Hair Loss – what you can do about baldness
A quick review of baldness – how it is perceived and what you can do about it.
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essential oils
Geranium Oil
I have a bit of a soft spot for geraniums. My grandfather used to grow them in his front garden and introduced me to their ability to display a range of strong smells. The lemon geranium was my favourite, closely followed by the rose geranium. I was also impressed to come across a scheme that
Oliverum Bath Oil
Some formulations look a lot more complicated than they really are. Take this one from cult emollient Olverum bath oil. Isopropyl Myristate, Pinus (Pine Oil), Arachis hypogea (Groundnut oil), Lavandula hybrida (Lavandin Oil), Limonene, Linalool, Citrus limonum (Lemon oil), Eukalyptus globulus (Eucalyptus oil), Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary oil), Citral, Litsea cubeba (Exotic Verbena), Fragrance, Lavendula augustifolia
Lavender Oil – Scary Stuff?
Lavender farmers are worried that under new legislation products containing lavender oil will have to bear a black and red warning symbol. They will also have to bear the warning ‘fatal if swallowed’. You can see why this might put people off.
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Jasmine
Based on a totally unscientific sample of people whose opinion of Jasmine I happen to know, it is a very polarising smell and is one that appeals to men more than women. That many people don’t particularly like the smell is a bit unfortunate given the trouble that has to be gone to to obtain
Neroli
Neroli is an essential oil made from the petals of the bitter orange. The amount of oil in a petal isn’t very high so it takes a lot of them to make much oil. So it isn’t surprising to learn that the use of neroli oil was originated by an aristocrat. The production and use
Egyptian Skincare
Sometime ago I had a question about whether French skincare was any good from a half Egyptian woman living in Canada called Yasmine. She described herself as a “freelance makeup artist, beauty junkie and organic modernist bohemian.” She sounded like an interesting person so when I replied saying that yes French skincare is generally very
Essential Oils Against Head Lice
Head lice are a recurrent problem all over the world. The lice are no respecters of income levels, general cleanliness and the degree of diligence of the child’s mother. The only thing they take notice of is effective anti-lice treatments. Even here, the laws of natural selection mean that what is effective one year might
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Rosa Centifolia
The Roman Emperor Elagabalus once threw a party for some guests, against whom he had a grudge. After they had eaten at a prearranged signal his servants poured vast quantities of rose petals onto them. They suffocated to death.
Reactions to Plant Extracts in Cosmetics
Should you use natural products if you have sensitive skin? There is an argument that you shouldn’t. The problem is that an allergic reaction is caused by your immune system reacting to something that it encounters and identifies as a threat. Natural products contain a wider diversity of ingredients so you have a bigger chance
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