I love my blonde hair. In fact, I will go so far as to say that I have waited for this shade of blonde my whole life. This honey blonde hue lifts my spirits and makes me feel like a stylish, modern and naturally happy mom. However, this ideal shade of blonde comes at a price in our harsh winter climate. To fight dryness and to keep my hair soft, supple and manageable, I use a deep conditioning hair masque once a week during the dry winter months. The following is a DIY recipe that will give your mane some much needed moisture. You will need: 1 cup full fat plain yogurt ¼ cup liquid honey 1/8 cup sweet almond oil Stir together in a…

Whipped Strawberry Masque for Face and Décolleté Summer is a wonderful time of year for everyone. The warmth in the air is a comfort. The feeling of sunshine touching our skin envelops us with a softness and a kind of gentle glow. However, having children out of school and breaking with routine can be a touch stressful. This recipe will apply vitamin-rich tenderness to our skin on the outside, and deliver an anti-stress tonic via our tastebuds. For this masque, you will need: 1 cup fresh strawberries 1 cup plain natural yogurt (or plain Greek, or Balkan style) 1 tsp. ground cardamom ¼ cup organic dark chocolate chips (minimum 70%) We all know that eating strawberries delivers vital nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and antioxidants…

DIY Strawberry Sugar Scrub Strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre. They are sweet, delicious, and satisfying to eat. Their nutritional qualities, which nourish our bodies from the inside, combined with their unique acidic nature, which beautifies our skin from the outside, lets them do double duty as a great food and DIY beauty product ingredient. This recipe is for a leg and foot scrub that will slough off dead skin cells, rejuvenate your tough skin, and enable your moisturizer, sunscreen, and body serum to penetrate fully and work as best they can. You will need 1 cup of ripe fresh strawberries and 1 cup sugar. The rest is up to you. For the strawberries, you can mash them…

My husband laughs at me for being so critical of myself. When we are on the beach, for example, I will look at another woman and say, “I wish that I had her legs,” or “I would love to have a chest like that.” He finds it so odd that women think this way, and tells me that he doesn’t look around and say, oh, “I wish I had those abs.” I agree with him that we women can be far too critical of ourselves. I believe that it is important to be healthy, and to strive to be the best person you can be, physically, mentally, and spiritually. That being said, I also think that we need to start loving ourselves and accepting the…

  A few summers ago, a miracle happened. My babysitter’s eighteen year old brother picked her up after work. I was standing in the door frame, saying good-bye to her, wearing cute little jeans, a light top, and a white linen boyfriend blazer. I had just had my hair done that day, and was probably looking more angel blonde than usual, and feeling lighter and happier than usual, having just spent a free day getting my hair done and doing some fun uptown shopping. He was waiting at the curb in his vehicle, and was clearly blinded by the sun. Nonetheless, my sitter told me that he thought I was another nanny and asked her to give him my phone number. He had no idea…

Comfrey Hand Lotion You would think that by the month of March, there would be a bit more moisture in the air, just a little bit more to make our skin a bit more supple, a bit more elastic, a touch more comfortable.  However, I have noticed that right now in particular, my delicate skin is especially dry, itchy and uncomfortable.  At this time of year, I am constantly applying moisturizer to my skin, especially my hands, and it is a challenge to take away the itch brought on by what is left of the dry Canadian winter air. I am opting to incorporate comfrey into this natural beauty recipe, perhaps because in a subliminal way, comfrey sounds a bit like “comfortable,” which my skin…

Now that winter is upon us, the cold and wind make my eyes water and my skin hurt. I have noticed that my hair is getting dry and frizzy, as there is more static electricity in the air. Now is the perfect time to figure out some soothing and moisturizing beauty treatments. An avocado hair mask is a great place to start. You will need: 1 ripe avocado, mashed 2 eggs 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp olive oil Combine all ingredients in a bowl, apply to hair from roots to tips, and massage vigorously into the scalp. Leave the mask to set for 20 minutes, then rinse clean . Follow by a light shampoo and rinse to remove any remaining oil. The avocado will provide…