After getting some fantastic feedback on the live chat functionality we introduced on Sophytoorganics.com for all our US fans a few weeks ago, we are now delighted to be able to offer the same thing to everyone in the UK and Europe on Sophytoorganics.co.uk as well… as of now!

Peeps in Europe can now speak live to a very talented skin care expert every week day between 11am-3pm GMT.

You really can ask her anything and everything about your skin and its particular needs so please do take full advantage of her expertise. After all, where else could you get such a service - FOR FREE??

The skin care expert in question is the lovely Françoise Rapp. Françoise, who speaks English and French, is considered a pioneer in the field of holistic aromatherapy and natural perfumery. An exceptional fragrance designer with more than 20 years’ experience in the fragrance, beauty and spa business, she has worked with top names in the industry, including Annick Goutal in Paris, developing a wide array of exclusive aromatics and cosmetics for their exquisite face and body treatments. During the 10 years Françoise spent  in the USA, she gained a reputation as an alchemist, a cutting-edge aromatherapist and perfumer creating genuine elixirs and sustainable perfumes.

Françoise has published a best-selling aromatherapy book,  L’Aromathérapie et ses bienfaits and was featured as a key speaker at the International Congress of Esthetics, Les Nouvelles Esthétiques, in Paris. A regular feature on the speaking circuit for natural perfumery, Françoise has recently joined Sophyto’s green innovation team, working on formulating some very exciting new products… more info on that to follow soon!

So, don’t forget 11am-3pm GMT and EST you can now talk to someone who really cares about skin health and has the knowledge to help you get yours into tip-top condition.

Finally, we humble citizens can get our questions to some of the big MNCs - thanks to The Guardian’s new section: ‘You ask, they answer’. Every week, they’re going to put a big corporate in the hot seat and anyone can ask them a question online…

First up, we have ECOVER - the Belgian natural, eco-friendly detergent people. So, what do you want to ask them?

Someone’s already pipped me to the post with “why doesn’t Ecover washing up liquid actually work?’ so we at SOPHYTO HQ are going to have to think on… I trust you’ll do the same…

Like many people, I have been aware of a global legislative movement to quash our right to buy nutritional supplements, but it seems to have gone off the boil a little and certainly went off my radar until I was alerted to a series of clips on YouTube called “Codex and ‘Nutricide’”.

The films show a seminar on the proposed changes to the international food regulations and the implications it will have, not only on our (specifically the US) right to buy vitamin and mineral supplements and send nutrient-rich foods to malnourished people in third countries, but also on the levels of antibiotics and hormones that will be mandatorily injected into ALL livestock (including organic).

If this is true, it makes for some scary listening. Watch the clips and tell me what you think? If anyone has any more updated information on the situation, I’d love to hear it.

What about other uses of vitamins/minerals? Will this impact the herbal ingredients that we can use for organic skin care as well?

You can find out more info and, if you feel inclined, sign their respective petitions at the following websites:

USA - www.healthfreedomusa.org; UK - www.consumersforhealthchoice.com.

The UK one even shows how many celebs have pledged their support to the campaign so far, which includes Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Sir Cliff Richard and Neneh Cherry, to name a few.

As someone currently relying on a number of nutritional supplements to improve my health, I find the potential ban worrying indeed. But, if this is just one part of international sanctions to benefit the drug companies and drug all of our living food without public consensus that is truly terrifing.

To be continued…

India is known for its commitment to perfection. Blend the following oils for a heady fragrant organic beauty ritual that will help harness your higher mind.

Essential Oil Blend from India

The higher the grade of oil you choose (preferably organic), the greater their potency and effectiveness.

Essential Oils: 10 drops of Sandalwood essential oil + 5 drops of Spikenard essential oil + 5 drops of
Palmarosa essential oil

Base Oil: Neem oil or Sesame oil

Why this blend?

Sandalwood (Santalum Album): clarifies and enhances the detoxifying action upon the skin; it is a powerful antiseptic and astringent essential oil. Balancing, cooling, Sandalwood aligns the mind, body and spirit and helps the individual to be connected with its self.

Palmarosa (Cymbopogon Martini Var. Motia): Originally from India, this herb essence offers unique healing properties for the skin, from healing scars to eczema, making it a major essential oil in skin care. Its enjoyable fragrance eases irritability and stress.

Spikenard (Nardostachys Jatamansi): a potent remedy for many skin ailments resulting from bacterial infections - and not only on skin but it helps terminate the bacterial growth inside the body, too. It can be applied on wounds to protect them from bacterial infection, and as an anti-fungal, it helps cure ailments caused by fungal infections on the skin and internally as well. Calming, sedative, it relaxes and soothes the mood and the mind as well, easing the tension within the body/mind/spirit.

Neem Oil (Azadirachta Indica): Its cooling properties make neem oil one of the best remedies for inflammatory skin conditions. Neem oil is traditionally used for dryness and skin inflammation. As a natural antibacterial and antifungal, it is also commonly used for a variety of skin imbalances. Regular applications of Neem oil help restore and maintain healthy vibrant skin.

Sesame Oil (Sesamum Indicum): According to Ayurveda, Sesame oil has the ability to reduce toxins and generate tissues in human body. Sesame oil softens, hydrates and rejuvenates the skin. It is the very best natural conditioner for the skin: it doesn’t stop at the skin the way other oils do but penetrates through and gathers oil-soluble toxins to eliminate them by the body as waste. It also neutralizes oxygen radicals, which are thought to be one of the major causes of ageing. The inflammatory processes from body insults and from natural and environmental toxins cause skin to look old, leathery, and tough: Sesame oil molecules absorb quickly through the skin, into the tissue to stop inflammatory processes, make skin look and feel youthful, silky and resilient.

Application:

• Pour the essential oils into a 1/3 oz (10 ml) bottle,  and then add the vegetable oil.

• If you have known sensitivities, allergies or immune system health problems, carry out a simple skin patch test before use. It is advisable to use this technique when first using any new product and its ingredients for the first time. Follow this simple method.

• If you are happy to proceed, pour one drop of the blend onto the palm of your hands, warm it up with your fingers and then apply it to the following points. You can apply the blend on all or any of the points as feels appropriate for you. Alternatively, place some drops of this blend into a diffuser, or burner for its healing properties, creating a gentle and relaxing environment.

• The crown chakra is our connection to our higher spirit and this is where knowledge and integration of the Spirit into the body takes place. At night, massage a few drops of the healing blend gently on the top of the head. Press gently three times few drops of the healing blend on the third eye point then slide the fingers to the ear lobes; press gently three times again.

• Breathe the blend deeply after applying your (organic) skin care regimen.

We defy you not to feel spiritually enlightened after trying this one!

It can be quite alarming when someone senses something about you without your telling them anything. But, if they manage to put their finger on things you’ve been struggling with, it can be strangely comforting, too. Or so I discovered a couple of weeks ago when I indulged in an “intuitive massage” with a ‘psychic’ healer known as Marianne K. Marianne had been recommended to me by a good friend who said she cried for three days straight after seeing her and then felt sensationally free - like all of her cares had been lifted. Needless to say I was curious - if somewhat cynical and fearful of the intense crying part!

As much as I want to believe, I am scientific in my need for proof sometimes. But, curiosity got the better of me and so I arrived at the prestigious Hale Clinic and prepared to be ‘healed’ (with plenty of worries and ailments ready and waiting for diagnosis!).

The massage part was amazing - l lay on two super hot water pillows and Marianne reached beneath me to soothe organic oils onto my aching muscles. Apparently a lot of people fall asleep at this point but I was way too intrigued to hear more ‘intuition’ to relax that far.

As soon as I walked in, she ‘felt’ that I had a headache which was indeed true, and then she proceeded to tune into problems I was having with my relationships (past and present!). I had been feeling listless and unsure about my career path as well but she said that she sensed I was already on the right track. I didn’t think too much about that at the time, but when she called and reiterated the point a few days later, I believed her and I felt a degree of peace that I hadn’t had in ages.

I didn’t cry at all in the coming days, I just felt tired (nothing new there, though). But, in spite of the sh%t that has since hit the fan (my boyfriend is moving to Detroit for two years and my housemate just announced she’s pregnant and getting married so I have to move out in a few weeks’ time - it’s like a prime-time soap round these parts, I tell ya!), I feel surprisingly calm and open to the positive processes that these changes may have set in motion…

So do I feel healed? Well, no, not exactly. I still have chronic fatigue, muscle pain, digestive problems and all sorts. But I do think Marianne helped me.

To me, one of the most frustrating things about western medicine is that no-one has time to care about what might be going on with the people they are trying to treat, to match past and present experiences, or to acknowledge the mind-body connection that is so integral to so many modern ailments. And, it was really refreshing to have someone tell me what might be wrong rather than just asking for a list of all of my symptoms.

I think with most integrative medicine, a big part of the healing process comes with accepting that you need to face up to certain ills and seeking the right person to facilitate that return to health (rather than anyone waving a magic wand and granting better health for evermore).

So, if you are in the area, I would heartily recommend a visit to the Hale Clinic to see Marianne K. The hydrothermic massage pillows alone are worth a try… and if you’re feeling a little upside down or back to front, you just might learn a thing or two as you lie down that could set you back on track. Plus, she’s very easy to talk to… so if you’ve used up your friends’/spouse’s patience this month, there is another sympathetic ear waiting…

For more information, check out www.justholistic.co.uk or email Marianne K directly.

So, we’ve done a lot of talking about why we think it’s worth caring about organic skin care and what makes it (SOPHYTO organics skin care, in particular) so great. But what do you think? Do you actively seek organic cosmetics or not? If so, can you find everything you need? If, not, what would you like to get your hands on…?

As well as sharing what’s going on at SOPHYTO HQ and in the green world at large, we want to use The Green Room as a forum, or noticeboard if you will, where anyone can post their thoughts, and hopefully start interesting chats about the things we care about - namely, ethical, sustainable and health-benefiting products, why we want them… how we can do better. SOPHYTO is dreaming up new product ideas all the time but we need your help in making sure we’re on the right track.

What do you use? What works for you? What doesn’t? If you could create the perfect bathroom cabinet collection, what would each product do and/or contain?

So, if you’ve got something to say, please send us a comment or, better yet, email me your ideas for blog posts about the things you are thinking about. If you want to see your stuff up on here, that’s all good too. This is a community people… Come one, come all… it’s time to share