Clean Kiss Lifestyle
Does Natural Deodorant Actually Work?!?!
If you were to survey a random group of people at a yoga studio or gym, you would get very mixed answers to this question. For good reason actually because many people have either had a bad experience in the past or just don't know they should be using a natural deodorant to begin with! Let’s have a quick look at the human microbiome to understand the science better. Every part of the human body lives in harmony with trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. We’ve all learned it’s important to have healthy gut bacteria (thanks to those probiotics that keep everything in check!), but did you know there’s a whole ecosystem topically on your skin keeping everything also in check?
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The Ultimate Natural Skincare Routine for Athletes and Yogis
As a sporty gal or guy, you know your skin can take a beating (along with your muscles!) with chafing and rashes, dryness, cuts and bruises, sun overexposure and more. Your skin needs to be given the same amount of conscious effort as your muscles and nutritional needs both pre and post-workout. Here is a play-by-play on how to treat your skin before, during and after a sweat sesh at the gym or yoga: Pre workout Don't go to the gym all made up pretty with makeup on like a superstar. You need to arrive clean-faced to allow your pores to breathe properly when you exercise and sweat. Makeup will block your pores and you can get a breakout of acne and blackheads. Leave your face clean and natural which is at it's prettiest anyway! And of course it goes without saying to wear natural deodorant for your sweat sesh that you have applied on clean skin and with clean clothing to look and smell your best. I often shower before my workout that morning or the night before to start the workout fresh and clean. If you are sweaty person you may want to do the same to clean your sweaty armpits before you head out to workout. It also goes without saying that the key to great skin is hydration!!! So bring that water bottle with you to every workout and be sure you are drinking lots before your workout to replenish what you will lose through sweat. During Your Workout Do not touch your face! Ever! The bacteria on your hands from touching gym equipment and weights or a yoga mat is off the charts and will definitely contribute to a breakout not to mention you have other people's DNA all over you. Yuck what a thought. When you touch your sweaty face and skin with open pores from being hot and sweaty, you are depositing that DNA right onto your own skin and potentially into your bloodstream. This may also lead to you getting sick with a virus you pick up unknowingly onto your hands. Instead use a fresh towel that you bring from home to lay down on the benches, or to wipe your own sweat off your face, and to clean your hands. Use the sanitizer and wipes the gym or yoga studio provides to you to clean down the equipment both before and after use. Finally bring your own yoga mat and yoga mat disinfecting spray with you to yoga practice to be sure it is clean and free of germs and other people's DNA! After workout Ever get butt acne?! It happens. That's from sitting in sweaty gym clothes or yoga pants after you are done. Shower and change your clothes as soon as possible to prevent getting body acne and rashes. 1. In the shower, use a mild soap for your body and face that gently cleanses; do not scrub as it may cause additional irritation after your clothes have been rubbing against you. If you don't have time to shower right away at least change your clothes and use natural wipes to clean away the sweat. 2. Pat your skin dry - do not harshly rub it - and apply a natural body moisturizer as soon as possible while still a bit damp. Try one with natural plant based butters and oils and essential oils that have anti-bacterial properties like lavender or lemon. 3. For your face, neck and décolleté be sure to tone and moisturize to restore your pH levels and keep your pores in check before you apply sunscreen and/or makeup. You may also wish to apply a plant based serum to help protect and prevent aging from the elements if you have just done an outdoor workout especially. Our serum has rosehip seed oil in it to help eliminate dark sun spots and wrinkles and is a nice addition to the simple routine of cleanser, toner, serum and moisturizer. Having a good skincare routine will help to keep wrinkles, dryness and dark spots at bay. And speaking of sunscreen, be sure to look for one with natural mineral-based ingredients with at least an SPF30. Apply liberally to your face, neck and décolletage. So folks stay active and do so with great skincare in mind, not just thinking about your toned muscles and your namaste. About Clean Kiss We create natural and organic products for active, healthy people like you! We proudly make Canadian, artisan-handcrafted wellness products that are simple and pure for your body, face, hair and home. Our specialties are plant based premium skincare, all natural deodorant (that really does work!), and products to tame and manage naturally curly hair. We are 100% Vegan, GMO free, Gluten Free (and free of all unnecessary garbage!) and Leaping Bunny Certified (meaning we never test on animals and neither do our suppliers).
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Greenwashing and how it can fool you into thinking it's safe
In 2015 I published a blog post about how I had to break up with Shoppers Drug Mart (here you can substitute the name of any large drug store chain, not to pick on Shoppers Drug Mart specifically!) because it no longer fit my personal values of using only 100% natural and organic products on my body, face and hair. It is my top-read blog still to this day! I also shared that I had created my own company of natural skincare products in order to find products that I knew were safe and effective at the same time rather than using chemical-laden mass produced products.
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Take this "Simplicity Test" To Evaluate Your Life
I am not a simple person but now that I am in midlife I am definitely making it my goal every single day to live more simply. My friends used to call me High Maintenance and I certainly can laugh at myself as know I can be "extra" at the best of times. But I am at a stage of my life that I crave simplicity and a slower pace. Several years ago I started to reevaluate my career and business choices to be able to focus more time on my own daughters and family. After a lot of consideration I sold my main Small/Medium Sized business after more than a decade of lots of work and responsibility. I was simply getting pulled into too many directions and felt torn, guilty and like I was "half assing" every single thing. Today I am completely a fish out of water with a whole new routine and outlook! And none too soon as all the signs are pointing me to living a simpler, more meaningful life. Tragically we were met with a sudden loss a couple weeks ago and are still grieving the loss of a close friends' son, taken too soon. Add to that about hearing the news reports of fifty-nine innocent lives lost in Las Vegas today while enjoying a Country Music concert. I can't make sense of this world anymore but we all need to find comfort in what we do each and every day. Hug your kids every day and tell your loved ones how much you love them. Today. Find your meaning and find peace. And find simplicity. Rewind back to this past May when I had no idea what the rest of this year held for me except that I needed to find more meaning and peace. I planned this trip to India for November and it clearly was the sign I was looking for to find more spirituality and life meaning. Yoga, meditation, adventure, exploration (and great food!). Now back to my present day "Simpler Life" that started today: I woke up way too early mind racing at around 5:30am (way before my 7am alarm). I wrote in my brand new Two Minute Mornings Gratitude Journal to focus my mind and goals for the day ahead. Check. I looked after some work stuff that had to be cleared off my plate to settle my mind. Check. While getting the kids off to school I threw dinner in my slow cooker to have a healthy meal for my family tonight (chickpea vegetarian curry, yum!). Check. I looked after some physical stuff that I've been neglecting due to too much on my plate (Who really needs a foot to actually walk on anyway? So overrated ;)). Doctors appointment and x-ray done. Check. Then I came home to a quiet house this afternoon and made myself this comforting anti-inflammatory Matcha Turmeric Latte (no sugar, low calorie version). I drank this deliciousness while making my To Do list for the next week ahead for my other small business, my organic handcrafted skincare line, that I can now focus on solely. Today was to me a far simpler day than my usual harried schedule. I felt focused and productive and less stressed. Heck I even got around to writing this blog post! And so here is a quick quiz to help you determine if your life is simple or you need to do some work to scale back. Here's Your Simple 5 Question Simplicity test: Are you always feeling pulled in a thousand different directions and never feel satisfied with any one job you're doing? Are you always half-listening to your children, spouse, and friends while your mind races about something else? Do you look around your home, bedroom, office, car and feel a sense of disarray and disorganization simply because you don't have the time to spend on cleaning up? Do you eat most meals in your car while driving from one thing to the next? Do you look after your health (meaning do you make sure to use healthy products ON your body, watch you put IN your body, and also take time to ensure your physical and mental health is in check)? As much as I am very fortunate to have had career and business opportunities in my life that brought me to who I am today, I am so very excited to now put all of of my passion and focus on my artisan handcrafted 100% organic and natural product line. It is my true passion and includes a natural premium skin care line, organic natural deodorant that really and truly works (or your money back!), natural premium skincare which are all plant based and contain simple anti-aging ingredients from the earth, and our top selling natural face scrub with organic lemons and cane sugar to brighten, exfoliate and create a youthful appearance. About Clean Kiss We create 100% Natural and Organic, Canadian artisan handcrafted products that are simple and pure for your body, face, hair and home. Our specialty is premium skincare, all natural deodorant and other body care, and naturally curly hair products. We are 100% Vegan, GMO free, Gluten Free (and free of all unnecessary garbage!) and Leaping Bunny Certified (meaning we never test on animals and neither do our suppliers).
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Steps to the Ultimate Clean Belly, Clean Skin, Clean Mind
When we look at our skin health we can't look at it as one singular area of health. We need to approach our outer beauty, our skin, as one leg of a three legged stool that will topple over if not in harmony. The other two legs being a clean gut or diet and a clean mind that is free of clutter, stress and all things that don't serve us in the present moment. Sounds easy right? Not so much. Most of us would agree it is a constant struggle to balance and achieve these three areas of health and wellness.
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It's All About the Trip, Not the Destination: My Life Motto
These last forty-eight hours the universe has been sending me a strong message about the "trip". This is how it all started twenty-six years ago. I was sitting in an undergrad psychology class in my first year of university, at The University of Western Ontario, when a girl that I had only randomly smiled at in class who sat behind me, tapped me on the shoulder and said "I have this poem that I think you may enjoy", and she handed me a copy of it. Just like that and very randomly. The poem is titled "The Station" by Robert J. Hastings.
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How I Healed my Hormonal Acne with Plant Based Skincare
After the age of 50 you really think "for goodness sake I really thought that all my pimples and acne issues would have been kissed goodbye with that last boyfriend in my teenage years"! Then came the pre-baby and the baby years of my twenties and thirties when I wasn't exactly sleeping well, eating a real meal with all the food groups and that didn't involve Baby Mum Mums and a single moment of adult conversation. I thought the unhealthy habits and radical young mother schedule was to blame for all the persisting acne issues. I have always had quite oily/combination skin and struggled with not looking like an oil slick by lunchtime. In order to fight my oily skin I did what most women do - try to remove every last drop of oil with harsh, alcohol based cleansers or I skipped moisturizing altogether thinking it would be far too oily on my face. Little did I know that I was actually throwing off my skin's equilibrium even further and creating more oil production and acne. In my thirties and early forties I had been dealing with acne breakouts along my jaw line (classic hormonal acne pattern) both in terms of huge red pimples and also tiny white ones that formed under the skins' surface. I was so self-conscious and always trying to cover them up with makeup. I thought my rich and oily hair products were to blame. That was of course until I started studying organic skincare formulation and reading obsessively about plant based skin care ingredients for all types of skin and issues we face as women in our mid-life. I started to formulate plant based moisturizers and serums with oils that mimicked the natural sebum in my skin (i.e. jojoba oil) and reduced the amount of oil that was being over-produced. Jojoba oil is also full of minerals and vitamin E which promotes healthy skin, is anti-bacterial, prevents free radical damage (as in from the sun and environment that causes aging, chronic diseases and cancers). The results have been amazing both in terms of clearing up all my acne (I can't remember the last time I had a breakout!), improving the appearance of wrinkles, and also reducing signs of sun damage. I have never received so many compliments about my complexion and people asking me what I use on my skin. Please don't be afraid to use good quality products with organic plant based oils in them on your skin. They should not make you break out or cause you to have oilier looking skin. You also need to be exfoliating at least two times per week and moisturizing daily to clear away the dead skin cells and keep your epidermis healthy and fresh. And most of all please stop stripping your skin of the natural sebum with harsh cleansers and alcohol based products. About Clean Kiss We create 100% Natural and Organic, Canadian artisan handcrafted products that are simple and pure for your body, face, hair and home. Our specialty is anti-aging premium skincare, all natural deodorant, and products for curly hair. We are 100% Vegan, GMO free, Gluten Free (and free of all unnecessary garbage!) and Leaping Bunny Certified (meaning we never test on animals and neither do our suppliers).
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How to Make Your Own Aromatherapy Blends for Common Health Ailments
Everyone interprets scents differently, and connects certain smells with poignant memories. But regardless of what scents resonate with you personally, researchers have proven that, psychologically, the human sense of smell is the most accurate sense at triggering specific memories and emotions. The olfactory system is what our brain uses to detect a smell. Scents have both a proven psychological benefit but also physical and mental health benefits too.
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7 Ways You Never Thought You Could Use Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a hot superfood with health benefits. Known for its oily consistency, coconut oil has been a saviour the the field of hair products for a long time too! But did you know that coconut oil has some other super powers that are rarely spoken of?
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