Hyaluronic Acid: Fantasy or Reality?

female face with wrinkles on her forehead

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) has been getting loads of anti-aging publicity in the skin care arena. Is there any basis to the hype? Let’s talk about the good stuff: 60 Minutes featured a Japanese village that lived longer and had fewer wrinkles and diseases than the rest of the world because of their diet that was… [Continue Reading]

How to Judge Skin Care by its Cover

bottles

Let’s talk drinks.  When was the last time you drank really fantastic beer or red wine from a clear bottle?  Have you ever?  I know I haven’t.  Those obsessively particular artisan brewers use tinted bottles to protect their delicate flavors from sun and light damage.  Surprisingly, it seems as though the bottle color is more… [Continue Reading]

Dear Sun, I’m Ready for Vitamin D Now, XOXO, Skin

I'm Crossing My Fingers and Toes for This Weather

The sun’s starting to peek through the winter haze and spring will be at our doorsteps in no time. I say this as a shaky optimist in the midst of a Chicago winter, hoping to rise like a phoenix from the freakish cold.  Whatever the weather decides to do is not up to me or… [Continue Reading]

Can a Single Ingredient Solve Your Skin Woes?

Cheerful fruit,mixed fruits

Have you ever noticed that a lot of skin care companies hang their hats on a single ingredient?  Think about it for a minute.  You’ve probably seen a tea tree skin care line for acne prone skin, a mushroom or vitamin E line for mature skin, a rose line for rosacea and sensitivities…I could go… [Continue Reading]

How OHA Fixed my Acne Fiasco

P1010033

Growing up, I watched one of my older brothers struggle with serious skin issues, like acne to the point of having to take medications like Acutane. You may have heard of it.  It’s so toxic that doctors won’t prescribe it until you’ve gotten two negative pregnancy tests and won’t keep prescribing it unless you take… [Continue Reading]

Be Your Own Valentine: Fall In Love With Your Beauty

form of heart shaped by hands

I’ve always had a bit of a beef with Valentine’s Day.  It’s a very bossy holiday, telling you how to feel toward your partner, if you’ve got one, or making you feel “less than” if you’re single. I love my partner and I try to express that love every day we’re together; I don’t need… [Continue Reading]

My Top 5 Ways to Unwind with Skin in Mind

bath

I have a confession: I’m a skin care nerd.  There, I said it. It’s because of this nerdiness that the following indulgences and activities chill me out: 1. Taking time at the end of the day to wash my face, refresh with some misting and give myself a mini face massage with my moisturizer and… [Continue Reading]

The Secrets of Smells: Fragrance vs Essential Oils

scientist

In my blog about lavender, I mentioned a variety of lavender that didn’t actually come from a plant, but from a blend of synthetic fragrance oils. While it seems strange to call something “lavender” that’s made with anything but, this is super common in the world of smelliness. I want to share with you how… [Continue Reading]

When Being Unrefined is a Good Thing

oliveoil

The key difference between OHA and those other companies is that OHA is made with uncompromisingly pure oils, never refined, bleached, or deodorized, because those oils are what are most nutritious for your skin.

Not All Lavenders Are Created Equal

lavendin-crop

Remember how I mentioned the “lavender” bath salts I tried giving Martha before I knew that there was a difference between high end lavender and grocery store lavender? After doing some research, I can attest to how wrong I was. So. Wrong. Let’s break it down: “Lavender”:  A lot of products in grocery stores with… [Continue Reading]