He slots his keycard into the hotel room door. Immediately, upon opening, his throat seizes up. His eyes itch and burn. Tears swell. At check-in the night before, he had forgotten to leave a message with the hotel front desk to please inform housekeeping that he was allergic to the commonly used cleaning disinfectants. He does not blame the housekeeper. His first reaction is to open the window, allowing fresh air to infiltrate. He then buzzes Housekeeping, asking for the manager and requests that no commercial cleansers be used in his room. She promises all cleaning staff will be notified. He…

A scrub cleanses the body and exfoliates the dead cells. The result: smooth, healthier and softer skin. Brushes, mitts, loofahs, pumice stones, micro derma rollers or microneedling are other forms of exfoliation, but a good scrub can exfoliate and nourish the skin simultaneously. A customer confessed recently that he’d never used our scrub before, but tried it and “Wow!” he exclaimed, “What have I been missing all these years?” as he ran his hand over his smoothly shaved face.  There are salt scrubs, sugar scrubs, coffee scrubs, banana/sugar and honey scrubs milk, and more endless concoctions…

Wishing you all a Merry Holiday Season     Do I really NEED a mouthwash? Yes and no. Depending. Maybe. If you practice excellent oral care, you may not require mouthwash. But going to the dentist today is so costly we may stretch out the visits. We do need our dental checkups as most of us are not perfectionists in our dental caring. Sometimes a mouthwash can help.   Excellent oral care means a good toothpaste…please choose carefully. Most experts do recommend flossing and if done correctly it makes sense, as it rids of the excesses that we do not want lingering about. Reducing bad breath,…

Spike, Slick, Fringe, Wet, Pompadour. Choose the hairstyle and make it last. Mousse, Gel, Wax, Pomade, Clay or Spray. Cool. Stylish. For men and women. Using styling aids may cost you in the long run. Sadly, too many of ‘commercial’ hair style products are an almost guarantee of losing one’s hair and or causing other serious issues. This does not mean that you cannot style your hair, it just means you must choose your fix carefully. Let’s take a look at mousse Think of liquid plastic in a bottle. This polymer goes right through your scalp pores into your body. If your mousse has a shimmer or…

Squeeze the Colgate. Brush the teethCovergirl dark on eyes beneathRevlon the lips, a kiss so sweetApply Estee cream. It can’t be beatMaybelline the lash, a divine allureThis routine?  It is less than pure How much more can the skin endure?   You may have just drowned in siloxanes.   SILOXANE. “Is that the same as silicone?”, you ask?  Similar yes. If you have never heard of siloxane, now you have. Beware. Be glad that you are reading this. It may be in your fast or processed foods, packaging, toothpaste, deodorant, soaps, detergents and cosmetics. A siloxane is sometimes commonly called…

PFAS are forever. They may be in your shoes. You may be wearing them in your jacket or coat. Especially if water or stain resistance is desired. PFAS’s are in our food packaging, lubricants, carpeting, waxes, non-stick cookware. These polyfluoroalkyl substances make products water, stain and heat resistant.  Unfondly called ‘forever chemicals’, lasting for years. Decades. And they are found in our cosmetics too. PFAS accumulate. In animals, and humans. They are linked to cancer and birth defects, obesity, liver disease, thyroid disruption. They can also decrease our immunity. Hardly…

If you are young and wild and ill-informed and you see a U tube video on how to get high on mouthwash, you may just decide to indulge. Not the smartest of moves. But there you go. People err. Or, maybe you are hanging out at the park and one of the guys starts sharing a bottle of the original Listerine, via the cap that’s doubling as a shot glass. It’s cheap. Smells great and gets you high.   Swish and Spit is the proper way. Don’t drink your mouthwash.  It may be toxic. It can be deadly. If you are a USA citizen, there is an Overdose Mouthwash hotline, a 1-877 number that you can call if…

Chafing is challenging. When skin rubs against skin, or clothing, especially in summer when we have so little control over humidity and heat, the sweat ducks get blocked and those little red bumps, the unmanageable itching, the swelling, and the irritations surface. Ouch! Inner thighs, groin, under the breasts, fingers, toes, armpits, buttocks… sometimes in embarrassing areas that we prefer to not really talk about. That’s the chafe. Recently Tammy C. from Smithville, ON wrote “My husband works in chicken barns and it's very hot, as a result, he often gets heat rash on his inner thighs. I'm…