Yael Alkalay remembers her mother, who grew up in Argentina, using crushed berries to make lipstick. She also remembers when her boiling flowers.

"It would create an incredible scent that would linger for weeks," she says.

Those memories helped develop a love for what Alkalay calls natural living.

Alkalay, founder of Red Flower, an all-natural and organic beauty product line, does not believe it is necessary to try to put a stamp on items that are organic or from nature.

"(Organic) exceeds every expectation – emotional and sensory expectations," Alkalay says. "Only natural products can do that, because only nature can offer that wonderful experience."

Red Flower’s products use only natural ingredients to provide that.

Use Oil To Moisturize

Alkalay says ingredients such as jajabo oil, almond oil and avocado oil provide great nourishment for the skin. She warns that mineral oil clogs the skin, although it is found in many products.

"One of my favorites is avocado oil, because the molecules of the oil are smaller and it can absorb better into the skin," she says.

She adds that one of the best things a person can do to moisturize her skin is to use oil when stepping out of the shower or bath and then patting the skin dry.

She says it is important to "bring ceremony and ritual to taking care of yourself," adding that taking care of one’s skin is not just about being youthful but being healthy.

"How you love your skin is important because it increases the blood rate," says Alkalay. "It’s not about sustaining youth. It’s about sustaining health."

She said other natural ingredients that are used in Red Flower products include tree oil to increase blood flow, ginger to warm the skin and bamboo to increase metabolism.

Additionally, she says beauty products, such as scrubs, moisturizers and body washes should be applied in a circular motion -- toward the heart and then away.

"You can really feel the energy," she says. "And it changes the whole experience."

Use What Cleopatra Used

When seeking this experience, be sure to look for certain ingredients.

Organic Spa Magazine listed 10 natural ingredients that everyone should know about.

The ingredients, which help with moisturizing and anti-aging, include acerola fruit, apple stem cells, argan oil, black cumin seed oil, carrot seed oil, superberries and cherries, manuka honey, priobiotics, shea butter and alfalfa.

Ann Francke, president and co-founder of www.beautorium.com, says Cleopatra used black cumin seed oil.

"Rosehip seed oil and pomegranate seed oil both contain very high levels of natural antioxidants and essential fatty acids, just like natural and organic foods, so the ingredients are effective and perform many of the same functions as conventional products without any of the long-term questions," Francke says. "Things like black cumin seed oil and rosehip oil have also been used for thousands of years."

Francke understands that knowing what is best for one’s skin, the body’s largest organ, can be tough because of the many ingredients listed on bottles.

Beautorium is an online store that exclusively carries organic products. The products are selected are organized on criteria that include being certified natural, organic or vegetarian.

With Beautorium, Francke works to make that decision even easier for people, particularly women who use up to 12 personal care products every day, looking to go green with the beauty products that they use.

Some of the ingredients that beautorium avoids include parabens, polyethylene glycol and FD&C color pigments. This information is listed on the Organic Consumer Association’s Web site.

The Web site also includes a section called a guide to products that summarizes the relevant information for easy comparisons.

"We take the guess work out of going green," Francke says. "We’ve done the homework so you don’t have to."