Honestly, the idea for Radiance came about because I was making a custom blend for a young customer with chronic acne. After concocting the anti-acne formula, I touched some of the freshly blended oils and aloe vera gel to my face- I immediately wanted one for me. The lightness… the softness… I felt like my face was being kissed by an angel. So I started pulling oils off the shelves and played with different blends. A few days later, the recipe for Radiance was complete. I originally wanted to call it “SeraFemme”- a play on the ancient Hebrew word “Seraphim” which translates to “Angel”, but decided to forego the pun and stick with something more…English.
The ingredients were each chosen for their time-tested abilities to prevent blemishes, even skin tones, fight signs of aging, and maintain a radiant visage.
The two heavy hitters in this face cream are the aloe vera, and the traditional Ayurvedic blend of Ashwaganda & Bala herbs. Aloe vera is known as “Kumari” in Sanskrit, or “Young girl”. It earned this name because of its ability to keep the body young- both inside and out. (You can read more about the benefits of Aloe Vera here). Ashwaganda and bala too, are used to strengthen skin tissues, keeping them supple, firm, and soft. They both promote Kapha in Ayurveda, the element “Earth”, which gives our bodies’ strength and youthfulness. Ashwaganda is also known for its rich antioxidant count, while bala is used to keep cellular reproduction healthy.
Next we add Wheat Germ Oil, mostly for its innate spf value, which is estimated to be about 20 spf. It’s hard to not love the sun- all that vitamin D, all that warmth, all that growth it brings to the plants around us- but it’s no secret that the sun ages our skin, especially for those of us who spend hours outside going about our various activities (myself included). I wanted my daily moisturizer to have some sort of protection against the sun’s UV rays, and wheat germ- with all its lovely, protective qualities, plus vitamins A, B, and E- was a perfect addition.
Moving on, I wanted some oils to help prevent break-outs. Sure, aloe vera helps with that, but I wanted a little something more. While I’m well past those teen years, and my skin is generally clear, every so often a pimple pops up. Whether it’s the week before my period or some dairy accidently slipped into my diet, my skin is not completely immune to the occasional blemish. So, enter in Black Cumin Seed, Niaouli, and the Lavender Hydrosol. Black Cumin Seed oil is one of traditional medicine’s best kept secrets. While it is most often ingested in small amounts for its incredible medicinal benefits, it also has a history of being used topically to preserve beauty- by nobles and royals in Egypt, Ancient Greece, India, and the Middle East. The famous Queens Cleopatra and Nefertiti included. Black Cumin Seed contains vitamins C, E, A, Omega 3s, and antioxidants. It kills germs, and has been used to prevent or heal acne, burns, fungal infections, and rosacea for ages. By adding Black Cumin Seed, I was increasing Radiance’s immune support capacity, helping to prevent breakouts on my face, even my skin tone. However, Lavender and Niaouli are the big ones in terms of breakouts. Lavender soothes the skin and reduces inflammation, along with its innate antiseptic qualities. Niaouli is excellent disinfectant- killing germs and keeping the skin clean.
In Ayurveda, the skin is ruled by both Vata (the element of air) as a sensory organ, and by Pitta (the element of fire) as an organ that absorbs and “digests” things from the outside world. In fact, we absorb a great deal of things transdermally, one of the reasons organic and natural skin care is so important. Pitta is the primary ruler of the skin- Brajaka Pitta is the specific Pitta that rules it, and thus Pitta imbalances are often very clearly reflected in the skin. Acne, eczema, psoriasis, dry, itchy, red, inflamed skin- all these things are Pitta imbalances. So, with something so closely tied to the element of fire in the body, we of course needed something to balance out the heat. Something that would assist in maintaining an even skin tone, something that would reduce the redness of those ghosts of blemishes past- enter in Rose Hip Seed oil. Aloe vera and lavender are both soothing and balancing to Pitta, but the Rose Hip Seed oil adds its own unique Pitta-balancing attributes, evening out skin tone and healing inflammation in the skin tissues.
Then our last two ingredients, essential oils of Manuka and Palma Rosa. Both of them are used for their anti-aging properties. They balance out Vata- the element of air- which, in excess, ages our skin and bodies.
I kept the oil to aloe vera/ hydrosol ratio almost equal, using the smallest amount of emulsifying wax possible. I wanted the two to blend, but maintain the lightness of the mixture. The lesser amount of wax allows for the aloe and oils to be absorbed deeper and more fully into the skin tissues. It also means that there might be some separation between aloe and oil, but in my opinion, it’s worth it when the gain is greater bio-availability of the more important ingredients. The other necessity was some rosemary antioxidant extract- a natural preservative. While some of the ingredients, like Niaouli and the Lavender hydrosol, kill germs and help to prevent things from going bad, it wasn’t quite enough- there was just too much aloe vera in the mix. This means that Radiance face cream has something of a shelf life- and by “shelf life” I actually mean “bathroom counter life”. We make Radiance in low quantities, and largely to order. While it often lasts longer than 6 months, Vedic Botanicals only guarantees its goodness for that long. It’s got so many ingredients that boost the prana- the freshness, the liveliness- of your skin cells, but that also makes it perishable. When I was studying in India my Guru made the statement, “Nature is perishable. If you have something that isn’t perishable, it’s not natural.” So with that in mind, if you don’t plan to use Radiance every day, consider refrigerating it to extend its “bathroom counter lifespan”.
And of course enjoy this face cream! Live in radiance lovely <3.
Radiance Face Cream Ingredients: Aloe Vera Gel, Sesame oil, Herbs of Ashwaganda, Bala, emulsifying wax, Rose Hip Seed oil, Black Cumin Seed oil, Wheat Germ Seed Oil, Lavender Hydrosol, essential oils of Manuka, Niaouli, & Palma Rosa, Rosemary Antioxidant Extract.
All ingredients are USDA Certified Organic. *Consider refrigerating if you’re not using this product daily.
