product spotlight: Rose & Grape Serum

I described this to someone the other day as the one product I can't live without. I use it to target wrinkles, dry and sun damaged areas or apply as a moisturizer to the whole face. For super dry skin, it can even be applied layered under moisturizer for an amazing hydrating treatment. Just last week I discovered a new use for the wonder serum- healing minor skin burns. On a recent trip to the Sierras, I was splashed with hot oil while cooking over an open campfire. I applied the serum 3-4x a day and my burns healed in a week, no scar, nada! This stuff is a potent skin repairing treatment and moisturizer. Grapeseeds, rosehips, resveratrol, jojoba and a beautiful blend of essential oils deliver antioxidants and vitamins to feed the skin. Check it out here

BREAKDOWN OF SKIN BENEFITS:
100% natural, no preservatives!
over 80% certified organic ingredients
skin nourishing essential oil blend
rich in vitamins E, C, A, resveratrol and polyphenols

our birthday gift is for you

Happy 1st Birthday
Green Skincare Blog!
As a thank you to all of our readers, customers,
media, friends and family,
I have a big gift for all of you...
Starting today, Aug. 27 thru next Thurs. Sept. 3,
we will include a FREE FULL SIZE product with every order

THE DETAILS:
sign up for The Grapeseed Monthly News for the free product code
shop www.thegrapeseedcompany.com
enter code at checkout
product will be added automatically to your cart with code and $25+ order
valid Thurs. 8/27/09 to Thurs. 9/3/09 11:59 PM
free product is choice of The Grapeseed Company, please, no requests

Enjoy and thanks to our fabulous customers!
~ Kristin

Wordless Wednesday: Green Beauty: Reflections

unplug and clear your mind

After spending last summer on DIY house projects, growing The Grapeseed Company and financially recovering from buying a home, Pete and I vowed to make vacation a priority this summer. We knew we were already committed to a family reunion (across the country) and business trips that would take up way too much vacation time as it was, but we stuck to the plan... even despite my threats the day before leaving to stay home and work! Turns out a "real vacation" was exactly what I needed.
What is a "real vacation"?
*A real vacation completely removes you both physically and mentally from work.
*A real vacation lets you wander, explore, appreciate and connect with your surroundings and travel companion(s).
And for me, most importantly,
*A real vacation lets you completely unplug from technology, but still have access to it...

Going cold turkey on technology is tough. As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I need the ease of mind of being able to check-in and make sure all is OK. After all, it's me (and me alone) that will need to clear up any issues. Being able to turn on my blackberry for 10 min. each morning, connect, and rest-assured that everything was running smoothly allowed me to completely unplug a few days later. I even found I was able to go without turning on my crackberry by the weekend!

I hiked and took in the gorgeous surroundings, I jumped off gigantic, hot rocks into beautiful blue lakes, I swam with my dog, I napped, I sat in hot springs and melted my way into unplug relaxation mode. I feel rejuvenated, excited and ready to tackle new ideas and projects. In fact, once I fully unplugged, I found that new ideas for the business were sprouting along with renewed excitement of why I started a business in the first place!

Life is busy- don't forget to take care of YOU. Even (and most importantly) when things get crazy and you feel like you don't have the time to.

How do you clear your mind and unplug?

Pete, aptly soaking up the benefits of the "Old Pedro" hot spring

$5 gift certificate code!

It's been a while since we've had a sale or promo, and there's no time like the present! So indulge in a sweet something for yourself, or a unique gift for the organic enthusiast, grape lovin' guy, or green gal in your life! And get out and enjoy the summer sunshine while you can...

Enter code sunshine09 at checkout for
$5 off your purchase of $25 or more!
shop The Grapeseed Company

the nitty gritty:
valid through Sunday August 23rd 11:59 PM PST
cannot be combined with any other discount
this is a one time use coupon code, but you can pass it on to all of your friends!

grapeseed co.'s summer press round-up

check out our favorite summer features on the hottest Grapeseed Co. products
mybeautybunny.com chamomile & grapefruit moisturizer
Natural Solutions Magazine The Beauty of Wine
thegreengirls.com mas mojito man gift bag
examiner.com grapeseed oil for your skin
Destination Wine Country Magazine Beauty Without Toxins
lazybride.com grapeseed co. soy candles
PsiBands.com beach bag essentials: surf sea salt foot scrub
mybeautybunny.com super scrubs: pink grapefruit ginger grapeseed & sugar scrub

Thanks so much to all of you for spreading the word about The Grapeseed Co. ~ botanical beauty from wine. We have new, innovative green products releasing very soon! Please contact pr@thegrapeseedcompany.com to be updated on
new product samples and press releases.
cheers,
Kristin

Green Skincare: Fresh From Your Kitchen

The Buzz Sun Repair Mask
1 t honey
1 t fresh coffee grounds (unused)
as fine ground as possible, try espresso or Turkish ground
1 t brewed green tea
1 t aloe juice
2 T kaolin or rhassoul clay

makes enough for you and a friend for a face, neck and decolletage treatment to heal and replenish sun-exposed skin.

directions
brew yourself a cup of green tea you can enjoy while whipping this up. Heat the honey, 1 t of your cup of green tea and aloe juice for 30 seconds in a microwave safe bowl. Add the clay, coffee and mix until a paste forms. You can thin with the addition of aloe juice or tea if needed. Apply immediately with fan brush to clean skin to further benefit from the warmth of the mask. kick back for 15-20 min. rinse off with a warm towel until mask is completely removed from skin. follow with rose & grape treatment serum.

what it does
Kick start the morning by getting your facial on and buzzin' from bees to warm caffeine! An awesome mask for replenishing sun damaged summer skin and adding a little zing to your day.
learn more about scientific research on coffee benefits and the use of coffee as a powerful antioxidant in summer skin care.

I make this mask with rhassoul clay, an exotic Moroccan clay that reduces dryness, flakiness and improves clarity and elasticity in the skin. However, rhassoul can be tough to find at your local health market. Kaolin is a great, mild, fine grained substitute that purifies the complexion and helps rid the skin of sunscreen residue. Aloe is widely known as a super replenishing ingredient for sun-exposed skin. Green tea is full of antioxidants and polyphenols that help heal the skin. Check out my previous post on the buzzin' benefits of honey here.
Green Skin Care Blog brings simple spa delights to your home with Fresh From Your Kitchen: DIY recipes & treatments you can create with a trip to the grocer or health food store. Direct from the creator of The Grapeseed Company's personal stash of fresh beauty creations and concoctions.

related posts
Check out past Fresh From Your Kitchen features:
acai berry-oxidant mask
B.C.C. hair mask
vanilla dream salt glow
strawberry kiwi exfoliating mask
super silky bedtime bath salts
cold care
cool cucumber under eye mask
lemon ginger revitalizing bath
breakout busters
parsley facial steam

Ingredient Insider: Honey

Honey...it brings me back to my childhood. I grew up on a historic fruit orchard about 30 miles outside of Boston. Our neighbor, who my mother liked to refer to as a "gentleman farmer", was way into the fine art of making honey. He had a whole enterprising set-up; a basket full of his precious honey propped on a stool, complete with a can to leave a few dollars on the honor system across the street from our house. He'd be out working in the fields covered from head to toe in protective netting, gloves, boots, the whole get-up. I'd stare out the window of our house at all the boxes and wonder how he ended up with the gooey, golden substance as a result...

I have gained a deeper appreciation for honey after experimenting with it in formulating The Grapeseed Co. line. As most of you are well aware, I'm a big advocate of using pure, naturally grown food based ingredients in skin care. If it's good for you inside, it is good for your outside as well. Skin is a living, breathing organ that needs to be treated with the same tender loving care as what you put into your body. Honey is a natural antiseptic that helps to draw moisture and toxins out of the skin. It attracts dirt and dead skin cells and works like a magnet to pull them to the surface, cleaning and moisturizing the skin in the process.
Honey is made by bees, so it is not considered vegan. We are often asked if our products are vegan. Many are, but quite a few contain honey in raw or powder form, which keep us from being a truly vegan company. The Grapeseed Co. believes that honey is a necessity in natural skin care, and it is actually one of my secret weapons in fighting blemishes. Bees release a glucose enzyme when creating honey that is a natural antiseptic and has antibacterial properties. When applied topically, it draws body fluids and nutrients to the area assisting in cell growth and scar prevention.

And, it's pretty sweet & delicious by the spoonful in a hot cup of tea too...

Find it in:
vinotherapy body scrubs
chamomile & grapefruit moisturizer
grapeseed lip balms
mojito man shave prep scrub

The Grapeseed Co. gets our ultra fresh, locally sourced organic honey from the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market . Do you have a favorite locally sourced ingredient from your neck of the woods?

The Quest for Green Sunscreen Part 2

Green Sunscreen Reviews
Back in the end of June, I blogged about the nasty ingredients found in many mass and specialty market sunscreens. This is a topic I've been researching and exploring for a while. As a surfer, swimmer, sailor and all around water person, I need solid protection from the elements, especially living in Santa Barbara. Given that I do what I do, I also want to make sure I'm not slathering myself in chemicals that can harm me in other ways.

I've tested out many natural sunscreens so far this summer, here's a run down on what I liked, didn't like and my all-around favorite. Keep in mind I wake boarded, surfed, sailed and swam as part of the testing process, so if your beach activities are a bit milder, the water protection comments may not apply to your specific sunscreen needs.

*All-Around Favorite: Korres Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream SPF 30
what I loved...
+didn't leave me with a "casper the ghost face" like so many other zinc based sunscreens!
+product consistency: creamy, light after-feel on skin
+decent absorption for a mineral based sunscreen
+paraben, phthalate, petro-chemical, GMO free
+summery watermelon scent

what could be improved upon...
- like all zinc based sun protectants, it's only "water-resistant" which means reapplying frequently for maximum protection
- again, like all zinc based sunscreens, it takes a long time to rub in
- $28/for under 2 oz... while I did try this out once on my entire body, it should really just be reserved for your fabulous face!

Alba Botanica Aloe Vanilla Mineral Sunscreen SPF 18
what I loved...
+contains certified organic aloe and green tea
+no synthetic colors, paraben free, vegetarian ingredients
+around $9/4 oz

what could be improved upon...
- remember the casper comment? Prepare to look like a ghost. This leaves you with an all-over white cast. My sister tried it and commented, "Umm, no thanks, I'll take my chances with the chemical stuff!"
-fake vanilla scent is too heavy for a sunscreen
-like all zinc based sun protectants, it's only "water-resistant" which means reapplying frequently for maximum protection
- Took forever to rub in

Jason Sunbrella Complete Sunblock Spray SPF 26
what I loved...
+light, beachy coconut scent
+convenient and quick spray on application, although you still need to rub in
+no synthetic colors, paraben free, some certified organic ingredients
+around $10/4 oz

what could be improved upon...
- scent fades almost immediately
-need to reapply often, more than traditional creams. Like all zinc based sun protectants, it's "water-resistant"
-you have to rub it in very well! Remember, even though it's a spray, it's mineral based