MAHARA ASHLIE, creator and formulator of Welstar products
With a background in alternative healing, visual arts, nursing as well as art therapy, Mahara combines her talents to bring wholeness to body and soul. Having suffered for years from severe environmental allergies and asthma, which at their peak required multiple hospitalizations, Mahara was determined to find a way to help her body heal itself. She tried many alternative treatment modalities and progressed to studying aromatherapy, herbology, nutrition, reiki, and chakra balancing, reflexology and massage therapy. Mahara fell in love with aromatherapy, herbology and nutrition. She began her own herbal consulting practice. Mahara also created her own skin care and herbal products for gifts, and soon family and friends were asking her to customize blends for them. Encouraged to sell her creations, Mahara became an entrepreneur and has been selling her line of healing formulas for 18 years. The positive experience she has had supporting others to heal themselves continues to inspire Mahara to create products that foster wellness. Mahara is licensed and trained as an Aesthetician, Massage Therapist and Doula (childbirth assistant). Her education also includes Herbology, Aromatherapy, Nutritional Consulting, Reflexology (Advanced), Reiki, Color and Light Therapy, Crystal Therapy, Graphic Arts, Art Therapy and Nurses Aide. It is from this background that she draws her knowledge of wellness therapies and has adopted her philosophy of “Treat it with Love” Mahara lives with her spouse, daughter, two dogs and two cats in East Orleans, MA. (on Cape Cod). Why use natural skin care products? Our skin is the largest eliminatory organ in the body. It is a two-way membrane. Toxins are eliminated through the skin via perspiration and absorbed through the skin into the bodys circulation system, through hair follicles and sebaceous glands. Every square inch of your skin has hundreds of open mouths, absorbing into the body most of what is put on it. This is both good and bad. Good, because it means our skin can be nourished from the outside with healthy ingredients. Bad, because many skin care manufacturers use harmful chemical ingredients that we would never take orally, but through our skin we are eating it. It is a medically recognized fact that our body absorbs significant amounts of what we put on our skin. The toxic ingredients many manufactures use in make-up and body care products have been linked to many health concerns including immune system diseases, neurological disorders, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, cardio-vascular diseases, cancer, hyper-sensitivity, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders and childhood health problems. With certified organic food rapidly becoming the nutrition of choice by the health conscious, why would we accept any less for our skin? We carefully review the labels of everything we eat, yet do not think twice about slathering on a lotion or shampooing our hair with a product containing chemicals such as: Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Parabens- Recent studies have implicated parabens as being associated with breast cancer and are known to be toxic or Diethanolamin (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA)- Which can form cancer causing nitrosamines, also very toxic when used over a long period of time. Environmental Working Group (EWG) found ingredients certified by the US government as “known or probable carcinogens” in one of every 120 cosmetic products on the market, including shampoos, lotions, make up foundations, and lip balm. What this adds up to, says the group, is that “one of every 13 women and one of every 23 men are exposed to ingredients that are known or probable human carcinogens every day through their use of personal care products.” Also of particular concern are the inclusion of phthalates-a group of industrial chemicals linked to birth defects that are used in many cosmetic products, from nail polish to deodorant. Phthalates are not listed as ingredients on product labels; they can only be detected through laboratory analysis. Two of the most toxic phthalates, DBP and DEHP, have been banned from cosmetics products sold in the European Union (EU) but remain unregulated in the US. The average persons morning routine puts him/her into contact with over 100 chemicals before breakfast, the cumulative effect of all of the chemicals in these products can add up over time, and no one truly knows what the results are. According to “National Geographic,” studies, various chemicals from our foods and environment that indicate man contributes 700,000 tons of pollutants into the air every day, ranging from everyday household cleaners to cosmetics and hair dyes “One new chemical enters industrial use every 20 minutes,” says Paula Baillie-Hamilton, MD, only to join many hundreds of thousands of synthetic chemicals already in use. “As a result, the average person living in the developed world is now contaminated with up to 500 industrial toxins, few of which have been properly tested for harmful effects.” The easiest way to improve your health and take a step to heal the planet is to change to products you use on your body. It does not take any will power, the way it does to stop drinking coffee or eating junk food. To find the healthiest personal care products for you and your family, Read and Scrutinize Ingredients! Utilize the internet to look up ingredients and learn about commonly used products that contain toxins. The EWG hosts an online database, Skin Deep www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. Here you can check the safety of many commonly used personal care products, from nail polish to shampoo and baby oil. If your specific product is not yet listed, you can enter the individual ingredients into the database. If the ingredient is not listed, it is not anything that has ever been tested to show concern. Other health articles by Mahara Ashlie 10 Things you CAN do to Increase your Skins Health & Beauty |
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508.240.1422 |
