Sheila is our winner for the October Give-Away…Congratulations!

Look out for our upcoming combined November-December Give-Away, which will be drawn just in time for Christmas delivery…

Lavender is an all-time favorite scent and generously used in aromatherapeutic applications. JASCO Organics is giving away a Lavender body wash and a Lavender Swirl bar soap (both organic) in October to make summer last just a little bit longer for one lucky winner. Just add a comment to the blog and you’ll automatically be entered for the drawing on November 1. Please be sure to add solutions@jascoorganics.com to your address book to ensure that you receive the notifier email, if you win.

Here’s some additional information on lavender:

A well-loved Mediterranean herb, lavender has been associated with cleanliness since Romans first added it to their bathwater. In fact, the name comes from the Latin lavandus, meaning to wash. Essential oil of lavender is now known to have many applications in aromatherapy.

 Today lavender remains a favorite for scenting clothing and closets, soaps, and even furniture polish. Lavender was traditionally inhaled to ease exhaustion, insomnia, irritability, and depression. In the Victorian era, women revived themselves from faints caused by tight corsets with lavender-filled swooning pillows.

 Two related plants called spike (L. latifolia) and lavandin (L. intermedia) are produced in greater quantities; but they are more camphorous and harsher in scent, with inferior healing properties, although they are useful for disinfecting. Less expensive to produce, they are commonly sold as lavender.

 Principal constituents of lavender: Linalol, linalyl acetate, geranyle, eucalyptol, pinene, limonene, cineole, phenol, coumarins, flavonoids

 Scent of lavender: The aroma is sweet, floral, and herbal with balsamic undertones.

 Therapeutic properties of lavender: Antiseptic, circulatory stimulant; relieves muscle spasms and cramping

 Uses for lavender: Lavender is among the safest and most widely used of all aromatherapy oils. It relieves muscle pain, migraines and other headaches, and inflammation. It is also one of the most antiseptic essential oils, treating many types of infection, including lung, sinus, vaginal, and especially candida infections.

 Lavender is suitable for all skin types. Cosmetically, it appears to be a cell regenerator. It prevents scarring and stretch marks and reputedly slows the development of wrinkles. It is used on burns, sun-damaged skin, wounds, rashes, and, of course, skin infections.

Lavender also treats indigestion, including colic, and boosts immunity. Of several fragrances tested by aromatherapy researchers, lavender was most effective at relaxing brain waves and reducing stress. It also reduced computer errors by almost one-fourth when used to scent the office.
(Adapted from http://health.howstuffworks.com/aromatherapy-lavender.htm)

Congratulations to Laureen for winning the September Give-Away! Check in tomorrow, October 2, to see what we have in store for this month.

Almost everyone loves the colorful fall season, so we’ll go along and help add some color to your life with our September Make-Up give-away. We have recently more than doubled the size of our foundations, bronzer, powder and blushes in order to maximize value for you and help protect the environment by reducing the amount of packaging we use. You’ll also notice that our invoices are now printed on sustainable banana paper.

Mineral make-up is an excellent choice for anyone who would like to avoid synthetic ingredients and reduce the chance of developing allergic reactions. The JASCO Organics make-up line contains no parabens or bismuth-oxychloride, the ingredient usually responsible for the itchiness resulting from the use of mineral foundations and bronzers.

We are giving away a blush, an eye-shadow and a lipstick, all in the color of your choice, a value of $45, just for leaving your comment below. Please be sure to add solutions@jascoorganics.com to your address book. If we notify you via email and you do not get back to us, the products will go to someone else.

Please visit http://shop.jascoorganics.com to explore our available make-up colors. Our foundations, blushes, powder and bronzer are on sale throughout the month of September and orders over $75 ship FREE!

This month, we are giving away a home spa experience. Enter your comment below for your chance to win one Essence Spa Facial and an 8 oz jar filled with five sustainably harvested, exotic sea salts from all over the world!

Our facial contains equal parts of organic Icelandic Kelp, Moroccan Rhassoul Clay and organic blue-green algae. You receive the powder and deionized water (this is a highly purified form of water, most frequently used in scientific applications) and mix them just as you are ready to apply the facial. This makes for a powerful at-home treatment that would easily run upward of $60 per application at a spa and each bottle of Essence contains two applications! Some of the benefits of this product include:

Minerals released at application

Sea salts have been used for centuries in the treatment of various skin conditions, including dryness, eczema and psoriasis. Additionally, seal salts are known for their excellent detoxifying qualities. The combination you can win here contains Hawaiian Red Salt, Himalayan Pink Salt, Mediterranean Salt from the French Riviera, Dead Sea Salt and Icelandic Geothermal Brine Salt. The mineral content of these salts in combination is very diverse and will make for a beautiful skin-softening experience in hand and foot soaks or a relaxing bath.

The middle of the year is customer appreciation time at JASCO Organics. On top of our Summer Sale specials, we have decided to give away our exclusive, best-selling moisturizer. Learn more about this amazing product, then leave your comment and you’ll be automatically entered to win.

Silk is packed with nourishing vitamins and infused with silk peptides to give your skin the elusive glow. It contains pure organic honey to protect from the elements and organic Bulgarian Rose Oil to naturally reduce wrinkles and keep skin looking healthy, youthful and supple with the added benefit of uplifting aromatherapy. Studies have even shown that Rose Oil helps improve the state of mind of people suffering from depression after tragic life events. Unfortunately, it is extremely expensive, particularly the organic oil, which is why it is not widely used in natural therapies.

Here are Silk’s ingredients, in case you are curious by now:

Aloe barbadensis (Organic Aloe Vera) Juice, Persea Americana (Avocado) Oil, Aspalathus linearis (Organic Rooibos Tea) Extract, Simmondsia chinensis (Organic Jojoba) Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Elaesis guineesis (Organic Palm/sustainably harvested) Oil, Kosher Vegetable Glycerin, Palm Stearic Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Ascorbyl Palmitate (Vitamin C Ester), Calcium d-Pantothenate (Pro-Vitamin B5), Allantoin (Ureidohydantoin- Comfrey), Xanthan Gum (Polysaccharide gum), Retinol Palmitate (Vitamin A), Salix nigra (Organic Black Willowbark) Extract, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Oleoresin, Azadirachta indica (Neem) Oil), organic Honey, Hydrolyzed Silk, Rosa damascena (organic Rose) Oil.

No ingredient in this formulation is synthetic, including the organic preservative system. This moisturizer definitely has its fans in Hollywood circles…

Good luck!

This month, we are giving away a 4 oz bottle of our hugely popular Renew Rooibos Exfoliating Cleanser. Read our blog, leave your comment and you are automatically entered to win. Please be sure to add solutions@jascoorganics.com to your address book. We’ve had winners miss out, because they did not receive our notifications. Good luck!

Rooibos, translated from Afrikaans, means “red bush” and many of you may already have enjoyed a cup of this delightful red tea with its recent popularity gain in the US. The tea, which also has a green rooibos counterpart, is not only delicious, but has been consumed for its health benefits for generations. Compared to oxidized black and unoxidized green tea, red rooibos is lower in caffeine, but contains a very high level of antioxidants. Why is this important? Antioxidants in your body can terminate the potentially cell-damaging activities caused by free radicals, which is one of the reasons a healthy diet should contain sufficient amounts of Vitamin C, which has the same effect. In South Africa, the tea is known for other health benefits as well, including alleviation of nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems and even asthmatic conditions.

Recently, studies have discovered notable benefits of this plant in skin care products as well, and you can find it in our lotions and our facial scrub. Rooibos displays anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, is anti-allergenic and therefore suited for sensitive skin, it is soothing and counters free radical damage when applied topically. While additional research is needed, preliminary reports show anti-aging effects with regular application. Best of all, it is completely natural and the extract we use is 100% organically grown and processed.

Whether you drink it or apply it, this is one plant you can’t go wrong with, and should you ever need to pronounce it, it is “roy-bos”…

While almost all of us are intimately familiar with multiple variations of facial cleansers, from mild to scrubby, moisturizers of all sorts and serums and eye creams to boot, the toner remains one of the more under-used facial care products. In order to change this, we are giving away a free toner of your choice this month, depending on your skin type (check out Restore and Refresh!). Simply add a comment to enter the drawing.

What’s so great about toners, you wonder?

For starters, they are affordable, easy to apply and incredibly refreshing!
Most toners are formulated to remove what your cleansers leave behind, reduce pores to help tighten skin and balance pH. Particularly during the warmer months of the year, toners can be kept in the fridge and applied any time to refresh the face, remove sweat, impurities and excess oils.
When applied to cotton pads, the soaked pads can be placed on the face for about five minutes in lieu of a facial. You’ll notice an instant improvement in complexion.

Toners are great for men, women and teens alike.
Good luck to all our participants and feel free to share your own tips and experiences!

In line with our March blog on essential oil usage, we are giving away a full-sized organic Lavender Lotion. Scented with 100% certified organic Lavender Oil, sustainably harvested in the Provence, this lotion not only provides silky moisture, but a burst of aromatherapy to boot!

Simply leave your comment and you will be entered to win.

Essential Oils are a great alternative to synthetic scents, also known as “fragrance” and often full of toxic chemicals. However, some caution should be used, mostly because pure essential oils are highly concentrated and very potent.

Never apply undiluted essential oils directly to the skin.

Essential Oils used to scent soaps, lotions and other personal care products are usually safe, because they occur in concentrations of only 1-2%.

Consult with your doctor if you are using medications that may interfere with certain oils.

Do not use essential oils from plants, flowers or fruits you know you are allergic to! If you are allergic to citrus, for example, you will react to lemon or orange oils.

Caution should be used during pregnancy, particularly when using oils in higher concentrations for aromatherapy. A qualified aromatherapist can help you decide which oils are most beneficial for you during pregnancy. Positive results have been reported in easing morning sickness and general discomfort.

Essential Oils are absorbed through your skin and will be processed just like any other natural substance. Choosing organic oils is a safe way to avoid absorption of pesticides and herbicides through your personal care products.

If you have any questions or would like for us to discuss a specific area of concern in an upcoming blog, please email us to solutions@jascoorganics.com.

This is one of our most asked about subjects, so we chose this topic for our February blog. Our give-away for this month consists of our rich, 95%+ organic Pure Body Wash in a scent of your choice and a 1oz bottle of our certified organic Tamanu Oil for, yes, you’ve guessed it, the treatment of stretchmarks! Just leave your comment below and you are automatically entered to win!

Stretchmarks occur when skin is stretched past its natural capacity too quickly, which commonly happens during pregnancy, weight gain and even in teenagers who experience growth spurts (teenage girls can also get them on their breasts as they develop). They are not reversible, despite what many ads claim and regardless of how much we wish they were. However, like any type of scarring, their appearance can be significantly reduced with adequate and persistent treatment. Here are some tips to get you started (and naturally, of course!):

1. Because stretchmarks develop scar tissue as they heal, it is important to aid skin cell regeneration, which can be accomplished through regular exfoliation of the area.

2. The more dehydrated your skin, the more noticeable your stretchmarks, so be sure to drink lots of water and moisturize regularly, ideally twice daily.

3. One of the best treatments for both scars and stretchmarks known to us, with no known adverse effects, is Tamanu Oil. Apply directly to stretch marks twice daily.

4. Working out helps reduce the appearance of stretchmarks by firming muscles and reducing fat deposits.

5. Toxins tend to accumulate in fat cells, which is why we recommend an occasional detox. Sea salt bathing is a great option and the salt can also be used to exfoliate!

6. Don’t beat yourself up over stretchmarks. Many, if not most of us have them or will eventually have them, even the airbrushed celebrities you admire in magazines.