Harsh Winter Got You Down? Save Your Skin with Salve!

One of my absolute favourite things on this earth is a good farmer’s market. At home, abroad, anywhere really, I just love them. While living in Paris, I would head to the farmer’s market even when I didn’t need any groceries… just to breathe the air and “sample”. Below are some shots from the Organic Paris farmers market on Rue de Raspail (this past spring) and the Bonden’s Market over the weekend (yes, that is a real reindeer).

Natural Finds At the Farmer’s Market

Now that winter has hit hard in Norway, the farmer’s markets are becoming fewer and farther between, but they are not lost. Over the weekend I spent some time at a charming little Christmas market that was both filled with farmers and crafters. These are some of the THE BEST places to buy natural beauty products (and organic local produce). Almost always you find the small producers who use the purest ingredients, have high standards for what goes into their products and often you can chat to the very person that created the product you’re holding in your hand.

This weekend I met Susanne (pictured above) a beauty therapist that runs Rhapsody of Wellness in Sweden. She had a line of beauty products that she created on display and I was quickly sold on her Apple & Vanilla Salve – it smells and feels glorious. Great for winter time, salve is perfect to keep chapped skin at bay, but also to keep your skin’s moisture retention at its peak. Salve is especially helpful if you’re living in colder climates. It’s a great addition to prevent wind chap if you’re out in the mountains, or even just walking around the town finishing your holiday shopping. I use it on my hands and cuticles and feet as well, but it works equally as wonderfully on your lips and face.

Rules of Thumb When Purchasing Salve

When purchasing salve read the ingredients – the truly pure products will probably have 4 – 5 ingredients. More than that, and you should start to question where the product really came from… and on that note, avoid petroleum-based ingredients at all costs (known by other names such as petrolatum, mineral oil, paraffin, paraffin oil and paraffin wax). Petroleum has come under fire in recent years after it has been found in breast tumors (a study completed at Columbia University indicated that breast tissue of women with breast cancer were 2.6 times more likely to have increased amounts of PAHs  (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – impurities found in petroleum jelly) attached to their DNA than the breast tissue of women without breast cancer).

So, with all that being said, get yourself to the nearest farmers market and pick up some natural salve.

Happy Hunting Natural Beauties!

X

K