Nuts for Nuts!

Did someone say nuts?

Guest blog post by Lori MacGregor of LATHER.

Since LATHER’s inception in 1999, our mission has always been to deliver top quality, cruelty-free beauty products. We never test on animals nor do we work with labs that do. We respect all living things, as animals aren’t given the choice to say “no.”

What we DO work with are natural plant- and food-based ingredients and pure essential oils. We never include synthetic fragrances or colors, and almost all of our products are paraben-free and SLS-free. In the spirit of all the leftover Halloween candy – Peanut M&M’s in particular – tempting me at my desk, I thought I’d highlight the skincare benefits of nuts and how we incorporate them into our products.

Nuts are primarily used in skin care as either an exfoliant or as a moisturizer. We use walnut shell powder as an exfoliant in our Bamboo Lemongrass Foaming Body Scrub and Almond Crème Body Buff. This powerful powder is strong yet soft, effectively scrubbing away dry and flaky skin.

Almond meal – essentially ground up almonds with the consistency of corn meal – can also be used as an exfoliant. Paired with honey to hydrate, we include it in our Honey Almond Soap to scrub and moisturize. This is an ideal soap for winter when skin is exceptionally dry and sensitive.

A number of nut oils are used to hydrate. Almond Oil is extremely popular in skin care, as it is an excellent emollient – softening and soothing to the skin. Obtained from the dried kernels of the almond tree, it helps to balance the loss and absorption of moisture, making it particularly effective for chapped and irritated skin, soothing it while also nourishing and protecting. You can find it in many of our products – just look for the world “Almond” in the title!

Macadamia Nut Oil is exceptionally beneficial for dry and mature skin types due to its palmitoleic oil content, which decreases in the skin as we age. We include it in our Almond Milk & Honey Body Butter as well as Manuka Body Butter for its super-hydrating qualities.

Obviously, if you have nut allergies, we recommend using products that DON’T contain these ingredients; however if you are nuts for nuts like we are, we do recommend using them for soft, healthy skin.

Guest post by Lori MacGregor and Lather.com, a cruelty-free skin and hair care company since 1999.