If you read the back of any skin care product (organic or otherwise) you’re bound to come across a word that sounds pretty scary… Sometimes, they are - eg. parabens and Isohexadecane… but sometimes they just sound scary, when actually they are perfectly natural and even organic - eg. urtica dioica - which is actually nettle herb extract!

So, if you’ve found any ingredients that you’re not sure about and you want some more info, just get in touch and we’ll get one of SOPHYTO’s expert bioestheticians to give you a comprehensive explanation…

Apologies for the radio silence this past week, folks, but I was away learning how to beat my chronic fatigue/ fibromyalgia (constant muscle pain/stiffness) on a course called the Lightning Process.

I won’t harp on about it for too long but wow, what a week! I’ve learned that with a few simple steps, words and recollections, I can give myself more energy, reduce my pain and basically stop all the negative thoughts/ associations/ soundtracks I’ve been experiencing for.. well, forever!

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But it really works. You just have to teach your brain how to stop all the negative neural pathways and create new, life-enhancing ones… it’s not a miracle (even though it felt like one on Wednesday night when by doing the process twice - in about 4 minutes - I managed to get rid of a sharp pain in my shoulder that massaging had done nothing to alleviate). If you do the work consistently you can get amazing results… and not just for fatigue or ME… but for anxiety, depression, guilt, OCD, neuroses, low self esteem, feeling overwhelmed… any kind of stress at all.

That’s not to say that all of these kind of problems are just “in your head” and you need to think positively to change them. The brain is very powerful and complex - it controls everything that happens in your body… eg. your responses to all stresses. A condition like ME is neurological, psychological, immunological and physiological. Treating the physical symptoms with physio or massage or acupuncture etc might alleviate them a bit but to really switch them off you have to change the way the brain tells your body to behave - or stop the symptoms at the source, if you like. So, the idea is that by focusing on the neurology, you can have a positive effect on anything that’s going wrong in the body’s functionality.

It’s early days for me and I will need to keep doing the process a lot for the next few weeks, until the pathways become automatic. It’s like learning how to drive or speak a foreign language - at first, it seems really difficult but the more you practise, the more natural and the easier it becomes.

However, I think the most positive thing I’ve noticed already (apart from a general feeling of positivity ) is the sense of empowerment that being able to affect how you feel physically and mentally can generate… and well, that’s pretty fantastic, in itself, isn’t it? The other 5 people on the course were hugely inspiring, too. One girl - aged 13 - hadn’t walked for 3 months because of extreme vertigo so her mum pushed her around in a wheelchair. But after doing the process once she could stand up straight by herself and after 3 days, she actually pushed her wheelchair out of the class! Truly amazing.

Anyway, if you think you or anyone you know could benefit from a little neural reprogramming, check out the Lightning Process website or visit my particular trainer, Kate Gare’s, website. She had ME for 7 years, so she’s hugely understanding and very inspiring, generally.

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!

To celebrate the launch of SOPHYTO’s Dual Action Exfoliation Treatment, we’re giving away 50 samples of the great kits (containing a sample of the Dual Action Exfoliation Treatment and Tone & Balance Super Bioactive) for FREE.

Yep, all you have to do to get your hands on one of these babies is tell us your experience with exfoliators… good or bad… and then tell us what you think of the products once you’ve had a play with them. And, we will post the most interesting posts right here…

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But it really is that easy. So get emailing, people…

Uzuri Sherehe (beauty ceremony)

This organic beauty ritual blends SOPHYTO organic skincare with time-honoured and powerful natural ingredients that have kept the skin of generations of African women looking absolutely flawless and gorgeous.

Ingredients:

• 4 Marula slices
• 1 tsp Tamarind pulp
• 2 tsp mashed Baobab pulp
• 2 sets of African Wild Potato (Hypoxis Rooperi) thin discs
• Unscented Massage Butter (containing organic shea butter
• 1 sachet of SOPHYTO Purifying Active Mask (or as much as needed)
• OPTIONAL: SOPHYTO Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser and/or SOPHYTO Deep Pore Foaming Cleanser; SOPHYTO Purify & Energise Super Bioactive; SOPHYTO Polyphenol Skin Drops, SOPHYTO Skin Energising High Potency Concentrate; SOPHYTO Mega Omegas Day Face Moisturiser.

Step by Step Application: (Suggested leave on time: 10 to 15 minutes)

1. Blend tamarind and baobab pulp, add Purifying Active Mask then set to one side. (if you are not using the full SOPHYTO range skip to step 3)
2. Thoroughly cleanse skin with either Ultra Mild Silken Cleanser and/or Deep Pore Foaming Cleanser.
3. With 1 marula slice in each hand, gently massage fruit over face, neck and décolleté. (if you are not using the full SOPHYTO range skip to step 7)
4. Gently wipe skin clean with Purify & Energise Super Bioactive.
5. Using a light circular motion, apply Refining Peel Active Mask to face, neck and décolleté. Massage onto the skin for 1 minute. Leave on for 5 minutes.
6. Gently wipe skin clean with Purify & Energise Super Bioactive.
7. Either steam for 2-3 minutes or apply a hot towel (not burning) on the face. Follow with extraction of impurities if required and apply Purify & Energise Super Bioactive to sterilize the area.
8. Apply Fruit/Purifying Active Mask blend. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. Using an African Wild Potato, cut 2 sets of thin discs and chill. To apply to eyes, rest 2 discs on the lower eye socket bone, leaving space between the eye and the disc and rest 2 discs on the upper eye socket, but do not cover the eye itself.
9. Massage skin with remaining 2 marula slices and gently wipe with steam towels or wipe skin clean with Purify & Energise Super Bioactive.
10. At this step you can perform your favourite massage technique: acupressure, reflexology, relaxation,
    Ayurvedic, MLD, etc., using your Unscented Massage Butter. If the skin is acne prone/oily/combination, then blend equal parts of the Massage Butter and SOPHYTO Normalising Day Face Moisturiser.
11. Dampen skin with Purify & Energise Super Bioactive, then apply Polyphenol Skin Drops and Skin Energising High Potency Concentrate and feather in Mega Omegas Day Face Moisturiser.

Fresh Ingredients Glossary:

Baobab (Adansonia Digitata L.): Nourishes the skin and is effective in cases of acne, furunculosis (persistent crop of boils), psoriasis, wounds and inflammations. It is also recommended in cases of sunburn or accident-related burns as it provides immediate relief of pain and/or rashes. Rich in unsaturated essential fatty acids (specially oleic and linoleic) which act as emollients and make the epidermis elastic, Baobab also has anti-inflammatory, astringent, antibacterial and antiviral properties. In addition, it supports prebiotic and probiotic activities. The pulp contains high concentrations of antioxidants and natural glycolic acid
which make it suitable for antiaging purposes.

Marula (Scelerocarya Birrea): Contains up to 4 times the Vitamin C of an orange, making it a great
antioxidant (free radical scavenger) and a rich source of natural AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) which help exfoliate the skin, revealing a more youthful and brighter complexion. It also softens, soothes and regenerates the skin due to its high content of oleic acid and Vitamin E.

Tamarind (Tamarindus Indica): Contains high levels of natural tartaric acid (an AHA), which provides a gentle action to smooth, exfoliate and clarify the complexion. It helps restore firmness and regenerate new cells, restoring the skin`s natural clarity. The pulp has been proven to be very effective
in the treatment of skin infection and/or inflammation.

Shea Butter (Butyrosperum Parkii): Has natural antioxidant properties and is said to contain a small
quantity of allantoin which is renowned for its moisturising and healing qualities. It is also said to protect
the skin against external aggressions and sun-rays. It is also an effective skin emollient, smoother and revitalizer.

African Wild Potato (Hypoxis Rooperi): Ultra-nourishing (nutrient values are 50,000 times greater than
modern vegetables), it boosts the immune system due to its high concentrations of sterols and sterolins and
has been used to heal wounds and cracks.

The flawless African complexion may have a lot to do with genetics but surely it’s worth trying to copy their routines a little, too, just in case…? Head down to a multi-cultural grocer (if you can’t get to Africa, of course), try this facial and let us know how you get on.

Getting SOPHYTO off the ground has been a long and, sometimes arduous, journey…. and it’s far from over! But, as we get closer to world domination, there are some interesting pit-stops, which big boss Karen Sinclair Drake would like to share with y’all. This week, she’s been hanging out at QVC HQ…

“The Americans sure know how to sell! (And being a Brit, I can say that without bias!) Hats off to QVC, the home shopping channel… Having just spent 2 days of my life surrounded by high octane sales people, I really came to - dare I say - ‘admire’ this very successful format of selling.

Beaming into millions of people’s homes across the nation, you get a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate and talk about the product. It’s supposed to look like 2 people having a conversation over their back garden fence… best buddies and all that.

I think the QVC bods do an incredible job of checking each and every aspect of your product, its ingredients, the packaging, the claims and much, much more. They really invest in the brands they are going to air and more importantly, they really put each vendor through their paces regarding their claims. Perfect! I love that because we all know it’s like the wild wild west out there.

SOPHYTO’s Dual Action Exfoliating Kit is launching on or about April 11 with QVC US and they expect the product to be a huge hit… Why? Well simply put, our newly launched Dual Action Exfoliating Kit takes seconds to work and you don’t need water… Yeah, that’s the part that people seem to home in on. No H20.  The reason being, when exfoliating, the pH of the product is really important for it to work correctly. Keeping the skin in a mildly acidic environment is key here - and that includes the rinsing part. Water is neutral at pH7, so it essentially ‘neutralises’ this mildly acidic effect.

For this launch we are teaming our new Dual Action Exfoliating Treatment (formerly Refining Peel Active Mask) in a 50ml airless pump dispenser along with Tone & Balance Super Bioactive in a 100ml spritzer. This way you can be sure your skin is kept in the perfect pH range during both the treatment and rinsing stages - if you want to rinse with water afterward, no problem

But don’t just take our word for it - we actually did a clinical study on the exfoliating duo (which you can download: Clinical study 03/09). When women aged between 30 and 70 tried the kit, 84% said their skin felt smoother and softer, 71% thought their skin was more even and refined, 68% said their skin was brighter, 71% thought the kit would improve the performance of their existing skin care regimen, and 63% thought the treatment improved the overall appearance of their skin. Pretty good, eh?”

To celebrate the launch we’re giving away 50 FREE samples of the Dual Action Exfoliating Treatment teamed with the Tone and Balance Super Bioactive. Check back tomorrow to see how to get your hands on one of these awesome little organic skin care kits…

Ps. if you can’t wait until next week to see Karen in action, you can catch her latest video demonstrations here… courtesy of YouTube.

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