Simple Sensual Bath Salts

3 cups sea salt or Epson salt
5-7 drops each of Jasmine, Ylang Ylang and Neroli Moroccan essential oils
1 tbsp carrier oil such as Apricot Kernel or Jojoba

Mix oil and salt in a large bowl until blended. Add drops of essential oils. Start with no more than 5 drops of each oil and add more as you stir the salts together. Try experimenting with different types of sea salts or blend different salts together. Store in an airtight glass jar. To use pour 3/4 to 1 cup of salts into warm, running water. Swish the water around before getting in to ensure the salt has dissolved.

Other fragrance ideas:
Combine equal parts Lemon and Grapefruit essential oils for a refreshing bath or combine Lavender, Ylang Ylang and Bergamot to relieve stress

Basic Buttermilk Bath

3 cups powdered buttermilk (can substitute regular powdered milk)
10-15 drops of Lavender essential oil or an oil of your choice (optional)
Using a wire wisk thoroughly blend the dry ingredients together before adding in the essential oil(s). Store in an airtight glass jar. To use pour 3/4 to 1 cup of the mixture into warm, running water.

Moisturizing Milk & Honey Bath

1/2 cup honey
3 cups powdered milk
10-15 drops of Chamomile essential oil or an oil of your choice (optional)

Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl. Store in an airtight glass jar. To use pour 3/4 to 1 cup of the mixture into warm, running water.

Smoothing Sugar Scrub

2 cups brown sugar (can substitute white sugar, but brown sugar is more gentle on sensitive skin)
1 cup almond oil (found in health food stores) or extra virgin olive oil
5 drops of essential oil of your choice (optional)

Mix the ingredients together until they’ve formed a thick paste. You can experiment with the ratio of oil to sugar depending on your preference for a thicker or thinner scrub. Store in an airtight glass jar. To use massage a small amount of the scrub onto wet or dry skin the shower, rinse thoroughly.

Nelson’s biggest achievement to date is founding Farm Aid along with fellow musicians John Mellencamp and Neil Young in 1985. Although it started as a simple benefit concert, it’s since turned into a huge organization that has raised more than 33 million dollars. With giant corporations edging out small family farms, the foundation’s goal is to help these small farmers and prevent their land from being developed. They also support organic farming and create awareness about buying local to support the farms’ hard work. Today the three founders sit on the board of directors along with musician Dave Matthews (among others). Recently, as President of Farm Aid, Nelson even wrote a moving letter to President Obama regarding the importance of family farms and eating fresh, local food. And the tradition of the benefit concert has continued with an annual music show where dozens of superstar performers eagerly participate.

In addition Nelson is also passionate about horses and supports Habitat for Horses, which rescues neglected and abused horses as well as those headed to slaughter. He’s also written to congress in support of the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act.

But what I find the most intriguing is his interest in biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel that can replace regular diesel in the giant, gas guzzling trucks that cross the continent. It all started with his wife filling her diesel Volkswagen Jetta with restaurant grease. Then he bought a Mercedes and filled it up with 100% vegetable oil from grease traps. He loved the gas mileage, loved how the car ran and didn’t mind that his tailpipe smelled like French fries.

Quoted as saying “There really is no need going around starting wars over oil. We have it here at home,” Nelson is trying to change the way we see fuel. Made with vegetable oils, his company’s BioWillie fuel can be used without any modification to diesel engines and is being marketed at truck stops. The benefits are three-fold: it reduces our need on foreign oil, it’s environmentally friendly and it can help profit farmers. Which, of course, stems back to Nelson’s original activist roots…

Two of my favorite recent documentaries are Who Killed The Electric Car? and The 11th Hour. The first film is about the creation and almost immediate destruction of an eco-friendly electric car and the mystery behind the destruction of something so desperately needed right now. The second centers around the idea that it’s still possible to make a positive impact regarding the global crisis we’re in. The human race is responsible for destroying the delicate balance of earth’s ecosystems and it’s our responsibility to fix it—before it’s too late. I recently sat down to watch them again—this time with my kids—and it really got me thinking. During the films I had to hit pause over and over to explain certain factors to my kids to help them understand. Then the idea struck me: what better way to learn than from example. So I decided to set a challenge for my family.

The idea is to help us figure out ways we can cut our dependence on electricity, gas, oil and other planet-harming modern conveniences by reducing the amount we use them once a week. It’s not an all-or-nothing, radical and extreme change of life. But something that’s flexible (if we need to visit someone who lives three hours away, we’ll get in the car) and doable. As a family I’d say we’re already pretty green. I stay away from plastic toys, buy organic food, use only organic cleaning products and (of course) only organic bath and body products for the entire family. We’ve also been renovating our home with environmentally conscious updates such as low water toilets and non-toxic paints.

So during the experience I want to actively cut out electricity, without going overboard. We won’t use lights (only candles), run the dishwasher, use the washing machine, turn on the computer or cook food with electricity. Obviously a few things will have to remain plugged in—the refrigerator for example. It won’t do us any good to waste all of the food in my freezer. And there are cases when it’s just necessary to flush the toilet. But for the most part we’ll ride bikes to get where we need to go, eat raw food and use nothing that requires batteries.

When the weather is hot we’ll open the windows to circulate the air and close the blinds to keep the rooms cool. And in the winter we’ll warm up in front of our fireplace. I don’t know if it will be successful. Because—like it or not—being ‘plugged in’ is very much a 21st century idea. And my kids are a product of their century. But even though I anticipate complaining, I hope that once we get started, they’ll start to have fun. I can already envision us playing board games in front of the fireplace in a room lit with candles. And just as important as family bonding is the opportunity to for my children to learn a valuable lesson about being conservative when it comes to using energy. I challenge you to try this idea with your family—once a week or just once. Email me to let me know how it worked out.

I’m always going on and on about how important it is to use products that are free of synthetic ingredients—including preservatives. Of course this inevitably leads to the question about the shelf life of organic goods.  All products—whether they’re organic or not—will eventually become contaminated with molds, fungi, bacteria and other nasty little things you don’t want swimming in your face cream. For almost 100 years conventional products have used parabens—the most common type of preservative—to protect cosmetics, medicine and even some food products. (more…)

Some cosmetics are practically goof proof (lip gloss), others you easily master during your high school years (blush) and then there are those that you don’t think you’ll ever be able to get right (fake eyelashes). Somewhere in the middle there’s eyeliner. For some, lining in some extra oomph is second nature. But for most of us, it can be a little daunting-until now. Since Saffron Rouge offers so many amazing eyeliners, I decided it was time to show you how easy they can be (even the liquid ones). (more…)

Let’s face facts-you don’t have the money, the time or the opportunity to walk around looking like a celebrity. They have stylists, makeup artists, chefs and personal trainers. You, on the other hand, have deadlines, dirty laundry and a mortgage to pay. But that doesn’t mean you can’t look like a celebrity now and then. All it takes is a few great styling products from Intelligent Nutrients, a bit of spare time and someplace fabulous to go after you’re finished. (more…)

Right now I’d love to be enjoying a spa day complete with all the trimmings. Just to take an entire day to be pampered where my only decision is whether to get a seaweed wrap or sit in a mud bath. But since I live in a reality that is the polar opposite of a tranquil spa, I have to find little ways of indulging myself. One of my favorite treats is using a body scrub. Call me crazy but there’s something therapeutic about a body exfoliator. Maybe while I’m polishing away those dead skin cells I’m also scrubbing away stress to simultaneously produce softer skin and a more relaxed state of mind. (more…)

Applying makeup is easier than painting a masterpiece, but it takes plenty of the right tools and tricks. Luckily in my years in the industry I’ve discovered some of the products you’ll find in every makeup artist’s kit to help you achieve gorgeous results in minutes.

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