Q: I know I should avoid synthetic chemicals, but which ones and why ?

A: Say “yes” to Mother Nature. That is what I am saying. That is more important than saying “no” to petroleum and synthesized chemicals. My motto is: “Mother Nature is the best cure for Father Time.”

Synthetic chemicals are the ingredients in most skin care products that cause rashes and bad reactions and create all sorts of problems. There is serious documentation about many cosmetic preservatives widely used that are potentially harmful. For further reading, you may want to pick up a copy of Aubrey Hampton’s book, Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care.

Remember your skin has a powerful ability to absorb. If you rub garlic on your feet, it can later be detected on your breath, so whatever you put on your skin is important.
In addition, we prefer to support agriculture, which is a renewable resource.

Q: I’m 40 and I’ve always had perfect skin. Now I break out all the time with acne. Why ?

A: I think that most adult acne is hormonal. Improving your diet and exercising is going to improve your overall health, but not necessarily have a great impact on clearing up your long-term, stubborn, recurring acne. A program of balancing hormones by taking internally the herbs dong quai and vitex or inhaling the scent of essential oil of fennel can be helpful.

Many benefit from eating lots of fresh fruit, drinking lots of water, and steaming the skin daily with lavender, rose, lily, and chamomile. Others drink teas of burdock root, yellow dock, and chicory. Many experience improvement by taking supplements of lecithin and B vitamins. Consider seeing a highly qualified acupuncturist or herbalist. (See section on Acne.)

Q: What is the best thing to use to wash my face—soap?

A: I think the skin care business has to get away from answering a blanket question like this with a canned answer. They do so because this is what the consumer seems to want: “Just tell me in ten seconds or less what I should use.”

There is no perfect answer. It depends mostly on you and your preferences, what you think is right for your skin. What are you using now? Why? Are you happy with the results? Do you find soap drying? Are you 13 with severe acne or 45 with wrinkles?

Like everything else, soap has its place on the planet. I personally like soap. I like the feeling that all the makeup, dirt, and grime has been removed. Look for soaps that have essential oils of lavender or sage and herbs of lily, chamomile, and sage. I personally also like to use a pure herbal astringent on a cotton ball to doubly insure all the makeup and soap residue is gone.

To remove all makeup, tone your skin, and to tighten large pores, look for products with lily, lavender, and sage.

Q: What’s wrong with using my body lotion on my face? It is a lot cheaper.

A: Nothing, if that’s what you want to use and you are happy with the ingredients, comfortable putting them on your face, and like the way the product performs.

Q: I use Retin A for acne/wrinkles. Are natural products compatible with it?

A: Yes, I think natural products are really perfect for people using Retin A, because they are so soothing and balancing. However, I would not recommend Retin A for wrinkles. I feel it is just too hard on your skin. You must stay out of the sun. It sloughs your skin too quickly. I also think the same about alpha hydroxy products; for most people, they are just too harsh.

It is, in my opinion, much better to use a pure botanical application. I like the honey and papaya blends. You can make them yourself. Just mix or blend fresh papaya with honey and apply to your skin for twenty minutes and rinse off. Another great way to stimulate and rejuvenate skin is to apply diluted pineapple juice, allow to sit on your skin, and then rinse. Diluted vinegar applied with a washcloth is another excellent peel.

Other excellent products to use when your skin is so sensitive due to the harmful effects of synthetic chemicals is a nice rich cream with lily, almond oil, and comfrey. Look for products that contain lots of healing herbs such as the ones outlined in this book. (See sections on Herbs and Essential Oils.) I make an herbal moisturizer with nineteen different healing herbs, plus aloe and vegetable glycerin.