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...
At this current juncture scientific knowledge of ECS signalling has far outstripped the development of ESC-based therapies. The eloquent Dr. Ethan Russo remarks: Despite its seeming ubiquity, and obvious importance as a homeostatic regulator of human physiology, the...
We are excited to share the first of a three part series on CBD oil and the Skin by our new resident research writer, Camille Charlier. Part I: Skin Deep - The Role of Endocannabinoid System in Cutaneous Homeostasis; Part II: The Skinny According to Science; and Part...
Let's talk aromatherapy and preservatives Preservatives and aromatherapy body care products seems to be one of the hot topics in the aromatherapy community these days and one that deserves a bit more exploration. Firstly, it may be beneficial to reflect upon the...
What is a salve? A salve is the combination of two basic ingredients: an oil and a wax. You can use any one vegetable oil, or combine 2 vegetables oils, or combine a vegetable oil with a nutrient-rich specialty oil (e.g. Rosehip seed oil), combine herbal oils or use...
One of the more common questions we have been asked over the past couple of years has been: Is Jojoba an oil or a wax? And when one of our editors for the Botanical Body Care Products course asked me "Why don't you include Jojoba in the wax palette?", I knew I...