Smell your way happy

More and more research is beginning to confirm what all of us already knew, the effects of smell are real. Smell can positively effect your mood. One study suggests that scent exposure to a particular fragrance can even reawaken memories of an experience from the distant past.

Essential oils are generally characterized by notes (top, middle or base). A base note is always the deepest and heaviest scent. A top note is always light and airy and the middle falls in between the two.

Usually a lighter note is used to elevate a person's spirit and deal with emotions. A base note should be used to address deep tissue problems.

Don't forget your Scandle originals, infused with essential oils to help you with any kind of day.

What are your favorite essential oil smells? Do share your Scandle-ous faves.

Beauty Myth of the Day

Scandle Candle's Beauty Myth Countdown.

Myth #16:

Drying problematic or oily skin clears up acne.

Truth:

The goal of any skin care routine should be to keep the skin balanced. When using overly-drying products, the skin goes into oil producing overdrive. Even with problematic acne or oily skin, one should always use drying products sparingly and use a light, water-based moisturizer to control any unwanted shine.

Myth of the Day

Scandle Candle's Beauty Myth Countdown.

Myth #27:

The only form of vitamin C that works is L-ascorbic acid.

Truth:

Vitamin C is one of the best antioxidants for your skin. L-ascorbic acid is the natural form of vitamin C, but it remains in its most effect form for only a limited time and has some downsides.

• It can be quite irritating to the skin


• It is not very stable. It oxidizes easily when exposed to air, which can be slightly harmful to skin.

Research and product development in cosmetic uses for vitamin C have yielded some new variations.

• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP)

MAP is a derivative of vitamin C that has the same collagen-boosting effect as L-ascorbic acid, but is more stable and is gentler on sensitive skin. MAP still degrades as rapidly as L-Ascorbic, so it is important to keep these products sealed and away from sunlight.

• Ascorbyl Palmitate

Palmitate is also a vitamin C derivative but does not have the same advantages as MAP does; it takes much higher quantities to get the collagen-producing effects of vitamin C. There is still much needed research on this derivative to determine if there is enough vitamin concentration possible for skin-care products. But it is still more stable than L-ascorbic acid.

Be sure to read any beauty product label closely. Some products can boast of new vitamin C breakthroughs but may contain trace amounts of L-ascorbic acid.


Does anyone have any new vitamin C products to rave about? Let us know.

Scandle in the news.

• Scandle is featured in today's Gifted blog. Check out Gifted for great advice on gifting ideas.
• Scandle is featured in today's Mars & Venus in the Beauty Closet, at the bottom the page.

How green is it really?

The term natural is defined as “existing in or derived from nature, not made, caused by, or processed by humankind.” The most commonly used natural products in cosmetic care include: vegetable oils, salt, sugar, honey, beeswax and other similar ingredients. But, most of these ingredients have to be processed or harvested in some form before they are safe enough to be used in cosmetic or beauty care products. Scandle uses shea butter, jojoba and vitamin E, which are completely natural.

A large amount of 100% natural products are actually naturally derived products. This term means that a process was used to extract the ingredients. But, not all companies use a safe or eco-friendly way to do that. Many do use synthetic chemicals, so be sure to do your research on the extraction process of a “natural” product. Scandle, for instance, uses soy butter derived in an environmentally-friendly way. Scandle uses non-GMO soy in all of our products. The estimated genetically modified soy crop production in the U.S. is about 89 percent.

Organic items, by labeling, do not include any chemical fertilizers or other artificial chemicals and are relating to or derived from living organisms. Organic products can be confusing because some products can legally be labeled organic when they actually only contain a trace amount of organic oils. It is also important to do research on organic labeling, a number of products that use the term “organic” only have a few ingredients that fit the definition. Scandle, for example, utilizes organic French lavender essential oils, but we do not mislead our customers by labeling the product as “organic.”

Just because a product is “certified” in any of the preceding categories does not necessarily give validity to the claim. Consumers need to be careful when any product is certified organic, natural, etc. There are now so many certification organizations that it is hard to determine what percentage of the product is true to the definition. All organizations have different criteria that must be met.

Has anyone found a great eco-friendly product, only to find out maybe it wasn’t so earth-friendly after all? We would love to hear any tips or advice educating us on these new products.