SUMMER IS COMING!

The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are right around the corner and can wreak havoc on our hair and skin.

Greater exposure outdoors means more sweating, more UV exposure, and more dirt. It often means more showers and/or baths, and that translates into potential skin problems. Using  a traditional tallow based soap or chemical laden shampoos, conditioners and body washes; you have a greater chance of stripping the natural oils out of your hair and skin, and sucking the moisture from the epidermis and scalp.

The result? Dry, itchy skin. Flaky scalp; brittle hair. Exactly opposite of what you could achieve by making one simple switch to Absolutely Natural.

First, the other guys. Tallow based soaps (see below) use animal renderings as their base,  leaving skin dry and often feeling as if there is a film on you after your shower. Traditional shampoos, and body washes are mostly water with very nasty chemicals like parabens, sulfates and phthalates. All of those ingredients have been linked to problems including increased estrogen content, free radical generators and some cancer causing materials. And, they possess few, if any, nutrients. 

Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton fat, processed from suet. It is solid at room temperature. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition.

In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, including its melting point. It is common for commercial tallow to contain fat derived from other animals, such as lard from pigs,

Now, Absolutely Natural. No sulfates, parabens or phthalates. Nutrient rich formulas that do a great job cleaning hair and skin. With our Shampoos, Conditioners and Body Washes, you can step out of the shower with hydrated skin and hair. Healthy, vibrant and alive.

Absolutely Natural products, chock full of anti-oxidants, boast free radical scavengers and are infused with nutrients designed for anti-aging.. In addition, all of our products have super moisturizers, which are vital for summertime when UV exposure is at its greatest strength. 

A quick perusal of “us vs. them” labels proves it all. You really don’t need to go much past the first ingredient … water for them; aloe for us. The rest of the ingredient decks are just as polar opposite … chemicals and cheap fillers for them; vitamins, nutrients and cosmetic grade raw materials for us.

Summer spotlight: Our famous Organic Oil! Excellent for your hair as a deep conditioner (leave in 5 to 10 minutes before rinsing out) or as a leave in for dry ends (wet fingertips with oil and “brush” onto hair). Also excellent as a bath oil and of course, as a massage or body oil.
Enjoy summer’s bounties! Just don’t forget to take a little more time to tend to your hair and skin. Not only will you look better immediately, but with Absolutely Natural, you are preventing future damage and even repairing skin damage that has already happened.

Best regards,

Charley 

It's Worth the Extra Expense, Time and Effort

On occasion I’m asked if it really is worth the extra expense, time and effort it takes to make our all-natural products. Especially when we could easily cut corners, save money and pump out product faster if we went the synthetic/chemical route. There is so much value in what we do, value in not only in the careful craftsmanship and hand-selected all-natural ingredients, but even more important, value in our customer’s experience.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Nothing makes my job more rewarding than stories from our fans. They’re a valued reminder that the way we do things is the right way. It warms my heart to read your testimonials and it’s even better when I am able to meet people face-to-face and hear their stories. Our own Todd Anderson suffered from severe Atopic Dermatitis and was on heavy doses of steroids with little improvement before he started using our complete line of products (see Todd’s story in our past blogs). 

Recently, Sherrie shared her experience with us and it is no surprise to me that our products did help her. For more than 15 years we have been providing products to Emerson hospital in Boston who use them on their radiation patients. Our natural alternatives to harsh chemicals work. But Sherrie says it better than I ever could:

Dear Absolutely Natural, 

I have been using your lotions and body oils for several years and have been very pleased with them. Recently, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo radiation therapy. I had to have 33 treatments and they told me that after the first 10-15 treatments I would start experiencing skin damage similar to a very severe sunburn.  

The doctor gave me a couple of different radiation lotions to try and told me to use them and decide which one worked the best for me. After looking at them, I decided to start with the Absolutely Natural Restorative Body lotion, and supplemented it with the Organic Beauty Oil a few times a week. I figured if the symptoms got too bad I could switch to one of the radiation lotions at that point. 

After a couple of weeks in my skin was still looking really good and my doctor asked me which type of lotion I had chosen. I told him about Absolutely Natural and he said that it was working great and to stick with it! By the end of treatment, my skin was fairly red and irritated, I have been finished about a week now and all of the redness has turned to tan! I have believed that Absolutely Natural was a good product for several years, but now I am convinced that it is a great product!!  

Thanks for making such good lotions and oils! 

Sincerely,
Sherrie

Thanks Sherrie for making the effort to reach out and share your story with us. I means so much to my team and I to hear it. 

Best regards,

Charley

Enhanced formulas, available now!

To see a “New and Improved” sticker on our consumer products about every few weeks is annoying to me.   I always figured it was a marketing gimmick to get me to buy more products. 

With Absolutely Natural now 20 years old, you won’t see “New and Approved” on our bottles, but that is exactly what we have accomplished after working with the formulas with this in mind for the last five years.

And, new isn’t exactly the right word since we will never go away from our bases made from natural ingredients, cosmetic quality, nutrient rich and unique formulas.  Enhanced is the right word.

We have made many enhancements including a complete reformulation of our sunscreens complete with modern, efficient packaging for our sunscreens.

The run down:

Rosehip Aloe

Rosehip Aloe lotion remains in the same bottle but with a fresh, new label that better represents our brand across all lines of products.  In addition, we have upgraded the base oil from Walnut to Hi-Oleic Safflower Oil.  Among many other positive traits, Safflower Oil is extremely high in Vitamin E and therefore a super anti-oxidant and free radical scavenger.  Safflower Oil is also high in Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Other ingredient changes include using Organic Rose Hips Oil and adding Green Tea, a powerful anti-oxidant that has been proven to help rejuvenate skin already damaged by UV and other elemental damages.  This is an important enhancement. 

Pure Aloe Recovery Gel 

Pure Aloe with Tea Tree Oil is also in the same bottle with the fresh label.  And, it remains pure as there just wasn’t much to do with this product as it works so well with sunburn, skin rashes, jellyfish stings, shaving irritation and other skin problems.  We have been especially proud of our 15 year history with Emerson Hospital in Boston where they use Absolutely Natural Pure Aloe on their radiation patients.  One enhancement that will be impactful is the addition of Green Tea to the formula mix.  Green Tea is a powerful anti-oxidant and skin repair.

Platinum Tanning Oil & Professional Tanning Oil 

Our tanning oils are in the same bottles with our new look labels and the Pro Oil has no ingredient changes.   It remains a nut free formula, modestly priced for those who want that golden tan.

Platinum Oil has had some significant enhancements especially the base oil going from Walnut to Fractionated Coconut.   This highly refined oil has virtually no propensity to become rancid and helps with shelf life for the tanning product.  In addition, Fractionated Coconut Oil has close affinity to the body’s natural oils and is nutrient rich for healthy skin.  It is one of nature’s best moisturizers to keep your skin hydrated in the sun. 

In addition, we have upgraded to Organic Rose Hips Oil and Organic Sunflower Seed Oil.  We have also added Cherry Kernel Oil, Jojoba Oil, Carrot Seed Oil Extracts of Green & White Tea and Gingko Biloba, all carefully selected for their nutrient and therapeutic values.  We have done all of this and maintained the same retail price point we have had for 20 years. 

Sunscreens

The biggest changes come in our completely reformulated sunscreens.  The FDA has finally adopted their monograph and unlike most sun care competitors, we welcome the regulations.  Of course, we have been in compliance for our entire existence but since we had to change the way our labels read (INCI names are now required and a very strict Drug Fact label is the law), we too this opportunity to change a lot.

Of course, we are still 100% natural but instead of using 100% Titanium Dioxide for our sunscreen, we are using a blend of Titanium and Zinc.  This gives us more water resistance and of course, measurable protection against UVA light as well as UVB.

The base has been enhanced quite a bit and features anti-oxidants, free radical scavengers and nutrient rich oils.

Below is a list of our new ingredients:

Aloe Vera Barbadensis Leaf Extract

Fractionated Coconut Oil,

Cetearyl Olivate (and) Sorbitan Olivate, (natural emulsifier)

Linoleic Acid (and) Linolenic Acid,(Vitamin F naturally derived from SAFFLOWER OIL)

Organic Rose Hips Oil

Squalane

Green Tea Oil

Shea Butter

Vitamin E Tocopherol, 

Camellia Oil

Chamomile Oil

Calendula Oil

Arnica Extract

Milk Peptides Complex

Gogi Berry Extract

Cranberry Extract

Passion Fruit Oil

Pomegranate Extract

Hydroxyethyl Cellulose (natural derived thickener)

Caprylic Acid (and) Lauric Acid (and) Propanediol, Potassium Sorbate (natural preservative System Blend)

Fragrance

The result? A natural, sunscreen, gentle on the skin and friendly to the environment but a powerhouse of moisturizers and healthy benefits to the skin. 

To go along with these significant improvements is a modest price increase and I am proud to say just our second one in 20 years.   Considering the sizes of our higher sunscreens are increasing from 4oz to 6oz and the new packaging is an easy to use squeeze tube, I am sure you will find the new pricing reasonable.  

Best regards,

Charley

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: October!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and there is good news in the fight against breast cancer.  Survival rates are up.  They are longer in term.  Quality of life measurements are way up.  All the research and attention this cruel disease gets is helping.  A lot.

There is also bad news.  A quarter million women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.  More than 40,000 will die.  Think of 8 women in your life.  Mothers, daughters, sisters, teachers, friends, wives, co-workers … one of them will get breast cancer in her lifetime.   That hits home too many times and more research is needed to reduce that rate and to increase the number of survivors of this disease which now number 2.6 million in the U.S.

That requires funding and that’s where Absolutely Natural is stepping up to help.  We are adding to our widely popular Spa Series with a Cherry Blossom lotion with special pink decoration.  Oriental and sensual, our new lotion captures the delicate essence of Japanese Cherry Blossoms with warm base notes of vanilla and oriental woods; this essence is both warm and exotic.

The lotion itself is awesome with Organic aloe, Shea butter and Mango butter to help heal skin while leaving it smooth and silky. Super anti-oxidants such as Irish Moss (Red Algae Extract-Carrageen), Vitamin D Complex and Organic Green Tea keep skin healthy and are 500 times more potent than Vitamin D alone.  

Other nutrient rich raw materials such as Olive Leaf Extract, African Red Bush and Ginkgo Biloba are carefully selected to make this Restorative Body Lotion incredibly effective for daily use.

Our company will also donate 5% of proceeds to an organization dedicated to Breast Cancer prevention and treatment and one that distributes a majority of their revenues to research for finding a cure for the cause. 

And, we’re not just going to do it for October.  This will be an ongoing project and with the help of our 10’s of thousands of customers, we hope to contribute a significant amount of money to this worthy cause.

Best regards

Charley

Absolutely Natural's Factory Fresh Retail Store

On the heels of our successful Absolutely Natural store in Kauai, we are bringing a touch of Aloha to Melbourne Florida with the grand opening of our Factory Fresh store.  Our “in house” designer (and my wife!), Kelly Richards, has helped us put together our latest venture.

Our visitors can now enjoy a cup of Kona coffee while perusing our entire line of products which include suncare, personal care, facial systems and spa products.  Some people would expect a factory store to have last year’s “models”, out of date inventory or close outs, but our store features products freshly manufactured at our facility and presented by our knowledgeable sales personnel.

And, that is another advantage of visiting our location as our staff can evaluate your skin type before recommending what product will most benefit you in the sun, for your beauty regimen and as your daily use products in the bath and shower.  Not really clear about the differences among lotions, butters crèmes and oils?  We will educate you.

The store will also occasionally feature products we have developed for resorts all over the world for their private label lines.  

Featured in the store:

·         Suncare

·         Personal Care

·         Spa Products

·         Facials System

·         Organic

·         Other specialty products 

So plan to visit us soon at 644 Atlantis Road in Melbourne Florida.  Call 321-728-7191 for further information or visit us on line at www.absolutely-natural.com

Best regards,

Charley