Very Close Vein Cream by Four Elements (Beauty for Moms)

I don’t consider myself a particularly vain (no pun intended!) person although I do want to look ‘nice’ or ‘presentable’.  I always watched my mom and her mom with an amusing amazement at how little they seemed to care about how they looked or what they wore.  The only time I ever saw my mom or grandma in a dress was to go to church and my grandma would even wear bright red lipstick!  It was quite a shock considering half the time she was in her usual baggy tees and pants and maybe even flip flops if the air was cool enough.  Another thing that always interested me were my grandma’s legs.  She had nice, shapely legs, but they were covered in purple veins almost like a road map.  I could have stared at them for hours.  I didn’t know they were called varicose veins and believe me, now that I know about them, I try to prevent them!

Varicose veins can happen for a variety of reasons.  Since heart issues are common on my mom’s side of the family, that could have very well factored in to my grandma’s purple leg lines.  Veins return blood from the rest of your body to your heart, so the blood can be recirculated. To return blood to your heart, the veins in your legs must work against gravity.  What can happen when you age and your veins begin lose elasticity, blood can pool in your veins, and your veins enlarge and become varicose. One thing about my grandma, besides her heart valve issue is that she NEVER sat down.  She would even eat standing up, attending to everyone around her.  Your blood doesn’t flow as well if you’re in the same position for long periods, so standing all the time could have been the culprit.  Also, and I found this interesting, but hormone replacement therapy can increase your risk of varicose veins as well…that includes birth control.  Being overweight and just aging in general can cause varicose veins as well, but considering my grandma was not overweight and was younger than my mom is now when she had them (and my mom does not have them), I think if my grandma had worn compression socks and actually sat down and put her feet up a little more, it may have helped her veins in her legs.

While I’m not a vain person, I’d also rather not be a ‘VEIN’ person and when I heard of Four Elements Very Close Vein Cream, I was all over it!  Four Elements have been on my radar for some time because of their handmade herbal teas and their products have been certified organic since 1990.  Plus they are located in a little town in WI called North Freedom, and isn’t that just an adorable sounding name?!?  Anyhoo, Four Elements also makes herbal body products and their Very Close Vein Cream was something I wanted to start using as a precaution.  Yes, I use compression socks leftover from my pregnancy, yes, I am not overweight, and yes, I go to my doctor to make sure I am not developing high blood pressure, but I never tried rubbing herbs and essential oils on my legs that help maintain healthy blood flow and vein health.  As you may know from my blog, I’m REALLY into herbs and oils and use them daily and even thought I could make my own vein cream.  However, the list of ingredients are not all things I have on hand and, to be honest, it’s cheaper to purchase the cream by Four Elements Herbals than keep a stock of gota kola and horse chestnut hull in stock!  I believe in the power of self care and besides the lovely smell of the cream and my normal regime of using lotion on a daily basis from dry skin, Very Close Vein Cream has worked out wonderfully for me.  No, I don’t have varicose veins yet, and with the help of Four Elements and a little luck, I will never have to worry about them!

Very Close Vein Cream by Four Elements (Beauty for Moms)

www.fourelementsherbals.com

List Price: $ 17.49 (2oz jar)