Raw Gaia: how it all started:
 
For years Lisa Lennon suffered from very dry skin. She had looked everywhere for a really good moisturiser, whose ingredients would get as close to nature as possible and that would be free of any chemical and toxic ingredients. Unable to find anything suitable, Lisa started experimenting in the kitchen and doing some research.

By that time, her and her husband Hector Bolanos had been following a diet high in raw foods for about five years. The principle behind a raw food diet is that uncooked vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and sprouted grains provide your body with the best nutrition. In their natural state, these foods contain much more life energy, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs, etc., than when they are cooked.

So it made sense for Lisa to try and develop a cream following the same principle. And since the couple would buy only organic food and are passionate vegans, she evidently wanted to make a product that reflected these choices too.

After months of trial and error, research and perseverance, Lisa came up with the first ever “living” skin care product, what is now called For Her Daughters Living Moisturiser. It was (and still is) hand-made through a special low temperature process, using only organic, cold-pressed butters and oils, infused with some essential oils.

Lisa was amazed with the results since her skin condition had improved remarkably within days! The reason for this was simple: all the life energy, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and natural goodness in the natural ingredients were truly nourishing and healing her skin.

Lisa gave the moisturiser to a few people to try. The feedback and response was so wonderful that the couple soon realised they had a brilliant product on their hands and that without intending to, Lisa had created a completely new concept in skin care. The couple started selling this moisturiser and soon developed a whole range of living skin care products.

What makes Raw Gaia stand out is that we use only 100% organic, living and vegan ingredients such as cold-pressed butters and oils as well as high-grade essential oils. Moreover, our products are made following a process that avoids temperatures beyond 40°C. In this way, the life force of the ingredients and all their antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc., are retained. All these nutrients are then available to nourish your skin, without leaving any surface residues.

The importance of raw, living skin care:

Simply put, the main benefit of a raw, living skin care product is that your body nourishes from the existing life force of the ingredients. In contrast, subjecting to high temperatures destroy most of this living energy.

Raw ingredients provide additional benefits to the skin through their:

Antioxidants: Antioxidants help to keep the skin supple and beautiful by neutralizing free radicals. Free radical exposure eventually leads to hidden inflammation and eventually, wrinkles and ageing skin.

Minerals: These occur naturally in our bodies and are found in our most common foods. Sulphur for example is essential to make the skin soft and elastic since it is an essential component of all connective tissues.

Vitamins: They are beneficial to damaged and distressed skin. Vitamin C for example, is especially useful for the skin under the eyes.

Omega 6 Fatty Acids: Present in oils such as primrose and borage seed oils, they have been shown to gradually improve eczema and moisturise dry, cracking and/or scaling skin.


What purity really means:
Raw Gaia's products do not contain any nasty petrochemicals, artificial colourants and parfums, glycols, lauryl sulphates, parabens, preservatives, synthetic additives, bulking agents or hidden ingredients.

Moreover, by following a special process that carefully avoids temperatures above 40°C, we ensure that none of our products contain heated oils and fats. When these are used in skin care products –even in the so-called most natural ones-, they are actually one of the worst offenders to skin beauty. Heated oils and fats contain highly toxic transfatty acids, which may be absorbed into the cell membranes, causing them to become porous and weak. They also lead to the creation of free radicals, which are unstable oxygen molecules that have lost an electron. Collagen, a protein molecule that constitutes 80% of the dermis, is particularly susceptible to free radical damage, which includes wrinkles, lingering scars and stiff collagen.

In contrast, our cold-pressed fats and oils, kept at low temperatures, help to beautify the skin, strengthen the cell membranes and restore nutrients to the tissues.


Our ethical, environmental and fairtrade principles:
All Raw Gaia's products are certified vegan by The Vegan Society. Our products have not been tested on animals. In addition, we have carefully screened our suppliers to ensure they do not carry out tests on animals either.

We only use organic and/or wildcrafted ingredients. As much as possible, we source our raw materials through fairtrade, to ensure that growers receive a fair price for their work. Our cold-pressed cocoa butter and the living herbal face pack are examples of fairtrade ingredients.

Moreover, we are the first (and as far as we are aware) only skin care company in the world to have adopted an "ethical marketing" approach to beauty and ageing.
 

Ethical Marketing: What’s wrong with wrinkles anyway?
RAW GAIA'S "ETHICAL MARKETING" APPROACH TO BEAUTY AND AGEING

We are appalled by the majority of marketing campaigns aimed at women, which have created false standards of beauty and make women feel inadequate and unsure about their bodies, and in particular, about ageing skin.

In view of this, Raw Gaia has adopted an "ethical marketing" approach to beauty and ageing, so here is what we have to say:

We are constantly bombarded with images of the ‘perfect woman’, typically a model in her late teens, very slim and wearing make-up done by a professional artist. Moreover, and what most people don’t know, the photograph is then airbrushed; skin, body and face features are enhanced and made completely flawless with the help of computer software. So these images of femininity and beauty that we see all around us are of women that literally don’t exist!

The problem is that this makes women feel inadequate, unhappy and unsure about themselves. Have you noticed that pretty much every woman you know will admit in confidence that she feels unhappy about some part, or all, of her body, that she would feel happier if she could change it? To us, this is awful!

Ageing skin is now a particular concern for women. According to a recent market research study, over 90% of women do not feel good about the way their skin looks, regardless of how old they are. This same study acknowledged that nowadays even young women in their early 20s have concerns about wrinkles.

We find it disgraceful that skin care companies use these images to convey the hidden message that ageing skin is not beautiful, not lovable. Sometimes this message is even blatantly explicit. For instance, we found a natural skin care company referring to wrinkles as "unsightly"! We think that creating the need for a product by making women feel bad about themselves is just plain cruel.

Raw Gaia has therefore adopted an "ethical marketing approach to beauty and ageing. We have taken off any mention in our products about de-ageing, wrinkles, rejuvenation, etc. All our marketing literature has been carefully scrutinised to remove anything that would make women feel unsure about their skin and body. On our website, a section has been created to provide information on how to achieve healthy skin through right diet, natural skin care and a positive mental attitude.

We are doing this because we don't want to contribute in any way to this madness. Evidently, we are not suggesting that people shouldn’t use skin care products anymore. On the contrary, it is good and important to have skin that is healthy and full of vitality. Such skin is beautiful, regardless of whether it is aged. Our purpose is to offer you the purest skin care products that truly promote healthy and beautiful skin, by using organic, vegan and unheated, plant-based ingredients.

We invite you to use our products (or any truly natural skin care products for that matter) because you are moved to take good care of yourself and your body, because you want to feel good and not as a result of feeling inadequate or unhappy.

We have all been brainwashed but now is time to see through these unreal, false standards of beauty, created by years and years of unkind marketing tactics. Whenever you see one of those ads, know that they are completely unreal images, the result of computer trickery, makeup, a little bit of nip / tuck action, etc.

Ageing is inevitable and cannot be stopped, not even using the best natural skin care. Botox and all the rest of invasive surgical treatments don’t make you look in your 20s either. But the key point is: ‘What is wrong with wrinkles anyway?’ And of course, the answer is: ‘nothing!’ 

Skin and health benefits of MSM:
 
This article discusses the benefits of MSM, which stands for Methyl-sulphonyl-methane. MSM is a nutritional form of sulphur, which is an essential component in the formation of collagen, elastin, cartilage and keratin. It gives flexibility, tone and strength to muscles, bones, joints, internal membranes and especially the skin, hair and nails.

Adequate levels of sulphur in the body help to promote a radiant complexion, glowing skin and mineralised hair. Therefore sulphur is often referred to as “The beauty mineral”. However, research has found that most people are deficient in sulphur and that deficiency increases with age.

Therefore it is recommended to take MSM as a nutritional supplement. Many people who take MSM on a regular basis report that their skin looks and feels better and also, that their overall health has improved.

MSM is formed naturally as a by-product of algae growing in the oceans and then is evaporated into the clouds. With rain, it falls to the Earth and becomes food and nutrition for all living organisms. MSM is highly concentrated in plants watered by rain, such as pine bark, wild grasses, aloe vera, etc. MSM is extracted from these plants and is available in supplemental crystal powder form.

MSM helps to promote elasticity, healing and repair. It makes cell walls more permeable, allowing nutrients and water to flow freely into cells. It also helps wastes and toxins to flow out. As a result, the benefits of MSM include:

* MSM helps our bodies are able to absorb more nutrients – Vitamins and minerals “lock” with MSM, allowing the body to fully use them.
* Oxygen availability is increased – MSM helps to get oxygen into the blood more efficiently.
* People tend to feel more energetic – The intake of MSM increases cell permeability, therefore the absorption of nutrients and oxygen is improved while toxins are released, thereby helping to increase energy levels.
* MSM helps to reduce inflammation and swelling – One of the most important benefits of MSM is that, by equalizing the pressure on both sides of a cell wall, it helps to take out inflammation out of soft tissue and therefore it helps to reduce pain from arthritis and rheumatism.
* Help with skin conditions - studies have shown that MSM helps with eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, acne, dermatitis, scaly skin and dandruff. Topical application of MSM has been shown to help wounds heal quickly, without scarring.
* MSM helps to maintain a proper pH balance – Sulphur is an essential component of insulin, which plays a crucial role in carbohydrate metabolism. Sulphur also helps to main an overall body balance between alkalinity and acidity.
* MSM appears to be completely safe, even in large doses. There are no known toxic effects from MSM. However, it is best to start taking MSM in small quantities initially (1/2 tablespoon in a pint size glass of water) and increase the dose gradually to 1 to 2 tablespoons each day.

It is important to ensure that the MSM you use is pure, with a degree of purity of over 99.99%. It should also be derived from pine trees, but unfortunately most manufacturers extract it from petrochemicals!

Raw Gaia offers one of the purest MSM supplements in the market. Raw Gaia’s MSM is derived from Canadian pine trees, managed in a sustainable way and with a degree of purity of over 99.993%.

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