Product Review & GIVEAWAY: Earth Mama Angel Baby

Hi everyone, I'm back!  We had a busy whirlwind week last week.  For the last couple months, we've been renting a single room from a woman in Charlotte.  We had a goal set to find our own apartment by July 1, and well, it happened!  Quick as that.  Everything fell into place, found a great two bedroom, very spacious and good price to boot.  Last week was dedicated to making the move and getting settled in.  Still no Internet at home though, but we're working on it.  So I write to you from pool side, enjoying the sun and the free wifi near our apartment's clubhouse.  (But golly it's HOT out here!  Better make this post quick so I can retreat back to the A/C!)

I have a FABULOUS company and product review to share with you today.  And don't leave to quickly, because there's also a giveaway at the end that you are free to enter!

First, I wanted to offer up my tips for achieving ageless, hydrated, glowing skin.  Most of the time when we think about skin care, we think of it from the outside-in approach.  Lotions, cosmetics, serums.  And I think we are all aware of the marketing that goes in to cosmetic companies -- promising the fountain of youth in a tiny bottle, making billions of dollars off of the fear of aging skin.  Doing a little bit of research, you'll find those tiny bottles and multi-stage skin care lines actually contain hundreds of various chemicals that were never meant to touch your skin, let alone absorb into your organs.

I approach skin care from the opposite side, an inside-out philosophy.  Simplicity is the key to pure, smooth, health skin.  I work on making sure my organs that refer out to my skin are healthy and clean first.  This helps to prevent blemishes, cellulite, clogged pores, puffiness, wrinkles, etc.  Once you are supporting your skin from the inside, then you can add in steps on the outside to further support and feed your skin for that glowing affect.

It may take you a moment to realize that your skin is biological, not chronological, and disease/aging/imperfections can be reversed.  Conditions like acne, rosacea, eczema and dermatitis, etc, are all linked back to how healthy you are on the inside.  If you cut out the junk that you use on your skin and switch over to a more healing diet (I always recommend the Advanced Plan of the Maximized Living Nutrition Plans), you will see these skin conditions fade and heal.  And more importantly, your organs will be healing and functioning more optimally, too!

Here are 9 of my personal skin care tips:

-  The power of food: clean up your food routine.  Cut out the sugar completely and increase your raw foods and antioxidants.  I recommend the Advanced Plan for at minimum 1 month before switching to the Core Plan.  You should notice by week 2, cleaner and smoother skin.  Results only get better the longer you stay Advanced Plan.  You'll also notice you'll smell better all around, and your hormones will begin to re-balance.

-  Increase your Omega 3 healthy fats.  This is a must while pregnant, as baby's brain needs these healthy fats to grow and develop.  Even if you're not pregnant, everyone, man and woman alike, needs omega 3's to thrive.  You'll notice more hydrated skin within days of increasing your intake.  My general rule is 4-6 grams daily of a pure fish oil.  You can also add in more thru avocados, almonds, coconut milk, olive oil and hemp seeds.

-  Add in probiotics and fermented foods.  Your gut is the main group of organs that refers out to your skin.  The health of your skin depends directly on the health of your gut.  Regular probiotic intake will help to combat yeast overgrowth in the gut and will help to heal any other underlying conditions going on deep down in there.  If you suspect you are suffering from something a little more extreme, like candida, have food sensitivities/intolerance, IBS, or digestive issues that affect your life daily, then it's time to take action!  Contact your naturopathic doctor or send me an email for direction on the next steps.

-  Increase your water intake.  At minimum, you need to drink half your body weight in ounces every single day to stay optimally hydrated.  More water when you exercise or are outside in the sun.  Not only is your skin directly dependent on water to stay hydrated, but optimal water flow thru the body will flush out toxins and impurities, helping your skin stay clean and smooth.

-  Exercise.  I won't preach too much here, we all know we need to do it.  You'll have healthier organs inside.  Also, sweating will push out toxins thru your pores, leaving behind a cleaner complexion.  Check out MaxT3 if you'd like to see the workouts Dave and I do in just 12 minutes a day.

-  Vitamins and Supplements: If you're suffering from a skin condition that needs more support than from nutrition alone, you can add in the following supplements to help.  Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, silicia, sulfur, selenium.

-  Get some rest!  Sleeping at least 8 hours a day will really make a huge impact on the condition of your skin (and you'll feel great, too!).  I know, these days it's all rush, rush, rush.  I encourage you to start making it a point to get to sleep by 10pm every night.  Take that time for you.  Your body needs to recharge and reboot.  While you sleep is when your nervous system actually works the hardest.  It is literally like rebooting a computer.  It works as you sleep to repair damage, rebuild, and regenerate.  Given enough time every night, you will truly notice the difference of letting your body have its time to do its natural healing work!

-  Exfoliate by dry brushing.  I'll be doing a complete post on this topic later.  But for now, just know dry brushing is amazing for not only the exfoliation of your skin, but the detox of your entire body!

-  If you are going to use lotions and cosmetics, make sure you research first and know what you are putting on to your skin.  Slathering on a toxic product full of chemicals will only have negative affects on your skin and overall health.  Use the Cosmetic Database - Skin Deep to research the toxicity level of your products BEFORE you buy.

Now, I have a fabulous, wonderful product line to share with you!  The products are safe for mama and baby, but the beauty is you don't have to be a mama to use their products!  I must confess, I actually have been using their body lotion for quite some time, even before I found out I was pregnant.  The company is Earth Mama Angel Baby.

Earth Mama Angel Baby sells boutique style products that are organic, natural and free from harmful chemicals, and have never contained dangerous chemicals:

“Cruelty-free, certified vegan, kosher, and 100% free from toxic ingredients — that means no Quaternium-15, 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde, phthalates, petrochemicals, parabens, SLS, artificial preservatives, artificial fragrances or dyes.”

Uh, LOVE IT!!

The company was so kind to send me a bottle of their Earth Mama Body Butter for review.  I have been using the body butter for the last month on not only my 7-month-big baby belly, but all over my body after I do my dry brushing and shower.  It's like heaven!  I've also been alternating it with olive oil for stretch mark prevention on my belly, love handles, bum, and thighs.  I love how this lotion smells -- a clean scent from pure essential oils.  I also love how this lotion makes my skin feel.  A little goes a long way, so it will last you a good while!  A little dab here and there does my body great.  And isn't it the greatest when you get home from a long day and slip on your pajamas only to notice your skin is still so soft and has just the lightest scent left from the lotion?  It's a little pleasure of mine.  :)

The Earth Mama Body Butter combines organic calendula and organic chamomile in a shea butter body lotion, all in a safe-for-pregnancy-lotion that won’t aggravate morning sickness.  I love that it's vegan, cruelty-free and toxin-free (no artificial preservatives), and is made with 95% certified organic ingredients (certified to the food-grade level!). It’s one of the purest lotions you'll find, and this is why I encourage even those of you reading who aren't pregnant to try this (or any of their products).  You'll be doing your body good!  You’ll love it for moisturizing and encouraging your skin’s natural elasticity.

Giveaway

Earth Mama Angel Baby would like to share the same gift with one of you!  One lucky winner will receive their own bottle of Earth Mama Body Butter, shipped direct to their door!  Contest is open NOW thru Monday, July 11th at 11:59pm.  Open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.  I will use Random.org to select a winner.  Winner will be announced HERE at Healing Cuisine on Tuesday morning, July 12th.

How to enter:

Mandatory:  To enter, visit the Earth Mama Angel Baby website and leave a comment back here at this post telling me one other product to you’d love to try.

Additional bonus entries:

1.)  Subscribe to Healing Cuisine via email or RSS
2.)  "Like" Earth Mama Angel Baby and Healing Cuisine on Facebook
3.)  Follow Earth Mama Angel Baby and Healing Cuisine on Twitter
4.)  Follow Healing Cuisine on Google Friend Connect
5.)  Sign up for Earth Mama Angel Baby's newsletter
6.)  Tweet or mention this giveaway on facebook.  Place a link back to your tweet or facebook mention in the comments section here at the bottom of this post.

Alright, now get to entering!!  Good luck to all!  This is a fabulous giveaway, so excited to be sharing this with you! :)

Healing Cuisine was not compensated for this review or giveaway.  The company did provide a sample for the review, but this did not influence our opinion of the company or the product.