A Healthy Conscience Says Hello To Naturally Based Products

A growing number of consumers are interested in naturally based, vegan and/or plant-based alternatives. It’s a thriving sector—one that some experts think could change the beauty industry for good. This seismic change in what people want is part of the larger shift in consumer awareness about health and wellness. Thanks to a growing number of beauty blogs and social media accounts dedicated to the benefits of wellness, consumers have access to more information than ever before about what helps them.

The Cruelty-Free Movement Has Taken Over One tremendous movement is for corporations to be cruelty free. Public opinion and consumer power have had monumental influence on influencing corporate behavior and legislative initiatives toward saying no to animal testing. Over the last 25 years, the public demand for cruelty free products has grown so much that innovative non-animal testing strategies which yield efficient and accurate safety data have proliferated. Changes in the law haven’t been far behind. Organizations like Cruelty Free International and The Leaping Bunny Program, the gold-standard in cruelty free certification for personal care and household products companies and signifies no animal testing at any stage of product development. It’s the only globally recognized guarantee that a brand has made a genuine commitment to ending animal testing for its products. Certified companies must meet its rigorous criteria. To be Leaping Bunny certified is a big win for those of us who care.

Saying Yes to Naturally Based Products Naturally based products are becoming the rage among today’s health conscious shoppers. As more and more people become aware of how naturally based products can positively affect their lives, they are making the switch and opting for healthier options.

MONAT Global is at the top echelon of hair care companies that are cruelty free, manufacture naturally based products and say yes to acceptable products. Leaping Bunny certified, MONAT has made a commitment to providing animal-friendly options. And when it comes to naturally based, just look at some of the many botanical oils that MONAT’s flagship product, REJUVENIQE® Oil Intensive contains. Abyssinian oil was the first ingredient selected for its remarkable rejuvenating properties. Next, a blend of unique ingredients, including antioxidants, beta-carotene, and omega-3 fatty acids was developed. This unique product also contains Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Lemon Peel Oil, Lime Oil, Citrus Bergamot Fruit Oil, Coconut Oil and Gardenia Tahitensis Flower Extract. Sounds yummy, bringing new levels of nourishment and anti-aging benefits to your hair and skin. Or look at MONAT’s Smoothing Shampoo, formulated to gently cleanse and nourish while smoothing and softening the hair cuticle to reduce frizz. Smoothing Shampoo takes charge to reduce dry static flyaways, de-frizz, and resist humidity for a smoother, sleeker, silkier look. And these are just two of their line of products. What you will not find in MONAT products are listed below in our “no’s” Parabens

Sulfates

Cyclic Silicones

BHTDEA/MEA

Phthalates

Phenoxyethanol

Petrolatum

Mineral Oil

Paraffin Wax

Triclosan

Plastic Microbeads

Formaldehyde Releasers

Harmful Colors

Harmful Fragrances What you will find in our products are naturally based ingredients and botanicals extracts that benefit the hair and scalp. These ingredients gently cleanse, moisturize, hydrate and improve the hair’s overall condition to leave it silky, shiny, healthy and beautiful.

If you'd like to try one of our free samples (only pay s&h) for hair or skin just click here.

To be honest....

I have to be honest with you! There have been many times I’ve been on my social media, scrolling away, to see so many beautiful images of my friends and followers. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes I find myself comparing my life, my looks, my circumstances, my EVERYTHING to them. I tell myself a story. I tell myself I’m old, fat, unattractive and not exactly where I want to be in life.

Guess what? I just gave the devil a foothold and he won that battle. I was coveting my neighbor.

Exodus 20:17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

I suppose that also means your neighbor’s Instagram perfect photos.

In those moments I realize I need to confess to God and get real honest with myself. We are all so much more than our perfectly filtered photo. Just because someone’s life appears a certain way on social media, it doesn’t mean that’s the reality. We’re getting sucked into what we’re allowed to see. The devil relishes in us comparing ourselves to our friends. He wants us to feel less than and not enough. He desires for you to feel sad, ashamed and distraught.

But God wants so much more for you. He wants you to find your identity in Him. You’re identity cannot be in your career, your family, marriage or anything else. It needs to be in Christ alone. You need to forget about the pretty pictures, the likes, comments and hearts. Focus on the good that God has given you. Focus on the love Jesus feels for you. Start celebrating your friends and their posts without feeling like you’re less. Remember Who holds you and wants to use you for His glory.

Psalm 139:14

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Psalm 139:14

Important Tips For Your Overall Health And Wellness

Follow these tips daily to start living your best life.

1. Self care

It seems obvious that we need to take care of ourselves in order to live our best, most healthy life, right? However, with all of the busyness of life we sometimes forget to take those moments to recharge our mind, body and soul. Even if it’s just a few minutes, take some time for you.

Some ideas-

• Relax in an epsom salt bath

• Do a craft you’ve been putting off

• Give yourself a facial with a face mask (this is my favorite)

• Go to a coffee shop alone with a good book

• Get a massage

• Go to bed early or sleep in late.

• Practice deep breathing-

I like to breathe in for 5 counts and exhale 10 counts. Try that 5 or 6 times. It’s amazing what deep breathing can do to clear your mind and reduce stress.

2. Fuel for your body

Eating the right food to fuel your body is vital. You cannot expect to feel good eating processed food out of a box or from the drive up window. Love yourself enough to fuel your body with whole foods that nourish you.

You’ll also want to be mindful of the pesticides that have been sprayed on fruits and vegetables. I believe it’s imperative to buy as much organic food as possible. For those in the U.S.-If the label says USDA Organic than you can be assured no pesticides have been sprayed on the produce.

Your body is a temple and needs to be fed the proper nutrients for you to feel your absolute best.

3. Go Non-Toxic

This goes back to point number two. If we’re making sure to buy foods that haven’t been sprayed with toxic chemicals that are going IN our body, we need to start looking at what we’re putting ON our body.

They say it only takes 26 seconds for a chemical to enter the blood stream. When you make the decision to start using products in your house and on your body that are not full of harmful chemicals, you’ll be amazed at the transformation in how you eventually feel. Less mood swings, hormonal imbalances, breakouts, tummy issues and more.

4.Exercise-

Okay, okay. I’m the first to admit that I’ve never been a huge fan of exercise. I’ve never been an athletic girl and I think somehow equated exercise to athleticism. I’m a big believer in mindset and I realized that I needed to change my mindset on exercising. I always looked at it as something I had to do in order to lose weight. But the truth is, your body craves movement! We’re not meant to be sedentary individuals. It’s actually imperative for overall health to get regular exercise daily. According to an article on Healthline.com “Sitting too much does increase your risk for poor health outcomes, like cardiovascular disease, all-cause mortality, cancer mortality, and even depression. The strongest risk of sitting too much is diabetes — it doubles the risk.”

No matter what it is that you do to get movement in, just make sure and take the time to do it. You deserve it!

5. Gut Health

Gut health is absolutely essential to your overall well being. It’s been said that our gut is our second brain. In order for our body to work well as a whole we need to make sure our microbiome in our gut is at optimal health. We want to make sure we’re giving our gut the good bacteria to keep it running smoothly. It’s essential to give your body probiotics. My favorite way to get probiotics is through cultured foods. I like to make my own kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut. To learn more about cultured foods check out www.culturedfoodlife.com

If you’re having issues with your digestive system, another thing you may want to consider is an elimination diet. I always suggest people eliminate eggs, dairy, gluten, corn and soy for 3 weeks.

Reintroduce one at a time every 4 days to see if there is any reaction.

When you reintroduce, eat the food several times a day for a 2-3 day period. If you have a reaction right away, there’s no need to keep eating it.

You also want to be mindful that most corn and soy is genetically modified and could be causing some issues. Pasteurized dairy is another topic we’ll need to discuss on a future blog post. For now, you can read this Huffpost article on pasteurized dairy. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dairy-free-avoid-this-pop_b_558447

6. Controlling your emotions

This is one of my most favorite topics. When I came to the realization that I am in complete control of how I respond to situations my life changed forever. I use to blame other people if my feelings got hurt by their words or actions. But when I learned that no one can make me feel bad, sad or happy, it gave me a sense of control that I needed.

It’s completely up to you how you feel. No one has power over your feelings other than you.

As an example-If someone says, “I love you”, than more than likely, if you love the person, you will have feelings of love go through your mind and body. However, if someone says “I love you” and you don’t love them you may not feel anything. That doesn’t change how the other person feels, only you. You are the one in total control of your feelings.

When you learn to not react emotionally to others words or actions it becomes very freeing.

Take these tips and start incorporating them into your daily routine. Overall wellness involves changing our habits. We need to look at everything from our cleaning supplies, to food, to exercise to self-care and mindset.