Oily skin does not ask for much. Clay. Emu.Tamanu. Well, maybe, also our rosewater facial toner and our charcoal soap. In any case, you can rest assured that you will have less oily skin woes if you learn to balance.  Oily skin simply means your sebaceous glands are zealous in what they do. They just need a little down time.  While all skins love to be washed regularly and exfoliated, oily skins may need a little more attention. Exfoliate more than once a week. Apply the right nutritious moisturizer. Avoid Vaseline, or other form of petroleum jelly. Avoid silicones and alcohol-based products…

Is it the odor or the sweat that bugs you the most? If it is the odor, you want an anti-odour a.k.a. deodorant. If it is the sweat, ouch! Be forewarned. Wanting an anti-perspirant to BLOCK the sweat glands could get you into trouble.  Sweating is a good thing. It regulates your body temperature. Whether it is just hot outside or you are working out, sweating helps to cool you down. If your body is prevented from doing what comes naturally, like sweating, you could end up with skin rashes, feeling dizzy, faint, or worse. Your kidneys are not supposed to produce stones, but they may just do…

Ginkgo. Number one on Anthea’s SHOPPING  list. Followed by blueberries, oranges, eggs, dark chocolate, coconut, broccoli,  turmeric, pumpkin seeds… Anthea loads the car and just before backing out of the parking lot, remembers to double check her list."Damn…forgot the ginkgo.” She shakes her head. She has no time to go back. Arriving home ginkgoless, Anthea forces herself to smile at the irony. Ginkgo, for memory. At least she remembered her blueberries et al. ‘Help improve memory’ ads are directed to a boomer market. Prevagen for one, totes jellyfish as the saviour. I have no idea if the…

She uses sunscreen. She is a skier. Downhill. Snow glare, especially during spring skiing, demands skin protection. She slathers on the sunscreen. Today it is Clinique. Perhaps containing PABA, oxybenzone, and definitely octinoxate. She does not read the labels. She is a trusting consumer and an outdoor enthusiast. She has no idea of the danger she is doing to her skin. Or to her body. She may be disrupting her hormones, her reproductive organs, possibly causing infertility or a miscarriage. She is only 25. She has been using sunscreen as long as she can remember. Her lips need it too. Her…

Vetiver, the soothing essential oil. The oil of tranquility. Renowned for many of our skin woes. We chose to include it in our ESP shampoo/soap bar because of its virtues on both hair and skin. Vetiver a.k.a. Khus. It is Hindi, meaning glad.  Scrubbing head to toe with one soap bar is a happy clean. In the past, soap bars used to be the head- to-toe solution. People washed their hair and body with a real soap bar (please do not confuse the real thing with today’s detergent bars). But since the hair has additional needs, many people also conditioned and treated their hair with various oils and…

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…

  Baby bum sore and red.Daddy lifts him out of bed“When you wake up from your dream,I’ll soothe you with a diaper cream.To make you feel clean and calmDaddy trusts this diaper balm.” B H T he does not knowAnd B H A a baby’s foeParabens and LanolinToxins hidden deep within.Fragrance? Not considered greatThis diaper balm is not first rate   This dadddy was just unaware. No parent would purposely choose any product with questionable ingredients for their baby. We should be able to trust our baby products. The balm purchased was not a good choice, but he trusted that it was. For centuries healthy…

My truck was attacked by eggs. Granted, it was stalled at the exit to a traffic lane, in the centre of the Pointe Claire Plaza parking lot, red lights flashing, and most certainly demanding that cars make a detour. I had momentarily deserted the stranded vehicle to return to the Metro to borrow a phone.  I am not married to my cell so I had left it at home, alone. My van looks like a delivery truck, but who would ever think, in the middle of a parking lot, no stores close enough to be a delivery destination, that I had left it there on purpose? Why oh why would someone throw eggs at a…