SkinFare SkinCare

Inspired by her two years in Bali, Indonesia and the birth of her daughter, SkinFare founder Kara Errickson created a wonderful line of organic skincare sticks.  I am always on the look-out for a great company devoted to quality ingredients and sustainable practices-you get both with SkinFare.
Handmade in Asheville, North Carolina, these salves in stick form are composed of  USDA certified organic ingredients and the packaging is made from recycled paper.  SkinFare skincare sticks can be your all-purpose first aid ointment as they help with everything from dryness and chafing to skin issues such as burns, bruises and bug bites.

 The four core ingredients are coconut oil (for its anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties), palm fruit oil (for its antioxidant components), beeswax (impervious to water and mildew, perfect for stabilizing individual oils), and castor oil (helps retain moisture).
These healing salves  come in five different varieties.  In addition to the four core ingredients, each variety is comprised of a different set of constituents to satisfy all types of skin conditions:

Apothecary Prime

Heal, Soothe, Clarify

This wonderful salve made of sage, chamomile and thyme promotes healing, reduces inflammation, and works to calm damaged, itchy skin while supporting scar reduction.

Heirloom Elixir

Invigorate, Tighten, Refresh

Composed of ginger, carrot and spearmint, these elements work together to help detoxify, calm irritated skin, and reduce pores.  The ginger has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, while the carrot (high in vitamin A) works to keep skin toned and healthy.  Spearmint has many aromatherapuetic components as well as being excellent for wound care. 

Thunder Cake

Energize, Relieve, Protect

Thunder Cake protects skin from environmental damage.  This is an excellent salve for care of those bug bites because the clove has a mild numbing quality.  The anise works as a natural painkiller and the nutmeg has anti-aging properties.

Topical Nourishment

Defend, Balance, Repair 

Comprised of palmarosa, rosemary and helichrysum, this skincare stick can work as a bug repellent.  It also stimulates tissue regeneration, hydrates skin, and helps bring nutrients to damaged areas by encouraging blood flow.

Verdant Remedy

Tones, Restore, Brighten

The Verdant Remedy contains basil, galbanum and bergamot.  It is effective for insect bites, brightening the skin and as support for maturing skin.

It's hard to pick a favorite among these five great products, because they can all be used interchangeably, but if I had to pick the one I'm loving now it would be the Topical Nourishment.  I use it often on my kids.  I've put it on their bruises, chafed skin from the cold weather, one pretty nasty scrape from a sledding incident.  I personally use it on burns, for dry skin, and as a lip balm.  It is perfect support for the harsh winter weather.  I have had a few people come tell me how great it is when out skiing.  It's perfectly portable, contains no water so it won't freeze on your skin and it really helps guard against the elements while improving the integrity of your skin.  And I love the packaging!  Because it has no plastic components and made of recycled paper it is 100% biodegradable.  You can recycle it, compost it, or chuck it in to the wood stove like I do.

I'll probably change it up for the summer.  The Verdant Remedy or the Thunder Cake seem perfect for the summer months because they are so beneficial for bug bite after-care but can still be used as an all-purpose salve.

We have testers out of all the different varieties of SkinFare sticks for you to try,  this way you can find a stick that suits your needs.  Come in and check them out and find a SkinFare stick that works for you.

Happy Valentines Day!

On Valentine's Day all I want to do is indulge.  My favorite indulgence at our store (besides the Sea Salt & Caramel gelato by Talenti) is the Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sugar Cane body polish.  I like to lather it on in the shower, or while taking a hot bath, and let it soak in-then rinse.  It leaves your skin feeling so soft and luxurious and smelling slightly of chocolate.  So love your skin today and indulge in some body polish.

New Product for Kids

When my kids were babies I loved the convenience of an all-purpose cleanser.  I could wash them, shampoo their hair and get a fun bubble bath all out of the same product.  Using a healthy, clean product on my children is very important to me, and although these natural products tend to be a bit pricey, I didn't need much to get them clean.

As they've gotten older-and bigger-I have had a difficult time finding the quantity I needed for an affordable price.  Now those days are over.  EO, known for their high-quality products now have a wonderful all-purpose cleanser for kids-and it's affordable!  EO's Everyone Soap for kids is a shampoo, body wash and bubble bath all in one very economical 32 ounce container. 

The Co-op now carries this new product in the Tropical Coconut Twist scent, and it's an Owner Special for the month of February!  Come check it out.

January Favorite

My favorite this month is, Dr. Singha's Mustard Bath.  January is a difficult month here in the north, it gets very cold and is wrought with illness.  For me, that means two things: a very hot bath and time to indulge in some comfort items.  I get both of those, and more, with Dr. Singha's Mustard Bath. 

Dr. Shyam Singha is a popular acupuncturist and Aryurvedic physician who has used this formula in his practice for many years as a way of eliminating acid waste and balance pH.  Mustard has always been known to have cleansing properties, and with the hot water of a bath, it helps, "the largest organ of elimination, the skin, to release impurities".

Many ask if it smells like mustard.  I find it smells more of the wintergreen in its ingredients than anything else, but your bath water will be yellow from the mustard.  I find that the very minty aroma helps open my sinuses and the bath itself really seems to detoxify my skin.  I feel very refreshed after one of these hot mustard baths, and really think my immune system gets the little boost it needs this time of year from the mild cleansing properties.

According to Dr. Singha, this mustard bath formula can also aid in: stress, muscle and joint soreness, congestion, skin conditions, periodic tensions and sleeplessness.  This product is new to the Co-op, affordable, and a perfect way to indulge, heal, and ward off the chill of those very cold January nights.

Why MegaFood?

I can't say enough great things about the company MegaFood.  There is a big difference between supplement companies, and MegaFood proves that over and over again.  MegaFood creates their supplements from food. If you look at any MegaFood label you will see the food that a particular vitamin or mineral is sourced from, i.e. oranges for vitamin C, carrots for vitamin A, cabbage for vitamin K, broccoli for folate, etc. 

They use a gentle drying process, unique to their company, to slow dry the fruits and vegetables in order to retain their nutrients.  MegaFood is located in New Hampshire and they attempt to locally source their fruits and vegetables as much as possible.  They actually have farms growing specific crops of produce that may not be market ready but excellent for supplement production.  An example of this is their cranberries.  When we shop for cranberries for some juicy cranberry muffins or a rich cranbery sauce for our Thanksgiving table, we look for plump light, bitter tasting cranberries.  MegaFood has a local farmer growing a specific variety unlike the cranberries we are used to in our produce departments, they are smaller and more bitter and perfect for a nutrient rich supplement. 

Although we carry a variety of high quality supplements, I believe its important to know why MegaFood can sometimes be twice the price of the other brands.  I've been told by employees of MegaFood that they have visited several other supplement companies and when you walk in they contain vats of different liquids and powders, but when you walk in to MegaFood you see crates of fruits and vegetables.  It's important to remember that MegaFood supplements are also always free of pesticides, herbicides, gluten, and soy.

With the cold and flu season well under way, some great MegaFood supplements to help with prevention and enhancing immunity are the Complex C (made with oranges, blueberries and cranberries), or their probiotic (new to the Co-op): MegaFlora.  And they are on Co-op Deals through January 29th!

Sinus Season

It's that dreaded time of year, sinus season!  Although sinus problems can haunt many all year long, they seem magnified during these cold, dry months.  I have found that the best solution is a neti pot. 

A neti pot is a safe and effective way to maintain healthy sinus processes.  It helps to flush the nasal passages of bacteria and irritants, and to relieve  pain, pressure and congestion.  The Co-op currently carries neti pots made by a small company in northern California called Baraka.  Increasingly miserable from chronic sinus problems, Baraka's founder, Sue Libby,  recieved a neti pot from her mother.  It helped tremendously, and she began a new path to create a high quality neti pot.

Baraka is a small company, but they carry a healthy, sustainable line of neti pots and neti pot products like salt rinses and sinus oils.  They strive to minimize packaging and source organic ingredients.  The clay for the pots come from Ohio and their salts are sourced from an environmentally protected area off the coast of France.

I have to say that my Baraka neti pot has rid me of sinus problems for awhile now.  When I first moved to Grand Marais I suffered from some serious sinus problems.  I bought my first neti pot years later and I have not regretted it.  I rarely suffer sinus problems now and swear by Baraka's products.  My personal favorite is the Dry Nose Oil.  With wood heat and dry winter condition, the Dry Nose Oil has been a lifesaver.

We are expecting a big shipment of Baraka products next week, so look for them on your next trip to the Co-op!

Smells Like The Holidays

The holidays are in full swing, and there is nothing I love more than the smells of Christmas.  A sticky sweet ham, freshly baked cookies to the fresh, crisp scent of the Christmas tree, all heighten the senses and set the mood for a wonderful holiday.  On those days when the cookies aren't baking in the oven and you can't quite smell the tree, a do-it-yourself room spray can bring those scents to life without also creating lots of dirty dishes.

 You'll need to start with a mist bottle (available at the Co-op).  With that at the ready, all you need is some water and the essential oils of your choosing.  The typical dilution for a room spray is 48 drops of essential oil to 4 ounces of water.  Mix in the mist bottle,shake well, and spray throughout your room. 

Here are some great recipes I've found that truly capture that smell of fresh baked goodies and that great pine scent of the Christmas tree:

Holiday Fruit & Spice Spray

12 drops sweet orange essential oil

12 drops lemon essential oil

4 drops cinnamon essential oil

4 drops clove essential oil

4 ounces water

Forest Room Spray

14 drops pine essential oil

6 drops sweet orange essential oil

4 ounces water

Happy Holidays!