Unwanted Things - Are You OK With That?

The other morning I checked in to my blog to see... a big old fat long ADVERTISEMENT on my sidebar ??!!???!!

Double take. ??!!???!!

Triple take ??!!???!!

There shouldn't be any ads on this blog!

After a bit of investigation, the culprit was caught, given the sharp end of my best boot, and cast out into the cold. Apparantly it is possible for unwanted ads to sneak in on some sidebar widgets (who knew?). Now you know why I no longer have a 'share this' widget here.

And speaking of unwanted things...

Why The Industry Loves Mineral Oil

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I recently asked a highly respected cosmetic chemist in the industry for his take on petrolatum (mineral oil) vs. vegetable oils. We had an interesting exchange. No, that's not some fancy way of saying we had a heated discussion – it was enlightening and quite pleasant, thank you very much.

I was also reaffirmed in my beliefs on why the industry loves mineral oil. Here is a condensed version of our exchange.

Kids Face Paint - What's Safe?

Halloween is coming up.  Even here in Denmark, this traditional American 'holiday' has become quite popular. The shops are displaying pumpkins and ghosts, and children are excitedly planning what they want to be for Halloween. Meanwhile, parents are worrying. Many Halloween costumes involve some sort of face paint.

cKc Winners - Try it, Then Name that Product

Four ladies shall be shortly testing this brand new spray-on finishing product that helps seal in moisture and add a touch of gloss to coils, kinks and curls. They will also be helping us name it!

Thanks to everyone who showed interest and added a comment. Now let's see who won!

Chamomile Cleansing Bar With Easy Layers

Several emails kickstarted this easy peasy layering method. The e-mails all went something like this:
'I love the layered look of these cleansing bars but can't be bothered splitting up the mixture into 2-containers. Isn't there an easier way?'

Yes, there is!

Here's a sensitive-skin-friendly cleansing bar that offers super gentle exfoliation, moisturizing, careful cleansing, AND easy peasy layers. Prepare for supreme skin pampering!

cKc Giveaway - Try it, Then Name it!

All right curlies, Lola and I need your help. A while back, I asked you to name this product. It is a finishing product especially formulated for coils, kinks and curls, designed to seal in moisture and add a touch of gloss. Lola and a couple of the cKc testers have been giving it a whirl, and they're all loving it bigtime.

But let's be honest, It is incredibly unfair to ask people to name a product they haven't even tried.

Just plain downright unfair.

There's only one way to solve this. Let's get this product into the hands (and heads) of some curlies!

Stuart's Formula - a Hair-Loving Herbal Powerhouse

Researching ingredients can inspire new combinations and new products, but some of the best ideas come directly from my clients. Take Stuart, an absolutely lovely gentleman residing in Scotland. He gave me the idea for this combination of hair and scalp boosting ingredients. I happened to mention to him that I had plans for making a caffeine shampoo and he returned with this inspiring question: 'since caffeine shampoo is meant to be left on the scalp so the caffeine has a chance to absorb, couldn't it be added to a leave-on product instead?'

Fresh Cucumber and French Clay Mask

Lately, I've been on a bit of a quest – trying to find the perfect combination of fresh food ingredients with clay for the ultimate mask experience. There are 2 great reasons for combining clay with fresh food.

The Clay Reason
Apart from having all kinds of benefits for the skin, clay masks are a dream to work with – they stay where they are put and don't make a drippy mess of your kitchen, bathroom, and clothes.

The Fresh Food Reason
Fresh ingredients bring the maximum cocktail of vitamins, moisturizing, firming, and other skin-loving goodies to the mix.

Why Your DIY Baking Soda Deodorant is Causing a Skin Reaction

An overwhelming amount of comments and mails from readers prompted this post. There are far too many people experiencing problems and serious skin reactions from homemade deodorant. You've written me about everything from 'a slight discoloration of armpits' to 'ending up in hospital with a 6 month recovery period.' Yikes!

Why is this happening?

Because misconceptions about deodorant ingredients have taken on a life of their own. Some of these untruths are scaring people away from commercial deodorants and prompting them to experiment with all manner of alternatives – the most common (and damaging) being DIY baking soda deodorant.

There are 2 misconceptions about baking soda that have been circulating for so long they are beginning to be perceived as truths.

Salt and Skincare

There is a member of my family who suffers from atopic dermatitis. The gentleman in question gets a bright red rash on his entire neck area at the slightest irritation (even his own perspiration regularly triggers a reaction). He even has to be mindful of which fabrics he wears and has lived with this condition for much of his life.

Several times, I have mentioned to him that his skin might react well to using a Himalayan Crystal Salt bar and offered to set him up with the salt treatment I do every day. At every occasion, the reply has been a polite but firm 'no thanks' with a tone that clearly indicated he viewed my comment as if it I was suggesting he try some kind of voodoo involving ancient rituals and dead chickens.