Love me some swag.....

When you are pit  to pit on the dance floor or in a sexy photo shoot you don't want the smelly issues to get in the way.  There are various smells from various people, could be from your diet, genetics skin type, hormones, etc etc.  So many deodorants to choose from.  Natural deodorants are a hit and miss you just have to try a few until you find the one that works for you.  Here is a great blog with a good recipe for coconut oil deodorant here.  This is also a great info resource for safe deodorant choices.  http://www.reviews.com/natural-deodorant/
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I have seen many many brands and tried many.  I had to get my husband to try them out because I don't sweat or smell very much, I know you have some choice words for me.  I have other issues if that makes you feel better.  I had worked at as a cosmetic specialist at a store that had all natural deodorant and I had the opportunity to get feedback from many different customers.  

 I think it is fair to say that men and women sweat, well women glow, or can glow a lot... we can glow like men.  Adolescent girls and boy's pits can certainly give er at times.  So many scenarios so many pits.  The one main thing is that all pits need to be cleaned and on a regular basis.  Yes bathing is an ongoing thing, a shock to some I know but that is the truth of the matter.  One customer came into the store once and felt the need to tell me she only bathed every 3 days and wanted to tell her that I had come to that conclusion on my own when I stood beside her, but that is another topic, how I worked in retail and lived to tell about it!

There are some tips for maintaining a fresh pit and bathing is of course one of them.  You also need to exfoliate your pits people, yes exfoliate.  Best cheap and cheerful way is baking soda and lemon juice.  One table spoon of baking soda and squeeze half a lemon,wait until the fizz goes away or not.  Scrub gently, the baking soda will kill odors, exfoliate and the lemon will serve to reduce darkened skin.  It will have a brightening and lightening effect.  Of course you can use a loupha glove or marrow or sea salt scrub.  
Here is a concept, you may have to reapply your deodorant during the day depending on what you are doing.  Yup I know crazy as it sounds sometimes it has to be done.  I would love when people would come and ask me for makeup and lipstick that lasted all day but with no harmful chemicals.  Does not exist people.  

I carry a little spray bottle with some facial toner around with me and I use that to freshen up if I need to.  Mist my face and mist the pits.  Toner also puts skin back to its ph balance so that helps with the smelly issues.  You can make your own mist with some distilled water a few drops of vodka and some essential oils and use that as a pit spray to freshen up.  I also cary baby wipes and they work well too.  Another great recipe to try on your own.​ 

My deodorant favs.  Oh yes there are no antiperspirants on the list because there are no safe choices for antiperspirants and you need to sweat because that is normal.

Stelllaa-Licious Soup
Saaboon
Crawford Street
Purely Great
Schmidts
Weleda
Penny Lane Organics

A bit on the Salt crystal,  it is a love or hate situation with that.  People think it works wonders and some say it does not work at all.  Like I said earlier everybody's different.  If you do try the crystal make sure you rinse it after you use it.

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​After I heard Sihem's story , I suggested she approach ​Terra20, a local store in her area and by chance the owner of the store happened to be at the expo and invited her become a vendor.  That is one of the places where her wonderful  Biosecrets Argan Oil be can found and is one of the top selling products in the store today.
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Earth To Body is definitely on my fav list and its Canadian eh.  This Natural Skin Nutrition line was started in 2001 In Montreal Quebec and has now extended across Canada.  They craft the products in small batches and bring them fresh to market.

Any one who knows me, knows I squeal with delight when someone gives me swag to try.  I met  Martha Shannon, Co-Founder of Earth to Body at a retail store where I was a working as a cosmetic specialist.   Martha came to provide some training and  gave me the toner,  it was "Love at First Mist! 
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I love the refreshing Facial Toner, what a delight for your senses. You can use it as a mist for facial refreshment, or spray your hair and body.  The delicate scents of Lavender and Orange essential oils offer aromatherapeutic properties and are rejuvenating, soothing and up lifting and  no alcohol, yay.  
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I saw on their Face Book feed that they opened a store so I went to pay them a visit.  They have a lovely little boutique on Lucerne in Pointe Claire in the West Island of Montreal.  You can get the complete line there as well as their online store of course.  I love to see a small local business thrive and grow from all their efforts and hard work.  Along with their conscious packaging, it is nice to see an all natural line of skin products and when they say natural, they mean all natural not just one natural ingredient. Oh and did I mention “reasonably priced”. 
 

Saw this post today about body image.  I did a little experiment for myself.  Of the women in the picture, I asked my husband which one is most like me.  I know horrible question for the husband.  It's the same question as "do I look fat in this dress"?  I really wanted to know who he would pick and to see if I would pick the same person.  Interesting, he picked the person I would never have picked.  I told him which one I saw as similar to me and he just gave me the strangest look and said "you are not even close or similar to that body shape, who do you see in the mirror"?  That is not an insult to any of the women in the picture, so let's get that straight.  He was so surprised that I would see something completely different than me.  

I know we shouldn't compare but I was just curious to see if I have a distorted image of myself and apparently I do.  Very very interesting.  

Here is the link to the article. 
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/07/21/project-woman-kind_n_7842752.html

So Saw this post on Facebook and thought it was a really good video.  Humans can be pretty cruel and yes unfortunately bullying is alive and well.  Here is the thing, no matter what you put out on the internet or any media platform you are going to get feedback.  People are going to give you their opinion good and bad.  

This video in particular is picking on a female with regards to her worth and beauty.  It is making a good point that people say shitty things and treat women like shit excuse my language.  I am happy that women are putting out great information into the media that it is not ok for the media world to define us in ay way.  Could write for hours on this topic, what defines beauty.  Ladies and my fellow humans, let us get to a place where no matter what someone says about you, you are completely unaffected.  Nothing more beautiful than a confident happy human, In this case a young woman.  Don't let people talking shit take your beauty. 

Here is the link to the video.

http://www.sunnyskyz.com/happy-videos/2660/She-Started-Posting-Pictures-Of-Herself-Without-Makeup-These-Are-The-Real-Comments-People-Left-Her

What does heartbreak and problem skin have in common?  Physically maybe nothing but sometimes the actions you take to recover solve many issues and you make a discovery about yourself and find a solution to a physical issue.  

A Great Article from MBG/ Mind Body Green.  

Met Tim today for a great training.  We talked about Baobab Oil.  This oil is not talked about much.  Here is an informative video about Baobab Oil.

I saw this post and had to Share! Being a technician of 20 years I've been asked this a million times! Please share!!! Its excellent information!!!

Solar nails, Gel and acrylic nails.The public need to be educated on the services they think they're getting!
Written by Bare...
July 31, 2012 at 3:42pm · 
"Solar nails" Gel? Acrylic? Methyl Methcrylate (MMA)? GET Educated people 
By Barefootbutterfly Studio

Alrighty.. SO… I am reeeeally get sick and tired of the lies that are being told to innocent nail clients, and it has to stop!! This is one of the only ways I know how to reach a lot of people (Social Media) so here goes… 
This is all about ACRYLIC NAILS vs.GEL NAILS AND about the fact that recently I have been asked a lot about, or if I do “SOLAR NAILS” 
AAAAARRRRGGGGGGGG!!!!!! Not AGAIN! I say to myself…WHY oh WHY do people believe what they are being told by salons who don’t give a care about their clients?! You know why?? Because they are not EDUCATED on the subject!

People are being LIED to EVERYDAY in “discount salons” all over Canada! (By “Discount Salons” I mean nail salons that pop up overnight & disappear just as fast, sometimes have a language barrier and can sometimes be located inside rental units in other large chain stores)

Here are the solid facts... There are a few types of products that can be applied to nails to build a nail enhancement (False nail extension) either with a form (a paper or plastic support held under the nail edge to build out on) or with a tip (a plastic extension glued onto the nail). These products include 2 specific very popular ones that I will explain here-

*ACRYLIC and GEL*

ACRYLIC -Characteristics are the following- *A POWDER and a LIQUID are mixed together and polymerize as it dries to create a tough coating. The technical chemical name for the FDA approved acrylic that reputable salons use is called ETHYL Methacrylate. (Just remember Lucy’s best friend Ethel!! Lol) If you have nails on that were built with a powder and a liquid then you have ACRYLIC NAILS ON!! NO IFS ANDS OR BUTS!!.... NO!! NOT a chance that anything built with a powder & liquid is “a new kind of GEL” !!!! NO … NO … NO… !!!!.........NO!)

GEL-Characteristics are the following- *A substance that comes in semi liquid, sticky GEL form in a small tub like container that is applied to the nail and cured under a light. If you have this product on your nails then you have GEL NAILS!!

*Please do not confuse gel nails with acrylic nails with a gel top coat. These are when the nails are built with Acrylic (powder & liquid) filed and then a coat of thin gel polish is brushed on like nail polish and is cured under a light) Also, do not confuse gel nails with a gel nail polish that comes in a nail polish bottle, is not meant for building and is applied like nail polish and cured under a light.

There are differences in these products but it is mostly the technician’s preference as to which product they like to use and also sometimes what the nail technician has been trained to use.

I will now explain what “SOLAR NAILS” are… There is a product that is made by a company called Creative Nail Design (CND) …. It is called Radical Solar Nail. It is made with proper FDA approved Ethyl Methacylate. It is a choice of a lot of professional reputable nail techs worldwide and it has been used in the nail industry for many years. Radical Solar Nail is a brand of ACRYLIC… The same way Ford Mustang is a brand of VEHICLE. Maybe you have a Toyota Camry , maybe you have a Chevy Camaro… They are brands of motor vehicle. It’s the same with CND’S Radical Solar Nail. Companies make nail products. They have different names for their acrylic products and for their gel products. Radical Solar Nail is a powder & liquid system, an ACRYLIC product made by Creative Nail Design (CND)

***I will now explain to you what numerous people have been telling me that they are being told in “discount salons”… They are being told that “SOLAR NAILS” are either better than Acrylic (which is ludicrous since they ARE ACRYLIC!!!) or that with these “new” “Solar Nails” they are getting GEL NAILS (which they are not because it is clearly a powder and liquid being applied!) In all of the cases they are being told that they are “Better For You” and they are being CHARGED MORE FOR THESE “SOLAR NAILS”. Let me say it LOUD & CLEAR>>>>>>They are being RIPPED OFF and LIED TO!!

THE PART THAT BAFFLES A LOT OF PEOPLE...For some incredibly strange reason “discount salons” have taken the name “SOLARNAIL” and are using it in a BIZARRE way...somehow describing a "NEW PRODUCT"... something ‘better’ than acrylic or gel. AND Even more BIZARRE, it has stuck with the public! It is incredibly frustrating to nail technicians who know the scam that is affecting thousands of clients!

The part that REALLY PISSES ME OFF … a large percentage of the time that clients are being told at “discount salons “ that they are getting “SOLAR NAIL”… THEY ARE NOT Getting the product Radical Solar Nail by CND… They are getting a product applied to their nails called METHYL METHACRYLATE, also known as MMA. This product is BANNED BY THE FDA for use on Nails!!! It is used to make LUCITE and other hard plastic products such as bullet proof glass & shatter proof eyeglasses. It is bought in bulk and distributed secretly for use in the beauty industry. It is harsh and causes allergic reactions. It is filed with a drill after it is applied to nails because it is so dense and hard. It has a sour smell when it is being filed.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT??…….. 
-ASK QUESTIONS!! If you feel the nail techs are not telling you the truth about the products that are being used on you then WALK OUT OF THE SALON!

-If you feel that the language barrier is making you uneasy about what is being applied to you… WALK OUT OF THE SALON! (YES, even part way through the service!)

-If the nail techs are using a product that is out of an unmarked or non labeled bottle, ASK TO SEE A BOTTLE WITH A LABEL and if they do not have a marked bottle to show you the ingredients PLEASE, Use common sense & WALK OUT OF THE SALON!!

YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN PREVENT HARM FROM BEING DONE TO YOUR NAILS!!!

We are seeing more and more damage done everyday… it’s so sad because all it takes is a little knowledge and the guts to WALK THE HECK OUT if you feel they are doing something they shouldn’t be!! 
Methyl Methacrylate(MMA) is an industrial product used to make hard plastic… people are not supposed to have this product applied to their nails.. It was banned by the FDA 20 years ago! It has made a huge resurgence in the last 5-10 yrs. People can develop allergic reactions very quickly to MMA. It can also cause nerve damage, tingling & burning to ones nails and cuticles. It is so hard that when it breaks, It will almost always break the natural nail underneath causing painful damage.

I have seen nails that are damaged beyond repair frown emoticon 
Nails are lifting right off of the nail bed because of trauma due to the harshness & hardness of the product and allergic reactions caused by MMA. Nails that are never going to grow back because the nail bed is SO DAMAGED BY MMA! This is absolutely unacceptable.

And by the way, once you have developed an allergy to Methyl Methacrylate, it is usually with you for life. And your body will not differentiate between a safe Ethyl Methacrylate and NON SAFE Methyl Methacrylate. You could have an allergy to any type of acrylic or gel for the rest of your life which means that if u do have lifting nails beds (the natural nail plate coming away from the nail bed (the soft tissue) then let them grow out eventually, the next time you decide you would like to have your acrylic or gel nails done, even by a reputable salon, your own nails could react in the same way – as the allergy will cause your nail plates to come away from your nail beds again & again. I have seen this!! YOU DON’T WANT THIS!! 
Why, You ask, are discount salons using MMA? Because it is approximately a third (or less) of the price of FDA Approved Ethyl (Lucy’s BFF!) Methacrylate. It’s all about the $$$ folks… Sadly like a lot of things in this world today.

Please folks.. educate yourselves (reading this to the end was a great way to do that!)

Make the right choices and don’t let ANYONE push you around!! Take charge of YOU and make the right decision! There are more than enough nail technicians out there who do care about you and your nails and are more than willing to sit down with you , chat about it & help keep you informed!

I hope this clears up questions you have about this topic!! If you are a nail tech or even if you just want to educate friends, please feel free post a link to this page as the more people know, the more bad nail experiences we can prevent!

Carolyn- Master Nail Technician & Educator for over 24 yrs