A Clean Start, New Year Resolutions, and Why We Love the Oil from Olives

Eating right, starting or maintaining an exercise routine, reducing stress, getting enough beauty rest ...

... these are popular resolutions. We're happy to learn that finding ways to keep the daily routine fresh and nontoxic is inching its way toward the top of the resolution list. With more skin sensitivities and allergies on the rise, every day many are learning that truly natural and unprocessed care products can outperform the synthetic versions - and keep us healthy at the same time. Take matters into your own hands; the FDA hasn't updated its regulations in the skincare/cosmetics industry for more than 80 years! Numerous chemicals, even known carcinogens, have been brought to market without any testing for safety. This article from Goop, on Clean, Non-Toxic Beauty sheds some light on the industry and the future of green chemistry. Having a healthy, daily routine that includes nourishing and synthetic-free products is a resolution that can be practiced day-in and day-out. It's no longer necessary to pollute our pores with synthetic ingredients. Clean out those drawers and cupboards, simplify your routine, and let EWG's database Skin Deep help you choose which ingredients are safe and which have no place in our homes and bodies. 

Keeping it Clean with Oils

Sound crazy? It's not. One of the most common questions we hear ~ "Can I really use oils to clean and keep my skin fresh and clear?"

Yes, you can. We love all of our oils and hand-select them to address various skin conditions: acne, irritations, rashes, sensitivity, ruddiness, and to add wholesome nourishment and hydration without clogging the pores. If you've used creams and lotions in the past, it's the oils that are doing the job. Waxes and thickeners can clog the pores and trap debris. We use no waxes or thickeners in any of our face, body, or hair treatments. All it takes are the right oils to revitalize and keep your entire body radiant and healthy. 

We're not alone in this healthy oil revolution. Take a peek at the author of Eat Pretty, Jolene Hart's article about hydrating with oils vs. creams. Need more? Here are 10 points shared from Women's Health magazine on the reasons to use oils directly on the skin for incredibly smooth and clear results. It's clean, healthy, and effective. 

Celebrity Ingredient

Olive Oil (olea europaea)

In this month of cleaning-up and starting anew, we've chosen to highlight our organic, unrefined, and cold-pressed olive oil, as it's a celebrity in our cleansing treatments and hydrating products for eyes and lips. It's been called "liquid gold" and has been loved for centuries as an anti-aging remedy, to hydrate skin, and treat wounds. Loaded with antioxidants and naturally occurring Vitamins A and E, it helps to restore skin's elasticity and fight free radical damage. 

With its many health benefits, we love to cook with this quality oil, and we love the cleansing and hydrating benefits it can offer the skin. It penetrates and cleanses completely, and in our polishes with healing oats and salts, it leaves skin touchable, soft, and smooth - even in cold winter months. It can be pore clogging to some complexions, so we use it in formulas that are rinsed from the skin, as in our cleansing oils. We also love it in treatments that hydrate around the eyes and on the body where this "liquid gold" can penetrate and protect without the worry of clogging the pores on the face.

Shared from How Stuff Works, here are four ways that a quality olive oil can help skin:

1. It's a natural anti-inflammatory. It's been known to help with psoriasis, eczema, contact dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis. Cleansing properly and thoroughly is extremely important, and it's the reason we use it in our award-winning cleansing oils and body polishes.

2. The high level of natural antioxidants fight against damaging UV rays and the free radicals that damage healthy cells. This can also cause a loss of collagen and elastin in the skin. Included in our coveted eye serum, it pampers and protects the delicate skin around the eye.

3.  It has an antibacterial effect against bacteria found on the skin, and may help to treat microbial skin infections. Our body polishes are formulated to cleanse as well, if not better, than bar soap. Healing skin upset while cleansing is an added bonus. We chose to not make a bar soap, but rather use these specialized scrubs to do the job without drying the skin.

4. It moisturizes and heals damaged lips. Apply throughout the day for a safe, moisturizing barrier, and it's helpful when used on the lips overnight. Our lip gloss has a healthy dose of olive oil, and cuticles love it too. 

Our organic, unrefined and cold-pressed olive oil can be found in these Qēt products: Balancing Cleansing Oil, Hydrating Cleansing Oil, Restoring Cleansing Oil, Hydra-Rose Eye Serum, Fresh Body Oil, Lite Garden Serum for Body, Ultra Garden Serum for Body, Espresso Mint Body Polish, Lavender Flowers & Vanilla Bean Body Polish, Matcha Green Tea Body Polish, Raw Cacao & Oats Body Polish, and our Lip Gloss with Olive & Avocado.

Every Qet Botanicals product is free of animal testing, synthetic chemicals, artificial preservatives, and synthetic fragrances. We use no extracts and use certified organic ingredients and pure plant and fruit oils. We disclose every ingredient to you. Every Qet Botanicals product has also received the safest ranking on EWG's Skin Deep database. We're proud to be entirely in the "0-2" category!