​Using all natural products on your skin is only the beginning of your journey to better health. In order to choose the proper product for your skin, it helps if you can read and understand the ingredients on your product labels. At Underground Naturals, our goal is to not only provide you with an entire line of great all natural skin care products but also to provide you with valuable knowledge that can empower you to choose better products for you, your family, and your friends.
 
Mango butter is listed on retail products as Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter. It is extracted from the fruit kernel of the mango tree. It is then refined through heat until it has the perfect consistency while maintaining the slightly sweet scent of the mango fruit. It is considered a semi-solid and melts on contact with your skin.
 

​Triterpenes in mango butter make it excellent for anti-aging creams. Triterpenes are a phytochemical present in the oleic acid. These molecules are also found in honey, garlic, and java apples. They contribute to mango butter being anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. This can help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
 
Once applied, mango butter will provide you with the soft, supple skin that you desire. Tropical in nature, mango butter is similar to shea and cocoa butter, but they differ as mango has a slightly different fatty acid content. This slight difference enhances the anti-oxidant properties of mango butter. It leads to a warm and creamy texture that disperses smoothly on skin providing a protective, emollient layer on your skin.
 
Now you know why we love and use mango butter in our Underground Naturals Body Butters and Face Cream, and we hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

​Mother’s Day is just around the corner. For those of you who are a little behind (aren’t most of us these days?!), Mother’s Day is May 14th.  Of course, at Underground Naturals we have you covered for amazing gift ideas, but the Mother’s Day gift is only part of the day. What every Mom truly wants is to be recognized for how much she sacrifices to show her family how much she loves them.
 
Now, don’t get us wrong. Mom’s love the time off that this beautiful day brings…
…time off from making dinner, doing laundry, separating quarreling kids, or just time off from doing everything that a Mom must do on a daily basis.
 
However, there is a misunderstanding that Moms are frustrated and unhappy about the work that it takes to get through every day. This is simply not true. Most Moms give all that they have every day because they love their families. They don’t think about all that they are doing. They just do it.
 
Dishes. Dinners. Scraped knees. Dirty diapers. Laundry. Vacuuming. The list goes on and on! …and those are just the things that happen around the house. That does not even include the list of demands placed on Moms who work a job outside of the home.
 
But the miracle of Moms is that they don’t do it begrudgingly!
 
Moms love (almost) every minute of their lives.
 
Moms love the busyness of being Mom.
 
Moms give without looking for anything in return…
 
…except…
 
Gratitude.
 
There is nothing in this world that says “I love you” to a Mom like gratitude.
 
Gratitude for Mom comes from a heart of understanding, and that is what makes it so powerful. Moms don’t mind giving until they fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day, and they will often do it without hearing a “thank you” at all during the day. So, when a heart-felt “thank you” is given, it easily melts a Mother’s heart.
 
So, this year when you give your Mom her Mother’s Day gift, take a moment to write her a Thank You letter. Thank her for the sleepless nights she spent by your side. Thank her for being the taxi service of your youth. Thank her for making your favorite dinners. Thank her for being patient with you when you didn’t deserve it. Thank her for giving you the last cookie (even when she really really wanted to eat it!).
 
Gratitude. It’s the gift she will never forget. 

​Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) are damaging chemicals that many of us use on a daily basis. SLS’s are cleaning agents called surfactants. Highly effective at removing grease from almost any surface, SLS’s are used to de-grease garage floors and car engines, and they are the main ingredient in dish liquid and laundry detergent.
 
Unfortunately SLS is also the main ingredient in most commercial shampoos, body washes, bath bars, and baby baths. This cheap foaming agent is so corrosive and damaging to human skin that it is used in labs to give lab animals eczema and other skin irritations so a cure can be studied and developed.
 
Because SLS’s corrode the skin so easily, it allows other toxins to enter your body by way of your body’s largest organ--your skin. Don’t forget; your skin already absorbs over 60% of what you put onto it. So, when SLS’s break down your protective barrier, other environmental toxins can easily enter your body.
 
A study at the University of Georgia Medical College, showed indications of SLS penetrating eyes, contributing to cataracts, while also linked to liver and brain damage.  It does not easily cleanse out of the human body because it cannot be metabolizes by the liver, so it collects in the body causing organ and tissue damage.
 
            “Scientific studies have proven that sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), found in most shampoos, damages protein formation in the eyes. After damage has been done, SLS even retards the healing process. Kenneth Gree, PhD, DSc of the Medical College of Georgia warns that eyes affected by SLS take longer to heal. SLS can lead to cataract formation and eventually blindness, not only from direct eye contact but through skin absorption over the long term. SLS has also been known to corrode the hair follicle and impede hair growth. It has been blamed for many cases of premature hair loss. I have noticed that many young to middle-aged Canadian males have almost no hair or are even bald. It takes hair longer to grow when it has been affected by SLS. SLS is found in car wash soap, engine degreaser, toothpaste, lotions and garage floor cleaners. Exposure to SLS can lead to burning sensation, coughing, wheezing, laryngitis, shortness of breath, headache, nausea and vomiting, according to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) of the U.S. government.”
 
      http://www.chemeurope.com/en/encyclopedia/Sodium_laureth_sulfate.html

​Olive oil has long been held as liquid gold. From internal to external benefits, olive oil is one of the healthiest vegetable oils on the planet. That is why it is so popular for use in all natural health and beauty care products.
 
There are three major antioxidants in olive oil. Vitamin E is responsible of the anti-aging benefits of olive oil. It protects against toxins that attack our bodies every day, prevents healthy cells from environmental damage, helps prevent eye disorders such as cataracts, and helps prevent neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s.
 
The second antioxidant in olive oil is phytosterols. This is a fancy word for saying that olive oil contains plant sterols that are related to cholesterol. There are over 200 different types of phytosterols, but the highest concentrations are found naturally in vegetable oils like olive oil. Phytosterols help the skin by stopping the slow-down of collagen production, and often has been shown to encourage new collagen production.
 
The third antioxidant is polyphenols. Polyphenols are from a group of antioxidant compounds known as catechins. Studies have shown that by using polyphenols your skin can better protect itself from ultraviolet radiation and it also enhances new skin cell growth.
 
Aside from powerful antioxidants, olive oil is a natural choice for skin care because it does not clog pores. Many commercial lotions contain ingredients that are closely related to plastic. These ingredients can clog pores and damage skin. Olive oil can be fully absorbed without blocking the skins ability to function properly.
 
Olive oil is also readily absorbed, deeply penetrating the skin. This means that your skin will begin to glow from well below the epidermis, giving you deep-down beauty that is rooted in nature.
Olive oil is great for moisturizer, eye makeup removal, nail and cuticle care, face masks, and more. For all natural beauty care, olive oil is a great beginning.

Other Resources: ​www.hairlossrevolution.com/olive-oil-for-hair-results

​Taking care of a baby is literally the toughest job that you will ever love. They come into this world so innocent and untouched by the world. That is why parents take so much care in protecting their little ones. Choosing toys, car seats, clothing, and diapers becomes top priority, and parents want the best for their little ones.
 
These choices are important and should be thoroughly researched, and choosing the right baby skin care should never be overlooked. On average, most people are exposed to around 168 chemicals a day, just by using commercial skin care products. Research has shown that these chemicals can be found throughout the human body and are often stored in human tissue.
 
As the largest organ on the human body, human skin is living and breathing. It absorbs over 60% of everything that is applied to it. That means that skin absorbs more than the human colon. So, when choosing skin care for your little one, know that what you put ON your little one is just as important as what you put IN your baby.
 
In other words, if you are going to take the time to seek out organic baby food to avoid unnecessary chemicals for your little one (which is absolutely the best way to go and HIGHLY encouraged by Underground Naturals!), then take the time to research skin care products for your little one because it matters just as much.
 
Underground Naturals uses simple olive oil to create our pure Baby Wash. We have also created a pure and simple baby lotion, diaper care balm, and more. We know how important it is to give little ones the best start possible. Never use anything on your little one that you cannot read or understand. Skin care should never be complicated. It should be pure. It should be simple. And we have you covered from the moment your little one enters this world.

​Women’s health is a big deal to those of us at Underground Naturals. Michelle Baxter began Baxter Naturals, LLC, as a way to bring healthier, all natural skin care products into her home and to her friends and family. After a long struggle with sensitive skin and a concern over women's health issues, Michelle discovered that many of the skin care products she was using contained ingredients that could be linked to many health struggles concerning women today. 
 
For years she has felt the glowing results of going all natural and has since begun to share her findings with the world. She started creating her own skin care products, and in 2015 her skin care company was born. Since then, she has dedicated her time to helping families understand the importance of using all natural health and beauty care products for every member of the family.
 
This year, on the weekend of April 15, Michelle will get to share her products with a much larger audience. She has been invited to the RENEW Expo in Virginia Beach! We cannot wait to see how this helps Underground Naturals grow, and we are excited about the experience of getting to share the amazing products with the Virginia Beach area.

​Renew Magazine is a celebration of women. Covering the issues of the day, encouraging women to make healthier choices, and articles about relevant topics, the Renew Expo is a way to bring Renew Magazine to life! We cannot wait to meet our new clients in the Virginia Beach area and learn about new businesses that we can bring back to our home base of customers in Gloucester Courthouse, VA.
 
We also want to hear from you. What kind of issues would you like Underground Naturals to discuss? What information would you like to know? What other products would you like to see in the Underground Line of All Natural Skin Care Products?
 
In the upcoming months, we will be covering health issues that women face and how choosing natural products can positively impact your health.
 
We look forward to hearing from you!

Beautifully, naturally, you.