Second, knowing to refrigerate your skincare is to know a great beauty tip. It’s a handy little trick that can help soothe inflammation, combat puffiness and keep skin feeling refreshed.  Here are three skincare items to keep in your refrigerator this season: 

1. Floral Water Toners

Floral waters are also known as hydrosols and, when pure, are the water content extracted from floral petals or plant parts. When making essential oil, the hydrosol is the water that is separated our from the essence making the aromatic, concentrated oil. Floral waters make excellent toners, hydrators and after-sun misters.  Each takes on the therapeutic property of the plant for your beauty needs. Lavender hydrosol is a great antiseptic and oil-balancer while sensitive skins are tempered by rose, chamomile or melissa hydrosols.  But pure hydrosols that do not contain added paraben perservatives can go rancid quickly in the heat. Room temperature is all good but anything above 25 degrees is prey to damage. Furthermore, a cold hydrosol makes for a wonderful, refreshing skin quench. I love keeping a bottle of rose water cooled in the fridge – then spritz after a long, hot day. This is even better after a day in the sun. Mist yourself with a chill hydrosol to prevent heat rashes, rosacea flareups and general skin inflammation. 

2. Gel Masks

Refrigeration is also great for our favorite hydrating gel masks.  Gel masks are also high in water-content, making them more vulnerable to bacterial growth. That’s why the expiration date on water-rich products will be shorter than oil/ fat-rich ones. But chilling your masks isn’t only to help it keep, it can also help benefit your skin. I was told about this tip from a good friend and Pure + Simple devotee.  She kept her Pure + Simple Calming Cucumber Mask in her fridge and said it was excellent for soothing her skin during the summertime. She had extremely sensitive, rosacea-prone skin and chilling her gel mask helped decrease redness while boosting hydration.

3. Eye Cream

Ever put ice packs on your eyes? How about spoons from the freezer? Or gel-filled eye pads? These are all common tips for bringing dow puffy eyes. Cold has long been applied to our eye area after late nights, allergy season or a good long cry (the movie Stella Dallas should come with cool eye compress). So chill your fav eye cream to make an eye treatment that combats eye bags. The moisture and coolness will work synergistically to bring down retention and redness quickly!

The post Why You Should Refrigerate Your Skincare appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Rosehip Oil
Organic Rosehip Oil has worked wonders for many of my clients. Not only have I found it excellent for fading red or brown skin marks but also for general hyperpigmentation. It encourages microcirculation and collagen production as it is loaded with repairing Vitamin C. However, if your skin is still breaking out, alternate the Rosehip with Jojoba oil. Rosehip oil is stimulating and can prompt your skin to detox; so to prevent causing another break out. When choosing a rosehip oil, look for a bright orange coloured one. Pale rosehip oil is usually diluted or of poor quality.

Ruby red rosehips!

2. Collagen
Sometimes you’ve gotta go straight to the source and supplement with good old fashioned collagen. There is a debate about if collagen absorbs or if certain forms of it do or do not. I’ve contemplated this for a very long time, and despite all the arguments on both sides, I have to say that at the end of the day collagen works. I have seen it treat burns, skin marks and severe skin dehydration. My favorite type to use is marine collagen – and in a natural, anti-inflammatory base. Our Pure + Simple collagen is in a base of aloe, algae and honey, which hydrates to set the environment for healing as well as soothes inflammation (the cause of scaring).

3. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and skin rejuvenator. It supports collagen production and blood flow, which helps to rebuild tissue along with detoxifying the skin and encouraging cell turnover. I use vitamin C serum to treat acne scars but also for all signs of aging. However, if you have acne still, vitamin C is like rosehip oil: you must be careful as it is stimulating. In these cases, I would stay with a formula that is 3-5% vitamin C and use higher concentrations for fine lines etc.

4. Seabuckthorn Oil
If you can’t use rosehip oil, seabuckthorn oil is a good option as I usually find it fine on acne-prone skin. This restorative oil has been long-used for wound-repair and burn trauma demonstrating its healing and regenerating properties. I like both the seed and berry oil but keep in mind the berry oil is a much darker red colour that can stain your skin and sheets.

In the middle: Holistic Vanity’s Regenerating Seabuckthorn Berry Oil.

6. Lavender Essential Oil
If you just picked your face and see nail marks, use lavender oil. This essential oil is good for disinfecting and treating new wounds. It is one of the only essential oils you can apply straight onto your skin. I have used lavender oil many many times, especially after aggressive extractions with broken skin, using this 2-4 times per day for the next few days can really save you. But this is a treatment for acute, young acne scars – if the scars have been there for some time, it is not the best. Determine if your marks are “young” or “old”. Young are red or brown and can be helped by lavender oil if they are just newly made or cleared up by Organic Rosehip Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin C or Collagen otherwise. Old scars are discussed next.

7. Machines: Microdermabrasion and IPL
When scars are whitish silver in colour or come in the form of pitted marks, they’re probably pretty old. Unfortauntely, these are harder to treat so you have to get out the big guns: machines. Pitted and silver scars must be deeply exfoliated (followed by the previously mentioned nourishing topicals). Extensive Seasalt Microdermabrasion or Laser/ IPL Treatments are the only really effective options.

The post 7 Natural Remedies for Acne Scars appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

DIY Green Tea Facial Cleanser: A Spring Skincare Recipe

Skin care is important. Some call it vanity, I call it preservation.

We only get one body and between lifestyle choices, environmental factors and plain ole’ genetics, it can take a beating. And the aftermath often appears on our skin. Not too long ago I was struggling with some hormonal imbalance and it was wreaking havoc on my skin. Little pimples began appearing on my forehead just below the surface, but they were everywhere. For someone who typically has clear skin, this was unsettling.What’s worse is that I was irritating the problem by using harsh over-the-counter acne products and it was leaving my skin red, raw and inflamed.

I’ve always been a bit of a DIY gal, so I decided to retire my old skin care routine and go with something a little more natural; ie. something with ingredients I could actually pronounce. Because I wanted to restore balance to my skin, tackle the acne and reduce the risk of acne scarring from the breakouts I had already experience, I had to be very particular with the ingredients I chose. So, I decided to go with something super simple and here’s what I came up with…

DIY Green Tea Facial Cleanser

Here’s what you will need:
● 30 drops of Liquid Green Tea Extract (I like Nature’s Answer brand because it’s not
full of junky additional ingredients and it’s easy to order off iHerb)
● 1 tablespoon of Witch Hazel
● 2 tablespoon Baking Soda
● 1 tablespoon of Aloe Vera (I prefer fresh, straight from the plant but gel will do in a pinch)
● 50mL Bottle for storage (dark glass if possible — easy to find on Amazon)

Making this facial cleanser is easy. Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into your bottle. Be sure to shake well before each use because the ingredients may separate over time. Always apply a face moisturizer after each use as well.

Why it Works

Acne is disruptive to your skin and not just where a blemish breaks out. The healthy skin surrounding a pimple often becomes collateral damage because we focus so heavily on treating the pimples that we don’t think about how some of the harsh ingredients will affect the rest of our skin. For this reason, each ingredient was chosen for a particular purpose.

Green tea is rich with flavonoid phytochemicals called polyphenols. This compound belongs to a group of antioxidants known as catechins, which are responsible for protecting your skin from UV radiation, but more importantly, enhancing your skin cell growth. A 2011 study featured in the Journal of Nutrition found that when polyphenols (in this case, catechins) improved blood circulation and skin elasticity, as well as an overall better skin quality. In simpler terms, the green tea extract — which is rich in these polyphenols — strengthens your skin by reactivating dying skin cells and helps prevent the appearance of negative after effects caused from an acne breakout.

Witch hazel is one of my personal favourites when it comes to skin care. Extracted from the leaves, bark and twigs of the Hamamelis Virginiana shrub, witch hazel contains flavonoids and essential oils that contain astringent properties. Astringent properties work well on acne-prone skin because they help to close the pores and prevent dirt and bacteria from clogging them. Some astringents are stronger than others and more appropriate for oily skin, but as someone with very sensitive skin, I can attest to the mildness of witch hazel. I have never experienced raw or drying side effects from using it and I often use it on its own as a facial skin toner.

I included baking soda in this cleanser because it is a cheap and effective exfoliating ingredient. The tiny crystals of baking soda help to slough away dead skin cells that may be causing acne breakouts to begin with, and clear the way for fresh skin cells to grow. When used in high quantities, baking soda cam dry your skin out and cause more harm than good so this is why the addition of moisturizing ingredients like aloe vera is so important.

Aloe vera comes from the mucilage (the gooey stuff) inside aloe leaves and is made up of 99.5% water. And we all know the importance of water and hydration for healthy skin. It’s important to note that if you have excessively dry skin, aloe will not provide the deep moisture your skin is craving. If this is the case, add 3 drops of Vitamin E Oil to your cleanser for stronger nourishment.

Who is this For?

If you’ve been suffering with breakouts and want to restore some balance to your skin, then this DIY cleanser is perfect for you. Gentle enough for dry, sensitive and acne-prone skin, it will also work for combination or oily skin types.

I suggest storing it in a cool dry place, in a darker glass bottle as it lasts longer. The recipe above should last 1-2 weeks. As all the ingredients are natural, I prefer to make smaller doses so that they don’t have the chance to go bad.

Acne is no fun and neither is living with the scarring or dryness that often comes after a breakout has passed. With the help of this quick and simple DIY you should be able to restore your face to its former clear, bright skin.

Sabrina is the DIY-loving, skincare blogger behind QuickandSimpleSkincare.com. On a mission to protect and love the skin she’s in, Sabrina makes homemade skincare alternatives instead of buying over the counter, like her DIY anti cellulite cream. Don’t be shy — drop her a line on Facebook or follow her on Pinterest.

The post DIY Green Tea Facial Cleanser appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Oil for Styling

Decrease fly-aways and to add weight to your ends with a pump or two of plant oil. For those with curly hair, oils can help manage frizz. Use a light coconut based oil (many of our staff actually use our Pitta Body Oil) as it won’t make thick, curly hair feel heavy, instead it will simply increase its healthiness and give it a wonderful texture.

2. Oil as a Protector

Straightening your hair everyday can damage it. While this give you a great, polished look, it can dry out your hair and cause strand trauma. So, using a hair oil is important to apply before running your hair through the iron, to protect it.

3. Oil to Prevent Hair Loss

We lose hair when our scalps are dry and brittle. According to Ayurveda, it is also aggravated by heat in our bodies manifesting in the head, causing dehydration. Using an Ayurvedic oil should make the scalp skin more supple and strong – and our hair strands moist in order not to break. Classic Bringraj Oil is a old favorite – and it is also said that it helps to prevent premature greying….fingers crossed eh?

The post Three Ways Natural Hair Oils Can Save Your Strands appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Menopause and Vata

With the dramatic decrease in estrogen does a whole host of things. First, it decreases collagen in the body, affecting the moisture and firmness of the skin. But collagen is not only found in the skin tissue, it also makes up cartilage, influencing our skeletal system. Remember, the skin rests upon our skeletal structures as support, so when these decrease in mass, toutness of our skin also decreases. And of course, this change in bone tissue also prompts osteoporosis to become a concern. Estrogen facilitates the bone absorption of calcium from the blood and inhibits its loss. According to Ayurveda, this is caused by high Vata along with an increase in asthi agni (the “fire” or metabolic energy governing bone tissue) as the body tries to compensate for estrogen decrease.

Menopause Care: 5 Ayurvedic Solutions

#1: Shatavari

Shatavari is an excellent root herb to take for natural estrogen, and it also pacifies Vata. This Ayurvedic supplement is a staple for supporting the female reproductive system, and can be taken as a tea, in capsules, or by the spoonful (powdered). The standard dosage is two tablespoons twice per day (or the equivalent amount in capsules), though, it is important to consult an Ayurvedic Practitioner beforehand to ensure this is the right remedy for you. We must be careful when addressing and treating our hormonal system, whether taking herbal or pharmaceutical medications. Synthetic hormone-replacement therapy can increase Pitta, so it is important to use these with the guidance of a professional health practitioner.

#2: Using Oils

Topical care plays a huge role in an effortless transition into menopause, and oiling our bodies every day with sesame oil is best for pacifying Vata. Paying special attention to the scalp will also treat the nervous system. Also applying an oil-rich moisturizer on our facial skin is excellent to protect and compensate for lower sebum production caused by heightened Vata. A pure face-oil containing evening primrose is especially good for menopause.

Supporting this oiling by pairing it with increasing hydration will also reduce Vata symptoms. Using a serum containing hyaluronic acid helps make up for its decrease caused by loss of estrogen. This, helps diminish fine lines and dryness along with relaxing practices such as spending time in a steam room or wet sauna. Total body steaming (especially when oiled) moistens Vata, lubricates our tissues and calms our minds.

#3 Kidney Support

But topical care alone is not enough for hydration. Protecting the kidneys is critical. The kidneys influence water-metabolism and dispersion along with growth, development and reproduction. The latter makes them very important during puberty and menopause (when kidney energy is exhausted). The kidneys are governed by Vata, and are vulnerable during this time, so we must support and nurture them by monitoring our water-intake, keeping the lower and middle back warm, and avoiding excess salt.

#4: The Menopause Diet

Eating moist, grounding foods is so important for absorbing and retaining water in our bodies, skin and cells. Watery stews and hearty vegetables will help keep the GI tract moist. Foods with estrogenic properties are also helpful, and these include turmeric, oregano and thyme spices as well as wholegrain cereals, soy and flaxseeds.

#5: Mental, Emotional Balance

Giving our mental and emotional body rest is also imperative when trying to balance during the shift into menopause as well as after menopause has occurred. Going to bed before 11:00pm is important for optimal sleep quality. Rest itself supports any transition. However, we must be careful not to oversleep or to frequently sleep during the day; imbalancing Kapha. This can disrupt sleep cycles as well as promote lethargy.

Meditation and yoga (Vata-pacifying poses especially) are powerful tools in grounding our energy and focus. Meditation particularly creates space for mindful contemplation. This is important as it is excellent during this time to spurs self-reflection helping us welcome this change.

The post Menopause: How it Changes Your Skin and Ayurvedic Solutions appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Sleep and The Skin

Proper sleep is needed to healing and repair the heart and blood vessels. In fact, chronic sleep deficiency increases the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. While this is important for overall wellness, it also affects the skin, especially inflammatory skin conditions. I have seen that lack of sleep increases inflammation, aggravating rosacea, eczema, psoriasis and even acne. This also may because sleep also affect our blood glucose levels. Sleep deficiency leads to elevated blood sugar, which has been shown to imbalance hormones (usually estrogen elevation) as well as exacerbate inflammation further.

Beyond this, sleep is key in keeping our immune systems strong. This means that a good night’s rest plays a role in helping your fight foreign infections and protects against the damages of harmful substances. Ongoing sleep deficiency can change the way in which your immune system responds, leading to more vulnerability to a variety of illnesses. This can decrease our defenses against skin infections as well as slows down healing. I personally have seen that cystic acne lesions heal much more slowly when the immune system is compromised.

Sleep and Hormones

Sleep also supports healthy hormones. This translates into healthy skin as a variety of hormonal imbalances are often present in acne. Often this means looking at our sex hormones – and while it may not be the only causative factor, it is important to address sleep when trying to rebalance and treat imbalances. But sleep also plays a role in the overall quality of our skin. Deep sleep triggers the body to release growth hormone that promotes cell reproduction and regeneration, keeping our tissues resilient and youthful.

How to know if you’re getting enough

Insomnia can take on the traits of:
– taking more than 30 minutes or more to fall asleep
– waking up from sleep (often multiple times)
– waking up too early
– waking unrefreshed
– getting six or fewer hours of sleep for three or more nights a week
– (if chronic insomnia) over a month

Symptoms can include:
1. Difficulty falling asleep at night
2. Awakening during the night
3. Awakening too early
4. Not feeling well rested after a night’s sleep
5. Daytime tiredness or sleepiness
6. Irritability, depression or anxiety
7. Difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks or remembering
8. Increased errors or accidents
9. Tension headaches
10. Distress in the stomach and intestines (gastrointestinal tract)
11. Ongoing worries about sleep

If this sounds like you, one way to confirm what’s going on is by doing a sleep study

Getting Better Sleep

Sleep Restriction…whaaaat?!

It might sound counterintuitive but research has found that limiting your available sleep time can help your insomnia. In sleep restriction therapy, you set a bedtime and wake-up time and sticks to those times closely. This is determined from an estimate of how long the patient has already been sleeping at night. For example, if you usually spend 8 hours in bed but sleeps only 6 hours over (due to tossing and turning or the like) your initial set sleep time is 6 hours. You cannot go to bed early, get up late or take naps. This forces a defined sleep window and the window is gradual made bigger and bigger until you are sleeping the entire time you are in bed. The goal is to eliminate daytime sleepiness and excess time spent in bed!

Sleep hygiene

Getting deep rest also involves setting up the right environment and mindset for rest. This is called sleep hygiene. Here are some tips for cleaning up your sleep hygiene to tackle poor sleep and support your skin’s health!

1. Avoid napping during the day.
2. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol too close to bedtime.
3. Exercise!
4. Stay away from large meals close to bedtime. Also dietary changes can cause sleep problems – if you’re having sleep problems look at any changes to your eating habits.
5. Get adequate exposure to natural light during the day. Light exposure helps maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
6. Establish a regular relaxing bedtime routine. Try to avoid stressful situations or mulling over things that prompt stress before bedtime
7. Associate your bed with sleep. This means creating a zen space! Avoid being in bed while you watch TV, do work or go on the internet in. You need to associate your bed and bedroom with rest.
8. Make sure that the sleep environment is pleasant and relaxing. Your bed should be comfortable, the room should not be too hot or cold, or too bright.
9. Think of the Ayurvedic! Read my post on the day cycles throughout the day based on this eastern medicine modality.

Sleep-promoting supplements
Sometimes it helps to give yourself boost with herbs and natural supplements. Here are a few that have excellent research behind them:

Chamomile Tea – An ingredient in almost every sleepy-time tea, studies have identified chamomile’s calming effect (topically on the skin too!). One Japanese study found it was as effective as a benzodiazepine!

Melatonin – Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. Studies show that melatonin not only helps you get more sleep but also improves the quality of sleep. This is particularly good for getting your sleep pattern back on track when travelling across time zones.

Valerian – This herbal root has been used as a sedative and anti-anxiety treatment for more than 2,000 years. A personal fav, I find a dose of valerian knocks me right out. I find it particularly useful when used for sleep during long haul flights

Kava Kava – Kava Kava is another anti-anxiety plant. It is excellent for stress-related insomnia. The American Academy of Family Physicians says that short-term use of kava is okay for patients with mild to moderate anxiety but not to be taken with the use of alcohol or if you take medicines that have the effect of being hard on the liver.

Passionflower – Passionflower isn’t so much a sleep aid herb as a relaxing one. I personally have used it for calming the mind and body. While it is gentle, I admit that the first time I took it, my body and muscles felt so relaxed and loose that it kinda freaked me out. But after I got over the surprise, I started to love it.

The post How Poor Sleep Is Ruining Your Skin appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Humidifying Your Skin

For those of you who do not know, a humidifier is a little machine that disperses moist steam throughout a room. This is known to help dry sinuses and dry skin by injecting some humidity into your living or working space. It can prevent nose bleeds, decrease the risk of viruses and infection, moisten dry throats and improve sleep (especially for snorers and those sleeping with snorers). Its basically the anti-dote to the drying wintertime. Our skin benefits significantly from this exposure to humidity, helping to prevent eczema flare ups, dry patches, chapped lips and inflammatory conditions. Many of my own clients have hailed the humidifier for helping to manage their sensitive skin and rosacea. The decrease in redness I have seen is surprisingly dramatic! So, if your skin is feeling tight or cracked even with a hearty moisturizer, a humidifer should be your next step.

How To Buy Your Humidify

There are a lot of humidifiers on the market – how do you choose the best one for you?

Size – You need a humidifer that aligns with the size of the space you want to fill. This is very important. I live in an open concept home and need two sometimes three humidifiers to truly feel the difference. A client of mine told the same thing; she too has two going at all times on her ground floor. Check the product info for details of its power and the space it is appropriate for. If you are still unsure, one simple check is to simply feel. If you cannot tell that there is an increase in humidity when you enter the room, its not powerful enough. If you want to humidify your entire home and live in a place with a furnace unit, you can actually hook up a humidifing unit right to it. Talk about simplicity!

Cold vs warm steam – This is a question that comes up a lot: should I pick cold or warm steam? I love me some warm steam since it moistens and warms up a room (and I run cold). But if you’re someone who is aggravated by heat (Pitta!) or at least your skin is, I would opt for cold steam. If you choose do go with the warm option, make sure that you choose one that has an anti-bacterial function built into it as warm, wet environments are prime for bacterial and fungal growth. Also ensure you keep the unit out of reach of kids and pets that can risk burning themselves.

Noise – Personally, I want a silent humidifier. I suggest this for people using them in their offices (in need of concentration). However, some people like the hum of a humidifier and use it as a white noise machine.

Tips

Some practicalities to keep in mind:

Make sure you refill regularly – you can’t have humidity without water, so make sure to remember to use the humidifier. This means filling it up with water and actually turning it on. Sounds like common sense but believe me, many people neglect to be consistent with their humidifier use and then do not enjoy its wonderful moisturizing benefits! If you are forgetful with menial chores, one suggestion is to have a reminder on your phone.

Use filtered water – when filling up your humidifier, use distilled water. My home filter removes many heavy metals from my water, which helps prevent mineral buildup in my humidifier and therefore extends it life. Beyond this, I want to be swathed in moist air that’s of the same quality of the water I drink. Remember, we absorb through our skin!

Change those filters – If you want to keep you humidifier up and running, you gotta maintain it. So, you need to make sure your change the filters as per the instructions. If you’re lazy like me, buy one that doesn’t have filters! They do exist – this also saves time and money of having to keep on buying filters.

Clean your humidifier – Even with a filter-less humidifier, you have to clean it. I would do this weekly. While some products recommend bleaching it, I have found a good old fashioned scrub down with soap and water good enough for mine (the make is filter-less and easy to get into the crevices). Again, here we want to prevent mineral and scum build-up along with disinfect to prevent bacteria or mould growth.

Keep away from children and pets – I said it before but I will say it again: if you choose a warm steam humidifier, keep it out of reach of kids and animals that can knock it over and burn themselves or get their delicate hands or paws scalded by placing them over the steam stream itself. Or opt for a cold steam!

Now you are ready to enjoy your humidifier – say good bye to dry skin!

The post Humidify Your Skin: Ending Winter Dryness appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Drinking For Inflammation
In Ayurveda, individuals prone to inflammation, high blood pressure and skin redness are said to have high “Pitta”. This is similar to the concept of “yang” energy in Chinese Medicine. These people run hot and are also inclined to be type A personalities who easily get “hangry”. For Pittas, cold beer can actually be balancing.  The cooling qualities of hops and beer’s slight bitter taste is the antithesis to this heated, inflamed fire dosha, especially during hot weather. Hello sumer BBQ brews!

Drinking with Dry Skin and Dehydration
Vatas, are those prone to dry skin, dehydration and constipation (due to dehydration). These constitutions are often nervous types with lots of energy but also a pattern towards stress and adrenal fatigue (causing more dehydration). According to Ayurveda, they can indulge in a glass of crisp, dry white wine because it is astringent and circulation stimulating.  Drinking this before meals can even help stimulate digestion which is beneficial for this dosha which tends to have digestive irregularity.

Drinking For Water-Retention and Yeast
Yeast, fungus and candida are all signs of “internal dampness” in Asian medicine or Kapha in Ayurveda specifically. Signs of dampness often include an accumulation of mucous, water-retention and weight gain. Bad news Kaphas, you should strictly refrain from alcohol consumption – that is another reason its a no no during a candida cleanse.  The fermented element increases dampness and yeast in the body, which is usually an issue for this constitution.  However, there are medicated Ayurvedic wines called drakshas which can benefit Kapha in the very small amounts.  Drakshas are made to aid a number of health issues from digestion to heal the reproductive problems.

Alcohol is used as a vehicle for medicine for Kapha because it permeates fat well. Here, herbs and medicines have been seared into a wine base and helps penetration of the tincture.  This, of course, is up to the discretion of a Ayurvedic Practitioner or Doctor who has seen and diagnosed said Kapha patient – and it is taken in small, therapeutic doses only. But once the dampness is under control, you can again have occasional amounts of alcohol (talk about motivation eh?).

So, as long as we are careful about when, how and in what amounts we drink alcohol can be part of a healthy lifestyle and even be used to help us maintain balance. I don’t know about you, but I’ll cheers to that!

The post Drinking Alcohol The Healthy Way: Through Ayurveda appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Going sugar-free has been surprisingly easy. One reason is that I am NOT doing a candida diet so I can eat fruit (though I have decided against tropical fruit since it is so high in sugar). The other reason is that girl knows how to work a substitution
So, if you’re considering cutting sugar our or even just down, take a look at these five tasty tips that curb your sugar cravings.

1. Bake with Applesauce or Banana

Just because you’re not eating sugar does not mean that you can’t indulge in a treat once in a while. One way to have your cake and eat it too is to use fruit as a substitute when baking. Applesauce brings in sweetness and moistness to cakes, cookies and breads. Mmmmmmm. The same for a mashed banana, soaked prunes or sweet veggies like carrots. I actually prefer this because my baked goods never run the risk of being overly sweet, which I find happens easily with sugar. Here is a cookie recipe that gets great reviews online and only uses applesauce!

2. Increase Protein

Our blood sugar is more stabilized when we have pair sugar (and carbs as sugar) with protein. Preventing sugar highs and lows also helps to curb sugar cravings that kick in as your body yearns for a sugar-induced energy kick after a blood glucose crash. Protein also is more satiating that foods that are high in sugar and burns more slowly. I have been finding that reaching for a high protein snack like a few nuts or homemade bone broth (with some animal protein included) fills me up and takes my mind off of missing sweets.

3. Replace with Sour Taste

Sometimes wanting sweet is just really the desire for flavor. This is why when cutting out both sugar and salt, sour has really helped out! Lemon or lime water instead of juice or sugary drinks is surprisingly effective (I swear!) – and I have been savoring my homemade vinegrettes. If you can’t have sweet, try tart!

4. 50 First Dates: Nah, just dates!

I luuuurve dates. Medjools are my favs but I have a pack of Noor Dates in my fridge right now. You can use soaked dates to sweeten up your homemade almond milk or smoothies nicely. This recipe I posted on a shake that deeply nourishes your body can substitute the raisins for dates too. Or if you’re really jonesing, you can make a date caramel. It is the BEST. This recipe is a modification from Vitality Kitchen and I have used it even when not going sugar-free.

DATE CARAMEL INGREDIENTS:
8 pitted dates, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup almond milk, divided in half
3 tbsp coconut butter
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
In a small pot, combine the dates, coconut manna, oil, spices and 1/4 cup of almond milk on medium heat; bring to a simmer, while stirring consistently.
Cook 7-10 minutes or until the dates have softened into a thick icing-like texture.
Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the remaining hemp seed milk and blend until smooth!

In Chinese Medicine, dates are good for the spleen and overall yin (re: bodily nourishment). I also pair them with ginger or cinnamon if I’m feeling they are too heavy. This also makes them less Kapha-increasing.

5. Cinnamon it up

Thank heaven for cinnamon! This yummy spice has been proven to normalize blood sugar levels and reduce sweet cravings (a teaspoon per day is excellent for diabetics and pre-diabetics). This may be due to the fact that it prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate or because one of its constituents (hydroxychalcone) is said to enhance insulin. I love it sprinkled on apples, in smoothies or in my tea!

The post 5 Tasty Ways to Temper Sugar Cravings appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Its been one week since starting my No sugar No salt 30 Day Challenge and its been hard. Really hard. If you’ve been reading this blog you know that I’m no stranger to cleanses and food challenges. I’ve gone without flour, yeast, fermented food and dairy, I’ve chugged castor oil with ginger (along with a plethora of god-awful tasting things), and I did my whole engagement party gluten-free (not to mention a vegan wedding cake). So, when I say this is the hardest challenge to date, I mean business.

You can take away my sugar, but you can’t take my dignity!

What I’ve realized is that I don’t really care about not having sugar (honey, maple, agave etc). Don’t get me wrong, I love sweets but I can muster a month without them. I miss honey in my herbal tea but its no biggie. I remember when I did a candida cleanse long ago that cutting out sugar was much much more difficult but this time around I hardly miss it. I can’t tell if its because I’m healthier now or if its because in comparison to my no salt rule, its easy peasy lemon squeezey. Because not having salt is the worst.

Living the salt-free life

Is life worth living without salt? This has rang through my head everyday…multiple times per day. Actually, Ben is tired of hearing me moan about it.
“Yes, dear but this was your own choice.”
“You don’t understand my plight!”
Eye roll.
Its just that with every salt-free meal we eat, I’m upset and…almost angry to the blandness I’m subjected to. So why am I doing this? Self torture? A lesson in discipline? No. I’m trying to reset my taste for salt. Whether I’m using himalayan salt or tamari, I’m very liberal with my salt use and I know that it does not help with my skin dehydration of my winter water retention. Sigh.

Tips for going salt-free

I dream of vinegrettes

So how have I been coping? Well, not great. We’ve just been over the constant whining, which is not a good color on me. But I found a few things quite helpful.

1. Ramping up other flavors: I roasted a bunch of garlic, which I sprinkle on my food. Its crunch and provide that burst of flavor I need. Along with this, we have been making a lot of curries from scratch with a heavy dose of ginger and cumin. I also bought some fresh lemongrass to bring more aromatics to my cooking. With as much of these distractions, I just about get by.

2. God give me sour: After sweet and salty, the next best thing is sour. Its almost salty. I’m loving lemon and lime juice on my food, not to mention vinegar in my salad dressing. Just a touch! Man oh man, a little apple cider vinegar on my salad is a real treat and I don’t think I have ever savoured tossed greens like this ever before.

Well, wish me luck! I will keep you updated on my peril…ahem, I mean progress. And if you have any more tips to help me get through this, please comment away. For my sake.

The post Is a Life Without Salt Worth Living? My 30 Day Challenge appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

I’m in need of a good old fashioned diet haul. Yes, even us health practitioners need to rethink our habit habits. It might surprise you to find out that I love salt, the real problem is that as your taste buds get de-sensitized, you use more and more of it.  This does not help my puffiness, winter water weight and skin dehydration. I also love sugar – but everyone loves sugar.  Of course, I try not to eat too much of either but at times of stress I will fall prey to the lure of snacking on-the-go. There is so much of both lurking behind even specialty products such as gluten-free and organic treats (have you seen healthy cereals? The first ingredient will be evaporated cane juice).  Just because we perceive that we are eating something healthy does not mean we are (shaking fist).  I think therefore I am?  Not always!  So, I am going on a salt and sugar detox for 30 days.

Salt

Of course, salt is not inherently bad for you.  We need a little sodium (heck, its involved in many of our physiological processes) – but if we’re honest, really honest, most of us are eating too much.  I know I sprinkle it on my meals way too liberally and my husband who miraculously does not like salt always gives me a disapproving look. As I mentioned before, the problem is that the more salt you use, the more de-sensitized you get to it and then the more salt you use. This is why I need to do a salt detox and reset my taste levels. Plus, salt is hidden in so many items – even when you look at sweets there is usually a good amount of salt in there. And packaged foods? Forget it! This is where the heavy doses of sodium come from.

Too much salt can lead to dehydration.  This is not only bad for our kidneys but also worsens dry skin and prompts water-retention and puffiness.  So, from a holistic vanity perspective – I need to get my salt-love under control.

Sugar

I used to be a lot more strict about sugar when I had acne.  I had to be because I would break out immediately from eating too much of it.  This is because refined sugar causes inflammation and often cutting back on it helps a variety of inflamed skin conditions.  No refined sugar also helps with anti-aging.  Yes, you may have heard of the concept of glycation in which consumed sugar leads to stiffening and damage of our collagen…so if we want good elasticity we need to treat our sweet teeth.

The 30 Day Challenge

A friend of mine is a chef and explained to me how his taste buds have gotten less sensitive from years of tasting salty sauces and seasoning. Now he fears he is over-seasoning his food (yikes!).  When we overeat salt and sugar we start to increase our intake as we the little buds become numb to it.  So, 30 days away form salt and sugar should do me some good (for all the reasons outlined above and more).  Of course I will be blogging about the whole thing and hopefully some great new coping mechanisms…ahem, I mean tips on to do this.  The point of this break from salt and sugar isn’t to say that these both are ingredients that should be blacklisted from our pantries. What I am really doing is to acknowledge that they are as addictive as they are delicious and often we need a rethink.  And for me, the best way to rethink is to take a lil break.

I think that this will actually be my hardest cleanse.  I’ve cut so much out of my diet in the past and even fasted for multiple days but this isn’t about switching to almond milk or rice pasta, its about abstaining from flavor.  Is life without flavor even worth living? Did I say that out loud? I’ll have to be retrain myself to evaluate flavor in a different way and rely those with more subtly.  Here’s to coming out from this with some new recipes and a “healthy tooth”!

Any suggestions?

The post No Sugar, No Salt: A 30 Day Challenge appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

According to Ayurveda, our bodies and health work in synergy with the external environment and stress on our immunity is high during this time of year because there is increased “Vata”. Vata is “air energy” and when we are surrounded by the qualities of Vata (windiness and cold weather) we also become more Vata ourselves. This energy governs dryness and lightness as well as the lack of groundedness and substance and moisture in our tissues. High vata translates into dehydrated skin, weight loss, compromised muscle quality and a compromised immune system. So, here are a few tips for protecting your body against the assaulting autumn weather and mitigating Vata.

1. Eat Moist Foods – One of the best ways to balance our bodies is through our dietary choices. Vata pacifying foods are heavy, moist, oily and warm and should nourish and hydrate the body to decrease the depletion and dryness that this energy creates. Soups and stews are perfect for this, and those with a good dose of healthy fats are also excellent moisturizing our bodily tissues from the inside out.

2. Oil Up – Nourishing our skin externally combats the dry, air energy of Vata as well as protects and lubricates our internal organs. Tummy oiling is especially good as it moistens our G.I tracts as oil is absorbed deeply through our skin tissue. Oiling the head and hair is also excellent at this time of year as it prevents flakey scalp and is also said to be grounding for the mind. Many traditional Ayurvedic treatments for disorders involving the nervous system use sesame oil because it is considered to be the best oil for pacifying Vata.

3. Avoid High Impact Exercise – According to Eastern Medicine, it is important to follow a fitness regime that aligns with your body type and the outside weather. While high impact and intense cardiovascular exercises are poplar for losing weight and strengthening the heart, they can be depleting during the fall transition. During taxing Vata weather, we must preserv our energy and opt for slower paced, toning activities. More relaxed Yoga styles such as Hatha are ideal, and complimented by soothing pranayam (breathing exercises). Fitness programs during Vata weather should lessen stress on our bodies and minds to alleviate pressure on our immune systems.

Trade in wine and cigarettes for ginger! Even so, Steve Mc Queen and his wife look so glam, grounded and anti-vata

4. Take a Ginger Bath – Acclaimed Ayurvedic physician, Dr. Vasant Lad, says that one of the best remedies for a weak immune system is a ginger bath. To do this, simply add ½ cup of ginger powder to warm bath water. If your skin does not feel sensitive to this, add another ½ cup before sitting in this concoction for 20 minutes. You will feel a tingling sensation as the ginger encourages healthy blood flow and you may even cough up mucous if your lungs are congested. Soaking in an infusion of this immune-supporting spice warms the body against Vata cold and purges dampness. This can be done daily during times of extreme depletion.

5. Meditate – An overactive mind taxes our bodies and lowers our immunity. The connection between our thoughts, feelings and physiology is very strong and our emotional state influences our overall health. Stress in particular, dehydrates our tissues as our kidneys are located beneath of the adrenals. The kidneys are governed by Vata and also regulate water metabolism. When our adrenals are overstimulated from distress, this also stimulates our kidneys and dehydrates our bodies. Meditating daily helps to manage stress and remain grounded. The fall also brims with Vata energy, as it is a hectic, fast-moving transition time with back-to-school and back-to-work. Make sure to meditate during periods of high stress; while they are often when we are the most time-poor, they are when we need it most to maintain balance.

The post 5 Immune-Boosting Tips From Ayurveda appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Beautifying Olive Oil

Olive oil is loaded with omega-9, oleic acid along with a small dose of also omega 3. Oleic acid is excellent for moisturizing our skin. One reason is because our own sebum contains it. Furthermore, researchers think it provides a sterilizing effect with our own natural facial oil secretions. Oleic acid is also full of healthy cholesterol that helps lower harmful cholesterols in our blood as well as it helps to stabilize blood sugar (see my post on how healthy blood sugar combats sensitive skin!). More on the anti-inflammatory powers of oleic acid, studies suggest that one of its components, oleocanthal, has ibuprofen like ant-inflammatory activities!

But beyond oleic acid, olive oil contains a lot of vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that also maintains the integrity of our cell membranes of our skin, protecting it from free radical damage.

Let Us Eat Cake!

The recipe itself is Nigella Lawson’s (and have you seen her skin?! Beautiful.) I think my pal sent it to me because it’s gluten-free and dairy-free, which is a great bonus! Being me, I couldn’t help but make a few changes: first, I ground my own cocoa from Panamanian Cacao beans instead of just using cocoa powder. I was lucky enough to have been gifted amazing cacao pods from a nutritionist friend that lives in Panama.

It gave the cake a really delicious, bold flavor – and I think also made it more healthy energetically. Call me crazy but I believe that the less processing and getting it straight-from the source increases the “vitality” of ingredients and makes a real difference. Second, I used coconut sugar instead of caster sugar so it was lower in glycemic index. We want to indulge but not that much!

So, if you want a yummy, uber nourishing sweet treat try this chocolate cake! Get ready to moisturize your skin inside out!

CHOCOLATE OLIVE OIL CAKE

Ingredients:
⅔ cup regular olive oil (plus more for greasing)
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa (sifted)…I ground my cacao beans
½ cup boiling water
2 teaspoons best vanilla extract
1 ½ cups almond meal
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 cup coconut sugar
3 large eggs

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 170°C/gas mark 3/325ºF. Grease a 9inch springform tin with a little oil and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Measure and sift the cocoa powder (I ground my cacao pods in my vitamix) into a bowl or jug and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste.
3. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
4. In another smallish bowl, combine the ground almonds (almond meal – again, something you can do in a vitamix) with the bicarbonate of soda and pinch of salt.
5. Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a thickened cream.
6. Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or flour) mixture.
7. Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin.
8. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp.
9. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm (after letting it sit for at least 10 minutes)!

The post Chocolate Olive Oil Cake: Mega Omega! appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

For thousands of years, eastern medicine has been using the face and skin to distinguish what imbalances are happening in our internal organs and body. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda (an East-Indian health science) believe that the skin analysis (along with tongue and pulse) can display early warning signs of disease. Like relationship between acupuncture or marma points to the different organs, face mapping uses different areas on the face to address internal imbalances. This is so interesting, this way we can start to understand our skin, what is happening within and root cause of our blemishes!

The Forehead: Clogged Pores and Dry Acne

The forehead and upper face is known to reflect the health of the colon and the state of our circulation. Those of us with poor circulation often find clogged pores and dry blemishes isolated to our forehead are. Many of us think that these break-outs and congestion are from excess oil, but actually it is an accumulation of lymph and stagnation which causes these blocked pores. It isn’t oil-reduction we need, but to boost circulation and lymphatic drainage to clear up these deposits. Poor circulation also promotes this congestion according to eastern medicine. Comedones here are from excess air and relate strongly to dryness of the colon. The air element in Ayurveda (Vata) governs stress and anxiety which will tax the colon.

But not all forehead breakouts are stress related, TCM touts that in different areas of the forehead can also indicate different dysfunctions. Frown lines (that furrow between the brows) are liver related. This is why Botox injections can be so deeply harmful from an eastern perspective too! Acne here needs liver cleansing and pacifying excess yang. So, pile on the leafy greens and dandelion tea for some liver love!

Breakouts on the cheeks and nose

The middle part of the face is governed by heat and fire energy (Pitta), which leads to inflamed breakouts. Those of us with excess heat in our bodies will naturally flush and blush easily, and extreme cases, acquire Acne Rosacea. Because heat rises, high yang is often expressed in our faces through acne, rosacea and reactive skin. Traditional Chinese Medicine says that the heart relates to the small intestine, opens through tongue and is in charge of capillaries. This means that acne and dilated vessels here reveal a taxed heart and, in turn, small intestine.

But the heart does not simply pump blood, according to TCM, it is also part of the mind. Thoughts, emotions and feelings come form the heart, which is why facial expressions and the state of our minds can be seen in the face. Repressed anger and a weighted heart can be seen in the form of angry acne or redness. It is important for those with high heat to stay away from alcoholic beverages. Alcohol is very heating, and high alcohol-intake not only results in permanent redness and vascular damage on the nose but also acne in this area.

Acne around the Mouth

The area above the lips (moustache area), relates to our reproductive organs. This is when you would explore imbalances here! Furthermore, the corners of the mouth are a place of heat, so pimples here can indicate internal heat too. In Ayurveda the lips display the healthiness of the stomach and intestines, in TCM it is the state of the stomach and spleen. To relieve acne in the mouth region, increasing cooling, hydrating fruits and vegetables along with drinking more fluids will help calm inflammation in our digestive system.

The Chin and Jaw Line Cysts

The lower part of the face is governed by the earth element (Kapha). Earth is responsible for growth and reproduction. Break outs on the chin and jaw line are often deeper and cystic. This hormone-related acne is the most difficult to clear up. Excess hair growth in this area is also due hormonal imbalance as many women with PCOS and women going through menopause see excess hair on their chins. Decreasing foods with high earth is extremely helpful. Heavy foods like dairy, heavy starches, and fats should be avoided. Stimulating earth with cardio exercise also will help clear up the chin and jaw line.

Clear skin depends so heavily on being healthy and vibrant. So next time you look in the mirror, look past the superficial and see yourself inside and out.

The post Acne Face Mapping: What Your Blemishes Say About Your Health appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Breakouts and blemishes are not just annoying, they‘re frustrating. While, modern science is highly sophisticated, what seems like a simple problem like acne, there is still no universal cure for. But this is not to say there are no solutions for blemish-prone skin. While we may scrub, peel, pick and dry out our skin in hopes of a clear complexion, it may not be our efforts but our approach that needs changing.

Eastern medicinal science, Ayurveda, considers acne to be our body’s expression of internal dysfunction – and from this perspective it is a signal prompting us to examine our overall health. This not only leads us to our acne’s root cause, but also shifts our attitude towards our skin and selves from exasperation to an inspiration for self-care. Also according to Ayurveda, there are three different types of acne, Pitta, Kapha and Vata acne, each with different causes and required treatment. When we understand our acne type, we can understand the proper approach to it, making treating acne much less confusing!

The differences are stark: what is known as “Pitta acne”, is the result of excess heat and inflammation, while “Kapha acne”, stems from accumulated dampness. Finally “Vata acn”e is actually caused by dehydration and lack of oil (dryness) – a very foreign concept to western dermatology. Each blemish type displays what is happening within us and gives us direction on how to address it.

Pitta Acne
Pitta acne comes in the form of pustules and papules, is red and inflamed, and is caused by an excess of heat and fire energy (known as Pitta). Over-drying Pitta acne will only aggravate it further and irritate the skin. Instead, we must calm inflammation by using soothing skincare, and ingredients such as aloe vera (used as a base in our acne care line), chamomile water, neem and turmeric (found in our acne care cleanser and lotion) are excellent as they cool and hydrate the skin. Black cumin seed oil is excellent as it is a powerful anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory.

But this type of acne requires that must also pacify Pitta internally too. Avoiding heating foods such as hot spices, acidic fruits and deep-fried dishes is decreases internal fire. This along with staying away from hard-to-digest foods and known allergens is important so not to overwork the digestive system, which causes inflammation in the G.I tract.

Breathing exercises known as Pranayam can also be very beneficial for dissipating heat and clearing up our skin. Oxygen intake helps feed and purify the blood while promoting cool air through our respiratory system.

Kapha Acne
Kapha acne is cystic and full of pus/ fluid, and are often painful and boil-like, commonly occurring on the chin and jawline. This type of acne is linked to kapha: dampness, wetness and mucous in the body, displaying an imbalance of what Ayurveda considers earth and water energy. Kapha acne can only be extracted by puncturing the skin first. Though, using skincare with ingredients that increase circulation will help cysts break-up and drain. Managing dampness on the skin is also important. That is why black mud, also known as dead sea mud is therapeutic. We have found this ingredient excellent for both kapha and pitta acne, so added it to our acne care cleanser and lotion for daily doses.

Internal care is important when treating Kapha acne. Limiting damp, mucous-forming foods such as milk, wheat and, eggs is immensely helpful, as is reducing candida and fungus in the body by eliminating sugar, yeast and fermented foods. Kapha blemishes are often caused by imbalance in the reproductive organs, and many women who breakout in cysts find it correlates with their menstrual cycle. So, seeking guidance from a holistic practitioner to help rebalance your hormones is also helpful.

Vata Acne
Vata (air) acne is caused by excess air energy, and shows up as clogged pores, milia and blackheads. Vata-imbalanced skin is so dehydrated that our sebum (oil) becomes dried out and cannot flow properly to lubricate and moisturize our complexion. Instead, it clogs our pores and creates dry oil-deposits which results in pimples.

This type of acne must be super-moisturized, and the use of natural vegetable oils is very effective. Babassu oil (found in our acne care oil), a particularly nourishing oil is ideal for Vata acne. We combined this with black cumin oil to address all three doshas and different types of acne. Along with this, sesame all over the body is best for Vata grounding. Sesame oil is a traditionally touted pacifying oil for Vata, which is why it also makes a good scalp and hair treatment as it calms the mind.

Those with Vata acne must also increase their fluid intake and eat a moist diet. Foods like watery soups and stews are ideal, and salt-consumption must also be monitored as too much sodium causes dehydration.

Because stress can deplete the kidneys (which govern water-metabolism), practicing activities that help us relax and unwind, restores moisture. So slow, grounding Yoga is good for managing stress as well as clearing up the skin.

Overcoming acne encompasses more than skincare. Instead of wrestling with this skin ailment, we should take a deep breath and realize there is no need to struggle -we should simply look at ourselves and discover what balance needs to be restored. Taking an Ayurvedic approach, addresses the whole body and its energetic composition. This gives way to truly radiant skin, which is both clear and healthy for the long-term.

The post Are You Treating Your Acne TYPE? appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

For The Love of Oil

After a decade of battling breakouts and another helping clients battle adult acne, I’ve found that the best treatment of blemishes is oil. What many of us presume causes acne, actually prevents and clears it. Often, this recommendation is met with a gasp and a look of shock but after a few deep breaths my adult acne clients brace themselves and oil up. Fortunately, time and time again, I have seen them return with clearer skin and an even clearer smile. One client was so happy with her results that she brought me flowers at her follow-up appointment.

Conventional acne solutions involve harsh, drying acids, peels and astringents that lead to dehydrated, devitalized and sensitized skin. Using nourishing natural facial oils actually feeds, protects and supports our skin tissue, helping to restore its balance and ward off pimples while promoting moisture and hydration. Still don’t believe in the power of oil? Read on for the reasoning behind why oil is the ace-in-the-hole against adult breakouts.

Five Reasons Oil Clears Complexions

1. Oil Banishes Blocked Pores
Many think that surface oil leads to clogged pores when in fact, dehydration does. When this occurs, our skin’s natural oil cannot secrete easily and lubricate its surface. Instead, it becomes thick and hardened and gets lodged in our pores creating corks of dried out sebum. Using a plant-derived oil helps to restore moisture and prevent pore congestion.

2. Oil Regulates Rogue Sebum
Stripping increases sebum production as our skin attempts to maintain proper protection and moisture. This is why many acne sufferers actually incite their own excess oil secretion by using skincare that dries out and depletes the skin. Unfortunately, this has them running even faster for strong astringents and mattifying products that simply exacerbate this problem. Replenish with oil to stop this vicious cycle. This is why the Clarifying Black Cumin Oil is a key product in the new line.

3. Oil Packs Some Skin Protection
Dehydrated skin cell can give way to tiny microscopic cracks in the skin tissue leaving our complexions vulnerable to bacterial penetration that can lead to acne. Skin cells that are plump with hydration help create a taut, impermeable barrier function. Oils rich in fatty acids that nourish the skin and strengthen its immunity. The side effect of glowing rejuvenation ain’t bad either.

4. Oil Tempers Angry Breakouts
Inflammation is another major component in acne. Red, blistering breakouts need comforting, soothing ingredients to diminish swelling and heat. Natural oils that protect and calm irritation also soothe blemish redness. For extra anti-redness power, add plant essences such as turmeric, chamomile and lavender are excellent as they are all antiseptics and anti-inflammatories.

5. Oil Helps to Stop Scarring
Just as important as overcoming acne is getting rid of the evidence. Dry, dehydrated skin scars more easily and also has more difficulty healing. Many oils such as seabuckthorn berry oil replenish the skin. Seabuckthorn also contains high amounts of vitamin C, an antioxidant that is excellent for helping to fade pigmentation and scarring.

There are a plethora of face oils available at cosmetic counters, health food stores or even your local grocer. I recommend looking for oils that are organic, cold pressed and free of chemical preservatives such as parabens. With a nurturing approach, we can be acne-free and have a regime we can feel good about long-term.

BLACK CUMIN OIL: The Acne Care Oil

Black Cumin Seed Oil is an amazing oil. It is a powerful anti-septic and anti-inflammatory making it perfect for purifying pimples (without aggravating redness). I have not come across another base oil that is as strongly clarifying – and I have worked with A LOT of oils. In case you don’t know, a base oil is what you put essential oils into. It is usually quite neutral in comparison to essential oils (also known as volatile oils). But don’t let this comment fool you, it may not be as active as volatile oil but base oils serve a very important role in protecting and nourishing your skin. Black cumin oil is a very active base oil. It has been used in Ayurveda and the middle east since ancient times. The Prophet Mohammad was quoted as saying, “There is healing in Black Seed for all diseases except death.” – this is mostly due to its anti-bacterial punch. The oil is also slightly stimulating to blood flow, which promotes regeneration as well as oxygenating the skin: two actions that clarify and combats acne scarring.

The post Acne Care: Why A Face Oil Is Essential appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

I’m so excited I could squeal. My new ACNE CARE collection from the Holistic Vanity line. This one is near and dear to me because of my own personal struggle with acne. In fact, I’ve been slowly putting together this line for years now – and it has been deeply influenced by my exploration of what worked and what didn’t with my own skin. Obviously, it is also made up of what I found truly effective for my own clients during my 15 year experience as an esthetician. The ingredients in the Acne Care Line are the ones that produced great results time and time again. So far, even a blogger who got a sneak peak at the line said it cleared up her skin here!

So, my friends, here is a brief description of the four products that make up the ACNE CARE regime, which launches on September 16th at Pure + Simple spas, pureandsimple.ca as well as on this site. If you’re suffering from acne, I invite you to try out my newest creation!

1. Purifying Black Mud Cleanser
Price: $28 Organic Content: 70%

The acne triple threat: This cleanser helps regulate oil, decongest pores + soothe angry blemishes. A deep cleansing wash that won’t strip + dehydrate.

2. Anti-Bac Pine Mint Skin Tonic
Price: $26 Organic Content: 100% organic ingredients.

Blemishes beware! Made from the water extracted from pine needles + mint leaves, this tonic purifies but never dries acne-prone skin.

3. Balancing Black Mud Turmeric Lotion
Price: $50 Organic Content: 85%

Its all about balance: this lotion both calms and clarifies. Black dead sea mud remineralizes + disinfects skin, while turmeric root tempers and heals breakouts.

4. Clarifying Black Cumin Oil
Price: $43 Organic Content: 100% organic ingredients.

Zap zits while nourishing your skin. A combo of anti-bac Black Cumin oil and anti-inflam Babassu oil, this face oil purifies, supports pimple-healing and helps to prevent acne scars.

And of course it is natural. You all know that that’s my MO. All Holistic Vanity items are made lovingly with pure ingredients and are free from:
o Petrolatum
o Propylene Glycol
o SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate)
o Phenoxyethanol
o Parabens
o Phthalates
o PEGs
o Synthetic Fragrances and Dyes
o Animal By-products (Suitable for vegetarians)
o DEA and TEA

The post HOLISTIC VANITY’S New Acne Line appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

What is Thai Massage?

In my travels, I found some tourists in Thailand mixed up Thai Massage and just getting a regular massage with coconut oil. Thai Massage is more than a change of oil. First, you are fully clothed and they provide a sort of cotton pajama to wear (leave it to the Asians to make sure that even your spa treatment is modest). While I’m not shy, I like this because it really sets the tone that its therapeutic and not sensual. This helps you feel really comfortable, especially when you may not be able to speak the same language as your practitioner. I had a really off experience once in Mexico where the therapist massaged around my anal canal. It was harmless but very, very weird. Also, for first-timers, being clothed takes the stress out of guessing if they have undressed to the right degree and takes away nervousness if you are not used to being massaged by another gender.

Second, you are often being massaged in a big, open room where others are also being massaged. Again, another reason why being clothed a plus. This also creates an atmosphere harnessing a nice collective energy.

And finally, Thai Massage is intense. You are being pulled and pressed and pummelled in the best way possible. Its not a flowing Swedish Massage, it’s a yoga-chiro-acu combo that takes away every tight, knotted muscle in your body. Next, we will talk about why this type of massage is so special.

1. You’re Stretched…A lot

You can skip that yoga class because part of Thai Massage is to deep stretch you. Hips will be extended, spines will be twisted and necks will be elongated. This is combined with massaging the area before and after so your muscles are nice and loose when they stretch you. Best of all? Its all passive! So, let a strong Thai Massage therapist do the work while you just enjoy the stretch.

2. It Uses Acupuncture Trigger Points

Whether they know it or not, Thai Massage therapists manipulate trigger points. I say “whether they know it or not” because may practitioners are not formally trained and instead hone their craft through repetition. Actually, I have found that the best ones are older ladies from Issan who have been doing this their whole lives. Thai massage is sequential, so in some ways its like learning a dance routine or a tai chi sequence. But at the heart of Thai Massage is acupressure manipulation. When I feel them pressing my kidney points on my calves and feet, I immediately relax.

3. The DEEP Pressure

Like deep pressure? This type of massage is the ultimate for those who like to really get in there. Of course, if you’re of more delicate tastes you can ask for less pressure but the auto-setting of Thai Massage is deep. Practitioners will use their body weight, often stepping on your back and kneeling on your hamstrings and leaning their elbows into your gluts. For me, its heaven.

4. It’s a Chiro Session

Get ready to cracked! You feel an amazing release when your back and neck is cracked. I like that you are massaged extensively first so your muscles aren’t tight when doing this. Sometimes I feel like I’m anxious at the chiropractor and I can’t get adjusted well because I clench and become stiff. In Thai Massage, you’re usually crack at the end when you have had an hour or more of bliss. I also love the fact that they will crack every one of your toes and fingers!

5. Blood Flow is Stimulated

My favorite move in Thai Massage is when they press and hold on your major arteries for a full minute. This slightly occludes the vessel. When they release their hands, blood rushes through the artery and creates a strange and wonderful sensation of warmth and tingling. The best is when your femoral artery is occluded and it’s release sends circulation to your legs, making them feel activated. Its the perfect way to alleviate water-retention.

The post 5 Reasons Why You Have To Try Thai Massage appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Maybe its because of the way mineral blocks go one – some people find they are a bit hard to work on. If this is the case, watch my quick video on how to use mineral blocks so that you never get white streaks ever again. But if its education, I’m not doing my job. So, I made a short video about the key differences between mineral and conventional sunscreens that wraps it all up in a neat little package. I hope it inspires you to chuck the chemicals!

The post Mineral Vs. Conventional Sunscreens: What You Need to Know appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

It boggles my mind that people still use chemical sunscreens. Between the potential hormone disruptors and carcinogens, I just don’t think its worth it. Read this for more info on why a mineral sunblock is essential! But even some of our own clients who are natural skincare enthusiasts have sheepishly admitted to using the chemical stuff. One reason for this is the finish of natural mineral sunblocks. Some higher mineral SPF products can get pretty thick and upon first application, be chalky. This is even more frustrating to anyone with darker pigments in their skin as white residues can appear on the skin from the white minerals.

BUT do not be deterred! There is a solution! You don’t need to walk around looking like a geisha in order to avoid nasty chemicals. Its all in how you use your mineral SPF. So, I made this short video to show you exactly what to do. Such simple steps! I promise you, if you follow these tips, you will never have white streaks ever again. Cheers!

The post Apply Mineral SPF Properly – No More White Streaks Ever Again! appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

In my line of work I find that most people think one thing of SPF: the higher the better. But that is only half true. It does not mean more effective protection instead it refers to longer protection. When we really understand what “SPF” stands for and how it is determined, we can decide which situations make higher sun protection factors better and which ones actually do not require them to be high. I’m a stickler for people really knowing how their skincare functions so, here is a short video about what SPF is and how its calculated for your viewing pleasure.

The post Calculating SPF – Understanding Sun Protection appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Sound daunting? No you don’t need to take a course in shielding your skin – I put this all in a short n’sweet video for your viewing pleasure. Actually, its part of my new sun series that will explore all the little things we don’t know about suncare. I hope you enjoy it and that your skin is healthier and better protected for it.

The post 4 Things You Didn’t Know About Sun Protection appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Emotional health is as important as physical health. Bottling up our feelings not only causes inflammation of the skin through acne, rosacea and eczema but also, according to Ayurveda, is the root cause of disease. So, when a new friend I met in Thailand invited me to a Raw Cacao Dance Ceremony, I thought “okay, this is an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone”. I had no idea what it was but it was the words “dance” and “ceremony” that had me the most anxious.

Before the even I was asked “Have you ever done cacao?”
What did that mean? The stuff I put in smoothies and gluten-free cakes?
“…Um…No?”

unassumingly powerful

We made our way through the jungle to a yoga studio that had been made out of a bamboo hut. As we entered, we were each smoke smudged and placed in a circle. People in the circle were already crying. Maybe I should make a run for it, I thought. But it was too late. The woman guiding us through the experience was already talking. She was explaining the power of the chocolate bean for healing as well as the concoction it came in that was being passed around: cacao, chilis, fresh coconut, local honey. This isn’t so bad, I reassured myself, at least I get dessert.

We were then asked to go around the circle and share what we would like to invite into our lives, what we would like to let go of and who we would dedicate our experience today to. She said whoever we dedicated it to would feel a shot of love straight in the heart wherever they were.

Forgiveness, happiness, action, self-love. Judgment, spite, over-thinking, negative patterns. This was reassuring, they shared what I have thought many times over and everyone nodded, smiled and seemed at peace. There were dedications to mothers, brothers, gurus and “those who needed love most”. When it came to my turn I felt my heart pounding in my chest. In a near whisper I said I would like to invite in calm and acceptance and let go of my desire to control the future ending with a nervous laugh (no one else laughed). My dedication was to a family member who was very sick…and very angry about it….and very scared. I hoped they felt that shot of love. I was skeptical but still hoped. I was choking on my words and tears were streaming down my face. Snot was bubbling out of my nose.

What the F*#! This is not happening. Get a hold of yourself! You’re making a scene, you’re being self-indulgent. Poor next guy, you’re stealing his moment. Selfish! But I couldn’t. I was hyperventilating. I felt a hand pat my back. I was floored by this reaction. I had not realized how much it had bothered me. But in this space of loving, non-judgmental people, it was pouring out of me in the most violent way. It was not sexy.

We then laid down in svwavasana to begin the dance. The drum beat started. We were going to dance our way through the elements. Earth. Water. Fire. Wind. Ether. I could feel the beat resonate through the floor into my body. We started with a crawl like animals of the earth. Growling and howling at each other. There’s no turning back now.
I shook my head vigorously. We rose up to our feet; we were to dance the energy of earth. I made my body heavy and solid, stomping around the room.

Water. The music softened and so did our movements. Fire: the beat quickened to a hot hot heat. There was a lot of jumping as if stepping on hot coals. I blinked my fists in a way I thought looked like fire crackers. By this point we had been dancing for an hour and another hour to go. People started to get tired. The older group members (myself included) started to dance more of a slow burn. Some of the twenty-somethings were still doing star jumps. I grappled with holding on and not waning.

Wind. Light fluttering. We were asked to feel like we had angel wings. Ether. Space. I expanded and contracted my body to take up as much and as little space as I could.

We ended in svwasana. Two hours later, panting and smiling. I felt like we had just been through a war together – a war with ourselves, an emotional detox.

So this is what “doing cacao” means.

The post Emotional Detox: Raw Cacao Dance Ceremony appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Its a Core Workout

Hula hooping is all about moving those abs. One problem some of us newbies were having at the hoop jam was not engaging them enough – once you realize how to contract and relax them in rhythm, you’re golden. It also targets a number of core muscles as you use a whole range of motion; there is the tightening of your rectus abdominus as well as the usage of many peripheral core muscles as you twist and circle.

Gearing up for the hoop jam, koh phangan

2. Loosen Up That Pelvis

We, in North American, tend have tight abdominals. That’s where we hold our tension. Not necessarily strong abs but middles that are full stress and stiffness. I feel this stagnation when I do stomach massage – and when this area is released, often its a release of gas or the urge to empty the bowels. We sometimes to tummy massage during facials because so many skin problems are related to our digestion and elimination. Hula hooping is a wonderful way to create some stimulation and looseness in the stomach and pelvis. And, I imagine that encouraging circulation to our digestive and reproductive organs has a plethora of health benefits.

3. Cardio and Coordination

Hula hooping increases your overall heart rate – and with low (actually no) impact. This gentle exercise also challenges you to really feel your body and focus on coordination. One thing I found was that you really need to be coordinate how body pushes against the hoop. So you get a great cardiovascular workout that focus on body awareness.

Michelle Obama knows where its at

4. Spine Strengthening

Beyond ab strengthening, there is also engagement of the spinal muscles to steady yourself and maintain balance. I found that I could feel this most pronounced when I started to hula hoop while walking or turning in a circle.

5. Exuberant Exercise

When you picture someone hula hooping, you always can see their smiling face. Have you ever seen a scowling hula hooper? I doubt it because its a joyful experience! That’s so different to how I look when I’m lifting weights or running on a treadmill. No, complicated or expensive machines – just a simple plastic ring. And, Unlike conventional gym equipment, that have me counting down the seconds before I can put myself out of my misery, hula hooping feels easy and fun so its a workout you can look forward to…and that’s half the battle.

The post 5 Reasons You Should Consider The Hula Hoop Workout appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Baan Manali – the grounds

I’ve been called a “control freak”. I prefer “person with a low tolerance for uncertainty” but you get the point. However, on our trip to Koh Phangan, Thailand, I decided to undertake an exercise to challenge this part of me. I’m not going to plan anything. No hotel bookings, no activity scheduling not even the area we would scope out. This, of course, is terrifying but after much contemplation, I’ve realized my years of managing Pure + Simple Spas (orchestrating calm for others) has led to, ahem, a tendency to be wound up tightly.

This is a beauty blog. But since my view of beauty is rooted in health and holistic wellness, the mental and emotional is very much part of this. And from this point of view, I know that a control detox was in order. So when my husband found a deal online for a $15 hotel in a part of the island called Thong Sala – I had to take a deep breath and let him book it. Of course I was skeptical.

“Does it have a flush toilet? I at least need a flush toilet. For that price? Its not gonna have a flush toliet,” I said in a threatening tone. As you can see a take-it-as-it-comes attitude was not coming to me easily.
He simply replied: “Its gonna be great.”

Well, I’m publicly posting that I had to eat my words. It was lovely. The boutique hotel was called Baan Manali and it reminded me of one of my favorite places in the world: La Zebra in Tulum, Mexico. It was the perfect mix of eco-luxury with wonderful, personal touches.

Our room with handy mosquito net

Our bungalow was so clean and cute…And yes, it had a flush toilet. We were definitely not roughing it.

Lots of places to laze.

They also had kayaks you can rent for $3 an hour

Also, a mini tight rope and zip line to practice your skills on.

A pool for low tide!

We had a wonderful night in there but unfortunately we couldn’t stay because they were fully booked the next day. So, in the spirit of being easy breezy we walked over to the bungalows next door called Angkana Hotel Bungalows and found that they were running a promotion for $40 per night. Follow the deals! It was also lovely, here’s what Angkana looked like inside:

After we were settled in, we rented a motorbike and rode up the coastline to scope out the new age neighborhood of Sri Thanu. Just our luck, we found an organic chocolate cafe that makes dairy-free, gluten-free raw chocolate – sweetened with local honey. Like I said in my last post, Thailand is a great place to get dairy-free food! I’m not a huge chocolate fan and Ben doesn’t love dairy-free chocolate because its not as creamy as milk chocolate but these truffles were A-mazing! A bit expensive for Thailand but well worth it. The owner (or at least I assume owner)- a young woman in a tank top and bikini bottoms, informed me that they didn’t have set hours and just opened up as they pleased. Now these people know how to go with the flow.

yumyumyum

Now we are at The Sanctuary, a wellness retreat resort on a beach called Haad Tien. Its pure bliss here – and if you wanna know more about it, read my review from last year. Yes, I was here last year and now I’m back again! If you read the reviews on Tripadvisor you’ll see that some people have been here 15 times!

I would be lying if I said that I haven’t had a few hiccups but for the most part, playing it by ear has been paying off nicely.

The post Serenity Now in Koh Phangan: Confessions of a Control Freak appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Have you Eaten Rice Today?

Rice is really important in Thai culture. So much so that the standard greeting is “have you eaten rise today?”. Yep, this gives way to tons of gluten-free options from rice noodles, fried rice dishes and even rice-based desserts. See the recipe for delicious mango coconut sticky rice below! My latest obsession is “Kanom Krok” – fried pockets of coconut rice pudding: creamy, sweet and addictive!

Rice noodles in an egg blanket? Yes please!

Cow’s Milk? Nope. Coconut Milk!

I find east Asian cuisines easier to find dairy-free options in general (we will ignore the fact there is often a not-so-secret love for condensed milk). So, when dining out, these are great low-stress options as they don’t have much dairy at all. Okay, okay there is Thai iced tea that does feature condensed milk but for the most part, the creamy dishes use coconut milk instead. This is also why I love south Indian food (coconut curries instead of cream-based curries). You can find coconut ice cream all over the place and I dig into rich savoury dishes that don’t have a drop of dairy!

Seafood soup with chunks of coconut meat

Asian Breakfasts: No Cheese Omelettes Here

Unless you are opting for a western breakfast, the first meal of the day isn’t gonna be toast or a cheese omelettes. Try noodle soup or a rice soup…heck, it probably gonna be soup. Move over eggs benny! While this may be a bummer for Ben, I’m happy as a pig in clover to be slurping up my ginger, chicken congee each morning.

Today’s breakfast: chicken congee with ginger, green onion

The Fruit! Oh the fruit!

Thailand in particular has lots of local agriculture that makes for fresh fruits and veggies. Not only have I eaten the ripest mangoes, pineapples and papayas here but also new favs such as mangosteen, pomelo and rambutan. But this theme of fresh ingredients is not only in the produce but runs through the whole meal preparation in Thailand – I have found that even Thai street food is mostly made from scratch and it makes me giddy with happiness to see someone pound fresh herbs into a curry with mortar and pestle instead of the pre-packaged stuff we get at home!

As promised….
Mango Coconut Sticky Rice
Manogo Sticky Rice is one of my favorite desserts here. Actually, in a pinch on days that we have had early morning excursions (before breakfast places have open) I’ve actually had it as a breakfast as it keeps well refrigerated in our hotel room. It may not seem glamorous at first but the coconut infused rice that’s laced with mung beans (protein!) and sided with sweet mango is divine. Here is a recipe I got from Hot Thai Kitchen. I will be making this when I get home!

INGREDIENTS

Coconut Sticky Rice:
1 cup white glutinous white rice
⅔ cup coconut milk
½ tsp salt
½ cup of sugar…we can sub in coconut sugar for a lower glycemic index

Coconut Sauce:
½ cup coconut milk
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp rice flour
1 Tbsp water

Others:
2 Tbsp shelled, split mung beans
2-3 mangoes

INSTRUCTIONS

For the sweet sticky rice:
Wash the rice in cold water, vigorously swishing the rice, 5 times or until the water runs clear. Let soak in water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain the rice very well and steam the rice for 25-30 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, put the coconut milk, sugar, and salt in a pot. Cook, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Keep warm.

When the rice is done, immediately pour the syrup over the rice. Stir and break up any lumps, then cover with foil and let sit for 20 minutes. After 2o minutes, stir the rice again with a rubber spatula, folding the bottom part up to the top. Let sit for at least another 20 minutes or until ready to serve.

For the coconut sauce:
Dissolve the rice flour in the water until there are no more lumps. Combine the rice flour slurry, coconut milk, and salt in a small pot. Cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a gentle boil and has thickened. Let cool.

For the mung beans:
Rinse the beans twice in cold water. Add the beans to a small pot and cover with 2 cups of cold water. Over medium heat, bring the water to a gentle boil. Once boiled, immediately remove from heat and cover the pot; let sit for 10 minutes. Drain off the cooking water and rinse the beans in cold water. Drain the beans well. In a lightly greased saute pan, toast the beans over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the beans are dry, crunchy and starts developing a light golden colour. Let cool on a plate.

Assembly:
Serve the rice beside sweet, fresh mango. Spoon some salted coconut sauce over the rice and sprinkle with the crispy mung beans.

The post Thailand: The Easiest Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Vacation appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

REFRESHING PINEAPPLE MINT SMOOTHIE

One of my fav smoothies in general, its packed with pitta-soothing ingredients of mint and coconut milk. I’ve posted about this shake before, for extra details see my prev post! This smoothie is so easy to make, just blend the following ingredients:

4 inches of cored pineapple
1 and 2/3 cups of coconut milk
the leaves of 4 sprigs of fresh mint
6 ice cubes

COOLING AVOCADO LIME ICEE

The beautiful and talented holistic nutritionist, Joy McCarthy gave my this uber hydrating summer smoothie recipe! Apparently avocado is not only packed with good fats but also a ton of water. Added details found in this retroblog. Give these ingredients a whiz in the ol’ blender for the perfect backyard beverage.

1 litre of filtered water
1 soft avocado, peeled, seed removed
Juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
4-5 drops of stevia

AYURVEDIC GATORADE

Dehydrated from summertime outdoor activities? Maybe just naturally a sweater? Or perhaps you had a few too many patio cocktails and need a natural hangover cure recipe. This Ayurvedic Gatorade recipe come straight from Dr. Lad’s Ayurvedic Institute. If you read this blog, you know I love that organization! Its not quite a smoothie but its perfect for summer and its so easy to make by stirring up the below:

pinch of raw sugar
pinch of salt
juice of one-half lime
1 cup water

REJUVENATING MANGO DRINK

According to Dr. Lad, Ayurvedic Physician, mango is “the king of fruit” and this drink will bring you energy, vigor and vitality! Ghee may seem like an odd component for a summer smoothie but its actually incredibly anti-inflammatory and fortifying. Blend these ingredients together and enjoy!

1 cup mango juice
1 tsp ghee
pinch of cardamom
pinch of saffron

AFTERNOON DATE SHAKE

Sometimes the heat can make us feel tired. This is the perfect drink for an afternoon
energy boost. Dates are rasayanas (Ayurvedic rejuvenators)! Blend these all together until you get a smooth consistency:

5 dates, pitted
1 cup water
pinch of cardamom
the leaves of 3 sprigs of mint

The post 5 Hydrating, Anti-inflam Summer Smoothies appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Caribou – Can’t Do Without You

Some Canadian content! This track always uplifts my heart – its great to get me off the couch, even its just for a quick booty shake.

2. TV On The Radio – Will Do (Dance Hall Remix)

I almost always love the dance hall remix of any song. When I run to this, I end up doing a weird half run half dance limp skip. Its very sexy

3. Sohn – Artifice

I’m obsessed with Sohn’s whole album. We saw him play a small show at the Horseshoe and I was blown away. His vocals in real life are absolutely perfect. Sometimes I just work out to this record alone. His slow jams are great to stretch to too.

4. The Do – Slippery Slope

This track has a great beat to workout to. It gets pretty intense but its a welcomed distraction from the of the burning in my thighs.

5. Portable Ft Lcio – Surrender

A great cool down song, this tune just makes me happy.

What’s workout songs do you have on your playlist?

The post Pump Pump The Jams: Workout Songs To Get The Blood Pumpin’ appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Step 1: Determine Blemish Type
Its all about matching the right strategy for the pimple(s) you have. Is it wet, dried out, inflamed or cystic? These will all have different strategies so diagnosis is very important.

Step 2: Act…and act quickly
Below are natural remedies for each pimple type that will have you saying bye bye to surprise blemishes.

If it has a pus filled white head: Dab the blemish with apple cider vinegar. To do this use a wet Q tip. Yes, wet so that it dilutes the strong ACV. Plus you don’t want to apply it anywhere but right on top of the blemish because apple cider vinegar can irritate and dry out your healthy, clear skin. This works really fast! For wet pimples, its a natural silver bullet;)

If its small, hard and dry: These don’t have pus at all and they sometimes even flake. Dried out blemishes need oil. Exfoliate gently first then slather the area with oil. Jojoba and coconut are idea as they won’t over stimulate or congest pores. They are also anti-inflammatory so if the blemish is red and inflamed, it helps to diminish the inflammation too. The cause of these blemishes are dried out sebum and an accumulation of dead skin cells, we need to moisturized them away. It may seem odd but its true!

If its red with a white or yellow head: Use green clay mask as a spot treatment and leave it on overnight. This will dry out and draw out impurities without being as drying as the ACV.

If its a “blind pimple”/ Cyst: These pimples are hard, deep and painful. They can be red and boil-like or they can be so below the surface that they are hardly visible at all (you can simply feel them). These you need to prick with a sterile needle and drain. I advise you get a professional esthetician do this to avoid scarring or further infection. But draining them is very important – they cannot be treated topically with products nor to they heal quickly on their own. These blemishes are deep-seated and stay for a long time. After draining their fluid, always always disinfect the area with witch hazel, pine or peppermint hydrosol. The repair is the most important thing with cystic pimples – because they are deep, they can scar easily. Doing step 3 over and over is important to erase any sign that pesky cyst was every even there.

Step 3: Repair
You MUST prevent scarring be nourishing the skin. After employing one of the above plans of attack, make sure you use a healing serum and protective moisturizer to help your skin repair. I like using a collagen serum and ultra-rich moisturizer containing shea butter or camellia oil. Remember, pimple with come and go but scars can last forever. Maintaining proper skin hydration is key to proper regeneration!

Beautiful getaway in Panama… the most unassuming setting for an angry breakout!

The post Steps To Getting Rid Of Any Pimple In 24 Hours appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Rejuvenating Rose
One of the most common flowers in beautycare is rose. Rose is best known for its rejuvenating properties, so is a common addition to anti-aging formulations. Rose water itself can be used to calm and tone the skin as well as promote cell regeneration. Because pure rose oil is wildly expensive, many products replace it with diluted or synthetic versions. Look for organic rose and avoid rose absolute for a higher quality rose essence.

Balancing Orange Blossom
Orange blossom, also known as neroli, is a fragrant flower that both purifies and heals skin tissue. Neroli oil helps to treat blemishes because of this along with it being an anti-microbial and scar healer. Neroli flower’s mending properties are also repairing for broken capillaries in the skin.

Skin-Loving Lavender
Lavender flowers are pretty as they are skin-loving. These purple buds accelerate the regenerating process; so have been long used as a remedy for cuts, scrapes and burns. The water extracted from Lavender also aids imbalanced and combination complexion types by regulating oil production and infusing the skin with hydration.

Healing Helichryse
Also called Immortelle, or Everlasting, the fact that the Helichryse flower promotes youthful, glowing skin built into its name. Helichryse has been traditionally used after tattooing and body piercing for its disinfecting and healing actions. Its extract and oil are also excellent for treating inflamed, depleted and sun-damaged skin.

Comforting Camellia
Camellia is the flower that green tea is made from. But beyond being ingested for its nutrients, the oil from its seeds also nourishes the body topically as it is packed with vitamins and fatty acids. Camellia oil is extremely comforting for irritation, making it a soothing and protective natural moisturizer.

The post Flower Power: The Best Floral Ingredients For Your Skincare appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Kapha Cleansing
Kapha is described as the earth and water energy found within the body. This dosha, like its elements, are characterized by their qualities of wetness, heaviness, cold and stagnation. When out of balance, we experience lead to water-retention, excess mucous, weight-gain and a heavy feeling of lethargy. The spring season is a time of high Kapha because of its humid, damp weather. This is why seasonal allergies are often aggravated during this time, along with flare-ups of wet eczema and increased candida and yeast. The best way to detox excess Kapha is to disinfect, stimulate and promote waste mobilization. Eating a Kapha-balancing diet by avoiding yeast, sugar, dairy and fermented foods is helpful for this, as is engaging in circulation-increasing practices such as exercise and dampness decreasing infra-red saunas. For extra Kapha purgation, heating herbal remedies of can be taken – these include: trikatu (a blend of three hot peppers), cinnamon, cayenne and cumin.

Pitta Cleansing
Pitta is fire and heat energy and this dosha is related to all bodily inflammation. When it is in excess this can translate into high acidity, ulcers, skin irritation, inflamed boils, breakouts and rosacea. Detoxifying Pitta involves purging heat from your constitution. One of the best ways to do this is by eating a Pitta-pacifying diet and cutting out all hot and spicy food, decreasing your salt-intake and introducing more cooling, raw, water-rich fruits and vegetables. Cleansing the blood, small intestine and liver is another excellent way to clear out this dosha as these are all governed by Pitta and tend to accumulate heat. Herbs that detoxify these sites include: dandelion, milk thistle, neem and turmeric.

Vata Cleansing
Vata is the air dosha, and like air, this energy expresses itself in the form of dryness, dehydration and roughness. Vata is also responsible for all space found in the body and when this dosha is heightened it can result in depleted tissue, poor muscle quality, dehydration, premature signs of aging and a feeling of scatteredness. In order to eliminate a build up of Vata, you must nourish your tissues and cleanse the colon. This will increase your ability to absorb nutrients. According to Ayurveda, detoxifying the colon through a medicated enema is one of the most effective practices, though it is important that water alone is not used because this will over-wash the large intestine and create more dryness. Instead, enemas of herbal concoctions or oil are ideal, and are best done under the guidance of a health professional.

Oil massage is another way to decrease this dosha, as your skin will absorb moisture, which helps to lubricate and loosen toxins in the tissues. Sesame oil is best because of its rich, emollient texture as well as its warming properties. Pairing this with a Vata-reducing diet made up of watery, warm, hydrating foods is very Vata balancing. Though, it is important that all foods are also gentle on the delicate Vata digestive system. Simple, moist dishes such as kitchari are excellent Ayurvedic staples for detoxification. Kitchari is a stewed rice dish made with mung beans and spices. This is wet, warming and gently primes the digestive system for cleansing. Spices and herbs that effectively treat high Vata are ginger, ginseng and ashwagandha.

The post Spring Detox Tips Tailored To Your Body Type appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

From a beauty perspective, dampness also plays a role in how we look and feel. It is puffiness, water-retention, weight gain and fluid-filled cystic acne. Ayurvedic beauty involves an inside outside approach that is tailored to the season’s energetic fluctuations along with our personal lifestyle tendencies. So, if you find that you are prone to high Kapha and dampness, here are a few ways to re-balance this season and practice truly holistic beautycare.

Eat Up Kapha Cleansing Foods
One of the best ways to reduce dampness is to avoid Kapha foods. These are foods that are cold, wet, heavy, and produce mucous and candida such as dairy, sugar, heavy starches, yeast, fat and fermented foods. Conversely, increasing Kapha reducing foods such as leafy greens, lean meats and legumes (except for soy beans) treat dampness. Seasonings are also important, and spices such as ginger, black pepper and cayenne heat up and decrease Kapha as well as stimulate the digestion of damp toxins.

Moooove
Many of us think of detoxification as a cleansing diet and bowel evacuation, but bodywork can be cleansing. Exercise, vigorous massage and heated (dry) saunas are also excellent for breaking up stagnant internal dampness. Increasing blood circulation and muscular movement is Kapha-pacifying as well as supports a healthy metabolism. Here is some info on Kapha-style yoga. Getting up early and being active in the morning also helps purge excess Kapha as the early part of the day is when Kapha energy is strongest. This also increases the length of time each day that we are moving and invigorating our bodies.

Switch To Stimulating Skincare
Topical care also helps to manage dampness as stimulating skincare ingredients promote circulation and alleviate water-retention. Applying kapha oils like mustard seed or sesame oil or soaking in a ginger bath moves blood flow and the lymphatic system. Ginger baths can be made simply by adding half a cup of ginger powder to your bath water. These are so Kapha purging that you can feel a tingling sensation and even cough up mucous. Using stimulating skincare can also reduce facial puffiness and bring brightness to the skin. Natural actives such as lemon, ginseng and radish root extract are excellent for this as well as have anti-aging properties. This is because increased blood flow also promotes collagen production.

The post 3 Ways To Detox Without Cutting Out Foods appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Switch Your Oils
Gone are the days where skincare professionals tell you to stop using oil in the spring and summertime. At least I hope so! Face oils are wonderful for locking in hydration: something we need all year round. They also provide us with a barrier between us and the environment. While this is wonderful for protection against the harsh elements in winter, its also important to shield our skin in warmer seasons as we are more exposed to outdoor pollution and smog. This is incredibly damaging and aging to our skin! So, while I tout keeping your oil this spring, changing oils is a good idea. Let go of rich, emollient oils such as sesame, avocado and castor and opt for lighter ones such as coconut and jojoba. Along with this, refrain from using circulation-increasing oils such as castor, sesame and mustard seed. In the winter, its good to promote blood flow to combat cold weather vascular constriction (goodbye dull complexions!) but in the spring and summer they can over-stimulate and heat the skin. During warmer seasons you want to mitigate inflammation as the heat in the environment can trigger inflammation reactions such as acne breakouts, hypersensitivity and rosacea flareups.

2. Scrub Don’t Peel
Start spring with a deep exfoliation session. This will clear about dead skin cells left behind from winter dryness. If you get a facial with a peel even better. However, after your initial spring cleaning, I suggest only exfoliating with scrub exfoliators. These are easier to control and remain more on the surface. Why do I want you to be more gentle and avoid overly deep exfoliation? Sun of course! Avoid sun damage by making sure you do not over peel your skin. If you are using a peel in the summertime, make sure you ask a skin pro if this is right for you. Peels can be beneficial this season but in a regime that is carefully crafted to guard against UV damage.

3. SPF
If you’re not already using sun protection, start now. I repeat, start now. Springtime is the perfect time to incorporate it into your regimen as the sun just starting to get stronger and out for longer. You can do this by using in or on top of your moisturizer or in a mineral makeup powder (as it has SPF). A good quality mineral block can also serve a multi-purpose complexion mattifier as it naturally reduces shine.

4. Use a Skin Mister
I’m a huge advocate of toning the skin before moisturizing. Here’s why. But in the springtime we can even ramp up our toner usage and apply it as a hydrating skin mister. Transfer your toner to a spritz bottle, et voila: A refreshing skin mister! You can use this to balance you pH, infuse hydration in and soften powdery makeup. I don’t believe in using drying, alcohol-based toners – see my post on habits that GIVE you acne – and instead using all-natural hydrosols (water extracted from plants). Misting your hydrosol throughout the day only helps increase water-content in the skin without the use of barrier oils. Even better, on hotter days, keep your toner in the fridge for anti-inflammatory hydration.

5. Lighten Up
As much as you should not stop moisturizing in warmer weather, you can light up the texture of your moisturizing products. We don’t need rich butters and salves to seal cracked, dry skin anymore – we need a good skin drink of water! This is because we start to sweat more and spend more time in the sun. So, look for a lighter moisturizer that will absorb easily and into your deeper tissues. Ingredients such as algae and hyaluronic acid help your skin hold hydration, retaining moisture. Pair this will your lighter, anti-inflammatory face oil and you’ll be radiant all season.

6. Get a Clay Mask
Springtime is a common time to breakout and buildup sweat and impurities in your pores. So, a clay mask is essential weekly skin therapy to detox our complexions. We can also use clay masks as a spot treatment overnight on blemishes. This is a great way to dry out pimples without drying out your overall skin. I always pack a clay mask when going on spring or summer vacations because its excellent for travel break outs, drying out wet infections and soothing mosquito bites (it reduces their swelling and takes out their itch!). Arm yourself with clay for a variety of springtime skin emergencies that require drawing out impurities!

The post Six Ways You Should Change Your Skincare For Spring appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Skipping Moisturizer
So many people with acne stop using moisturizer. While they think that this will help become less oily, it simply throws their skin off balance and encourages pores to secrete more oil. Yes more oil. It also makes their skin a lot drier than it naturally would be, leading to major pore-congestion. Instead of your sebum moisturizing your skin’s surface, it gets so dried out that is forms little oil plugs accumulates as clogged pores.

2. Using Alcohol
Alcohol is drying and inflaming. While many think that you need this to dry out blemishes, all it does is irritate the skin and impede it’s barrier function. This means bacteria can permeate easily and red, angry blemishes get even more red and angry.

3. Petroleum-Based Skincare
Petroleum goes by many names: Paraffinium, Propylene glycol, mineral oil… But hidden petroleum in your skincare will block your pores. So many of my clients quickly clear up after eliminating this synthetic ingredient from their regimen – what an easy fix! If you don’t have a professional sorting this out with you, I suggest looking up your skincare ingredients online to make sure that you are aren’t using petroleum under another name in your skincare.

4. Picking Your Face
Picking your face is hard to resist. Unfortunately, if you don’t know how to do it properly, you risk spreading bacteria or pushing it deeper into your skin tissue. furthermore, you can easily damage and scar, leading to permanent skin marks along with blemishes.

5. Avoiding Oil
This is one I was guilty of for years. The misconception that oil leads to breakouts is why so many people opt for oil-free products or to not use skincare at all. This is especially dangerous when that includes avoiding sun protection products for fear that oil content with exacerbate acne. Natural plant oils are one of the best therapies for acne-prone skin as explained in my article featured in the Huffington Post. Oils help to protect, rebalance and heal our skin – all important factors in warding off bouts of acne.

The post 5 Things You’re Doing That Are GIVING You Acne appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Enter: black sesame cookies. I luuuuurv black sesame. Judging from the likes on my instagram, so do a lot of other people. My grandma used to make the best black sesame pudding from scratch. It would take her two full days by hand using a big stone grinder, milling it over and over until it yielded the perfect creamy texture. She used to make my cousins and I help her out by taking shift on the grinder, which was a task I imagine is something similar to how it feels churning butter. Well, after about 4 minutes we would whine that our arms hurt and she would roll her eyes at our groans (actually she would kiss her teeth and shake her head, which is the old Asian equivalent of an eye roll). After two days of the gruelling grind (and a lot more moaning) we would all eat up, victorious with incredibly fresh, wholesome black sesame pudding.

You see, Chinese desserts are usually dairy-free. This means that there are no chocolate eclairs or tiramisus in Chinese cuisine, black sesame was as good as it got. Between red bean soup and tofu pudding (which are both exactly what they sound like), black sesame was drool-worthy. But what Asian desserts lack in decadence, they make up in healthiness. They usually are usually made up of a protein (bean, seed, nut or soy) that’s lightly sweetened and flavored with very unsexy flavors. Its a happy day when you stumble on a bowl of red bean soup that has been made with orange peel. Well, my memories of healthy and hearty black sesame carried all through my life. As a penny-pinching backpacker, I would have cereal for breakfast and stir in a spoon of ground black sesame for protein. Oh to be young!

Anyhoo, I came across some black sesame paste (basically a black tahini) in the back of my cupboard and decided to improvise a flourless cookie based on my recipe for chocolate almond butter cookies. The result was a moist, rich, nutty cookie that has that distinctly toasted sesame flavor that would make my grandma proud. You can find black sesame paste at Asian grocers or make your own at home. I think it will be a cinch to make this in my vitamix (I’m sure Ma Ma is eye rolling in her grave). This recipe is simple but uses honey – if you can simply add water or vegetable oil to make it without any sweetener as the cookies themselves have coconut sap sugar (used bc its low glycemic)!

BLACK SESAME COOKIES
Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted black sesame paste
3/4 cup coconut sap sugar (found easily at any health food store)
1 egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
white sesame seeds to top

Instructions:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Dropped heaped teaspoons formed into balls onto a lightly greased pan (about an inch and a half in diameter).
3. The will melt down a bit but not a lot so then push them lightly down with a fork.
4. Put into a preheated oven at 350 Fahrenheit for approx 15 minutes (when they begin to brown).

The post Black Sesame Cookies Without Flour, Dairy, Gluten or Sugar appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

I hate getting my period. I don’t want to but I do. I know, I know, I gotta love being a woman and all that jazz but its so hard when I feel bloated…the furthest thing from sexy. So, I’ve been researching what to do for period bloating, interviewing health pros on the subject and experimenting with my findings. Now my friends, here is a list of the most repeated recommendations and my own insights on the results!

Clean That Liver!
The liver is a huge organ. I’ve seen cadavers and was shocked by its gigantic size! This is probably because its responsible for so many functions and is also a mega filter for our bodies. Not surprisingly, the liver filters many hormones out too. This organ is important in bloating because it is often the extra hormone (particularly progesterone) that is linked to period bloating. If the liver is impeded, it does a poorer job eliminating the influx of hormone. Many of us have an over-worked liver saddled with toxins because living a modern life with its many vices is hard on the poor liver. This is why it is important to cleanse the liver habitually so it ca function optimally. Herbs such as dandelion, milk-thistle and neem are excellent liver cleansers but there are many others. I recommend talking to your naturopathic doctor about which ones are best for you. I’m a bit of an experimenter so I hastily decided to take two capsules of magnesium bisglycinate on my own. Well, I experienced diarrhea and bloating! When I went down to two, it was perfect and I had relaxed smooth muscle and effortless elimination. I have also use this trial and error method with the liquid form of magnesium.

Turmeric
If you read this blog often, you probably know that I’m a little obsessed with turmeric. Turmeric is a root herb that looks like the bright orange cousin to ginger and it has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Its is also a liver and blood cleanser and aids digestion. All of these actions are reasons why it helps bloating – especially during our periods when we are prone to being inflamed. I take turmeric is capsules of dried herb but its also available in a tincture or even fresh. Saying this, I find it less effective when its taken as curcumin. Curcumin is a component within turmeric that is identified as an anti-inflammatory. I find that herbs are often most effective when they are taken in whole form as they have other compounds that enhance their function.

Bright yellow turmeric spice – soothing and clarifying

Relax, Take Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that relaxes smooth muscle and also softens stool. Relaxing our internal muscles and digestive tract can do a lot to move gas and bloating through our systems. Along with this, its amazing for cramps. When I use magnesium in high doses before my period, my cramps are dramatically diminished. Along with this, it softens stool. So many women experience constipation around their period, which contributes to their bloating. Magnesium helps to hydrate and soften stool so its easier to pass a bowel movement. Just be careful not to take too much or you may get diarrhea. Its best to start slowly and talk to your health practitioner about the best doses for your body.

Hawthorn Berry
It was Dr. Emily Lipinski of periodmakeover.com that told me about hawthorne berry for period cramps. This fruit helps the circulatory system and aids digestion and is indicated for bldod clots and food stagnation. These are excellent for period bloat to move blood and keep the digestive system functioning well.

Kidney Strengthening
The kidneys are responsible for water metabolism in our bodies. So if we feel swollen with edema during our cycles, we should also look to treating our kidneys as they may be taxed and not functioning properly. For more info, read my blog post on how to care for the kidneys. Beyond this, herbs such as parsley, chanca piedra and dandelion are great kidney cleansers. Dandelion was already mentioned above as a liver cleanser, so you may be able to target two organs with this one fantastic herb!

Belly Massage
This tip is from my own personal experience as an esthetician and gal who gets bloated. I find rubbing the tummy in a clockwise direction helps to move gas a bloating and encourage blood flow. It sounds too simple but sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. This manual practice provides immediate relief – and when I have run out of options, its what I find works best.

The post Natural Tips For Combatting Period Bloating appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

We are continuing our high protein treat recipe series! In my last post, we spoke about the importance of protein for skin health. Unfortunately a lot of us do not get enough daily protein so getting it in our snacks and treats a great way to sneak in a healthy dose. So, I’m pulling out this simple recipe that spikes hearty pecans with delicious, warming spices. It’s so unassuming but one bite in and you realize that they burst with flavor!

This is actually Ben’s recipe, which he makes for my colleagues and I when we are studying. This quick source of sustenance is an incredibly addictive snack that makes for a tasty reward for hitting the books. It also helps that this treat is gluten-free, dairy-free and low glycemic because we are a picky group of naturopathic etudiants! Roasted nuts with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove is the perfect warming snack. It uses coconut sugar, which is low on the glycemic index and the protein in the pecans helps keeps our blood sugar stable. The healthy fats within the nuts also fill you up quickly and you only need a few of ’em to feel full and satisfied while work, work, working away. So, if you want a high protein on-the-go snack, try these coconut sugar spiced pecans on for size.

Ingredients
3 cups pecans
The whites of 1 egg
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 tblsp water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2. Beat the egg white with the water. Stir in the pecans, mixing until moistened.
3. In another bowl, mix together coconut sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, then sprinkle this over the moistened nuts.
4. Spread nuts on prepared pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, tossing once or twice. Be careful not to burn the nuts by keeping an eye on them.

The post High Protein Sweet Treats Pt 2: Coconut Sugar Spiced Pecans appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Unfortunately, unbeknownst to many of us, we do not get enough protein….especially women. In my experience, most women are protein deficient and don’t even know it. Below is a chart of recommended protein intake per day – and note that a cup of lentils is about 16 grams – it is not a complete protein without being combined with rice. If you’re like me and you eat on the go, you may not be paying attention to exactly how much protein you’ve gotten that day. Its harder than you think to get in protein without being conscious of it!

This is why I try to get protein in all my meals as well as snacks and treats. I’m a sucker for sweet treats and while I make sure they are dairy-free, gluten-free and low glycemic, I often neglect to use this food intake as an opportunity to get in more protein. So, I decided to make a concerted effort to try out high protein snacks – specifically some high protein baking!

Lemon Walnut Meringue Cake

This recipe only has four ingredients! Eggs, walnuts, coconut sugar and lemon zest. So its dairy-free and gluten-free. It also makes a rich, moist cake that’s totally addictive. Now as much as I like a raw cake, I often find them too dense and heavy on the stomach. While this recipe uses walnuts as a base, it lightens it by combining ground nuts with egg whites that have been beaten into a meringue. Did I mention that egg whites are some of the best sources of protein because half of their makeup is pure protein?!

I take total credit for this cake, it is a modification of a Calabrian Cake posted by Food 52. I simply added an extra egg and substituted in coconut sugar to prevent a glycemic spike. To make the coconut sugar lighter in texture, I ground it in my vitamix. I figured I would want finer granules when working with meringue. So if you want to indulge in a high protein sweet treat, try this winner out!

Ingredients
5 eggs
3 cups walnuts
1 cup coconut sugar
The zest of one lemon

Directions
1. Blend the coconut sugar in a food processor until it is a powder-like texture (as close to icing sugar as possible).
2.Ground the walnuts in a food processor until you have a coarse meal, the texture of sand. My vitamix isvery strong so it started almost making a butter. So, I pulsed it instead of running it continuously.
3. Prepare a round 9-inch cake pan by greasing and lining it with parchment paper. 4. Separate the eggs.
5. Beat the egg yolks then add in the walnuts and coconut sugar. Add the lemon zest and walnut meal and stir to combine.
6. Whisk the egg whites separately until they form stiff peaks. Here, it really pays to have an electric egg whisk!
7. Fold the whites bit by bit into the walnut mixture well combined.
8. Pour it all into the cake pan and bake at 375 degrees fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is firm and browned (see below image).
9. Let cool before removing.

The post High Protein Sweet Treats: Lemon Walnut Meringue Cake appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. To Cleanse

Let’s start by talking about the oil cleansing method. You may have heard of it as so many beauty bloggers tout it as a great way to remove dirt and impurities without stripping your skin (I also review it myself at the link above). Castor is the most common oil to use because its viscous texture gives it the ability to loosen toxins from the skin. However, not all skin types can use this oil as castor is very stimulating. I recommend either diluting it or starting with a less stimulating oil (such as coconut) and phasing it in gradually.

2. Nail Nourishment

Brittle nails? Dried out cuticles? Castor oil is an excellent treatment on our finger tips because it is probably the richest oil on the market. Heck, its texture is downright “gluey”. But this makes for a great protective barrier for weak nails in need of nourishment and shielding. It super moisturizes! Also, castor oil stimulates blood flow to the area. Since our extremities are the last to receive circulation, this helps to encourage blood to these tissues. Weak nails despite what you apply topically? Read what your nails can say about your internal health.

3. Relieve Constipation For Clearer Skin

Castor oil is a powerful laxative. It really gets things moving! This is no secret, people have been using it forever for moving toxins through the GI tract. Heck, I was watching a movie from the 1930’s (love me some pre-code) and the lead character tells a little boy to take a spoon after OD’ing on chocolate. I’ve also used castor oil as part of an Ayurvedic Detox. This is important because our complexions are very connected to bowel health. Constipation can lead to acne, breakouts, dehydration and inflammation. In fact, one Ayurvedic Doctor told me that people with high Pitta and breakouts should take one to spoons of castor oil once per month as a bowel and liver detoxifier.

4. Thicken Your Lashes

I have written about how this oil promotes fuller eyelashes in my tips for luscious lashes. This old tip was told to me by a makeup artist who has been using for years! This oil promote hair growth because of its circulation-stimulating properties and nourishing consistency. Dab some oil on your lashes each night and watch ’em grow day by day before your very eyes!

5. Fill In Those Brows

As I said before, it stimulates growth. So, while it promotes fuller lashes, it also fills out eyebrows. If you have sparse browse like me, applying castor oil to your brows every night is a real godsend.

6. Scar Fix

Castor oil has been using as a home remedy against scarring. I have been using it on my own stomach daily to fade a surgical scar. This oil helps to encourage collagen production and therefore rebuilding healthy skin tissue. For more natural scar tips, read my post on fading skin marks depending on their type!

7. Castor Oil Detox Packs

This oil may be most famous for it’s packs. Its used as a topical medicinal treatment to detoxify our internal organs gently. This is usually done by massaging it into the abdominal area then placing either an organic cotton sheet or plastic wrap over top of it to prevent it getting all over your clothes. I know many women who do this each night for poly cystic ovaries, constipation or liver cleansing. The oil is said to penetrate the skin and create stimulation and detoxification in the areas its placed over. Its especially good for diminshing cysts and other growsth. One naturopathic doctor even told me she uses it to naturally whittle down bone spurs. Wowee!

8. Lip Slick

Want a high gloss finish? Well throw away petroleum lip products and just use castor oil. Because of its richness, it makes for an excellent lip slick. Just dab over your favorite lipstick for a shiny, kissable smile. If you don’t want to use castor because of its laxative properties (I’ve never had a problem using it as a lip gloss), you can also use pomegranate oil. My thoughts with pom oil here!

9. Cure Cracked Heels

Dry cracked heels? Use this in an at-home pedi to heal ’em! This oil is so thick that it acts as a salve that fills in those cracks. Split skin needs a barrier to protect it as its repairing as well as an intensive moisturizer to increase suppleness. Use castor on any type of broken skin from split hands and chaffed arms.

10. Hair Treatment

Okay, this is messy because its so greasy but castor oil makes more a mega-nourishing conditioning treatment. Not only will it infuse life back into dried out strands but it also stimulates hair growth as I’ve said all over this article. Learn how to use castor oil in your hair here!

The post Castor Oil: 10 Beautifying Uses appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Hey kids! Time for our third instalment of Dodging Dryness – where I offer up tips of hydrating your skin from the inside out. This time of year eczema, chapped lips and flaky skin are common beauty ailments and this series is all about fun ways to beat winter skin woes. We’ve already talked about rejuvenating tips such as bone broth and zucchini noodles and replacing salt with nutritious seaweed granules – making fighting dehydration yummy too!

This week I wanted to showcase some actual recipes – so of course this means moisturizing soups! Eating for moisture is not a new subject for me. In fact, I have been posting about skin hydrating soups for years. In my opinion, soups and stews are essential as they are the perfect dietary anti-dote to the weather. From an Eastern Medicine point of view, it is imperative for health (and therefore healthy tissues) to adjust how we eat, life and move according to our environment. This means, responding to the climate to protect and support our bodies. A hearty soup infuses our meal plans with hydration as well as tend to be easy to digest (many of us find dry, dense foods difficult to process – hello Vatas!)

zucchini and parsnip noodles in bone broth

Soup recipe can also be easy to make – especially if you have a slow cooker. I swear by my slow cooker to help me eat fresh, home cooked meals without impinging on my busy schedule. This sweet mung bean and date soup is one of my favorite recipes. Its packed with protein and is laced with a delicious combo of curry spice and naturally sweet dates. If you’re looking for something stove top, another great one is this coconut corn and amaranth soup from my back catalogue.

But if you are looking for the ultimate in flavour and ease, try my simple squash soup. Squash is a wonderful vegetable because its substantial and hearty without the need to add starchy grains or noodles (which can be drying). It only has three ingredients and I make this while making other meals. If I’m baking something else, I just stick it with that dish…it probably the hardest recipe to fudge!

Simple & Hydrating Squash Soup

Ingredients:
1 whole buttercup squash (I also use butternut squash)
1 sweet onion (chopped)
1.5 cups of vegetable or chicken stock…you can use plain water if you want – it still turns out delicious!
optional: herbs or spices. I’ve put a teaspoon of garam masala in or thrown in a handful of fresh chives, this is truly a variable soup!

1. Cut the buttercup squash into quarters and place a pot with a lid. Don’t scrape the seeds out, they’ll keep the squash more moist.

2. Chop up an onion and place in the oven at 350 degrees celsius and bake for an hour (time depends on squash size, so poke with a fork – its ready when its soft enough to puncture).

3. Hollow out the squash, removing the seeds. Discard seeds.

4. Scrape out the squash meat and put this into a food processor. Add in the onions, stock and any additional flavorings you fancy.

5. Blend and serve! Note: if you want to serve immediately make sure the stock or water you use is hot. If you are making this soup to eat at another time, you don’t need to do this.

The post Dodging Dryness Pt 3: Skin Moisturizing Soups appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Time for another instalment of “Dodging Dryness” – great tips to increase skin moisture even during the harsh winter season. Again, this tip is all about hydrating your diet. Last time, I talked about cutting dry starches and replacing them with spiralled veggies, packed with cellular water. This week, I’m going to writing about another common dehydrating ingredient: salt.

Mmmmmm..saaavvvoury. I tend to like salty foods more than sweets, so cutting down on salt is a hard one for me. While sodium is important for many physiological functions, in the modern wester world, we get way too much of it. A diet with too much salt is dehydrating for you body and, in turn, for your skin. Sodium also increases your blood pressure – so those of you with rosacea or sensitive skin, excess salt is also dilating to your capillaries. And if you needed any more reasons to re-evaluate your salt intake, just remember that dehydration exacerbated by high sodium consumption can lead to water-retention (ggrrrr winter water weight). But does this mean we need to be resigned to a life of bland, flavorless food? Not if I have anything to do with it! Luckily, I’ve got a healthy, complexion-loving solution with lots of beauty and wellness benefits: Dulse. Yes, dulse.

Dulse is a red seaweed that is an antioxidant, source of vitamins and minerals and also has a nice savoury taste with for less sodium than…well..salt itself! I actually grew up sprinkling dulse flakes onto my food but had long forgotten about this great little tip. My mom was pretty crunchy granola so we always bought a shaker of dulse granules from our local health food store to sprinkle on our meals. Its very versatile and I used it on my eggs, in soups – and my fav – on soba noodles (there’s something really Asian about seaweed on noodles). This childhood throwback is really great because it has a ton of fortifying constituents. Dulse contains:

– Protein, which can help with strengthening and building tissue
– Fatty acids, which help keep our skin moist from the inside out
– B12, which has been used in treatment for eczema, skin inflammation and skin infections
– A healthy dose of iron and potassium. Wanna know why iron is so important for your skin? Read this post I did on iron for glowing skin!

But lets get back to our original point: it can give you the salty you crave with far less sodium. Dulse contains 1.73 grams of sodium for ever 100 grams of the stuff. To get flavour, you only need a dash of it (which is about 1/6th of a gram?). Obviously if you were to eat a plate of it, it would be a pretty high sodium meal but as a cheeky pinch to taste, its a much better alternative to salt.

This is the kind of dulse granules I buy! Found at most health food stores.

So, if you’re a bit of a salt junkie and want to use something to temper your salty-tooth try a shaker of dulse flakes. You’ll be combatting dehydration and spiking your dishes with added nutrients.

The post Dulse: The Secret Ingredient for Dodging Dryness Pt 2 appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

zucchini and parsnip noodles in bone broth

Its the season for dry, dehydrated skin again -dang! I’m doing everything I can to combat eczema and dry patches and between sub-zero temperatures and ramped up heating systems, dodging dryness must be a multi-pronged approach. Of course the winter weather calls for heavier, robust natural skincare, but also more nourishing and protective internal measures. I’ve written extensively on skin moisture inside and out many times before, from
cooking styles that best increase hydration to the wonders of a humidifier. Well, its no secret that hydrated complexions are supported by hydrating diets. That, of course, comes form eating hydrating foods (such as those packed with cellular water) and avoiding dehydrating foods (such as alcohol, caffeine and dry starches). However, if you look over this listing of the top ten hydrating foods, you will see that they are often salad foods but according to Ayurveda, we cannot things that are eating cold and raw during a cold, depleting season. They are hard to digest and require more energy to breakdown (energy which needs to be conserved during this harsh, taxing time of year.

This is why I’m absolutely loving my spiruli. The spiruli is a little gadget that enables me to use water-packed veggies to replace drying starches. It magically turns zucchinis, onions, beets and carrots into long, pretty spiralled ribbons! Its sounds simple but makes for super hydration. Instead of eating starches that are drying and water-absorbing, now I can make noodles out of water-rich vegetables: eating for skin hydration!

Most recently, I made a nourishing bone broth with zucchini and parsnip noodles. It was so easy- I used my slow cooker then threw these in right before eating it. Victory! The bone broth was both warming and fortifying (a perfect winter dinner!) and the noodles added their own unique flavour (especially the parsnip – so wonderful for winter dishes). I also plan to sauté these zucchini noodles with homemade pesto for another hydrating meal. In the name of efficiency, I bought a bunch of organic veggies on special and spiruli’d them all up to freeze. So now I have a lot of noodles ready to go!

In the summertime, I’m excited to make beautiful ribboned salads but for now I’m loving using it to add a little more moisture to supportive cooked dishes.

The post Dodging Dryness: Eating For Skin Hydration appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

It seems pretty straight-forward: Spicer’s message highlights the pressure of physical perfection, the result of a consumerist culture and, probably most talked about in its coverage, sexism. While I consider myself a feminist, I’m also a cosmetic formulator and beautycare professional, so how does this make me feel about my belief system in relation to my career? Furthermore, did it bother me that commenters on the Internet seem to be championing Spicer and even scorning “feminist hypocrites who wear makeup”? (in response to the last question – yes, the Internet comments are just the worst). But maybe some of you would think that I would feel uncomfortable by an anti-grooming move like this. As if it threatened my own beliefs and what I commit myself to day in and day out.

In fact, I really appreciate it. I simply hope whatever beauty and grooming choices we do decide to engage in are healthy and safe for our bodies and promote wellbeing (This of course includes emotional wellbeing). I think discussions around how we look influences how we and other see us are important because physical beauty is a very real part of our culture. If you don’t believe in this importance, just think about how titillated people get from make up-free celeb pics…its as if we stole away some of their power…and especially power of choice. I also loved the project by Kjerstin Gruys who decided not to look in mirrors for one year to see how this would impact her own self-image. But I don’t think this story is just about feminism or even vanity. I think its about the freedom of choice and the need for self-love.

The second speaker on this posted link to The Current offered excellent insights surrounding beauty and freedom for women. The freedom of choice – not being pressured to look any sort of way but instead to simply be able to express yourself however makes you feel best. The repercussions one can have in their jobs etc. that limit these freedoms and the injustice of that. I also found the last bit of her interview infectious actually as she spoke about how as an actress she loves to use her physicality as a tool of expression and even love. She spoke about this specifically for women and feminism but I believe this should be for everyone.

The pressure to be beautiful is not only for women, its also a reality for men (and of course other genders – however identify). And its only getting more common. The men’s grooming segment is booming as a result. As a skincare professional, I have read the many trend reports on male skincare as an area of growth and opportunity as well as I have seen first-hand an increasing number of men come into Pure + Simple worrying about crows feet, fine lines and wondering about skincare supports post-Botox. This concerns me as equality does not come in the form of universal insecurity. And men while maybe not specifically within the realm of cosmetics but how they and others see them, men have along with women have had their own sources of insecurity over physical attributes for as long as insecurity has been around.

I have a male friend who is quite short – and its really influences his self-esteem and makes him feel unempowered…or that others do not see him as powerful. This too plays a role in his career advancement. I’m sure those with physical disabilities can also often feel the same way. It’s not only about beauty but a lack of plain old self-love. And for some reason when I think about most problems in the world, it comes back to this. If I’m honest I struggle with many unloving feelings towards myself that drive habits that aren’t the best for my spirit. When we reduce it down, whether its makeup or some other device, its about the struggle to love ourselves in spite of everything.

So, stories like this one about Tracy Spicer are important. They help us realize that we need freedom of choice over how we decide to present ourselves to the world – but also that they are some very real barriers to overcome to be able to exert this choice. Some are systemic while others are personal – but in the end if we are to be given this choice it must start from a place of love within these arenas for ourselves and others. And isn’t that true beauty?

The post On Tracey Spicer – Can Cosmetics Teach Us About Self-Love? appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Your Liver and Problem Skin

This is also why acne breakouts are common during these fast times. Our liver causing breakouts and chronic acne occurs because stressed livers lead to hormonal imbalance, impede proper internal cleansing and can prompt inflammation. Liver stagnation has a particular relationship with skin breakouts as it relates to blood cleansing, which feeds our skin.

Asian medicine has a particular condition called “Liver Qi Stagnation” that is pointed to as the root cause of many acne cases along with many other conditions such as PMS, menstrual dysfunction, irritability and digestive issues. Watch this short video on Liver Qi Stagnation and the skin for more info! I talked with Naturopathic Doctor, Emily Lipinski, who offered up her insight to acne and Liver Qi Stagnation – and what to do about it!

Happy New Year – start you year off with liver love!…and these all-natural post-party tips. Wink.

The post Is Your Liver Causing Breakouts? appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Inflammation and Redness

Stress is inflaming for our skin. Those with rosacea and other inflammatory conditions have seen this first hand as emotional distress is cited to be one of the most common triggers of a rosacea flareup. This connection has be well studied. Stress hormones produced while experiencing distress can be detected in our skin cells and the body responds to them by inducing vascular permeability of the skin and inflammation. Along with this, stress upregulates the neuropeptide and neurotransmitter, Substance P, which leads to more inflammation and inflammation cytokines of the immune system also become upregulated, enhancing the inflammatory response.

Acne

Acne is also worsened with stress for a number of reasons. First, the inflammation explained above influences acne as blemishes are often full of inflammation. But beyond this, antimicrobial peptides in skin have been found to be impeded by stress, making us more vulnerable to bacterial infection that leads to pimple formation. Lastly, stress causes the production prolactin and this increases sebum production. This means that the more stressed we are, the more oily our skin can become. While oil alone does not cause acne, combined with inflammation and decreased antimicrobial function, makes for an acne-inducing environment.

Skin Aging

Distress is incredibly aging. Not only for our skin but for our bodies and…well…our minds. A number of physiological responses to stress leads to a variety of signs of aging. Dull skin arises when adrenaline is produced in acute situations of stress. Adrenaline limits blood flow – and while this makes for a colorless complexion, it also can cause long term aging. For more info, read how blood circulation is key to anti-aging (LINK). Stress also prompts the body to secrete cortisol. This damages the DNA of skin cells similar to the process and results of UV damage. Anxiety and stress has been found to delay wound healing because of cortisol. Aging is just the accumulation of damage in the skin over time, so the ability to repair and heal is very important for keep our skin vibrant and healthy. Moreover, one study found that stressed out caregivers of impaired relatives needed 20% more time to repair because of this. Research has also linked insomnia to skin quality so stress that disrupts our sleep is also damaging. It was found that Insomnia decreased skin lipids as well as the size and density of corneodesmosomes (structures that hold the surface skin cells together on our outermost layer of epidermis). This means less moist, firm skin with an impeded barrier function.

Psoriasis

There has been a lot of research on stress and psoriasis that displays how emotional this skin ailment is. This can be because of the increase in inflammation (especially because it is an autoimmune disorder) but also because of the links between stress and dehydration. Increased transepidermal water loss was found in mice who were put into overcrowded environments (uh-oh, is daily metro experience is dehydrating me?). This exacerbates eczema, psoriasis as well as contributes to the above discussed skin aging. Makes me want to make sure I repeat a calming mantra while in the morning rush commute.

There hasn’t only been studied on how stress influences the skin but also on how skin disease causes emotional distress. This is especially true for psoriasis cases as it leads to discomfort, appearance and frustration from the skin condition. I remember how stressed out and upset I was during my struggle with acne. While it is very, very, very difficult, I have found that trying to mitigate this stress can actually help to clear up the skin. This two way relationship also works in de-stressing the body and improving our complexions.

The post How Stress Wreaks Havoc On Our Skin appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Ayurveda is a sister science to yoga. While yoga focuses on poses, the art of breathing and meditation to for health and balance, Ayurveda is a medicinal science that uses the same mind-body-spirit approach to wellness employing diet, detox, mantra, herbs and, yes, also yoga. There are so many types of yoga – different schools and styles – but what is important from an Ayurvedic point of view is how it balances your doshas. Doshas are different energies in our bodies that make us who we are as well as dictate our physical and emotional tendencies. I have already written about the Vata energy and its need for restorative yoga and Pitta energy and its need for anti-inflammatory yoga. Now, we will discuss Kapha energy and its need for stimulating, detoxifying yoga.

According to Ayurveda, Kapha is embodies by the elements of water and earth and is what causes us to accumulate waste and experience stagnation. This is why those with high Kapha are prone to toxic buildup, growths such as cysts and dampness. Dampness is another term for wet toxins in Asian medicine and can be seen as excess mucous, water-retention and fluid-filled pustules. To breakup and release this stagnation we must stimulate and detoxify our bodies – and in our yoga practice this means having a routine that is fast-paced, challagning and promoting of circulation.

Stimulating Styles

Kapha needs to increase blood flow and energy in its body so its practice must have a vigorous pace and high intensity. Practicing in a warm room is best and this dosha does well with hot yoga (unlike inflamed Pitta types). To spur lung detox and oxygenation (oxygen is also anti-bacterial), Kaphas must use forceful breathing during practice or when doing pranayam.

Kapha is said to congest in the lungs, so we must open the chest and choosing poses that force this such as fish and bow. To counteract this heavy, damp dosha, it is recommended to use a sharp, upward gaze and to push yourself in your practice (obviously not to the point of injury. But Kaphas tend to be lethargic and prone to being too easy on themselves).

The Asanas
As mentioned previously, poses should open the chest, challenge the body and promote movement

Reverse Warrior

Fish

Cobra

Bow Pose

The post Detoxifying Yoga, For Kapha Clearing appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

You know what they say, “beauty is pain”. So, I guess its no surprise that tooth and gum sensitivity are cited as side effects to tooth bleaching. Well, I don’t think “they” know what they’re talking about because beautycare should always support your health and be as painless and enjoyable as possible. Hello face massage! Along with added sensitivity, those who over-use whitenening treatments can end up with translucent or grey hued teeth. This example of how short-term solutions can result in worse outcomes long-term are all too common in the beauty industry. Sigh. But this doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to brighten your smile. Here is a list of tips to naturally whiten your teeth that will have you flashing your pearly-whites without worry.

1. Oil Pulling – Gargling daily with oil has been all the rage lately but in fact its an ancient, Ayurvedic practice. Swishing with raw sesame oil is traditional but many people today prefer the lighter, tastier coconut oil. Oil pulling helps to kill mouth bacteria, strengthen gums and loosen up impurities on the teeth. Many of my clients who have been doing this for 15 minutes a day every morning find their teeth are whiter and brighter within three to six months. But this is just a nice side effect of better oral health!

2. Avoid Staining Foods – Coffee, wine, soda and high pigment fruit juices such as grape juice all are on the teeth staining food list. While I don’t recommend avoiding nutritious and colorful fruits and veggies, I do think ditching coffee, alcohol and colas good for your teeth and for your overall health.

3. Brushing with Baking Soda – Baking soda is a natural abrasive that buffs and polishes our teeth gently. Simply do this once a week as a sort of exfoliation treatment for your smile. Baking soda is also a strong alkalizer, which helps combat yellowing caused by high acidity in the mouth.

4. Treat High Acid – Hyperacidity in the mouth and digestive system can lead to tooth damage, which leaves teeth vulnerable to staining. Acid from the stomach that comes up from reflux erodes dentin, so treating the digestive ailments play a part of maintaining white teeth. Another example of holistic vanity!

5. Lemon Juice – Lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent used for a variety of things. As a teen, my friends used to use it for their hair and I use it around the house as a natural stain remover. Nature’s little whitener is a nice way to deep clean our teeth once in a while. I have used this ultra-occasionally on its own but lemon is acidic. So, you can also combine it with alkaline baking soda to counteract and balance the pH.

6. Avoid Dry Mouth – I recently learned from my dentist that dry mouth leads to high mouth acidity. I think that this is one reason why oil pulling is so good. But beyond this, there are many other culprits of dry mouth. Once is sleeping with your mouth open. I actually have one client who tapes her mouth at night to fix this! Another is smoking. Smoking worsens dry mouth – and we probably all already know that smokers are more prone to yellowing teeth.

The post 6 Ways to Naturally Whiten Your Teeth appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Many, many people ask me about anti-aging. Anti-aging, I use the term often enough but when I really think about it, its an odd idea isn’t it? How can we be against aging? In reality, it futile because aging is an inevitable process that will keep marching on to the drum of time. What I advocate isn’t so much anti-aging but healthy aging; supporting our tissue health so that we age with resilience and vitality. And how do we do this? Anti-oxidants? Heavier creams? Peeling away our wrinkles? These things all help but the real key to anti-aging, ahem, healthy aging is blood circulation. Anti-aging and circulation are so correlated because of the bloods influence on collagen production, oxygen distribution and detoxification.

Collagen Production

Where there is blood flow, there is collagen being made. This is why most anti-aging treatments including stimulating circulation. Trust me, from laser to the non-surgical face lift, they all have a component of revving up our bloodflow. To understand this, lets look at our skin in teh process of being damaged (aging is simply wear and tear). When we hurt or wound ourselves, our bodies bounce back by rushing resources to the area to mend our skin. These resources are brought to the site via the blood. The blood is a vehicle for nutrition and repair so when its impeded, we don’t rejuvenate quickly. Unfortunately our circulation slows as we age making us also prone to damage and putting a damper on our collagen production.

Oxygenation

Our red blood cells carry oxygen, so our blood is the means for oxygenating our tissues. Oxygen is important for feeding and replenishing our tissues and without it they become damaged and start to degrade. This is why our blood content is very important for skin health. When we have lot iron, we get dull skin because iron keeps our hemoglobin in tact. A lack of iron means a lack of red blood matter (and less color in our complexion) and less oxygen feeding our skin tissue.

Detoxification

As we age everything slows down. Our metabolism, our cell turnover and our circulation. While he blood brings nourishment to our tissues but it also removes wastes from them, so detoxification also slows down. A build up toxins also wreak havoc in the body and cause aging. Toxic overload leads to inflammation that creates free radicals (scavenging molecules that can damage our tissues). So, movement is also important for breaking up stagnation in order to maintain a clean and healthy constitution.

As you can see, your blood flow can a powerful effect on the healthiness of your body and its tissues, making it key to real, holistic healthy aging.

The post Your Blood: The Key to Anti-Aging appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

This gal WANTS the extra bag under her eyes.

When I’m tired I get crazy bags under my eyes. Its actually a bit of a preoccupation – so much that I’ve written posts on how to treat these both naturally and holistically (actually, see my “eye bags” blog category. But there’s a new beauty trend that may mean mark a new puffy eye love. Maybe this will end under eye treatments forever!

I was told about this by a Korean-Canadian friend of mine who has her finger on what’s hot in Asia – specifically Korea, which is arguably the cosmetic capital of the world. “Aegyo Sal” translated means “Charming Fat” and apparently, young Koreans are actually trying to make an under eye bag with makeup and surgery. K-pop stars are getting fat put in under their eyes, while make up companies are marketing products that allow you to shade in a bag.

Here are some eye bag “tapes” that can be pasted on in order to make a pucker.

And make up techniques for faking an eye bag….

Granted, Aegyo Sal is not about loving any old eye bag – its specifically a tiny bag right under the lash line that is said to mimic childhood puppy fat – BUT when I learnt about this I realized that we really can find anything beautiful. I think some other articles online have the tone “Oh those crazy Koreans” – but I don’t see it that way at all. What it really showed me was that beauty is shaped by social conditioning. This trend turned what I thought and knew about the perception of what is attractive upside down on its head!

Now, I say we make fine lines and under eye circles a thing. Make signs of aging hot – it’ll be a trend that is a lot gentler on ourselves.

The post Puffy Eyes En Vogue? The “Charming Fat” Beauty Trend appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

The post How Your Thyroid Health Affects Your Skin appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

I have written about the importance of good circulation for anti-aging and treating cellulite in the past. For those who don’t know, our blood is a vehicle to feed our tissues as well as transport waste away. As we age, our circulation slows down along with our metabolism and regeneration, making for less healthy skin tissue. I have seen this directly in hand and foot dryness of those with poor circulation. Because our extremities are the last to receive blood flow, when this is impeded, they become dry, brittle and even cracked. The blood also does a number of important things for health, it transport our immunoglobulins and also regulates our body’s temperature. I hope I’m making myself clear: the flow is important.

You’re Hot and You’re Cold

So what do we do treat poor circulation? There are a number of ways: exercise, eating circulation stimulating foods…a multi-faceted approach is very important for such an issue. One of the best ways to really pump of our blood flow is through hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy is the use of water for healing. This includes the use of therapeutic baths, water pressure massage and hot/cold showers.

Hot and cold showers (also known as “Contrast Showers”) basically use extremely hot and extremely cold temperatures in your daily shower to rev up circulation. Our blood vessel constrict (with cold) and dilate (with hot), helping to uber stimulate our circulatory systems. I personally hate cold but once I started doing these showers, I found I slowly built up a tolerance to more and more extreme temperatures. In all honesty, I began with hot and luke warm showers, gingerly inching my way to cool. But once I began to do this regularly, it became less of a challenge and just full on refreshing! The idea that I was going to be doing some natural anti-aging and supporting my overall wellness was also exciting. Studies on this therapy have shown to even increase our white blood cell count!

Hot and Cold Showers 101

This treatment is good for:
– Anti-aging!
– Poor Circulation
– Weak immune system
– Chronic colds and flus
– Intolerance to extreme cold or hot

Equipment Needed:
Regular household shower (with properly working hot and cold water of course!)

Procedure
1. After washing and shampooing, increase the hot water to make a hot shower.
2. Leave this running for three minutes
3. After three minutes switch the shower temperature to cold.
4. Leave this running for 1 minute.
5. Repeat this hot and cold cycle 3-5 times.
6. Finish with cold to constrict the vessels preventing prolonged vasodilation

Tips:
– If you are sensitive to hot or cold, you can start with warm/ cool to get used to this practice. The colder, better but you can build towards this gradually. Have faith, your resistance will build up!
– You can also avoid using the contrast shower over your head. Many find this helps them tolerate these extreme temperatures.

Modification: You can modify the amount of time for the hot and cold cycles depending on your comfort but you should always maintain a 3:1 hot to cold ratio. Also, never use more than 1 minute of cold.

Contraindications: Epilepsy or any condition that is prone to seizures, pregnancy, cardiovascular problems, extreme frailty, loss of sensation, advanced kidney disease, recent meal, alcohol or drug consumption

The post Alternating Hot and Cold Showers For Anti-Aging appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Hormones and skin have a deep, interconnected relationship so I thought I would revive my holistic hormone series! A few years back I write posts on how hormones affect our skin as well as made some tub talk interviews with Dr. Makoto Trotter, ND. Obviously, everything I post is on natural hormone-balancing!

This time I wanted to focus specifically on acne. For the hormonal beauty renaissance, I did a good ol’ tub talk with Dr. Emily Lipinski, ND, who I’ve made other informative beauty videos with. She knows a ton about women’s health and run the website periodmakeover.com, with her gal pal/ holistic nutritionist.

So, if you can a few moments to learn about clarifying skin through healthy hormones, watch this video. Holistic vanity at its best!

The post Clear Skin Through Natural Hormone-Balancing! appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Geranium oil is one of the most multi-purposed, beautifying natural ingredients. Know for treating a broad spectrum of skin problems from fungal infections to signs of aging, this oil is really a work horse of the natural essences world. And did I mention is smells wonderful? This floral has a sweet scent akin to rose that is both uplifting as well as calming. In fact, its recommended in aromatherapy for stress and anxiety. But this is a beauty blog so lets talk skin y’all! Four geranium oil skin benefits:

Sooth Skin – Geranium oil is an anti-inflammatory, helping to bring down skin redness such as rosacea and acne. It also is good for generalized sensitive skin as it strengthens and repairs skin tissue. However, it is important to remember that skin type prone to inflammation should always use low amount of essential oils so not to over-stimulate their reactive tendencies.

Banish Blemishes – Geranium is excellent for breakouts due to its anti-inflammatory (mentioned above and anti-bacterial properties. These two actions bring down blemish redness and clarify bacterial infection.

Camellia oil also contains geranium!

Drain Lymphs – This oil is known to aid sluggish circulation and gently stimulate the lymphatic system. This is especially important for rosacea skin types, which often have poor blood flow from damaged and broken capillaries. Pooling blood leads to more capillary dilation, dullness and congestion. Lymph drainage is also excellent for those prone to facial swelling.

Support Anti-aging – Ideal for skin rejuvenation, geranium is one of the oils most often used in anti-aging formulas. This is because it help to improve skin elasticity, diminish skin marks and encourage skin regeneration!

Geranium: Natural Anti-aging!

The post 4 Ways Geranium Oil Can Help Your Skin appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Dull skin? This may because of low iron. When you look at the structure of the hemoglobin molecule, iron is in its center – essentially holding it together. So when we lack iron, we lack hemoglobin (the molecule in red blood cells). This is why one sign of anemia is a pale complexion due to the decrease in red blood particles. Also, hemoglobin transports oxygen and a shortage of it also leads to less oxygen distribution. Oxygen is important for feeding our tissues including our skin.

Beyond the skin, its also important to look to your body for signs of low iron. Brittle or peeling nails is another symptom as your extremities are also not being fed and nourished properly through the bloodstream. Hair loss can also be linked to anemia along with low oxygen leads to sore muscles and overall fatigue. Its near impossible to truly feel your best if you are uncomfortable and depleted of vitality.

Easy Ways to Get More Fe (Iron)!

One easy way to increase your iron is to eat more iron-rich foods. Meat is a common go-to as animal protein tends to be your highest source of iron. But for those who want to get more iron in through plant-based foods, blackstrap molasses, pumpkin seeds and spinach are excellent sources. Just remember with the spinach, you need to pair it with some vitamin C to make the iron readily available. Squeeze a lemon or orange over your spinach salad to give yourself an injection of Fe power!

However, if you are not absorbing your iron due to poor digestion, you may need to supplement. Ask your naturopathic doctor for the options that will work for your body best. I find the liquid form the more easily absorbable, myself. Saying this, I try not to over-supplement so I look for other ways to get in iron. One tip given to me by Dr. Emily Lipinski is to cook with iron cookware. I know many foodies who swear by cast iron kitchen stuffs for efficacy but this is also nutritious! This will help you get into a little iron on a daily basis as it subtly seeps into our food (note: if iron is getting into our food through our cookware, its important to look into what materials your other pots and pans are made of!).

With a few small changes, you’ll be beating iron-deficiency and enjoying glowing skin, strong nails, voluminous hair and effortlessly dancing a little happy dance. Now that’s beautiful.

The post Get More Iron For Glowing Skin appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

You may also ready be a regular yogi, but have you tailored your practice to your constitution and your energy? Yoga is a mind-body-spirit practice that is deeply related to ancient medicinal science, Ayurveda, which prescribes different poses, paces and mental states for your yoga routine based on your health and wellness goals.

Tissue depletion ailments can be supported by balancing what Ayurveda refers to as Vata: the energy of air and space. This relates to the process of aging as we lose tissue as we mature. Naturally, our skin thins, we lose hair, our muscle mass decreases and we overall become for dry. In other words, we become accumulate more “air” and “space” in our constitution. Osteoporosis is an example of space manifesting in our bone tissue and is considered to be excess Vata according to Ayurvedic medicine. Along with herbs, diet, mantra and detox, yoga postures and adjustments can help ground, strengthen and promote density in those with high Vata. This is anti-aging yoga.

Poses for Resilience

The practice for pacifying Vata must be centered around grounding. This means starting in a calm, focused mindset and relinquishing feelings of worry, scatteredness and anxiety. Vata manifests air in the mind so this is a challenge as they are prone to short attention spans and erratic, jumping thought patterns. To do this, the room should be made extremely comfortable and preferably silent. It should also be slightly warm as those with too much Vata tend towards being cold (as we age we also find ourselves to be more cold-sensitive). This warmth will also support the immune system and lubricating bloodflow. The pace of the practice should be slow and fluid, which is similar to the pace of tai chi or qi gong (no power yoga classes!). And in each asana, the gaze should be directed at the floor as it is said to keep the mind and therefore body grounded to look to the earth.

The poses that ground Vata are ones that force you to balance. Balancing poses challenge your concentration and ability to focus and quiet your mind. They also gently put pressure on the body to strengthen. These poses are excellent ways to develop muscles along with their supporting muscles and ligaments. They also create very subtle impact on the body, encouraging more density in the bones and muscle tissue without a lot of hard pounding (such as with running). One of the main sites of Vata is in the colon, which is why constipation is a symptom of its excess. Asanas that promote circulation and detoxification in the lower gut/ abdomen are particularly therapeutic such as forward hinging poses (these also require balance and naturally include a downward gaze). Examples are provided below!

The Asanas

Simple Mountain Pose

This is balancing, grounding and gentle on the body.

Wide Standing Forward Bend

Tree Pose

Legs Against The Wall

Lying down is very supportive for the body and helps to gently move and strengthen the low abdomen.

The post Anti-Aging Yoga, Vata-Pacification appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

People are gaga for apple cider vinegar these days (endearingly shortened to simple ACV). Its used internally to cleanse the liver, re-alkalize the body and gentle detoxify our tissues. But beyond taking a spoonful of ACV daily, many naturalists love it for beauty. Its raved about online as a natural toner, cleanser and anti-inflammatory. Unfortunately, some of this exuberance is misguided. While I love, love, love apple cider vinegar for beauty – like any ingredient – its great for some conditions and detrimental for others. Read on for guidance on how to use this trendy health food.

ACV: An Amazing Hair Rinse

Apple cider vinegar is great for hair. I love ACV as a hair rinse as it creates volume, clear scalps and softer strands. I try to use it weekly as a head and scalp treatment and have even used it as a shampoo and conditioner replacement in a pinch. However, using it every day can be drying then lead to oil imbalance of the scalp. Those with resilient scalps may not experience this but others with oil-prone hair can find that too much ACV makes them bounce between a too dry and too oily mane.

A Natural Toner

Looking for a cheap, natural skin toner? ACV may be your answer. This vinegar makes a nice, astringent toner that removes oil and purifies the skin. Its great on thick, oily complexions that need a swab down of clarification. But I don’t recommend it for dehydrated skin. Apple cider vinegar can be too drying and irritate the skin. Actually, I personally have found it trigger eczema flare-ups in these skin types. Although, some of my clients swear by ACV for pustules, skin infections (especially infected ingrown hairs). I also have found it to be an excellent tonic treatment for mosquito bites.

Beware For Sensitive Skin

Along with dry, dehydrated skin, ACV must be used with caution on sensitive complexions. These usually happen to also be dry and dehydrated but not always. While it does take down swelling of inflamed bug bites, its not good on open, broken or sore skin. As mentioned above, it can also trigger eczema-prone skin because of its astringent nature.

Keeping ACV Away from Burns And Intense Inflammation

Because apple cider vinegar can be used on skin that is wet and inflamed, many people think it can be used on any time of inflammation. However, it works on wet inflammation (such as infections, bites and other parasites) because of its clarifying action. When used on dry, inflamed skin, it can be damaging. I experienced this personally. My husband and I both got very bad sunburns a while back on vacation to Mexico. It was a bright, painful burn that needed aloe vera immediately to cool it down and help our skin repair. Note: aloe is full of cellular water and hydration. Another hotel guest suggested we use ACV instead of tried and true aloe, saying they read about it online and touting its anti-inflammatory properties. I was skeptical but I like challenging my own preconceived notions in the name of experimentation and an open mind. Who knows? I have changed my view of many ingredients through personal testing. So, we dabbed ourselves in patches with ACV and left other areas alone completely. The skin that was treated with apple cider vinegar became so dried out and tender that could hardly move without discomfort. The untreated areas were also inflamed but no longer painful. We then changed gears and started using fresh aloe vera instead and found our skin’s healing speed up immensely. The ACV areas still lagging behind the previously untreated body parts! Take advantage of my curious mind and avoid ACV on burns and intense inflammation. These conditions need hydration to regenerate and repair so opt for soothing moisturizers and gels instead of astringent apple cider vinegar.

The post Apple Cider Vinegar: When and When NOT To Use It appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

As an esthetician I have found that controlled exfoliation can be one of the most skin transforming tools at my disposal. Emphasis on the word controlled. This is important because over-exfoliation can be very damaging to our skin and choosing the right method, strength and areas of focus much be properly strategized (if you want to know more about this read my post on the art of peeling).

One of my favorite methods of exfoliating is sea salt microdermabrasion for two reasons. First, because I have the utmost control and am able to manipulate intensities, number of rounds of peeling I can do as well as localization (sometimes I only work on lesions themselves and leave the rest of the face alone). And second, using natural sea salt is so much better than traditional methods.

What is Microdermabrasion?
Microdermabrasion is a form of exfoliation that involves “sand-blasting” the skin. A machine is used that disperses aluminum crystals and passed all over the face in a way that feels akin to being sanded down. Depending on the intensity and number of rounds you do in each session, it can range from not hurting at all with minimal flushing to considerable discomfort and redness that last for a few days. The job of the esthetician is to determine where you want to be on that continuum in order to achieve your skin goals. I’ve seen a bunch of skincare products marketed as “microdermabrasion” but believe me, the difference is in the intensity of the machine as well as the talent a pro.

Now there are more than one type of microdermabrasion. The traditional form uses crystals made from aluminum and remains the most popular. I have worked with these machines, and while they can give you excellent results, I do not like the idea of abrading and rubbing aluminum into open skin over and over. Moreover, while most of these crystals are rinsed away in each treatment, a unnoticeable residue will remain on the skin for up to two weeks. Yuck. Enter: Sea-salt microdermabrasion. This form of microdermabrasion uses finely ground all-natural sea salt that dissolves immediately in water. Its safe, its easy to remove and its better for your skin.

Sea Salt Micro 101
I’ve been doing sea salt microdermabrasion for almost ten years and have been amazed at the results I’ve seen. Its incredibly refining, reducing the appearance of fine lines, pores, scars and pigmentation. Dead skin cells are buffs away so that hydrated skin underneath are revealed and impurities are removed so that pores are clear and absorb moisture and skincare much better. Along with this, it temporarily stimulates circulation and blood flow, encouraging oxygenation of the skin as well as collagen production. This makes it excellent for anti-aging and evening out skin tone.

But I also love of safes this peeling is on sensitive skin. Sea salt microdermabrasion is a deeper peeling but causes less inflammation. The natural sea salt gives a deeper treatment but causes much less redness than the traditional type. This makes it much better for sensitive skin types – I have even done rosacea clients with this technology (very carefully of course), with no adverse effects. Most of my clients leave with no redness at all, and those who have had inflammation, experience it because we have targeted a deep issue such as ice pick scars or lesions and still find that their skin redness disappears by the next morning.

Sea Salt itself is purifying anti-bacterial, so has been effective for acne-prone complexions and sometimes we at Pure + Simple actually perform the abrasion after doing extractions so that the pores we picked are disinfected and closed.

Of course, like all exfoliation, you much use proper sun protection after doing a treatment. I also strongly advise using a rich, protective moisturizer for two days afterwards. This is to support your barrier function but also because its a time in which your skin will slurp up topical nourishment the best. I have had acne-prone clients skip this for fear that they will break out (you won’t if you use a petroleum-free product), and found their skin either does not exhibit the results they desired or that their complexion feels tight and dehydrated. Don’t waste your time and money! Do the proper after-care and you will enjoy beautiful, glowing, smooth skin from this natural and effective treatment. For more info, check out this short video we put together on sea salt microdermabrasion!

The post What Is Sea Salt Microdermabrasion? appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

If you have ever had an uncontrollably flaky scalp, you understand two things. First, that it can be a much more complex and difficult to treat condition that is often not improved by simple moisturization. This makes dealing with it incredible frustrating. Secondly, while it’s just a bit of dry skin, dandruff and scalp flakes are embarrassing. Like any beauty problem, it really shouldn’t be but for some reason we have been conditioned to be ashamed a few shedding dead skin cells. My husband actually struggled with a pesky case of flaky scalp that we would delicately refer to as “cradle cap” – cute, no? Because like most issues of vanity, once we get over the feelings of shame or stigma, we can move on to treating ourselves gently and lovingly. When we do not, we are often prey to doing harsh, damaging things to our bodies like using damaging, drying products that only make exacerbate the situation. From a loving perspective, we often are them open to finding that its quite easy to resolve these issues in a healthy, holistic way. I’ve dealt with many a case of flaky scalp and here are my top tips to clearing up this problem easily and naturally.

Use SLS-free shampoo – Sodium Laurel Sulfate, also known as SLS is a common detergent that is found in many shampoos and cleansing products. While it makes a satisfying foam and lather, its very stripping for our skin. Its actually used commercially to degrease industrial machinery! So, products with this ingredient worsens flaky scalps, causing more dryness and thus, more flakes. Cut the SLS and opt for a natural shampoo that is SLS-free.

Wash your hair every day – We often think about flakes as dry skin so naturally we want to preserve our natural oils. Logical? Yes! But when flakes get very bad and uncontrollable, its usually a more complex case. It has moved beyond being simple dry skin and into dandruff. Dandruff goes hand in hand with a scalp bacteria that lives on dry skin. When we control this bacteria we control the flaking. Washing our scalps well everyday may seem counter-intuitive but it helps eliminate this bacteria. I have seen clients who have struggled with dandruff for years start using a clarifying (but SLS-free) shampoo everyday see their flakes permanently disappear in weeks.

Use hair serum – Along with washing each day, we also want to replenish our scalp skin. One way is to use a water-based serum. This helps lock in hydration and boost skin moisture. You can use a natural serum that is designed for the face as there are not many water-based hair serums on the market. Many hair serums are just oils, which always struck me as odd…but what the hey. I usually recommend the Pure + Simple Algae Serum because it helps to retain tissue hydration but is also very affordable. Rub this serum into the roots of your scalp everyday after washing. It’s a nice treatment that won’t make you look greasy, so is fuss-free and practical.

Oil up – While serums are an important daily product, oiling our scalps should be a weekly ritual. Many people think they only need oil when treating flakes but that’s simply not true. Oil won’t infuse much needed water into dry skin cells but its does helps lock in moisture, stimulate healthy bloodflow and detoxify the scalp tissue. It creates a barrier that helps retain water. Also, oils such as neem and sesame are anti-bacterial, which help kill scalp bacteria. Adding essential oils to these base oil like lavender increase anti-bacterial properties, helping to naturally clarify the scalp. Apply an oil over a serum weekly to enjoy, healthy flaky-free heads and shoulders.

The post Control Flaky Scalp, Easy and Natural Solutions appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Most of us have heard repeatedly about the effects of sun damage on our skin and so are vigilant about slathering on the SPF all year round. Phew, our skin is safe! Think again. Unfortunately, there is also pollution damage. Yes, pollution and skin is another thing to worry about. Air pollution is not only a major health concern that can lead to respiratory ailments but on a more vain note, smog, smoke and exhaust cause damage to our skin creating extra beauty challenges in modern living. This of course, is not really a surprise, when our bodies are exposed to toxic chemicals and by-products, it can never be good for our tissues.

Aging by Smog

Air pollution has be found to lead to extrinsic skin aging, displaying how the world around us impacts our skin and bodies. Over a decade ago, I went to a conference in which one of the speakers was a researcher for a major cosmetic company. In his research, he found that pollution exposure led to inflammation and therefore free radical creation. Since then there has been much more research to support this and pollution’s effect on our skin pretty clearly impacts our complexions. One study of 400 Caucasian women ages 70-80 found a positive correlation between air pollution exposure and the severity of skin aging characteristics, wrinkles and pigmentation while other studies have revealed traffic pollution exposure to be associated with extrinsic aging. From an esthetician’s perspective, this means that those of living in big cities much take this into account when looking at anti-aging strategies.

Pollution and Pigmentation

I am obsessed with pigmentation. My own and others – but while sun is the most commonly cited culprit, research has found pollution caused by exhaust to increase the appearance of pigmented spots. In fact, one study reveals that an increase in soot and particles from traffic was associated with 20% more pigment spots on forehead and cheeks than its control group. This is not surprisingly because pigmentation is usually a response to inflammation. So, while sun is often blamed for causing dark spots and uneven skin tone, pollution must also be considered when trying to prevent hyperpigmentation.

An Increase in Sundamage

UV damage is known to wreak havoc on our skin and increase risks of skin cancer. But this is not stand alone risk. Some atmospheric pollution is known to be ozone depleting, thus, enhancing sun exposure. It has been predicted that for every 1% decrease in ozone there is a 2% increase in UVB radiation and a 2% increase in skin cancer. Therefore, air pollution not only has a direct impact on skin damage but also secondary effects that heighten the risk of other environmental assaults on the skin.

What Can We Do About This?

Decrease air pollution! Right. While, respect for the environment is embedded into the Holistic Vanity belief system (we must be holistic to achieve true beauty), I know its unrealistic to rely only on environmental strategies. Politics..sigh. So, what can we do that is immediate and within our control?

Well, first we must be religious about cleansing our skin. This is why it is so important to wash our faces at night. Many women think its just to remove makeup but its actually much more important for removing environmental pollutants of the day. If you are very concerned with this, you can also cleanse right when arriving home.

Second, protection is the name of the game. Heavy moisturizers and face oils not only lubricate your skin but also provide a barrier that helps to protect it against the elements. Remember, I am referring to natural moisturizers as chemical-based products have their own damaging effects. Along with this, if you wear mineral makeup or a mineral SPF, this too acts as a protective shield. Mineral sunblock unlike chemical sunblock is physical. This means that it sits on the skin and blocks UV rays unlike chemical sun screen agents that allow UV radiation to permeate the skin but neutralizes them. This barrier against sun also is a barrier against air pollution residues (and avoids hormone-disrupting sun screen chemicals!). Multipurpose natural products that are safe, protective and healthy? After learning all about aging pollution, all I can say is Yes please.

The post How Pollution is Ruining Your Skin appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

This summer I have been going for more than my share of leisurely soaks. After just coming back from bathing in Bath, UK itself I found myself heading to Bota Bota – a bathing water circuit in Montreal’s Old Port on a boat. Yep, a spa on a boat – is there anything more relaxing than that? Well…yea, there is but its not because of a lack of fresh sea air and beautiful atmosphere at Bota Bota. But before I get into the actual review of the place, let me explain a little on my view of water spas.

Water Spas: Pros and Cons

If you read this blog, you know I’m a spa owner. This makes me particularly particular but also a little empathetic to what’s going on behind the scenes. Pure + Simple is not a water spa so we don’t have to deal with the constant clean up and the different safety issues that water spas do. What we do need to do is worry about staffing a lot more and quality of staff. Because water spas essentially provide facilities: pools, steam rooms, saunas and lounge areas, their focus must be in upkeep of the environment. Sure they’ll have a spa sometimes but its not their core competency and often the practitioners at these places are not excellent because treatment services are simply not their bread and butter. This isn’t to say I don’t like water spas. In fact I love water spas – I have (trekked for hours to go to onsens in Japan). I love that I can take an afternoon to myself and just hang around. I also like that it can be a social affair, where you can enjoy a circuit of pools and steam etc. with a pal. And they’re less expensive. If you don’t book a treatment, you usually have enjoy the place for under fifty dollars. But there’s one snag – some of them, like Bota Bota, have a time limit. You see, there are two camps of these types of water spas: ones that limit your time and ones that don’t. The problem is that when you have a time limit of two hours, you can feel anxious about making sure you don’t go overtime for fear of paying the extra charge. Saying this, a time limit keeps a popular spa less full as people are being churned through every two hours.

Bota Bota: The Good

Bota Bota is a beautiful spa on a refurbished boat in the Old Port of Montreal. Being on a boat is wonderful because that meas there is ample outdoor space. This means no stuffiness or poolside smell, unlike indoor bathing places in Toronto, only a beautiful sunset view in the fresh summer air. I also could tell that it was designed by someone who understood the industry from small details found throughout the place. For me, relaxation is often in aesthetics of a place. When its clean and open, I immediately feel more comfortable and uplifted. Bota Bota definitely puts its effort into looks over therapy – something I felt in its use of a gorgeous wood sauna room instead of an infrared one (see image above). Another area I saw this was in its lay out. This was so well executed and it has many little alcoves to rest in: from hanging hammock baskets to sun deck chairs on every level. This is key as many water spas try to add in more facilities and sacrifice relaxation space. In fact, they simply do not have enough space allotted to seating and finding a place to even set your things down can be a hassle when its busy. Another thing I liked was that it allows men and women. In Japan and Morocco the spas separate the sexes and even at home in Toronto, the popular water spas are women only. This means Ben and I can’t go together. When traveling, it means he needs to entertain himself while I’m at the spa, which makes me feel a tad guilty as I have a good soak.

Bota Bota: The Not-So-Good

Unfortunately, the time limit is something that disrupts the zen vibe. While enjoying the lounge chairs on the upper deck, Ben and I got into a great, long conversation – the kind that busy young professional couples often don’t get to get into because we so rarely just sit down with nothing to do but enjoy each other – but I kept pausing it to ask him for a time check. I felt like I was checking for when our parking was going to run out. My anxiety also wasn’t helped out by the fact that the first thing we saw walking in was the front desk and two customers checking out arguing over how long they have been there. Ugh. Lets just say, the front desk at Bota Bota did not handle it well. And, I found the front desk in general rather unfriendly. The girl who checked us in made no eye contact with us and seemed to overall be bored with her job.

Round up

Like I said, the core offering of a water spa is the facilities, if they get that right I can forgive a lot. So, lacklustre service is trumped by the vigilantly up-kept spa atmosphere. The time limit is a bit harder to contend with. In Bath there is a time limit but they give you a grace period for getting dried and redressed, something they don’t do at Bota Bota (or at least wasn’t communicated). This meant that when the hair dryer did not dry fast enough I just abandoned ship in a panic and dealt with the wet hair. Maybe, if I go back I just have to accept that its okay to pay extra if I run overtime.

Lastly, we went on a Monday evening, which was perfect. Friends of ours had said it was a spa that was overly crowded but for us, it was very comfortable and quiet. An important part of visiting a water spa is to try and go at non-peak times. Of course, for the spa, the more people the more overhead costs that are being paid for. When if you’re paying for atmosphere, beyond the spa itself, the other patrons can make or break your experience.

The post Bota Bota, Spa On A Boat Review appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Aging is a process. So when people say they are looking for anti-aging its often hard to put measures into what that means. Even more difficult, its often hard to know if you are making progress when doing anti-aging practices and treatments. I’m all about measurement and tracking (I track all of my freckles and pigmented spot sizes) so when I saw a free radical levels test in the office of a naturopathic doctor, I bought it immediately.

A cute cartoon I found on http://diaryofmuhammad.com

Free Radicals

For those who don’t know, free radicals are molecules that are created in our bodies to scavenge abnormal cells. They have an unpaired electron so that they can easily bond to other molecules, thus quenching them. Free radicals are created when damage or inflammation occurs so they are an indication of damage in the body. The problem is that free radicals sometimes go rogue and actually scavenge our healthy tissues and cause their degradation – helping along the aging process. This is why aging is really just damage: the wear and tear of life. But still, I wanted to know how much damage I had accumulated. While I eat well and generally try to take care of myself, inflammation from stress and heavy metals can also contribute to free radical creation and I was unsure of both of those wild cards.

The Test

The test itself is distributed by a company called Osumex, based in Oakville, Ontario. Its a simple urine test so there is no sending into a lab for results making is quick, easy and instantly gratifying! The test itself is based on the measurement of a component called Malondialdehyde. Also known as MDA, this is a byproduct of free radicals when they oxidize fat so while the info pack that came with the test was light on the explanation, I understand that the test basically exposes the free radicals in your urine to fat and changes color accordingly.

All I had to do is collect my first urine of the day, transfer it with a pipette to the container provided then break open two ampoules (of mystery fluid) and place them in the container too. Then I turn the whole thing upside down so the contents of the ampoules drain into the urine and wait for five minutes. The range goes from minimal (a pale peach color) to severe (a hot pink color).

My Results

Eek! I couldn’t tell is I was in the “high” or “severe” range but my results were pink. I tried to delude myself that I was in “medium” but my rhubarb colored pee grimaced back at me. The Osumex handout recommends I take more antioxdants, check for heavy metals and improve my diet. The fact they also sell heavy metal tests brings out the skeptic in me but it definitely still has motivated me to explore antiaging. I already take turmeric, which is an antioxidant but I would be curious to see if my results varied about doing a cleanse and incorporating a few more different types of antioxidants! Nonetheless, it has put anti-aging foremost in my mind, which is probably going to help me in itself.

The post How Aged Am I? Testing My Free Radical Levels appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

So, one sunny Thursday in Paris, my husband and I arrived at Dans Le Noir. Ben was going to wander around Montmatre while I went to the spa but stopped in to use he washroom (Paris is a city bountiful with many luxuries but public toilets are not one of them). This meant he also got to meet my practitioner who happened to be a handsome, broad-shouldered man. He was dressed in all-black paired with dark black wrap around Oakley sunglasses. He walked stiffly towards me and introduced himself in the softest, gentlest voice that I couldn’t even hear his name. Of course, this could’ve been sorted out with a simple “Pardon?” but this would mark the beginning of my avoidable of errors that day.

Naked and Confused

I started to realize this when my therapist showed Ben to the women’s changing room and me to the men’s washroom. This was sorted out quickly enough but for reasons unknown, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for complicating things. I was told to undress and put my thing in one of the change room lockers. In the locker was a pair of disposable slippers, disposable undies and two large towels. Hmmm, no robe. I decided to wrap one of the towels around me and I rejoined my massage therapist who was patiently waiting for me outside the change room.

Then he led me a pitch black hallway. This was a strange experience because when you don’t know where you are going and you can’t see and you’re caught clutching the wall with one arm and holding your towel around your body in the other. We came to a wall of hooks where he told me to hang my towel before entering what would be the steam room. Hang my towel? “Oui” he replied. But I was naked under there! I realized I did not know the French word for naked. He waited. Maybe this is the thing to do? Maybe they don’t want everyone soiling up all the towels in the steam? Maybe I’m being a prude? He waited. So, I did what any polite, unable to communicate person would do: not cause a fuss. I stripped off the towel and hung it up and said “alors”. We then entered into the outside of the steam room area where I understood half of what he said to me. Partially because now I was standing naked in front of a very handsome, fully-clothes man in a dimly lit room. Partially because the battling spirits in my head were preventing me from paying attention. Am I supposed to be naked? You’re being stupid, he’s blind, he can’t see you! What if he’s not that blind? You remember those awareness ads about different degrees of blind? You’re being ridiculous, who cares if he can see you, its just a body – stop being so bourgeois! But what if someone else comes in sees you and they’re not blind? Oh, It’ll be fine – they’ll be naked too! What if they aren’t? Maybe they’ll have something on like a robe. Maybe your locker just happened to be missing one and you were too scared to ask! They’ll think you’re crazy! Or…or…some sort of pervert!

Then my nightmare happened. From the corner of my eye I saw a crack of bright yellow light. It sliced through the dark and begin to expand. Finally, a door flung ope and both me and my massage therapist turned around – and he stopped speaking. What should I do? My reflexes did the thinking for me so I grabbed my bits and yelled “don’t look!” in English. For all my self-talk, I was indeed bourgeois at heart.

“Its okay, I’m your husband,” Ben’s voice replied. He had just come out of the washroom. “STILL”, I insisted silly. It’s a weird feeling being the only naked woman in a dark room with two fully dressed men. “Go! Get outta here!” I whined. Ben laughed. My poor massage therapist, I couldn’t tell if he understood what was happening or if he was just as overwhelmed as I was. All I could do was laugh and he smiled a kind smile. After that, we clumsily worked out that I was to steam and he would come get me when he was ready.

Over-thinking Relaxation

In the steam room I tried to ground and breath in the thick, moist air. Okay, you came to a spa to relax – and all this anxiety if your own doing. I breathed deeply and this seemed to help. He then retrieved me and he showed me to the massage room. Another strange thing: there was no sheet to cover me on it. It was just a bed with a towel and no top sheet. I was still wearing disposable underwear that was now wet from the steam room. I hate sitting in damp but I also didn’t know if I could take them off.

While I know enough French to get around, they don’t teach you the word for disposable underwear in high school French class. I entertained the idea of just taking them off hoping he wouldn’t notice. But alas, it was risky. What if he did a bit of glut massage and felt my bare bottom? Maybe it would be taken as grossly inappropriate? I imagined him raising his eyebrows from behind his Oakley wrap arounds mid-effleurage in shock. No, it was too horrifying a thought so I kept them on, wet and all.

The massage itself was good. So conscientiously done that you could feel he was being very deliberate with his motions. I wondered how long it took him to memorize his techniques. As a trainer myself, I rely a lot on visually showing staff what to do and they rely a lot on taking notes. Both, which I imagine are harder to do when blind. I imagined that he would have had to have been guided through it manually to memorize the techniques – and who knows how long that takes.

At first it was hard to relax. While I had been to a blind spa in Thailand, this was very different. In Thailand, clothing is kept on, and you are taken into a lit room that is not unlike someone’s living room. Plus there were about six other blind massage therapists working on clients in the same room, each at their own stations. Everyone clothed. Of course, my massage therapist was incredibly professional but as a woman, I think we are conditioned to be spooked when we find ourselves naked, alone and uncovered with strangers in the dark.

I usually I’m very assertive and give lots of feedback to massage therapists. Coaching them with: “More pressure! Can we raise my head? That’s perfect!”. This time I simply said “j’aime la massage tres fort” but I didn’t have the energy to search for the words tell him I wanted a little more pressure in French. At that moment I felt so much empathy for Toronto immigrants to don’t speak English. Intellectually we know how tough it is to have language barriers, its literally a barrier between you and another, but here I was, in a spa – a complete luxury – stressed out and bewildered by my inability to communicate.

Stop thinking, I told myself. And stop thinking about immigration policy and much needed support programs! Finally he won me over with a good foot rub and I started to unwind. I guess sometimes you just have to surrender to the fact that you just don’t know. And maybe he felt the same way too.

The post Massage in Pitch Black, At Parisian Blind Spa appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

As a Canadian, I am always impressed by how old things are in Europe. Call me new world but its hard to find a building in my home town that’s over a hundred years old. Activity around Bath dates back to at least 8000 BC and it’s said that the ninth King of Briton cured his leprosy from the city’s hot, then middy, waters around 863 BC. He was supposed to be the father of King Lear….this is how old we’re talking (!). But it was the Romans who build a series of sophisticated baths that were dedicated to Minerva. You know the Romans loved a good soak, you can’t get through five pages of Ulysses without someone taking a bath and anointing their bods with olive oil. But it may have been Mary of Modena, wife to King James the second that made it infamous for health and healing for women. Battling infertility and the inability to produce an heir, her royal physician prescribed a visit to Cross Bath (seen below), still found today at Thermae Bath Spa as therapy. After she gave birth to a son soon afterwards, Bath became incredibly sought out and fashionable for British elite. Today, I’m happy to report that the waters are still for the people and are run by the people. The Spa is actually publicly owned and run by a council, not a private organization. This is something that is rare and comforting and I smiled when told by one local that the waters could never be owned by anyone as they have always been for the public to enjoy.

Still I think Bath’s reputation will always conjure up images of luxury and indugence. When I told a group of my gal pals I was heading to Bath, one exclaimed “oh! where everyone is Jane Austen books goes for a bit of escapism.” Exactly. And that where I was going to escape to too – after I was done for the day, gone would be the tension in my shoulders and I wouldn’t be thinking about checking my phone at all…or at least a lot less.

The Stomping Grounds…Er, Soaking Grounds

I think one of the most impressive things about Thermae is how big it is. It houses six buildings, four pools, four steam rooms and a spa treatment centre. Even the change rooms are huge and complex, outfitted with high-tech electronic wristband keys for its maze of lockers. I imagine people have gotten lost and confused because these provided bands are programmed to remind you which locker you are with a quick swipe of any of the available floor scanners.

There are four steam rooms. I repeat four steam rooms. Each infused with its own essential oil of jasmine, sandalwood, ginger or eucalyptus. I spent a good deal of time just running around to each one trying to decide which one I liked best. I was also booked in at the spa centre for a bamboo massage treatment. Because I love deep pressure, this service was recommended as they pair a relaxing massage with light whacks of bamboo reeds all over your body. It may not sound relaxing but my back is so tight, I was egging my practitioner on to whack harder! The staff at the spa were incredibly professional and detail-oriented. If you read this blog, you know that I am exceptionally picky, so this is saying a lot.

The Baths

Of course the best part of my whole experience was the bathing pools themselves. I went with my sister in-law, mother in-law and Ben and we all agreed that the rooftop bath with the view of the city was our favorite. I was lucky enough to have enjoyed a beautiful sunny afternoon up there as well as the beginning of sundown after my treatment. They actually offer a Twilight Package for couples, where you can enjoy an evening soak along with a meal and drink. What a wonderful way to spend an intimate night! I actually really appreciated the fact that Thermae is a mixed Bath because one draw back to the fabulous onsens Ben and I visited in Japan was that they separated men and women unless you prebooked a small private pool. I was also delighted to discover that you can still have a lazy splash about the ancient Cross Bath too. Thermae even books private parties there and for those living in England, I imagine it’s the perfect place for bridal shower or bachelorette (ahem, known there as a “hens night”, which always makes me chuckle).

I think I probably spent six hours there, which is more time than I ever spend at a spa that’s not my own. Especially a bathing spa, where I usually get antsy as soon as I start pruning up. But with such vast facilities, romantic views and local folklore, its easy to turn off and blissfully float away in Bath. A place worthy of its name.

The post Bathing In Bath, Britain’s Only Thermal Spa appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Description:
Rosacea is an inflamed skin condition that affects over 14 million North Americans today. Seen as facial redness, broken capillaries and tissue deformation in severe cases, rosacea can be an uncomfortable and frustrating skin problem. Because of its link to other systems such as the blood, lymph as well as our inflammatory response, rosacea is most effectively treated holistically. In this book, you will learn about how diet affects this skin ailment along with tasty, anti-inflammatory recipes. This ebook is an excellent resource to understanding rosacea and pre-rosacea (sensitive skin), the skin-gut connection and specific dietary guidelines for calm, healthy complexions.

Read “Recipes for Rosacea” For:

Rosacea 101:Learn about the nature of this condition from an esthetician with over a decade of practical experience about this condition. This ebook with outline causes, common aggravators and the Eastern Medicine perspective of rosacea.

Ayurveda and Rosacea:Understand how Eastern medicinal science, Ayurveda can aid sensitivity and inflammation. Kristen, an Ayurvedic Practitioner will explain the source of inflammation according to Ayurveda, known as the “Pitta Dosha”. With this, she will offer up ways to manage this dosha for calm, clear skin.

Anti-Inflammatory Recipes:Diet is a major factor in rosacea and this ebook contains easy, delicious recipes. All of them are gluten-free, dairy-free and designed to support proper digestion and soothe inflammation!

Beyond the Kitchen:Devoted sections to skincare and stress management round out the holistic approach to rosacea care. Learn the rules in choosing the right skincare regime and gain resources for cooling breathing exercises and Pitta yoga modifications.

The post Recipes For Rosacea: My Skin-Soothing New Ebook appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Mildred’s
Not a new place but one that I always hit up. This little Soho eatery is thought to be the best vegetarian resto in London by a few of my resources. To prove it, they don’t take reservations and there is always a line up to get in. Even on a Tuesday night…in the rain.

A simple spring salad with organic veggies

Fresh Summer rolls with nutty dipping sauce

Grilled Artichoke with Basil Mayo

Sri Lankan Cashew Curry

Vegan Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cake with Dairy-free Vanilla Ice Cream

The Bonnington Cafe
The Bonnington Cafe is less hip than Mildred’s but has a wonderful alternative vibe. Its actually a collective so there are different chefs each day. I hear that this sprung out of the fact that the area its in used to be an underprivileged area and many of the homes didn’t have kitchens – so the Bonnington cafe was really a place where locals would come and cook for the community. While the area is becomeing more and more gentrified, this community culture is still alive and kickin’. The restaurant feels like someone’s home and we actually had to text the chef of the day directly for a reservation. We had a great time and the food was really reasonable (a nice change from other London establishments…damn you exchange rate!). Saying this, I have no idea what other days would be like as it would be a different cook on staff.

Raw Tomato Quiche

The Artesian
A bit of a luxury, I tried this fancy pants bar on recommendation. It apparently voted best bar in the world so I was curious. The cocktail I ordered was made with Kombucha so I’m going to pretend that cancels out the alcohol factor;)

Gordon’s Wine Bar
Spend a day here in the romantic wine cellar. This place has all the atmosphere you could want as well as some organic plates and wines. I’m not a wine expert but I heard many ooohs and ahhhs over the wine list – so wine lovers, I think is your haven. It seems like yelp backs me up.

The Acorn
Okay, so not quite London but I had to include this restaurant. Its one of the best vegetarian restaurants I have ever been to and I have been to A LOT. I’m no longer vegan but I always check out veggie restos while in world-class cities because its great to see the innovation abroad. I think the top spot still goes to a Buddhist temple restaurant in Kyoto followed by a few places in India – but maybe this would be my fav in Europe? Their focus on local, organic shines through the beauty of their dishes. I’m glad there was a group of us so I could steal off many different plates!

Local beetroot with berry sorbet and caraway seeds

Fresh Summer Peas

Carrot and Corn Pate

In-season Rhubarb Martini

Roasted Mushroom with Mushroom Gravy

Citrus Spiced Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Truffled Broccoli

Even House-baked Gluten-free Bread with seedling dip

The post London’s Healthy Food Porn: Not Your Bangers and Mash appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

There aren’t that many things that define Canada but camping is one of them. Lets be honest, if you’ve lived in the great white north, you’ve had to rough it at least once. Maybe just to try it. Or because your parents thought it would be good for you. While many of my friends have portaged in a canoe (you can’t get more Canuck than that), if you’re like me, you’re happy sunning yourself lakeside. Either way, you’re exposed to the beautiful outdoors…and all of the assaults on your skin that the wilderness brings. Luckily there are a few common natural ingredients that you can throw into your backpack for some natural first aid. This also applies to trekking in Asia, or like my recent trip to Thailand, chillin’ in the jungle. So, calling all adventure-seeking types: here are some of the most common “roughing it” skin problems and their natural fixes.

Cuts and Scrapes

There is no escaping cuts or scrapes when spending time outdoors. Nature just isn’t designed to be smooth and silky (Valour tree?). So, I always pack a vial of organic lavender essential oil. This oil is anti-bacterial and stimulates skin regeneration. I actually use it a lot for scar repair. It is also one of the few essential oils that you can apply directly onto a wound without burning your skin – most essential oils need to be diluted. But this potent oil is safe to apply directly to the cut or scrape and won’t cause the feeling of burning that old fashioned iodine does. Its also not going to stain your skin and everything around it. Voila – nature’s polysporin! All you need is a drop or two so you can bring a tiny bottle with you when camping making it easy to pack and be mobile with.

Bites

I hate mosquitoes. I love all of nature’s creatures but the jury is still out on these little pests. One reason is because my bite puff out to big pink welts that make me look like I have a disease. It doesn’t help that they loooove me. I have tried so many repelling practices going so far as to order special vitamin B1 patches from the US because apparently they hate the smell of it in our blood. Unfortunately, I always get bitten to bits. Remedy? Apple cider vinegar. Dab a little ACV on your bite and it takes the itch right out. And when we don’t itch, we prevent our bites from swelling up.

Mystery Rash

Many clients have gone on long treks or multi-day hikes and say that they’ve gotten rashes. It could be from chaffing, it could be from being in damp clothes. Most often these rashes are wet looking and sometimes have white pus on some of the bumps. Dry rashes that flake can be fixed up by slathering on organic coconut oil but wet rashes need to be soothed and de-damped. One amazing solution is the Pure + Simple SPF 30 for Sensitive Skin. The zinc oxide in the mineral sunblock disinfects as well as dried out the area. It also creates a protective barrier that’s water-proof, sweat-proof and alleviates chaffing. Multi-purpose product! Shield your skin from the sun and treat mystery rash at the same time.

Burns

Being outside means sun exposure. If you’re fair skinned and out for more than three hours, there is no sunblock on earth strong enough to protect you. The best solution is a shade break but I hear that’s hard on a portage. The best thing to deal with a burn is good old aloe. Fresh is the best and if you have a plant at home, throw a couple stems in with your gear. You can cut these open and apply the gel to your tender bits as needed. Like natural packets of calm! But if you can’t bring aloe fresh or in a bottle, the next best thing is clay. Some clays are dehydrating while others can be slightly moisturizing. The Pure + Simple Purifying French Clay can be used to temper angry burns as well as spot treat blemishes. So if you’re lucky enough not to burn, you always have an emergency stash for breakouts. Apply this overnight to pimples and say sayonara to sweat-induced blemishes.

The post Ready To Rough It: Natural Skin Solutions For Bites, Burns and Mystery Rashes appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Borage Seed Oil

Borage, also known as “star flower” yields a rich, nourishing oil commonly used in natural facial moisturizers, lotions and oil blends.  This a hardy annual suited for the conditions of western Canada is celebrated for its ability to retain moisture within skin tissue as it contains gamma linolenic acid – a rare fatty acid.  It also has natural anti-inflammatory properties, making borage seed oil excellent for sensitive skin and preventing free-radical creation.  For these reasons it is one of the best natural treatments for skin damage such as scarring, stretch marks and sun damage.

Borage Flowers

Spruce

No stranger to evergreen, Canada is home many spruce trees, and in turn, spruce essential oil.  Black and white spruce oils are therapeutic ingredients in purifying skincare products.  Both boast strong disinfecting properties that help to clarify skin and treat blemishes.  While white spruce is grown across the country, it is widely spread in the St. Lawrence Valley.  Black spruce is also found in areas of Quebec and is sometimes distilled into hydrosol form, making a detoxifying toner.

Safflower Oil

Safflower is a thistle-like plant whose oil is used in moisturizing skincare for its replenishing properties.  Mainly grown in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canadian safflower produces oil that contains natural vitamin E and omega-6 fatty acid making it nourishing and protective.  Not only does it seal in moisture, guarding against wrinkles and fine lines, it also shields the skin from environmental damage.

Yarrow

This flowering plant is found as an essential oil or hydrosol in natural cosmetic formulations.  Known for its astringent yet soothing properties, yarrow is excellent for acne, inflammation and anti-aging.  The latter is from it’s ability to promote cell regeneration and healing.  Found in almost all parts of Canada, yarrow is also been said to be used traditionally by North American First Nations as a cure for skin rashes, swelling and cuts.

Yellow Yarrow

Hemp Oil

A newcomer to the natural beauty scene, hemp oil is now being added to many personalcare products.  We may be seeing this introduction because commercial hemp production in Canada was only legalized in 1998 after being outlawed for decades.  While production was initially predominant in Ontario, as of 2011, over forty percent of Canadian hemp seed cultivation takes place in Alberta.  We look forward to seeing its presence on cosmetic labels because of the oil’s concentration of antioxidants, phospholipids and minerals.  Along with this, hemp oil has an emollient yet non-greasy texture – an attractive and functional quality for skin moisturizers.

The post Oh Canadaaa! Top Natural Beauty Ingredients Made In Canada appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

The view from The Sanctuary

However, in true Holistic Vanity form, one luxury I haven’t curtailed is spa treatments.  So far I have racked up five Thai massage treatments and a Rolfing session.  The unfortunately named Rolfing therapy is a type of manipulation that aims to realign your body by repositioning fascia.  I booked this with Sarah at The Sanctuary Wellness Centre in Koh Phangan who not only gave me a great treatment but many insights into my own body.  She started my session by having me to strip down to my under things and walk up and down the room slowly (“with intent”) as she studied my gait and the weight distribution on my feet.  She then asked me to breathe slowly and assessed the symmetry of my rip cage as I inhaled and exhaled.  What she discovered was that my left hip is tighter than my right throwing off the balance of my spine.  Apparently, its been making my hips swing dramatically from right to left as I walk because the right tries to compensate for my left skew.  This also explains a very odd habit I have of rocking side-to-side when sitting or standing for long periods of time.  Just last month at a wedding Ben leaned in and said in a hush “darling, I think you’re weirding everyone at the table out with your swaying”.
So what can an asymmetrical gal do?  Well, Rolfing attempts to manually move the tissue that overlies your muscles to restore balance.  On the mention of fascia work I thought this was going to be similar to a gentle osteopathy treatment.  Boy was I wrong!  In a word: ouch.  Repositioning your fascia feels like you’re being carved and resculpted like clay.  Luckily, Sarah coached me through breathing exercises, though I think providing a piece of plastic to bite down on would’ve sufficed.   Not so surprising, she marveled at how every muscle she touched on my body was extremely tense, which made me wonder if I was both figuratively and literally uptight.  This of course translated into double ouch.

One of the most interesting things about this treatment is that the last ten minutes was devoted to putting me into a trance.  Done in a sound dome, this is done by playing a series of echoing gongs and what sounded like a bag of glass beads.  She also encircled me playing the didgeridoo – multi-talented or what?!  The dome made it so that I couldn’t tell where the sounds were coming from, as if encircled by vibration.  Trippy.  Needless to say, by the end of the treatment I was very relaxed.  My body felt so heavy that I went right back to my bungalow and napped afterwards.  Sarah said the heaviness was because it’s the first time in years my muscles weren’t tight and clenched up.  It funny how you don’t realize how stressed out your body is until its relaxed.  To continue this wonderful experience, I’m going to try to get regular Rolfing treatments when I get back to Toronto.  Apparently there’s a place called The Rolfing Studio on St. Clair and I hear that its good.  Hopefully they’re as insightful and skilled as Sarah was at The Sanctuary in Koh Phangnan and, with any luck, can help me sort out this gammy leg.  And while it’s a long shot, I secretly hope they also play the didgeridoo.

The post Makes Me Wanna Rolf: My Experience Rolfing in Koh Phangan appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

I’ve been at the Sanctuary Wellness Retreat in the South East of Thailand for the last three days and here it’s a heady mix of new age bliss, kissed with new age rave.  In the morning you’ll expect to find yoginis chatting about their fasts, wheat grass colonics and meditation experiences along side hung over party people sipping fresh coconut water to help their heads.  I came here because my good friend Lauren is teaching Pilates at the Sanctuary – and I figure what better way to ground and relax in Thailand than over smoothies and girl talk?

Upon arrival, you are greeted with this ginger lime juice

The Sanctuary is more of a complex than a resort.  There’s a main restaurant (that serves fantastic healthy food with a particularly good raw menu), a wellness spa and various jungle huts that provide yoga, pilates and meditation classes that you pay for as you go.  But sprinkled between these buildings and their bungalows, there are other businesses.Beyond the girl talk, I’ve been enjoying all of them.  The family-run laundry that hand washes and air dries your clothes for 50 Baht a kilo (about $2 a load), a small convenience store that also sells handmade coconut oil, two Thai massage houses (which are actually a bit pricier than other areas charging a whopping $10 per hour-long massage) and a tea house called the Tea Temple, where I will also spend most of my money.  The Tea Temple serves delicious organic teas but also a ton of Ayurvedic herbs, natural bodycare and delicious smoothies.  You can also book wellness services here for around $60 a session and I booked in a one-on-one heart meditation as well as a Rolf massage.  My friend highly recommends the Rolf treatment as you get a whole body assessment of posture, muscle quality and areas of weakness before you get manipulations that focus on moving displaced fascia that have cause these imbalances.  Its ended with some meditation as the practitioner plays the didgeridoo.  New age awesomeness. 

I did the heart meditation yesterday and it is actually more complex than I’m letting on.  Here, Glynise the practitioner leads you through a heart meditation to help open of the heart then coaches you on feeling what your heart is trying to express.  Then she does something called Psych-K, in which you try to move negative thoughts, feelings and patterns out of your body through a series of exercises.  Call me crunchy granola but I thought it was amazing.  All my neuroses gone!  Lol – how I wish that were true.  Still, its important to examine your emotional plane and this was a very effective way to honor the mind-body connection and encourage you to acknowledge this.

Fresh nori rolls from the Sanctuary kitchen. So delicious!

For the rest of my stay I intend to take advantage of the Sanctuary’s amenities – a clove oil-laced steam room and free meditation evening classes.  The only problem with the latter is that its deeper in the jungle where its thick with mosquitoes and I already have 73 mozzie bites.  I’ve been keeping inventory.  So maybe I’ll just spend that time having a Thai massage (which is basically yoga without you doing any of the work.  My kinda yoga class) or perhaps a late-day swim in the ocean followed by a leisurely swing in one of the beach side hammocks. 

So if you’re looking to recharge and bring out your inner hippie, The Sanctuary is the perfect place for you.  Just don’t forget to pack earplugs.

The post Retreat Review: The Sanctuary Koh Phangan, Thailand appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Inflammation and inflammatory pathologies can be supported by balancing what Ayurveda refers to as pitta: internal fire and heat. Yoga postures and adjustments that support this will temper chronic vasodilation, regulate blood flow and cool the mind. This is also great for holistic vanity as anti-inflammatory yoga can help temper rosacea, eczema and inflames acne.

Soothing Styles

Before we get into picking poses, first lets start with the basics.  Slower paced yoga will move lymph and blood without over-stimulating the latter.  Moving the lymphatics is important for avoiding water-retention, which puts pressure on your capillaries but fast-paced exercise will spiking circulation, creating heat.  Along with this, you should practice in a cool room.  Hot yoga classes are good environments for those who need more stimulation as the temperature heat increases blood flow but for those will too much vasodilation, this is inflaming.  Practice in a comfortably cool room (not cold) for a gentle, soothing yoga ritual.

If you are looking to calm inflammation should also make sure to incorporate soothing pranayam (breathing exercises) at the end of your yoga session.  This brings cooling breath and oxygen into the body as well as calms the mind.  Examples of this type of pranayam can be found here.  The theme of a more grounded mind must also be emphasized during the entire routine.  Trying to avoid tendencies of perfectionism or competitiveness is very important.  Simply enjoying how your body feels and focusing on living in the body rather than the mind helps to temper inflammation linked to our mentalities and stress.  On tip to help with this is to be conscious of softening the face and hands.  When we are concentrating hard and becoming very detail-oriented we tend to tighten our expressions and stiffen our hands, so relaxing these areas will also send feedback to relax the mind too.

The Asanas

Those with excess Pitta need to do poses with twisting involved as these wring out the digestive organs, where a lot of inflammation resides. This breaks up the heat in the abdomen, which is also the main site of Pitta is (in our jatharagni – digestive fire). With this, you need to do upright postures and avoid bending poses in which your head is lower than your heart.  This encourages blood to pool in the head and bring heat there through the blood and also stimulates extra bloodflow when you return upright.  This is an especially good tip for those with rosacea and sensitive skin as blood will also pool in the face putting more pressure on the capillaries, risking vessel breakage.  Some examples of cooling postures are:

Seated Twist
Revolved Chair
Half Lord of the Fish
Revolved Side Angle

Another anti-inflammatory tip is in your modifications.  Pittas need to soften their hands during poses (so not have them made into strong spears). When doing poses such as warrior, remember to make your wrists supple. This will also encourage you to instinctively soften your face, gaze and mind.  Here are some poses to look out for:

Warrior 1
Chair
Monkey
*images from Banyan Botanicals Website and Yoga Journal

The post Anti-inflammatory Yoga appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Mint
One of the most refreshing, cooling herbs available, mint can be used for treating skin inflammation inside and out.  It is wonderful as a digestive tonic that helps to soothe conditions like rosacea, eczema and acne, which are often linked to poor digestion and inflammation in the G.I tract.  But mint can also be made into a calming toner by infusing one handful of mint in two cups of hot water and refrigerating.  Transfer this into a spray bottle and mist sensitive skin types day and night after cleansing.

Basil
An excellent herb for anti-aging, basil regenerates dull complexions and repairs skin damage.  While sweet basil is most commonly found in North American gardens and grocery stores other types of basil are also fantastic for holistic beautycare.  In particular, holy basil, also known as tulsi, is a basil family member that is prized for its complexion-healing properties.  According to Ayurveda, tulsi is a rasayana – a natural rejuvenator that helps to restore skin tissue as well as is a powerful anti-oxidant.  Either type of basil can be added to meals or used as a facemask.  Simply finely chop one teaspoon of conventional basil or tulsi and combine this with one tablespoon of plain yoghurt to make a treatment mask.  Let this mixture sit for ten minutes so that the basil leaf essence can meld into the yoghurt base before applying it to clean skin.  Rinse with tepid water after twenty minutes for a newly hydrated, nourished complexion.
Sage
A strong anti-bacterial, sage is known to treat acne-prone, problem skin.  This herb helps clarify broken-out complexions and regulate surface sebum.  Add fresh sage to warm water and use this as a facial compress or put sage leaves into boiled water to make a clarifying steam bath.  To further use sage’s blemish-fighting action, drink as a tea.  Sage tea has been used in herbal medicine to rebalance the hormonal system and normalize the output of sweat glands.

Rosemary
A stimulating herb, rosemary.  Eating rosemary helps to stimulate blood flow, which is important for feeding and detoxifying the skin.  Poor circulation in the scalp and around hair follicles has also been linked to hair loss making rosemary a therapeutic hair oil additive.  Press rosemary with a spoon before letting it soak in one cup of olive, jojoba or coconut oil overnight.  Apply this oil to the roots of the hair while doing an invigorating scalp massage.

The post Spring Beauty Recipes Made By Your Herb Garden appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Its a Yoga Town

yoga at Tulum’s Amansala

With its roots in being a destination for yoga retreats, an asana is never to far away. There are yoga retreat resorts as well as many offering drop-in classes to those who don’t stay there. The best part? You get to do your sun salutations in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

2. It Caters to Dietary Restrictions

A small, quaint place in town

I almost cheered when we went to an upscale, beachfront Italian restaurant and were informed the whole menu was dairy-free. Italian is often a problem for me as I don’t eat dairy products and avoid gluten (Pizza is a nightmare). But here, it was no problem at all. Most places catered to my picky palate and I noticed that almost every menu (even humble chalk boards) had gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options. Finding food I can eat is often stressful when traveling and its one more reason you can truly relax in Tulum.

3. Everything From Scratch

Ben’s breakfast made with fresh baked coconut bread

Looking to eat clean while vacationing? The hotel we stayed at makes all of their coconut milk by hand from coconuts that they grow on the premises. And if you’re going to be bad and have a few drinks, at least you can do this while knowing they only use fresh squeezed juices as mixer! This extended beyond food too. When I got a bit too much sun, the hotel manager told me about a big aloe plant they had in their garden and gave me a few stalks. I use aloe gel a lot but the freshness of the just-cut plant was much more healing and powerful than any I had used. I don’t know if there’s magic in their soil but it helped my burn even better than the aloe pot I used to have at home.

one of the staff opening a fresh coconut

These smoothies are famous in my group of friends. I tried to recreate it at home but its just not the same.

4. They Have Spa Services Beach Style
While waiting for my yoga class at Maya Tulum to start, I noticed an esthetician leading a young woman into the sea to rinse off. The woman was caked head to toe with what looked like some sort of turmeric paste. Unlike most body wrap treatments, no shower was needed! Only the waves of the ocean. I myself opted for a simple massage done by the beach in the shade of a big tree.

5. It’s Gorgeous

You know its beautiful when you take pics like this on your phone with no fill needed!

There is something to be said about the beauty of nature. Naturopathy itself is based on the idea of using nature as medicine. Well, just being near the ocean in a small, eco-hotel had me the most un-Pitta I have been in years. And that is truly anti-aging.

6. It’s Quiet

Made up of small Eco-hotel that offer up little cabanas on the beach, there are no crowds and that means no noise.  Unlike the blaring noise of all-inclusives with their pool aerobics and busy buffet lines, Tulum offers a more serene environment.  Here, you can feel closer to nature and have nothing planned but to rest under a palapa and read a good book.

The post Tulum: Six Reasons it’s the Ultimate Holistic Vanity Get-away appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

1. Indiana – Solo Dancing (Joe Goddard remix)
One benefit of being married to a Brit is that you get early exposure to British tunes. They do really bad sugar pop music but great hip hop and electro. And how hot is this singer?

2. Son Lux – No Crimes
I went through a week of only playing Son Lux’s album Lanterns. Its on the Joyful Noise label – and joyful noise it is! For when you don’t just want to work out to dance music.

3. Niki and The Dove – The Drummer
This Swedish electr-duo are part hippie, part Stevie Nicks-inspired vocals and a large dose of drum machine. Perfect for hitting the pavement hard. Wait until the chorus hits and start doing intervals!

4. Jesse Boykins III – Plain
Dance along to this video for the happiest work out ever (hipster homage to Jane Fonda?). Also great tune for cool down, this RnB gone Brooklyn hipster is the master of the catchy chill groove. I also want his jacket.

5. Empire of The Sun – DNA
I don’t like all of their songs but this one always gets me going. So much so, I sometimes want to dance instead of jog! A great antidote for when you don’t feel motivated to exercise at all.

6. Elastic Band – Running Up That Hill
Okay, so I had to add an old school 90s track. Anyone who knows me, really knows me, knows that I’m obsessed with 90s techno. This cover of Kate Bush has nothing on the original except for the fact it will getting you running up that hill waaaay faster. Let the cheese wash over you.

The post Spring Work Out Tunes: Holistic Vanity’s Running Playlist appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Enjoy this half hour of Ayurvedic goodness. I know its a bit of a time investment but sometimes you need to in order to truly understand concepts. Especially ones that have developed over thousands of years   If you want more videos on holistic beauty, check out my YouTube channel!

The post Better Than Botox: Ayurvedic Anti-aging appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Just to clarify, we are going to be talking about natural vegetable oils (organic, unprocessed ones are even better) and water (preferably plant-waters).  Chemically-based systems will only further imbalance the skin because of their stripping and congesting properties.

Oily Dehydrated:
This skin type feels tight, yet greasy, and sometimes it even flakes when there’s oil on its surface.  It is prone to pore-congestion because its oil hardens due to the underlying dryness.  A common misconception is that oily skins should never be moisturized; in fact, they need hydration to prevent them from producing more oil to compensate for their lack of water.  Therefore, dehydration can be the real cause of acne.

During a facial, extractions are difficult if oil has hardened to the walls of the pores.  In this case, the client needs to follow a hydrating regime for at least two weeks before returning for a successful pore-cleansing.

Daily routine Essentials:

1. A milk cleanser.  This is best because astringents encourage oil-production.  If a gel cleanser is preferred, it must be gentle.
2. An alcohol-free toner like Organic Witch Hazel Hydrosol.  This will purify the skin without drying it.
3. A serum for extra water.  Pure + Simple’s Algae Serum is excellent because algae is especially good at holding water.  If you ask the Pure + Simple estheticians, this serum is probably one that most of them use on themselves.
4. A medium-weight moisturizer to slow down dehydration and soften the skin’s surface.

Oily Hydrated:
This is the truly oily skin type (balanced Kapha). It still needs protection to maintain its beauty.  Any comedones (blackheads, whiteheads) can easily be extracted and this skin ages well.

Daily routine Essentials:

1. A detoxifying mask once or twice a week to draw out impurities.
2. A very light moisturizer is ideal.  Serums can be sufficient to maintain moisture during warm, humid months.

Dry Dehydrated:
This is the oil-dry skin type (Vata). Hydration is being lost too fast through evaporation and/or aging (loss of collagen).  Both oil and water is needed.  Comedones, if any, are tiny and difficult to extract.

Daily routine Essentials:

1. An anti-aging serum.  Even younger skins in this category need this prevention. Pure + Simple’s own Collagen Elastin Plus Serum is fabulous for moisture and anti-aging.
2. A rich, nourishing cream.  We must nourish, nourish, nourish.  An emollient cream will also seal in the water from the serum.

Dry Hydrated:
This skin, which is genetically oil-dry, usually occurs in younger people.  It has small pores and looks thin but is actually healthy and plump with water.  Because its surface is dry, it needs oil.

Daily routine Essentials:

1. A face oil to lubricate the skin’s surface and serve as a protective barrier.

Combination Dehydrated:
This skin is oily in the T-zone, but dry in other areas of the face where water is needed.

Daily routine Essentials:

1. Lavender for balancing oil-production.  An organic lavender mist is recommended as a toner to help maintain balance everyday.
2.  A serum and a medium-weight cream.  We can even mix them or apply each to a specific area depending on need.

Combination Hydrated:
This skin type is generally healthy, perhaps with excess oil in the T-zone.  As above, the flexibility of a serum and a cream is great.  Also, regular facials are recommended to clear the pores of the T-zone without over-peeling or drying the skin.

Normal skin:
Perfectly normal skin simply needs gentle maintenance to prevent imbalances. Using a natural skincare line is important to prevent inducing other skin types.

The post The Balancing Act: Understand What Balanced Skin Actually Means and How to Get It appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

You wrote about doing business in a new collaborative and ethical way in “Growing a Business”, what companies do you think are exemplifying this today?
I think the companies that are emerging in the peer-to-peer, sharing space are doing it well. Yerdle, Ouishare, Sidecar, etc. Not always, but often because of the way they are oriented. To be honest, I have very little contact with company cultures. I only know what I hear or what I read. I do not consult with companies any longer (too many requests) and I think I have more leverage in either writing or creating my own company(s). I do think the act of creating a company has radically changed generationally. A top-down, hierarchical form is still prevalent, but if you want to create a company that is relevant today, you have to think in terms of inclusivity, openness, transparency, and authenticity.

Along with the private sector, you have more recently written about the the nonprofit sector. Tell us about they shape the new movement you outlined in “Blessed Unrest”.
Well, I wrote a book about it because I could not capture it in a few words. Basically, I believe there is a collective wisdom in humanity that is manifest in the million + non-profit organizations that address the problems of the environment, poverty, human rights (especially women’s), and cultural conservancy. In essence, I have called it humanities’ immune response to ecological degradation, political corruption, and economic disease. It is everywhere; it has no center, no ideology, no charismatic leader. It is a movement arising from the ground up, usually by default. The institutions we expect to honor life and justice do not, whether it is the church, the government, schools, corporations, politicians…so people organize to care for that which is being demeaned, harmed, or hurt. When we see the world through the eyes of compassion, we cannot help but want to help, and we cannot help but fall in love with life.

You write about the power of organizations, but what can we do as individuals?
Organizations begin with an individual’s insight, conscience, concern, and sense of justice. They do not start en masse. Behind and within every organization is the individual. The most powerful thing an individual can do is change themselves, educate themselves, re-imagine what it means to be a human being alive today at this time of transformation. And then act on that sensibility. Speak to it, embody and live it.

What’s your take on the beauty industry today?
Women (and men) have been made into crash dummies by the chemical industry. Behind all the glossy ads, the long-legged models, the glamor and glitch, is a witches brew of compounds that should not be placed on the hair, scalp, skin, or lips. I think every woman knows this in some way. Some look past it, some do not know what to do, others actively find alternatives and help others do the same. It is time to clean up the beauty industry. When organic food was first sold, people put it down because it was not as big, colorful, juicy, or fresh in some cases. Today, organic is fresher, tastier, more nutritious, and more appealing. This is what is going to happen in beauty and cosmetics, but women have to be discriminating and investigate, question, demand, and be willing to say no to being exploited. Right now, silicone and glycerin conditioners are all the rage, because it makes hair shiny. Of course it does. It is also called Armor All. Women wouldn’t spray what they spray on their tires on their hair but they actually do because it is expensive and deceptively sold as safe and natural. I think within a decade we will wake up to the fact that hair dye, although maybe not carcinogenic, is wreaking havoc inside women’s bodies in ways that doctors do not understand, see or correlate. The cardinal rule needs to be discovered by women if they are to be healthy, which is don’t put it on your body if you would not put it in your body, because you are anyway.

While lecture touring, whats in your travel bag? Which grooming items keeps you looking and feeling your best?
I travel very light. I carry as few extra clothes as possible. I wear a pair of walking shoes, and take one for running or gym. Two t-shirts, one pair of jeans, yoga pants, enough socks and underwear, a sport coat for when I am at the podium or being interviewed, and something to keep me warm outside. In my shaving kit is toothbrush, floss, aspirin (it helps me sleep if I change too many time zones and I do not want to take sleeping pills), b-vitamins, skin serum, and sometimes sunblock if needed. That’s it. I do not take any pharmaceutical ever, at home or on the road. And I take good books.

Any men’s care tips that combine self-care with sustainability?
The best care a man can take is food, exercise, service to others and meditation. And then stay clean   I work out for an hour or more every day except one rest day a week.  I do not drink coffee, black tea, milk, or alcohol. I avoid dairy, red meat, (I eat fish if fresh), sugar, soft drinks, caffeine, and anything made with flour. Lots of veggies, fish, nuts, seeds, almond milk, fruit, and weird stuff like chaga, maca, green food, and reishi from Paul Stamets. I am always fooling around with something new to eat. I am looking at Houttuynia cordata right now, also known as dokudami in Japan. We call it Lizard’s tail or heartleaf. Plants are amazing. Eat them. Smile.

The post Earth Day Primpin’: Eco-Activist Paul Hawken Talks Beauty Biz and His Own Regime appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

When I had acne I was convinced that drying out my skin was the best way to treat blemished skin. Unfortunately, drying out my skin only gave way to more blemishes as it impedes barrier function, provokes increased oil secretion and causes inflammation.  In my experience the beat way to clarify the skin is to bolster its healthiness by nourishing it.  But that’s not to say that you don’t need to purify problem complexions.

Wonderful Witch Hazel

When an acne sufferer has small blemishes that do not have a pustular head, moisturizing and rebalancing is often is best on its own but if acne is cystic and have a lot of pus disinfection is still needed.  However, purifying and drying are not one and the same.  Hydrosol from natural astringents such as witch hazel are both gentle and anti-inflammatory as well as anti-bacterial.

Witch hazel is one of my go-to hydrosol a for toning cystic acne complexions.  It disinfects the skin without stripping it unlike alcohol-based toners and treatments. Using the water extracted from this plant makes for an excellent clarifying toner as well as can be added to a facial mask, charging it with blemish-fighting power.

Soothe and Heal

It’s anti-inflammatory properties makes witch hazel appropriate for sensitive skin.  This is important because many blemished skins tend to be hypersensitive as those prone to acne often have a history of using harsh, sensitizing products.  Witch hazel is also a tannin, meaning that it helps seal up the skin. This makes it excellent to use after picking a pimple (not advised but if you do, read this first!) as well as on pustules that have broken.  Applying this plant extract onto open breakouts helps prevent bacterial infection, this preventing breaking out again as well as supports wound healing.

For all these reasons, witch hazel is one of my fav natural toners for acneic complexions as it helps to restore balance and clarifying the skin without depleting it.

The post Don’t dry, Purify! Witch hazel – a gentle astringent appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

THE EXTRA CARE COLLECTION

1. Revitalizing Black Currant Peel
This gentle but powerful peel brightens tired complexions and detoxifies congested pores. It sloughs away dead skin cells and impurities with natural fruit enzymes of pomegranate and apple while helping to boost the skin’s hydration and resilience.  While most peels dehydrate and irritate the skin, this one replenishes and soothes complexions as it exfoliates.  Its calming organic aloe base is laced with anti-inflammatory coconut extract and charged with hyaluronic acid hydratant and black currant anti-oxidant.  Proving that there’s strength in being gentle, its excellent for all skin types including hypersensitive skin.

2. White Tea Meditation Mask
Reharmonize out-of-balance skin with this hydrating, soothing mask for all skin types. An excellent treatment for dehydrated skin in need of nourishment as well as sensitive skin types that needs soothing (aided by its organic aloe base).  This mask can also be mixed with a clay treatment mask on acneic skin as it helps calm inflamed blemishes and prevent damage after extractions.  Apply this supportive facial mask to stressed out or depleted skin and let the natural ingredients of turmeric, camellia, + rosehip work their magic.

3. Renewing Lupine Protein Serum
This high-performance serum heals damage, boosts skin immunity + increases moisture.  Fortify thirsty skin with this protein-rich, super-hydrating infusion that’s charged with natural cosmeceuticals sweet lupine protein and hyaluronic acid.  True nutrition for undernourished complexions, even the base is made up of therapeutic organic rosewater. This serum can be used for all skin types as it support skin hydration, which help anti-aging, improving barrier function and preventing skin marks and scars.

4. Bolstering Borage Eye Cream
With a formulation that contains skin-softening borage, hydrating hyaluronic acid and tissue strengthening roseroot, it powerfully supports the delicate eye area.  It also gently encourages micro-circulation, helping to combat puffy or swollen eyes and increase collagen production.

The post Introducing Holistic Vanity’s New “Extra Care” Line! appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Neem for Acne

Neem is a great blood and liver cleanser making it excellent for the skin. Our blood feeds are skin so when there is toxicity or heat in the blood this is flooded into our complexions as well. Neem’s liver cleansing properties also helps to detox our bodies but also supports hormonal health. Because so many hormones are filtered through the liver, burdened and under functioning livers can translate into hormonal acne.  Taking neem internally is one of the best supplements for cystic acne as it reduces excess Pitta (inflammation) and Kapha (dampness – in this case pus). In my experience, neem capsules helps prevent cysts from forming as well as helps them go away more quickly.  I recommend the capsules because neem has a very strong, bitter taste.  This makes taking the herb more palatable and therefore increases consistency.  As good as neem is for acne, always consult a health professional before endeavoring to take it.

Neem Oil

Neem can also be applied topically for acne-prone and sensitive skin.  Because of its calming properties, it soothes angry break outs and reduces overall redness.  This is why we at Pure and Simple put it into our Pitta face oil.

It’s anti-bacterial properties also makes it excellent for problem skin – and is why it can also be used to disinfect skin infections.  I always pack this oil when I am traveling as some au naturel first aid (along with witch hazel hydrosol).

above: one of my fav oil blends (Pitta face oil) containing neem oil.

But as in the taste, neem oil smells very strong. It’s scent is hard to describe as it smells nutty with a bitter and pungent after smell. I don’t actually mind the smell but this oil is used as a natural insect repellant if that’s any indication of how it can be perceived as unpleasant. To combat the scent, we mix it with other oils and so can you.  Try using pure neem oil and if its off putting you can’t dilute it with some jojoba and your favorite essences.

Ah well, nothing is completely perfect! But neem is pretty close to it in my opinion. It’s effects on acne-prone skin are simply marvelous and as a former acne sufferer, I’d put up with an acquired scent and taste for clear, beautiful skin any day.

The post Acne & cysts? Neem to the rescue! appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

There are two types of exfoliation: physical and chemical.  Physical peels are scrubs.  They physically remove dead skin cells by abrading them away – usually with some material such as sugar, salt, nut shells, wax pearls, or sometimes plastic beads (not a fan of the latter).  Chemical peels do not scrub the skin, instead they digest dead skin cells.  This is good for broken out skin that cannot risk breaking open pustules and spreading bacteria around the complexion.  It is also good for skin types that cannot take the stimulation of physical abrasion.  So, don’t be confused – you don’t need to use synthetic chemicals in order to have a chemical peel, you can use all-natural fruit enzymes to make a chemical peel in your very own kitchen.

DIY Fruit Acid Peels

Many fruits and vegetables have natural enzymes that digest dead skin cells.  Fruit such as apple, kiwi, pineapple and citrus fruit are quite acidic and offer a strong peel, while fruit like banana, peach and papaya are more gentle on the skin.

To make a DIY peel:

1. Simply crush a tablespoon of one of these fruit.  Its a great way to decrease waste as you can use the unwanted skins and peels.  Win-win!
2. Apply this paste to clean skin for ten minutes.  Sensitive skin types should start with 3 minutes.
3. Finally, rinse away with tepid water for a smoother, brighter complexion.
I would suggest only using the stronger enzyme peel ingredients on your body skin or when diluted.  This is especially important for sensitive skins, which should always do a test patch before applying a peel to the full face.  To dilute them, you can use yoghurt or grated raw potato, which also gentle peel the skin.  Dilute them in a 1:1 ratio with the fruit enzyme and test on a skin patch.

Remember, your skin type, the fruit pH and dilution all contribute to the peel’s effects.  When in doubt, consult a professional esthetician for guidance to what works for you.

The post Enzyme Exfoliation Recipe: Fruit Acid Peels Made At Home appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

A new take on the beauty bar?hair rinse

Verdict? Well, I need to apologize to the beer gods because when my hair dried, it was so bouncy and clean feeling with each strand feeling like it had a light conditioned coating to it!  More importantly, I didn’t smell like I had gone out and binge drank that night as you could hardly detect an odour at all. This is unlike the apple cider vinegar rinse in which Ben always exclaims “you smell sour!” (what every woman wants to hear from her husband). Awesome. This St Paddy’s day when cleaning up the half empties around the house (not in my universe by I can live vicariously through you), save a few for a DIY hair rinse.  No waste no haste.

The post Is Beer Really All That Good For Your Hair? Putting Guiness To The Test appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Imbalance occurs when we stray from our original doshic constitution and accumulate different ratios of them, leading to signs of excess dosha. All ailments are caused by this imbalance – translating into depletion (from Vata space/ air in our bodies), inflammation (through excess Pitta heat) or build-up of toxicity (the accumulating Kapha earth and water-retention).

Kapha – Earth & Water

The Kapha dosha is an energy described as earth and water.  This dosha is characterized by qualities which embody these elements (ie. Heavy, wet, cold, stable).  Those of us with a strong presence of the Kapha dosha display this in our bodies.  In TCM this is known as Yin (that which has substance.  Energetically, the shady side of the mountain’). Those with high Kaphas are grounded, loyal and dependable.  Like earth and water, they have mass so tend to more have robust bodies and immunity – they also are likely to be slow-moving and sometimes lethargic.  Because earth and water represent growth and storage, Kaphas have good memories as they store and retain knowledge excellently.  They also tend to be sentimental, storing and holding on to the past. Physically, Kaphas are all about abundance, again because of the tangible characteristics of earth and water.

The voluptuous Kapha Scarjo! Look at that thick, vibrant Kapha skin.

Kaphas have a heavier frames, more fatty tissue, voluptuous or husky physiques and develop muscle easily.  Their skin is thick and oily with large pores. This is why they tend toward over-oiliness, acne (only when out of balance) and dull complexions – as stagnant blood flow creates paleness.  Their features full and substantial, their nails strong and hard.  Kaphas tend to be the healthiest, most robust of the doshas as they have everything in abundance.  True Kaphas have beautiful large eyes.  Kapha lips are full.  Kaphas have thick hair and in abundance. Ailments or issues from Kapha manifest as too much abundance.  Problems with being over-weight (accumulation of fat), sinus congestion (accumulation of mucous), edema and puffiness (accumulation of water), cystic acne (accumulation of toxins and oil in the skin) are due to excess Kapha.

Their mental and emotional imbalances follow the same theme as too much of this dosha can translate into greed (the need to accumulate wealth), hoarding, self-indulgence and slovenliness, being unable to let go of the past and past grudges, neediness and resistance to change (lacking flexibility and movement). Kaphas are classically beautiful as they beam with health.  They are incredibly romantic and passionate making them very attractive.

We love Oprah because she seems so grounded and nurturing. Kapha characteristics!

The post Ayurveda 101: Kapha Explained appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Ayurveda in 60 seconds of Less…

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian Science of Healing which believes that health is a state of perfect balance.  Specifically, this depends on the balance of our internal energies; also known as Doshas.  These Doshas are characterized by the elements: Vata (air), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth and water).  We all have these three energies in our constitutions but are born with a specific makeup that usually makes one or two of the doshas dominant – and it is our ratio of these doshas that make us unique individuals that must be treated and healed based on our individuality.

Illness is seen as a reflection of imbalance in Ayurveda.  This occurs when we eat, live and think in a way that loses us from our original doshic constitution.  Thus, we accumulate different ratios of dosga, leading to signs of excess or deficient dosha. This translates into depletion (from Vata space/ air in our bodies), inflammation (through excess Pitta heat) or build-up of toxicity (the accumulating Kapha earth and water-retention).  This encourages more body-awareness as the focus is not on symptoms of disease, but the imbalances occurring on a subtle level.  Want to know more about Ayurveda and how it supports beauty and self-care?  More in-depth info that can’t be jammed into a short piece is in my book “Beauty, Pure and Simple”.

Pitta – Fire

The Pitta dosha is represented by fire as it governs all that is hot, sharp and light in our constitutions – this is why inflammation is linked to an excess of this energy.  Pitta also governs transformation (akin to how heat causes chemical changes).  Therefore this dosha is responsible for transformations in the body: metabolism (transforming storage to energy), digestion (transforming food to usable energy) and cellular transformation.  In TCM this is known as Yang (All that is action-oriented. Energetically, like the Sunny side of the mountain.)

Those with high Pitta tend to be ambitious, competitive and organized.  Fiery, type A personalities, Pittas are opinionated, impatient and extremely competent.  Because fire represents transformation, Pittas are considered highly intelligent as they easily digest information. Physically, Pitta expresses itself as a medium, athletic build.  Pitta features are medium sized, are of average height and even their physicality seems to be organized and efficient.  Pitta skin is sensitive with redness and can be reactive and break out.  This is why this dosha must be looked at with chronic acne, rosacea, eczema and hives.  Internal Pitta ailments also stem from excess heat (fire) – examples include: ulcers, poor digestion, hyperacidity and all inflammation in the form of problems named with “itis”.  Furthermore, these and other health issues are often stress-related and are aggravated by the pressure Pitta-dominant people put on themselves.

We know Harry likes to party – but he should avoid alcohol if he wants to reduce his rosacea and balance his Pitta!

The Pitta Personality

Pitta people are sometimes difficult personalities to be around.  They have strong egos and are often uncompromising.  But once we understand Ayurveda, we can better understand that Pitta-predominant people are not “irritating or exasperating”, it is their dosha being overly heated and expressing this inflammation.  We should not take offense to their actions or label them but have compassion for their tendencies with love.  Pittas at their best are naturally magnetic as they express themselves eloquently and with great confidence making them very attractive.

The post Ayurveda 101: Pitta Explained appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Its all about balance, baby!

A lot of people have been asking me about why I practice Ayurvedic Beauty lately so I thought that it was time to clearly explain Ayurveda and the doshas.  We all need to revisit the basics once and a while – so I thought it was by time I wrote an explanation the Ayurvedic Doshas.  Obviously its in my book “Beauty, Pure and Simple” but lets be honest – sometimes we want a coles notes.  For those who want to understand this beautiful science of healing, this is part one of a three post series.  Here, I will explain Vata while next I will outline Pitta and Kapha so you can all understand the foundations of Ayurvedic Philosophy.

From the beginning….

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian Science of Healing which believes that wellness is found through the harmonization of our internal energies, known as Doshas.  These Doshas are characterized by the elements: Vata (air), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth and water).  We all possess all three doshas within us but are born with different ratios making us unique individuals – most often with one or two predominant Doshas.  According to Ayurveda, all ailments are caused by imbalance of our constitution.  When we live, eat and think in a way that accumulates too much or too little of our original make-up, this is expressed in our physical and mental bodies. Problems with depletion stem from too much Vata space/ air in our bodies, while inflammation is prompted by  excess Pitta heat, and a build-up of toxicity is rooted in the accumulation Kapha earth and water-retention.

Vata – Air

The Vata dosha embodies air, ether and space.  With air being this dosha’s symbol, it is mobile, dry, rough, brittle and light.  Vata is ever-moving, ever-changing and inconsistent.  This makes Vata personalities both exciting and frustrating.  Vata governs movement, circulation and the intangible nervous system.  In TCM this is known as Qi (Chi).

Vata-predominant people are said to be more spirit than matter.  What does that mean?  Well, while they are highly conceptual people who tend to live inside their heads, they also don’t have a robust physicality.  Their elongated, willowy bodies seem to be light and full of air unlike heavy set Kaphas.  Vata is dry and their skin tends to be dehydrated, making it rough and prone to wrinkles and fine lines.  Their nails are also dry making them brittle and weak while their hair is usually fine and often curly (and dry).  With their slim, delicate constitutions, Vatas also have little fat and oil so are at risk of premature aging.

With her chiseled features, waify figure and new agey love – Gwyneth is a Vata poster gal. But also tends towards dryness & premature aging bc of thin Vata skin.

The Vata personality tends to be creative and excitable and appreciates beautiful design, aesthetics and art.  They are forward-thinkers, open-minded and flexible who are early-adopters that love new innovations and ideas.  They love to learn but often do not feel qualified even when immensely knowledgeable.  This is because they tend to be cerebral and overthinkers. This leads to insecurity and indecisiveness.  Vatas also are very be sensitive to their senses.  Loud noises, jarring images and touch affects them deeply.  So, Vata’s can get stressed or feel ungrounded easily, which contributes to their tissue loss, dehydration and overall delicacy.  However, like air, Vatas are flexible, changeable and adaptable.  They have excellent interpersonal skills and are social creatures if they are not Vata-excess and over-think social dynamics.

Disorders relating to the nervous system are all due to Vata imbalance.  Vata-excess people can be paranoid, hyper, worried or have ADD.  Linked to the nervous system, the adrenals kidneys and colon are governed by Vata – and out of balance Vata easily becomes constipated (colon) and dehydrated (water-metabolism of the kidney is compromised)

This delicate dosha is beautiful with their graceful, statuesque proportions and youthful energy.

The most Vata Prez – at least in comparison to Pitta (rosacea) Clinton!

The post Ayurveda 101: Vata Explained appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

So unassuming…

My fav new toy is a stoner facial roller.  As you may know, I love beauty gadgets.  I’m the same girl who reviewed the Eye Zone and the Clarisonic.  But while I have lots of high tech jazz in my cupboard (along with some items that don’t fit in my cupboard – ahem, a body vibration machine and light book for seasonal affective disorder), sometimes you want to get back to basics.  That’s why I love my stone facial roller.  Yea, I’m a modern-day Rousseau (wink).

The Stone Facial Roller

I love how simple and easy it is to use, the fact it doesn’t require batteries or instructions and the most important part: it makes me look better.  And that’s the key – results, am I right?  This little roller is what I’ve been using every morning in my AM regime to move lymph and stimulate circulation (re: collagen production).  Its said to be used in Chinese Medicine for cleansing our energy and bodily water but I think for the aforementioned reasons its handy to even those who don’t buy into the concept of health through energy.

Online people are saying it helps to slim down your face (I wonder if that’s what Miley’s using) – but I haven’t seen this yet.  But saying this, I haven’t been using it for that long (a few weeks).  What I see is less puffiness and my face muscles feel more relaxed.  The latter is important as I have a really tight jaw – and this roller rolls over the jaw line nicely.  I also like how it cold because its stone but it can also be warmed up if put into the sunlight.  I have been using it cold (out of laziness) but I think that I’m going to start trying to use it warmed up too.  In my professional opinion, I have a hunch that cold is better for the puffiness while warm will be even more relaxing for the face muscles.

Did I mention it was cheap?  I got mine in Chinatown at an herb store for $5.99.  While many of the facial rollers online say they are jade, I figure for this price, mine is some simple stone.  But like I said, I’m not looking for anything fancy – its back to basics and I like the fact its also austere – shedding all the frou frou and looking only at the outcomes.  And these outcomes have made it my new fav toy.

 

The post My New Fav Toy: Stone Facial Roller appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Black Cumin Benefits

Also, called Nigella Sativa (what a pretty name), black cumin seeds have been used as medicine in Ayurveda too.  It is prized for its stimulating properties, which helps with increasing energy, anti-aging, supporting digestion and treating allergies.  It has been used as a sort of natural anti-histimine as well as an anti-inflammatory.  Even the Prophet Mohammad was quoted as saying, “There is healing in Black Seed for all diseases except death.”  However, I have used the actual seeds in my pepper grinder and tried to use it in lieu of black pepper – its tastes a bit bitter so I don’t recommend it this way.

The Oil – Skin Therapy

For beauty, like many oils it helps seal in moisture and nourish depleted skin.  But what I like it for is acne.  Because of its purifying and redness reducing abilities, this oil is perfect for clarifying congested complexions as well as calming angry breakouts.  I can feel a little stimulating for the first few minutes of application but its just the feeling of this fabulous oil doing its work.  It doesn’t cause any inflammation so the slight tingling isn’t aggravating to sensitive skin.  Saying this, its very subtle and some people don’t find it causes any sensation – so don’t be too worried!

It also helps to rebalance sebum-production and protect against bacterial infection leading to pimples.  All round, this oil supports problem skin – but many that do not have acne-prone skin use it (even for anti-aging) so even if you don’t break out all the time, your skin can benefit from it.

I’ve also heard that it is great for strengthening hair and helping hair growth.  I’ll be trying putting this to the test too.  Is there no end to the fabulousness of black cumin oil?

The post Blemish Fighting Black Cumin Oil appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Yes, that’s my skin being sucked up – don’t worry it doesn’t hurt!

I love cupping.  For anyone who doesn’t know what cupping is, its a Chinese Medicine treatment in which glass cups are made into suction cups as fire is applied to the air within them.  These suctions are placed on our fleshy parts – most popularly the back. This draws up impure blood, promotes the circulation of fresh blood, clears heat and stagnation as well as opens our channels. Its amazing for muscle pain too as it draws toxins and turbid fluid away from compromised muscle. I promise, it does not hurt.

DIY Cupping

As an esthetician, I’m all about the DIY – so I thought, how hard could cupping be?  Obviously I won’t be playing with flames but I can try one of the easy-to-use plastic pump cupping sets.  These use compression to pump out air once a cup has been place on the area you want to treat.

Originally, I bought my cupping set (avail from Chinese Medicine vendors – mine was only $15) for my face.  I had heard that you can cup pigmented spots and that this helps to fade them.  But for some reason the small cup that came with my set isn’t working – only the large one.  I did give a big cup a whirl on my face, which made it go a little too red on too big of an area for comfort.

The cupping kit/ set

The Benefits

Since I also get terrible shoulder pain, I figured that there was no use to let this set go to waste.  I’ve been using my cups on my back and shoulders and letting the suctions work their magic while studying or working.  Did I mention I love multitasking?  And saving money?  While I love seeing an acupuncturist who would do cupping on me, this option means I save money on treatments as well as time (maybe more valuable even).  I find it almost as good, though I’m not as relaxed while doing it.  But this way, I can treat myself daily even!

Cellulite

This also gives me flexibility to play around – I’m going to start trying it out on my legs and seeing if it treats cellulite.  I have heard about bellabaci cups for cellulite, which I think are basically the same thing as TCM cupping.  Its makes sense as its moves water-retention and stimulates blood flow.

What do you think?  Have you ever tried cupping? And if so, would you try this at-home alternative?

Traditional Chinese Medicine called “cupping” in which glass cups are made into suction cups as fire is applied to the air within them, and these suctions are placed on our fleshy parts – most popularly the back. This draws up impure blood, promotes the circulation of fresh blood, clears heat and stagnation as well as opens our channels. Its also good for pain relief as it draws toxins and turbid fluid away from the muscle area. – See more at: http://holisticvanity.ca/cupping-battle-me-vs-gwyneth-paltrow/#sthash.YedljWxc.dpuf

Traditional Chinese Medicine called “cupping” in which glass cups are made into suction cups as fire is applied to the air within them, and these suctions are placed on our fleshy parts – most popularly the back. This draws up impure blood, promotes the circulation of fresh blood, clears heat and stagnation as well as opens our channels. Its also good for pain relief as it draws toxins and turbid fluid away from the muscle area. – See more at: http://holisticvanity.ca/cupping-battle-me-vs-gwyneth-paltrow/#sthash.YedljWxc.dpuf

The post One Girl, Two Cups – Chinese Medicine Cups That is! appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

The Wet Sock Treatment

I only began to do this because two healthcare pros who I love and trust raved about the results of it.  Read about it on this Naturopathic University website.  Wearing cold wet socks stimulates blood flow to the feet and creates a pump in the bottom half of the body.  This drains lymph but also induces a fake fever.  Sometimes you have a good sweat and this clears up your cold – but even if you don’t sweat profusely, you miraculously wake up without sniffles!  I’ve done this many times and am always impressed with its efficacy.  It sounds worse than it is.  Actually, my feet (which are often cold) warm up in a minute because of the second layer of wool socks you put on over the wet ones – these trap in heat.  Your circulation also revs up so you get a warming tingling sensation in your feet too and you forget all about the unpleasant initial cold.  A minute of discomfort to get rid of a cold/flu?  I’ll take that any day.

I’m now wondering if its good for any type of upper body/ face congestion and hoping to experiment with sinus congestion that isn’t cold-induced as well as to treat the lymph and blood pooling from rosacea.  For now, follow the below steps and experience the power of DIY hydrotherapy!

How to do the wet sock treatment
Supplies:
1 pair thin socks
1 pair thick wool socks or thick socks
1 bowl of ice water (I use very cold water in a pinch)

Directions:
1. Soak the pair of thin socks in the bowl of ice water (or VERY cold water). Then wring the socks out thoroughly so they do not drip.
2. Take a hot bath for 5-10 minutes or do a foot bath. This is very important for the effectiveness of the treatment.
3. Dry off with a dry towel.
4. Place ice-cold wet socks on feet. Then quickly cover with thick wool socks, sealing in warmth. Go directly to bed.
5. Wear the socks overnight. During the night, you may wake up with your whole body wet from sweat. If so, change into dry pajamas, but leave on the socks.

I’ve done this for a single night and found it effective but online others have recommended to do it three nights in a row for the best results.

The post Puffy & Congested? Learn how the wet sock treatment HELPS colds & flus appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

It was really interesting as it covered how different minority groups were even perceived in a different light based on their power dynamic.  Apparently, Irish were said to be considered “dark skinned”, whereas today this imaging is not common (at least I don’t think it is).  How the way “white” is represented changes with culture.

Asian Beauty, Asian Self-Hate

They ended with a lengthy talk about beautycare in Asia.  As an Asian woman in the beauty industry I’m well aware of the popularity of bleaching creams and eye lid surgery – both of which were mentioned on the segment.  I’m actually exhausted by it.  It bothers me of course but it’s also uncomfortable as it forces me to examine my feelings about my own features, features that that so many people seem to want to surgically remove from themselves.  But this piece also talked about the pervasiveness of lightening creams in beautycare in Asia – so much so that a line without lightening products seldom is successful.  I get wanting to undo sun damage marks but wanting to so overall lightening is really hard on our little hearts.  What’s even more compelling is that some families have set up funds for eye lid surgery similar to college funds as it is felt that attractiveness is a resource for success.  This is as much a comment on power as I’ve ever heard.

While I was fortunate enough for the most part – I do remember being praised by older family members for having fair skin (as if I had anything to do with it) as well as being mocked for having Asian eyes (again, as if I had anything to do with it).  I still remember children pulling at their lids to make “slits” to mimic what I apparently looked like.  Oh, and then there were a couple of times that I was told my nose looked like a brick had fallen on my face.  These things stay with you.  As I imagine does conditioning surrounding kinky hair or darker skin.  I’m not writing this for people to feel bad for me – or worse, to come across as self-righteous – but to highlight how far back this goes.  Kids learn about these things somewhere and even as someone who is very conscious about the culture of beauty, its very hard to shake off.

Have a Listen…

So, today’s post is simply to share the link to such as great segment from CBC.  If you’re interested, you can listen to it here.  I’m sure you’ll find it goes beyond the usual discussions on beauty and doesn’t look at other cultures with pity or mocking but demonstrates how beauty is often a result of politics and power.  Something all of us, whatever our race or skin color has been affected by.

The post The Business of Race – Skincare, Shadism & How We View (and Sell) Beauty appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Anyway, I’m always looking for way to indulge without using dairy and gluten as they aggravate my skin and wreak havoc on my digestive system so the other day while I was in the mood to bake and thought how Ben’s recipe would taste with other flavors.  I settled on cinnamon, because like chocolate, its a strong flavor that would mask the quinoa taste nicely.  I also love spiking anything cinnamon with clove and nutmeg so also added these too.

sided with applesace

I also wanted a glaze on the cake and remembered that Vitality Kitchen had a date caramel sauce that I had been meaning to try out.  This recipe is so simple and so smart as dates provide sweetness and a ooey gooey good texture.  I made it with almond milk and canola oil instead of coconut milk and coconut oil as I used the former in the cake.  Simplicity my friends!  With the dates tied into the caramel, I decided to add date sugar into the cake base.  I love date sugar!  How can you not love a sweetener made only by the natural goodness of dry dates?  I had gotten a bag from the Ayurvedic Institute but I hear you can make your own (another thing I intend to try out!).

I was afraid I would come out with a franken-cake but it was delicious!  Even my mom, who is notoriously picky loved it and graciously took half of it off my hands   So, if you want a deliciously fragrant spice cake – give this a try!

Ingredients:
2/3 cup white/golden quinoa
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup almond milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup date sugar (optional – if none, just use more sugar)
3/4 cup cinnamon powder
1 tblsp nutmeg powder
1 tblsp clove powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Bring quinoa and water to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, turn off and leave covered for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool (in the fridge).
2. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease baking pan.
3. Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender/food processor, blend lightly for 10 seconds. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and oil and blend until smooth (the mixture gets thick, so blend well- I find a combination of blending and stirring works well, or a hand blender). It will be a smooth and thick consistency at the end.
4. Wisk together the cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, sugar, date sugar baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the blender contents and mix well with spoon until smooth and free of lumps (it’s thick so quite the arm workout). Put into the baking pan
5. Bake on the centre rack for 35-40 minutes for the cakes, 20-25 minutes for the cupcakes (until knife comes out clean from centre).

For the glaze – based on the ingenious recipe from Vitality Kitchen:
8 pitted dates, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup almond milk, divided in half
3 tbsp coconut butter
1 tsp canola oil
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

In a small pot, combine the dates, coconut manna, oil, spices and 1/4 cup of almond milk on medium heat; bring to a simmer, while stirring consistently.  Cook 7-10 minutes or until the dates have softened into a thick icing-like texture. Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the remaining hemp seed milk and blend until smooth!

1. Bring quinoa and water to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, turn off and leave covered for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool (in the fridge).

2. Preheat oven to 350. Makes two 8 inch round/square cakes or about a dozen cupcakes. Lightly grease pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.

3. Combine milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender/food processor, blend lightly for 10 seconds. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and oil and blend until smooth (the mixture gets thick, so blend well- I find a combination of blending and stirring works well, or a hand blender). It will be a smooth and thick consistency at the end.

4. Wisk together the cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the blender contents and mix well with a wooden spoon until smooth and free of lumps (it’s thick so quite the arm workout). Divide batter amongst pans/cupcakes evenly.

5. Bake on the centre rack for 35-40 minutes for the cakes, 20-25 minutes for the cupcakes (until knife comes out clean from centre).

For the glaze:
3/4 cup almond milk
8 oz 70% dark chocolate
pinch of salt (optional)

Bring almond milk to a boil, remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until most is melted. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir or wisk until smooth. Let stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

– See more at: http://holisticvanity.ca/chocolate-quinoa-cake-happy-birthday-to-me/#sthash.UvMZodZk.dpuf

The post Date Cinnamon Quinoa Cake: Guilt-Free Desserts appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Its a new year – and what better way to ring it in than to get back to basics.  Lets talk Ayurveda y’all!  Specifically how it pertains to beauty and skin exactly.  Looking at the body from an Eastern Medicine point of view can turn everything upside down in comparison to a derm outlook. After being an Ayurvedic practitioner for seven years I have found this extremely effective in treating the root causes of skin ailments. Again, we’re in for a treat from the wise Dr. Vasant Lad.

Enjoy!

The post Understanding the Skin Through Ayurveda: Interview with Dr. Vasant Lad appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

I’ve never made a punch before so was really starting from ignorance.  From my online search I found that most of them were a simple mix of store bought juice and ginger ale but I wanted to make everything from scratch – no mix, no concentrate and no soda pop!  While I usually modify a recipe to adhere to my restrictions, this time I really needed to just get my creativity flowing and create something new.

So, I decided to use:
Hibiscus – for a lovely red color – also great for inflammation and heart health
Fresh ginger – to skip ginger ale and also promote good digestion after a celebratory meal
Lemon (and lime) juice – a nice bit of tartness and liver cleansing action.

I tried this combo sweetened with green stevia and it made it look very weird.  Like a bunch of moss was floating in red soup – still my family liked it a drank it all up and the kids actually really loved it (makes a monster punch substitute?).  However I made it again – and used agave – take was way more attractive.  I served it at a party we threw and it was gone in a flash.  You can use this with alcohol too if you like.  Its better to drink with healthy mixer than with icky sugary pop that dehydrates you and depletes nutrients!

So if you’re looking to make something for your NYE party that’s tasty and refreshing, give this recipe a try!

Kristen’s au Naturel Holiday Punch

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons of hibiscus petals (or my Anti-Inflammatory Tea and paying attention to add lots of the hibiscus in it (this is what I used).  You can get the hibiscus petals in the form of hibiscus tea).
1 ginger root that is about three inches in length
2 juice of lemons
2 juice of limes
2 bottles of mineral water – 1 litre
ice
natural sweetener.  I used agave (1/3 cup) but you can use maple syrup or coconut sugar.  I didn’t like my green stevia trial so I would skip green stevia.  Everyone likes different sweetness levels so dose according to taste.

Directions:
1. Peel the ginger and chop it into small pieces (about 1/2 inch thick).  The more surface area the more gingery it is.
2. Add this ginger to the water and bring it to a boil.  This makes for a spicy ginger tea.
3. As soon as it starts to boil. Turn off the heat and add the hibiscus/ anti-inflammatory tea.  Let this sit for 5 minutes.
4. Strain and cool.  I strained it into a mason jar so I could transport it to my family party at my cousin’s house.  Assembling it on-site is way easier to bring this concentrate than trying to bring it there made (hello car spills!)

This deep red concentrate will make a lovely pink punch!

5. When you’re read to serve, add the concentrate, lemon and lime juice, mineral water, and natural sweetener together.  Garnish how you like and add the ice!

The post Punch (un)Drunk Love: Yummy From Scratch Holiday Punch Recipe appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Mustard seeds ready to burst with beautifying power!

Mustard seed oil is a delicious oil that brings fragrance to dishes, spiking them with flavor.  Used extensively in Asian cuisine, its warming and stimulating, which is really lovely during this cold wintertime.  Because of these properties, its also good for detoxification and research has found it to be good for lowering fat in the bloodstream.  Unfortunately, in Canada and the US its prohibited to be sold for dietary use due to the fact it contains erucic acid, which has been linked to cardiac damage – perhaps because of its invigorating properties.

Despite this, many still want to use mustard seed oil and I have seen it sold in ethnic grocers through the loop hole of labeling it “for external use only”.  But I actually love using it for the purpose that its under its guise for.  Massage!  Its heating, Kapha-decreasing actions really help to move lymph, encouraging drainage and blood flow.  This just so happens to be a natural way to treat cellulite!If you look at most cellulite treatments they include ingredients that increase circulation so to break up stagnation and deflate cellulite lumps and bumps.  The appearance of cellulite is worsened by water-retention as it bloats out fat cells and this stimulation and drainage helps with this. Needless to say, this also helps with edema (water-retention) itself!

I have used mustard seed oil as a body moisturizer – and apply it with fast, invigorating movements.  Or it can be used as a bath oil – which turns out to be a really enlivening soak.  But because of its circulation-enhancing properties, its should be tested first on sensitive skin.  I have never used it straight on the face for this reason and if you have ultra-sensitve body skin, I would dilute it with another oil or do a small test patch before using it all over.  In the bath, I would start with a two to three tablespoons in a tub and add more as desired (you should feel subtle stimulation).

So if you are looking to warm your body this winter, try using more, more, more mustard seed oil topically because it also helps to treat cellulite, water-retention and provide overall invigoration.

The post More, More, More Mustard Seed Oil – For cellulite and water-retention appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

The latest reason I like hip hop’s reigning King is that he’s going vegan for a month to celebrate his 44th birthday.  To those of you who follow celeb culture, I know this isn’t breaking news but its the first I heard of it.  Usually celebrity gossip bores me but I love the fact that he is doing something for his health and making healthy eating sexy.  Now, I’m not a vegan (though I used to be hence why many of my recipes are vegan) but I do believe that doing a cleanse like this can help you re-evaluate how you eat and see the choices you make in a new light.

I also like how often men in hip hop are seen as uber macho and flippant about their health.  How many songs can you name after upmarket vodka brands?  So I like that Jay-Z is reinventing this (I’ll ignore the fact that Nelly is already vegetarian – his cred diminished with his perma face band aid).  Unfortunately a quick search revealed that many people online are not as happy about this move (its only for 22 days people!). There has even been some buzz that the fact Beyonce wore an animal fur shirt was a silent stance against their vegan stint (and we’re back to boring).

Pro or anti-vegan, its good for the planet to lay off the beef.  And for this small gesture, I also love Jay-Z.  I’ll ignore his and Bey’s many endorsement deals for consumer goods.  Sigh, this friendship is means making many compromises.  Ah well, I still think we’d have fun.

The post Another Reason I Love Jay-Z…He’s goin’ vegan! appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

The secret ingredient is….

According to Ayurveda this is just as important as the foods we choose.  And, we can even mitigate the negative effects of eating foods that are wrong for us through properly preparing it.  For example, those of us who can’t digest beans very well can lessen gas and bloating by soaking them in water with spices before cooking, then cooking them for longer.  Proper preparation is a magical ingredient that can change how our bodies accept and process our food.

Cooking for Hydration

So how can we cook for anti-aging and hydration?  Too often I meet clients who choose excellent ingredients but are not cooking their dishes in a way that they can absorb nutrients as well as support their goals.

Choosing Hydrating Ingredients

The first step to eating for hydration is to choose water-rich ingredients. We need to opt for foods full of hydration like crisp fruits and veggies. While foods like sweet potatoes, legumes and animal protein all have their health benefits, they’re not water-rich. A yam ain’t got nothin on a stick of celery – and dense meats and starches are often dehydrating. I’m not saying not to eat these, it’s all about balance and ratios. In the dehydrating winter weather, I opt for increasing my plate real estate with hydrating least greens etc.

Hydrating Preparation

Now for how prepping to increase our skin’s hydration. Well we need to preserve the moisture within our food.  This means not overcooking our dishes. Barbecuing, deep frying and braising evaporate the water from our food and are drier ways to cook. You an even tell just by looking at your food before and after – throw some veggies on the grill and they’ll have lost volume from the water loss.

Cooking on high heat and for long periods of time does this. In Ayurveda, if is also said that this infuses our food with pitta (fire) energy that can be heating and lead to inflammation in high pitta people.

When I’m feeling dry I choose to steam.  Eating raw food in cold weather is often unappetizing and a lot of work for our digestive systems to break down but steaming until al dente is just right.  So, if you’re hoping to increase skin hydration, try looking beyond your grocery list and consider how your making your dishes too.

The post Skin Hydrating Cooking Style: Preparing For More Moist Skin appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

A bacon latticed log…I think some people have gotten a little carried away…

People love bacon.  Sure, bacon has long been considered a beloved breakfast staple, occasionally thrown onto a greasy sandwich for extra decadence but recently, bacon-admiration (bacmiration) has been getting out of hand.  Everyone knows bacon isn’t good for you, however, because its both familiar and unpretentious, bacon has the perfect ingredients to being hip (pardon my pun).  Yep, along with plaid shirts and canning your own vegetables, bacon is part of what I call “farmer chic”.  So now its in artisanal chocolate, designer mayonnaise… on cronuts (in the form of classic strips AND bacon butter – and people wonder why they feel sick after eating them).  The bacon bomb is when I realized the cult of bacon – and that was just the beginning of bacon mania bacmania).

Lets be honest – its fried and full of fat and salt.  Did I mention its full of fat?  For Ben’s birthday I made him breakfast with bacon as a very rare treat.  I bought organic strips from Whole Foods and baked it in the oven, thinking this was the healthiest way to go before bastardizing the whole gesture.  Well, the grease on the cookie sheet I used was so thick and stubborn that it was took forever to clean.  Animal fat is a special kind of fat. I imagined that this what was accumulating in his arteries.  But I digress.  I’m not writing a post to make bacon lovers feel guilty – nor will I harp on about how acne-prone people will most probably break out from eating the stuff (its so taxing on the liver!).  I’m posting to say that part of this bacon phenomenon (bacnomemon) is partially indulgence but partially a lack of imagination.

Ben made these fantastic zucchini fritters the other night from a Paleo site that are just as crispy and delicious as any bacon delight.  They are gluten-free, dairy-free and almost completely starch-free (save for a tablespoon to make the zucs less wet).  So, for those of you who want to try out a recipe that’s just as country kitchen but a little less heart-diseasey, I say give these a try.  Maybe we’ll give way to a new trend!  Zucchinthusiam!

Yum Yum Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients:
1 large or two med zucchinis
1 onion
2 eggs – beaten
1 tablespoon flour (use coconut flour if you have some, or the more common corn starch)
1/8 baking powder (optional – but makes them more fluffy)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for the pan

Directions:
1. Grate the zucchinis and onion.  We used our food processor – it was finely grated in less than a minute!
2. Lay the grated veggies on a cutting board and soak up their water with a paper towel.  Ben put a few sheets underneath then pressed them on top with a few more.  The less water, the more solid the fritter will be.  Some people use salt in potato fritters for this reason as it dehydrates them.

Ben, drying out the zucchini

3.  Place the drier veggies in a bowl and mix in the beaten eggs, flour and baking powder.
4. In a hot pan, place this mixture in round patties.  Use canola oil or coconut oil for frying as these oils have a higher smoking point, making them healthier (other oils will go rancid upon cooking).

In the pan!

5. When they have browned on one side, flip them over and cook on the other side.  Timed depends on the size of the fritters.  Ours took around 2 minutes on each side.
6. Serve!

The post Better Than Bacon: Fried Zucchini Fritters appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

STILL BETTER THAN BOTOX – ACT YOUR AGE, DON’T LOOK IT

Saturday 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm – Lecture Hall 206

Is aging skin and considering going chemical? Kristen Ma, award-winning author of Beauty Pure+simple, and Toronto’s “Best Facialist in the City” (Toronto Life Magazine), will show you how to get beautiful skin naturally. Learn the most potent natural anti-aging ingredients and non-invasive facial treatments to reduce wrinkles, pigmentation and loss of tone and, at the same time, restore your skin’s glow. First 100 people will receive a sample pack of anti-aging serum + moisturizer.

Available afterward and throughout the weekend at PURE + SIMPLE booths 91, 92.

The post Whole Life Expo Lecture – Kristen Talks Natural Anti-Aging appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Dr. Vasant Lad joins me again for another video on Ayurvedic beauty. This time we chat about aging and how to age in the most healthy way that emphasizes long-term results. This infamous Ayurvedic physician is a fountain of information and also a wonderful energy in himself. So, watch away for more insight into how we can maintain rejuvenated skin and bodies with a holistic approach.

Namaste,
Kristen

The post How Ayurveda Can Help with #Antiaging – An Interview with Dr. Vasant Lad appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Borage is a hardy annual suited for the conditions of western Canada and I love that its oil is so often cultivated on homegrown soil.   Double score!  Borage helps our skin retain moisture as it contains fatty acid, gamma linolenic acid.  Gamma linolenic acid is not found is many oils – Borage seed and evening primrose are the two most common sources of it (hence why I also love evening primrose).

Borage seed oil has natural anti-inflammatory properties, making it excellent for sensitive skin and preventing free-radical creation.  For these reasons it is one of the best natural treatments for skin damage such as scarring, stretch marks and sun damage.  So, if you’re looking for an oil to add to your regime, I’d suggest trying out borage oil.  if not for anything else but a little Canadian pride.

The post Beautifying Borage Seed Oil appeared first on Holistic Vanity.

Dr. Vasant Lad is one of my personal idols.  Not only did he found The Ayurvedic Institute – the first Ayurvedic school in North America – and has written tens of books on the Ayurveda, so many of which enrich my personal library, but it is a very special thing to meet someone who seems so enlightened that they don’t possess a judgemental bone on their body. I believe that this frame of mind gives you clarity that makes you an exceptional healer as you can truly connect with those you treat.

So when I had a chance to sit down with this guru to hear his views on holistic well being, the first thing I did was ask him about…pimples! Deep eh? All joking aside, it actually can be. From an Ayurvedic point of view, acne stems from an imbalance of dosha – specifically our pitta dosha.  It is an expression of disharmony within our bodies, which untreated, can permeate throughout our systems creating further imbalance. So clearing up are skin can be a beautiful journey to health if taking a holistic approach.

Here you can watch Dr. L directly and see what he has to say about acne solutions through the lens Ayurveda.

Enjoy.

The post The Ayurvedic Approach to Acne – a chat with Dr. Vasant Lad appeared first on Holistic Vanity.