If the fashion promotes black teeth, ask the geishas. If pearly whites are the rage, and this is the case today, we just need to ask our dentist. Going back in history, black teeth have been fashionable. Called ohaguro, it was a custom popular in Asia, Japan, Vietnam. To blacken the teeth: “Mix a little acetate from iron fillings, soak in tea or apple tannin and vinegar, or sake.  Teeth blackening has had both a fashionable and a meaningful purpose.  It can look attractive against pale white skin (again, ask the geishas). Black jewels have always been considered…

Recently, upon reopening, a mom and daughter duo came into the shop.The young teen was combating acne and they were looking for more natural skin care.  “My daughter’s acne is really acting up. She is using a clay soap that I bought at a health food store. NO washes or gels because they seem to make it worse. Her shampoo is natural too, yet her acne is in a flare up. On her back too…maybe it is the winter weather? Do you have any suggestions?” I smiled at the young teen through my mask and said, “Yes, winter weather can aggravate many dry, itchy skin conditions. So can stress, Covid…

Toting a beer into the shower may not be on everyone’s agenda, but perhaps it should be.  Not to drink necessarily, but to cleanse and nourish the skin.  We love our Guinness soap, called Irish Stout Oatmeal Soap. Not only is it great as a body and face soap, but it also serves well as a shampoo for the hair.  Beer and especially Guinness, contains natural anti-oxidants*, making the hair softer and more voluminous.  When we make our beer soap, it is necessary to allow the beer to become flat before mixing.  Same idea, if you wish to rinse your hair with the pure…

Several years back I wrote an article on our favourite beer, Guinness, which is featured in our famed Irish Stout Oatmeal soap. As St Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, we thought a revisit was in order. Is Guinness Good For You? Look closely at a glass of Guinness beer.  It is not black, but a very dark shade of ruby. Precious like the gemstone.  Celebrate St Patrick’s Day (or the whole week) with a pint of Guinness and yes, you will feel good.  Proud drinkers of this fine brew attest to that.  So much so, that the slogan ‘Guinness is good for you’ was born.…

Is your skin crying dry?  Curling up? Sprouting itchy patches?It’s winter time and the skin is in full battle mode. What to do? Grab the lotion. It’s time to fight back, but it is not always an easy win.  The snowbirds who did not venture south this winter must be feeling the difference on the skin. People can’t seem to moisturize enough in winter weather. Our regular customers know what to do and what not to do and are managing the challenges in a good and healthy way.  Staying away from the formaldehyde so often found in commercial soaps, creams and lotions is…

"Having no intention of following the cohort inside, she generously held open the entrance door and said, “Please, go ahead. You first.”   One job of disodium EDTA is to open doors. It does it well. While entry for others is encouraged, following is not necessarily on its agenda. Disodium EDTA is used in skin care (and food*) and while it is not easily absorbed into the skin, it’s the door opener. If the entry is a toxin, this enabler is encouraging a destruction.   Disodium EDTA does not discriminate as to what it lets in. The good, the bad and the ugly. Our concern…

Future: Once satisfied the coast was clear, the hovering drone dropped the package on the front stoop and sped off. Mission accomplished: Musely delivered.  Musely is an online skin care prescription service available in the USA, not yet in Canada, but coming soon. Drone delivery of prescriptions made online is the future. Home deliveries are always a desirable option. But ordering skin care prescriptions online is fairly new. Take Musely. A one stop shop. No visits anywhere. No need for personal contact. No need to chat behind a mask. No need for the skin specialist to see…

1915: Hotel Alexandria, Los Angeles, California Sitting comfortably in green velvet chairs in Hotel Alexandria’s plush hotel lobby, an industrious group of American farmers gathered to discuss the prospect of marketing a newly discovered fruit. The pebbly skinned, pear shaped fruit, called ahuacate. Beneath the high gold leaf ceiling and exquisite chandeliers, a waiter graciously serves the men tasty bits of the topic of their discussion.  A fly on the wall was listening in “$12.00 a dozen*? A pretty profit impending, gentlemen. This fruit is delicious, seductive. The people will love it…