What if companies joked around. Tossed about the good, the bad and the ugly. Messed with us. Had fun. As in a fictional ad from a purely fictional company called ‘The Cosmetics Con Company’ advertising a purely fictional product called the ‘Best Body Wash Ever.’  The advertisement  Best Body Wash EverThe Cosmetic Con Company Our Ingredients: Upfront and in your face Water (eau), glycerin, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium laureth sulfate, Cocamide MIPA. avena sativa (oat) kernel flour, sodium chloride, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, parfum, tetrasodium EDTA…

Triclosan. Maybe you squirt it on daily and don’t even know it.  I do not read the labels on the hand sanitizers I use to enter a store. I pump or squirt or pull and tear, rub on palms and proceed about business. Like everyone.  I have yet to see anyone pick up a container and search for the label ingredients. Most containers are big plastic jugs and are labeless anyway.  And who wants to pretentiously hold up a line to read a label?  But we should be wondering what we are squirting onto our skin. Masks are no longer mandated but most places still offer the…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…