miessence

What Is Reflect?

Reflect is a water-free nourishing balm with natural minerals that help reflect damaging ultraviolet radiation. Micro-fine zinc oxide offers protection from harmful rays whilst organic olive oil keeps the skin supple.

Potent antioxidants including natural vitamin E, beta carotene and polygonum extract, protect the skin from premature aging and prevent damage caused by the elements. Use any time you are exposed to the elements.

Why Do We Need Natural Sun Protection?

We all know that getting sunburnt is not a good idea and that sunscreen is the way to prevent sunburn… but what are those chemicals in commercial sunscreens? Latest research has  begun to discover some serious problems:

• Octyl-methoxycinnamate – produces free radicals (singlet molecular oxygen) known to be toxic to cells (1)
• Titanium dioxide – causes DNA damage (the cells genetic material) due to superoxide radicals, active oxygenradicals and hydroxyl radicals when exposed to light (2) (3) (4)
• Oxybenzone – is rapidly oxidized in the presence of light and inactivates important antioxidant systems in the skin (the skin’s natural protection system) (5)
• PABA – produces free radicals in the presence of light (1)
• Cinoxate – causes DNA damage (sister chromatid exchanges) (6)

Medical Research Papers
1) Chem Res Toxicol 1996 Apr-May; 9(3):605-9; 2) Mutat Res 2000 Mar 3; 466(1):1-7; 3) Free
Radic Biol Med 1999 Aug; 27 (3-4);294-300; 4) FEBS Lett 1997 Nov 24; 418(1-2):87-90; 5) J
Invest Dermatol, 1996 Mar 106(3):583-6; 6) Mutat Res 1989 Jun 21;2(2): 213-21

What type of mineral is used in Reflect?

Zinc oxide is the mineral used in Reflect. It has over a 300 year history of safety with no known adverse reactions (which is why it is often used to treat babies).  It protects against UVB and most of the UVA spectrum and is the closest thing to a total sunblock on the market today. No other sunscreen ingredient provides broader protection (1).

(1) Excerpt from:Dr. Pinnell, The J. Lamar Callaway Professor of Dermatology at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, is a consultant for sunSmart, Wainscott, NY, and SkinCeuticals, Dallas, TX. Dr. Madey is the medical/scientific liaison for SkinCeuticals, Dallas TX.

You might expect a product labeled “pure, natural and organic” to be, well … pure, natural and organic. But you might be in for a surprise.  For full article click http://www.safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=225

Technorati Tags: certified organic products, natural

I spent the morning with my husband and two daughters picking fresh strawberries.  Even at 4 and 2 years old, they already assume food comes from the farm or market rather than a grocery store.  We have frequented local farms and markets for the past year and my children’s enthusiasm makes it even more enjoyable than I’d ever imagined.  The recent addition of a backyard garden allows even more “hands-on” adventures for the whole family.  What is better than a toddler enjoying the “fruits” of their labor?

She ate more than she picked!

Common commercial skin care products may increase users’ risk of contracting skin cancer, according to a paper by researchers from Rutgers University and published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Researchers had originally been planning to study whether topically applied caffeine could reduce people’s risk of skin cancer. The researchers intended to apply caffeine to mice by dissolving it into a skin cream, but first wanted to make sure that any cream they used was actually neutral for skin cancer risk. So they applied four commercially available creams to the mice, and discovered that all of them increased the mice’s risk of developing skin tumours known as squamous cell carcinoma. Read the full story: http://www.naturalnews.com/025845.html

Technorati Tags: skin care products