Sunday, May 30, 2010

Carrots

Fragrance Free Carrot Soap

I recently made some soaps using fresh carrot puree. Now, I've always known that carrot is good for your eyes, and good for your skin, but until I started to research on the carrot, I didn't know how magical it really is!

Carrots are extremely rich in Vitamin A, which is essential for health eyes. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, and plays an important role in the development and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and mucous membranes. It also has antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage.

Carrots have many important vitamins and minerals, besides Vitamin A. They are rich in antioxidants Beta Carotene, Alpha Carotene, Phytochemicals and Glutathione, Calcium and Potassium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and E, which are also considered antioxidants, protecting as well as nourishing the skin. They contain a form of calcium easily absorbed by the body. Finally they also contain Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorous, and Sulphur.

Here's an interesting tidbit .... usually, raw veggies and fruits are much better than cooked. But did you know that cooked carrots are more nutritious that raw? This is because raw carrots have a tough outer cellular wall which makes it hard for the body to convert the beta carotene to Vitamin A. Cooking the carrots partially dissolves cellulose-thickened cell walls, freeing up nutrients by breaking down the cell membranes.

Here is an interesting and fun website about carrots and their goodness:

World Carrot Museum

Drink a glass of carrot juice everyday for healthy glowing skin!

I think I am going to have to experiment more with carrots in my soaps! Carrot seed oil is something I have not tried yet, but I am certainly going to look into it! If you google "carrot seed oil skin care" you'll find TONS of info! It looks like it would be wonderful to use in a facial mask. It even helps you get a golden even tan while helping to protect you from harmful UV rays of the sun!

Just magical, carrots are!

Carrot Cake Soap

1 comment:

PoetessWug said...

WOW! I learn something new every day!!!...Thanks for the heads up about cooking your carrots being better than eating them raw!

I'll be watching for your new carrot based soap line too! :-)