Parabens, from a laygirl

So, here we go... how to answer questions about bath product chemicals related to cancer, when I have cancer and sell bath products... some of which have these chemicals.

Most important to note in my book? Read your labels, learn your ingredients, don't panic and we will all eventually get on great skin and food diets.
Here is the wiki link, it tells a little, but it is pretty biased toward the safety
of them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabens


We live in a less than perfect time for both food and personal care products. Parabens are SYNTHETIC preservatives that are used to prevent bacteria and mould from growing in food and personal care products. Without preservatives many of your bath, skin and hair products would go bad within a day or two of opening them. Most products have either oil or water or both in them. Oil goes rancid. Water grows bacteria. Anything called lotion or cream has both water and oil in the recipe. Parabens are the most used preservatives on the North American market but the links to female related cancers are a little too scary to ignore. A British researcher said "Parabens have been shown to mimic the action of estrogen. Estrogen is known to drive the growth of human breast tumours" Dr Philippa Darbre of the University of Reading. Parabens have been found in breast cancer tumours which suggests they leached into the tissue after being applied to the skin.

The general consensus in the small Bath and Body care company market is that Parabens suck. Ellenoire is constantly striving to find other options. I, Noelle have a very specific opinion on how to deal with the paraben issue in day to day life based only on what I have read.

This is my philosophy: Treat paraben preserved products like you should treat your food. Use/eat as few synthetic things as you can. Artificial colours, fragrances, and chemically altered/ synthetic food and products have far too few years of research for us to know how safe they are. In our lifetimes we may never know for sure. Some of us will get sick and/or die from using/ consuming things that are man altered.
Nasty? Yes! but we simply do not have enough information to know for sure. So. How do you get through the day with your products? Go through your bathroom, learn your ingredients. Limit your exposure. Use only one or two a day that have parabens/nasty chemicals in them. Use/ eat organic when you can afford it.

Call me when you are ready to try some paraben free things and learn more about anti aging products you can eat and drink.
Does this help? I hope so!
If not ...ask me more!

Lotion as sandpaper? huh?

So this weekend I tried a product I bought on a trip to New York City in January. I try lots and lots of new products to see what is going on with the market, to get ideas for brands we might want to bring in, and to get ideas for products that I might want to make. So, I have this beautifully wrapped lotion bar in a Lavender scent. They call it "Body Butter" and it is in a bar shape. A little softer than most lotion bars, but that is ok.
I generally put all body moisturizers on wet skin, right out of the shower or bath so the skin is still very warm. I almost always use a body butter or balm in the winter months(lotion is mostly water by nature and kind of a waste of money and precious moisturizing time and effort in the winter) so I am used to the extra few seconds it takes to rub a body butter into the skin. Lotion bar/ butter bar type things usually melt fine on wet skin and I like them. YUUUUCK! Not this one!
I tried it twice, and I will try it one more time just in case the wet skin is a factor but this thing is really really odd! It feels like they put talc, or cornstarch or something nasty and gritty in the bar! It felt like it scratched across the skin as it was applied! It eventually sunk in... but what were they thinking with that nasty texture? I am gonna try their soap tonight. More on this later.
I will not be copying this product!

ooh a new topic!

After a long bike ride, run, spinning class or any workout that taxes your lower body and legs here is the trick to being able to not feel like you have cement legs.
Lie on the floor with your legs up a wall or tree or whatever (with your butt against the wall/tree thing) and rub them from the ankle to the thigh (like wringing out a towel)and stay lying there for about 3 min. Then take a hotish bath with a cup of epsom salts if you have them and soak for at least 10 minutes. Tomorrow u will be able to walk. I am serious!

Soon I will work out how to hotlink the thing I talk about to places to buy the stuff.

I promised I know!

but the Valentine's day prep work has been killer and I have been training a new co-op student this week too! It has been hard to get to the 'puter to write to you.
I have some great emails queries from you all my new ellenoire blog peeps! I will be answering them all this week I promise.
I have some lovely chocolate massage bars and oils for you and your fave valentine/ massagee. I hope I see you in the shop today!

Noelle's skin care in a nutshell

I get asked often what I use on my skin. This has a two part answer. Tonight, I will give you part one.
The most important thing to note? Listen to your skin. One set of products is unlikely to fit your skin needs all year round.
What I use may not fit your skin, but rest assured I will help you find the right thing for you. Just ask.
I wash with two things. Soap and liquid soap. Organic, Unscented mostly or at least I don't ever let anything with artificial fragrance touch my face (or my body most of the time) Today I washed with Virginia's unscented glycerin soap (I have a large and varied stash of naturally scented soap in my house and I pick which one I want/ need)in the shower and smeared the Ellenoire Unscented Body Butter everywhere ...from head to toe. Tonight I will use the Ellenoire organic foamy soap and some Ellenoire wildcrafted Shea Butter. I use toner less often than I should, but my skin is wonky from chemo. I recommend that everyone use a toner at least once a day, best at bedtime. When I use a toner I use the ellenoire custom blended toner( we will help u pick one right for you)with witch hazel and rosewater on real cotton on just washed and still wet skin.
In summer I use the Suki line of moisturizers and brightening creams to moisturize.
I exfoliate at least twice a week. Mostly with the ellenoire sugar scrub with no added scent.
Did this make sense? It's late. I'll talk about skin nutrition sometime soon.
Keep asking questions...

Pink lipstick makes me look less tired!

So, have you found the perfect lipstick for your skin tone and eyes?
I have. On my most tired days I use a bright bright (grown up bright I mean) fuchsia lipstick with a shiny gloss and everyone told me I looked grEATTTTT! So, you need to find an amazing colour that brings out your eyes, brightens your natural skin tone and voila you look like you just had a vacation! Neutral may be your style, nude may be in vogue.... but looking tired is never in fashion! A few tricks need to be up every woman's sleeve! Let me know if I can help you today!
Happy Tuesday!
Noelle

A long time coming!

This is a happy day! I have intended to have a specialized blog just for my store and website for years. For the last year I have blogged about my experience with Breast Cancer and have found the experience oddly cathartic.
I have soooo much to tell you! This time it will be about all the lovely Bath, Body and Fragrance products I make and sell which will make your skin and hair the best you have ever seen it! I promise.
Welcome to the land of ellenoire!