The seasonal shift is in its full swing and spring has arrived! Many welcome longer days, warmer temperatures and life waking up from its deep winter sleep. Yet some, especially at the beginning of spring can feel physically and emotionally uncomfortable and their...
Did you know that Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) is a plant native to the Philippines? Ylang Ylang or "Ilang-Ilang" (pronounced as EE-lung EE-lung) in Tagalog, the Philippine national language, which means "flower of flowers." And though the plant has its origin in the...
We often hear from botanical skin care formulators that they decided to formulate because of their personal skin problems and because they couldn’t find products that worked. My story is a little different. My holistic skin care practice began many years ago working...
The season of cold weather, and windy days is upon us. These weather conditions can lead to dry skin and chapped lips. In this article you will find an easy aromatic recipe created by our director, Jade Shutes. Not only does it smell fabulous but it uses no animal...
If I had to choose only one essential oil to work with for skin care purposes, hands down Helichrysum italicum would be the one. In a way it’s interesting to hear myself say this because it took me many years as a formulator to feel ready to incorporate this essential...
Essential oils have been in my life as long as I can remember. When I was little, my mom would help to soothe our stomach aches with a drop of peppermint oil on a teaspoon of honey and she would rub our backs, chests and feet with camphor when we had colds. At that...
I feel very fortunate to say that I truly love my work as a holistic skin care therapist. I love it because I get to work so closely with people and because skin is a very fascinating and very telling organ. One never stops learning about the skin, its interaction...
Distillation is an act of magic. While we can explain the process – heat, evaporation, transpiration and condensation – in doing so we bring forth the essence of a plant. Molecules, previously held in and between the cells of its parts, reveal themselves to us in an...
I often come across discussions about skin care which bring up a lot of frustrated commentary and not much else. They usually lead to very little progress in understanding or broadening of horizons between the opposing parties and I find that in the end, a discussion...
Medium Chain Triglycerides: A Magic Bullet? Coconut products have skyrocketed to superfood fame practically overnight. Or, to be more specific: coconut oil consumption in the USA jumped by 34% between 2004 and 2014. These changes in consumer behavior were accompanied...
Coconut oil boasts a checkered past. Demonized along with tallow and lard since the 1950’s for high saturated fat content, it’s recently overcome the stigma, and, oddly enough, rocketed to superfood fame. With its unique chemical characteristics, coconut oil has made...
In the last few months, I’ve been getting many emails and messages from clients asking for advice on how to tackle skin problems related to mask wearing. This post is not a commentary on whether or not to wear a mask but rather it’s a look at how wearing a mask for a...