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Organic Powder Made For Exceptional Skincare

Organic Powders by Très Spa Unique & Exquisite

Of course we’re going to say that our Organic Dusting Powders are exceptional, but they really are exceptional in their category and here’s why.

Tres Spa Botanical Blend for Organic Dusting PowderLike any producer, the uniqueness is in the formulation and blend of the final product. At Très Spa we take great pride in carefully selecting each one of the ingredients. We don’t rush into a final product without taking the time to do the homework first. We carefully evaluate how each piece will shape the whole formula, how it will affect your skin care, and how it will impact the planet (we are an Eco-Friendly and Cruelty Free company).

You Need To Have Your Own Vision

Most people take a look at someone else who is doing “it”–whatever it is you want to achieve. We don’t for several reasons.

  1. Just because someone else is doing it doesn’t mean they have it right or have the best way.
  2. If we follow someone else then why the heck are we even bothering being in business?!
  3. We’ll just end up a carbon copy or a cheap imitation of someone else’s creation.
  4. At Très Spa we march to our own drummer. After all, you don’t pay us to be like everyone else, you pay us to be exceptional and unique and yes, different.

Change Your Perspective

When we approach a formulation, like our organic powders, we look at it from the desired result. Why and how would a person want to use a powder? Is organic powder important vs non-organic powder? Then we look at the long list of plants out there that we use to feed ourselves. You see, we think of skin care as a topical application of nourishment. You are feeding your skin just like you would feed your internal organs, your body. Naturally, you feed your external protective cover, your largest organ of all, your skin! Call it simple, but last time we checked the best nourishment was from food we grow not from a synthesized compound created in a lab or from things buried deep in the earth’s core. Don’t get me started on gold flecks in skin care! Seriously people!

Once we get a short list of possible options, we start to play and experiment with each one individually and then as a blended unit. You see, not every plant powder is the same. They all have unique strengths and behaviors just like all of us. When we blend them, we want to play to each one’s strength to create a formula that is exceptional as a whole. There is an abundance of possibilities! Even though we may finalize a formula for the moment, we may go back and modify it down the road. One should never be afraid to adjust along the journey.

Test and Retest and Then Test Some More

Tres Spa Product Testing LabWhen the final list of ingredients is finalized and the blend is perfected, it is time to apply environmental testing. This is where the rubber hits the road. You actually have to use it in real-life scenarios and gather feedback on various performance matrices and observable data. For some, we may set up lab tests like the Three Powder Experiment. For what we cannot do in the lab or with the assistance of our immediate circle of friends, we extend the invitation out to the Très Spa extended circle of friends, the Très Spa customers. They are, by far, the most exceptional group of people and they are the best testers ever. They are never afraid to give candid feedback and are generous with their personal thoughts. In fact, there are many occasions these experts have helped shape our products!

Exceptional People Make Exceptional Products

We can confidently state that Très Spa Organic Dusting Powders are magnificently exceptional, because Très Spa customers are truly magnificently exceptional and they helped shape them for you. Before we started selling the Organic Powder, we had lots of candid input from people just like you.

Often times, when we want to create a new item or design a new synergy blend, we like to get input from others. No one lives on an island of isolation so we reach out to our community. We usually send out a special request for volunteers in our subscriber community. They get free stuff and we get great feedback. We use blind surveys so it is unbiased and people can share candidly. It works great for everyone. They get their “hands in” on the design from ingredients to scent and even to the packaging!

We hope you enjoy using them as much as we enjoyed making them for you!

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What Is A Body Powder For?

Tres Spa what is a body powder forWhat are the uses for body powder or dusting powder

and is there a difference….

I’m always stunned when I hear this question, but if you are asking it, you are not alone. I had assumed everyone had learned about powder until I introduced the Très Spa Organic Dusting Powder product line. I was amazed at how many questions I received from people who never learned about the advantages of a good dusting powder. So I created this post is for you.

First, let me clarify, powder is powder no matter what you add to the title: Body Powder, Baby Powder, Dusting Powder, Skin Powder, Magic Powder, whatever you can think of. They all share one over-arching purpose and that is to create a silky barrier for the skin to wick away water and oil and to prevent rubbing irritation.

Now, having said that, all powders are not created equal. Each manufacturer chooses what they will use.  At Très Spa we choose organic botanical as our foundation for several reasons. You can read more about that later.

My first introduction to powder

When I was a baby, I had very fussy skin. Prone to rash and eczema, I even sported the signature red rosy cheeks!

At the time, doctors encouraged mothers to help keep baby’s bottom dry with a dusting of baby powder. The product that dominated the market was made with talc and, at the time, they did not realize the hazards (or potential ones) of using talc.

We know better than that now. There are more than one class of materials that can be used to make a body powder. But there were some significant benefits to using body powders. Namely keeping my skin dry and friction free.

Some things you never outgrow

Clearly powders can be used to keep baby’s bottom soft and dry, but it turns out that powders can also help grown-ups keep their nether regions cool and comfortable. Ask anyone who has ever worked a kitchen (especially men). They will tell you they had their own box of cornstarch and that little box saved their family jewels.

Use a body powder to keep you fresh and cool

OK, now I am going to get really real here  but you should know this: There are two regions on the adult body that require special consideration. All of us humans have areas that tend to heat up. Due to the fact that hair is also present, our sweat glands pair with sebaceous glands to release both water and oil.

Unfortunately, these areas of the body are less apt to be able to catch a breeze to help them cool off and dry out. They may need a little help. If you saw the experiment of three powders, look to the phase 2 and the images in step 4 and step 5. You can imagine how this would be on your skin. You can see why powder will help to keep you cool and comfortable and prevent friction.  It’s kind of like this…

Use as a deodorant

Depending on the season or how much you sweat, you can even consider using powder to protect those pits. It’s my preferred “go to” in the winter and I use it with my body stick in the summer (a one-two punch) on really hot days. Other factors play a role, too, such as how much or how often you shower, whether or not you shave, if you work out, if you shower daily, what you eat (curry fans and garlic fiends know what I mean. Hard to hide that love affair!), clean clothes, etc.

Use at the gym

If you lift weights, you know you do not want your skin to catch and pinch on the bar. You need a smooth slick surface or you run the risk of ripping your skin. Chalk is a type of powder. You could say it is powder in cake form. Typically, it is also talc powder, so if that concerns you, I suggest you pack your own body powder. An obvious choice would be Très Spa’s Gun Powder.

As a marathon runner with very sensitive skin, I was always prone to rubbing and chaffing from my feet to my inner thighs to under the bra line and the inner bicep. Body Powder is how I spelled relief both before and after a run. Even though I may have a rubbed rash after the 26.2 miles, once I showered and dusted off I could literally feel my skin sigh with relief.

For the best sleep of your life

If you have never had the chance to know what it feels like to sleep naked on silk sheets, then here is a treat for you and way more eco-friendly than silk (don’t do it). Get some astronomically large thread count organic sheets or, better yet, an organic cotton and bamboo blend. Take those lovely sheets and dust them with a organic botanical powder. Slip into the bed and into the most luxurious feeling of soft bliss.

For fresh healthy feet

There is nothing worse than stinky feet. Well, maybe stinky feet with athletes foot. Yuck! Use a powder to help keep your feet cool dry and comfortable! A good foot powder with tea tree and peppermint oil can also help keep your shoes and feet fresh all day long.

Some other unconventional uses

Powder off after a day at the beach. The powder will help separate the wet sand from your skin. So pack that powder when you head to the beach. And if you’re a surfer, you definitely could use powder! Head to toe!

Use it as a dry shampoo.

Remove oil stains on clothes.  Depending on the type of powder, it can help “pull” oil out of fabric. Simply dust the area with the body powder and let it work its magic. Brush away the powder and repeat if needed.

Powders can also create a safe barrier between you and crawly bugs. Did you know you could create a line of powder across your doorway or window sill and ants won’t cross it? Spiders don’t like powder and they get especially peeved if there is peppermint present.

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What Is The Best Body Powder To Use

Vegetable vs. Mineral, What’s The Best Body Powder To Use?

What is the Best Body Powder To Use, Tres Spa Organic PowderThe whole purpose of any powder is to cover the skin with a light silky coating. The goal is to create a protective layer and to wick water away from the surface.  This is how powders work no matter what their chemical structure is.  But they don’t all work exactly the same and some of them have some pretty big caution flags for personal care use.

Traditional Talc

This is a Talc MineTraditionally, powders were made with mined  minerals or clays. The most common mined mineral is Talc and you can find the use far and wide from industrial to pharmaceutical to cosmetic. Talc is  hydrated magnesium silicate, a very fine substance and rates only a 1 on the MOHS scale of hardness for minerals. That means it is so soft you can actually flake it with your finger nail. It can be found in veins  all over the globe and was formed hydrothermal alteration of magnesium-rich magmatic rocks. The mines are plentiful and it’s fairly cheap raw material. It also has a shelf life of eternity. All those factors make it very appealing for manufacturing. Unfortunately, it is usually found near asbestos veins as well but not always so not all talc contains trace amounts of asbestos.  And recently there have been a few lawsuits citing Talc as a leading cause of cervical cancer. There are also some studies that link pulmonary disease with talc which has caused many pediatricians to recommend against using it for children.

I checked the American Cancer Society to see where they stood on the matter and they had stated that there was no conclusive evidence linking Talc to causing cancer as long as there was no asbestos present in the talc. remember we talked about the fact that it is common to find the veins run close together. Here is a link to their article for you: Talcum Powder and Cancer

Clay: The Other Mineral

Next are other minerals we will just lump into one major category called Clay. There are a several different groups of clay based on the chemical combination of the minerals. All clay is hydrous aluminium silicates, made up of ultra fine mineral particles and some minor impurities. They can become plastic like when wet.

Fun fact on clay. Did you know that water had to be present in order for it to form? That makes clay rare in the solar system.

Clay is used in many products from creating ceramics to paint filler to rubber, plastics and hi gloss paper manufacturing. But the ultra fine grade is used in cosmetics. Just about every dry powder formulation and even in some wet ones like scrubs and face masks can be made using clay in part or as a whole. Still used today by aboriginal tribes, it can also work as  a sunscreen. For skin care, the most common clay is the purified white kaolin, with and ultra fine texture that feels like silk to the touch when it is dry.

You can read more about my experiment and the observable differences here: I personally haven’t seen anything against it other than the fact that any mineral may have impurities and it can be “plastic like” when mixed with water and it felt goopy sticky when I mixed it with oil. Again, clay is pretty bountiful and fairly cheap to come by which makes it an common filler used by some to keep manufacturing costs down.

Pure Natural Botanical

Pounding Roots Into Pulp For PowderMore recent in the skin care world and less common are powders made entirely from plant starches. Personally I think it’s pretty fantastic how starch is made. Plant sources for starch powder can be anything from tuberous plants to seeded ones. The most common plants are corn, wheat, and rice as a seed version. Less common would be coconut, beans and peas. Arrowroot, potato, and tapioca  are all examples of starchy tuber plants. You can read more about how the starches we use in Très Spa formulations are created: From lush green plant to delicate soft white powder

Plant starches are used in many products including pharmaceutical and paper making but most common are food based products. There are so many  varieties of plant starches to choose from and each one has a slightly different texture and behavior. With such a variety there is a seemingly endless array of combinations when you add in other powdered food ingredients like honey, maple syrup, vanilla, and coconut. Hmm that has me thinking of a future product…..  Plant starches are renewable and sustainable, they are digestible (your inside and your outside can deal with it), and they can qualify as certified organic. But they are way more expensive to formulate with and there is a variance in the texture and behavior based on the plant so that is probably why most manufacturers shy away from using pure botanical.

Hybrids, A Little Of This And That 

There are some formulators that combine two groups into a hybrid mash-up. For example one may use talc with corn starch or maybe kaolin with rice powder. I do not know why other than to cut cost by using a cheap filler with a higher priced plant ingredient.

So What’s It Gonna’ Be?

Given all the information, which powder is the right powder for you comes down to a personal choice. And in some cases, what you are willing to risk. Personally, I would only use talc as a bug deterrent (sprinkled on the floor or window sills, works great to keep ants out of the house). Clay seems okay for masks and scrubs but based on my observations, I’m not sure how good it would be as a body powder. Seems like you would have to have a plant starch with it. Then there are the possible impurities and the fact it could never be classed as organic. Which aren’t to intimidating if it all stays on the surface but it doesn’t just stay on the surface.If there is one thing the recent multi million dollar lawsuits should demonstrate it is that what goes on the body goes in eventually.

Personally I have other things in life to worry about, the last thing I want to worry about is my body powder. That is why I kept it simple when I created the Très Spa Organic Dusting Powder  I use only plant based ingredients so if what goes on the outside ever gets to the inside, I have nothing to worry about.

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