“I’m ready!,” she declared," as she entered the store.   “It’s not going to be easy, I know.  I love my routine. My shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap bar, shower gel.  They smell great, lather beautifully.  They got the job done.  Or so I thought.But I’ve been duped. I pay too much for stuff I don’t need. And I ‘ve learned that I am not doing my skin nor my hair any favors.I watched this TikTok video on the benefits of natural soaps.   Did you know the chemical additives in my commercial products, even though they…

…how much they love to chew the leaves and meaty fruit of the gnarly argan tree, native to Morocco.  Climbing the tree is child’s play, they’ll say, and sometimes as many as 8 or 9 goats will challenge the swaying limbs. They do not seem to care if they damage or destroy the tree, or eat the fruit before it has ripened.  After all, they are goats. Ask the goats about the succulent argan oil hidden in the inner kernels, and they’ll look down at the Berbers anxiously waiting below.  They will tell you that they can’t digest everything so they poop out the small nuts. …

Raw honey or fake honey? A good question. Raw is good. Fake is not. Chances are, even if you buy a honey that says honey, pure honey, looks like honey, tastes like honey and the price is right, it may not be real honey. It may be the fake version that is crowding 22% of the Canadian market. The price is one good indicator.  Real honey costs more. How can you tell the difference? Fake honey is uniform, thin and completely clear. The raw honey, the legitimate one, can vary in texture and colour. This is typical of a natural substance.  It can be light, thick,…

Remember the shampoo you found hiding in the back of the bathroom cupboard, a gift from a boyfriend you wanted to forget?  Well, times change and memories fade and it’s been over 3 years, so you decide to give it a try.  “Wow, smells great, feels good. Thank you, Bad Buddy, wherever you may be! “ But who is the winner here? A shampoo, unopened, can have a shelf life up to 4 years.  That’s a long time for a product to sit.  But with formaldehyde* releasing chemical this makes it possible. Chemicals like diazolidinyl urea, hydantoin, methenamine and…

The picture on the box shows a little girl, smiling.  Her skin is brown and her hair dark. This product is an over-the-counter conditioner. It is a partner for 'Just for Me Shampoo' which has made the 10 TOP Dangerous list from the BCPP report (Breast Cancer Prevention).It means that it contains the highest number of hazardous chemicals that are linked to cancer, hormone disruption, developmental or reproductive toxicity and respiratory effects. And we buy this for our children. This 'Just for Me Shampoo' is toxic. It is marketed by Strength of Nature, owned by…

  You have a small jar of Earth to Body Tooth Cleanser sitting in front of you.  You wonder why it is not in a tube?  With the small black spatula you remove a pea size portion of the paste, as instructed on the label. You insert it into your mouth, allowing it to swooch around and acclimatize. Then you grab your toothbrush and go to town.True. It is a little gritty. True. It is green. True. It makes the sink messy. But the taste is OK.  You are not finished. Now you reach for the for the Manuka Mouth Freshner which just may…

Allez-vous bien? Vos lèvres sont sèches et craquées. Votre nez est un rouge vif et un mauvais rhume de cerveau aggrave le problème. Une oreille est bloquée. L'autre en compétition. Votre tête est pleine de barbe à papa. Vous êtes fatigués. Vous priez pour que Kleenex soit en vente cette semaine. Vous avez été examiné pour une pneumonie et heureusement vous ne n’êtes pas affligés par celle -ci, mais les maux persistent toujours. Pendant des semaines, semble-t-il. Réconfortez-vous du fait que vous n'êtes pas seul.e! J'ai récemment fait une belle découverte, notamment pour le nez: Dans une…

Spoil MeOil meCream meClean me Skin Care WorldDo it naturallyPleaseMake it toxin freeA simple plea Skin is skin. We may differ in colour, tone and texture. But we all need the same thing. Healthy skin. And sometimes the skin care world is not doing its job. Skin care ads remind us constantly to hydrate and moisturize. The scene is ripe for competition. We are inundated with special creams, lotions, gels, salves, balms, sprays, cleansers with catchy phrases to capture our attention. Promises. Promises. There is a lot of trouble out there.  For our skin, our bodies, our…