Indiegogo!

We experienced huge growth in 2014 and have outgrown our space.  So we have launched an indiegogo campaign to help us revamp a new space.  Please consider checking it out, and sharing!  As alwasy...thank you for your support!!

Love

Sweet Cheeks
http://www.sweetcheeksallnatural.com

Parabens in Skin Care... Is It Really Bad For You?

Well lets start with… What ARE parabens ?  

Parabens  are a class of chemicals that are uses as a preservative in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food.

So now that we know what they are, lets talk about if they are good for us.  There is a lot of controversy over Parabens  that started  when parabens were found in breast cancer tumors.   So what are the concerns?

• They can cause skin irritation,  contact dermatitis and rosacea  in persons sensitive to parabens
• There is increasing concern that parabens cause breast cancer. 
• Parabens mimic estrogen. Alone this is not good, however since some estrogens are known to drive the growth of tumors , it make their link to breast cancer all the more troubling.
• The parabens  methylparaben, has been shown to react with UVB when applied on skin increasing aging and DNA damage.

So lets got back to what they do.  They preserve.  Oh yeah…. I don’t want my face cream getting rancid.  No, you don't.  However, if stored in normal conditions (i.e. your medicine cabinet) your skin care products should last 6 months.  Also, there are plenty of  natural preservatives that can extend shelf life.  Are they as effective as parabens?  No.  In my estimation, do they need to be?  No.  But that is just me.  Frankly,  I would rather replace my skin care products ever 6 months than replace my breasts.  

Sometimes, it is not a question of, "Is this okay?"  It has to start being  a question of, "Is this really the best ingredient for caring for our bodies."  For me, hands down, the answer is, "NO!"  

Made with love (and no parabens),

Sweet Cheeks All Natural 

Tin Can Love

Recently, I have been on what I call a “major edit.” After 10 years of marriage, you collect a lot of things. Both Joel and I can be sentimental and so when one of our parents gives a box of stuff, stuff we have never seen in our lives before, but apparently someone we loved once owned, we keep it. Shoved here or crammed there.

Recently I have felt overwhelmed by the amount of STUFF we have. It was right after visiting grandparents and our son walking away with a car boot full of more STUFF for his birthday. I came home and the pervasive felling I felt was anger. Why?

Anger, that we are so lucky to have folks that give our children gifts? No. Anger because, he is so loved they get him lots of presents? No? And it finally dawned on me. This is not how I envisioned raising my children. I truly imagined a world, where they might get one or two toys at a holiday. A world where they valued what they had. A world that wasn’t disposable. And I realized, I had to makes some changes, starting with me.

First, I had to lead the way, by getting rid of the stuff just sitting in boxes. I love you, so and so, but you were not your things. I want to leave us with only the things in the house that we love. That matter to us. I wanted to show them that “stuff “ doesn’t matter, but special things do. Two, I wanted to stop with the presents. Not entirely, but limit it to 1 special gift from the grandparents and that be it.

Why? I know you are asking… Someone once asked why I was strict on the sugar the kids had. I said because, you don’t love kids with food. What I meant was, if Tristan was heartbroken a cookie was not how I wanted him to learn how to resolve that hurt. I am beginning to learn that translates out to other things. I don’t want my children loved with “things.” I want them loved with love. Acts of love, shows of love and special moments.

But that is just me, and I am just one member of this family and often I don’t know how on board my family is with my brilliance (joke). So this mother’s day when Joel’s gift to me was a card he had made himself and nothing else I was encouraged (and thrilled, it was wonderful). However, for my birthday my mom took the kids for the day. When they came home they were carrying flowers they had picked from her yard, in tin cans. They were so proud and the flowers were so beautiful. And these are the gifts that matter. The ones that truly are gifts of us. Gifts of our effort, our talent and our love. And they give to the giver and the receiver. And they, are the one worth giving or remembering.


So keep your trinkets and baubles, I will keep my tin can love.



Sigh.

DIY Shampoo

To be honest, I have read about this for a while. However, I still choose to buy my insanely expensive sulfate free shampoo over the internet instead of trying it. I just could not reconcile the concept. In my mind the baking soda would leave my hair chalky and filmy and the vinegar would leave it stripped and dry.




I am not sure what motivated me to finally try it, perhaps it was bucking up the $12 to ship the shampoo that cost far to much because I can’t find any sulfate free stuff in Richmond. I wish I had been smart enough to try this PRIOR to order the stuff.



My hair is super, SUPER thin. I have a ton of it, but each hair itself is thin. This worked great for my hair. Left it super shiny and soft. I have some friend with different hair types trying it and will post back letting you know how it worked for them.



I found the recipe here. http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Shampoo/step10/NO-POO/





Give it a try! I would love to hear your feedback!



Can’t beat it, 100% natural, 100% easy, 100% cheap. Love it!

Love, Naturally…

I know I told you the next post would be about a “shampoo” that you could make yourself, and I do promise that I will get that up tomorrow. However, this blog is not just about beauty and skin care. Really, for me, it is about how to get back to the best parts of life. Again, for me, I think that is getting a back to a more natural way of living, but it may mean something a bit different for you.

Either way, today the kids were being…I don’t even have the right word that wouldn’t make me sound like a bad mom. Twits come to mind, but I would never use that to describe my sweet little angels ;) It was gorgeous out, but all they wanted to do is fight. I wanted to be outside and certainly wanted them out soaking up the special glory that are the first peaks of spring. Sigh. However, my little [angels], had another agenda and I could not for the life of me figure out what it was or how to make us all happy. Exasperated I left them outside and went inside. Even more frustratingly, they followed. Grrrr.

Then Tristan sparked on an idea. He asked if tomorrow was Valentines, and then Jillian, asked to make a “special card for her friends, “ and finally we found something to settle into. I even made my own for my hot husband. Glitter flew, paint spilled, every window was open and the stereo was turned up just a little louder than normal…and it was perfect.

And truly to me, these are the most special acts of love I could ask for. The kaleidoscope of color, the sparkly brilliance, the honest intent...

True Love.

Chapped Lips and How to Treat Them Naturally

Tis the season of the cracked dry lips. So we are going to tackle the issue of dry lips and treatment.
First the causes:
Chapped lips are caused because the oil produced by our bodies to protect our skin is absent. It is likely due to the cold dry air, or wind. Moisture on our skin evaporating can also cause it, which is why licking your lips is about the worst thing you can do when they feel dry. Ironically it is our instinct to lick them!
As with most things, it is always better to prevent it if possible. To prevent it, you want to establish a layer between your skin and the elements. Get a high quality natural lip balm. Beeswax, jojoba, coco butter, and vitamin E are all good quality ingredients to look for. Another inexpensive but highly effective way to prevent chapped lips it to use lanoline.

If you get chapped lips, moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. I would actually put your moisturizer (of if you have a butter, even better!) right on your lips. Most people buck at this when I tell them this. It always cracks me up. Do you think your skin ends at your lips? Your lips are skin! If your cheeks got chapped wouldn’t you put moisturizer on them? If you are using a moisturizer that you are afraid to get in your mouth…switch. There is isn’t anything I think you should put on your largest organ that you wouldn’t put in your body. Just this gal opinion! Wait a couple of minutes after putting on the moisturizer and than put lanoline or your lip balm on top. Do this as often as you can and you should notice relief in 36 hours.

Sweet Cheeks Face Products