In keeping with the times, we created a new area of Clean Green Cafe blog for quick informational bites. Infograms™ is focused on helping you understand our product applications. Infograms will offer tips and tricks as well as educational information. We will bring you industry news and our perspective on various important subjects. Clean Green Cafe will continue to have in-depth content while Infograms will be quick short bits of information. Often there will be crossover content where Infograms will link to a larger more profound article on the Clean Green Cafe Side.
An InfoGram is a bit like Twitter with a few exceptions.
Like Twitter the messages are short and to the point.
They are quick reads at mostly under one minute and never more than two minutes
Messages are straightforward.
No flowery words our comments that are up in the air.
You can choose to subscribe to Infograms separately from Clean Green Cafe for quick bites.
Infograms a frank and friendly…you know where we stand
Important to note is that the InfoGram blog is independent of Clean Green Cafe. That means that you need to subscribe to Infograms knowing that there will be more, but shorter content coming your way in the form of emails. We invite you to click on the links in emails to get to the main article, but please know that 100% of the content of the Infogram will be in the body of the email you receive. So, it is essential to subscribe so that you do not have to bookmark Inforgram to read the content.
Hope this makes sense, but, you need to subscribe to Infograms on the Infogram site at this link to get more frequent short information content
The most powerful ingredient in Keys products is Love!
Keys products were born at the intersection of love and positive intention! I believe every product should be made with love and include the power of positive intention.
One of the best parts of my job as Keys CEO is to retell my story. It is a story of how and why this journey of creating clean, simple all natural skin care products actually began.
First, Keys is entirely my fault! Our products would not exist today were it not for my journey battling early stage Melanoma Skin Cancer and the pharmaceutical aftermath of treating my sensitive skin issues during my post cancer recovery.
I still feel I am one of the luckiest women on the planet. A very special man in my life, my then boyfriend, found the early stage Melanoma on the outside of my left ankle. Being tall with really long legs, I had a tough time actually seeing this particular spot on my lower leg. In fact I had no clue what it looked like until he held a mirror up to my skin and pointed to the suspicious spot. The spot was not a mole. Instead it looked like a piece of hot wax had dripped on my skin. This thing was clear, almost translucent, slightly raised and the size of the tip of my little finger. Now is was on our radar and we both vowed to regularly and visually check it for any changes.
A Defining Moment
About a month later that the waxy spot turned bright red! Time for a biopsy. My doctor at Scripps Clinic in San Diego called with the biopsy results confirming Melanoma skin cancer. Cleared my calendar and reported for surgery two days later. Wow, so many thoughts flashed through my mind. Initially, it was an immediate reminder that my dad had successfully battled deadly Melanoma.
He Saved My Life!
The day after my Mohs micro-surgery, I made the most fateful decision of my life. I decided to marry this very special man because he saved my life! ?
Amazingly, from day one KEYS products exist because real people designed them with a positive intention for skin health. Designed and produced naturally with love for real people to use and maybe just fall in love with over and over again.
Finally, this is dedicated with love to our formulator and the people that make Keys products every day. Here’s to the genius that saved my life. Here’s to the genius that believed that natural products could be made with less than 10 ingredients and with love and a positive intention. And to Matt, Marty and the entire team that realized that their positive intention goes into every product they make with love and caring. Here’s to the belief that these products could make a difference for Cancer survivors, for people with sensitive skin, for people who know more and care to learn more – because they did and they do!
With daily appreciation and my deep admiration and love!
Yes, there is love in every Keys product. Unfortunately, the EWG, USDA and the FDA refuse to allow it on our labels.
Where art meets science!
Wendy
You can read our entire story by clicking the image below.
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.
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.
Below is a blurb from the Natural Products Association released this morning about the use of Glucosamine HCL as a pain reliever.
We have known for quite a while that our customers using our KODA Proflexoil for their dogs have noted a reduction in pain and symptoms for joint problems. Below are the results of a NIH study that confirms in trials that using this natural combination appears to be as effective as NSAID’s like Celebrex. We have been against Vet’s prescribing NSAID’s, but have not had the research trials to be able to offer factual results. Even though this study is for humans, the biological systems of dogs and humans are very similar because of their millennial symbiosis. We are happy to read this study as it confirms our own observations.
Chondroitin sulfate plus glucosamine works just as well to ease the symptoms of knee osteoarthritis as anti-inflammatory drugs, according to study results published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the Western world, and the knee is the joint that gets hit with it most frequently. Osteoarthritis is expected to become the fourth leading cause of disability by 2020, write the study’s authors.
Because the non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) often used for arthritis can themselves cause serious gastrointestinal and cardiovascular effects, scientists have been hunting for alternatives for years.
The recently completed trial, called the MOVES trial (Multicentre Osteoarthritis InterVEntion trial with Sysadoa) was conducted in Europe among a group of 606 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis and moderate to severe pain who were recruited from 42 centers in Spain, Germany, France and Poland. A multidisciplinary team of investigators including rheumatologists, orthopaedists and primary care physicians participated. In the double-blind, randomized, multicenter, parallel group trial, patients were given pharmaceutical grade chondroitin sulfate (1200 mg/day) and glucosamine hydrochloride (1500 mg/ day) or 200 mg of celecoxib (an anti-inflammatory drug) daily for six months.
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! :)”
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!
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.
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
Protobiotics and Probiome. How our skin is similar to our gut!
Our skin is more similar to our gut than most people care to admit when it comes to bacteria. Often when I start talking about bacteria in our intestines and the relationship to our skin, many people cover their ears and scream TMI TMI (which translates to Too Much Information). I do not do it to evoke visceral reactions, but to make a point.
I was recently talking to a group of people about a couple of different subjects about the skin. One was about the probiome on our skin and the other about the importance of mineral balanced hydration. This article is about our skin’s probiome ECO system and the article on hydration will come soon.
It seems like most of us understand how probiotics work to help digest food. Not many understand the relationship to our skin. In fact, the Microbiome Project at National Institutes of Health near Washington DC is changing the way we look at the skin every day. It is sort of like waking up every morning knowing that you are rewriting text books. Then in the afternoon all the doctors blast the findings, yet they really do not know, because it is all new.
A Probiome is a tech phrase for rebuilding and restructuring an ECO system. Our skin’s ECO system is comprised of about ten times more bacterial than skin cells. The disruption of this ECO system bring imbalance and can foster growth of attacking bacteria than can actually be deadly in some very rare cases. Continue reading Probiotics & Probiome – Feeding Your Skin!
I must admit that I have been CNN Free for nearly tens years. Really! I find myself working at looking at the world through positive lenses. I have found that watching things out of my control affects my overall health. This is not an “ignorance is bliss” approach to living as much as it is a focus on what I can effect, affect and control.
For some time now, I have been afflicted with the belief that much of our health is not about doctors, prescription or even prevention. As I have studied, for my own life, I have found that health and specifically skin health, are directly relates to changing behaviors and realizing that it is not just about what we put into or on our body, it is how we do it and exercising the critical systems of the body. Simply, just eating right and going to the gym are minor things and pale in comparison to focusing on our physical, mental and endocrine body balance.
My research may or may not be leading to a new book, but one thing for sure is that I believe that much of our skin health has been too focused on the negative aspects of just a few chemicals when how we live our skin health is far more important.
I have been working on a skin health regime that involves changing lifestyle and is almost devoid of talking about products in favor of changing behaviors. Mehmet Oz (aka Dr. Oz) inspired me to look at a holistic approach to skin health. Indeed I have began to write this “book” and will publish excerpts here as they become more real to me. My hope is to take a part of a well deserved holiday and, at least, write a definitive blog article that one could call a book draft outline.
As I have studied, I realized that we have all be overly influenced by blog articles, public lobbying by NGO’s (non governmental organizations) like FOE, NPA, EWG et al. Life should be about balance and I struggled to find a single source that I can reference that would offer a positive approach to skin conditions, skin disorders and skin health. I was chatting with a fellow researcher involved at the Human Microbiome Project. (https://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp/) and asked her if she knew of a resource. She laughed at me and said, “how about next door.” I have to admit that I had one of those V8 moments as I slapped my forehead. What she meant by next door is the National Libraryof Medicine sponsored by our tax paying support of the National Institutes of Health. The group is called MedlinePlus and is an online resource that is amazing.
I obviously believe in the Skin Deep database, the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, The Breast Cancer Fund and all the positive work that goes on. Said, these people take an approach of “don’t use this or that,” “these things will hurt you” and “don’t do this” without offering many reasons or solutions. MedlinePlus makes all of the information from all these “Bad News” agencies pale in comparison. The best analogy I have is that if information was water, all of the NGO resources add up to a thimble of water into an Olympic pool that is MedlinePlus.
So, here are just a few articles that focus just on the skin, nails and hair on the MedlinePlus database. My hope is that they will offer you positive solutions to help your skin and feed your positive spirit at the same time.
Update! Our friends at The Babble Out (www.thebabbleout.com) approached our customer service to look at an eczema article they wrote. It is quite good and worth reading. Here is the link to Everything About Eczema.
Note: When our customer service leader forwarded the article from Zoey at Babble Out to me, it caused me to read the article for value here, but it also reminded me that innovation is constant and articles like mine or from Babble Out are not dynamic unless we stay on top to make these article real-time. Next to impossible, we will try to be more diligent in staying current with new technologies.
Coming from the computer industry where you either innovate or die, our world has begun to adopt the rapid innovations cycle. Anything where people are helping people is both responsibility and serving.
For example, there is amazing work being done in Canada in Vernon at a spa where they expose eczema suffers to decreasing temperatures where the skin is blast-chilled. Results have been remarkable and worth Googling “Eczema Cryotherapy.”
Below is the link to the ‘Cosmetics’ link above to give you an idea of what you will find. What you will quickly notice is that there is a simple description and links to numerous articles on various subjects in detail. All said, don’t get too caught up in this because it all may lead to a new form of insanity disorder. 😉
Cosmetics
Also called: Makeup
Cosmetics are products you apply to your body to clean it, make it more attractive or change the way it looks. They include
Hair dyes
Makeup
Perfumes
Skin-care creams
Products such as dandruff shampoo, fluoride toothpaste and antiperspirant deodorant are both cosmetics and drugs. A good way to tell if you’re buying a cosmetic that is also a drug is to see if the first ingredient listed is an “active ingredient.” The active ingredient is the chemical that makes the product effective, and the manufacturer must have proof that it’s safe for its intended use. To find out all the ingredients in a cosmetic you use, check the container. Manufacturers are required to list them. Labels such as “natural” and “hypoallergenic” have no official meaning. Companies can use them to mean whatever they want.
Omni is a revolutionary product from every aspect. Omni is a technology term derived from the Latin word Omnis meaning “all.” When we began to develop AquaVit, it became clear that our Ariane 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. We then combined Ariane and Miras together for a combined effect that rivals any skin care, anti-aging or beauty product in the world. Of course, I am biased. Continue reading Keys Omni – New Revolutionary Skin Spray Elixir
You are what you apply – to your skin! What’s in your body lotion?
You’ve heard the old adage “you are what you eat.” Now I’d like to add another to that. “You are what you apply.” To your skin, that is! Substances that affect your overall health and wellbeing don’t simply work their way through your system by travelling the gut alone. An often-overlooked route – the transdermal (through the skin) route – allows substances ranging from the beneficial to the bad to enter your bloodstream and circulate throughout your body. So, if you are what you eat, and you are what you apply, the question is: what are you? Continue reading You are what you apply – to your skin!
We are about to introduce two new products that represent a significant advancement for us and the industry. AguaVit and Omni are two new products coming soon that employ a remarkable change for us in how we produce products that offer functionality, efficacy and performance.
Traditionally, companies blend ingredients to create a new product. These can be oils, essential oils, extracts and blends of ingredients that were separately processed. Often these ingredients are estered or separated and refined for a specific function. For example, Vitamin E can be refined from vegetables to look for and extract only a portion of the Vitamin E or the creation of a Tocopherol substance using refining processes. Then many ingredients with separated functionality are blended together to create some action. This is a lot of work and I continually question separating components of any natural substance to increase its intensity. Deriving an intense form of Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) from fruit like apples sounds natural, but it is not. The intense action of an AHA burns the skin to exfoliate rapidly with many consequences beyond red skin. So it true of many estered ingredients. Continue reading AguaVit & Omni – Two New Functional Ingredient Products From Keys
Chemical-Free Skin Health is the book written by Bob Root that is a compilation of all his experiences being on the road with Keys customers. The book answers the most commonly asked questions as well as proposing some radical ideas about skin health. Bob features information about the Human Microbiome Project and the National Institutes of health that is a spin-off of the human genome project.
Of all the points Bob makes in the book, the one that drives his continued passion is his deep concern that the chemical bactericides used as preservative in most skin care and household products are destroying the natural ecosystem on our skin. Parabens and Triclosan used as preservatives and antibacterial agents is an undiscriminating killer of the probiotics on our skin. This subject is so important to Bob that he has made it the focal point of his book tour which begins in March. Continue reading Bob Root Begins Book Tour! Asks! Are We Killing Our Skin’s Ecosystem?
If I asked you to describe your ideal physician – what would he or she “look” like? Would she be compassionate and empathic? Would she meet with you for a hour or maybe even two? Would she listen attentively to every detail of your health history knowing it’s interconnected like a web and everything is a clue into your present state of health? Would she be knowledgeable about nutrition, environmental toxins and stress reduction, and more importantly, spend time talking with you about these things? Would she be concerned with preventing disease and getting to the root cause of your illness instead of just treating the symptoms with a pill? Would it be a healing partnership rather than a hierarchal relationship? Continue reading The Future of Medicine is NOW!
In tech, we had a phrase that we used to differentiate really big projects. BHAG stands for a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. When I helped to start Keys, we had some big hairy goals. Universal Wellness was perhaps the biggest.
Remember, I am from high tech engineering, a practicing quantum physicist and a dreamer. Ergo a futurist who believes anything is possible. The adage that anything new is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration simply means to me that usually one person or a few have the spark of an idea and then it takes many more people working hard over a period of time until the rest of us get it. In all endeavors, we all are both leaders and followers at some point in time. The concept of Universal Wellness is not new, but it certainly is becoming a BHAG with many leaders and many followers of Natural and Functional Medicine.
Gathering Thyme is a new community herb shop and holistic health education center focused on providing Marin County and the Bay Area with exceptional natural healthcare products, education and support. “Keys is very excited to add Gathering Thyme to our reseller list because they are true trusted advisors in their community,” said Wendy Steele, Keys CEO.
In the retail shop you will find a wide selection of high-quality locally-sourced herbal products including the very best in bulk herbs, teas and spices; Western, Chinese, and Ayurvedic herbal formulas; practitioner-lines of dietary supplements; a terrific selection of organic face and body care products for women, men and children; a large selection of new and used natural healthcare books; bulk salts, clays, and body care products; and herb and health related supplies and gifts.
Keys was born from a need for natural skin care products the likes of which did not exist before we started. Our founder, Wendy Steele, survived Melanoma and her story of her road to recovery was littered with prescription products that almost worked. The trauma showed her the clear vision need for products that really worked to solve skin problems. Because they are natural, they also made her feel good with a new youthful appearance and the resulting contentment showed her the way in creating Keys In the simplest of messages, Keys is ancient remedies employing modern technologies for people with skin disorders, those that want to be chemical-free, people who want their family to have natural alternatives and for post cancer recovery survivors. We are:
Natural Beauty
Natural Skin Care
Natural Skin Therapies
Natural Hair Care
Natural Dog Care & Supplements
Keys Purpose and Direction
We are not just a natural products company with scents of lavender and claims of what ingredients we do not have in our products. We consider ourselves a natural medicine and therapy products company that happens to use natural ingredients. We use functional ingredients in therapeutic proportions to design and build skin care, beauty, skin therapies and dog care products that do what they say they will do. We never scrimp and we always back every product with a 100% satisfaction guaranty. I believe our Purpose and Direction statement says it all!” Wendy Steele, Keys CEO
Keys Care -is the innovation and thought leader in the natural and chemical-free skin health industry. Combining world class ingredients, herbs and botanicals in therapeutic proportions to solve skin problems and make people feel good. Keys brand of natural skin care, KPRO natural cosmetics and the KODA line of natural dog supplements and topical care products.
Keys designs, develops and manufactures natural healing therapies for people and pets. The quality and quantity of our ingredients are what differentiate us. As we say it, Pharmaceutical grade whole natural 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 advisers in their communities. At our baseline, we believe that all of our products must solve problems and make people feel good. We also believe that natural and organic are not features, they are the choice we make assuring purity of purpose.
We are not just about making great products we are also concerned with the exaggerated focus of western medicine on treating symptoms. Bob Root, Keys founder, designed every product we have made based on purpose. At the same time he believes that 50% of all diagnosed skin disorders are caused by chemicals in our everyday lives. He wrote a book titled, “Chemical-Free Skin Health®” to help people understand what is in most products and asking people to stop, challenge and choose healthy products that are safe for people and their families.
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 beat 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 cortisone’s.
Wendy Steele
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 sun block, 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 the 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 a natural liquid soap, but it was not quite right. So, we decided to develop our own organic Castile-like 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.
Most effective cosmetic sunscreen. Consumer Reports Magazine, July 2007
Oscars Best Picks
Oscar Red Carpet Best Picks 2010, Kerry Maluof
Maria Shriver 2009, 2010 & 2011 California Women’s Conference Speakers Gift Bag Pick.
Luminos, LA Daily Candy Best Moisturizer
Natural medicines that actually heal skin disorders. Dr. Elaine Carter
Truly natural beauty products that feel and look great!, Vert Venice Beach CA
Natural is actually 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
Keys honored as a “Champion Company” by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
KPRO on the red carpet at the Oscars, Golden Globe, SAGs……
KODA dog products honored for innovation for dog supplements using human grade functional natural ingredients
KODA OmniShield honored by Men’s Health magazine for efficacy repelling insects naturally
A.J. Nelson, the author of “Give America a Chance,” wrote to us in the comments requesting that we add a paragraph about the fact that we are made in America. He talks about patriotism in his book and we certainly feel patriotic about the USA and the fact that we are made in the USA. A.J. is right that just having a Made in the US icon hidden in plain sight on the product labels is not enough.
Thinking it through, it is much more than just being made here that is important. It is American ingenuity, design, creativity and innovation that we are most proud of in the creation of Keys brand. Bob is a scientist at heart and wakes everyday to his scientific news services where he applies experimental techniques to the production of our products. Just look at many of the articles and you will see innovations and uses of home grown American technologies. For example, the industry standard for homogenization of lotions are high speed blenders with tiny blades that whip air into the lotions to make them smoother. At Keys, we use techniques employing infrasonic sound to do the same thing. Why, because we have no preservatives and air is the enemy of natural products. Solar Rx, our moisturizer with sunscreen, uses a vapor deposition technique developed in Silicon Valley to make magnetic media to create our zinc oxide particles…
There is not one Keys product in the brand that is not touched somehow by American innovation. Our team in the factory lives ingenuity to make our products faster and better without losing quality. It is this form of ingenuity that has permitted us to not raise our prices once in ten years. The list goes on, but the central theme is beyond patriotism, it is also why our products have integrity and continuous improvement. Yes, we are patriots and even more important to us is the innovation we gain from American scientists and engineers.
Lastly, we are so impressed with American ingenuity that we have begun to partner with The Technology Center at the University of Wyoming School of Engineering to create a foundation called Back Country Medicine where we will issue grants and competitions to students and professors for innovative ingredients, designs and processes. Giving back to America and gaining in the process.
What We Believe
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. In fact, we believe that over 50% of all skin disorders are misdiagnosed and are actually caused by chemicals in everyday products…many with the claim of natural, organic or botanical. Longevity and Wellness is 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 man-made chemicals. We are committed to leading the way for other manufacturers to fully disclose product ingredients. 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 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 included:
• 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
• An understanding of the cause 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 defines the efficacy of an ingredient
• Therapeutic Proportions – Keys Therapy Facts panel state the level of the amount 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 tout Aloe Vera and Shea Butter as ingredients. Pharma Grade ingredients are rated the best in quality, with the highest level of key 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 skin care and household products
• The ‘Dirty Thirty’ list of chemicals
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 own 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 being 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 really 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, dish washing 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 man-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 a number of testimonials that would indicate the effectiveness of Island Rx. “Although these are offered as 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 really a reaction for some people to sodium laureth sulfate and other chemicals found in personal care and skin care products.
Root points out that in a number of 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 was covered from head to toe with scales…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 maybe 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, I was diagnosed with 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 have 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 continuing 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 hand crafted 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 old 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 theminimal number of ingredients to smooth and consistent lotions and soaps. The industry average for a skin care 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 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 skin care 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 man-made chemicals or fragrances, and absolutely 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 literally changed how the industry looks aqt ingredients and disclosure. This marked the beginning of a trend and perhaps even a law regarding full-disclosre 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.
Solar Rx Therapy Facts Panel
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 the purpose of 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, the levels and in a way that they could quickly make 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 key 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 ingredient, 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 products safety
• 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 a products purpose and actions.”
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 hand crafts our products to lift the spirit as well as provide therapeutic benefits to the skin.
KODA Products for Dogs
KODA is the dog therapy product line established by Keys. Products include chemical-free natural supplements and topical therapies for dogs. We use ancient remedies and modern technology to make natural products that makes dogs feel good and solve both internal and skin problems. We use pharmaceutical grade ingredients in therapeutic proportions to solve problems that account for the top 10 reasons for vet visits. KODA is a combination of wellness products and natural solutions.
Koda is Lakota Sioux for “Friend.” The word perfectly describe the intention for our products and their recipients. Today’s dogs are exposed to all sorts of environmental and chemical exposures that are and will shorten their lives. After an experience with our 14 month old pup, Jasper, that forced him to have to take strong antibiotics and Prednisone, we realized that the Veterinarians were ill equip to balance his prescriptions with a wellness program. Determined, we set out to find the finest ingredients the same way that we developed our custom regime for Jasper. You can read the entire KODA story Here
Keys Care, Keys Soap et al are wholly owned brands of Orion Leaning International, Inc., a Wyoming Corporation. Keys®, KODA®, Solar Rx®, Luminos®, Chemical-Free Skin Health®, The Technology of People® ,Therapy Facts, Islandceutical®, and Urban Shield® are US Patent and Trademark Office registered trademarks.
Clean Green Cafe is a blog news center of Orion Learning International, Inc. It is affiliated with both the Keys® an KODA® brands as their news reporting arm.
There are many acne treatments on the market promising a quick result. They work quickly and as quickly, the skin rebounds, for most with, with a vengeance.
We receive a lot of emails from people wondering what we have for treating acne. Ironically, Keys is in business because of acne treatment. More about that later.
The major quick fix for acne has been the same since the 1920’s. The chemical is called Benzyol Peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide is an compound in the organic peroxide family. It consists of two benzoyl groups joined by a peroxide group. Benzoyl peroxide is used as an acne treatment, for improving flour, for bleaching hair and teeth, for polymerising polyester and many other uses. Continue reading Acne Solutions…Cause and Effect!
Galleyon Mini Naturally Antibacterial Foaming Castile Soap, 50 ml (1.69 oz)
Galleyon Mini Foamer
Our customers have asked and asked for a smaller purse size version of Galleyon. The problem has been finding a foamer mechanism small enough and durable enough for the high levels of natural spearmint essential oil that we use as our major antibacterial agent.
Great for the pocket or purse during flu season, Galleyon was first developed for professionals that wanted an antibacterial soap, but without the harsh biocide chemicals. Doctors, nurses, chefs and many other professionals are required to wash their hands many times a day. The harsh chemicals in all antibacterial soaps left their hands cracked, chapped and irritated. Using Galleyon as a primary soap or as a second wash preserves the antibacterial action while adding oils to sooth the skin. We now believe that the Tricosan’s used in these antibacterial hand sanitizers and soaps may contribute to elevated cancer rates in people and pets. Equally, we have a concern that these agents when used also destroy the probiotics on the skin. Galleyon works by deep cleaning and removing bacteria versus destroying it. In our own tests, we have found that the bacteria count is substantially reduced with Galleyon while not harming the skin or destroying the skins probiotics flora.
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.
In keeping with the times, we created a new area of Clean Green Cafe blog for quick informational bites. Infograms™ is focused on helping you understand our product applications. Infograms will offer tips and tricks as well as educational information. We will bring you industry news and our perspective on various important subjects. Clean Green Cafe will continue to have in-depth content while Infograms will be quick short bits of information. Often there will be crossover content where Infograms will link to a larger more profound article on the Clean Green Cafe Side.
The day after my Mohs micro-surgery, I made the most fateful decision of my life. I decided to marry this very special man because he saved my life! ?
love and a positive intention. And to Matt, Marty and the entire team that realized that their positive intention goes into every product they make with love and caring. Here’s to the belief that these products could make a difference for Cancer survivors, for people with sensitive skin, for people who know more and care to learn more – because they did and they do!
Avocado oil – valued for its skin regenerative and moisturizing properties.
Cosmetics
(Food and Drug Administration)
(National Library of Medicine)
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!”
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.
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!
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