Merz Tea Time is a new webcast by Merz Apothecary in Chicago IL. Merz is a 145-year-old apothecary and online giant based in Chicago. Keys and Merz have had a 12-year relationship that has grown even stronger in these tough times. Merz Tea Time is a new live online webcast created by Merz to inform in a Joe Rogan style interaction with Merz vendors. One of the first guests in this series was Bob Root, Keys founder, formulator, and head engineer. Rogan style, the conversation bounces all over the gamut from skincare to the origin of Keys and why the company exists. It is a funny, educational, and insightful podcast.
If you are offering podcast, webcasts or ZoomCasts to your customers, please contact us to book time with Bob
by Wendy Steele, Keys CEO Melanoma survivor, and Founder
So, how do the sunscreens you sell to your customers rank on Saftey and Efficacy? Do they actually work and are they safe. The controversy rages on whether sports sunscreen is safe. The FDA says they should be reapplied every 15 minutes in high-stress conditions. Our Solar Rx Moisturizer with sunscreen has the highest and best rating. It can be worn all day as a foundation. How do the ones you sell rate against Keys Solar Rx? The results may surprise you. Every year the Environmental Working Group publishes a sunscreen report. Keys has been at the top of the list since the first report ten years ago. This year the report is better to read in every aspect. It is easy to read and figure out which is best for your customers. They already read the report, it is time you compare what they know to what you sell.
First, there are fundamentally two types of sunscreens. There are “go-to beach” sports screens and daily moisturizers with SPF. Keys Solar RX is a daily sunscreen foundation with anti-aging moisturizing properties. Having both types on your shelves is important and knowing when to recommend one of the other is essential.
Keys has received the highest ranking in the 2020 EWG sunscreen report for safety and efficacy. Keys Solar Rx and Keys KPRO SPF each received a 1 rating in this year’s EWG sunscreen report. The scale of 1 to 10 ranks safety based on ingredients and efficacy based on the type and concentration of sunscreen ingredients; 1 being the highest rating and 10 the worst. As you can see from the chart to the right, there are very few #1 ranked sunscreens with the majority rated 3-6 on the EWG scale.
Keys uses a 20.5% level of its proprietary uncoated zinc oxide blend. The base moisturizer is our Luminos lotion formulation that focuses on avocado oil, black seed oil, carrot seed oil, agave aloe, and Shea butter for maximum hydration.
Spherical Zinc Oxide particles
Keys SPF products use a technique from high technology sputtering to process the particles for maximum UV blocking efficacy. Our zinc oxide blend uses a vapor deposition process to make our particles spherical and, therefore, transparent. The mixture maximizes UVB and UVA properties for perfect UV filtering.
Keys SPF products are the best moisturizers with UV protection. Solar Rx and KPRO SPF are for everyday use in non-sport applications. The products last all day and need not be reapplied, assuming the wearer does not sweat or do physical activity. Keys Solar Rx is perfect under makeup, acting as a clear luminescent foundation. KPRO adds sparkle from our OptiFx particles for special occasions.
How Do The Sunscreens You Are Selling Rate Against Keys
Click Here or the image above to access the Moisturizer with SPF EWG report and scroll down to Keys to read the reviews
Anti-Aging
Keys CEO, Wendy Steele, Melanoma survivor and reason for Solar Rx being developed
Both Solar Rx and KPRO SPF have anti-aging emollient properties because of the ingredient purity and quality. These are the most exquisite oils that money can buy blended into a formulation that hydrates, moisturizes, and effects fine lines. Avocado oil has skin clearing properties and, over time, will reduce dark spots and patches.
Therapeutic
Keys Solar Rx broadens its purpose as a skin ailment and disorder product because the zinc oxide is uncoated. This means that the wearer gains all the benefits of a zinc cream at even higher concentrations than over the counter skin disorder products. Most zinc creams contain 6%-8% uncoated zinc oxide. Solar Rx is at 20.5% uncoated zinc level. One major benefit is as a redness reduction solution. Many dermatologists prescribe zinc oxide cream and ointments. Solar Rx is a universal solution while also providing UVA and UVB blocking.
10 Years
This is the tenth year that Keys Solar Rx has received the highest rating from the EWG. Consumer Union thrust Keys Solar Rx into the limelight when it rated Solar Rx the highest and most effective sunscreen in its class. It has been the choice of Hollywood makeup artists and actors. It was featured two years in a row at Maria Shriver’s California Women’s Conference. Originally developed for Wendy Steele, Keys CEO, melanoma diagnosis, Solar Rx is Keys number one selling product.
RediCare began just after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, Louisianna. We had an excellent therapeutic lotion named MetaCare that contains Ayurvedic Neem and Karanja oil. What happened next was the creation of a new product called RediCare.
We were at a pet trade show outside of Washington, DC. We had a booth there, and early on the first day, a uniformed ranger named Rod came by our booth with his dog, Tye. He had Tye lay down, and his belly was nothing but rashes, open sores, and inflamed. I asked what happened and he told me that he and Tye were in New Orleans on a search & rescue mission along with a bunch of other dogs and handlers. He asked if we had anything. I grabbed a MetaCare lotion, and Rod smeared it all over Tye’s belly. You could see the relief instantly, and it made me tear up. Luckily, I noticed that Rod’s hands were equally inflamed, and I encouraged him to spread it on his hands. They left, and I was busy with a lot of people interested in Natural products for their dogs, so I did not think much of the incident.
About an hour later, Rod showed back up with Tye and flipped him over on the booth carpet. Believe it or not, Tye’s belly was almost healed, and Rod’s hands were much improved. He wanted to buy the lotion, and I told him that because it was a tradeshow, we were not allowed to sell. I asked for his card and called back to the factory to have a bottle of MetaCare sent. My good deed.
What happened afterward was terrific. Remember, at this time, we did not have a pet line and not marketing to dogs. We decided to do the tradeshow because we were toying with the idea and thought it would be an excellent place to get consumer and dealer feedback. Throughout the afternoon, handlers and their dogs started to show up. It was one very young and pretty blonde gal that brought her golden by asking if we had some spray that would work for her long-haired dog that would do the same thing as we had done for Tye. You guessed it, RediCare was born as a sprayable version of MetaCare at that very instant.
The geeky part is that numerous coincidences came together almost to make the product development instantaneous.
The week before, a salesperson showed me a trigger sprayer saying it would spray oil.
I had an original formula for MetCare that was too liquid. It had the same amount of Neem and Karanja as MetaCare, but came out runny.
Mike at our label company called to ask if he could double up one of the labels so they could gang a full run of labels. No, I said, I have a new product to add to the run
I had initially thought of putting MetaCare into a 4-ounce bottle with a lotion pump. So, the label I had in development fit the new RedCare bottle and all I had to do is change the name of the product
We had a bunch of dealers from the show that wanted to get going with us but wanted a unique “Go-To” everything product. Yep, RediCare
So, RediCare came together almost overnight, and the first dozen bottle got shipped to the blonde ranger for her and the other long-haired dogs.
That story spread quickly, but not as soon as RediCare became a super-multipurpose product. It is a sprayable moisturizer and lotion. It repels 200+ insects. Works for horses. People with diabetes use it because it sprays on for sensitive skin. The list goes on. It was so much of an outpouring that we created this fun advertisement here that showed all the uses.
To this day, RediCare remains in our Top 10 products and has as many pet users as people. Its sister product, OmniCare was what we thought would replace RediCare in the dog market, but dealers stick with the tried and true RediCare.
The last bit of anecdotal thought is that our team referred to RediCare as Windex. Why do you say? There was a famous movie called “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” There was an older man in the film that used Windex on everything from scrapes, cut, polish tables, clean mirrors, etc. You get the analogy.
RediCare is our most versatile product and one of the most beloved. Hang a big star on RediCare
It would be irrational if I did not say these are odd times. We are all in a turbulent storm. A world dilemma has brought us lots of questions. Touchwood, our factory is still running, and we have been swamped. One of the busy areas is questions we are getting on our info email, customer service, and social media sites.
We started to notice a pattern, and we know that if we get a question on a topic, there are 100 who have the same issue but did not ask. So, we have created a composite FAQ section below that seems relevant to our times.
I must add that many of the answers may seem to be self-promoting. We don’t want to look tone-deaf, and at the same time, most of the question usual start off with “Which of your products can I use for-” We do try to offer some open suggestion, but we want to make sure that we are upfront in a time when there is lots of self-promotion.
Okay, some of these are very general and some very specific. Please try to keep that in mind as we answer the questions.
Mickey
Keys Customer Service
Here we go:
Question: I have been using hand sanitizers for a few weeks, and my hands are a wreck. What do I use?
Answer: Our Tortuga lotion is the most emollient lotion we make. It is chock full of avocado oil and Shea butter. The alcohol is drying, as is washing hands with detergent. Tortuga solves it right away and has not glycols to irritate further.
Question: I have been washing my hands with dishwashing soap, and they look and feel terrible. Anything I can use that will work.
Answer: Our Galleyon antibacterial soap is designed to reduce bio-mass as antibacterial soap. It is Castile and has avocado and spearmint oil that leaves a monolithic coating of oil on the skin. So, it cleans and lubricates. Our Island Rx, Windsurfer, and MetaClean are equally as good. Galleyon contains spearmint oil, which does affect some types of bacteria and viruses.
Question: My hands are dry with cracking between the fingers. What can I use?
Answer: Guessing that you are washing with a soap that contains sulfates. These have been shown to create eczema and psoriasis type symptoms. Washing with Galleyon may help. If they are really cracked, our MetaCare ayurvedic lotion will help reverse the problems. MetaCare has Neem and Karanja oil. Google the benefits of these two oils.
Question: I have been locked up for three weeks and my diabetic skin has really flared up on my back. Do you have a lotion that will help?
Answer: We have a sprayable lotion called RediCare. It has Neem and Karanja oil and is sprayable. So, it does not have to be rubbed in. For years, diabetic skin suffers have used RediCare. My guess is that because you are3 in one place that seasonal allergies may be bothering you more. It seems like, on top of everything, allergies are more intense this season.
Question: I have heard that alkaline soaps are better for washing than neutral soaps. Are your soaps alkaline? What is their pH?
Answer: Yes, but we are not sure what you heard is true. Covid-19 is a lipid covered hydrophobic virus. The act of breaking down lipids is the main goal. Washing with detergent or our Castile-based soaps works equally as well with no real proof that higher pH helps. To answer your question specifically, our soaps range from alkalinity of 9.2pH to about 10.0pH.
Question: Your soaps talk about being micelle-based. Micelles seem to have a similar structure to some viruses. Do they help?
Answer: Wow, a really astute question! We don’t know, and yet, our scientists are asking the same thing because of the hydrophobic nature of micelles. I suggest you follow Dr. Rhonda Patrick in San Diego. She is involved with Salk Institue there.
Question: What do you recommend as far as a going ot regimen for your products? Do you do the same thing coming home.
Answer: The first obvious answer is to stay at home. I understand the question, and we have a unique reply.
Going out:
Wash your hands with detergent or Galleyon soap
Wear a mask and gloves
Spray sanitizer as needed on gloves and hands
Avoid people
Coming Home:
Strip and wash your clothes
Spray hands with alcohol-based sanitizer
Wash with Galleyon
Use Tortuga lotion to moisturize
Question: Do I have to wash longer with Galleyon soap than if I use a conventional antibacterial soap.
Answer: Not really. Although most people do not wash long enough, most professionals recommend 20 seconds wash time. We recommend surgeons wash time regimen, which is fingertips to elbows for 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. Some surgeons wash for 10 minutes before gowning up. Please wash at least one minute to make ‘me’ feel better.
Question: I love the scent of Island Rx Micelle Facial Cleanser. Can I use it to wash my hands?
Answer: It is not recommended because Island Rx Cleanser is diluted for the face. Use Island Rx liquid soap instead. It has the same scent, but stronger.
Question: What is the difference between your moisturizers/lotions? Not sure which one to buy.
Answer:
Luminos is a light facial moisturizer that adds luminescence to the skin and is great under makeup moisturizer.
Tortuga is our most emollient lotion and is for very dry skin. It can be used on spot areas on the face and all over the body. Perfect hand lotion because it absorbs fast and is not sticky
MetaCare is Tortuga with Neen and Karanja oil added. It is an ayurvedic therapy lotion for skin disorders. Google the benefits of Neem and Karanja for the skin.
AvoJel is an avocado oil-based jelly that seals the skin like petroleum jelly but without the petroleum side effect. It is for the most extremely dry skin or where chafing may occur.
Urban Shield is like AvoJel, but with ingredients designed to solve skin disorders on dehydrated skin and as a protectant trapping environmental issues. It is truly a shield against allergens and some pathogens.
Question: My doctor recommended that I cover my skin in a thin light lotion because I have severe itching, and I live in the desert southwest. What can I do?
Answer: Often, we find that the itching is a direct result of glycols in lotions and soaps. This is especially true of body washes that are designed as a moisturizer. So, there are a couple of tricks.
Mix a base oil like avocado or olive oil in with a Castile soap like our Island Rx or Dr. Bronner’s. These soaps will take about 1% to 3% without separating. When you wash, the oils cling to the skin, and only the soap washed away. You will notice the silky feel quickly and get hooked on the feel.
Our MetaClean soap has about 6% oil level made up of avocado, Neem, and Karanja oils. It has the same effect as the DIY above, but with a medicinal bent.
Question: My doctor gave me a prescription for my dry cracked hands. It seems to have made them worse. What can I use?
Answer: This is a huge problem because most prescriptions contain huge amounts of glycols and parabens. Both are known to cause extreme skin conditions. I honestly do not understand it. I cannot legally tell you to stop, but I will not also tell you that we have anything that will overcome the effects of a paraben bacteriacide or glycols. It is up to you. If it was me, I would wash with our Island Rx or Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile and use lotion like Tortuga. You should feel and see the difference in a few minutes.
Also, please search for the cause. There may be something you are using on your hands that have glycols and parabens in them, which have been shown to cause the symptoms you describe.
Okay, these are just a few of the many questions we are receiving. We will amend them as we hear more unique problems.
It is important to be effective and know what you are putting on your hands. There are a number of natural commercially available products that work. Right now, they are hard to find in the stores. So, it is time to make your own. It is simple and done right, just as effective as the store-bought sanitizing products.
DIY Sanitizers Formulas
So here is a formula for creating the world’s best hand sanitizers.
Use 98% of 99% Isopropyl alcohol and 1% spearmint essential oil.
Can’t find Isopropyl Alcohol? Turn to white lightening. Yes, Grain Alcohol or 190 proof ethanol. Do not dilute or buy less than 190 proof. This means the alcohol level is 95%. It doesn’t matter the source; ethanol is alcohol. Also, mix it with spearmint essential oil for lubrication and positive microbiome effects.
Wash Hands
Washing your hands with Castile soap is best. Seriously, but when you cannot, alcohol sanitizer helps.
My suggestion is to put it into a spray bottle. A 1 ounce (30ml) size will do for your pocket or purse. Spray it on your hands or surface. Spray on hands liberally and rub until dry: just a moment or two.
Denatured Alcohol, But Be Careful
There is also another choice at Home Depot od Lowes in the paint aisle. It is denatured alcohol altered with Menthol. Warning! Denatured alcohol can have other additives like Methyl Ethyl Ketone (aka MEK). Avoid at all costs, and if it is not marked, do not buy it.
Hand Sanitizers, The Right Way, and the Wrong Way.
Where to begin?
My article, “Just Wash Hands,” has brought a lot of comments. Lots of thank you’s, a few questions and some opinion. Cool, that is what is supposed to happen.
YES
Most comments address a short paragraph I wrote about “Hand Sanitizers.” There is a wrong way and a right way. Most of us do it the wrong way.
So, I cruised into a Wal-Mart to buy a pair of new windshield wiper blades. I noticed two sanitizer stations at the entrance. One was the right kind, and the other the wrong kind. One was an alcohol towelette, and the other a hand dispenser. One was designed to wipe down the cart and the other to disinfect hands. To my surprise, as I watched for a bit, people grabbed the towelette and wiped their hands with it. It seemed like most people were avoiding the dispenser.
Here are my facts. The dispenser, marked as a hand sanitizer, claimed to contain Triclosan and alcohol. Fact, this machine kills all the good and bad bacteria on the skin. I firmly believe, as studies point out, that pathogens populate faster than good colony bacteria. This means that when you indiscriminately kill off your microbiome bacteria, the good guys, the bad guys show up first, giving good bacteria almost no chance to defend. So, please keep this in mind when you enter a store and see a squirt dispenser. Said, I am still amazed that the one I saw said it included Triclosan, which is a banned substance. Perhaps they were refilling the old dispenser.
The towelette dispenser used on the hands is equally wrong. My story about the engineer on the airplane wiping down his seat area wearing Nitrile gloves is the right way. Those towelettes kill the bacteria, good and bad, the same way as the sanitizer dispenser. The difference is that the towelettes are designed to wipe down the cart and not your hands. So, it is perfectly proper to wipe down the things you touch with a bacteria killer and not your hands. Make sense?
NO! NO! NO!
In my trek around Wal-Mart, I saw one woman do it right. She wiped down her cart with the towelette and was wearing Nitrile gloves on her hands. She did not have a mask on, but I suspect that if and when a virus or the flu breaks out in New Mexico, she will be wearing a mask. For now, she was fending off germs the correct way.
So, there is a right and wrong way to keep safe. If you are going into public places, wash your hands, use gloves, and do not under any circumstances, rub your nose or face with your gloved hands. It is common sense that viruses are spread primarily through the nose, so keep your hands and fingers clear of your face.
To overly simplify, liquid hand sanitizers are not good, and sanitizer towelettes are for wiping down carts and things you touch. Disposable gloves are best.
Yes, it is flu season, and traveling is getting to be a more significant concern. It is the time of year to write about not only how to wash your hands, but why doing it the wrong way can hurt.
Many years ago, we researched the University of California Irvine on proper handwashing as a means to stay healthy during flu and virus outbreaks. The study formed our opinion, which I will share here.
The primary purpose of washing your hands is not to spread viruses to your face. The average person touches their face about 50 times a day. When I mentally checked in with how often I touch my face or nose with my hands, I quickly lost count—much more than 50 times a day.
So why wash your hands? The process of washing hands is to reduce the bacterial mass on your hands without harming the Microbiome. Our skin has friendly bacteria. Our Microbiome is occasionally invaded by bad gram-positive and gram-negative rods known as pathogens. These are the disease-carrying bacterial that infect us mostly through our noses and mouths. Was to remove them lowers the risk of infection.
Our Galleyon foaming soap helps to remove the bacterial mass because it is a Castile based soap that uses a high concentration of spearmint essential oil. Galleyon makes an excellent cleanser because Castile soaps are alkaline, and the spearmint aid in the cleaning process to reduce the overall bacterial count.
How to Wash with Galleyon
It is simple, and you might not be washing long enough.
Wet your hands thoroughly with warm water. This will open the pores of the skin to let the soap get deep in.
Apply a few pumps of Galleyon Foam and wash all parts of your hands for at least 30 seconds. More if you like, but not less.
Rinse with cool to warm water under flowing water. Rince longer than you think.
Shake your hands over the sink rapidly to release the water.
Use a paper towel to dry because a cloth towel used more than once is a home for the harmful bacteria to accumulate. Optionally air dry or use one of those clean air dry blowers like the Dyson Blade.
You’re Done!
What Not to Do.
Antibacterial agents
Stop! The term antibacterial has two distinct meanings in the world of science. Reducing the biomass on your hands is the good antibacterial action, and killing the bacterial with bactericides like triclosan is terrible. Killing bactericides like triclosan indiscriminately kill good and bad bacteria at the same time. The grandmothers’ tale is accurate. If you kill all the bacterial, there is no defense for the bad guys to invade harder and faster. I read one article where someone said to use Lysol to sanitize. Nuts!
Hand Sanitizers
Okay, you can make your own hand sanitizer with Galleyon by mixing one part of the liquids soap with five parts water. Spraying it on parts or your hands will help, but not that much. Using most hand sanitizers can hurt because they are mostly ethanol alcohol—usually about 60%. Ethanol is a bacteriacide that also indiscriminately kill good and bad bacteria. I was just on a plane where I watched a guy, who looked like an engineer, put on rubber gloves, take what seemed like an alcohol wipe, and cleaned his entire seat area. Then he carefully captured the wipe by removing his glove in a way to make it into a baggy. This was good because he sanitized the area as opposed to his skin. A+ The message is to sanitize your surroundings and not your hands. Keep that good bacteria working for you.
Gloves?
Wearing gloves is a good thing, but it is hard to do and uncomfortable. Those Nitrile blue or black gloves work, but they can get hot, and your hands can get sweaty wearing them. Bacterial needs oxygen (air) and water to propagate. So, unless you change them out and wash between, they are not that good. Cloth or porous gloves do nothing!
Don’t Touch Your Face.
One of the best deterrents is not to touch public things and not touch your hands/fingers to your face. I recently had a meeting in Las Vegas and had to fly through Phoenix to get there. The areas I was in were very low humidity, and most people were not sick. Said Wendy warned me not to touch anything and never touch my face. That was hard, but I made a conscious effort. I did watch most people as they grabbed handrails, pushed open doors on trash containers, and washing in the bathroom to little and without soap. They were continually touching their faces, and I could quickly see Wendy’s point. Research it if you want, but touching public fixtures and then your face is a disaster.
Okay, that is it. Wash your hands a lot with a Castile soap like Galleyon, and you have a pretty good chance at warding off a bacterial or virus attacks.
In the summer virtually, everyone gets a bottle of sunscreen for a long day outside whether it be at a beach, lake or pool etc. It’s important to protect your skin from UV rays. However, applying sunscreen should not be restricted to the summer. The need for shielding your skin from the sun is a necessity all year round. In addition, it’s important to moisturize your skin on a daily basis.
Because of the need to moisturize and protect from the sun on a daily basis, the popularity of products that meet multiple needs has skyrocketed.
With so many products on the market today, it’s hard to know which to buy and how they can benefit us. That’s why we created this article with tips on what to look for and avoid when selecting a daily moisturizer/SPF.
One of the markets top moisturizers is Solar RX Moisturizer SPFdue to its UVA-UVB protection minimizing the chemical burden on the skin. In addition, its lack of additives such as biocides and paraben which kill the microbiome of the skin causing disorders that are chemically driven.
UVA-UVB SPF Protection
The sunlight that reaches has two parts to its rays. These two parts of rays are made up from UVA and UVB rays.
UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis of the skin, which is the skins thickest layer. The dermis, if unprotected, can lead to premature skin aging and wrinkling, even suppression of the immune system.
UVB rays typically burn the superficial layers of your skin. This plays a key role in the development of cancer. The intensity of UVB rays can vary depending on the season of the year. With that said it’s important to wear a moisturizer SPF that block both UVA and UVB rays. Remember that sunburn skin does not just feel awful, it can cause permanent damage to your skin.
Avoid SPF Products with Parabens
Most often products can contain parabens. Parabens are often used in products as preservatives. Parabens have been used since the 50’s and are often used in beauty products. Some of the most commonly found are lotions, lipstick, shampoos, deodorants and more.
Some studies have shown that parabens can mimic the activity of the hormone estrogen, parabens have been found present in breast cancer tumors. Parabens are additives that kill the microbiome of the skin and can lead to disorders that are chemically driven. Solar RXdoes not contain parabens!
Zinc Oxide for SPF
Solar RX contains uncoated zinc oxide. Let’s talk about just a few benefits from zinc oxide.
Helps lower skin inflammation caused by allergies, irritation, and rashes
Keeps moisture locked into dry skin
Treats pigment disorders
Provides broad-spectrum sun protection that prevents burns
Helps prevent aging of the skin.
Why Use a Moisturizer with an SPF in it?
Why would anyone buy a moisturizer that has SPF in it? The list of benefits goes on, but the short answer would be to save time and money. Buying an SPF and moisturizer separately can be costly. Add in the fact that you have to apply them separately, it’s a no-brainer.
Ashley Bio
“Hi! I am Ashley and I love writing about beauty related topics. When I am not writing about skincare and beauty products you will probably find me reading a book. Through work experience, I have been able to craft excellent writing skills in a number of different styles and tones. in addition a deep understanding of consumers and what motivates them online and of course grammar skills.
Ashley Parker is a freelance journalist and writer. She is a non-paid contributor to Clean Green Cafe. Although her opinions and views are her own, we believe they fully align with our philosophies. She runs the SkinStore blog
Galleyon Natural Antibacterial Foaming Soap has been a cornerstone of Keys for near 15 years. Galleyon is an alternative to soaps that contained Triclosan. Unlike antibacterial soaps, it is not a biocide, so it does not kill our skin’s natural Probiome. It reduces the levels of harmful bacteria without harming the natural colonies of bacteria on our skin.
Antibacterial Foaming Soap & More
Over the years, Galleyon has become much more. Surgeons and medical workers have been known to wash with a clinical bacteriacide and then wash with Galleyon to protect their skin from the bactericidal soaps and gloves they have to wear. A car mechanic reports how great Galleyon was at removing automotive grease and grime. Teens like to shower with Galleyon because it tingles, smells good and makes them feel good. Runners and athletes love it as a whole body soap, and even surfers use it to get rid of the crud they surf through. All the interesting stuff.
The secret to Galleyon is the Lakota Sioux Spearmint Essential oil and the blood orange essential oils we use. The spearmint is off the scale for quality and bacteria reducing properties. The blood orange essential oil is cleansing, deep cleaning and very friendly to the skin. Our base Castile soap was designed to be low alkalinity and brags to be the mildest Castile available. Put them together with avocado oil, and you have Galleyon.
So What Is New?
To the naturally cleansing Castile base soap, we add the spearmint blood orange and avocado oil. What is different is that we have figured out how to get more of the spearmint and blood orange into the soap base without separating. More is better, right? The main benefit is that all the benefits of the essential oils are now in higher concentration without affecting the gentleness of the product. Galleyon’s pH is the same as it was, but the intensity and cleansing properties are better now.
What you will notice is a stronger scent of spearmint and a bit of a raspberry scent coming from the California Blood Orange essential oil.
For our cult full body users, you will notice more tingle and a softer feel. All without a price increase!
PurPlay Classic Has Suprised Us! A Very Pleasant Surprise.
We have learned a great deal very quickly after launching PurPlay just a month ago. One thing that is clear is that it is much more. It is also a personal lubricant for dryness.
We began to think about the PurPlay product line nearly five years ago when women would ask what they could use for vagina personal lubricant for dryness, chafing and minor discomfort from the weather, traveling, etc. Our initial answer was Tortuga lotion and then later AvoJel.
We love to hear from our friends and Keys customers are particularly vocal about what they want and what they like. Over the years, we heard lots of suggestions, and one that was lingering along was the area of a personal lubricant for dryness. About two years ago, the low rumble of voices became a loud chorus asking us to do something. Customers complained that personal lubricants were full of chemicals. They complained that some reduced sensitivity because they were too thick. Others complained that water-based lubes only lasted a few minutes. Our customers got louder and louder asking for a Keys style of product that was natural, functional, vegan and gluten-free.
PurPlay Classic
Classic was our first experimental personal lubricant product. We looked for oils that when combined mirrored and mimicked natural sexual lubricant produced by men and women. Viscosity and slip were critical to match while sensitivity was a very close third. It was both easy and hard to figure out the right oils because only a few oils are near-water in viscosity, produce good slip with heightened sensitivity, and that would last without reapplying. We discovered that if we refined coconut oil to remove the aggressive properties and blended in, at temperature, organic avocado oil that it nearly resembled the lubricants we all naturally produce. It worked, and beta testers roared.
You learn a lot in Beta Testing
All Keys products are reviewed a tried by people before we productize them. They testers are called Alpha and Beta. Alpha testers test a product before the ingredients and formulation are complete. Beta testers are a different group that examines the final formulations before the product launches and test for precise questions. Sharing this is important to recognize that during Beta, you learn the answers to your specific questions and can re4fine the product based on that premise. When you launch, you learn about many things that you could not envision from actual customers. Often what you learn are revolutionary and exciting features. The critical thing for a designer, you have to listen carefully.
PurPlay Classic – Personal Lubricant For Dryness
Some of our team predicted that PurPlay Classic would be the top seller right out of the gate. They were right, but not for the reasons they gave. All said that Classic would be first because it was pure, chemical-free and so heightened sensitivity for both men and women that it would be a hit. It was and is a hit, but for other reasons. Yes, it is a world-class personal lubricant, but much more as we are learning. It is truly a world class personal lubricant for dryness.
We harken back to our original customers from nearly five years ago that asked for a personal lubricant that would help with daily vaginal dryness and the associated discomfort that includes chafing. Little did we realize how big a deal this was for many women. So, more than half of the sales of PurPlay Classic seem to be from women seeking a daily lubricant that is comforting. Classic is just that, and you can feel it by spraying a little on your fingers.
Bob and I have a rule in our lives that products that come into our home have to have more than one purpose. PurPlay Classic is probably the best sexual, personal lubricant available. It is also functional in helping women to find daily comfort. Adding to the feelings of safety by being chemical-free, vegan and gluten-free increase the value of PurPlay Classic.
We are just one month into a great and exciting product for us. I am confident I will be hearing and learning more from our customers about how and why they use our PurPlay products. I will be sure to share with you as the list builds.
Three Unique Personal Lubricants Combine Herbal Extracts and Pure Oils to Stimulate and Calm.
Spray & Play™
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO
PurPlay Now for Sale! We are so happy to announcee that Purplay is now available!…Wendy Steele, Keys CEO
“The PurPlay products use herbal extract blends along with natural oils to create personal lubricants that either stimulate, relax or heighten the sexual experience.Specifically formulated based on the science of stimulating a woman’s pleasure receptors, PurPlay also enhances the intimate play experience for men. PurPlay for sale now on the Keys Store and at select resellers.”
PurPlay now comes in three versions:
PurPlay Classic™provides superior lubrication improving intimate experiences for both women and men.
PurPlay Surf™relaxes and calms so women can enjoy intimate play.
PurPlay Astra™stimulates her pleasure receptors for erotic play.
The Three PurPlay Products:
PurPlay Astra™
For sultry intimate play.Stimulating herbal oil blend provides her with ultra exhilarating sensual experiences.Her choice for euphoric play.His choice for silky smooth heightened enjoyment.Long lasting for “climactic maximus.”
PurPlay Astra – Click to Buy
Stimulating Euphoric Herbal Lubricant
SRP $24.95
PurPlay Surf™
Like magic waves of pleasure, rainforest herbal oil blend stimulates feelings of intimacy and arousal so she can relax and enjoy romantic play.Soothing herbs send subtle messages calming both mind and body while heightening the senses.Women and men enjoy a silky smooth sensual experience. For waves of erotic sensory play.
PurPlay Surf – Click to Buy
Sensual Herbal Lubricant
SRP $24.95
PurPlay Classic™
Natural alternative to synthetic personal lubricants.Specially formulated organic coconut and avocado oil blend supplements natural lubricants made by the body to maximize intimate play.Simply your natural choice for silky smooth pure pleasure!
PurPlay Classic – Click to Buy
Natural Pure Pleasure Lubricant
SRP $24.95
Potential Side Effects
Wendy Steele offered, “PurPlay testers did expose some interesting side effects.PurPlay Astra testers offered that they sometimes got the “giggles.”PurPlay Surf users found that they wanted more cuddle time and PurPlay Classic users coined the phrase “Affectionitus” or wanting more!”
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO, said, “Over the years, we have had many requests from our female customers to produce a natural personal lubricant for sex.Four years of research lead us to the conclusion that one product does NOT fit all.Hectic lifestyles, personal preferences and different perceptions around intimacy revealed a need for three distinct types of lubricants for women.So we challenged our engineers to discover natural ways to heighten the sexual experience, provide a version that calms and relaxes and develop a third product that provides an extremely stimulating erotic experience.”
PurPlay Now – Its Only Natural!
Bob Root – Formulator & Scientist
Recent trends in the personal lubricant market use unpleasant menthol or numbing chemicals to desensitize or stimulate.Bob Root, Keys CTO offered, “Major brands of personal lubricants are anything but natural and often use menthol and lidocaine to either stimulate or desensitize.Many women experience pain, burning or lose total sensation with those products.We (Keys) first had to study female pleasure nerve receptors to understand the effect we wanted to create.Making adjustments based on feedback from our alpha testers, we created whole herb extracts using modern extraction techniques.With just the right combination and proportion of ancient aboriginal herbs, we believe we have the right formulas to create the basis for experiences women want.They are added to a blend of a specially refined coconut oil and avocado oil.All are 100% natural, vegan and gluten-free.”
Bob continued, “We created a base oil blend that lasts long and is very lubricating while heightening the sexual experience.For the relaxing formula, we add an herbal extract blend that offers overall calming and relaxation to enjoy intimacy without desensitizing.The third formula offers an erotic stimulation that can last through multiple orgasms.”
“We have tested our PurPlay lubricants on materials used in the manufacturing of condoms with no notable problems.Urban myth or a generalization that oils do not play well with condoms does not seem to be an issue with PurPlay”, Bob said.“We recommend testing your condom of choice with PurPlay to be sure.”We are offering free evaluation samples to condom manufacturers for their own certification.
PurPlay Now for Sale – Spray & Play™
Click to Buy
PurPlay comes in a 30ml airless sprayer.Wendy Steele added, “Most personal lubricants are liquid, in a tube, need to be warmed and are messy.Not only did we create three functional personal lubricants, we revolutionized how they are applied and feel.We employ an airless spray mist bottle to dispense a lubricant that feels warm, no cold shock.Because it is airless, it can spray at any angle.It fits comfortably in the hand and is intuitive to use even in the dark.PurPlay™ is long lasting and can be sprayed as often as desired.The ingredients are compatible with all sorts of sex toy play.”
For Women…and for Men
Both men and women who tested PurPlay reported that using PurPlay lead to more playful and fulfilling sexual experiences.
For optimal results, incorporate PurPlay Surf or Astra into your foreplay allowing 5 minutes for herbal effects to take place before intense play.As the anticipation builds, so does the effects of the herbs.Testers found that they like the choice of three different products.After a hectic day, PurPlay Surf relaxes and calms.PurPlay Astra offers her an erotic experience when a planned encounter or spontaneous play presents itself.PurPlay Classic provides long-lasting superior lubrication for extended intimate play.
In the 1950’s virtually every woman owned a jar of Pond’s Cold Cream. They removed makeup, washed their face, moisturized and exfoliated with it. The problem was that it was full of chemicals and today’s natural woman wants something safer and healthier. Keys Tortuga to the rescue!
Tortuga Exfoliates
The petrochemicals in cold creams simply dissolved dead skin. Many women today use salt and sugar scrubs to exfoliate. Yes, they make the skin feel smoother, but like sandpaper, they can damage the alive part of the skin. With Keys Tortuga, the avocado oil we use contains natural retinol’s that will nicely exfoliate the skin, moisturize it and leave it clean and fresh without a sub or harsh soap.
The process is simple. Just wet your face with warm clear water. Take a pea size dollop of Tortuga and begin to massage it into the skin. You can start with the forehead and work down adding more Tortuga creating a light coat. Then start where you began and massage with your fingers. You will notice that the skin begins to slough off. If needed, add more Tortuga. When you have completed the process, since your face with cool clear water and pat dry. You’re done!
Tortuga Removes Makeup
Even stage makeup is no match to Keys Tortuga. For years stage and screen actors have used Tortuga to remove stubborn and waterproof makeup. They spread Tortuga thinly all over their face and use a tissue or washcloth to remove makeup. Using more Tortuga for a hard area, they remove all the makeup and then rinse with cool clear water and pat dry.
Tortuga As A Moisturizer
Like exfoliation, you can wet the face and lightly massage Tortuga into the skin. Keep the face wet and lightly massage Tortuga on the face, neck and décolletage. Let the thin and water air dry. You want a very thin layer and let it dry. Why it is a preferred moisturizing method is because you are trapping moisture from the water in the skin. Also, the natural retinol in avocado oil helps smooth and fade spots and dark patches. Carrot seed oil and black seed oils deep moisturize and have an effect on skin elasticity. The idea is to really dilute the Keys Tortuga using the water.
That’s It!
Last point. In all cases, you can use Keys Tortuga around the eyes and it will not burn or cause tearing. It does everything that cold cream does and better because it has no harsh chemicals and the ingredients are probiomme…meaning good for the skin health.
We get lots of questions on our customer service system. This week the dominant question has to do with thinning Keys lotions in cold weather. We generally get very unique questions which is why we don’t have a FAQ page. We answer each question individually. Sometime we do get a burst of questions that are similar. In the future, as we receive similar questions we will post them here as well.
Over the last couple of weeks we have had a number of questions regarding the viscosity (thinning) of some of our lotions.
We think the question is coming up because of cold weather around the country. So, first thing, Keys does not use glycols in our products. Glycols keep a product viscosity consistent over a wide range of temperatures. Thinning can be done by raising the temperature or adding water.
Most of the question circle around how to go about thinning our lotions. Some request us to make a thinner lotion. Thinning our products in the manufacturing process lessen the quality, so we won’t do that.
There are some tricks that include heating the bottle to around 90 degrees F. Some people place the bottle near a window to catch some sunlight. Add water as you apply to thin the lotion. As the water evaporates on the skin, the lotion will be more even on the skin and deeper in the pores.
The reality is that if we made our lotions by thinning, we would lose some of the emollience.
So here are the tricks:
Heat the lotion to nearly skin temperature which is typically 90 degrees F
Put a drop of a lotion in the palm of your hand and add a few drops of water. Be your own judge of how much water to add.
Apply lotions to a wet face after washing. Again, the lotion will thin and go into the pores. Allow your face to air dry.
Do not use these tricks with Solar Rx Sunscreen/Moisturizer as thinning it will reduce the efficacy on the SPF.
Keys does not use preservatives and all of our lotions are water soluble. Do not dilute the lotion in the bottle as you may expose the contents to airborne bacteria.
Hope this helps!
Mickey
If you would like to purchase our lotions you can go to our store by clicking here.
A few years ago Keys engineers started working on a line of personal lubricants because we had so many requests for a better and natural product. Although many people use Tortuga lotion as a personal lubricant, (Read Story) it was not ideal because it is a water based lotion.So, we set out to invent something great and not a copycat product.PurPlay was born out of industry research and talking to many women about what they were looking for in a personal lubricant.To our surprise, it was a lot bigger project than we thought.
PurPlay Has To Be Innovative
Turns out that women wanted more than a same old water or silicone based lubricant. Women want the natural wellness and health features known from Keys and they wanted something more.They want a product and that is a stimulant without menthol or burning sensations.Women also wanted a different product that would help them relax and calm down to better enjoy the experience. They did not want a product that numbs or desensitizes. A very tall set of features.
In theory, the base lubricant was easy using some technology we developed for our Reflex product.As we solicited early product testers, we found that there were a number of problems to address.Some physical, some emotional and some about the ways to use the product.
PurPlay Not Just Another Lube
Seems as though personal lubricant makers never used their own products. Maybe they do not care that a product feels cold, stings, burns or totally collapses the libido. PurPlay testers pointed out some things that should be solved that had noting to do with our product.It was an industry issue where lubricant makers did not understand these problems or tried to solve them the wrong way.At Keys, we have always built every product to make people feel good and solve their problems.PurPlay started as a single product simple lubricant that tester pointed out that there should be three products with different features and functions.
Over the five years, we identified that there are indeed three distinct products that needed to be developed.In the early Fall of 2017, we began testing. Well, we guess it leaked out and we started to get more volunteers to test the products.Then we started to get request from bloggers, social media types and conventional press. We needed to accelerate our development.
So, if you have heard a rumor that Keys was developing a line of purpose designed personal lubricants, the rumors are true and we are close to releasing these new products in the early second quarter of 2018.
A Keys Top Selling Product Now in a New Airless Pump
Eye Butter is a wildly successful product for us. In fact, Eye Butter has been a top selling Keys product since it was introduced almost 15 years ago. The anti-aging properties, anti-allergenics, soothing, anti-puffies and makeup friendly properties are Hollywood and everyday proven. Just as popular for men as it is for women, Eye Butter has been ranked the finest most effective eye cream by Hollywood makeup artists. ..and it is all natural whole ingredients.
So, how could we make it better. We can’t improve Eye Butter itself, but we can improve how it is packaged. It was now about 4 years ago that our customers asked us to create an airless pump so people could travel with a more compact container. We found a airless pump that worked and the pump version of Eye Butter became the most popular container almost overnight. People still buy the Eye Butter in the jar because it is more traditional and it was easier to get a small amount.
As quickly as the Eye Butter airless pump became popular, we started to get suggestions.
What People Asked For
Could you make the pump more precise?
Could you make the container body transparent so you can see how much product is left?
Could you make the container easier to hold
So, we did it and we are pleased to introduce the new Eye Butter 15ml Airless Pump today. Ant order from today on will come in the new container.
Same great Eye Butter in a New Travel Container!
Eye Butter also makes a great lip balm to make lipstick look bolder and brighter, eliminate chapped lips quickly and for its anti-allergy properties. Like all Keys products, it is Vegan, Gluten-Free, Free of manmade chemicals, soy-free and non-GMO
Eye Butter – Refreshing Anit-Aging Eye Cream
NEW! Airless Travel Pump. Smoother & Silkier
Natural Eye & Lip Cream with Cucumber, Avocado Oil and Shea
Keys Whole Natural Cucumber Extract
Softens & Hydrates
Aloe Vera Conditions & Conceals
For Sensitive Skin
Deep Penetrating
Makeup Friendly
Moistuizing
Reduces fine lines
Will not sting eyes
The Secret
Eye Butter combines an age old secret to eye care with pharmaceutical grade ingredients to soften eye tissue, reduce fine lines and tighten the skin. The glowing effect brightens the skin around the eyes, enhances skin color and is a great natural foundation for mineral eye makeup. Eye Butter like all Keys products is first and foremost skin therapy.
The secret to Eye Butter is naturally distilled organic cucumbers. We distill our own cucumber to create an extract that is high in the ingredients that have been known for years to tighten and tone eye tissue. Actor and models have placed cucumber slices on their eyes to reduce puffiness and to tighten eye tissue. Our cucumber extract has all of those natural features in a concentration you can feel and see.
The secrets to eye butter does not stop with our cucumber extract. We combine a natural filtered and unprocessed Shea Butter from Ghana that has the highest fatty acid levels we have been able to find with pharmaceutical grade oils in therapeutic proportions. Avocado, Black Cumin and Carrot Seed oil hydrate, rejuvenate, tighten and create a soft glow around the eyes. Aloe Vera creates a prismatic effect similar to Luminos and creates a natural clinging action to gently hold eye makeup.
There is More!
Eye Butter has natural anti allergen features as well. Eyes that are irritated by pollen, danader and other allergens receive an interesting barrier when you apply Eye Butter around the eyes. These natural and made allergens cling to the surface of Eye Butter providing a shield protecting sensitive eye tissue from itching. This has a great natural anti aging benefit because rubbing the eyes causes skin to sag and look older, tired and irritated. With Eye Butter you get younger looking skin without the itching during allergy season.
Keys Eye Butter is featured on the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Report as one of the safest around the eye products on the market.
”Eye Butter was created to be our first product for Hollywood. In 2006 we were invited by the Environmental Working Group to attend a presentation in Santa Monica California to 300 Hollywood makeup artists. Eye Butter was a natural for the group because all of our researched showed that most of the hard work by makeup artists was around the eyes. We put our Eye Butter in the goody bag and when they opened our oversized sample, the room filled with the smell of fresh cucumber. It was an overnight hit and many of our makeup artist advisors today were in that room.” Wendy Steele , Key CEO and Founder
Keys Natural Skincare & Beauty (Probiome) was born after co-founder Wendy Steele was diagnosed with and beat melanoma. The cancer was gone, but she was still dealing with some nasty side effects on her skin – itchy, irritated patches that were just made worse by sticky sunscreens. Her then-boyfriend (now husband) Bob Root decided to take matters into his own hands and researched the work of everyone from Harvard MDs to aboriginal healers.
The products that Bob developed for Wendy worked great for her, so together they decided to start manufacturing for the public. We sat down with Bob to discuss their products, how the company got started, and his best advice for people looking to switch to natural skincare.
Smallflower: The Keys story starts with Wendy’s bout with Melanoma and her struggles with ineffective treatments for the subsequent skin troubles. As you were first working on products with Wendy, when did you realize that you were on to something bigger than a one-off personal solution?
Bob Root: Wendy’s Melanoma came at a time where our core business was brand marketing consulting for major tech and pharmaceutical companies. I shared prototype products with the pharma people and they encouraged us to develop the first four products. We sold online only, and the big break came in 2007 when Consumer Reports Magazine ranked Solar Rx number one in its category.
At the same time, the Environmental Working Group ranked Keys’ four products number one in each of their respective categories. Now at 43 products, we continue to have the safest ratings on the EWG. This series of events caught the attention of over 500 retailers which increased the brand awareness. Over the years, we’ve continued to work with integrity, avoiding high-volume big-box store lures.
“Probiome is a Keys-registered trademark for products that restore the balance on the skin by creating formulations that promote good bacteria growth on the skin”
S: Can you briefly describe the Probiome line and name, where the idea came from, and where you think probiotic and microbiome-friendly products are going to go over the next few years?
BR: Ten years ago, I became a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Microbiome Project. The project discovered that our skin has 10 times more bacteria than human skin cells. Creating a balance is what Probiome means.
Parabens and Triclosan destroy good and bad bacteria collaterally. This imbalance allows bad bacteria to attack the skin. I firmly believe that greater than 50 percent of diagnosed skin disorders are caused by products containing parabens and triclosan.Probiome is our registered trademark for products that restore the balance on the skin. We do this with formulations that promote good bacteria growth on the skin, similarly to how probiotics restore the flora in the gut. The difference is that gut flora can be promoted by adding breeder bacteria. Skin needs an environment that attracts natural growth of the skin flora.
Natural instead of conventional is a good first step. Natural oils that promote growth is the real answer. Our products are the real deal, because they use the right ingredients of the highest quality and in therapeutic proportions.
S: For someone who is new to natural skincare products, what’s the single best piece of advice you can give them?
BR: Read the label – if you can’t recognize the names of the ingredients, don’t buy it. Find a manufacturer that you trust implicitly.
Also, vote with your wallet. It will change the world faster than donating to Non-Governmental Organizations. Manufacturers follow the money.
S: If there was one currently popular skincare ingredient you could get banned, what would it be and why?
BR: Parabens! FDA recently banned Triclosan. To brag a little bit, my book helped a lot to polarize the FDA.
S: Are there any upcoming projects you’re excited about, that you can give us some hints about?
BR: Our Alternative Naturals line has very deep potential. Basically, the initial challenge was to replace petroleum jelly with a jelled avocado oil for the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).
It blossomed into a series of products that offer a non-petroleum jelly carrier for solution-oriented products. So we will continue to replace the top ten used solution-oriented products that have petrolatum as its carrier with AvoJel.
Another hot project is bio-based 3D printing of skin cells as a catalyst for age-reversing skin repair. It’s really out there, but it’s where I’m headed. It’s more than anti-aging, it’s un-aging.
S: What’s one Keys product that nobody should be without?
BR: For anti-aging, Solar Rx. We use no chemical sunscreens, only pure uncoated zinc oxide in a natural lotion base. Solar Rx is for those who want to avoid the extreme aging effects of UVA and UVB on a daily basis.
This is a reprint of the Small Flower article. You can Click Here to go to their site.
You Voted With Your Wallets! Natural Products Are Mainstream in Grocery Stores.
In my book, “Chemical-Free Skin Health®” I suggested that the fastest and best way to bring about change in Natural Products was to buy products that were pure and clean. Voting with your wallets. Boycotting the junk also sent a huge message. Well, you did it. The result is that not only have you put natural products front and center on store shelves, but you have convinced major brands to return to their roots by offering natural wholesome and clean products.
I recently read a draft report by a research firm that specializes in retail store trends. They noted in a recent study that many mainline brands like Campbell soup have initiated and brought out new natural brands that are simple and wholesome alternatives. Campbell’s “Well YES” brand was singled out as an example of how many brands have shifted back to simple foods. Same was noted for personal care.
I decided to do something totally out of character. I went to a Kroger Fred Meyers store in Newport Oregon and just walked the aisles. This store has a natural products section, but it was very apparent that all the food aisles were focused on natural products. As a point of reference, when a retailer puts products at eye level and easy to grab, that is what is called “First Position” meaning that it is priority. Walking the soup aisle, Amy’s and Campbell Well Yes were front and center. The jam and peanut butter section was even more noticeable. Traditional brands like Skippy were bottom shelf with Jason’s, Smucker’s Natural and other pure brands were front and center. The rest of the store was the same as was the conventional health and beauty aisles.
So, you did it. You voted with your wallets and sent a message to the manufacturers that you wanted a change and they responded. Good on you and good on them for listening.
I must also say that I hope you have learned a lesson that your voice works, but a voice that speaks directly to those that can make a change. The manufacturers! Stop wasting your money by donating to those that claim to be trying to change the government to protect us all from the evils of bad manufacturers. Keep your dollars in your wallets and spend them on products that are good for you. Trust me, funky questionable products that sit on the shelf get discontinued quickly by retailers that see them gathering dust. Those manufacturers that get their products returned because no one is buying them speaks volumes. Always, always, Vote With Your Wallets. It works every time.
When we started 15 years ago, Keys promoted natural functional products that solved problems and make people feel good. We said, “and by the way, they are natural.” Today we still market the features, benefits and advantages of our natural products. Because of the natural products food movement, we now have a huge following by people wanting to solve their skin disorders with natural products. We are celebrating the turnaround…or really the return to natural.
I guess a simple message is that the P&G’s of the world are really not so bad. They just follow the money. If you ask for junk, that’s what you get. If you ask for good, that’s what you get.
So leave your money in your wallets. Spend it wisely on products that you know what is in the container.
Congrats! You just learned how powerful you and your wallets can be.
In the not so long ago past if you wanted some fast relief from congestion you took the vapors from Smelling Salts. The problem was that you would have been killing your lungs and smell nerve receptors. Keys VaporJel is the updated natural solution!
Be Careful Using Old Remedies
Long long ago, people sought relief from chest and respiratory issues using a small bottle kept in the purse or pocket. They were called smelling salts. Often people would take a snort to clear their heads of the fuzzies as well as helping with the symptoms of colds, the flu and tough to solve bronchitis. Unfortunately these little bottles could kill you because they we made from ammonia.
It seems like all sorts of respiratory ailments are coming year round these days. Keys VaporJel may be the fast fix to recovery. VaporJel is our avocado based jel with menthol, camphor and eucalyptus. Spread a little on your chest at night and a dab under the nose during the day to open up your air passages and release congestion.
My VaporJel Santa Fe Experience
For the holidays, I flew from sea level, 80% humidity and 80º F to Santa Fe which is at 7,000 feet, 20º F and nearly 0% humidity. I think the airplane introduced a bug and a few days into my trip, I thought that I was having altitude sickness. It turned into an obvious bout with bronchitis. Vapor Jel to the rescue. I remember my grandparents and their little smelling salts bottle. So I tried the same thing with VaporJel. I opened the jar and took in a deep breath. I felt instant relief from the burning chest sensation. I decided to put some on a wash cloth soaked with hot water. Better! Then I started to apply it under my nose and the relief was longer lasting. At night, I rubbed it on my chest which helped me sleep. Relief!
Go VaporJel! You Rock!
Now, VaporJel will not cure bronchitis, but it sure helped with my symptoms.
Avocado oil based, natural stimulants that work without petrolatum and chemicals! Providing natural relief.
Triclosan and 18 Other Chemicals Banned In Antibacterial Soaps and Hand Sanitizers
By Bob Root
Keys CTO and Author of Chemical-Free Skin Health®
I must first admit that I have little use for Non Governmental Organizations (NGO’s), industry consultants and individuals who gain income, notoriety or donations based on creating fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) in the minds of consumers. I believe that the best path to information is data. A point-of-view or opinion that is not based in facts wastes everyone’s time.
What is Triclosan?
Triclosan is a chemical developed by a Swiss group called Ciba. They were acquired by BASF in April 2009. Triclosan is a broad spectrum bactericide that kills all forms of bacteria. This includes the good and the bad. For more background on why our good bacteria being killed off affects our skin’s eco system, please read an article I wrote in February of 2011 titled, “ARE WE KILLING OUR SKIN’S ECOSYSTEM? ”
The FDA Ban of Triclosan!
So, the facts! The US FDA has banned Triclosan and 18 other chemicals being used in soaps and hand sanitizers. They have not stated just their lack of efficacy, they have been banned because of concerns to humans! Banned! Do not take my word for it, read here what the FDA said in the public filing. Evidence shows that not only are they non-affective, they can cause damage to human and animals who have been and continue to be exposed to Triclosan. These include concerns over propagating Staph, hormone disruption, cancer and destruction of the human microbiome.
The good news is that the FDA has stepped in and banned Triclosan’s use. Many leading consumer products companies have already announce removal of the chemicals including Triclosan.
Triclosan – I Told You So in 2010
In my book, Chemical-Free Skin Health®, I dedicated a chapter to Triclosan and other biocides. My original thoughts was to right a few word in a much more all encompassing chapter. As I studied the chemical Triclosan more, it ultimately became an entire chapter because even in 2010, evidence was already huge that Triclosan was detrimental to human life. Below is the chapter from my book for you to read. I ask you to read it because the FDA ruling is just the tip of the iceberg.
Triclosan – EPA, It is Your Turn to Weigh-In
I write this article, not to reinforce what I wrote 6 years ago, it is to make you aware that Triclosan is used in much more than soaps and hand sanitizers. It is in our food, other personal care products, clothing and food preparation products. Again, read the chapter from my book below. As I said, it became a chapter because the threat is broader and it is the EPA’s turn to also ban the use of Triclosan and some parabens being used in food wrap, antibacterial clothing, sporting goods, toys, children’s car seats and many animal products. The same cause and effect the FDA details in their announcement also applies to products that are under the control of the EPA.
Do Better When You Know Better
There is even a bigger message in the Triclosan ban. Become aware so that you do better for yourself and your family by knowing better. The reality is that it has taken some advocates of reform nearly ten years to get the FDA to act. The good news is that they did. The bad news is that their are hundreds of other chemicals in use today that advocates have presented data showing their detrimental effects on humans and animals. Yet their is a very simple solution and it is back to the future.
You have two choices. Burden yourself with self-study to find out what all the chemicals are that could cause potential harm or merely switch to natural products that have simple whole natural ingredients. Whether it is Haagen Daz Five ice cream with only five ingredients, my products and those of others who offer simple man-made chemical-free ingredients, you can simplify your life by embracing trusted brands. Then you will also send a pocketbook message to the big brands that people want to return to the simpler past where everything is natural that we put into and on our bodies. Back to the future? Simply, 60 years ago nearly everything we ate and put in or on our bodies was naturally derived. My hallucination is that in the not too distant future, we will return to natural products that are chemical-free.
Congrats FDA! EPA, your turn! People, it is time to get wise and go natural!
You can also read more by purchasing my book on Amazon It is available in paperback or Kindle. Chemical-Free Skin Health is also available from the Keys Online store by Clicking Here
Excerpt from Chemical-Free Skin Health® by Bob Root
Copyright 2010-2016 by Orion Learning International Inc. M42 Publishing
Just as a note, I have also attached the chapter as a PDF document if you want to send it to your friends. Click the image to download
[bsk-pdf-manager-pdf id=”4″ featuredimage=”yes”]
Chapter 12: My Two Worst Public Enemies! Triclosan and Parabens
Early on I told you about how the skin works. Overly simplifying a particular facet of the skin, the bacteria that exist on it keep our skin in balance. Washing our skin and particularly the face removes the remnants of the bacteria, dirt, pollutants and dead skin. No matter how hard we try to remove the bacteria, it is nearly impossible unless we use germicides or bactericides like parabens and triclosan.
Here is my simple concern. If I can put a paraben in a product to kill off bacteria and germs in the container, what does it do to the good bacteria on my skin? If I wash my hands with a hand sanitizer that contains the broad spectrum bactericide, triclosan, what does it do to my good bacteria?
Search as I might, I have not found any evidence that parabens and triclosan are tuned killers. Meaning that they waste the bad guys and protect the good. Everything that I have read supports the contrary.
I have talked to dermatologists, doctors and scientists asking their concerns about what is going on in personal care and cosmetics that concern them. Over 90% express concern over parabens and triclosan because of the long term health effects. Not from the chemicals, but from the effect it has on killing the probiotics of our skin. All express an even greater concern about these chemicals being used in our food, toothpaste and mouth washes.
You can choose to read this chapter or not. It is somewhat geeky, but necessary to explain my perceptions.
What I believe is that the only thing known to man that kills the good bacteria on our skin are parabens and triclosan. Remove the good bacteria and our balance is disrupted. Disrupt the balance and those bacteria that come at us first are the worst kind and literally attack unprotected skin.
I personally believe that these two chemical types are responsible for many of the skin disorders that doctors see.
Also, it took western medicine a long time to buy into the fact that we need probiotics to help our gut perform. I believe it is also time that we start to explore probiotics for our skin.
Finally, I do believe that the people that have link MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) outbreaks to parabens and triclosan are probably correct. Only time and research will prove them right or wrong. Indications are they are correct and it is probably time to eliminate parabens and triclosan from your life.
So read on if you want!
Triclosan: The Biocide that Creates Super Bugs?
FACT vs FUD is a chapter in this book as well as an article on our blog. In this overly inflammatory news based society of ours, my resistance is to publish anything that is not based in research that is a bit beyond a theory.
Some History:
One of the inspirations for this book and this article was an experience I had while in a store outside of Dayton Ohio. I was not too far from the headquarters of Proctor & Gamble (Cincinnati) delivering a speech about the Dirty Dozen at an annual event the store promotes. Probably 200 in attendance, I went through the Dirty Dozen chemicals created by the Marin County Cancer Project. At the end, I provided some chemicals of concern, so I went back through my “most feared” list. In the book, I describe that some of the Dirty Dozen are much more damaging than others, but tend to be used in only discrete segments and in only some products. Some ingredients like parabens are much more widely used often in multiple doses during the manufacturing process elevating their concentrations in products to well beyond the called for percentages by the chemical maker. During my speech, I invited questions as we went along and there were plenty.
At the end, I voiced my concern that triclosan was perhaps my greatest fear because it is so powerful a biocide. I had explained earlier that triclosan is the main ingredient in hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps. A biocide, by design, kills gram positive and gram negative bacteria as well as most all bacteria. My concern all along has been two very important concerns:
If it indiscriminately kills all bacteria, then what does it do to the flora-probiotic on our skin?
Will the destruction of all bacteria on the skin create super-bugs that morph and become resistant to both the biocide and antibiotics?
As I always do when speaking to a group, I try to connect with the eyes of people in my audience. It is my way of trying to figure out if I am connecting with them. In my corporate life, I received training on how to read an audience as well. As I call it, ‘Squirming Around’ is a big flag that I have touched a nerve. As a CEO of a publicly traded company, you better believe that I experienced this at every shareholder meeting. So, this day, I was thrust back to my corporate life by a gentleman that had asked no questions, been very polite and had friendly eyes. When I lumped triclosan in with parabens as my major concern, his hand shot skyward as to immediately interrupt me. I obliged by stopping to acknowledge his question.
He asked, “Why would you add the main ingredient in hand sanitizers with that of preservatives used in almost every product made from personal care, to toothpaste, to food?”
First things first, I knew immediately that this person was from the industry because the question was one I would have expected in a meeting inside a research and development process. Not being ever deterred by confrontation, I answered both technically and emotionally. Here is my initial response.
“I am more concerned with Triclosan than a Methyl Paraben for four primary reasons:
Triclosan has been used in hospital and scientific environments for many years because it is the most effect biocide.
The concentration of Triclosan in a function specific product like antibacterial soaps is much higher and therefore of greater concern to me because it does a much more wide reaching job of killing all bacteria on the skin including the good bugs!
The destruction from Triclosan is so powerful and long lived compare to parabens that I have more than a subtle concern that what bacteria arrive back on the scene will be the worst kind like staph, e. Coli etc.
I also worry that these strains of bacteria will grow back with a vengeance and become resistant to both Triclosan and known antibiotics.”
The man stood straight up as if to confront me. I could also tell that I had just scared the hell out of the rest of the audience. Before I could temper my comments with the fact that this was my personal concern and that I had not gathered all the facts, he spoke.
He said, “I am a scientist that works down the road. First, I am a parent and father. I do not care that we have the best health insurance; I worry about what we expose our kids to. We have had an outbreak of Staph in the middle schools in this area and what you are saying is that because we require our kids to wash with antibacterial soap containing Triclosan that we are exposing them to the potential of transmitted staph infections like the ones we are experiencing now?”
My only answer had to be from the heart and not my corporate training to dodge the question. I said, Yes!”
He shook his head and sat down. Honestly, you could have heard a mouse burp in that room! I tried to interject some humor and my time was up. The people filed out of the room as the other speaker got set up. The man approached as did the sponsors from the store.
The sponsor thanked me for the informative talk and quickly said, can you send me something about this. She offered that she was a Cancer survivor and had a more than passing concern.
The man also echoed by adding that he was privileged to be able to read many documents about uses of chemicals. He said that what he always noticed is that most have warnings of irritation when used in high percentages and that antibacterial soap using Triclosan actually exceeded the minimum percentages. I asked if he could provide me with percentage data and he said; “No! I am not allowed to do that!” I got the message. I walked back to my team that was exhibiting at the health fare and told them of the experience. I shared, that I only wish I had a study to hand to everyone that at least echoed my fears.
Over the last two years, I have shared the story with colleagues. This morning in July of 2010, I received an email with a copy of the Opinion from the EU Scientific Directorate! Being a geek, I read all 56 pages and decided to sit down to finish this chapter of the book.
Remember this is an opinion and I would encourage you to read the entire document. There must be additional testing. We do know that bacteria exposed to destructive agents does morph into “super bugs” in many cases. This opinion echoes much of that concern. In one sense, I am pleased that this concern of mine and others has now taken another step up in the process of science.
My opinion! For what it is worth, science generally follows an orderly path. The Mandelbrot theory says that, if that what we see occurs in a large scale, it will occur in a small scale. If we can kill bacteria…good and bad… with a large dose of a chemical, then small doses delivered more frequently and repeatedly will have the same effect. The other scientific principle that comes to mind here is Occam’s Razor which is the principle that “entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity” or that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. So, to me it makes sense from a logical perspective that using a chemical like Triclosan everyday in large does will have a long term adverse effect on the flora of the skin. Only the test of time and scientific studies will bring the concern to even higher levels.
What I can share is that I personally avoid anything on or in my body designed to kill something like germs, bacteria and microbes. Like all of us, I have had to take antibiotics and we know from the warnings that sustained use can make them ineffective. Following Occam’s Razor, I also believe that is true of these chemicals under various names that are designed to make my life more pure…Purity at the sake of what?
So, my mother may not have been right that eating dirt was all that bad for me ☺
Triclosan: The Biocide that keeps on giving!
Most of the free world including the US requires that Triclosan be listed somewhere on the label if it is used in a product. But how about if it is used in product packaging or molded into materials. Unregulated therefore no requirement for listing. Herein is the fallacy of confusing consequence with sequence.
Have you ever wondered why cheese seems to last longer than it used to? Have you wondered how companies can claim that if you buy their storage products that food will last longer? Have you wondered how a manufacturer could claim that their running socks are antibacterial?
We know that Triclosan is used in sanitizers and toothpaste as well as antibacterial soaps. Did you ever wonder what chemical they use in making utensils, cooking equipment, cutting boards and even sport clothing to make them antibacterial. You guessed it, Triclosan. The white powdery substance can be molded into products to make virtually antibacterial. Many food packages are molded with Triclosan to make them antibacterial to preserve the food longer.
If there was any reason to buy organic and local at the farmers market, this is a darned good one for me.
So, like phthalates, Triclosan is not just in personal care. They found phthalates in children’s toys and car dashboards. Triclosan is in much more than antibacterial soap. So here is a partial list of products that use Triclosan:
Sanitizers
Antibacterial soap (really a detergent)
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Shaving Cream
Mouthwash
Skin Care
Makeup
Acne Products
Antimicrobial Creams
Cleaning Supplies
Kitchen Utensils
Food Storage
Plastic Wrap
Trash Bags
Toys
Bedding (People and Pets)
Socks
Sports Clothing
Child Car Seats
Someone asked me if I could link a direct connection to MRSA (Methicillin Resistent Staphylococcus Aureus) and Triclosan. I said, “Honestly, I do not know!” Do I believe that it is connected? Yes! So you can imagine my surprise when I read an article in a medical journal prescribe sits baths for MRSA suffers in a solution of 2% Tricolsan!
Triclosan is used in many common household products that you would not expect.
OK, I am starting to sound like a radical working at an NGO! Environmental issues are big as well.
Parabens!
Parabens…Good Guys or Bad Guys?
As a part of my ongoing series of looking at the Dirty Dozen Chemicals shown to provide elevated Cancer rates in people and animals, in this article, I outline why we do not use parabens leaving the judgmental diagnosis to the NGO’s attacking them. The Dirty Dozen Chemicals are a list of 12 developed originally by the Marin County Cancer Project which at the time, had the highest Cancer Rates in the US. Followed by Search For The Cause and Teens Turning Green the list is now designated the Dirty Thirty.
So, are parabens good guys or bad guys? Both it seems and there is a reason why we do not use them as well.
Below is a scavenged description of parabens from Wikipedia. On the surface and from a chemical perspective they do their job. Many chemists and companies support their use based on a belief of safety. I believe that they are looking at the wrong reasons for safety.
Our society seems to primarily look at safety as, “will what we put on our skin hurt us directly?” I believe that we should be looking at whether it hurts us based on contact and will it cause something else to hurt us because of it.
So first let’s try to understand what parabens are and why some manufacturers use them. Here is that Wikipedia description:
Parabens are a class of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bactericidal and fungicidal properties. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals, spray tanning solution and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives.
Their efficacy as preservatives, in combination with their low cost, their long history of safe use and the inefficacy of natural alternatives like grapefruit seed extract (GSE), probably explains why parabens are so commonplace. They are becoming increasingly controversial, however, and some organizations which adhere to the precautionary principle object to their everyday use.
Chemistry
Parabens are esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid, from which the name is derived. Common parabens include methylparaben (E number E218), ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E216) and butylparaben. Less common parabens include isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, benzylparaben and their sodium salts.
Occurrence
Some parabens are found naturally in plant sources. For example, methylparaben is found in blueberries, where it acts as an antimicrobial agent. However, when parabens are eaten, they are metabolized and lose the ester group, making them less strongly estrogen-mimicking.
( Bob Comment) Part of the rub here is a number of studies that link parabens to breast Cancer because of these properties, but let’s not get too off track!
Synthesis
All commercially used parabens are synthetically produced, although some are identical to those found in nature. They are produced by the esterification of para-hydroxybenzoic acid with the appropriate alcohol. para-Hydroxybenzoic acid is in turn produced industrially from a modification of the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction, using potassium phenoxide and carbon dioxide.
Now that you are an expert on parabens, I think it is fair to talk about the pros and cons of them.
Remember that I believe that it is an indirect result of the parabens that is as important to look at as well as the direct result of their actions.
The pros of parabens or grapefruit seed extract are that they kill bacteria and fungus inside products. It is very difficult to sterilize containers and apparatus without using chemicals. The technique we use is super-heated steam on our equipment, but those parabens do a really good job of killing microbes, gram positive and gram negative rods. The con is that they do a good job of killing bacteria on our skin as well.
You might say that is good, but much research shows that what we want to do is inhibit bacteria growth on our skin while permitting flora bacteria to exist as it does in nature. To me, it is sort of like drinking parabens in hope they will kill diseased bacteria in our gut in hopes that they will leave all that good bacteria we want alone. If science could figure that out, it would be major… just has not happened yet.
Frankly, when I developed our first products, I did not know what parabens were. So it was simple…ignorance was bliss. I did know that I needed a preservative and my aboriginal friends suggested rosemary. Turns out it is also a natural high grade antioxidant, but for me, it minimized bacteria growth in our natural products.
When a contract manufacturer approached me to make our products, I politely listened as the salesperson told me why I had to use parabens. My silence forced him to exasperation and he blurted out, “What would you do if the FDA said you have to use parabens?” My answer? I would mark the products refrigerate after opening! He was not amused and yet that is exactly what I would do.
It turns out that we have traced part of Wendy’s reaction to prescription products after her Melanoma to a paraben reaction. Admittedly rare, I personally believe that it is more common than we think.
I will let our friends at the Breast Cancer Fund fight the paraben battle on their own front. I would encourage you to research that more for yourself.
Why We Do Not Use Parabens
Simply, I have done enough research and read enough that parabens in our personal care, household products and mouth care kill all forms of bacteria on our skin and in our gut. Like studies have shown with triclosan and germicides used in household products, my own studies have shown these same agents kill the natural flora on the skin and in the gut. What I believe happens next is that the really bad bacteria including gram positive rods like e. Coli and Staph (MRSA) have an opportunity to come back with a vengeance and attack our systems freely.
For example, it is common in our microbiology lab to take an agar petri dish and smear a natural ingredient on it to see if colony, gram positive or gram negative rods (bacteria) show up in an accelerated 72 hour test. What is not common, but we have done it, are to take a sample of “bugs” and kill them and then watch what grows back first in an open air environment. More than not, we see some harmless colony bacteria show up first, but then some really nasty bacteria take over and on most occasions we see fungus appear to feed on the bacteria. Can’t prove it, but I have to wonder if all this MRSA staph that has shown up in our middle schools is not a direct link to the triclosan in antibacterial soaps and the parabens in all of our products.
Okay, now that I have you flipped out a bit, I did a test of ten products at one of my labs and measured the cumulative amount of parabens in them. What I mean is that I know that the providers of parabens suggest a range or percentage to use. Let’s say it is 0.5% of the total solution. When I tested the products all showed excessive amounts of parabens well beyond the recommended dose. Knowing that chemists strive for economy, I began to wonder why the levels were so high…high enough to kill anything. I could not figure out why until I was giving a speech on the Dirty Dozen near Dayton Ohio and one chemist from P&G asked how many ingredients were typically in natural products. I answered, “probably 10 to 15.” He laughed and said our average is 45. It suddenly dawned on me how the paraben levels could be so high in the products I tested. The answer, the ingredient/chemical suppliers were also using parabens to preserve their raw material. Think it through! The manufacturer puts 0.5% into the product and each of the suppliers of those 40+ chemicals put 0.5% into the raw materials. Simply, we are being overdosed with parabens and every product we use adds to the equation. Ten products times the 1.6% average we tested is a daily dose of 16% on our skin. I think the most recent statistics I heard from the EWG is that the average woman uses 12 products a day containing parabens and men average 6 products. That means that if I am correct with my average that women are getting ~19.2% paraben contact. We have always joked that “chemists add and engineers subtract, but maybe it is not a joke.
Our Simple View
To overly simplify the reason we do not use parabens is that we believe that what comes out of the bottle designed to kill bacteria in the packaging also kills the flora on our skin and our gut facilitating bad super-bug bacteria to grow in its place that also facilitates fungal growth and imbalance.
Right now, this is a tested theory long from scientific fact. What if I am right!
See, I told my mother eating dirt was good!
BTW, The Mayo Clinic states, “Most MRSA infections occur in hospitals or other health care settings, such as nursing homes and dialysis centers. It’s known as health care-associated MRSA, or HA-MRSA. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at most risk of HA-MRSA. More recently, another type of MRSA has occurred among otherwise healthy people in the wider community. This form, community-associated MRSA, or CA-MRSA, is responsible for serious skin and soft tissue infections and for a serious form of pneumonia.”
I personally believe that people are walking in with the MRSA and when surgery is performed that is when it invades. Maybe hospitals should pretest for MRSA and an incoming inspection….Do you think?
Chapter Quick Notes:
Parabens and Triclosan are bactericides and germicides. That means they kill all bacteria indiscriminately. Good or bad bacteria alike, it they just kill.
Parabens and Triclosan indiscriminately kill the good probiotic bacteria on the skin. My belief is that this permits bad bacteria attacking the undefended skin.
Washing the skin does not remove our probiotic good bacteria from the skin.
Bactericides cause an imbalance on the skin possibly leading to many skin disorders.
When Wendy Steele asked me to develop a sunscreen for her after beating Melanoma, she needed UVA and UVB blocking. What she wanted was a cosmetically clear anti-aging moisturizer that would prevent aging. The product, Solar Rx was heralded as innovative with design awards, product of the year and acknowledgement by the EWG and Consumer Reports Magazine. It is much more then a moisturizer and sun protection. It is a simple and inexpensive anti-aging tool.
“If you are age 10 to 80+, wearing a sunscreen everyday will protect you from skin cancer. What you might not know is that our Solar Rx is the number one anti-aging tool in your arsenal.”, Wendy Steele Keys founder and CEO
Today, you mostly see products that do just one thing. There are sunscreens, anti-aging creams, rosacea treatments, BB creams, foundations, moisturizers and anti-redness products. Keys Solar Rx is all these in one product. If simplicity and saving money is interesting to you, I will explain the what’s, why’s and how Solar Rx does all these things and more.
What, Why & How!
Below is a list of what you can expect from Solar Rx. Important is that Solar Rx is in a special category acknowledged by the US Food & Drug Administration and The Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database and Sunscreen Report. The category is Moisturizer with Sunscreen which fits more into the skincare and beauty market then sunscreens. Still, it has to undergo the same rigors as “go to beach” sunscreens. The simple fundamental difference is that moisturizers with sunscreen are water soluble and not designed to be used in direct sun white exercising, swimming or perspiring. Why make it then….
Solar Rx does much more then sunscreens and often repairs damage from chemical sunscreens. If you understand the features, benefits and advantages of any product, you can make informed decisions. Solar Rx is much more then just a anti-aging moisturizer with sun protection.
So here goes:
Solar Rx the Anti-Aging Moisturizer
The base lotion of Solar Rx is Keys Luminos intense moisturizer. It is made from pure virgin avocado oil, black seed oil and carrot seed oil with Shea butter from Ghana and our own freeze dried aloe vera. There is very little water in the product so it is very concentrated. There is more concentration of oil in one Solar Rx bottle then is a half-gallon of big-box-store lotions. Plus, there are no chemicals like PEG, glycols or parabens. This alone makes Solar Rx more economical because you only need a little to get the moisturizing benefits.
Solar Rx the UV Anti-Aging Protection
There are three forms of measured UV. UVA, UVB and UVC. UVC is rare, so we will not talk about it other then to say, that there are artificial sources of UVC like exotic metal welders experience and they use Solar Rx because it works.
For the rest of us, UVA and UVB rays cause burning and skin cancer. The FDA requires us to use language that talks about this for a reason. It is because the evidence says that skin cancer comes from overexposure to UV radiation with the emphasis on the word radiation.
Solar Rx the Anti-Aging Innovation
Think of UVB rays as the burning rays because that is what happens. UVA are the aging rays because the deep penetrating UVA rays break down the fundamental building block of youthful skin…collagen. These springy components deep in the skin is what makes our young skin look youthful and clear.
UVA radiation takes a lifetime to show its damage, but at about the age of 10, it starts working to destroy our skins collagen and other components. What we notice is that wrinkles start appearing at about age 15 and sooner for sports and athletic people. At about 25, people start to notice that they look tired because of fine lines and some sagging. At 35, we feel older because we look older. Tanning freaks look 45 at 35 because the collagen is almost unrepairable because of UVA damage. It gets worse as we get older and older. Just look around and compare.
UVA is often talked about as the burning and tanning rays. These rays cause the brown spots, discoloration and weird patches that seem to sneak up on us around 40. Weird looking discolored and tired skin come from these UVB rays
Skin Layers
Solar Rx prevents both UVA and UVB damage by blocking these rays using spherical zinc oxide particles. It block them unlike chemical sunscreen that convert UVA and UVB into heat deep in skin tissue. Simplicity is understated because Solar Rx uses just Zinc Oxide where chemical sunscreens have to use multiple types of chemicals to achieve similar protection
Solar Rx the Skin Clearing & Brightener Innovation
Above we are talking about how zinc oxide protects from UVA and UVB damage as an anti-aging secret. Did you know that uncoated zinc oxide like the type used in Solar Rx will help fade sun spots, brown spots, weird patches and discoloration. Further, the natural whole avocado oil that we use has natural fading properties which work with the uncoated zinc oxide to fade these discolorations. Yes, it take time, but it is not harsh like chemical whiteners and you do not have the additional cost of another product. It works slowly everyday to clear the skin. If you are observant, you will see changes in two weeks that become noticeable to friend in just a few months. Anti-aging is not just keeping the skin from getting leathery, it is making sure that it is clear and even. No Spots! Really!
You would pay over $100 for the products that would do just these three things!
Solar Rx the Anti-Redness Innovation
Inflammation equal redness on the skin. Redness often comes from skin treatments that burn and chemically peel the skin…inflammation. Redness comes from exposure to wind and the sun…inflammation. Redness comes from products that contain dirty dozen and the dirty 30 chemicals…inflammation. Redness comes from bacteria that is overpopulated on the skin because of antibacterial agents like parabens and triclosan. parabens are in 95%+ of skincare products. I think you get it. No inflammation is anti-aging. Solar Rx uses uncoated zinc oxide which renowned for reducing inflammation aka redness
Solar Rx the Rosacea Innovation
Rosacea seem to be a big mystery to doctors. Probably because it is cosmetic and not exciting to them. To those that suffer from the redness, blotchiness and irritation caused by rosacea, it is a very real problem. Solar Rx customers have told us for the last ten years that it helps and even eliminates the redness. We suspect that the majority of rosacea is redness caused by overgrowth of unfriendly bacteria affecting the skins’ microbiome. Simplified, most rosacea treatments use uncoated zinc oxide like what we use in Solar Rx. Simple!
Solar Rx the BB Cream
Anti-aging is coverage as much as it is therapeutic. We started working with makeup artist over 14 years ago using Solar Rx as a beauty balm that fills imperfections. Simply, the uncoated zinc oxide is a microfine particle that fill in pores and fine lines. The zinc is a filler and mixed with the Luminos base lotion and moisturizer acts like a beauty balm and filler combined. Solar Rx works better then most of the beauty balms on the market because the particles are spherical instead of jagged and they are uniform size.
Just as a note, BB Creams sell for up to $135 for 1.7 ounces at Sephora. Solar Rx is $26.95 for 3.4 ounces. As a personal note, one of the things I miss about the high tech industry is the magazine shootouts that compare one product against another based on performance. Can you imagine if the skincare and beauty industry had to undergo shootouts. I ready!
Solar Rx the Clear Foundation
Much of how Solar Rx works to help with fine lines is that it is a world-class moisturizer and the zinc oxide particles fill. Imagine that Solar Rx also accomplishes this be the shape of the zinc oxide particle transmitting and diffusing light. A very famous Hollywood makeup artist once told me that our wrinkles and fine lines are not the problem, it is the shadows they create that amplify them. I thought about this from an optical physics standpoint many years ago and realized that the shape of the Solar Rx spherical particles created an optical illusion reducing shadows on the skin. These little lenses help mute variations on the skin and also transmit texture, color and illumination giving the skin a glowing soft focus effect that is not just visible to the high definition cameras, but the naked eye. This is so true that if you apply Solar Rx to just half of your face, you will see the difference in the mirror. Apply it to the neck and it will actually provide fill light for under the chin… a super secret Hollywood lighting technique.
Products from Makeup Forever® and others do a similar job at nearly $100. The effect comes for free with Solar Rx
Solar Rx Instead of $300
All toll, if you were to purchase separate products based on what Solar Rx does, it would cost you somewhere north of $300. If you like the simplicity of one product and the low cost of $26.95, then Solar Rx is the answer.
Beauty cream, sun protection, redness prevention, moisturizer etc. in one product
Try it and if I am wrong, we will refund your purchase.
To buy Solar Rx, click the buy button below
To learn more, you can buy Bob Root’s book, Chemical Free Skin Health by below.
I am always please to be ranked in the safest and most efficacious category for our products. Solar Rx has been ranked by the EWG 2016 Sunscreen Report top in the “Moisturizer with Sunscreen group. It has been at the top of the list since it was introduced over ten years ago. We have made some improvements making it a primary moisturizer with SPF for thousands of people for everyday use. Solar Rx has been in numerous movies, TV shows and commercials because of its luminescent properties that optically smooth the skin while also providing deep natural chemical-free moisture.
Solar Rx is completely and fully all-natural, vegan, gluten-free and free of man-made chemicals. Punta!
Double Down On Anti-Aging
Solar Rx provides such good anti-aging for the skin in two distinct ways. The UVB (burning) rays and the UVA (aging) are physically blocked by our spherical OptiFX® zinc oxide particle. UV radiation is the number one cause of aging around the world. Protecting your skin from UV is the #1 thing that you can do to never look your age. Secondly, Solar Rx is a huge anti-aging product because it uses our Luminos™ Moisturizer as its base lotion. The lotion is made with vegan oil and homogenized into a ultra smooth lotion. Pharma grade avocado, carrot seed and black seed oil are blended with wild crafted Ghana Shea Butter to provide deep moisturizing.
No Pilling Under Makeup
Solar Rx OptiFX® Zinc Oxide particles are blended to provide the maximum UV protection. They are spherical by design making them transparent to visible light while opaque to invisible UVA, UVB and UVC rays. This means maximum protection with no white or blue cast. Many makeup artists use it as a base foundation to layer makeup on top. The fact that it has no silicone makes it play very well with both water and oil based makeup.
Solar Rx is Not for the Beach
What makes Solar Rx a great moisturizer providing everyday SPF protection is that it is water soluble. It provides deep moisturizing because of this design. So, it works everyday and all day as long as you do not perspire. It is not designed for Go To Beach, swimming or sports use. And, no we do not make a regular sunscreen.
Cover Up! Stop Melanoma!
Wendy wearing a SunBody Hat and Columbia Omni-Shade® Clothing
The reason we do not make a active life sunscreen is because as I am a Melanoma survivor. 19 years now free from skin cancer. Some people consider me an expert in skin cancer prevention. I am adamant that sunscreens give a false sense of protection. I subscribe to wearing big brim UPF rated hat, UPF rated sun clothing and UVA rated sunglasses. Only exposed skin should wear sunscreen. Avoidance of peak sun hours will protect you from over exposure to UV and make you younger looking. “Brown leather is out! Skin that is! So, it is time to get wise and avoid the sun. Make your own shade!” I say!
My personal favorites are SunBody Hats and Columbia Sportswear OmniShade® clothing. I do have various brands of UVA rated sunglasses with Oakley being my long time loyal favorites. When I started looking for sun clothing after my Melanoma surgery, it was hard to find anything to wear. I started with Sun Precautions and Oakley. THEY WERE IT! I now love love love my Columbia Omni-Shade® because they are stylish, cool and come in a wide range of colors. My SunBody hats are as chic as a big sun hat can get. I have tested them to over 100UPF. I love them also because they have stampede straps for high wind situations.
To read more about sun protection and anti-aging, read an article I wrote Here
Solar Rx is available both in a 100ml airless container and in sealed foil packets. It is the top selling Keys product.
To learn more about Keys “Clear Cosmetics,” Click Here
Click the Buy Button to go to our online store. Solar Rx is available at natural markets, naturopathic MD’s, functional medicine MD’s and apothecaries.
When we designed Avo Jel to be a vegan replacement for petroleum jelly, we quickly realized that it would not only replace petroleum jelly, but would add more things that is could do because it is avocado oil jelly. Yes, you can replace your petroleum jelly with Avo Jel and you can use it for many more uses because it does not have the impurities associated with crude oil based jellies. So, it is better and better for you!
Below are some uses for the sports enthusiast. Runners, bikers, swimmers and surfers have all been telling us how they use Avo Jel. Here are just a few.
So the first main benefit to keep in mind with Avo Jel is that it is made from the highest grade avocado oil available. So, no impurities, no petroleum and all the added benefits of this vegan alternative.
Sports Uses for Avo Jel:
Here are a few uses that our customers have shared with us. Find your own uses and let us know.
Lips
Avo Jel is very effective in quickly reducing chapping. Petroleum jelly is good at coating the lips to prevent windburn, dryness and will not sweat off. Avo Jel does the same, but adds the Omega fatty acids and oil that helps to repair the lips as well. So, it is great before, during and after a race.
Eyes
Avocado Oil is a mild sunscreen and will not sting the eyes like chemical sunscreens. Rub it lightly around the eye lids and you will gain some protection and the softening effect of avocado oil. You can layer Avo Jel over a zinc based sunscreen as well to gain even more protection.
Chaffing
Chafing during an event and afterwards is a huge problem. Layering AvoJel on these areas before going out prevents chafing, but unlike petroleum jelly, Avo Jel is a true moisturizer
Rash Guard
Avo Jel will not harm clothing or melt certain fabrics like petroleum jelly does. So, you can rub it on both the skin and clothing to eliminate rash. Don’t forget areas like the nipples to make sure that rubbing is minimized.
Pollution Protection
Surfers know that there is a lot of bacteria and pollutants in many popular surf spots warranting a dowse of a bleach mixture to prevent disease. Runners in places like New York City come back from a run and when the wipe their face, see black suit on the washcloth. Sorry to say that these are not extreme occurrences or one-off’s. Hydrocarbons and other pollutants are everywhere, so dabbing Avo Jel around the face and soft skin areas will help act as a barrier to pollutants.
Allergies
A high percentage of outdoors enthusiasts have allergies and run with drugs like Zyrtec and Claratin. These are effective, but also raise the question of drowsiness and performance inhibiting. Runners and bikers have told us that they dab a Q-Tip with Avo Jel and gently swab it inside each nostril. The AvoJel collects pollen and other allergens before they enter the upper nose. The theory is maximum performance using a simple concept.
Some people are just plain allergic to petroleum jelly because it is crude oil based. Not true with Avo Jel because is is avocado oil based. Plus, you get the Omega fatty acids benefits as well.
Water Repellent
Avo Jel is as water repellant as petroleum jelly, but without the petroleum.
Goggles – Seal
One great irritation in triathlons are leaking goggles. Petroleum jelly can degrade the soft plastic on some higher end goggles. Layering a thin layer on the soft mantle of the goggles will help prevent leaking without harming the goggles themselves.
The secondary benefit is the irritation that sometimes occurs from the goggle rubbing against the soft tissue around the eyes. Often people complain that their eye tissue becomes inflamed. AvoJel soothes.
Leash Strap
A lot of work goes into the design of a surfers leash strap to hold tight and not chafe. Holding tight is much more important, but by using Avo Jel, it will help to minimize chaffing around the ankle while also acting as a barrier for bacteria and pollutants.
Chemical barrier
Chemical sunscreens work by converting UVB (burning) and UVA (aging) rays into heat. By using Avo Jel over top, we have found empirical evidence that it helps chemical based sunscreens last longer. Conversely, if you are being exposed to chemicals on your equipment, AvoJel will also act as a barrier.
Chap Guard
It is fairly obvious that dryness, the sun, air and other environmental effects will quickly chap your lips. Other areas of soft tissue can also chap. Avo Jel offers superior protection and the Omega fatty acids will help to keep soft tissue youthful looking.
Feet
Runners and bikers tell us that they layer Avo Jel on their feet two days before a race by slipping on socks after a good coating. This make the skin soft and if you have calluses, it will soften them reducing cracking and bleeding.
Deter blisters by rubbing Avo Jel inside shoes or on feet before using compression socks.
Consider Keys Feet & Hands as an alternative to Avo Jel. It contains menthol which is stimulating and has some indications that it effects acupressure points.
Hair
Avocado oil is a natural hair conditioner and styler. In Jel form, it also protects the hair from drying from the sun and cracking from pollutants. Slick your hair back and look fast standing still.
The uses for Avo Jel in the sports world keep adding daily. These are just a few of the uses that we have heard from fans. If you can use petroleum jelly for something, you can use Avo Jel. Plus, it is better for you because it is made from Avocado oil and not petroleum. Avo Jel is just one of six avocado oil based jellies designed to replace drug store petrolatum based products. To learn more about all the Keys Alternative Naturals™ products, Click Here!
One of the main reason we developed the entire line of Keys Alternative Naturals was for triathlete and strenuous sports fans. We attended Surf Expo last year in hopes of gaining insight into the competitive performance market and we were not disappointed at the results of our visit. The trade show clearly pointed out the need for alternatives to conventional petroleum jelly based products. The attendees we met ranged in age from 12 to 60. All were engaged in some form of strenuous exercise and sports. We fronted the idea of various products that would replace Vaseline®, Begay® and IcyHot® with products made from a jellied avocado oil. The response was 100% positive and fueled our continual development of our Alternative Naturals line.
Along the way we have talked to many people in different market segments. By far, our Alternative Naturals line has the broadest reach across many market sectors and age groups. We knew that many of the jel based products would have an impact on sports. This is one account:
The Triathlete!
We met a surfer and triathlete in Florida who was about to compete in a national triathlon. We met him a few weeks before the race and deep into his training period. He had lots of rashes and chafing, so we offered him our AvoJel. We saw him again a week later and he showed us that the rash on his neck was gone and he said that all the chafing was almost gone as well. He asked how this was possible in that he had used petrolatum based products and the irritations only went away when he stopped training. Avocado oil is a very positive ingredient on the skin and we had hoped that he wold see fast results. We also knew that the AvoJel would act and perform the same as Vaseline® and we believed it would out perform it in the areas of fast results.
So, we asked our triathlete what he used before and after a race. He gave us a list, so we gave him AvoJel, Heat Cool and Feet & Hands as well as Urban Shield for fungus.
We saw him again a week after the race and he exclaimed that he had won his age group. Then he proceeded to tell us about how all the products performed.What he told us was that he used AvoJel on areas that got chafed and rubbed from clothing etc. He had no rashes or chafing even after the swim. AvoJel stayed on and resisted the water.
He applied Feet & hands to his feet before and after the race. No blisters or cracking. He said that the cooling menthol stimulated his feet and soothed them after the race.
He used Heat Cool on his muscles. First he commented that it felt like it was not working because there was no intense smell like Bengay®. He told us that what he really noticed quickly is that the aches went away making him appreciate the lighter scent with what he felt was more action. He said his wife and kids really appreciated the lighter scent ?
He shared that he would always get a bought of athletes foot shortly after a race and the Urban Shield seemed to be working (two weeks later, still no athletes foot). He noted that his cracking fingers and dry patchy skin had also disappeared.
So, our products succeeded in helping him and affirming that we were on the right track.
As we learn more about other uses for our products, we will let you know. Simply, we know, that if there is a use for petroleum jelly, our Alternative Naturals will match and exceed their use! Not only do we believe they work better, they are better for you because there is no petroleum.
Check out Keys Alternative Naturals by Clicking Here for more detailed product information.
Many devices around the home often call for lubrication with food grade silicone grease or petroleum jelly. If you are like me, the idea of using silicone or petrolatum that comes in contact with my food or water is not desirable. Enter Keys Avo Jel as a great substitute.
Recently, I needed to replace a water filter for my sink drinking water tap. I ordered the filters and when they arrived, the instructions said that it was very important to minimize the possibility of leaking to put “food grade silicone” on the O-rings where the filters came in contact with the housing. I thought for a moment and grabbed the Avo Jel. A couple of quick dollops on the O-rings and the new filters were on with no leaks. Because Avo Jel is pure avocado oil, using it offers a clean alternative to grease and petrolatum.
As you can see from the image below, the arrows point out where I put the Avo Jel.
I know that not everyone has to replace filters, but this is a good example where Avo Jel serves as a lubricant and seal instead of using conventional petroleum or silicone grease. Make things slide easier, lubricate water bottle tops and improve any seal safely using Avo Jel.
Let us know how you use Avo Jel as an alternative to chemical and petroleum based grease? If you want to learn about other uses, just Google “uses for petroleum jelly” or “uses for petroleum jelly around the home” and you will be amazed. Then realize that you can use Avo Jel for all the same purposes. Keeping in mind, Avo Jel is petroleum-free, silicone-free and chemical-free.
Just a few weeks ago we introduced our new line called Alternative Naturals™. Among the inductees was a new product called Urban Shield. Urban Shield has been in development for over five years and is a very close kin to Keys Super Star RediCare. In fact, think of Urban Shield as a gel version of RediCare and you will be more right than you know.
As history goes, RediCare was first developed for the search and rescue teams that were returning from Hurricane Katrina. Both dogs and people were covered with sores and skin disorders from the chemicals in the high waters around New Orleans. It was designed as a sprayable lotion to cover large areas quickly to provide relief without rubbing. It also worked on both long and short hair dogs to get to the skin quickly. Both dogs and handlers quickly realized how fast and effective it was. Bonus! Because of the Neem and Karanja oil as well as other essential oils, it was also an incredibly effective insect repellant. RediCare started its life as a sprayable therapy and quickly became known as a single universal go to product for people and dogs for all of its wonderful properties.
Not long after RediCare was introduced, the diabetic community discovered how quickly it would help with skin issues. Customers reported to us that the itching, pain and disruptions began to disappear.
Not far after the diabetics discovered RediCare, so did those going through radiation treatment and chemotherapy.
Then, moms discovered that RediCare killed head lice. We are still not sure how it does it, but reports continue that it works for lice and bed bugs.
Repelling more than 200 flying and drawling insect was a bonus for us and our customers with strong reports of high efficacy against fleas, ticks and mosquitoes as well as all sorts of a creepy crawlers.
Well, no surprise that Urban Shield contains most of the key ingredients that are contained in RediCare. Those being, Neem, Karanja, Avocado Oil, Black Seed Oil and Carrot Seed Oil. Envision a jelly with all the goodness of RediCare and you now know and understand Urban Shield. Urban Shield has the same properties of RediCare in a gel form that has even more intensity.
If you love RediCare, you will really love Urban Shield.
Click Here to got to Urban Shield on the Keys Online Store
Herein are some of the benefits of the key ingredients in Urban Shield.
Avocado oil – valued for its skin regenerative and moisturizing properties.
Avocado contains oils which are similar to human skin oils – sebum. Avocado offers the skin moisture. Avocado oil has both Vitamin A and a natural form of Retinol. The Vitamin A component helps promote a healthy skin microbiome to reduce skin blemishes (acne). The retinol component is whole and not esthered like synthetic Vitamin A. It provides natural skin lightening, uniformity of texture and color as well as acting as a natural exfoliant without the use of abrasives or salts. Avocado oil is also helpful in treating dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, acne and dry skin conditions. Keys uses both a virgin expeller pressed avocado oil and a filtered pharmaceutical grade in therapeutic proportions.
Proteins and Fatty Acids. Avocado oil contains a high amount of proteins and unsaturated fats, both of which are strong skin agents. Avocado oil contains omega-3 fatty acids like those found in fish oil
Sterolin. Avocado oil is high in a substance called sterolin, which case studies have shown softening of the skin and reduce the incidence of age spots
Antioxidants. Avocado oil is rich in antioxidants, making it useful for healing sun or chemical damaged skin. Antioxidants like vitamins A, D and E in avocado cause the skin to be suppler, and are thus particularly good for dry or aged skin.
Lecithin and Potassium. Avocado oil contains lecithin and potassium, which are all highly beneficial for the skin as well as the hair.
Carrot Seed Oil – is an essential oil for treating dry skin and can provide a good level of protection against wrinkles and aging or liver spots. It has many therapeutic values that are antiseptic, and cytophylactic,(stimulates cellular regeneration).
Carrot seed oil highly valued for skin care. It is used in skin creams to nourish, tighten, revitalize, and rejuvenate skin. It visibly improves skin tone, elasticity, and general skin health. It is claimed to slow the progression of visible wrinkles. Carrot Seed Oil is calming and appropriate for irritated skin. It is a good, essential oil for anyone who spends time outdoors. Carrot seed oil has high activity antioxidant properties.
Carrot seed oil may be found in many formulas dealing with skin conditions ranging from revitalizing and toning to eczema and ageing.
Carrot Oil has chemicals with these properties – analgesic, androgenic, anti-acne, anti-aging and anti-asthmatic activity. Carrot seed oil also assists in removing toxin and water build up in the skin giving it a fresher more firmer appearance. The aroma is earthy with a medium note.
At Keys, carrot seed oil makes up our base triangle of ingredients for the skin. It is used in conjunction with Avocado oil and Black Cumin (black seed) oil
Black Seed Oil aka Black Cumin – Nigella sativa is one the most revered medicinal seeds in history. Black cumin seeds were found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The oil is used externally, for beauty as well as for treating skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. We seek out the finest grade for our products.
Black Seed Oil Benefits for Eczema
Black seed oil has lots of positive benefits for the entire body, but especially for the skin. The vitamins, antioxidants and amino acids are just a few of the advantages. Taking black seed oil can improve skin overall, but it can also do much more than just give skin a healthy glow. For more extreme issues, like eczema, black seed oil can offer much-needed relief. The symptoms of eczema can be uncomfortable and often painful, but there is hope.
Soothing Properties of Black Seed Oil
People who suffer from eczema experience a sore, red rash that can show up all over the body. The rash is often accompanied by swelling and inflammation. Black seed oil has natural anti-inflammatory properties and is known to help with swelling. The fatty acids and Omega-3 in black seed oil help with moisturizing; therefore, rubbing the oil on the affected skin can help immediately lessen the pain and itching caused by the eczema. It also softens skin and helps with the dryness that often accompanies eczema. The benefits from topical use often provide instant relief.
Black Seed Oil Benefits for Your Skin
While ingesting black seed oil can have amazing overall benefits for your health, using black seed oil can also have huge benefits for your skin. Black seed oil promotes overall health, so obviously the skin will get some benefits as well. But for specific skin problems black seed oil could be the right herbal remedy for you. The oil can be used in a product or directly applied onto the skin. Here just a few of the benefits black seed oil has for your skin.
Using Black Seed Oil as a Moisturizer
Essential fatty acids maintain skin nourishment and hydration. Black seed oil can certainly help in this department. The body cannot recreate these fatty acids; they have to be replenished from an outside source. Oils help maintain the lipid barrier that protects the skin from day-to-day oxidation as well as harsher elements such as acne, scarring and overall aging. Black seed oil contains both amino and fatty acids that help shield the skin.
Antioxidants to Prevent Aging
Antioxidants are the number one way to fight aging. Oxidation degrades the skin’s cellular structure which gives the appearance of lines, wrinkles and discoloration. Black seed oil’s major component is thymoquinone, which is filled with antioxidants to prevent this kind of break down. Using the oil on your skin regularly can prevent the long term effects of aging, but can also immediately add a healthy glow to your face.
Other Vitamins and Benefits
The benefits of black seed oil don’t stop there. Black seed oil contains Vitamin A, which is known to reduce wrinkles and also shadows under the eyes. Vitamin A can also make skin sensitive to sunlight, so best to use it in the evenings before bed. Black seed oil also has antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties. This stops certain skin infections as well as the spreading of acne. The anti-inflammation reduces overall puffiness in the face and skin.
Neem – In India, the tree is variously known as “Divine Tree”, “Heal All”, “Nature’s Drugstore”, “Village Pharmacy” and “Panacea for all diseases”. It is considered a major component in Ayurvedic medicine and is particularly prescribed for skin disease. Neem oil is used for skin care such as acne, and keeping skin elasticity. Neem has many skin healing properties and acts as a broad-spectrum insect repellent.
Neem oil is used for preparing cosmetics (soap, hair products, body hygiene creams, hand creams) and in Ayurvedic, Unani and folklore traditional medicine, in the treatment of a wide range of afflictions. The most frequently reported indications in ancient Ayurvedic writings are skin diseases, inflammations and fevers, and more recently rheumatic disorders, insect repellent and insecticide effects.
Traditional Ayurvedic uses of neem include the treatment of acne, fever, leprosy, malaria, ophthalmia and tuberculosis. Various folk remedies for neem include use as ananthelmintic, antifeedant, antiseptic, diuretic, emmenagogue, contraceptive, febrifuge, parasiticide, pediculocide and insecticide. It has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of tetanus, urticaria, eczema, scrofula and erysipelas. Traditional routes of administration of neem extracts included oral, vaginal and topical use. Neem oil has an extensive history of human use in India and surrounding regions for a variety of therapeutic purposes. Puri (1999) has given an account of traditional uses and therapeutic indications and pharmacological studies of this oil, in his book on neem.
Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It is the most important of the commercially available products of neem for organic farming and medicines.
Neem oil varies in color; it can be golden yellow, yellowish brown, reddish brown, dark brown, greenish brown, or bright red. It has a rather strong odor that is said to combine the odours of peanut and garlic. It is composed mainly of triglycerides and contains manytriterpenoid compounds, which are responsible for the bitter taste. It is hydrophobic in nature; in order to emulsify it in water for application purposes, it must be formulated with appropriate surfactants.
Azadirachtin is the most well known and studied triterpenoid in neem oil. The azadirachtin content of neem oil varies from 300ppm to over 2500ppm depending on the extraction technology and quality of the neem seeds crushed. Neem oil also contains steroids(campesterol, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol).
Average composition of neem oil fatty acids
Common Name
Acid Name
Composition range
Omega-6
Linoleic acid
6-16%
Omega-9
Oleic acid
25-54%
Palmitic acid
Hexadecanoic acid
16-33%
Stearic acid
Octadecanoic acid
9-24%
Omega-3
Alpha-linolenic acid
?%
Palmitoleic acid
9-Hexadecenoic acid
?%
Karanja – Karanja oil is popular in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of biliousness, eye ailments, leucoderma, worms, wounds, sores, scabies, eczema, psoriasis. itches, herpes viral infection, ulcers, and other skin diseases as well as for skin protection, as it is believed to enhance the UV absorbing properties of conventional sunscreens.
Karanja oil, like Neem oil, has been widely tested for its insecticidal, nematicidal, antiseptic, bactericidal, and cleansing properties. The oil has a high content of triglycerides.
According to Hartwell (1967–1971), the fruits and sprouts are used in folk remedies for abdominal tumors in India, the seeds for keloid tumors in Sri Lanka, and a powder derived from the plant for tumors in Vietnam. In sanskritic India, seeds were used for skin ailments. Today the oil is used as a liniment for rheumatism. Leaves are active against Micrococcus; their juice is used for colds, coughs, diarrhea, dyspepsia, flatulence, gonorrhea, and leprosy. Roots are used for cleaning gums, teeth, and ulcers. Bark is used internally for bleeding piles. Juices from the plant, as well as the oil, are antiseptic. It is said to be an excellent remedy for itch, herpes, and pityriasis versicolor. Powdered seeds are valued as a febrifuge, tonic and in bronchitis and whooping cough. Flowers are used for diabetes. Bark has been used for beriberi. Juice of the root is used for cleansing foul ulcers and closing fistulous sores. Young shoots have been recommended for rheumatism. Ayurvedic medicine described the root and bark as alexipharmic, anthelmintic, and useful in abdominal enlargement, ascites, biliousness, diseases of the eye, skin, and vagina, itch, piles, splenomegaly, tumors, ulcers, and wounds; the sprouts, considered alexeteric, anthelmintic, apertif, and stomachic, for inflammation, piles and skin diseases; the leaves, anthelmintic, digestive, and laxative, for inflammations, piles and wounds; the flowers for biliousness and diabetes; the fruit and seed for keratitis, piles, urinary discharges, and diseases of the brain, eye, head, and skin, the oil for biliousness, eye ailments, itch, leucoderma, rheumatism, skin diseases, worms, and wounds. Yunani use the ash to strengthen the teeth, the seed, carminative and depurative, for chest complaints, chronic fevers, earache, hydrocele, and lumbago; the oil, styptic and vermifuge, for fever, hepatalgia, leprosy, lumbago, piles, scabies, and ulcers.
Chemistry
Reported to contain alkaloids demethoxy-kanugin, gamatay, glabrin, glabrosaponin, kaempferol, kanjone, kanugin, karangin, neoglabrin, pinnatin, pongamol, pongapin, quercitin, saponin, -sitosterol, and tannin. Air-dry kernels have 19.0% moisture, 27.5% fatty oil, 17.4% protein, 6.6% starch, 7.3% crude fiber, and 2.4% ash. Fatty acid composition: palmitic, 3.7–7.9%, stearic 2.4–8.9, arachidic 2.2–4.7, behenic 4.2–5.3, lignoceric 1.1–3.5, oleic, 44.5–71.3, linoleic 10.8–18.3, and eicosenoic 9.5–12.4%. Destructive distillation of the wood yields, on a dry weight basis: charcoal 31.0%, pyroligneous acid 36.69, acid 4.3%, ester 3.4%, acetone 1.9%, methanol 1.1%, tar 9.0%, pitch and losses 4.4%, and gas 0.12 cu m/kg. Manurial values of leaves and twigs are respectively: nitrogen 1.16, 0.71; phosphorus (P2O5), 0.14, 0.11; potash (K2O), 0.49, 0.62; and lime (CaO), 1.54, 1.58%. Such manure reduces the incidence of Meloidogyne javanica.
Keys products are always 180º from ordinary. They are extraordinary. Our products always have more then one purpose and are always focused on solving problems and making our customers feel good. Yes, Avo Jel is a vegan alternative to petroleum jelly, but it is much much more.
When we recently introduced our Alternative Naturals™ brand, it was clear what each product does and what you can expect. Because of a number of questions we have received about Avo Jel I think we guessed wrong. Avo Jel is a jelly similar to petroleum jelly, but the similarity ends there. Much more. It is ‘On Purpose!’ and functional in every sense.
Because we use pharmaceutical grade avocado oil to make Avo Jel, you can expect all the benefits of any other Keys product that uses avocado oil. We have published the features, benefits and advantages of our oils and extracts before in an article titled, Keys Prime Ingredients and Actions, but here is the information about avocado oil again.
Avocado oil – valued for its skin regenerative and moisturizing properties.
Avocado contains oils which are similar to human skin oils – sebum. Avocado offers the skin moisture. Avocado oil has both Vitamin A and a natural form of Retinol. The Vitamin A component helps promote a healthy skin microbiome to reduce skin blemishes (acne). The retinol component is whole and not esthered like synthetic Vitamin A. It provides natural skin lightening, uniformity of texture and color as well as acting as a natural exfoliant without the use of abrasives or salts. Avocado oil is also helpful in treating dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, acne and dry skin conditions. Keys uses both a virgin expeller pressed avocado oil and a filtered pharmaceutical grade in therapeutic proportions.
Proteins and Fatty Acids. Avocado oil contains a high amount of proteins and unsaturated fats, both of which are strong skin agents. Avocado oil contains omega-3 fatty acids like those found in fish oil
Sterolin. Avocado oil is high in a substance called sterolin, which case studies have shown softening of the skin and reduce the incidence of age spots
Antioxidants. Avocado oil is rich in antioxidants, making it useful for healing sun or chemical damaged skin. Antioxidants like vitamins A, D and E in avocado cause the skin to be suppler, and are thus particularly good for dry or aged skin.
Lecithin and Potassium. Avocado oil contains lecithin and potassium, which are all highly beneficial for the skin as well as the hair.
So when you think about Avo Jel, think beyond the fact that it is a vegan replacement for petroleum jelly. You can expect all the value of the avocado oil in a jelly as well.
Only time will tell all the uses people find for Avo Jel. Even this early since its introduction, we have a real sense that it will be a Keys Super-Star.
Click Here to see Avo Jel on the Keys Online Store.
The Alternative Naturals™ challenge began over 6 years ago. When Keys founder Bob Root learned of significant skin disorders afflicting the astronauts on the US International Space Station, he thought there must be a way. Lotions and liquids just do not work well in zero-gravity. The challenge was to create a jelly, but not from petroleum. Starting with organic pure avocado oil, Bob began experimenting. The end result was a proprietary production process where the oil is altered to form a jelly similar in consistency to petrolatum, but with none of the impurities or petroleum. This is a mechanical and not chemical process where the properties are altered to a higher viscosity and the jelly-like properties of petrolatum. The next challenge was to use the same process to develop jellies from other oils and to be able to add natural ingredients that would make more functional natural vegan products for daily use.
Today marks the point where Keys is pleased to introduce 8 new products into a new functional line called Alternative Naturals™. The line consists of 6 avocado oil based “Jels” and 2 spray botanical products.
These products using a process that jellies oil have No Petroleum, No Petrolatum, No Wax, No preservatives and No Water. Like all Keys products, they are free of man-made chemicals, gluten-free and vegan. The ingredients are the highest quality available and are in full strength proportions. The line is designed to offer individuals wanting to be chemical-free an alternative to household brands using petrolatum. The two spray based products are based on a Keys exclusively designed and extracted botanical extract with essential and special oils added to offer functionality to people.
Take a look!
You can click on the product you are interested in and it will take you to it on the Keys Store
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Our two spray products were developed from a extract we call Botanica™ and are designed to solve problems experienced by people and dogs. The first is a skin aid product designed to mimic store brands using chemicals. The second is a insect repellent that is designed to repel both flying and crawling insect for people and dogs that has many of the same ingredients as our RediCare, but with a botanical extract base that also softens the skin.
We get a lot of questions on our Keys Customer Service system. Among the top questions are about dealing with the symptoms of menopause. Recently, we have had a very large number of women reaching out to us and asking about using our Tortuga lotion for vaginal dryness and using Tortuga as a personal lubricant.
This is a touchy subject, but not for the reasons you might expect.
First, we have many women that use Tortuga and Luminos for vaginal dryness. Our customers tell us that not only do they reduce dryness, but that pain during intercourse is virtually eliminated. I will get into the details in a bit, but it is important to understand that we do not use preservatives and my recommendation is if you use either Tortuga or Luminos for vaginal dryness, that you refrigerate it to maintain the integrity of the product for this use. Of course warming is recommended before use.
Menopausal Dryness
Vaginal dryness is a symptom of menopause. It is also a common disorder among women of all ages and can make every day life and sexual connection difficult. Stress, diet & chemicals in products can also be a mitigating cause of the dryness, so it is important to try to search for the cause of the dryness. As remarkable as it may seem, laundry detergent that uses sulfates, vaginal products that contain glycols (PEG’s), parabens (bactericide preservatives) and dimethicone (silicone lubricants) are probably exacerbating the problem. It is important to gather all of the products that you use in or near the vagina and determine what is in them to assure that they are as natural as possible. The rules here are as follows:
If there are no ingredients on the product label, do not use it.
If you cannot pronounce the ingredient, research it to find out what it is before using it.
Make sure that you trust the company to list all the ingredients and that they do not have constituent ingredients added secretly. Hard to do I know, but those hidden chemicals could be the problem
It gets more complicated and therefore adopting a “simpler is better” philosophy is better. Meaning, you might want to DIY anything that you use in your private areas. You would be amazed at how many women have found relief by eliminating commercial products alone.
Hormonal disruption is another thing to consider. By no means am I a hormonal disruption expert. I am a strong studier of the subject and many organizations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Safe Cosmetics and many holistic health organizations attribute sexual disfunction to many chemicals like phthalates in products used in an on the body. Yes, these chemicals that are used in perfumes and fragrance are linked to premature menopause and symptoms like vaginal dryness. Please, do not take my word for this. Google and research!
So, there is a link to chemicals and vaginal dryness. Equally, chemicals like propylene glycol (PEG’s) are also known to promote a need to reapply frequently causing more drying effects while trying to stop the problem. So imagine that the more you apply of a product containing glycols (PEG’s) that the dryer you get and the more you need to reapply. Not a good cycle to get into. Those of you that have used products containing glycols either know what I am talking about or now understand why they feel the way they do. No good!
Tortuga As A Personal Lubricant?
Click To Visit Tortuga Lotion Page
I have a close girlfriend who has struggled with vaginal dryness since her thirties. It became worse when she started to lose her hormones and began menopause. This myth that life is better after menopause is debatable and different for every woman. It certainly was not better for her. Tortuga for her was a very good solution because I knew what is in it. So, when I asked her to try Tortuga versus the synthetic personal lubricant she was using, she agreed. The marketing hype of some personal lubricants caused her to read the labels, so it was an easy sell. The lure of enhanced pleasure and increased sexuality was quickly dispelled after reading these labels. Admittedly, most had no ingredients listed which caused me to worry for her. I know what naive manufacturers use in skin care and I know that most of the ingredients would be the same in the personal lubricant category. When I did find a company that listed their ingredients I was horror struck that they really expected anyone to use that stuff inside.
Again, many of our customers use Tortuga as a personal lubricant and find it sensational. I do recommend, because there are no preservatives, that you refrigerate it and if you have any reaction at all, stop. Use something else that is natural avoiding some ingredients like coconut oil or EVOO (olive oil) as they can be harsh and aggressive.
Okay, here I get to preach a bit and alert you that there are alternatives to post menopausal problems. Yes, diet is important and using chemical-free products are of equal importance, but lets just get real. There is one major thing that you can do that I did a few years ago. Go BHRT!
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
Dear Suzanne Somers, Thank you, thank you, thank you for introducing me to Dr. Jonathan Wright! Dr. Wright you know I think you walk on water and talk to the gods! Thank you for all my friends that you have helped with your knowledge and expertise! Wendy
In a number of Suzanne Somers books, she talks about the benefits of BHRT for both men and women as they age. Dr. Wright says that we should start to pay attention to our hormone levels as early as our mid-thirties. Simple testing sets the levels and the most youth preserving thing we can do is to maintain our hormone levels. I got wise in my early 50’s I was tired of experiencing brain fog, tiredness and feeling cold. Yes, using Tortuga Lotion combats the dryness, but as good as Tortuga is, it cannot take care of all the other symptoms of post menopause.
• • • • • Click to Visit • • • • •
Suzanne’s suggestion to visit Jonathan Wright was more about wellness than dealing with problems. I had read all his work on thyroid and nutritional anti-aging, but my interest was in taking charge of my well-being. When I learned about Dr. Jonathan Wright’s work with BHRT, I was at his Tahoma Clinic in a flash. Okay, I am a Cancerian and all Cancerian’s know that we experiment with everything from diet to what goes on our bodies. Before my appointment, I read everything that Jonathan Wright wrote about BHRT and I was convinced before starting out on BHRT that it was the right thing for me. Just let me say that it was the best investment I made on myself in my entire life. I am feeling pre-40 again! My husband says I look 40 again! Enough said?
The cause of any problem is always what we should hunt for and not just solutions to symptoms. My friend who has always struggled with vaginal dryness went on BHRT as well. The combination of BHRT and Tortuga as a personal lubricant is now a part of my friends life as it is with the others that I have recommended visiting Dr. Wrights Tahoma Clinic near Seattle.
Yes, this is a very personal subject, but don’t you owe it to yourself to find relief? Dr. Maya Angelou said it best when she said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
Yes, Tortuga is wonderful and a pure product. Realizing that we have choices in taking charge of our own personal wellness and health is a revelation. As we always say at Keys; It is Time to Get Wise!
Today, Wendy Steele, Keys CEO announced that the Keys brand of skin care products is planning to expand into the OTC (over the counter) segment with a line of natural remedies. She also announced an expansion of Keys brand sales efforts to strengthen the move into OTC by tapping an industry veteran as their new Director of North American Sales.
Wendy Steele offered, “Keys celebrates its 10 year anniversary by innovating new products and augmenting our sales efforts. This is a back to the future moment for the Keys brand. Keys products have always been functional. Our products have solved skin problems for our customers and made them feel good since we began the Keys brand. The natural products industry has become a strong part of everyone’s lives in the nutrition and supplements area. It is time for natural skin care to become a part of this OTC market segment. As industry innovators, we are taking the first major steps instigating a needed change.”
In the next few months, Keys will introduce new products that are designed to replace many familiar conventional brands with naturally derived extract based products. These natural OTC innovations are designed to mimic the mainstream products with functional natural solutions. Steele added, “We have ten “Back-Country Medicine” products in the pipeline based on our own natural extracts developed in cooperation with Applied Alchemy, Inc. Each product combines extracts that we have developed in our laboratories with natural whole essential oil combinations to solve skin problems. Examples are a chemical-free broad spectrum natural insect repellent and skin conditioner that will compete with Avon’s Skin So Soft and a first-aid spray that will be a natural alternative to Bactine.”
New Keys Sales Leadership
Wendy Steele also announced today that supplements industry sales veteran, Anne Otis will join the Keys brand as its new Director of North American Sales. Otis is a 13 year sales professional joining Keys from the natural health industry. Steele added, “We are thrilled to have Anne join us because she is both a practitioner and sales expert in the business of building a solution oriented sales channel. Over the last ten years, I have watched the natural health industry grow and mature while the skin care portion has become a scent focused daily discounter commodity industry. We want to grow and support retailers who are trusted advisors to their community and who compete with green washing big box and luxury natural market stores.”
Anne Otis is a 13 year sales veteran who has her masters degree in nutrition. Anne offered, “There are natural markets, co-ops and natural practitioners that have stayed the course of offering their customers resources, knowledge, information and trusted personal advice. Keys has always been a brand offering natural remedies and solutions. As we innovate new products, it is my charter to innovate the sales channels.”
Wendy added, “Anne’s charter is to grow our sales systemically by focusing our resellers on the features, benefits and advantages of the Keys brand and the new OTC products coming soon. We want to support resellers who are trusted advisors in their communities with products that the big box and glamour retailers cannot get.”
Orion Learning International Inc. was established in 1999 as a marketing and consulting firm focused primarily on the pharmaceutical and technology industries. Clients include companies like Pfizer, Qualcomm and other advanced thinkers. The Keys brand was a spinoff based on Wendy Steele’s successful defeat of Melanoma skin cancer. The company has been innovating solution based functional natural skin care products since 2005 and is credited with numerous “firsts” in the industry.
There are reports all over the US of a resistant strain of super lice that are not controlled by convention lice treatments. I have been aware of this for a couple of years, but without scientists raising the warning flag, my words have fallen short.
Our customers have reported that our RediCare is not only highly effective at repelling initial lice infestation, but also kills the lice. Customer reports are that RediCare works where other treatments did not. Frankly, we have not been able to find a study group where they are willing to test natural alternatives because most of the research is sponsored by large companies trying to prove their product works. We have not been able to find any research project that is university internally sponsored.
My theory is unique of why RediCare kills lice. Simply, it appears that because RediCare uses various oil types to mimic the skins own sebum that it actually suffocates the lice. I am told and have researched that lice breath through their exoskeleton. It is plausible that RediCare does clog the exoskeleton of lice leading to their extinction.
In short, RediCare works and our customers tell us that it rids lice and repels them.
What is also interesting is that it is not uncommon to hear that a product works with some mutations and not others. So far, in the last three years, we have only heard positive results using RediCare for lice. Important is that the reported states for the super lice are also states that we have heard of success using RediCare.
Below is the article from the Telegraph in the UK. Once the study is released, you should hear more about this in the news.
Bob
Super head lice warning as scientists discover almost all species are resistant to treatments
Scientists report that lice in at least 25 American states have developed resistance to over-the-counter treatments still widely recommended by doctors and schools.
Doctor Kyong Yoon, of Southern Illinois University, said: “We are the first group to collect lice samples from a large number of populations across the United States.
“What we found was that 104 out of the 109 lice populations we tested had high levels of gene mutations, which have been linked to resistance to pyrethroids.”
Pyrethroids are a family of insecticides used widely indoors and outdoors to control mosquitoes and other insects. It includes permethrin, the active ingredient in some of the most common lice treatments sold over the counter.
Dr Yoon said that the momentum toward widespread pyrethroid-resistant lice has been building for years. The first report on the development came from Israel in the late 1990s.
He became one of the first to report the phenomenon in the US in 2000 when he was a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts.
Dr Yoon said: “I was working on insecticide metabolism in a potato beetle when my mentor, John Clark, suggested I look into the resurgence of head lice.
“I asked him in what country and was surprised when he said the US.”
Dr Yoon tested the pests for a trio of genetic mutations known collectively as kdr, which stands for “knock-down resistance” which were first found in house flies in the late 1970s after farmers began using pyrethroids rather than DDT.
He found many of the lice did indeed have kdr mutations, which affect an insect’s nervous system and desensitise them to pyrethroids. Since then, he has expanded his survey.
In the most recent study he gathered lice from 30 states and discovered that samples from 25, including California, Texas, Florida and Maine, had all three genetic mutations associated with kdr making them the most resistant to pyrethroids
Dr Yoon says that lice can still be controlled by using different chemicals, some of which are available only by prescription.Samples from four states – New York, New Jersey, New Mexico and Oregon – had one, two or three mutations. The only state with a population of lice still largely susceptible to the insecticide was Michigan. Dr Yoon said why lice haven’t developed resistance there is still under investigation.
But he added: “If you use a chemical over and over, these little creatures will eventually develop resistance.
“So we have to think before we use a treatment. The good news is head lice don’t carry disease. They’re more a nuisance than anything else.”’
The findings are due to be presented at the 250th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
As a natural products company we are not allowed to make claims unless we follow a clinical trial process. We are able to report what our customers tell us.
It was not to far after we began that we started to receive comments and testimonials about how our Island Rx promoted hair growth in both men and women. For the longest time we believed that it was the process of our customers getting off of conventional shampoo and switching to a natural alternative. Made sense to us, but for years, mostly men, claim that their hair grows more using Island Rx Liquid soap as a shampoo. We decided to dig into the formulation and also make some theories of why it works for our customers.
So, here is what we know reading as many papers and studies that I could get my hands on.
Island Rx Liquid Soap
To over simplify, conventional shampoos have a large amount of Sodium Laureth (Lauryl) Sulfate or Ammonium Laureth Sulfate. These are commonly referred to as SLS or ALS. A number of studies I have read track back these chemicals to causing inflammation of the scalp pores. Hair is a protein extruded through a pore. The theory is that when hair pores become inflamed, the size of the pore is reduced and the hair gets thinner. This made sense to me because hair near a balding spot seems thinner. As the pores close down, the air stops growing
Balding is a form of alopecia. So when you think this way, many of the suggestions of how to treat the disorder also makes sense. It is worth Googling and also reading a article here on Clean Green Cafe titled Kyle to Keys! My Hair is Growing!
So, just about everywhere you read, the articles recommend switching from a sulfate based shampoo. That seems to slow and even stop hair loss for many. But why are our customers claiming hair regrowth.
Under The Hood
I decided to try to break down our Island Rx formulation to see why it might be working to stop and in some cases reverse hair growth. In Kyle’s story above, he used MetaClean and yet, most of our customer testimonials refer to Island Rx. In truth, the base soap we developed for Island Rx is the same as MetaClean. I started my analysis by looking at our base soap recipe.
A true Castile soap is Olive oil saponified using a alkaline substance. Castile soaps came from the Castile region of Spain 500 years ago. They would mix olive oil and the ash from a wood fire to make a soap that cleans. The problem with these soaps and ones made like it today is that they are very alkaline to a point where some are harsh. The quest for soap makers is to use up as much of the alkaline substance to keep the alkalinity lower.
When we started, I experimented with hundreds of recipes, I started to replace the olive oil with other “softer” oils. Eventually I got to the recipe we use today which has olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil and Jojoba oil. Typically the alkalinity is as high as 11.5 pH for Castile soaps and mine is about 8.5pH. Thinking about why this might be important, I realized that it was probably more the type of oils I was using, but I did read that a mild alkaline rinse on the head is recommended for alopecia and therefore for balding. I also read a number of articles exclaiming that the properties of coconut oil do help hair growth.
I also found some articles talking about raw avocado oil containing a natural retinol which aids hair growth. I have known and promoted Island Rx to slow fade sun/age spots because of the retinol in avocado oil, but I really did not know about retinol effecting hair pores. Yes, our Island Rx contains raw avocado oil that is put into the recipe after the soap making process. I originally did this as a conditioner humectant for the hair because Castile like soaps do make hair feel waxy. This is why our Silkin is so popular because it is not a Castile soap and it more resembles conventional sulfate shampoos but without the SLS or ALS. So, that raw avocado oil is an add to the equation.
As I read more, I zeroed in on each component as if it was the only ingredient. Clary sage has tons of articles written about how it is used for hair growth. Blood orange essential oil also has a number of purifying and clarifying articles written about it. Both are listed in ancient Chinese medicine journals as having cleansing and antibacterial properties.
My Conclusion
All of the above! It really appears to me that the reason that Island Rx liquid soap has so many fans is that it just works for them. Each ingredient I looked at has some properties for hair growth. My guess is that by combining them to make our first soap, the recipe just works. Sorry, I hope to be able to figure out why so maybe i could make something even more powerful for hair growth. Nothing stood out, but I am working on a amped version of Island Rx to see if I can speed up the process.
Stop Read!
Slowing, stopping balding and hair regrowth takes time using Island Rx. Customer reports range from noticing less hair on the pillow in a couple of weeks to hair regrowth in a couple of months. It is very important to not use any other products on your hair unless it is natural…completely natural. If you use a pomade, change to raw natural coconut oil as a conditioner and styler. Our Mangrove conditioner works well and will also facilitate regrowth because of the avocado oil. Do not use conditioners or products contain silicone (dimethicone) Go clean! No Junk Please!
Why More Men?
This one eluded me until my wife and boss, Wendy Steele, pointed out the obvious. “Women have log hair as a rule and Castile soaps and Castile-like soaps (Island Rx) are very hard to manage after washing. Men typically have shorter hair and are not bothered with Island Rx. In fact, most men use Island Rx Liquid soap head-to-toe.” A small amount of research bore out the theory as men with long hair do not like Island Rx as a shampoo and women with short hair are not bothered by it either. So, using Island Rx for short balding hair seems to work according to our customers.
There you have it. It Just Works!
I you are interested in trying Island Rx, Click Here to go to the Island Rx Liquid soap page. At checkout there is a box to add a code for a discount. Use RX15 in the box to get a 15% discount as incentive to try it. The Code entry box is just below the Cart Totals on the first page of the checkout. Oh, make sure you hit the little arrow button to apply the discount code or the discount won’t work.
Keys DIY or “Do It Yourself” for younger clearer looking skin
Many people have asked why we do not make a facial mask. The simple answer is that the best mask for the skin has to be made fresh to have the greatest benefit. As much as we try, there are somethings that you cannot bottle and are best when you make them yourself.
This recipe is great for the face, neck and hands. The mixture reduces fine lines, fades skin spots, softens the skin and super hydrates to create a natural glow.
So here is a simple recipe using Keys Tortuga lotion and some fresh ingredients.
Omega Protein Facial Mask
Recipe Type: Facial Mask
Cuisine: Face, Neck and Hands
Author: Keys Geeks
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Mix all the ingredients together and use immediatley
Ingredients
2 pumps Keys Tortuga Lotion
1 egg (white only)
1/8 avocado ripe
Instructions
Place all the ingredients together in a small glass bowl.
Muddle or mash them until the mixture is smooth and even color.
Apply immediately.
Let stay on for at least 30 minutes.
Rinse with cool clear water.
Let air dry
Notes
This recipe is great for the neck and backs of the hands to smooth and reduce spots. Adjust the recipe as needed to create an even smooth mask.[br][br]This recipe super hydrates the skin, shrinks pores and the Tortuga/Avocado will help to slowly fade skin age spots caused by the sun because of the natural form of retinol they contain.
Keys products have always had many uses. These uses are Cross-Functional hence the name of this new category called Keys Cross.
Over our ten years, our customers have told us at seminars, book signings and online of how they use our products. Every product we make may seem simple based on the ingredients, yet each are active products that have a purpose and multiple uses. Our ingredients all fall into a class known to the natural remedies and Ayurvedic Medicine practitioners as functional ingredients. Simply, they do something and have cross-functional uses. Combined, they become a very big tool for alternative medicine remedies and alternate uses.
Entire books have been written on the multi-functional uses of simple ingredients like baking soda and vinegar to name just two. Keys products also have multiple purposes and uses to solve problems an make people feel good. Often these uses crossover into other areas and are good for dogs, horses etc. These crossover products start to expand the applications in both broader and deeper scenarios making it difficult to capture and to publish.
Keys Cross RediCare Natural Healing Spray
RediCare Therapeutic Spray
Primary Purpose: RediCare is a all-natural insect repellant that wards off over 200 different insects. It is a sprayable lotion that adds essential oils, extracts and botanicals to be efficacious and a lotion base similar to our Tortuga lotion to provide a moisturizing action that soothes and softens the skin instantly. Because it is sprayable and has the vast array of botanicals, it has many many uses
Keys products have always had many uses. These uses are Cross-Functional hence the name of this new category called Keys Cross.
Over our ten years, our customers have told us at seminars, book signings and online of how they use our products. Every product we make may seem simple based on the ingredients, yet each are active products that have a purpose and multiple uses. Our ingredients all fall into a class known to the natural remedies and Ayurvedic Medicine practitioners as functional ingredients. Simply, they do something and have cross-functional uses. Combined, they become a very big tool for alternative medicine remedies and alternate uses.
Entire books have been written on the multi-functional uses of simple ingredients like baking soda and vinegar to name just two. Keys products also have multiple purposes and uses to solve problems an make people feel good. Often these uses crossover into other areas and are good for dogs, horses etc. These crossover products start to expand the applications in both broader and deeper scenarios making it difficult to capture and to publish.
Solar Rx Moisturizer with SPF
Primary Purpose: The main use of Solar Rx Moisturizer with Sun Protection to to protect the skin from damaging UVA and UVB radiation from the sun while providing a daytime moisturizer. Solar Rx uses uncoated zinc oxide to provide broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. UVA are the aging rays while UVB are the burning rays.
Keys products have always had many uses. These uses are Cross-Functional hence the name of this new category called Keys Cross.
Over our ten years, our customers have told us at seminars, book signings and online of how they use our products. Every product we make may seem simple based on the ingredients, yet each are active products that have a purpose and multiple uses. Our ingredients all fall into a class known to the natural remedies and Ayurvedic Medicine practitioners as functional ingredients. Simply, they do something and have cross-functional uses. Combined, they become a very big tool for alternative medicine remedies and alternate uses.
Entire books have been written on the multi-functional uses of simple ingredients like baking soda and vinegar to name just two. Keys products also have multiple purposes and uses to solve problems and make people feel good. Often these uses crossover into other areas and are good for dogs, horses etc. These crossover products start to expand the applications in both broader and deeper scenarios making it difficult to capture and to publish.
We have long wanted to write these down, but lacked the forum and the technology to make it easy for customers to contribute ideas and easy for us to publish their thoughts. So, this will become a place that we can update your uses for each of our products in a simple easy to read format.
The idea is to create a tabular chart that will show the products Primary purpose and secondary cross-functional uses that our customers have discovered that works for them. The charts will look something like the tabular below. We also hope to capture real customer inputs and list them as quotes.
Solar Rx Moisturizer with SPF
Primary Purpose: The main use of Solar Rx Moisturizer with Sun Protection to to protect the skin from damaging UVA and UVB radiation from the sun while providing a daytime moisturizer. Solar Rx uses uncoated zinc oxide to provide broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection. UVA are the aging rays while UVB are the burning rays.
I have had a few people ask me for traveler product sizes for some of the daily regime type products. We are working on bringing back some of our travel sizes and we are having difficulty sourcing some of the containers for our soaps. Hopefully this will resolve itself in the near future.
Eye Butter Eye Cream
Bob Root, Keys formulator and founder has the distinction of having a lifetime American Airline Black Platinum card with 3 million miles emblazoned on it. Traveling with him is a real education. I shared that I have heard that people want to have smaller versions of our products and also find that the sachets do not work for them. He affirmed that we have tested all the lotions in our 15ml airless and that we are still looking for a 50ml mini-foamer that will work with our essential oil based soaps. He did offer a trick or two for our travelers that he does when he travels.
So, here is what Bob does for lotions and butters. He carries a single airless tube of Keys Eye Butter and does the following:
Use Eye Butter directly on the eyes and lips
Dilute Eye Butter by applying a small drop to wet hands and wet face as a moisturizer
Mix Eye Butter with water in the palm of the hand to make a lotion consistency to use as a dry skin lotion
Put a pea size drop into wet hair as a conditioner. (note, Bob has short hair)
Bob also reinforced that he does carry the sachets and some of those square “owl” paper clips to reseal them after they are open. He noted that once open, you can fold over the top and those squareish paper clips made of plastic or metal do a good job in a small ziplock.
So, I tried the above and it works great. I still carry my Solar Rx, but I was able to get through my days with a lot less product.
Still, we are working on the travel sizes, but this is a good interim solution.
Finally, a natural shampoo that will clean and shine as well as conventional and salon brands, but without the junk.
Seven years in development, Silkin is the answer. We originally designed it for those with thick, long and big hair. The great news is that is is even better for people with short, silky, straight and thin hair. Men especially noted that they love the quick lather and ended up using it as a shave soap as well. Color and perm safe, it is truly a revolution in hair care.
Do not take our word for it. Click Here to order a $0.49 sachet good for a couple of washings or next time you order, you will get a sample of Silkin free automatically.
Silkin is an extension of our KPRO line. 6 months of testing has received many accalades from hair stylists, designers and everyday users looking for a natural alternative to conventional shampoos.
Silkin contains the same OptiFX particles that are in KPRO tinted products. Silkin opens the hair cuticle to clean and the OtiFX particles cling to the cuticle to offer a color enhancer, special shine and shimmer.
Silkin comes in a 16 ounce (472ml) pump bottle and retails for $24.95. It is a very concentrated shampoo that last much longer than expected. Click Here to buy Silkin
Silkin is 100% All-Natural Moisturizing Professional Shampoo for All Hair Types and Treated Hair. This KPRO Shampoo is designed to replace conventional shampoos and conditioners with professional results.
Wendy’s interview with Rhonda-youthful looking, vibrant & active 45-year old. Fan of KEYS RediCare Healing Therapy Spray.
by Wendy Steele, Keys CEO
Last October, Rhonda started experiencing periodic trouble swallowing. There were sporadic times when she was gasping for air for no apparent reason. For several years she has lived at over 6,000 feet elevation and has been acclimated to high altitude living. While she did not have pain-she knew she did not feel normal.
Her first thought was to visit her chiropractor for a full alignment. After her chiropractic visits she realized the feeling in her neck had not improved. In February, Rhonda visited her regular doctor who theorized that she could be experiencing a side effect of her celiac condition or acid reflux. As a precaution, her doctor referred her to a thyroid specialist. Her thyroid doctor could physically feel lumps around her trachea. Ultra-sound revealed lots of little nodules and 3 substantially larger nodules.
Rhonda agreed to follow up with her thyroid doctor for needle biopsies to determine if the 3 larger nodules were cancerous or benign. The needle biopsies were deemed “inconclusive”. However, she was advised that there was a possibility that they could be cancerous. Her doctor recommended surgery to remove both sides of the thyroid to be sure. Rhonda scheduled her surgery for a Monday and stayed overnight in the hospital for routine observation of her vital signs.
Post surgery, Rhonda learned that the pathology report indicated there was a small cancerous area that had been completely removed. Her doctor indicated that she would need to follow up, by taking a radiation iodine pill, but only after her TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels were deemed adequate to begin that treatment.
In the meantime, post surgery, Rhonda wanted to immediately concentrate on assuring the best possible healing of the incision on her neck. She decided to use KEYS RediCare Spray Healing Therapy because she could simply spray on the lotion and she did not need to touch it to rub it in. This was critically important, as the incision was very tender and sore to touch. While still in the hospital Rhonda decided to take a selfie of her same day surgery-neck incision. Thereafter, every Monday, Rhonda took selfies for the next eight weeks. She thought that the results were remarkable and was very pleased with the scar healing she experienced while using RediCare. She contacted KEYS to let us know how happy she was with her healing experience with RediCare.
Click on the video below to see the nine-weeks animation of Rhonda’s healing process while using RediCare Healing Therapy Spray.
Soft feet will last you for a lifetime preserving your nerve sensitivity, stability and balance as you go older. Calluses, on the other hand, will decrease you ability to feel as you walk, your inability to stand for longer periods and walk not balanced. Not too mention how those calluses scratch and tear up those ebed sheets.
Take off your shoes and socks. Look at your feet. Calluses? Probably gluten in your diet.
We have known for a long time that many common typical disorders have probable links to gluten. Dark circles under the eyes, gum and periodontal issues and, yes, calluses have been linked to all that bread, pasta and wheat based products some intake. In fact, Wendy, my wife and partner, had all three. Going on a Paleo diet (gluten-free) reversed all of these maladies for her and she lost twenty pounds in the first three weeks as a bonus. Wendy’s mom was a baker at home. The kids came home from school to fresh baked cakes, cookies and all sorts of gluten intensive goodies. Maybe not so good, her mom had foot callus problems all her life. Could it have been the gluten? Again, to repeat, Wendy’s dark circles, gum problems and her calluses started to disappear in two weeks and were gone in almost 30 days when she went gluten-free. Continue reading Foot Calluses? Go Gluten-Free!
Keys Customer Service forwarded an urgent email to me last week. It made reference to a note included on an order from a Keys customer named Kyle. The note on his order read as following:
“I LOVE THESE PRODUCTS! I have had Alopecia for 10 years and these products are growing my hair back! Whoever is reading this PLEASE, I urge you to relay this information to the company founders and owners and whoever oversees product development. I highly recommend that these products be marketed toward people like myself who have Alopecia of any kind. I have full body hair loss and the fantastic products at Keys Soap aren’t just growing little amounts of hair..It’s coming back over my entire body. The NAAF needs to be made aware of my results and shown by example how NATURAL skincare and lifestyle overall are the superb choice over pharmaceutical drugs. THANK YOU KEYS, God Bless! :)”
I am raising a red flag when it comes to our pets and the environment. In my book, Chemical-Free Skin Health® I pointed out that about 50 years ago just about everything we put on our skin or came in contact with was naturally derived. Now nearly 95% is synthetic. There are now tens of thousands of chemicals that are in use that have never been tested for safety. Worse, our pets are exposed in direct contact to hundreds of more chemicals for the shear reason that they typically where no shoes, clothing and dogs tend to lead with their noses. This reality is played out in the article from the Environmental Working Group showing industrial chemical toxins at alarming high rates compare to humans.
In 2007, I was a founding member of Pets for the Environment which was a spin-off of the EWG. It was just coming into vogue when the Melamine was discovered in food additives being made in China. The timing was good, but because of budget cuts and Congressional naivete, the project did not last. Now, we are trying to bring it back into public eye because of the results below and the continued exposure of our pets to toxic chemicals.
Did your mother every say to you, “Don’t make those faces, it may just freeze that way forever!” It’s true! This could be the greatest anti-aging advise of all time!
Our body language and facial expression do more than communicate our mood and intensity. The way we appear to others can be a lasting reminder on our face of our attitude toward things, our environment and people. Simply, if you frown all the time you might just end up with “Perma-Frown.” Those deep ruts in your forehead age your visual appearance. Perma-Frown makes you look older than you are by the very nature of the shadows those deep furrows create. Remember it is the shadows that our wrinkles create that makes them look older.
Laughter is an age old beauty secret because it raises our Oxytocin hormone levels which washes us with a feeling of wellbeing. This cuddle hormone is also created with a warm hug or even just being out with that someone special. The skin glows and a more youthful appearance accompanies the warm feeling. This can all be negated if our natural core state is negative. Could your cellphone be a contributing factor to your aging?
Today’s social society is way overloaded with smartphone interaction which maybe fun and warm, but generally does not release oxytocin. Worse, peering all day at your cellphone has two potentially negative results. The first is if you are reading bad news all day, aka CNN, that frown may probably become perma-frown. Secondly, if you are walking and reading and getting a little older, that squint could become perma-squint. Be careful watching too much CNN can also create the dreaded permanent aging look called perma-scowl.
There is no question that drinking lots of water, regulating hormones as we age and using natural skin care will be your best anti-aging secret for the skin. Those wrinkles, ruts and furrows are probably an indication of how happy you are or how much CNN you are exposed to.
So next time you are reading CNN, Fox News or one of the other negative press sources, take a quick selfie to check out how you are responding…Then try to laugh it off. Yoga has taught me to see a different way of life and create an internal smile. Being CNN-Free for the last ten years is priceless.
iWellness or iHealth – There is a difference. Can Apple change healthcare forever? Yes! Will they?
by Bob Root, Keys Founder and Technologist
The rumors are pretty strong that Apple will introduce Healthkit technology in it next IOS 8 operating system for iPhones and iPad’s..and maybe iWatch this October. It will enable software, apps and hardware creations that will monitor your health. …and hopefully affect your wellness.
RediCare is not just for small pets and people! It’s amazing for horses! I discovered this product for horses when I rescued an abused mustang. His name is Arrow. I had some of the RediCare at home for my dog Baldr/us and needed something to help Arrow with some wounds immediately and discovered right away what an amazing find for horses this really is!
As a part of the EWG annual sunscreen report they offer tips about sunscreens. Below is a unedited direct reprint of what they are saying in the 2014 sunscreen report. Keys Solar Rx was rated as excellent for safety and efficacy in this years report in the moisturizer with SPF category. Keys Solar Rx is an everyday sunscreen designed as a moisturizer with sun protection. It is not a go to beach or sports product because our moisturizer is water soluble for maximum hydration. It is cosmetically clear and can be used under makeup or by itself. Click Here to read the EWG report on Solar Rx
The 2014 EWG Sunscreen report was released and Keys Solar Rx was given a Excellent rating and was chosen as a Top Product in the moisturizer with sun protection category. Click Here to jump to the EWG listing for Solar Rx.
The EWG ranking system is based on safety with most of the top brands rating a 2 on a scale of 0 to 10 (o = safest) Keys Solar Rx was given a ranking of 1.
Solar Rx is cosmetically transparent and yet provides a UVA and UVB equivalent to conventional sunscreen rated at SPF 30+. Solar Rx is not a go to beach or sport sunscreen because the lotion is a functional therapy water soluble medium designed to act as a moisturizer for everyday use.
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO, said, “Since the day we introduced Keys Solar Rx, it has received the highest ranking from the EWG and Consumer Reports magazine. Safety and efficacy are the important facets about these two rating systems. We applaud the EWG for their efforts and for the details as well as ease of use of the 2014 report.”
The predecessor to Tortuga lotion was born in my grandmothers kitchen 100 years ago. I grew up with this ancient remedy as a cure-all that saved me from cuts, bruises, dog bites, scrapes and even being jilted by a girlfriend or two.
My grandmother was an herbalist, naturopath and alchemist before Adele Davis was born. I remember her picking weeds (herbs) and making potions, concoctions, soups, salves and rubs. She was always experimenting with something that she would try on herself and us kids.
I am writing this article to explain the origin of Tortuga. Tortuga has always been one of our most popular products. Recently we have seen a real surge in interest. This has come mainly through social networks of people trying to find solutions to skin disorders that western medicine have not been able to solve. Many people have written to us telling of remarkable turn-arounds in their conditions. For me, the credit goes to my grandmother’s bubbling caldrons. I must pay homage to her for what she taught me.
One of our friends, Beatriz, suggested that we write something about our important ingredients and the actions. I actually had something we wrote for a reseller seminar series last year, so I dusted it off for this article.
It is a good idea with some caveats.
I think you know as a Keys follower that the quality and quantity of an ingredient is of the utmost importance to us. Making sure an ingredient is the best money can buy and using enough in a formulation to be effective is of equal importance. What you might not understand it that there are two equally important components. That is how ingredients interact in a formulation and how the formula is made or the process of combining the ingredients.
Over the years we have published a number of articles about antibacterial products containing Triclosan and parabens. We encourage you to search Clean Green Cafe to read some of these articles and the entire chapter in Bob Root’s book, Chemical-Free Skin Health. To recap, antibacterial can mean a bactericide like parabens and triclosan, or reducing bacteria levels without killing good bacteria with the bad. The National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project points out that we have ten times more bacteria on our skin than skin cells. Most good, these bacteria live symbiotically with our skin to protect us from bad bacteria like Staph and eColi. The contention has been and still remains that killing all bacteria on our skin leads to the formation of “super-bugs.” So using soaps like Keys Galleyon reduce bacterial levels because they contain spearmint, are Castile like soap and have slightly higher alkalinity that is
It was two years ago to the day that we rushed our Bichon, Jasper, to the vet in Palm Springs California. His eyes were so swollen and he was running a 106 degree fever. After literally 1500 miles driving back and forth over a two week period and a $3,000 vet bill, he came back to us on Christmas eve. He was so sick and the diagnosis of Blepharitis lead to major courses of Prednisone and a Doxycycline to quell the severe inflammation. It was a very nice Christmas present. We do not let these sorts of things go un-acted upon.
Jasper’s battle was the trigger to start the KODA dog line because our vet was all about solving the problem, but nothing about his wellness. Inquiring to pet insurance companies became the design architecture of our five internal supplements and five topical solutions.
Part of Jasper’s issues was and is a chronic eye drainage issue. He is well known in his travels for eye staining. The eleventh product that is yet to be released was the first product we wanted. It was not only an eye stain removal product, but a product that would also reduce the potential for eye infections. In the two years since, we have been trying to find a product that will work and we are very close to launching it. Perhaps even in Q1 2014.
For ten years we have been collecting testimonials in a virtual cardboard box. These testimonials were fundamentally buried inside of our customer service system under the FAQs. New technology has permitted to bring these testimonials out of behind doors and where they can be seen much easier.
All along, the problem has been that we receive many duplicates based on common skin disorder and how our products have provided solutions and relief. Now, we have figured out how to semi-automate the process.
Now, to the right you will see a rotating box with testimonials we have received in an area titled, “What People Are Saying.”
Also, if you look at the speed bar above, there is a tab for testimonials and a form to submit your own.
We encourage you to submit anything that our products did to help you so that we all may be able to help others.
For convenience, you can use the form below to submit entries right from within this article.
One of the major search and questions we receive is what products should be used for what purpose. For years we have had these suggestions on our customer service FAQs. The problem has been that this form of information exchange is hard to get to and in our fast pasted world, we all seem to find it easier to re-ask the question rather than searching for it.
To this end, we have reset and reconfigured our website to now offer subcategories based on popular questions like acne, eczema, psoriasis and other disorders. As we pointed out, we have also configured a predictive search function to make it easier to find products based on functionality in our online store. We have also increased the search functionality on our blog herein where you can search based on keywords and phrases. Adding to this is a bubble chart that we have simplified based on our printed literature. Herein is the beginning of a chart that will become a page on the speed bar above that will expand to show functionality of our products. Continue reading Keys Product Functionality Chart
We are constantly making improvements to our website and online store. Often the changes are important and also transparent. Other times, we make big changes that improve the ease of use.
Recently we added some subcategories that show our products based on function. For example, when you click on the category “Skin Therapies” there are subcategories for things like Eczema, Psoriasis etc. When we made this change, you responded with a request for more functionality in the search function.
We have now added a technology called “Predictive Search” that monitors and chronicles search activity. It learns habits as people ask question in the search box on our store.
In his book, Chemical-Free Skin Health, Bob Root covers many subjects designed to help people understand how to Stop, Challenge and Choose a healthier way of thinking by becoming chemical-free. In this video snapshot, Bob talks about the fact that the natural movement is not new, but a return to the not too distant past.
Bob asks us to Stop and read labels, then challenge them by reading ingredients and then to choose the best products for your own skin health.
Our skin is our largest organ and defends us from the elements. Chemicals, break down our defenses.
There are two videos below. The first video is a detailed description by Bob Root, Key Scientist and Formulator, talking about the new KPRO, Keys Professional, product line.
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This video is a quicker synopsis of the new KPRO line.
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Try out our 4 pack sachet of the main KPRO products. Click Here
Thanks for your patience. Mangrove Conditioner has not been available for quite a while because of unforeseen circumstances. It has taken all this time to reformulate Mangrove to be even richer and more emollient than before. Now it is back in a new size and with a new pump for easier use and application! Now at 8 ounces and in an easy to use pump bottle you are getting a little more than twice as much for the same price as before.
We realize that the new KPRO line is pretty revolutionary and trying is believing. We introduced the KPRO line at the Natural Products Expo East trade show. We created sachets of the moisturizers, correction cream and eye cream so that you can give them a try to see which is best for you. You can Click Here or on the picture to go to the Keys store to order.
Many people have contacted us to ask which product is best for them. That is a hard question based on all skin types. Since the KPRO line adapts to skin color, tone and texture, there is no need for colors and shades. The products are all difference with levels of intensity varying from one to the other. We created this trial, so you can find out what is best for you.
These sachets contain two or three applications of the KPRO Tinted Moisturizer, Tinted Moisturizer with Sunscreen, Tinted Eye Cream and Tinted Correction Cream. This is a great way to find which product works best for you. Shipping is included in the price. These sachets contain two or three applications of the KPRO Tinted Moisturizer, Tinted Moisturizer with Sunscreen, Tinted Eye Cream and Tinted Correction Cream. This is a great way to find which product works best for you. Shipping is additional, but nominal because of the light weight.
We are there! We have the first production run of our new KPRO product line. We want to give you some details of the new products prior to them now that they are available.
The planned release of the KPRO product line was October 1, 2013. Our team surprised me by finishing a few days early. I am so proud of this team. The surprises are always good!
Just as a refresher, Keys has introduced a new series of Hollywood inspired products named KPRO or Keys Professional line. Keys KPRO products use OptiFX™ Adaptive Color Technology to provide an illusionary appearance creating the hot trendy nude bare skin look in a 1-step chemical-free foundation.
Developed in concert with Hollywood makeup artists and filmmakers, this correction cream fills, hides fine lines and skin imperfections. The technology literally copies and clones skin color, tone and texture transmitting vital characteristics to neighboring skin. Like a virtual projector, 1 micron organic and plant-based structures transmit a smooth and vibrant skin finish.
Keys patentable technology works to reflect, refract and smooth skin tones adapting to light changes and environments automatically. This is a true anti-aging product because rarefied ingredients help condition, moisturize and reverse skin aging as well as providing the cosmetic effects. This is a revolutionary 1-step foundation with optical technology that transforms even lifeless skin to exciting dewy beauty.
One Step to Vibrant Beauty and Natural Skin Health
OptiFX™ Patentable Adaptive Color Technology combined with Natural Chemical-Free Skin Health™
Synopsis: Keys has introduced a new series of Hollywood inspired products named KPRO or Keys Professional line. Keys KPRO products use OptiFX™ Adaptive Color Technology to provide an illusionary appearance creating the hot trendy nude bare skin look in a 1-step chemical-free foundation.
Developed in concert with Hollywood makeup artists and filmmakers, this correction cream fills, hides fine lines and skin imperfections. The technology literally copies and clones skin color, tone and texture transmitting vital characteristics to neighboring skin. Like a virtual projector, 1 micron organic and plant-based structures transmit a smooth and vibrant skin finish.
Keys patentable technology works to reflect, refract and smooth skin tones adapting to light changes and environments automatically. This is a true anti-aging product because rarefied ingredients help condition, moisturize and reverse skin aging as well as providing the cosmetic effects. This is a revolutionary 1-step foundation with optical technology that transforms even lifeless skin to exciting dewy beauty.
Chemical-Free
No Mica
No Silica
No Minerals
No Talc
Introducing KPRO – Keys Professional Line
September 1, 2013 Santa Monica California: At a meeting today, Keys Care revealed a new technology for natural foundations and HD powders that incorporates OptiFX™ Adaptive Color Technology. This one-step foundation not only creates and illusion of smoother, softer and more even skin tones, it invisibly fills fine lines and creases for a younger more polished look. The six new products are also natural skin therapies reversing aging through their chemical-free formulation and super-hydrating properties. As these stand as amazing new technology features, the most important is probably how much time these products will save in daily regimens.
Bob Root, Keys Founder and Chief Scientist offered, “What if you could compress your morning regimen to get the “Natural Look” in 5 minutes of less? What if it exceeded the performance of Nordstrom Counter makeup brands? What if it is Chemical-Free?”
Keys has developed it’s new KPRO (Keys Professional) line to do just that. Born in earnest in front of the highest definition cameras in the world, KPRO competes with conventional makeup in the Hollywood makeup artist bag and it is all-natural and chemical-free.
The illusion, smoothing and age-reversing is far more than luck. It is patentable technology called OptiFX™ and it was developed at Keys.
Express Lane to Your Day
“I am a makeup artist in Hollywood and because of my profession, people think I have all day to get myself ready to venture out into the world. My day often begins at 4 am on a set that I will be on well past dark. My day is spent creating the natural look on actors in 45 minutes or less. The truth of the matter is that the majority of that time is spent laying down a natural looking foundation. I often use 10 to 15 different color foundations to simulate the natural color contours of the face. So, you can imagine my delight, shock and surprise when my friends at Keys sent me a top-secret product that cut my 45 minute foundation regime to 5 minutes.
I could not resist and woke one morning for a shoot and put this new miracle product on my face. I applied this non-mineral natural tinted correction cream to my face and was amazed to see what looked like a flawless foundation. I added check color, eyes and lips and I was done in less than five minutes. Really!”
The Rumors Are True
Keys is Getting in to Color – A Sneak Peek.
Bob Root, Keys Chief Scientist said, “For the last four years, I have experimented with getting into the business of color. Namely cosmetics. What has stopped me was a set of standards that I wanted to adhere to and my mantra of wanting to not be another me too company entering the cosmetics game because it is this hot market segment.
It was developed in concert with Red Camera Corporation and Arri for use in Ultra High Definition (UHD) film and TV. The technology that I am using has never been used for makeup. It adapts to skin texture and color.”
Expo East Product of the Year Nominee!
Keys OptiFX technology is under consideration as the best new product of the year at Natural Products Expo East trade show and will be featured in the New Product Showcase. We plan a late September launch for the new line that will include:
Tinted Moisturizer with sunscreen
Tinted Moisturizer
Tinted Correction Cream
Tinted Corrective Eye Cream
HD tinted powder
HD powder (untinted)
All will have the OptiFXadaptive technology. At the moment, we are not revealing the extent of the technology because of patents that we are filing.
There are numerous differences between this tinted foundation and conventional makeup. First, the base lotion is our Luminos Moisturizer which is chemical-free, vegan and gluten-free. The filler and color function were developed to offer silica-free, PEG-free, lead-free, mica-free and earth mineral-free.
OptiFX™ Adaptive Color Technology
OptiFX™ is a combination of crystalline structures that are both plantbased and optical physics technology. OptiFX™ was developed by us to create an extreme illusion on the skin that mirrors and broadcasts skin tones while also smoothing and diffusing the appearance of the skin. This simulates a soft even surface that adapts to every skin tone, color and condition. The particle clusters are ~1 micron in size and are made from jet-dried Blue Agave Aloe blend and a porcelain type material that act like micro-mirrors. These particles have a “0” rating from the EWG which symbolizes the safest of ingredients.
The biggest differences are the effects. Most makeup is based on a technology called additive color. Meaning the color is from the minerals, generally opaque and is the color of the existing elements. This is why most mineral and conventional makeup comes in shades that have to be selected to match skin tone. Our product is using a technology from the photographic world and is called subtractive color technology. The primary reason for using this technology is that the particles absorb and refract the skin tone from around it offering a single product that work for the majority of skin types and colors. Simplified, it absorbs color from around it and projects it out offering a more uniform look, smoother finish and a near perfect match to the persons skin tone.
I See Dead People!
Bob Root added, “Flat mineral makeup as a foundation has been all the rage primarily because it is purported to be “Natural.” There are many problems with the term natural, but my simple problem is that mineral makeups are flat, too uniform and make people look dead to me. A weekend at the Studio City (CA) Farmers Market and you will see the Hollywood elite looking bare faced and dewy. It is so much more attractive than a flat pancake look. The new bare face look, in itself, is a bit overboard in the “too-nude” direction and some young stars and entertainers can get away with it. Most of us cannot. I originally developed our AguaVit as a makeup setter to turn mineral makeup into the dewy look, but in my opinion, it was covering a bad thing in an attempt to correct the bad features of mineral makeup. The KPRO line uses the OptiFX™ technology to create a uniform, color-matched and even tone that also provides a very alive dewy look that let the real you out while also creating an illusion of softer smoother vibrant skin. A little sparkle that is subliminal attracts the eye saying ‘look at me’ without being gaudy or Le Cirquestque!”
What is also a big difference is the illusion OptiFX™ creates because of the particles. It is a well known photographic principle that a spheres and plated particles diffuse, refract and gather light. Simplified, for use in makeup, OptiFX™ based products create an illusion of softness, smoothing and natural color without looking flat, pancake or matte. Overstated, you get the natural look in one product unto which you can add eye, lip and cheek color. Done!
The technology was originally developed to “trick” high definition digital 4-5k cameras to make the skin of actors look more even, vibrant and more natural looking in the unforgiving world of high definition. It has the same effect on the human eye making the people that use it look more dewy, natural and with the illusion of radiant skin. Because it absorb and broadcast color from around each particle, almost everyone can wear it without looking like they have heavy makeup.
The products are currently being tested on television, on two films and in advertising photo shoots for fall fashion
Finally a Foundation for Men
Many cosmetic products are designed only for women. That is how they start and end with little to no consideration for men wanting a more stylish contemporary look. Designing for the camera means that a product has to work on all skin types and for both men and women. Bob Root added, “A woman’s skin cannot look or react differently to the camera than her male counterpart. A product designed for ultra high definition still and film must work equally for everyone and provide a foundation that the makeup artist can build on. Flat makeup must somehow be made vibrant which is way too much work and looks fake. The OptiFX™ technology affords a smooth workable foundation for the makeup artist. For the rest of us, especially men, the technology offers a one-pass quick daily moisturizer that makes the skin look vibrant and alive.”
OptiFX™ is a revolution for men, because it does not add flat pancake color or a dry look like mineral makeups. It recognizes the adjacent skin tone, texture and color and transmits it in a glowing smoothing effect that makes men look alive, attractive and natural. The robust look is one that shows the strength of men while offering a personal and sensitive look at the same time. Our male beta testers have all said that friends and especially women noticed a change, but could not explain why. Bob added, “It is virtually invisible to the conscious eye and the technology does interact with the unconscious eye the same way it does with UHD camera sensors. For men, the key words are vibrancy, sincerity and confidence.”
A famous male actor was noted as saying, “I am a well known Green advocate and yet my face is my life. Yes, I want natural, but not at the expense of how I look on camera or in front of the press. I have been a Keys Eye Butter fan for years now and have wanted more. I have used Eye Butter all over my face to get the look that I want and need. Masculine and alive! My makeup artist put Keys KPRO Correction Cream on me before an appearance and I was blown away. I said, this must be a man’s product and my makeup artist smilingly agreed…she always does.”
OptiFX™ Adaptive Color Technology will be exclusively in the new KPRO, Keys Professional, line being introduced at the Natural Products Expo East trade show in Baltimore Maryland on September 26, 2013.
There is an old adage from our years in high tech. Because products change so quickly, we often joked that “a product will be available in 6 months, but literature is available in volume today!” In our case, KPRO products are slated to be available by mid to late September and virtual literature is available now by clicking the icon. Kidding aside, the literature does a good job of showing visually what we will be offering.
Few canned products inflame as much passion and confusion as insect repellents. On the pro-chemical side are those who claim that plant-based sprays and other alternatives simply don’t work at all, and so leave users exposed to pathogen-hosting insects carrying anything from West Nile to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. But proponents of chemical-free repellents cite the possible toxicity of Deet to the human brain, and claim their all-natural alternatives work plenty well. (We’ll add that we’ve had a pair of sunglasses get lightly melted by errant Deet spray, which left us questioning whether we ought to be applying it to our skin on a regular basis.)
The truth, as often is the case, falls somewhere in the middle. So according to Dr. Mustapha Debboun, editor of ‘Prevention of Bug Bites, Stings and Disease,’ both types of products have their place. “The way to think about it is that chemicals are better for longer hours in the deep woods,” Debboun says, “while all-natural ingredients are fine for the backyard, beach, and other places where you won’t be out for extended periods.” So think Deet or picaridin for that jungle trek to Southeast Asia you’ve been planning, but something all-natural for day hikes and picnics closer to home.
Still, in a surprising twist (and what will be a humbling disappointment for chemical warfare proponents), it turns out that pound-for-pound, all natural options are actually the better performer. “Natural insect repellents generally repel a larger and wider range of crawling and flying insects [than chemicals] because of the diverse grouping of ingredients they contain,” says Bob Root, author of ‘Chemical Free Skin Health.’ Dr. Debboun concurs: “Lemon eucalyptus is just as good an ingredient as chemicals like Deet and picaridin.” Continue reading Keys RediCare – Featured in Men’s Journal Magazine
It is not a new concept that a dogs life can be extended by good nutrition. What may not be as clear is that the polluted environments can shorten their lives. That is why we created our KODA line for dogs. KODA helps to extend your dogs life by providing supplements that are functional and topical therapies to protect them from the environment!
I recently had a dear friend tell me that he would like it if I would write an article about what to use and when regarding Koda products. He politely said, I do not have time to understand the science, just tell me what I should use for my dog in simple terms in 500 words or less. I realized that I probably spend a lot of time writing articles that are so detailed that people are not sure what to buy. Maybe it is the scientist in me or a belief that people will not believe me if I don’t explain the details. I did recall during the discussion with my friend that a professor once said to me, “Bob, I ask you what time is it and you lecture me on the origin of time.” Maybe there was a hint in that remark.
So here goes for KODA for Dogs.
lifetrace ionic Minerals for Dogs
Must do’s
The two products that I recommend for your dog’s everyday health are Koda OmegaLife and Life Trace.
OmegaLife is a vegan fish oil replacement that provides the Omega 3.6 & 9’s using human quality vegetable oils without concern for Vitamin A toxicity from fish oil.
LifeTrace assures that your dog gets all the minerals they need through this water additive. If you filter your dog’s water, you are removing most of the minerals. They need to be added back in.
These are the two must haves that you should give your dog every day! Order them now!
Functional Supplements
ProCalm Vegan Clamative for Dogs
Use Proflexoil if your dog is older or if their breed are prone to joint issues. This is also helpful if you have a very active dog, like our Bichon Jasper, to keep tendons and knees from being harmed by running and fast turns. Proflexoil is a Cox-2 anti-inflammation inhibitor.
Use ProCalm if your dog is agitated or has higher anxiety levels. Great for car rides if those create angst. Added to the food, the Magnolia extract takes the edge off anxiety and agitation, but does not sedate. The dogs gets calm quickly, but not lethargic. In my line of work, I take Magnolia extract daily 😉
ProBiome helps with digestion using a lactobacillus sporogene probiotic. Add it to food to aid digestion. This probiotic is the best human grade available and the features benefits and advantage are explained in the article on this blog. Search ProBiome if you want to know more.
Topical Treatments
Use OmniShield to repell flying and crawling insect. It repels naturally using Neem, Karanja and essential oils.
OmniShield Insect Repellent for Dogs
OmniCare is like a natural Bactine for scrapes, hot spots, abrasions and itchy areas.
OmniClean is a soap/shampoo that offers essential oils to help with skin disorders that include itching and hotspots. This is a great product to bathe a dog that has allergies or chemical irritations.
SpotClean is very cool because you can clean your dogs paws between baths. You can rinse or not and even peanut butter comes off easily. Grime is gone in seconds
ProShine is a general dog shampoo and conditioner in one. The foam lathers fast and rinses even faster for a shiny clean coat that will increase the time between baths.
530 Words is the best I can do.
Bob
Click each product name link to go to its detail page
Each product has a detailed article as well on Clean Green Cafe. My best suggestion is to type KODA in the search box and read the articles that interest you.
Long time friend and adviser, Dr. Amy Myers recently interviewed Bob Root, Keys Technologist, about his book Chemical-Free Skin Health. Amy is a leading practitioner and medical doctor specializing in Functional Medicine in Austin Texas.
Keys has been a part of the Functional Medicine movement for many years. Whole functional ingredients makeup the Keys line and Amy asked Bob some interesting questions. Listen in by clicking the speaker Icon below.
The 2:30 am wake-up call was all my fault. I had booked a 3,000 mile trip from the East Coast to get back West and it was the first flight out at 6am Eastern! I knew that I had better get a good night’s rest before flight day. I concentrated most of my prep efforts the night before so that I would have the fewest amount of moving pieces on the morning of the flight. So the night before I packed the suitcase,laid out the clothes and shoes ready to slip into. Ticket and rental car keys were at the ready.
The morning of my flight- to insure I was on my way to the airport at 3:15 am, I really needed to be awake at 2:30am. After 2 wake up calls, I followed with are freshing shower, hot libation, and a phenomenally simple skin treatment.
At 4:30 am I breezed through the rental car return and airport security.I felt awake and had time to relax before boarding. After a fairly short first leg flight, it was just after 7:30 am Central time when I arrived at my connecting airport in Chicago. I deplaned and walked to my new departure gate B-5 with ticket in hand. I was just about to inquire with the gate agent when I was truly surprised by a 30-something woman who whisked up to me and said; “I am sorry, I just have to interrupt you to ask you—how do you get skin that looks like that?”
Koda OmegaLife is a product I developed as a vegan replacement for fish oil for dogs. The reason we developed OmegaLife was to provide Omega 3, 6 & 9’s without the vitamin A that i found in fish oil. Vitamin A can be toxic to humans and dogs if in too high a level.
I recently had a question escalated to me by our customer service team. It was, “Can I cook my dogs food using OmegaLife Oil?” The simple answer is, “Of Coarse!”
There are a number of our customers that feed their dogs using a “Raw” diet while others cook or partially cook the dogs food. If your recipe has you slow cooking or even stir-frying your dogs meat and vegetables, use Omegalife instead of oil. Estimate how many meals you are preparing times your dogs weight divided by 10 to determine how may squirts of oil you use. (For example, if you are cooking 1o meals and your dog weighs 10 pounds, it would be 10 squirts of OmegaLife in the food). If you are preparing the food as a “Raw” diet, it is okay to also squirt the OmegaLife into the food based on the above formula.
Remember in all cases, it is one squirt for each ten pounds times the estimated number of meals.
Just remember that you do not want to overheat the OmegaLife. Put the amount in a pan, turn on the heat and add the food.
Personally, I have been cooking for Jasper since the day he joined our family. The reason is that, “I know what is in his food when I make it.” The irony is that it is less expensive as well.
Any questions? Send me a comment and I will respond.
We have recently updated our product labels to a new look and providing some new information. One of our customers suggested that we post all the labels in one place so that people can compare the products and look at the ingredients of all product easily.
Below are all of our new labels for both the Keys and Koda Dog products. You can click on each thumbnail to enlarge them. Click the image again to get the full size image. You can then right-clicking them to “Save As” to your computer. Continue reading Keys Labels, Ingredients and Information
For many of our long term customers, you will remember that we created a pet product line many years ago. The line migrated to crossover products that are good for people and their pets. Our most popular in this line is and was RediCare. Our medicinal products grew in popularity over the years.
Our original move into the pet products business was based on an experience with our Bichon “Disney.” Now about 7 years ago, he returned from a groomer and began pulling out his fur until his skin was bleeding. We calmed him, got him to a vet and a cortisone shot later, he was on the road to recovery. We discovered that his reaction was due to an experimental whitening shampoo that the groomer was asked to try by a manufacturer. It turns out that the shampoo had a near lethal level of Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS). This was our inspiration to begin making Disney his own shampoo that we affectionately named “Muttineer.” Eventually, a modified version of the shampoo became know as MetaClean and the line became a cross-over product offering for us.
A little over two years ago, Disney passed away on Valentines Day. Breeder friends felt for our deep loss and offered us a Bichon pup from a future litter. We were in Canada near Jasper National Park when we received a call that we would be puppy parents again. Jasper was born into our crazy lifestyle July two years ago. Continue reading Announcing KODA – Keys for Dogs
The New FDA Sunscreen regulations are about to go into effect.
Last year I wrote and article in July of 2011 about what to expect from the new regulations. The article outlined all of the changes we as manufacturers had to make to make the regulatory changes seamless to consumers. You can read the article titled “New FDA Sunscreen Regulations.”
There are a number of new things to expect to see in place by June 12, 2012. Rather than bore you with details, here are some bullets of the major changes
SPF used to mean only UVB protection. Now manufacturers have to guarantee that protection is “Broad Spectrum” covering both UVA and UVB
All the outrageous SPF numbers (i.e. SPF 75, SPF 100+ etc.) are now illegal. The top rating is now SPF 50+
The use of the term sublock is no longer allowed. We can only use the term sunscreen
Cosmetic moisturizer like Solar Rx must comply with all of the regulation applying to sunscreens
Waterproof is a no no term. Now a sunscreen can be water resistent, but the manufaqctuer must prove it and list the minutes of water resistent protectin on the label front
There is now a very specific Drug Facts label that has to appear on the back of the product with very spefici language. Below is an image of our new label with the drug facts panel. The panel looks very similar to the panel we have used for the last five years, but is different.
The Not New Solar Rx – Improved
Solar Rx is not new in the sense that we have not changed the formulation or concentration of the ingredients. We have been in compliance with the new FDA regulations for the last two years. That said, we do have a new labels and a few process changes. Continue reading The Not New Solar Rx – Improved and Unchanged!
I have always developed Keys products as solutions which interact with each other to build natural glowing and healthy skin. When we created our regimes, they were simple and fairly obvious to understand what to use and when. It was either wash your face add a moisturizer and an eeye cream for night and replace the mositurizer with a mositurizing sunblock during the day.
When we began to add toners, elixirs and fusions the complication factor went higher. We recognizing that for people with dry skin they needed a more emollient foundation compared to someone with oily skin. Even though we have only a few broad function products compared to other companies, we needed to communicate the functionality of each of our products and how they would fit into a day and night regime for people.
Keys products have many uses and functions. When we develop a new product it is designed to solve problems and make people feel good. We use pharmaceutical grade natural ingredients in therapeutic proportions to create products with functionality. This functionality is broad and reaches across various parts of the body and often crosses over to pets. This series of articles in this category is designed to feature the uses of the products. This is how and why I design.
Omni – Skin Elixir
Below the description is a table showing many of the uses of Omni.
Omni is a technology term derived from the Latin word Omnis meaning “all.” When we began to develop AquaVit, it became clear that our Arianne ingredient had wonderful properties. Omni was originally being developed with an ingredient we named Miras. Miras is a special ingredient that comes from the fruit of the Forsythia plant and has very high levels of Oleanolic which is known to have many healing and cleansing properties for the skin without harming the skins probiotic EcoSystem.
To create Ariane, we blend & distill whole organic orange, lime, cranberry, cucumber, juniper berry, star anise, cassia cinnamon, anise seed, ginger and clove. Miras is created by blending the fruit, leaves and roots of the Forsythia plant to create a blend that is very high in Betulinic and Oleanolic . Betulinic is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid which has anti-retroviral and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a more recently discovered potential as an anticancer agent. Oleanolic or oleanic is a naturally occurring triterpenoid, widely distributed in food and medicinal plants, related to betulinic Continue reading Keys Cross – The Many Uses of Omni Spray Elixir
Natural Solutions for Beauty, Aging and Skin Problems
Keys Snapshot: What We Do
Keys designs, developed and manufactured whole natural skincare and skin therapies that solve problems and make people feel good. Born from Wendy Steele’s brush with Melanoma, Bob Root used first principle physics to develop functional natural medicines using ancient remedies merged with modern pure science and technology. The therapeutic proportions with world class grade ingredients created a line of products that work to solve problems and because they are natural, are simple, reassuring and make people feel good about the company and products.
The line consists of:
• Natural Skincare
• Natural Auyervedic Skin Therapies
• Alternative Natural Petroleum Jelly Replacements
• KPRO Hollywood Makeup Artist Inspired Foundation & Solutions
• PurPlay – Functional Personal Lubricants
• KODA – Topical and Functional Supplements for Dogs
Keys has some of the top products listed on the EWG Skin Deep database. For the last 10 years, Solar Rx has ranked as one of the top moisturizer sunscreens on the annual EWG Sunscreen Report.
Solar Rx was rated #1 by Consumer Reports Magazine for safety and efficacy.
The Keys products are handcrafted in Oregon by highly skilled artisans. All products are functional by design. They are aboriginal medicines by nature. University and research affiliations make the company as science-based as they are focused on the integral wellness of their followers.
Perhaps our most secret ingredient is our belief in our customers and what we have learned from them.
Keys Snapshot: Keys Story
What happens when a brainiac boyfriend discovers his smoking hot girlfriend has Melanoma. He fixes the problems! This begins the Keys Story, Keys Natural Skincare and the effort to naturally end skin disorders!
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO and Founder, fondly says that Keys is all her fault. The reality is that she survived deadly Melanoma but could not beat the chemicals in prescription and skincare products that left her skin a train-wreck. Wendy experienced just about every type of skin disorder imaginable and all we traced back to the Dirty Dozen chemicals in about 98% of the skin care and prescription products available OTC and from doctors.
Wendy’s boyfriend, Bob Root, a former Silicon Valley CEO/Engineer undertook the project to develop products to help Wendy. He gathered information from Harvard MD’s turned naturopaths to aboriginal healers. He realized that there was a pattern and scheme to skin health. It was to be Chemical-Free. Thus the Keys tagline of Chemical-Free Skin Health®.
Bob’s products worked and worked quickly for Wendy. Friends with similar disorders, their family members with something as simple as dry skin, through acne and skin cancer suffers found relief using Bob’s products that he gifted them. Creating the Keys line was not a decision, it was market demand that brought out the initial four products and stunned the burgeoning natural products industry. Why they all still had some chemicals and Bob’s did not!
Keys Snapshot: Keys Probiome® Products
Keys products solve skin problems and make people feel good. Skin care, skin therapies and anti-aging products come from whole natural ingredients known for their efficacy and safe performance. From the slightest itch or fine line to post-cancer skin disorders, each Keys product is a solution to a problem. Pure, clean, safe and effective, Keys facilitates skin health without chemicals. All of the products are Probiome® meaning they promote healthy skin by nurturing our skin’s natural microbiome. Our skin’s community.
Click To View
Performance:
Functionality is paramount at Keys. Coming from Silicon Valley to Bob, products have to do something. Great if they make people feel good, but in his mind, they have to solve problems. He fixed his girlfriend’s problems and the precursor for anything Keys makes is that it has to solve problems people are experiencing without using any chemicals.
So, in a snapshot, here is what you can expect from everything Keys makes:
All products solve problems and make people (and their pets) feel good
All products are free of human-made chemicals. Ergo Chemical-Free
All products use the highest quality whole natural ingredients
All products have the highest proportion of functional components with no scrimping or compromises
All products are priced reasonably well below chemical-laden pharmaceuticals because of the business systems Keys employs. They were the first 100% cloud-based company in the natural products industry.
All products are whole natural ingredients
All products are Vegan
All products are Gluten-Free
All products are Soy-Free
All products are Keto (carb-free, sugar-free_
All products are Paleo
All ingredients are non-GMO
All products use organic or wild-crafted ingredients
Bob in his top-selling book, Chemical-Free Skin Health®, points out that it was a lot of trial and error to develop those first four products for Wendy. My incentive was that Wendy was in trouble because of western medicine and I was determined to figure out how to solve her problems naturally. The other 45+ products in the Keys line were all inspired by skin disorders related to him by loyal customers that believe in him. He does not take that lightly!
You can read more of the story in detail below. Now Bob & Wendy are married and still developing products, giving speeches, writing books and listening to what customers have to say. Funny, Bob always refers to Wendy as his smoking hot girlfriend and her as her brainiac boyfriend. 20 years of solving problems and making people feel good together with chemical-free skin health products.
Read on for More of the History
Circa 1996 to Now!
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO. We are not just another natural products company. We feel and act as natural medicine and therapy products company that uses whole natural ingredients. I believe our Purpose and Direction statement says it all!”
“We believe that over 50% of all skin disorders in people and pets are misdiagnosed and are caused by chemicals in everyday products and the environment!
We offer you this backgrounder as insight into our reason for being, purpose, and direction.
Keys Care designs, develops and manufactures natural healing therapies for people and pets. The quality and quantity of our ingredients are what differentiate us. We use pharmaceutical grade whole ingredients in therapeutic proportions. We use ancient remedies, natural medicines, whole natural ingredients, aromatherapy and aboriginal homeopathy combined with modern technology to provide safe and effective products for people and pets with skin disorders, sensitive skin, post cancer recovery or those wanting to avoid chemicals in their lives. Our resellers are an extension of our core team and are experts and trusted advisors in their communities.
At our baseline, we believe that all of our products must solve problems and make people feel good. We also think that natural and organic are not features, they are the choice we make assuring purity of purpose.
How It Began
Wendy Steele and Bob Root are the founders and inventors of Keys Soap. They are both ex-corporate executives: Bob was a CEO of a Silicon Valley High Tech company and Wendy a VP at Coca-Cola.
The soap and skin care connection? Skin Cancer!
Wendy Steele, Keys Founder, was diagnosed with Melanoma and beat the deadly disease. She could not overcome the terrible reactions she had from prescription and expensive skincare products. Told she had eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea and dermatitis her condition deteriorated. Doctors kept prescribing more junk, steroids, and cortisones.
Wendy was struck with Skin Cancer multiple times. She has beaten Melanoma and other forms of the devastating skin disease. As an advocate of Skin Cancer prevention, and an Inner Circle Member of the Skin Cancer Foundation, Wendy has tried virtually every form of skin sun protection. From exotic 100 SPF swimwear to SPF 30 clothing, and every form of sunblock, she is an expert on taking skin protective measures to avoid sun damage. From her personal experience, the more products she put on her body, the more sensitive her skin became. Her use of lotions, sunscreens and exotic clothing cost thousands of dollars annually. The problem was that no matter what products she used, she did not feel free from itchy irritated skin that was exacerbated by that sticky feeling from lotions and sunscreens.
Wendy recalls: “Bob and I talked for years about creating a rejuvenating soap for my ultra-sensitive skin. Like many products, Keys Soap was born out of necessity. When we lived in Southern California, I was diagnosed with Melanoma Skin Cancer. After successful surgery to remove my cancer, I was using so much sunscreen that it started to block my pores and irritate my skin. My skin was becoming more fragile even though I used the very best lotions money could buy. I tried natural liquid soap, but it was not quite right. So, we decided to develop our own organic Castile body soap. The initial cleansing results and skin relief I experienced using Island Rx finally set me free from experimenting with the myriad of products that had previously smothered my skin.”
Keys Factoids:
Safest Sunscreen in the World, EWG 2008, 2009, 2010 Sunscreen Report. www.safecosmetics.org
Most effective cosmetic sunscreen. Consumer Reports Magazine, July 2007
Oscar Red Carpet Best Picks 2010, Kerry Malouf
Maria Shriver 2009 California Women’s Conference Speakers Gift Bag Pick.
Luminos, LA Daily Candy Best Moisturizer
Natural medicines that heal skin disorders. Dr. Elaine Carter
Truly natural beauty products that feel and look great!, Vert Venice Beach CA
Natural is better and not a compromise. LA Daily Candy
Finally, a natural shampoo that feels and looks better than salon brands. E K, Actress
Moisturizers that work in harmony with mineral makeups. K B, Makeup Artist
There are two facets to skin health and wellness for pets and people. It is a combination of what you use and what you avoid.
Skin disorders rank at the top of the list for veterinarian and dermatologist visits. We believe that over 50% of all skin disorders are misdiagnosed and are caused by chemicals in everyday products…many with the claim of natural, organic or botanical.
Longevity and Wellness are connected. The life expectancy in the United States for pets and people has been consistently dropping. Why? We believe the body burden from the dirty dozen chemicals in skin care and household products may be causing disorders, outbreaks and even contributing to elevated cancer rates.
This is why we use the term Chemical-Free. It means free of human-made chemicals. We are committed to leading the way for other manufacturers to disclose product ingredients fully. Keys created the Therapy Facts panel to help people to make healthier choices for their family and pets.
Ancient Remedies – Modern Technology – Green Science
Today, modern medicine treats symptoms and not the cause. Their products, therefore, focus on the symptom and not the cause. Aboriginal, eastern, holistic, herbal, naturopathy and ancient medicines treat the whole being and look for the cause. In many cases, it is an imbalance that causes disease and disorders.
We search the world for ancient remedies. We use modern technology, green science, and pharmaceutical grade ingredients. We create products that work in harmony to:
• Solve skin problems
• Soothe skin allergies
• Heal minor cuts, abrasions, and burns
• Act as natural insect repellents
Our affiliations include:
• University of Maryland School of Medicine
• Los Alamos National Labs
• National Institutes of Health
• Ohio State University
• Environmental Working Group
• Compact signer for The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
The Keys Difference –What We Use:
• Whole Natural ingredients to bring skin health back in balance
• Understanding of the causes and effect of various skin disorders,
allergies and problems
• Simple ingredients in use for over 1000 years in other parts of the world
• Safe ingredients for pets and people
Pharmaceutical Grade & Quality for Efficacy-Results
• Pharmaceutical Grade Ingredients is a term that defines the level of quality in the industry. It also establishes the efficacy of an ingredient
• Therapeutic Proportions – Keys Therapy Facts panel state the level of the number of ingredients that we use in our products
Why it Matters:
There is a direct relationship to the quality and grade ingredients in products and the results you get. Many products promote Aloe Vera and Shea Butter as ingredients. Pharma Grade ingredients are rated the best in quality, with the highest level of critical actions and values associated with them. When you read a label, you should ask: what grade ingredients and in what proportion? For example, our Aloe has a polysaccharide level of 10. Many Aloe’s we tested were not even Aloe. Our Shea Butter tests to a fatty acid level of >2.5. Many processed Shea’s are less than 0.8. There is a difference in even the same named ingredient.
The Keys Difference – What We Avoid:
• Fragrance – they are known skin irritants for pets and people, and many contain chemicals found on the Dirty Dozen list that you should avoid!
• Chemicals that are in 85%+ of skincare and household products
• The ‘Dirty Thirty’ list of chemicals – see the complete list on the back inside panel of this brochure
You Get What You Pay For!
• We develop chemical-free healing therapies that have a high degree of efficacy
• We don’t cut corners or use less expensive ingredients or market various scents or fragrances
• We use pharmaceutical grade ingredients in therapeutic proportions, so our products cost more. Ironically, in most cases, they are one-third to half the price of prescription products
Attaining healthy youthful skin is a lifetime journey. In this quest, people use soaps, scrubs, gels, toners, moisturizers, lotions, creams, lighteners and the list goes on! They also bathe their pets in shampoos for their armotharapy instead of the pet’s well being. Most of these products use chemicals that sensitize, irritate and weaken the skin. For example, 95% of all liquid soaps and shampoos contain SLS (sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates) that increase skin permeability and opens the door for other chemicals and irritants to penetrate deep into the skin. Parabens, petrolatum, propylene glycol, Cocamide DEA/lauramide DEA and triethanolamines are common ingredients in all kinds of soaps, shampoos, creams, and lotions. When on the skin or absorbed into the body, they can create susceptibility to allergic skin reactions, skin disorders and even worse are linked to diseases!
If you or your pets has irritated or affected skin, odds are good that it is caused by the shampoo, body and face soap you use, anti-bacterial hand products, or residue from your laundry detergent. The skin is our single biggest organ, and skin health is vitally important. Most of the soaps people use on their skin is a degreasing detergent; in fact, most of the liquid products using the term “soap” are not soaps at all. They are chemical detergents containing SLS that strip away oils and actually damage the skin. That is why there is very little difference between most bath gels, dishwashing liquid, shampoos and engine degreasers.
The Keys philosophy is to simplify skin care by carefully and naturally cleansing, restoring and protecting the most sensitive skin. We consciously act on that philosophy to improve skin health. We choose not to use chemicals in our products, on purpose!
Keys Soap, Island Rx, Show Promise in Helping with Common Skin Disorders
Keys Soap first announced the introduction of its new line of all-natural, chemical-free therapeutic liquid bath and hand soaps on March 29, 2005. Keys liquid soaps are holistic, soothing, therapeutic soaps for people with sensitive, allergic or affected skin. They contain only pure ingredients with no human-made chemicals or fragrances. Our soaps do not contain skin irritants like SLS, parabens, propylene glycol or DEA.
Since the release of our soap products, we have received considerable feedback from skin disorder sufferers offering qualitative results from their use of Island Rx on diagnosed common skin disorders like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea. We have many testimonials that would indicate the effectiveness of Island Rx. “Although these are testimonials in uncontrolled environments we believe they are early signs of the therapeutic properties of Island Rx,” said Bob Root, Keys Soap inventor. “In this period of time, medical estheticians have told us of results with their patients where prior medical methods did not help their conditions. We now believe that our products, including Island Rx, are tools in the growing movement of alternative chemical-free skin health”, continued Root.
What Keys Customers Value
People and pets with dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and acneic conditions value the therapeutic results from using our clean products that contain no irritating or sensitizing chemicals. Our customers enthusiastically tell us in their testimonials how our products make a difference in treating skin disorders, and irritation for themselves, their children and their pets–when nothing else has worked.
After using our chemical-free therapeutic products, our customers tell us that the results they see and feel are remarkable and even life-changing! We call this creating chemical-free skin health, on purpose, with our products and customers.
Dermatologists use our Island Rx therapeutic soap and recommend it for sensitive skin for people with skin disorders that have not responded to other treatment. We even have customers who enthusiastically recommended our soaps to their dermatologists!
In 2009, we were told by movie and TV makeup artists that Keys products taught them that natural is no longer a compromise and that Island Rx Foaming Wash, Luminos, Solar Rx and Eye Butter have become a staple in their makeup routine calling them, “Clear Cosmetics!”
Medical estheticians use and recommend Island Rx for sensitive, irritated and acneic skin conditions to avoid any further irritation or sensitization of the skin. They love how it makes their skin feel and the results they see.
Master certified groomers use and recommend MetaClean (formerly Muttineer) for how the therapeutic pet shampoo stops animals’ itchy skin and for how it conditions the animals’ coat and skin.
Our customers are people who are interested in keeping their skin young looking and aging beautifully; people who are skin health conscious; and people who take serious sun precautions to avoid skin damage from solar radiation. Our customers also care about the skin health of their pets and want to avoid applying pesticides and chemicals on their pets’ sensitive or allergic skin.
Keys sees a link between common skin disorders and the many personal care products containing SLS
While developing Keys soaps, Bob Root authored an opinion whitepaper that raises the suspicion that some diagnosed common skin disorders are a reaction for some people to sodium laureth sulfate and other chemicals found in personal care and skin care products. This whitepaper can also be downloaded from the Keys Soap website at http://www.keys-soap.com/skindisorders.pdf In this whitepaper; Root points out that in many cases where people had been diagnosed with skin disorders by physicians, their disorders went away when people stopped using SLS products and started using Keys Soap. Included is the story of a woman diagnosed with psoriasis whose involuntary scratching at night led to bloodied bed sheets and a seven-month-old diagnosed with eczema who had scales from head to toe except where his disposable diapers covered. All went away in a matter of days after discontinuing SLS based laundry detergent and bath gels. Wendy Steele, the cause of the Keys Soap invention offered, “When Bob first developed Island Rx for me, most of the prescription gels and cleansers that I was told to use contained SLS. An article I read suggested that SLS may be a culprit and I stopped using everything with SLS in it. I was utterly amazed at how many things in my life contained SLS or one of its family of products. My shampoo, my bath gel, facial cleanser, all my laundry products and even my toothpaste all contained SLS. During this time, the doctor told me I had minor acne, minor eczema, minor psoriasis. I got tired of hearing the word minor—it was pretty major to me. I now believe that it was all SLS related.” Root added; “I am not sure if SLS itself is the cause of the irritation or the fact that it purportedly increases the permeability of the skin along with absorption by the skin of chemicals by a factor of 10 times that is the cause of the skin mimicking common skin disorders. What I know for sure is that our small sample of Island Rx users has seen a resulting change in a matter of a few days.”
The Technology behind Keys Islandceutical™ personal care products is a form of Quantum Science
Keys Islandceutical products merge holistics with herbal therapy and science to provide clean, chemical-free skin health, aromatherapy and a lift to the spirit. Our products are designed with ingredients to gently clean, restore and protect using advanced technologies that are safe and effective. Working with national labs and universities, we look for state of the art and “skip generation” technologies as a continuous learning and development model.
Essential Oils – We use the highest pharmaceutical grade ingredients that are known for their healing effect on the skin for burns, dry skin and skin afflictions.
Herbal Therapy Naturopathy – Our ingredients target skin problems at the cellular level. They are natural healing ingredients used by holistic dermatologists and estheticians.
Chemical-Free – Our ingredients are truly natural. Clean, chemical-free and 100% vegan, with no artificial color or fragrances, our products are all handcrafted to contribute to therapeutic skin health.
We have sought out aboriginal healers, dermatologists, estheticians and homeopathic practitioners to find out what they use to rejuvenate and protect the skin. Besides moisture, they prescribe natural oils and herbs to deep clean and open the pores to receive healing oxygen. Our experience with physicians educated at Scripps Institute and Johns Hopkins in our 10-year design quest has given us a broad-reaching knowledge of skin conditions and the required treatments. These guides helped us to find those ingredients that offer the greatest benefits to the skin.
Our processes are as unique as our ingredients. The adage that oil and water do not mix is no longer true because of the science developed by keys. Manufacturing techniques that include ultrasonics and infrasonics help blend the minimal number of ingredients to smooth lotions and soaps. The industry average for a skincare product is 38 ingredients/chemicals. At Keys, we average 8 whole ingredients that are simple and safe. This is why Keys natural products continue to rate the safest and most effective based on the www.safecosmetics.org Skin Deep report that ranks product safety.
Keys Islandceutical™ introduced new products at the Natural Products Expo East Show –
the new line adds a therapeutic lotion, healing serum and therapeutic chemical-free sunblock
Keys announces the release of three new products to the only skincare line that is both chemical-free and therapeutic to clean, restore and protect for real skin health.
Like the Keys soaps released in April 2005, our products contain only pure natural ingredients, no human-made chemicals or fragrances, and no Sodium Laureth Sulfate! The complete Keys line enables total skin care including cleaning the skin, restoring damaged or affected skin, and protecting the skin from solar radiation effects.
Keys Soap exhibited at the Natural Product Expo East trade show September 16-18, 2005 at the Washington DC Convention Center. An international audience of trend spotters, retailers, industry leaders, and media will gather at the Washington D.C. Convention Center to interact with more than 1,100 exhibitors of natural and organic finished products and ingredients this Sept. 15-18, 2005 at the 20th anniversary of Natural Products Expo East/Organic Products Expo-BioFach America. The tradeshow will pinpoint industry trends and offer unmatched opportunities to sample and learn about the finest natural and organic products from around the world. More than 20,000 industry members attended Natural Products Expo East in 2004.
Keys® Introduces Therapy Facts™ Product Labeling
Therapy FactsTM Panel added to product label fully discloses all ingredients and percentages of active ingredients and our New Keys Logo Affirms Medicinal Differentiation of Products
Here is the press release that changed how the industry looks at ingredients and disclosure. This marked the beginning of a trend and perhaps even a law regarding full-disclosure of ingredients for all skin care products.
Annapolis, MD: – March 29, 2007 – Keys Care CEO, Wendy Steele, revealed today at a press conference Keys new logo and Therapy FactsTM product labeling.
The new Keys logo is a stylized white cross on a circular red field that resembles an Internet icon. This new logo symbolizes the merging of high tech manufacturing and the medicinal properties. It also clearly differentiates Keys products from chemical-based fragranced products.
Keys also add a Therapy FactsTM Panel to every label that identifies the ingredients, their purpose and the percentages of active healing ingredients. The panel also indicates Keys use of pharmaceutical grade ingredients in therapeutic proportions versus the industry standard operating procedure of listing ingredients that are in minuscule levels only for label content.
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO, elaborated, “I developed my first pet care product Muttineer because of a severe life-threatening reaction my Bichon had after being shampooed at a groomer. Analyzing the shampoo, we found a sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) levels exceeding 30%; the National Institutes of Health comment that SLS levels greater than 18% can kill a small animal. As we developed more products, our customers asked for more disclosure of ingredients in plain English to make quick buying decisions. As we thought it through, it was obvious that people are used to the Nutrition Facts (USDA) label required on all food products. So, we adopted the format and modified it to make sense for end users of our products, retailers and other manufacturers.”
The Keys Therapy FactsTM panel is on all their new products labels and will eventually be on their entire line of personal and pet care products. The panel identifies critical decision points for buyers. Here is a list of the core sections of the panel.
• Standardized design and look
• Organic content of the product
• Affirmation of “100% Natural, Vegan and Biodegradable” contents
• Affirmation of Pharmaceutical Grade Ingredients in Therapeutic Proportions
• List of ingredients, their English name, the vitamins contained in the ingredient or their actions
• The actual percentages of active ingredients
• The Environmental Working Group ranking of the safety of the products
• A product purpose statement
• Instructions for use
• No Animal Testing affirmation
• Manufacturing country (USA)
• Contact information
Wendy Steele, Keys Founder, continued, “This Therapy FactsTM panel just speaks for itself. It is a response to numerous customer inquiries. We encourage other manufacturers to follow suit and fully disclose their ingredients and levels. We are discussing licensing of our Therapy FactsTM panel to other manufacturers and to those that we will be private labeling all natural chemical-free skin care products for them. Our purpose is full disclosure of all ingredients and an assurance from licensees that they will provide an honest description to their customers through this panel on their products. In turn, consumers and dealers will have a clear understanding of the purpose and actions of a product.”
Keys Soap Technology Background
Keys Soaps solve skin problems, stimulate the senses, and create positive emotions. Islandceutical™ is our term that assures people of these three criteria.
Bob Root, a former Silicon Valley CEO, and Wendy Steele, a former Coca-Cola executive, founded Keys Soap. Bob invented the soaps to help Wendy, the love of his life, a melanoma survivor. Her suffering and a desire to maintain her active, outdoor lifestyle drove him to give back her quality of life. Wendy said, “The Keys Soap story isn’t about starting a business or being an entrepreneur. It is about enjoying life with healthy skin. I am determined to live an active, healthy outdoor lifestyle after experiencing melanoma.”
“It was not my technology background that inspired the formulation of my soaps, it was my study as a chef that guided me,” said Bob. “Like creating a great culinary masterpiece, the ingredients have to work together, be of the highest quality and must be skillfully added in the proper order. More importantly, the meal must have a positive intention for the person savoring it. This is the way of Keys!”
Aromatherapy Benefits of Keys Soaps
All Keys Soaps are a form of aromatherapy. We have mapped the essential oils (EO) we use to provide a lift to the spirit and senses. Aromatherapy has proven to affect the mind and the moods of people. This is why we have chosen the spirit-lifting citrus blends combined with natural EO herbal extracts as a side purpose for our soaps. Keys handcrafts our products to lift the spirit as well as provide therapeutic benefits to the skin.
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