Natura Culina

All natural skincare products are defiantly something I have been getting really into, especially local brands that I have came across in Santa Barbara. I had the opportunity to try out a variety of products from Natura Culina and boy are they yummy!!! Owner Lenka Tinka grew up in the Czech Republic

outside of Carlsbad, one of the central Europe's most famous natural spa cities, and experienced first hand the powerful effect of nature on peoples' health. She believes that "every person deserves to feel healthy, loved and cared for. That is the reason I've created Natura Culina skin care with absolutely NO parabens, sulfates, artificial colors or synthetic emulsifiers and absolutely YES with love & care."

  

One word for Natural Culina:: DELICIOUS!

After trying these natural products, I am defiantly hooked. The hand soap is like nothing I have ever tried because it contains tee-tree oil, and if you are a germaphobe like me, you probably wash your hands quite a bit so a nice hand soap that doesn't try your skin and smells refreshing and clean- a must in your kitchen or bathroom.

Antibacterial Tea Tree & Lavender Hand Soap

Did I mention in came in a glass bottle? 

Another item that I tried was the Bath Salt Mixture, it was so fragrant that I could smell the lavender from the other room, it made me craaavvee it. After a long stressful day, this is the perfect remedy. 

Layered Chocolate Lavender Body Scrub

This mixture of ingredients really surprised me and works great for exfoliating dead skin. The lavender with chocolate smells so wonderful, it really makes you want to just lather yourself up and give yourself   a good scrub. I think exfoliating your skin is something that is defiantly underrated and a MUST in skincare. I am so happy to have this in my routine again because I was slippin' for a bit.

My delicious basket of goodies!

I seriously can smell the lavender and chocolate through the packaging! It is so alluring !

My happy place :)

So I would have to say that my favorite product and scent, even though they are all marvelous, is the Coconut Fruit. This smell is just so aromatic and savory. When I get a whiff  I feel like I have just woken up in Tahiti or somethin'. This is a perfect product to exfoliate with and it must be followed up with my absolute favorite, the Shea Butter in Coconut Fruit. I am a stickler for perfume products that stay on forever. I wear Issey Miyake and Channel Number 5 just so you know what I am working with. My test is- you must be able to smell the perfume after wearing it all day, in the shower, or when working out. So, I lathered my body up in the butter after a shower and later that day I went to yoga, and I could smell the Coconut Fruit on myself, it was a very pleasant surprise. :)

From the site:

Natura Culina products are formulated with high quality ingredients, most of them are certified organic. The original line of Natura Culina products is made with certified organic ingredients, only natural preservatives and fragrance oils. The Simply Nature line of Natura Culina products do not contain any fragrance oils, relying on essential oils completely. All our products are made in very small batches upon your order to ensure freshness. 

If you are interested in trying some products, please check out the site Here.

Like Natura Culina on facebook  

http://naturaculina.com/

xox

All natural skincare products are defiantly something I have been getting really into, especially local brands that I have came across in Santa Barbara. I had the opportunity to try out a variety of products from Natura Culina and boy are they yummy!!! Owner Lenka Tinka grew up in the Czech Republic

outside of Carlsbad, one of the central Europe's most famous natural spa cities, and experienced first hand the powerful effect of nature on peoples' health. She believes that "every person deserves to feel healthy, loved and cared for. That is the reason I've created Natura Culina skin care with absolutely NO parabens, sulfates, artificial colors or synthetic emulsifiers and absolutely YES with love & care."

  

One word for Natural Culina:: DELICIOUS!

After trying these natural products, I am defiantly hooked. The hand soap is like nothing I have ever tried because it contains tee-tree oil, and if you are a germaphobe like me, you probably wash your hands quite a bit so a nice hand soap that doesn't try your skin and smells refreshing and clean- a must in your kitchen or bathroom.

Antibacterial Tea Tree & Lavender Hand Soap

Did I mention in came in a glass bottle? 

Another item that I tried was the Bath Salt Mixture, it was so fragrant that I could smell the lavender from the other room, it made me craaavvee it. After a long stressful day, this is the perfect remedy. 

Layered Chocolate Lavender Body Scrub

This mixture of ingredients really surprised me and works great for exfoliating dead skin. The lavender with chocolate smells so wonderful, it really makes you want to just lather yourself up and give yourself   a good scrub. I think exfoliating your skin is something that is defiantly underrated and a MUST in skincare. I am so happy to have this in my routine again because I was slippin' for a bit.

My delicious basket of goodies!

I seriously can smell the lavender and chocolate through the packaging! It is so alluring !

My happy place :)

So I would have to say that my favorite product and scent, even though they are all marvelous, is the Coconut Fruit. This smell is just so aromatic and savory. When I get a whiff  I feel like I have just woken up in Tahiti or somethin'. This is a perfect product to exfoliate with and it must be followed up with my absolute favorite, the Shea Butter in Coconut Fruit. I am a stickler for perfume products that stay on forever. I wear Issey Miyake and Channel Number 5 just so you know what I am working with. My test is- you must be able to smell the perfume after wearing it all day, in the shower, or when working out. So, I lathered my body up in the butter after a shower and later that day I went to yoga, and I could smell the Coconut Fruit on myself, it was a very pleasant surprise. :)

From the site:

Natura Culina products are formulated with high quality ingredients, most of them are certified organic. The original line of Natura Culina products is made with certified organic ingredients, only natural preservatives and fragrance oils. The Simply Nature line of Natura Culina products do not contain any fragrance oils, relying on essential oils completely. All our products are made in very small batches upon your order to ensure freshness. 

If you are interested in trying some products, please check out the site Here.

Like Natura Culina on facebook  

http://naturaculina.com/

xox

Energy Cleansing Sea Salt Elixir

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great evening and a yummy kiss:) 2013 is all about self love for me and one loving ritual that I have been practicing lately is taking hot cleansing baths. The hot water and healing concoctions that I make from natural ingredients have really been clearing my energy and restoring me back to a happier place so I wanted to share my mixture incase you too love baths or want to try a natural holistic approach to de-stressing your day or simply getting rid of old yucky energy that you may have absorbed throughout the day from others.

The first key ingredient is sea salt, I highly recommend Dead Sea Salt from the Dead Sea in Israel because it has higher concentrations of mineral elements. I purchased a bag of bulk salt from the San Francisco Salt Company and I was very satisfied with the quality of the salt. 

 The salt pictured above is course, I would recommend fine because it dissolves into the bath nicer but either one works great.

More about the Dead Sea Salt: 

A luxuriant sea salt extracted and solar dried from the saline and mineral rich marshes of the confined Dead Sea.This salt is extremely wealthy in numerous key elements and has proven to be one of the best therapeutic salts available.The balance of the salts in Dead Sea water are magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride and bromides. Magnesium is important for both combating stress and fluid retention, slowing skin aging and calming the nervous system. Calcium is effective at preventing water retention, increasing circulation and strengthening bones and nails. Potassium energizes the body, helps to balance skin moisture and is a crucial mineral to replenish following intense exercise. Bromides act to ease muscle stiffness and relax muscles. Sodium is important for the lymphatic fluid balance (this in turn is important for immune system function). So we can see that bathing in high quality sea salt could replenish the minerals which are critical to our skin metabolism.

Once you have your base for the mixture, this is where it gets fun and you can get creative! I started with the the Herbal Alchemist's Handbook: Grimoire of Philtres. Elixirs, Oils, Incense, and Formulas for Ritual Use by Karen Harrison. I did a lot of research on the healing elements of natural herbs, aroma therapy and which aliments I wanted address and I found this book very helpful. The recipe I am giving you today is specifically for cleansing energy, addressing stress and tension and relaxation but feel free to get down on your own concoction and use this as a starting point!  

After you have purchased your salt and gathered all your herbs, put the salt in a large bowl and just start mixing away with a large spoon. You can pretty much eye ball all the measurements when combining the herbs and just use your intuition and what you think feels right. 

Here are the key ingredients that I used for my Energy Cleansing Elixir:

Lotus Leaves: Promotes spiritual awakening, peace, and true dreaming. Attracts the Gods and aides with cleanings. 

Rose Buds and Pedals: Rose is linked to love and beauty in every culture. Love, affection, & seduction. The American Botanical Council reports that rose petals have sedative, antiseptic, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, laxative, cholesterol-lowering, and heart-supportive properties. Psychological studies indicate that rose oil can induce "sweeter dreams" and increase concentration and rate of work capacity.

Lavendar Oil: Love, protection, peace and purification  Acne, allergies, amenorrhea, asthma, bruises, colds, cough, dandruff, depression, dermatitis, earache, eczema, flatulence, headache, hypertension, indigestion, infection, inflammations, insect bites and stings, laryngitis, migraine, nausea, nervous tension, neuralgia, psoriasis, rashes, rheumatism, scars, slow digestion, sore muscles, sprains, stress, sunburn, teething, toothache, ulcers, wound. Spike lavender can be added to any fragrance blend. 

St. Johns-Warts Oil: A cool, bitter herb, St. John's wort is sedative, anti-inflammatory, astringent, and most famously as an anti-depressant. Dispels negative energies.

Dry White Sage Leaves: Blessing and energy cleansing. Some Native American tribes used white sage to treat coughs and colds, or added to a sweat bath as a general tonic and fever reliever. Burning leaves have been used to fumigate a house or dwelling after a contagion, and to purify the air during illnesses. White ceremonial sage also has been used as a hair rinse and a deodorant poultice to reduce body odor. It’s a very strong anti-inflammatory when taken as a tea or infusion, and may help reduce ulcerative symptoms.

Coconut Oil: This is a great oil for general moisturizing and serves as a protective layer, helping to retain the moisture in your skin. It also acts as a mild oil suitable for those with inflamed and irritated skin, and those with skin sensitivities.

Baking Soda: Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, provides a naturally alkaline substance with a reputation for helping to remove toxins.

If you are looking for place to purchase herbs or essential oils, I really like Mountain Rose Herbs online or  The Herbal Spirit in Santa Barbara if you are local.  

Directions for use: Scoop three tablespoons of the Energy Cleansing Elixir and Salt into a steaming hot bath. All components of the cleansing mixture will work to their full benefit with hot water as the heat draws the oils from the plants out. If you do not have a bath or would prefer to take a shower, scoop two tablespoons of the mixture into the cloth bag provided and run hot water through the pouch and scrub body, or use as exfoliator and put directly onto the skin. 

The practice of taking detoxification baths is based on the idea of drawing toxins out through the skin during a bath by putting substances in the water that are thought to draw toxins out of the body. Proponents of detoxification recommend ridding the body of toxins taken in through our food and environmental pollution. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, provides a naturally alkaline substance with a reputation for helping to remove toxins. - Live Strong 

I really like to use a mason jar to store my salt mixture. Hope this post has been helpful. Enjoy your self love.

xoxo

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great evening and a yummy kiss:) 2013 is all about self love for me and one loving ritual that I have been practicing lately is taking hot cleansing baths. The hot water and healing concoctions that I make from natural ingredients have really been clearing my energy and restoring me back to a happier place so I wanted to share my mixture incase you too love baths or want to try a natural holistic approach to de-stressing your day or simply getting rid of old yucky energy that you may have absorbed throughout the day from others.

The first key ingredient is sea salt, I highly recommend Dead Sea Salt from the Dead Sea in Israel because it has higher concentrations of mineral elements. I purchased a bag of bulk salt from the San Francisco Salt Company and I was very satisfied with the quality of the salt. 

 The salt pictured above is course, I would recommend fine because it dissolves into the bath nicer but either one works great.

More about the Dead Sea Salt: 

A luxuriant sea salt extracted and solar dried from the saline and mineral rich marshes of the confined Dead Sea.This salt is extremely wealthy in numerous key elements and has proven to be one of the best therapeutic salts available.The balance of the salts in Dead Sea water are magnesium, potassium, calcium chloride and bromides. Magnesium is important for both combating stress and fluid retention, slowing skin aging and calming the nervous system. Calcium is effective at preventing water retention, increasing circulation and strengthening bones and nails. Potassium energizes the body, helps to balance skin moisture and is a crucial mineral to replenish following intense exercise. Bromides act to ease muscle stiffness and relax muscles. Sodium is important for the lymphatic fluid balance (this in turn is important for immune system function). So we can see that bathing in high quality sea salt could replenish the minerals which are critical to our skin metabolism.

Once you have your base for the mixture, this is where it gets fun and you can get creative! I started with the the Herbal Alchemist's Handbook: Grimoire of Philtres. Elixirs, Oils, Incense, and Formulas for Ritual Use by Karen Harrison. I did a lot of research on the healing elements of natural herbs, aroma therapy and which aliments I wanted address and I found this book very helpful. The recipe I am giving you today is specifically for cleansing energy, addressing stress and tension and relaxation but feel free to get down on your own concoction and use this as a starting point!  

After you have purchased your salt and gathered all your herbs, put the salt in a large bowl and just start mixing away with a large spoon. You can pretty much eye ball all the measurements when combining the herbs and just use your intuition and what you think feels right. 

Here are the key ingredients that I used for my Energy Cleansing Elixir:

Lotus Leaves: Promotes spiritual awakening, peace, and true dreaming. Attracts the Gods and aides with cleanings. 

Rose Buds and Pedals: Rose is linked to love and beauty in every culture. Love, affection, & seduction. The American Botanical Council reports that rose petals have sedative, antiseptic, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, laxative, cholesterol-lowering, and heart-supportive properties. Psychological studies indicate that rose oil can induce "sweeter dreams" and increase concentration and rate of work capacity.

Lavendar Oil: Love, protection, peace and purification  Acne, allergies, amenorrhea, asthma, bruises, colds, cough, dandruff, depression, dermatitis, earache, eczema, flatulence, headache, hypertension, indigestion, infection, inflammations, insect bites and stings, laryngitis, migraine, nausea, nervous tension, neuralgia, psoriasis, rashes, rheumatism, scars, slow digestion, sore muscles, sprains, stress, sunburn, teething, toothache, ulcers, wound. Spike lavender can be added to any fragrance blend. 

St. Johns-Warts Oil: A cool, bitter herb, St. John's wort is sedative, anti-inflammatory, astringent, and most famously as an anti-depressant. Dispels negative energies.

Dry White Sage Leaves: Blessing and energy cleansing. Some Native American tribes used white sage to treat coughs and colds, or added to a sweat bath as a general tonic and fever reliever. Burning leaves have been used to fumigate a house or dwelling after a contagion, and to purify the air during illnesses. White ceremonial sage also has been used as a hair rinse and a deodorant poultice to reduce body odor. It’s a very strong anti-inflammatory when taken as a tea or infusion, and may help reduce ulcerative symptoms.

Coconut Oil: This is a great oil for general moisturizing and serves as a protective layer, helping to retain the moisture in your skin. It also acts as a mild oil suitable for those with inflamed and irritated skin, and those with skin sensitivities.

Baking Soda: Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, provides a naturally alkaline substance with a reputation for helping to remove toxins.

If you are looking for place to purchase herbs or essential oils, I really like Mountain Rose Herbs online or  The Herbal Spirit in Santa Barbara if you are local.  

Directions for use: Scoop three tablespoons of the Energy Cleansing Elixir and Salt into a steaming hot bath. All components of the cleansing mixture will work to their full benefit with hot water as the heat draws the oils from the plants out. If you do not have a bath or would prefer to take a shower, scoop two tablespoons of the mixture into the cloth bag provided and run hot water through the pouch and scrub body, or use as exfoliator and put directly onto the skin. 

The practice of taking detoxification baths is based on the idea of drawing toxins out through the skin during a bath by putting substances in the water that are thought to draw toxins out of the body. Proponents of detoxification recommend ridding the body of toxins taken in through our food and environmental pollution. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, provides a naturally alkaline substance with a reputation for helping to remove toxins. - Live Strong 

I really like to use a mason jar to store my salt mixture. Hope this post has been helpful. Enjoy your self love.

xoxo