps to protect your skin from UVA and UVB rays. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, “SPF is a measure of a sunscreen’s ability to prevent UVB rays from damaging the skin.” In other words, if it takes your skin twenty minutes to start turning red in the sun, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 should prevent the skin for 15 times longer. The higher the SPF number the more protection the product offers. While this sounds like great protection, the Skin Cancer Foundation also recommends reapplying sunscreen every two hours to ensure maximum protection.

It is recommended that everyone over the age of six months use sunscreen daily, but especially if you are going outdoors for a long period of time, for instance on a run or swim. Certain sunscreen products are made with specific activities in mind. For example, there are waterproof sunscreen products made to be used by those who will be swimming. There are also products that are made to be “sweat proof”, and ones made especially for athletes. Even though these products claim to have added protection, always reapply frequently. Pick up sensitive sunscreen for your young children ages 6 months to 2 years. Many children have extremely sensitive skin and using an adult or athletic sunscreen can cause skin irritation. Also keep in mind that children like to touch their eyes and mouths, and most sunscreens will greatly irritate their eyes if they rub them when they have sunscreen on them.

Taking the steps to improve your physical fitness is wonderful, but you also have to take care of your body as a whole, and using sunscreen helps to do that. So, grab the sunscreen before you head out into the sun, with your kids or to exercise.

About the Author:
Kerri has made it a life goal to teach mothers and fathers how to raise their children in a healthy way. She feels childhood health can be improved with education and action. If you are concerned about working out in the hot sun Kerri suggests trying an indoor at home workout. A fantastic workout for mothers is the Chalean Extreme Workout, and a great workout for fathers is the Insanity Workout By Shaun T.

When I last posted an update about my daughter’s molluscum, I honestly didn’t think those things would ever go away, but they have!!! Yeah! I took a photo a few weeks ago as they all started to scab over at once.

Now when I look at the same area on her belly, all I see are a few very small scars which the doctor said will go away in time.

While every doctor I have talked to has said that molluscum are simply a virus and will go away on their own, I am truly convinced that our tea tree and bleach routine kept them from getting infected and lessened the duration. Basically we applied Tea Tree Essential Oil to the individual molluscum daily using a Q-tip then once a week I added a 1/4 cup of bleach to her bath water.

All in all, we still dealt with the unsightly bumps for about 8 months, but considering I have heard they can last up to 2 years, I will consider us lucky.

You can read more about our experience with Molluscum in these two posts: Dealing with Molluscum and Treating Molluscum with Tea Tree Oil.

Let me state again, I am not a doctor or a health care professional and the following is just my personal experience.

Every winter when the cold viruses start going around, I usually have at least one cold sore (also known as a fever blister) outbreak on my lips. The moment I feel that tingling sensation and the area around it get warm, I head for the refrigerator. We keep a bottle of
MMS Pro’s Entrin Acidophilus 90 caps in the refrigerator year round.

At the first sign of an outbreak I take two acidophilus capsules with a large glass of water. I then take two every hour for the next few hours. If I catch the cold sore early enough, I can prevent it from erupting in to a full blown blister. Even if I don’t catch it early enough, I have been able to dramatically reduce the duration and size of a cold sore just by taking acidophilus repeatedly throughout the day.

Acidophilus is a good bacteria that helps restore balance in the intestinal tract and boosts the immune system. It is also helpful for preventing yeast infections and some gastrointestinal issues. Read more on acidophilus.

When the weather finally changed last week and got cold enough to turn on the furnace, the first thing I noticed was how dry my skin suddenly felt. So what’s a girl to do? Here are some of my favorite tips for keeping your feet feeling great during the winter months.

1. Stay hydrated. Up your intake of good old H2O and reduce your intake of dehydrating, caffeine-loaded soft drinks and coffee.

2. Soak. Soften dry skin and callouses by soaking feet in warm water.

3. Scrub. Use a gentle, but abrasive scrub to remove dead skin and reduce callouses. You can also use a pumice or Gilden Tree’s terracotta foot scrubber.

4. Moisturize. Get in the habit of putting on a thick moisturizer after showering but before you put on your socks. I tried out the Kiran Forest foot lotion from Gilden Tree. The moisturizer is very rich, smells great and my feet were so smooth by morning.

5. Protect. After massaging a nice moisturizer into your feet, pull on some snuggly socks to keep the moisture in.

With just a few steps and minutes a day, you can keep your feet soft and smooth all winter long.

Visit Gilden Tree for Natural Healing Foot Care and Dry Feet & Heel Solutions and Gilden Tree will send you one free sample/gift with purchase. The more you buy, the greater your reward.
.

It has now been over 6 weeks since our last doctor’s visit. My daughter’s molluscum warts seem to be getting better and not one of them has become infected like before.

We have been dealing with molluscum (a viral, pearl like wart that doctors say will go away on its own) for almost a year. In the past the cycle has been that a new outbreak would occur, with 2-5 new molluscum appearing. Usually one of these molluscum would end up getting extremely infected before it erupted and went away. Because they were getting so infected, I had to keep taking my daughter into the doctors where they would lance the molluscum, drain the infection, send it off to be tested (because my doctor is obsessed with MRSA) and then put her on antibiotics.

I didn’t feel like this vicious cycle was getting any better and frankly, I don’t like my kids being on antibiotics on a regular basis.

After doing more research and consulting with my doctor, we came up with a plan that seems to be working.

On Sunday evenings when I bathe my daughter, once we are done with all the hair washing, my doctor recommended adding 2-3 tablespoons of bleach to her bath water. I add the bleach and she continues to soak for 5-10 minutes. This helps to eliminate any bacteria on the outside of the skin.

Every morning and evening, she plays dot-to-dot with a cotton swab and Tea Tree Essential Oil . The tea tree oil has its own natural antibiotic and antifungal properties.

The combination of the two treatments really seems to be working. The molluscum are smaller, they are crusting over on their own and much quicker, and we have not had one get infected for almost two months.

GET THE UPDATE: The molluscum are finally gone!

It has been two weeks since our last visit to the doctor’s office and I have lost count on the number of times we have been there this summer.

My 5 year old daughter has these little bumps on her arms, legs, and trunk that the doctors keep telling me are molluscum warts. The problem is that they keep getting infected and becoming abscessed. According to our doctors the molluscum are viral and will go away on their own. They have not mentioned them being contagious and neither of my other children have them – and my girls sleep in the same bed frequently.

I just can’t help but to think that there is more to it than meets the eye. I have been doing some research and then there is the family history part of it all. My mom had similar skin issues as a child and now has diabetes. There is also celiac in the family, too.

The warts are not breaking open and then getting infected, rather the infection seems to come from the inside. I know the infection is taking its toll on her little body. She is tired, cranky and has no real appetite.

When we are at the doctor’s today, I am going to see if they are willing to do more research, run some tests and help me get to the bottom of this.

If you have any experience with kids and molluscum, I would love to hear about what worked, what didn’t and such.

<strong>GET THE UPDATE:</strong> <a href=”http://raisingahealthyfamily.com/the-molluscum-are-finally-gone/”>The molluscum are finally gone! </a>