Clean Kiss Lifestyle

Oh hey, guess what? Back to school time is around the corner. For real. We hope.

Let's help our teens be ready!

Your kids have been home doing virtual school for the better part of the last school year. Going back to school next week may be both a time of excitement and also anxiety about being back at a desk, with a real teacher, in person.

You, Mom and Dad, have been real troopers helping your kids with online learning while holding down the household, your careers, and managing your own pandemic anxiety. You all deserve a Gold Medal! 

Just a regular old school year brings much anxiety and also sadness as the carefree days of summer end for thousands of school-agers and teenagers who are heading out to do their back to school shopping. This year brings a whole new face of uncertainty of what the coming school year will bring. 

Some of the anxious thoughts may include...

I am passionate about pro-aging which means finding ways to answer the question that is often asked by women all around the world which is "How to age gracefully with diet, exercise and wellness products?". I feel very strongly that right off the bat we need to stop thinking about aging as a bad thing. If you aren't aging, then you aren't alive. 

Having said that, I believe that we can age with grace and beauty and, most importantly, appropriately for our age. Have you ever met someone that is your age or younger but looks much, much older than you or older than you would have guessed?

Chances are high that they have been living large and not following some basic fundamental principles of looking after their skin. It could also be genetics or skin type, of course, as some people are prone to age quicker than others. 

In fact, if you are familiar with the field of epigenetics you know that a large portion of your health can be attributed to genetic makeup whereas the remaining health factors come down to lifestyle habits and living a life of wellness that can change the course of your health.

Why would I want to use oil on my face?  

With the uprise of facial oils in Western Society, it is a good one to ask for certain. Whether you have oily, acne prone skin or dry skin, you may also be someone wondering about the facial oil hype and whether or not it is the right skincare solution for you. Perhaps it is the magical panacea you have been longing for. On the flip side, I've even had some people have a complete meltdown as an adult when oil touches their face because they still remember being covered in pimples as a teenager just for coming anywhere near oil on their sensitive, hormonal faces.

You are spending more time at home with your family over the past year and may be noticing certain bodily changes in your children as they approach puberty.  Along with this close togetherness and quality time of homeschooling, board games, family meals, and cuddling on the couch for tv time, you may also be getting close and personal and noticing that your child or teen doesn't smell so fresh anymore. 

You may also be wondering, does it seem that children are requiring deodorant younger and younger these days? Or are we just more aware of personal hygiene given that we are hand-washing and protecting our bodies now due to the pandemic?

Is it hormones taking over earlier in their bodies? Either way I am surprised lately by how many parents come to me asking if our natural deodorant is safe for their school ager (as young as age 5!) and for their teenagers.

Here we go again. Another new year's resolution list. A list of goals that seems overwhelming is hard to tackle for everyone. You are not alone. There is nothing wrong with you and you are not lazy. Often people don't stick with their goals past January because the list is too long and too hard to achieve. You are setting yourself up for failure if you suddenly decide to go from being completely sedentary to saying you're going to exercise every. single. day.

There could probably be a list of over a thousand ways to be more healthy in 2021.  We all need to feel that we have some control over how this next year is going to go for us. The reality is that 2020 has shown us that we cannot control the outcomes in life. There is no dress rehearsal. There is no plan that goes as planned 100% of the time. The sooner you are able to come to terms with the fact that we must live in the present and not try to control the future, the sooner you will feel more content and happier. 

My laundry rituals have certainly changed though over the years and have made the most radical changes since this blog post was first published in 2016 (this is a late 2020 update, almost 2021) with lots of healthier, eco-friendly and sustainable laundry ritual ideas for you to adopt. 

I care even moreso about the quality of my laundry, in a healthy non-toxic way, now in 2020. I will not use toxic chemicals in my laundry room nor in my house anywhere. I have switched to fragrance-free, natural detergent (because the word "fragrance" can be used as a catch all for 10,000 chemicals that manufacturing companies do not need to disclose to you, the consumer).

Another hot sweaty yoga class. Perhaps another day of having to quickly run straight from class to a meeting or to run errands. You know you should be taking better care of your skin, as you do your mind through your yoga practice, but are not sure quite what steps to be taking.  If you don't take the proper steps you can develop acne, rashes, ingrown hairs, and more. But a few simple steps before, during and after your practice can help to keep your skin looking gorgeous and glowing!

As a yogi or yogini, you know your skin can take a hard toll especially if you are doing a lot of hot yoga and daily yoga practice. Your skin needs to be given the same amount of conscious effort as your mind, muscles and nutritional needs both pre and post yoga practice.

Find out simple ways to use natural skincare to create a ritual you can find time for!