Plans for The New Year

Here's what I plan to do next year:

Have a good one. 

I hope you you do too.
Now, go celebrate (and go easy on the candy).

The Dark North

It's the dead of winter and the middle of the Christmas holidays here in Scandinavia. Anyone that doesn't have a job in a hospital, police station or other important service is off work right now. And so am I – almost.

While we prepare for the New Year, I thought I'd give you a peek at something that can be observed in dark, northerly skies (Norwegian, Swedish, or Alaskan) – the Northern Lights. They are also known as Aurora Borealis and were named in 1621 after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas (I knew you would be curious, so I figured I'd add this little tidbit of info).

What does any of this have to do with skin care? Zipola. I just thought you'd like a pretty picture to look at while I work on some new blog posts. Now, go relax with your family.

Merry Holiday

This has been a whirlwind month with too many things to do and not enough time to do them all (sound familiar?)

A whirlwind tree is therefore my holiday greeting to you – wonderful readers of this blog. Thank you for your input, questions and inspiration! 

Whatever you may or may not celebrate, I hope you have a good holiday season with time to relax and enjoy the company of family and friends. 

Cheers.

Make-up: Making Mascara From Urtegaarden

This summer, a family member told me she hadn't used mascara for years because 'every brand she had ever tried bothered her'. I knew exactly what she meant and told her I made my own from Urtegaardens mascara starter kit. By chance, I had just done up a batch for myself and gave her one of 'mine' to try. Later, when Christmas wish lists were circulating, she had added 'LisaLise mascara' to her wish list.

The Emulsifier Twin Mix-up

I wouldn't have done this if I were working on a product for someone else, but this was a personal use product and I was feeling adventurous. Instead of throwing out the batch after discovering my mistake, I decided to see what happens when you get the oil-loving V-E emulsifier mixed up with the water-loving M-F emulsifier.

V-E and M-F - The Emulsifier Twins

To claim that any cream is 100% organic is not true, and it's most often because of the emulsifiers. I have as yet to see a 'properly organic' emulsifier. Properly organic? Well, there are a couple of 'officially qualified organic' emulsifiers on the market that I have been using for years, but they still aren't 'properly organic'.

Curious? Then please join me on a trip into the world of 'almost organic' and meet the most reliable twins I have ever worked with.

Coily Kinky Curly - How's This Logo?

Lola and I are fooling around with a few ideas for our Coily Kinky Curly hair products. We really should have a Coily Kinky Curly logo, don't you think?

I suggested using the first letter of each word, but somehow, this reminds me of something I've seen before...

What do you think?

The Coily Kinky Curly Case
Stay tuned for the exciting adventures of the dazzling duo that dared to take on the scurge of the single strand knot and forge new paths into natural hair care.... whoosh!

Coily Kinky Curly - A New Concoction!

Here is a sneak peek at a serum Lola and I are working on. It shall hopefully help bust (or at the very least alleviate) the single strand knot problem that plagues many coily-kinky-curly haired ladies.

Using The French Clay Cleansing Bar

Welcome to the follow-up on the French Clay Cleansing Bar for face and hair. I have been using the bar for about 10 days as I write this. Here's what I've learned so far...

How to Make a French Clay Cleansing Bar

This is not my idea to begin with. It is 100% inspired by Lola (my partner in a combined-effort quest for the perfect tress-taming products for curly-kinky-coily hair).

I've been playing around with ideas for lotion bars and a couple of other 'solid' products for a while now, so when Lola posted a recipe for a bentonite butter bar (link below), I was immediately inspired to try a version with lavender.

Marvelous Manuka - Part 2

Now that you know piles of things about manuka honey on the sciency-nerdy side (link to part one below) and know what manuka honey has to offer in the way of wound healing, let's take a look at what manuka honey can do on – and in – your face!

The Coily-Kinky-Curly Case - Lolas Initial Feedback

The Coily-Kinky-Curly hair care case study is in full operation, but we are forced to deal with distance as Lola and I are on either side of the big pond. Nevertheless, nothing shall stop us from our quest!

Marvelous Manuka – Part 1

Using honey to treat wounds is nothing new. Honey accelerates healing and is a known bacteria buster with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that are well documented. Topical application of honey is also an effective and inexpensive beauty treatment that cleanses, moisturizes and balances the skin.

With all those fabulous properties, you wouldn't think it could get any better – but it can. There is one honey that surpasses all the others in spades. In some respects, Manuka honey is a bit of a medical marvel.