I was intrigued, but concerned. You see, my skin is super sensitive and tends towards redness and breakouts. And I’m 39! So I have to carefully watch everything I put on my face. My research confirmed my own experience: Vitamin C in the form of asorbic acid in skin care can cause irritation, redness and may even contribute to acne. In clinical trials, it takes a pretty high percentage of Vitamin C to get real results, but higher and better-performing percentages come with a host of disadvantages.

I also discovered working with Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid can be challenging, to say the least. It is notoriously unstable and when exposed to air, undergoes oxidation which can cause it to become not only ineffective but also potentially harmful—oxidized vitamin C may increase the formation of free radicals. Eek! Not what we were looking for. Stabilized vitamin C products are designed to oxidize less rapidly, however, these products are usually very expensive (especially the ones concentrated enough to be effective) and may still be excessively oxidized by the time you use them.

You can see my conundrum. I found the solution I was looking for in Vitamin C ester, also known as ascorbyl palmitate. There are two kinds of Vitamin C—the popular ascorbic acid, which is water soluble and ascorbyl palmitate, which is fat soluble. The fat soluble form of vitamin C is less irritating and better absorbed by the skin. Vitamin C ester is also more stable in topical solutions, which alleviates any concerns over stability, oxidation and free radical damage. Vitamin C ester, or ascorbyl palmitate, is less popular in skin care products though because it is much a more expensive ingredient than the water-soluble form of Vitamin C.

Why is Vitamin C ester so beneficial to the skin? Unlike water-soluble ascorbic acid, fat-soluble vitamin C ester displays greater antioxidant activity and performs at much lower doses. It has also been shown to increase the antioxidant effect and protection of Vitamin E, which is another free radical fighting powerhouse in our Vitamin C serum.

I could not wait to try this in our formula and test the results on my super fussy skin. After 4 weeks, I was so happy to report back to our team that our Vitamin C serum soothed my skin, calmed redness and reduced a few sunspots I had accumulated over the years. My skin look great and never felt irritated. Not once. Amazing! See for yourself!

We’ve been waiting on pins and needles to announce our collaboration with one of our favorite women in beauty, Elizabeth Dehn! A year in the making, we’ve poured our heart and soul into creating the ultimate moisturizing line. When it comes to healthy, gorgeous, glowing skin, moisture is everything. And let’s be honest. We all want that lit-from-within glow. The Elizabeth Dehn for One Love Organics collection combines highly-concentrated plant oils with super-effective pharmaceutical-grade vitamins and antioxidants for maximum moisture and major glow. Can you tell we are just a wee bit excited about this?!

Like us, Elizabeth believes “ingredients matter, and taking care of your skin and your spirit isn’t a luxury, but essential to total well-being.” We bonded over a mutual love of beauty rituals, a commitment to natural ingredients, a weakness for luxurious products—and the conviction that they needn’t be mutually exclusive. So to kick off, we thought it might be fun to share the story of how our love affair began and blossomed into a growing line of products we couldn’t be more proud of.

A note from Suzanne…

When we launched One Love Organics, one of the first things I did was reach out to one of my favorite beauty bloggers, Elizabeth Dehn of Beauty Bets. Elizabeth discusses beauty and products with such honesty and wit, and she is quick to point out what actually works. Much to my delight, Skin Savior quickly became a Beauty Bets fav. and I discovered why. Elizabeth is obsessed with perfectly hydrated, dewy skin.

As we bonded over all things beauty, I knew that I wanted to partner with Elizabeth to create something fabulously effective and luxurious—the ultimate in natural, plant based moisture. And I was delighted when she agreed. Elizabeth focused us on the idea that prevention (through proper moisture) is key for anti-aging. Intense moisture and active ingredients work together to offer maximum anti-aging benefits.

And this is not just her opinion; it has been clinically proven in an 8-year study that women with well-hydrated skin develop wrinkles up to 50 percent more slowly than those with dry skin. If you moisturize properly today, you could have less than half the wrinkles in 8 years than you would otherwise have had if you didn’t moisturize your skin. Genius! You can see why we were so excited to collaborate with her.

As we developed our first product, the Vitamin C Serum, I joked that working with Elizabeth is like working with my personal trainer—she pushes me just past my comfort zone to create something amazing. Our first two products, the Vitamin C Serum and the Vitamin E Eye Balm are waterless (like many of our OLO products), which means they are highly concentrated and a little goes a long way. Pure, plant oils are rich in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids that are vital to well being, health and beauty and offer the skin perfect moisture when used sparingly. These products are rich and luxurious and are meant to be savored drop by drop. I encourage you to see for yourself. I think you’re going to love what we came up with!

Enjoy!
Suzanne

A note from Elizabeth…

Greetings, One Love Organics fans! I am one of you—a diehard fan of this beautiful, responsible, wildly effective brand—so I could not be more awed or appreciative to be joining the OLO family.

But let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start. It was only a couple years ago that I was blogging away at Beauty Bets, covering the spa and beauty beat for a number of media outlets, and working ’round the clock to get my little skincare line, By Elizabeth Dehn, off the ground. The support from fans and readers was overwhelming, especially once they discovered that natural and luxurious could co-exist. One of those incredibly supportive customers was Suzanne LeRoux, the co-founder of OLO. After we bonded over my Face Spray and her Skin Savior (a revelation!), we spent hours trading notes about ingredients, aromatherapy, retail strategies, packaging challenges, how to thrive as an indie beauty brand…

Alas, By Elizabeth Dehn wouldn’t survive our manufacturer shutting its doors, but another door would open. And behind it was OLO, wondering if I’d like to partner on a product or two? Although beyond flattered, I needed a break from product-making. When I came to my senses a few months later, Suzanne and I started work on Elizabeth Dehn for One Love Organics. I use the word ‘work’ loosely, because creating a skincare line with one of the most brilliant minds in beauty isn’t work at all. It’s better than anything I could’ve dreamt up. Suzanne and I bring such different perspectives to the table—a take-no-prisoner lawyer with an encyclopedic knowledge of natural ingredients, and a super-picky beauty writer who’s a stickler for products that actually deliver—that the sum of our partnership is nothing short of magical.

But enough about me. We made these products for you, and everyone who has ever wondered why their skin is still dull and dry after schmearing it with yet another potion that costs too much and does too little. If you read Beauty Bets then you know that combination just won’t do. The OLO team is equally ruthless about using only active ingredients that serve a positive purpose. No fillers, no water, and for Pete’s sake no parabens, petroleum or glycols. But make no mistake: Our pure, plant-based formulas pack a serious punch. The Vitamin C Serum is crazy dewifying AND brightening, protective, and hydrating. The Vitamin E Eye Balm is big-time moisturizing AND de-puffing, smoothing and firming. I could go on and on, but the only way to experience the mind-blowing, skin-saving benefits of these products is to try them. And just think: This is only the beginning of what we have up our sleeves!

Cheers,
Elizabeth

So we put together a little guide for Winter Radiant Skin and Hair…

Photography by Sarah DeShaw

1. Turn the heat down.
We know it’s a bummer, but lower the temperature of your shower water. Trust us. Glowing skin and healthy hair will be worth it! Try warm water instead of hot, and limit your bath to 15 minutes at the longest—showers even less. The longer and hotter the shower, the more moisture you’re likely to lose because when your natural oils are lost, water from the skin also escapes, leading to irritation and dry skin. If it helps, you are also lowering your environmental footprint by conserving water and energy. Win. Win!

2. Filter your water.
In addition to water temperature and exposure time, there is another culprit in most water supplies that could be damaging your skin. Chlorine!  Chlorine reacts chemically with hair and skin—causing irritation to the skin and damage to the hair. As we mentioned, hot water is drying, but the presence of chlorine is that much more damaging because it strips your natural protective oils. Hair color can be dulled, or if color treated, can fade rapidly through contact with chlorine. Luckily there is an easy fix for this. Look for a water filter with a multi-stage filtering system, that is easy to install and has an easily changed filter. See. Easy. 

3. Cleanse. Gently.
The outermost layer of our skin cells, along with naturally occurring oils, comprise the skin’s protective barrier. This protection defends us from harsh and abrasive environments and keeps us healthy. But it can easily become stripped and damaged in the line of duty. A hot steamy shower will trigger your pores to open and increases the skin’s rate of absorption, so make sure to use products that are healthy and safe. You also want a mild cleanser (like Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser) that won’t strip your skin further leaving it feeling tight and itchy, like harsh cleansers do.

A special note to bathers: If you prefer baths (like we do!), add a small dollop of Skin Savior to the water or rub it into your skin to help protect and prevent drying. Your skin will thank you!

4. Replenish!
Of course, never skip moisturizing. It is vital to moisturize after each shower or bath while the skin is still damp. This will seal in moisture and help to rebuild the protective barrier. But be careful, as oil can make your tub or floor slippery! Before you step out of the shower, apply Skin Savior to damp skin and gently pat (don’t rub) your skin dry. Follow this with one of our new Aromatic Body Serums—with a base of pumpkin seed oil, which contains natural salicylic acid to refine skin texture, plus sea buckthorn oil, which is rich in anti-aging omega 7 acids—to help lock in precious moisture. We also love this idea from Salt Lake Magazine “A few times a week, apply [Rose Aromatic Body Serum] and allow your skin to air dry after a shower. Towel drying can often strip skin of it’s hydration.”

Voilà! Winter radiant skin and hair!

Print by our good friend Smitten Studios (Available here)

We’re lucky here at One Love Organics. Nurturing body, mind and spirit is something we talk about everyday. We recognize the power of the spa ritual to re-invigorate the spirit, soothe stressed nerves, and nurture the kind of resiliency and self love that allows us all to be a powerful force of good in the world. You know, when we aren’t discussing the Golden Globes red carpet (We loved all those elegant, plunging necklines!) or the instagram video (We admit, we’re guilty of more than one of these). Laughter is a pretty powerful force too!

Where were we? Oh yeah. The everyday spa ritual. So chances are you’ve got your skin care routine down to a science. Every pore is tended to. Every cell plump and moisturized. Your face is radiant and glowing. But the rest of your skin? Not so much. That’s why we developed our new Aromatic Body Serum collection. Now you can pamper every inch of your skin (and even your hair!) with a little love of its own.

Our Aromatic Body Serums deliver a mist of precious oils that intensely nourish the skin, leaving it refreshed, beautifully scented, and soft to the touch. Created especially for the body, these light yet decadent serums couple aromatherapy with potent natural actives in an emollient blend of organic plant oils, extracts and antioxidants.

NURTURE YOUR BODY
The spray application means you never get too much. Just spritz all over your body and massage into the skin. Or spritz once in your hand and stroke through the ends of your hair. During these cold winter months, we also like to spray them into running water for an aromatic and soothing bath.

Pumpkin Seed Oil
A natural source of salicylic acid, Pumpkin Seed Oil lightly exfoliates to refine and improve skin texture. With a high concentration of zinc, Omegas 3 & 6, and the carotenoid zeaxanthin, it also helps to increase hydration and improve skin elasticity. Antioxidant vitamins A and E help reduce transepidermal water loss and help to reduce the appearance of fine lines, leaving skin that appears brighter and evenly toned.

Elderberry Extract
We love the beautifying qualities of the super fruit, Elderberry. Elderberries are rich in a variety of phytonutrients that exhibit both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Antioxidants are excellent additions to skin care regimens as they provide protection from free radicals that contribute to aging and wrinkle formation. Elderberry is gently stimulating to the epidermis and is high in astringent tannins and bio-flavonoids, making it useful for skin firming and toning applications.

Red Rooibos Extract
Red Rooibos, an herb from South Africa, has been used for centuries to help keep the skin radiant and beautiful. The herb contains an abundant amount of nutrients, organic compounds and minerals in it that are beneficial to the skin. Rooibos is especially rich in the rock-star antioxidant compound quercetin, which helps to fight and neutralize free radicals (those nasty particles that are the main cause of premature aging). In addition, Quercetin has soothing anti-inflammatory properties and as such may be effective at soothing eczema, rashes and promoting wound healing. Like we said, rock star! Also found in Rooibos, alpha hydroxy acid and zinc are great for promoting smooth, bright and radiant skin. The herb also has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-septic, properties, which are all excellent for helping to treat skin discomforts such as sunburns, breakouts and rashes.

Supercritical Sea Buckthorn Oil
Supercritical Sea Buckthorn Oil nourishes and conditions the skin with a generous helping of rare and potent Omega-7. Seabuckthorn is also powerfully rich in vitamins A, C and E and phytonutrients carotenes and flavonoids which help nourish, revitalize, and restore the skin. It can effectively help to combat wrinkles, dryness and other symptoms of under nourished or prematurely aging skin.

NURTURE YOUR SPIRIT
These gorgeous, light scents stimulate the senses with an aromatherapy boost, without competing with your favorite perfume.

Loving and Open
Our best seller, Rose essential oil soothes, softens and hydrates the skin, while opening the heart to invite love in on all levels.

Happy and Energized
Neroli essential oil helps to balance and nourish the skin while promoting energy, playfulness and joy.

Calm and Collected
Chamomile essential oil helps to calm dry and stressed out skin, while comforting the spirit and boosting self-control.

Creative and Renewed
Lavender essential oil helps to ease tired muscles and soothe sensitive skin, while rejuvenating and inspiring the spirit.

Here’s to 2013! May this be a year filled with more love, more joy, more of what matters most. Share your resolutions or what you want more of this year in the comments. Let’s make this the best year yet!

1. Let them choose their favorite project to fund with a Global Giving Gift Card / 2. Give the gift of opportunity with Heifer International / 3. Fund a project with Global Giving / 4. Give a gift of rescue to those in need with the International Rescue Committee

We have even more gifts that give ideas on our Holiday Gift Guide on Pinterest!

1. Dark Chocolate Truffles / 2. Pom Lip Gloss / 3. T-shirt Necklace / 4. Patterned Napkins / 5. Infused Olive Oils (simply steep your favorite herb in a high quality extra virgin olive oil) and Scented Sugars

We have even more handmade gift ideas on our Holiday Gift Guide on Pinterest!

1. American Beauty / 2. Stacking Dots Ring / 3. Kaleido Trays / 4. Healthy Winter Skin Gift Set / 5. Fredericks and Mae for Baggu Tassel Pouch // Buggu Pouch / 6. Kinfolk Magazine / 7. Tom Dixon Candle Holder / 8. Yosh Perfume / 9. Garance Dore for Kate Spade iphone case / 10. Kelly Wearstler Horizon Gloves / 11. Marc Jacobs Heart earphones / 12. Rifle Botanical Journal

For more ideas, follow us on pinterest. We’ll be adding more ideas to the 2012 Holiday Gift Guide board all season long!

You have probably noticed that the skin on the back of your hands is quite thin, and it is worth noting too that it has fewer oil producing cells than the skin on the face, so it tends to dry out much more quickly. Dry skin is an invitation to wrinkles; so too, lack of moisture and frequent exposure to the elements results in both wrinkles and age spots.

Of course, there is the old adage that if one wants to know a woman’s true age, one should look at her hands. Like our faces, our hands are an integral part of our mode of self-expression, essential to the ways in which we communicate, so it is important that we feel confident about their health and appearance – and to feel good too about how we are caring for them.

At One Love Organics we have developed the following winter hand-care guide for use at the end of the day, or anytime, to give hands some much needed pampering and care:

Step 1: Begin by cleansing your hands with warm (not hot) water and our Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser. Easy Does It is a mild soap free cleanser that contains glycerin, a natural humectant, which helps retain moisture.

Step 2: While your hands are still damp, perform a hand and arm massage. Using a small amount of Love Springs Eternal Youth Preservation Serum, start at the elbow and work down towards the nails, kneading and pressing until your fingertips feel a bit of tingle from the increased circulation. This increased circulation will help bring vital nutrients to the skin and may help improve the quality of collagen and elastin. Applying the serum to damp skin allows it to fully soak in, and also helps to retain surface moisture.  Remember, a little time for massage can be a relaxing moment for the mind and spirit as well as healing for the skin.

Step 3: Finally, apply a liberal amount of Skin Savior Balm to hands and wrists. Applying a layer of the balm over the serum in this way gives an intensive moisturizing treatment to your hands – so as a last step, and to maximize the effects, it is a good idea to slip on a pair of natural cotton gloves. When you awake in the morning you will find your hands are dramatically soothed and very smooth too!

Photograph by lovemaegan

A note about gloves:

Be sure to use good quality 100% cotton gloves, and make sure they fit properly, so as not to cut off your circulation during the night. And wash gloves between uses.

A few final thoughts and good tips:

We like to do this overnight treatment weekly, but no more than that, as delicate skin may become irritated. For optimal results – and healthy smooth skin – apply a very small amount of Skin Savior to your hands after washing them. Additionally, apply a liberal coat of Skin Savior before washing dishes, bathing the babies or pets, or performing any outdoor activities. Using protective waterproof gloves for these activities is always a good idea, but a protective coat of moisture is a must! One of our clients says she gets wonderful results by slathering Skin Savior on her hands before she takes a shower, finding that especially during the winter months, her skin stays beautifully moisturized. Good idea!

So take care of your wonderful hands and give them some love!

Designed by Petite Alma for Tiny Prints

It is during this time that Halloween arrives, which has become for contemporary western culture a time of festive disguises, jack o’ lanterns made of pumpkins, and lots of sweet treats – the latter especially loved by children. This usually means there is a lot of candy around, and some of it is certainly no treat for parents to deal with. But removing the tradition of sweets, so alive in a child’s imagination, would be a sad denial at this magical time of year.

Of course we know that too much sugar is not good for us, but neither is too much anxiety about it. There is a simpler way, and though the common misconception is that simple living is about deprivation and doing without, we feel that living a simple life is about good choices, that it is about balance above all and appreciating life in its wholeness. We can emulate a life with less noise, less clutter and less stress, but there shouldn’t be less enjoyment. Living the balanced life brings less anxiety and more of the things that really matter – contentment, freedom and joy – because the best choices are being made.

It is in this spirit that we have found a number of yummy alternatives when it comes to holiday treats, and we share a few of them with you here. They represent some of the better choices that we can make for ourselves, and our families, when it comes to purchasing candy:

First on the list is a new candy company we love called Unreal. They produce unadulterated versions of popular candy treats, which are free of artificial food dyes, genetically engineered ingredients, high-fructose corn syrup and trans fats. Hooray! And they do it using less sugar while also providing 60 percent more protein. Their goals include sourcing ingredients responsibly and supporting sustainable farming. The ingredients used in Unreal candy are non-GMO, and dairy ingredients come from cows raised without antibiotics or added hormones. My son and I recently taste-tested these and absolutely love them! See #7 above.

Then there is Glee Gum, and we are definitely gleeful about this confectioner! They offer chewing gum made the old-school way, without fake food dyes and dangerous artificial sweeteners. Each Mini Glee Variety Pack contains a handy Halloween-friendly assortment of 21 boxes in kid-friendly flavors. See #3 above.

Finally, Indie Candy is a must stop for natural and organic candy shopping. They specialize in gourmet candies that are allergen free. They create their own confections in-house, and also offer some of the best allergen free candies currently available on the market and made by other independent candy makers. They make it possible for their customers to have choices that are organic, vegan, soy free, dairy free and tree nut free! This is indeed a treat for families with allergies for whom this time of year can be such a challenge! Oh, and the designs and packaging are adorable and holiday themed. See #6 above.

So enjoy your holiday treats this year and live a happy balanced life!

We also couldn’t resist sharing these too cute Halloween themed papergoods from Paper Source and Bandito Design Co.!

1, 4 and 5 are from: Paper Source

Photographer: Adam Campbell

In her delightful and informative article, “G is for Grounding,” in the October-November 2012 issue of the magazine Mary Janes Farm, Dr. Laura Koniver, MD, discusses the benefits of “grounding” – or “earthing” – as it is often referred to. She describes how the earth acts as a natural source of energy for us, like “…an enormous, gentle, strong, ever-available battery that discharges and neutralizes all of the free radicals we accumulate all day long. It removes the inflammation from the inflammatory processes of our bodies and basically takes the wind out of the sails of all major diseases. Negatively charged electrons from the surface of a negatively charged earth wash up and over our inflamed, positively charged bodies and neutralize us from the inside out.”

One Love Organics is located on St. Simons Island, a beautiful barrier island off the coast of Georgia, so our favorite way to ground is a walk on the beach. But as long one has direct contact with the earth, such as going barefoot – no matter the locale – one is able to benefit from the earth’s subtle healing energies.  Our beach walks relieve stress and bring us into contact with the sand, water and the sea air that is so full of healthy negative ions. These negatively charged particles are abundant in sea spray and fresh air, and may well improve our ability to absorb oxygen by neutralizing damaging free radicals (positively charged ions).

Photographer: Adam Campbell

Yet walking on a beach is just one way to ground. There are so many ways that we can form, and benefit from, this connection with the earth: leaning against a tree with a book, getting our hands in the soil when gardening, or finding a park where we can wiggle our toes in the green grass– all of these connect us directly with the healing, grounding influence of the earth!

How do you like to ground?

We would love to hear from you!

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Note: You can find the inspiring MaryJanesFarm magazine at MaryJane Butters’ webite: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/magazine.asp