Welcome

Welcome to Brown Sugar Naturals blog! 

Upcoming Event: North Carolina Natural Hair Care Expo June 22 and 23, 2013

Come out and visit Brown Sugar Naturals in Raleigh, NC for the NC Natural Hair Care Expo. Raleigh, NC is the next stop on the Natural Hair Care Evolution Tour.

Upcoming Event: Return of the Curls Richmond, VA

Brown Sugar Naturals will be vending at Return of the Curls in Richmond, VA. Come out and support us an other local vendors.

All About Calendula

(Kal len dula) Official name is Calendula officinalis. It is believed that the plant originated from Egypt and southern Europe. It can also be called golds, marigold, and ruddles. The petals are used for herbal remedies. Calendula resembles daisies with its golden yellow or orange color. The flowers of calendula have wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties. It can also serve as an anti fungal for certain skin conditions. It helps with dermatitis and dandruff. Reported uses are:

• Mouthwash against gum infections
• Treatment for swollen lymph nodes(taken internally)
• Leg ulcers
• Varicose veins
• Conjunctivitis
• Nosebleeds
• Helps fight and treat Cancer
• Promotes menstration when taken internally
• Tincture for treatment of fever and flu

Do not use internally if you are pregnant or breast feeding. May cause miscarriage. Also do not use if you have allergies to ragweed related plants. 

It generally thought to be safe for topical applications. We use calendula in our natural hair oils.

Youtube Review of Brown Sugar Naturals

We found this great video that reviews our products. Thanks mznaturallife!
(Side note: we must update our labels! #growingbusiness)





http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kqTA4lYqWpw

Product Spotlight: Honey, Milk, & Banana Soap

Your skin will love this soap! Made with real bananas, coconut milk, honey, & brown sugar this soap is good enough to eat. This soap is moisturizing, and helps to improve skin texture and clarity.


Ingredients include:
shea butter - great to use for eczema, scars, blemishes, dry skin
coconut milk -moisturize the skin and relieve dry skin and rashes
cocoa butter - heals and moisturizes skin
organic bananas - helps treat eczema, acne, wrinkles, anti-inflammatory
brown sugar - helps condition and moisturize skin
rhassoul clay - improves skin clarity and texture
cocoa powder - moisturizer for glowing skin

All About Castor Oil

Also known as Palm Christi Oil, there are many uses for castor oil. Castor oil has a long history of traditional medical use dating back to ancient Egypt. Here is a short list of the many uses:

Hair growth - known as a hair growth oil, it helps stimulate hair growth and promotes thicker hair, eyebrows, eyelashes. (avoid using in areas that you do not want hair to regrow)
Healer - promotes healing of wounds and cure ailments. Contains anti-inflammatory properties that help with arthritis, sore muscles, skin infections and other skin problems such as sunburn, abrasions, acne, dry skin, boils, warts, stretch marks, stye, and scars.
Moisturizer - Acts as a humectant by attracting and retaining moisture to skin/scalp.Helps prevent wrinkles and keep the skin looking youthful.

We use castor oil in our hair oil products.

Here are some great recipes that you could use at home.

Facial cleanser (early am):
(you can adjust based on your skin type..more EVOO the drier your skin, normal skin equal amounts of both oils)

Since I have oily skin I use:
3 oz castor oil 
1 oz extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Pour a small amount into palms of hands. Gently rub onto dry skin (do not wet or clean before). Wet a washcloth with hot water and steam the face with the washcloth for a few seconds (40-60sec). Wipe the oil off the face. Do not try to wash with a "soap" cleanser until later in the evening.

Cuticle soother/antifungal nails:
4oz warm castor oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops geranium essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil

Add warm castor oil to a dish, add essential oils. Soak fingernails for 5 to 10 minutes. Great to use following a manicure.

Stye Treatment
Add a small drop to stye 2 to 3 times a day

Precautions and warnings
Raw castor oil from the plant may contain deadly poisons, please be sure to buy detoxified castor oil. Most commercial castor oil had been detoxified. Castor oil is normally safe in moderation. Castor oil can induce labor in pregnant and lactating women. People with intestinal blockage, acute inflammatory intestinal disease, appendicitis, or abdominal pain should not take castor oil without their doctor's approval.

Common Essential Oils and Uses

Here is a list of some common essential oils and their uses:

Bergamot

astringent, antiseptic, balances, antidepressant, deodorant

Cedarwood

antiseptic, calms, rejuvenates

Cinnamon

antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, circulation

Citronella

insect repellent, colds, relieve melancholy

Clary Sage

regulates perspiration, strengthens, cleanses, balances

Clove Bud

antiseptic, disinfectant, insect repellent

Corn Mint

antiseptic, strengthens skin's natural defenses, refreshing, increases concentration, insect repellent

Eucalyptus

antiseptic, regenerative, stimulates, increases circulation, helps acne

Geranium Rose

antiseptic, calms irritation, uplifts, stimulates sensual feelings, helps acne

Ginger

antiseptic,muscle tension, aphrodisiac, helps morning & motion sickness

Lavender

antiseptic, detoxifying, calms, cleanses, tonic, antidepressant

Lemon

astringent, detoxifying, antidepressant

Lemongrass

antiseptic, astringent, refreshing, tonic, helps tiredness

Nutmeg

sore muscles, rheumatism, calms, strengthens

Palmarosa

stimulates cell rejuvenation, calms, uplifts

Patchouli

insect repellent, antiviral, antifungal, aphrodisiac

Pink Grapefruit

antibacterial, astringent, antioxidant (vitamin C), cleanses, balances

Rosemary

antiseptic, brain stimulant, nerve tonic, uplifts

Rosewood

skin dryness, tonic for nervous system

Sweet Orange

disinfectant, regenerative, relaxes, balances

Tea Tree

affects fungi, viruses, and bacteria

Ylang-Ylang

antiseptic, moisturizing, tension relieving, balancing

All About Shea Butter

Ok I thought you would like a technicial definition of shea butter. We all know how wonderful it is, this is why it is found in all of our products! Here is a little of what Wikipedia has to say about it:

Shea butter or Shea nut butter is a slightly yellowish or ivory colored natural fat extracted from the seed of the shea tree by crushing and boiling. Shea butter is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer and salve. Shea butter is also edible, used in food preparation as well as sometimes in the chocolate industry substituting for cocoa butter. It is a acclaimed natural butter derived from the Shea tree growing across Africa.

Properties

Shea butter is marketed as being effective at treating the following conditions: fading scars, eczema, burns, rashes, acne, severely dry skin, blemishes, dark spots, skin discolorations, chapped lips, stretchmarks, wrinkles, and in lessening the irritation of psoriasis. Shea butter provides natural ultraviolet sun protection, although the level of protection is extremely variable, ranging from nothing to approximately SPF 6. Shea butter absorbs rapidly into the skin without leaving a greasy feeling. In Nigeria, it is known to be very effective in the management of sinusitis and relief of nasal congestion. This is due to its hydrating properties which helps in relaxing the tension in the face skin thus easing respiration

Uses

Shea butter can be found in many high end moisturizing personal care products. Shea butter extract is known for its skin softening effect, it is also used in hair conditioners to add and maintain moisture in dry brittle hair revitalizing; in addition to retaining softness and preventing breakage.
With regular use Shea Butter evens skin tone and returns skin to a natural luster, melting at body temperature, it absorbs quickly and completely into the skin without leaving a noticable oily residue. Shea Butter penetrates deep into the skin to rehydrate and promote cell growth.

History

The shea or karite tree produces its first fruit (which resemble large plums) when it is about 20 years old and reaches its full production when the tree is about 45 years old. It produces nuts for up to 200 years after reaching maturity. It usually grows to an average height of about 15m with profuse branches and a thick waxy and deeply fissured bark that makes it fire resistant.

Many vernacular names are used for Shea butter Vitellaria or Lucuma paradoxa including nilotica which is a reflection of its extensive range of occurrence—nearly 5,000km from Senegal (west) to Uganda (east) across the African continent. The nomenclature history and synonymy of the shea tree followed a very tortuous perhaps sanguine evolution since the oldest recorded specimen collected by a European—Scottish explorer Mungo Park—dated May 26, 1797.

The shea tree grows naturally in the wild in the dry savannah belt of West Africa from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, and onto the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands. It occurs in 19 countries across the African continent, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea.


Distribution of shea treesIn Ghana (FAO, 1988a), it occurs extensively in the Guinea savannah and less abundantly in the Sudan Savannah. The shea tree occurs over almost the entire area of Northern Ghana, over about 77,670 square kilometers in Western Dagomba, Southern Mamprusi, Western Gonja, Lawra, Tumu, Wa and Nanumba with Eastern Gonja having the densest stands. There is sparse shea tree cover found in Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, and the Eastern and Volta regions in the south of the country.