…it wasn’t my intention, but it’s what everyone asks me about. Before they ask about beauty or aromatherapy, they ask about my hair. Or their hair. Or products (thankfully they don’t ask much about styling). I Love Love Love talking about hair; it’s a passion. Healthy wellness in general is my passion: it encompasses not only having a healthy beauty regimen for your skin but for your hair as well. Because knowing what’s in your products revolves around your skin and your hair. What goes on them both goes directly into your body.

It wasn’t my intention to launch a full hair care line. I learned how to take care of hair and skin simultaneously but skin was what I felt needed more attention. You all seem to disagree however…LOL It was because of you all that I was “forced” to make the conditioner I was using on my own hair available to the public. The support has been overwhelming, thank you. It’s because of the same and increased “forced” that I’m in the midst of formulating a hair butter and spray moisturizer. You guys are slave drivers, you know! Ok of course I’m kidding. I just want to say that I thank you, mainelement: love thanks you, and I am listening and am working hard (and hard is the operative word since you guys know I’m in school for massage therapy too!) to meet your heart and hair’s desires.

That is all:-)

Summer time is here! *yay* Keeping your skin hydrated doesn’t seem like it would be as much of a priority now since the heat makes you sweat, dripping and rolling all over you right? Well, not quite. Sweating is actually releasing the body’s hydration which means you need to replenish it. On top of that, all that sweating is drying out your skin leaving dead skin and cells clinging on to your body.

We’ve talked plenty about the importance of exfoliating your body, but don’t forget about your face too. Here’s a quick, easy in the kitchen recipe you can put together to exfoliate the dead, dry skin and replenish nutrients in the summertime.

1 cup cornmeal
3 – 4 tbs olive oil
3 drops lemon essential oil (or 3 tbs lemon juice)

Combine ingredients into a plastic bowl. The consistency should be almost paste like. Apply to face with small circular motions, with caution around the eyes. Remove with a warm sponge or face cloth. Cover the plastic bowl with a lid and refrigerate. Reuse within 2 weeks.

Be sure to let us know how this helped your summer beautification routine!

When you think of honey I’m sure you say “Mmhmm, goes so well with my tea!” But what about putting it on your face; on your body? It’s perfect for your beauty routine!

Honey is naturally an incredible skin moisturizer. It’s also antibacterial and antifungal. It has been used since the ancient times as a medicine to treat allergies, poor digestion, and cuts and wounds. Even Cleopatra knew the amazing benefits of honey and credited her beauty and flawless skin to frequent honey and milk baths.

Honey is packed with tons of vitamins and minerals. Which ones? Well I will list them: niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. It’s a veritable nutritious cocktail!

Honey is also wonderful for its antioxidant benefits. There isn’t a woman I know who doesn’t want a natural product that will go in and hunt down all those harmful free radicals that make us age too quickly. Thanks to the flavonoids and phenolic acids in honey, you get just that.

It’s easy to make a honey mask at home:

Mix about 1/2 cup of honey with a very ripe, very mashed banana. Apply the mixture to your face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
This particular mask works hard to kill acne-causing bacteria while moisturizing your skin at the same time. It’s so difficult to find a moisturizing acne treatment since most acne-fighting chemicals dry out skin rather than moisturize. The reason this works is that honey is a natural humectant. Humectants attract moisture and hold it in. So apply away!

Make a honey milk bath:

Heat up 2 cups of whole milk on the stove – not the microwave! As the milk is heating, stir in 1-cup honey until it’s completely dissolved. Add the honey mixture to a warm bath and soak your entire body. The milk proteins will infuse into your skin, adding firmness, while the honey will soften.

Has anyone been using honey regularly for a skin treatment?

Wax hand and foot treatments are commonly used in spas and salons to lock in moisture to the skin. Paraffin wax has been the most prominent wax used, and soy wax is just now becoming more widespread within the past couple of years.

The reason to move paraffin aside and soy to the front is that paraffin is a by-product of petroleum. And we all know why to stay away from petroleum-based products.

Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. Which means it not only supports soy farmers, but it is environmentally friendly. So if you love the earth AND your body….you better use soy

Why? Because soy wax is the new kid in town. And we all want him over for dinner. Soy wax is non-toxic and burns cleaner than paraffin. That means it won’t put any nasty pollutants in the air while melting. Hooray! Soybeans are a renewable resource and the wax is naturally biodegradable. Oh and a bonus – it is also easier to remove than paraffin wax. So no sticky residue left over that takes days to finally slough off.

A few other great things about soy wax:

• there is less soot emission when melting
• clean up can be done by only using soap and water; no oil necessary
• melts at a cooler temperature which means you will not burn your skin with the wax

So next time you are at the spa looking for a hand and foot wax treatment, call ahead of time and make sure that they offer soy wax as an alternative to paraffin. It makes more sense to be more environmentally friendly if you have the option, and to make smarter choices as a consumer.