Cultivating Beauty :: Home and Garden

Cultivating Beauty
by author Lisa Petty, RHN, RNCP

We’re surrounded by the pinks, yellows, and fragrant purples of summertime–and much of this comes courtesy of a green thumb. Unfortunately, that thumb might eventually sport a painful and unsightly callus or two. But gardeners needn’t sacrifice personal health and beauty while creating summertime splendour!

Handy Tips

While most gardeners love the feel of earth between their fingers, such intimate contact with soil and stem can wreak havoc with our skin. Microbes in the soil can make a home under fingernails, or find a way into the body through a puncture from a thorn or slice from a sharp leaf.

Constant exposure to wet soil is extremely dehydrating to skin and fingernails and could trigger a bout of eczema. Of course, the relentless task of weed removal can lead to blisters and calluses that could be as difficult to get rid of as those weeds.

To protect your hands, use a cotton-lined gardening glove that is reinforced with latex at the palm and fingertips to protect against both moisture and punctures. Keep nails short to limit soil accumulation there, and take daily supplemental probiotics including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium to provide internal protection from uninvited bacteria and fungi.

It’s Elemental

While a cool breeze can take the sting out of a hot afternoon in the garden, it also whisks away precious moisture from our skin. And we can’t forget the double-edged sword of the sun: our gardens and our skin need it, but too much sun will cause both to shrivel and possibly suffer more serious harm.

Be sure to protect your skin from sun and wind with proper clothing. Long-sleeved shirts and long pants of light-coloured and lightweight cotton will keep you covered without causing you to overheat.

Your gardening hat should have a brim that is large enough to protect the back of your neck and the tips of your ears. Although your head may be down as you work, remember that sunrays bounce, so use a sun protection cream on your face; visit your health store for one that contains skin-saving coconut oil.

Include antioxidants such as beta carotene, selenium, essential fatty acids, and vitamin A in your diet for internal sun protection. Also, to continually hydrate your skin cells, drink plenty of pure, filtered water.

At the end of the day, thoroughly cleanse your hands, feet, and nails to remove soil and microbes. Replenish lost moisture with a quality cream from the natural health store. Experiment with essential oils like nourishing jojoba, or try rich shea butter on your garden-weary feet. Massage oil into cuticles and nails as well.

Both you and your garden can be beautiful this summer!

Lisa Petty, RHN, RNCP, encourages people to create and enjoy the beauty in their lives. Look for her book Living Beauty (Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2005) at stores soon (livingbeauty.ca.)

Source: alive #274, August 2005

Mulch Time!
With the excitement of Christmas dying down, the avid gardener gazes out the window at the wintry scene, yearning for spring to arrive so he can get his hands in the dirt. Don't despair! There is a gardening chore that can be done at this time of year.

Indoor Winter Gardening
During the winter months, maintaining indoor plants can be as rewarding as outdoor gardening. The following are some rules to observe to help keep your houseplants healthy. Reduce fertilization. During the cooler temperatures and shorter days of the winter months, the growth rate of most houseplants slows.

Stories Skin Can Tell
Some of us might blame our bathroom lighting for the dark circles under our eyes and our pale faces. But eczema, psoriasis, blemishes, blackheads, acne and scarring can't be so easily dismissed.

Watching Weeds Grow
Weeds are an index of what is wrong, and sometimes what is right, with the soil. Or at least with the fertility program. In every field on every farm there are different soil types and each has a potential for producing certain weeds.

Papaya Skin Care
And you thought this beautiful tropical fruit was just for eating! Perk up your skin and eliminate the day's worries with papaya. It's beneficial for skin care and repair.

The Spa Tree
Is your holiday gift list challenging? Why not treat everyone on your list to a little home spa decadence. Pick one or more of the products on the tree to give to your loved and dear ones-and wait for the "oooos and ahaaas" of appreciation.

Take Back Control
Open Letter To: Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister Right Honourable Joe Clark, Conservative Leader Federal Opposition Leader, Mr Stockwell Day, Canadian Alliance Bloc Québécois Leader, Mr.

Prepare for Your Garden Now!
There's nothing more enjoyable for a gardener in January than curling up on the sofa with a hot beverage and perusing nursery catalogue.

Growing Winter Greens
Long before the first crops are available from local farms and gardens, many people are longing for fresh produce and it's possible, even in the depths of winter--right from your own kitchen counter! Sprouts..

Look Good While Fighting Cancer
Cancer occurs when the immune system is down and normal protective measures are insufficient. Cells within the body are defective or damaged. Most cases of cancer are preventable.

Banish Bumpy Thighs
Around this time of year many women are pulling their bathing suits out of winter storage and standing in front of the mirror to examine their thighs for the dreaded cellulit.

Natural Gas Crisis
An important part of gardening is getting to know your soil type and how to maximize it. Soil consists of 50 per cent mineral solids (clay, silt, sand) and 50 per cent water, air and organic matter. A good mixture provides a well-structured soil.Clay soil is dense.

See Ya Later Alligator
Beautiful soft skin starts with good nutrition. That means a healthy diet of whole, (not processed) foods and lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and beans.

Simple Steps to Beautiful Skin
Healthy skin glows from within! It's a product of proper nutrition--a whole food diet with a strong emphasis on raw fruit and vegetables. But don't stop at diet! A three-step routine of cleansing, toning and moisturizing twice a day also plays a vital role.

Beauty Treatments in a Travel Pouch
Keep it simple. That's the key to skin care when travelling. Bear in mind that when travelling, your skin may be exposed to heat, sun, salt water and humidity. All have an impact on your skin and hair, even over a short period of time.

Want the Buzz on Bee-Autiful Skin Care?
Isn't Mother Nature grand? Consider, for instance, the miracle of the common North American honeybee (Apis mellifera). This productive creature accomplishes more in its brief lifespan of a few months than you and I are likely to accomplish in the same number of years.

Nutrients for Nourished Skin
If you eat well to feel good, you'll be happy to learn that the benefits of a balanced diet are also visible in the mirror! Skin requires a variety of vitamins and nutrients to keep it healthy, glowing and youthfu.

Worm Power Composting Made Easy
"Worms make great pets. They're quiet and all they do is eat and reproduce. In fact, they eat their own body weight in food waste every day. Worms are a wonderful symbol of the power of one.

Guerrilla Gardening
Gardeners are a resourceful and determined lot. Even with a small plot of soil, a patio, balcony or windowsill, you can create a tiny garden that will bring you beauty and food.

Edible Summer Beauty
Who can resist the rainbow array of summer fruits at the market? Rich pink watermelon and raspberries, shiny bright oranges, polished yellow lemons, plump green grapes and sapphire blueberries--in this time of artificially taste-enhanced foods, it .

Basic Beauty Essentials
Hair, Skin, Nails and More It's a big day tomorrow--a job interview, a date, a friend's wedding, your wedding--and you're relaxing for the evening.

Year Of The Home Garden
Howard-Yana Shapiro, PhD, vice-president of agriculture for Seeds of Change, the largest certified organic seed company in the United States, says, "The key to the future of the world lies in gardening.

Companion Planting
When we fall in love, the phenomenon is referred to as "chemistry". So it is in the plant world. "Allelochemics" is a field of ecology that researches transmission of powerful chemical substances between plant species. Plant organisms "connect" and "communicate" either good vibes or bad.

Skin
Your skin is amazing. It protects your body against injury and infections, helps maintain your body temperature, prevents dehydration and even acts as a storehouse for nutrients and water.

Give Your Skin the Brush Off!
Beautiful skin reflects our overall health and general well-being--and rightly so. The skin is the largest organ of the human body, renewing some of its cells every 24 hours.

Short On Gardening Space?
You want a garden, but your space is limited: a patio, balcony, window box, windowsill, hanging basket or just indoor pot.

Universal Skin Care
Most people are born with good, healthy skin, so why-for the majority of us-is skin care confusing and frustrating? It's easy to become confused by the concept of "skin types.

The Young and the Wrinkleless
Proper skin care should start at an early age.

Five Skin-Care Myths and Miracles
Sunscreens give a false sense of security. Designed to block sunrays for short periods of time to prevent burning, they cannot extend the duration of your exposure to the sun. Protecting the skin from burns inflicted by the sun takes more than just sunscreen.

Beautiful Beginnings
In the months ahead, resolve to give some thought to your skin and your beauty routin.

Homeopathy and Skin Problems
My daughter comes bounding in, friend in tow, and I'm called on to help remedy an insufferable skin ras.

An Appetite for Flowers
Pick the blossoms from the stems, removing the parts that contain the pollen. Rinse them in cold water, remove the petals, and pat dry.Snip chive blossoms into your favourite vinaigrette recipe for added punch to your salads and marinades..

Beautiful Skin-Injection-Free
Many fashion trends come and go over the years but have you heard of the latest trend-cocktail botox parties? People go to a party and pay hundreds of dollars to have botulinum toxin injected into their faces.

Summer Dreams
When winter keeps me out of the garden, I seek refuge inside, perusing the latest gardening books and dreaming of the upcoming gardening season.

Complexion Perfection
Wouldn't it be great if solving skin dilemmas was as simple as slapping on a fancy face cream or visiting a swanky spa? Too often people resort to expensive, superficial skin treatments without considering the underlying cause of their beauty concerns..

Natural Beauty
Do you ever wonder how celebrities get their skin so smooth, flawless, and wrinkle-free? Do you wonder what beauty treatments might help you achieve that same youthful glow? Well, truth be told, no beauty treatment can be truly successful without a good bas.

The Gardener's Gold Rush
Many Canadian municipalities are expanding their organic waste diversion programs. Compost-savvy plant lovers are choosing instead to hang on to their humus, treasuring the properties of this rich, black soil.

Reduce Cellulite Naturally
I have always been jealous of my friend, who is naturally petite, eats all she wants, and never seems to gain a pound. But despite how skinny she is, she still complains of cellulite.

Earthly Delights
The most important gardening tool is the human body. Proper body positioning, well-designed gardening gloves and tools, along with frequent rest breaks are the keys to healthy gardening.

Mesotherapy
When dimples start appearing in the wrong set of cheeks, a new alternative therapy called mesotherapy might be the perfect answer. Mesotherapy is the newest cellulite solution in cosmetic and aesthetic medical circles. But what's it all about?

Essential Oils
Since ancient times, people have used the quintessence of plants to optimize their health, and they have done so with the help of essential oils, which are concentrated aromatic liquids extracted from various species of plants, flowers, leaves, grasses, fruits, roots, and trees.

Help Yourself Soothe Your Soles
Your pretty painted toenails match your new spring sandals, but the rear view of your foot doesn't look so appealing. Footwear can be serious fun for many women, but dry cracked heels may spoil the joy. Those discoloured and dry heels can be unsightly, uncomfortable, and even painful.

The Art of Wild Harvesting
Individually, many of us have little ongoing direct experience with plant life. However, big business is quickly recognizing the huge profit potential in selling herbal medicine. At the very least we may say that herbal medicine is re-emerging as people discover its many positive qualities.

Starting Your Own Seeds
March is finally here, the month to start your own seedlings! Most seeds should not be started earlier as they will grow tall and lanky and may not survive. Read each seed packet to find when the best time is to start the seeds. The packets will also advise if the plant does not transplant well

Dazzle With Basil
Carnadians love basil for its tantalizing, pungent scent and flavor. To the ancient Greeks and Romans, the herb was a symbol of malice and lunacy. In other cultures the herb is associated with love rituals.

Prepare Your Soil Organically
Soil consists of 50 percent mineral solids (clay, silt and sand) and 50 percent water, air and organic matter. A good mixture of clay, silt and sand provides a well-structured soil. Clay soil is a dense soil; although quite fertile, it drains poorly and can turn to near concrete when dry.

Expose Your Natural Beauty with Exfoliants
Dermatologists and cosmeticians agree (and they rarely agree) that exfoliation should be part of a beauty regimen for your skin. Exfoliation removes old dead skin cells from Irface of the skin.

Take Some Thyme
Thyme grows well in most climates and prefers a light, sandy, well-drained, dry soil in full sun. It is one of the easiest herbs to grow in containers on an apartment balcony, but is quite susceptible to root rot and fungal disease if grown in soil that is too moist or heavy.

Tasty Tubers
Why bother growing potatoes when they are so cheap at the supermarket and they store so well? The best reason is that by harvesting potatoes from your own garden you safeguard your health. Potatoes may cany residues of any number of pesticides. Another reason is that many potatoes now being sold are genetically engineered to produce a soil bacteria that kills pests such as the Colorado Potato Beetle.

All Aglow
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in most skin conditions. As nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that a diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids from fish can influence inflammation and promote healthy skin.

Skin Care 101
Judging by the ads we see on television, you might think you need a Master's degree in chemistry to choose quality skin care products. While earning the degree is a fabulous accomplishment, proper skin care isn't that complicated.

Healthy Skin
A multitude of skin problems, including eczema, acne, dermatitis (inflammatory conditions of the skin), hives (raised blotchy welts) and rashes have been linked to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.

The Dirt on Soil
An important part of gardening is getting to know your soil type and how to maximize it. Soil consists of 50 percent mineral solids (clay, silt, sand) and 50 percent water, air and organic matter. A good mixture provides a well-structured soil.

Life in the Great Indoors
Winter can be a challenging time for the plants in our homes. Dry air, temperature fluctuations, and reduced lighting send some indoor plants into a state of semi-dormancy. Others thrive in winter's feeble light, adding vibrancy to the indoor landscape while purifying the air in our homes.

Living Beauty
The notion that "beauty is only skin deep may no longer hold true. In the new "Living Beauty, nutrition consultant and Canadian health advocate Lisa Petty points out a surprising number of ways that our external appearance can provide insight to the state of our inner health. Simply put: with health, comes beauty.

The Natural Makeover Diet
Our faces don't lie. You can determine the state of a woman's health simply by looking at her skin, hair, and nails. Try as we might, no amount or makeup will work to change those suitcases under our eyes or the alligator skin on our hands.

Cannabis Cosmetics
Hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) is one of the healthiest, nontoxic, and abundant sources of oil. Beauty products made from organic, cold-pressed hempseed oil are great for skin, scalp, nails, and hair because they are an excellent source of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) omega-3 and omega-6.

Maintaining that Manly Mug
Men have come a long way since the days of shaving with a cutthroat razor and bar soap. Today when the average male selects his personal care products, he knows what he is expecting from them. Here is a look at some natural personal care products including moisturizers, shave cremes, aftershave lotions, and sunscreens.

From Garbage to Gold
When bacteria, fungi, worms, and insects break down organic material in the presence of oxygen, the result is compost. Also known as black gold, compost is the perfect ingredient for any soil. It lightens heavy clay and helps absorb moisture in even the sandiest of soils.

Say Goodbye to Unwanted Garden Guests
Gardeners need a supply of remedies in case unwelcome guests get out of hand. Before heading off to the garden centre, though, look to your pantry for solutions. Organic gardeners have long used home-made preparations to ward off unwanted insects and diseases.

Pulp Mill Sludge
For most of us, the thought of eating food grown in pulp sludge is unappetizing. But the BC Liberal government and the pulp and paper industry have teamed up to push new regulations that will allow the use of pulp mill sludge, fly ash, and mill waste water to be used as a "soil enhancement product.

Beauty Without Injections
In their search for quick fixes to defy the signs of aging, many people turn to facial injections. The injected substances can include anything from a protein produced by the same bacteria that causes botulism, to fat, collagen, and even silicone to fill in wrinkles.

Fruitful Fertilizers
Organic fertilizers have low solubility and rely on micro-organisms and organic-matter acids to release their nutrients. They actually activate microbial life, and their nutrients become available when the plants need them. Working slowly, organic fertilizers encourage long-term fertility rather than the immediate fertility that synthetic fertilizers provide.

Topical Antioxidants
Skin performs many important physiological functions and is extremely susceptible to free-radical damage. To function optimally and stay healthy, your skin needs nourishing with antioxidants from the inside and outside. For our overall health, we need supplements in addition to a healthy diet. But for the health of our skin, internal nourishment is not enough: topical antioxidants are essential.

Don't Crack Under Pressure
While hiding under layers of clothing might take the bite out of winter, the dry air that comes with cold weather and the heat of the furnace can cause a different pain-in the form of dehydrated, itchy skin. Luckily, you can beat Jack Frost at his game.

Healthy Glow Food Sources
Vitamin A--fish liver oil, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables

Vitamin B complex--bran, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, b.

Cellulite Solutions

Refined Starches Behind Pimple Problem

Duct Tape Banishes Warts

Warming up means burning more

Tend your garden and your bones

To walk or to jog?

MMA Alert!

Nature's Own Skin-care Technology

Cut Long Hair for a Cause

DBP and birth defects

Natural sunscreens

Derma E®
You're looking for healthy beauty products. Would you choose an expensive fancy jar containing seven-syllable ingredients promising overnight beauty, or would you rather trust a natural product that incorporates antioxidants, vitamins, and herbal remedies to produce therapeutic results?

Digging a Deeper Hole

Fall Into Composting

Refresh Your Flesh

Skin Detoxifying Juice

Face Cleansing Juice

Hold on...to Your Hair!

Make Moisturizers Your Best Friends

Slough It Off
Mother Nature knew her stuff when she designed cell replacement. Skin cells created in the dermis layer push up to replace old cells on the skin's surface, causing the dead cells to flake off or exfoliate. This is nature's way of replenishing the skin.

Au Naturel?
There's nothing more refreshing than the nighttime ritual of removing the grime, stale makeup, and leftover traces of the day from your face and body. Your bid to freshen up, however, could leave you with more than dirt on your skin if your cleansing products aren't natural.

Cold Sores
Ouch! You've got a tingling, itching, or burning sensation around your lips that can mean only one thing: your skin is about to erupt in an unsightly cold sore. Here's what to do.

Preparing Your Garden for the Growing Season
Preparing your garden in spring doesn't have to be complicated. Enjoy a sunny afternoon by donning your gardening gloves and taking these easy, basic steps for gardens big or small, perennial or vegetable. Your first step is to clear the clutter.

Homegrown Savoury and Sweet
In spring and summer, we enjoy the wealth of herbal diversity at our local produce market. Planting our own herbal gardens will not only provide us with fresh fodder for our summer meals but will also bless our home with aromatic scents.

Flourishing Florals
A tisket, a tasket, a beautiful hanging basket. Find these at your local nursery selling for top dollar or, with a little patience and imagination, you can create a fantastic arrangement of colours and scents to suit your garden decor.

A Close Shave
Over his lifetime, the average man spends 9,000 hours shaving. Shaving creme and aftershave were designed to make the process easier and more pleasurable, but conventional products may be doing more harm than good.

Tilling Togetherness
Hot town! It's time to shake off the dust, bust out of your tiny-but-affordable apartment, and join the steamy chaos of summer in the city!

Going with the Flow
Watering is one of my least favourite garden chores. In the heat of summer, it is an interminable task, requiring hours of dedication and returning nothing but a day's reprieve from the constant threat of desertification.

The Perfect Spaaah!
There are thousands of spas across Canada. Every year millions of people flock to these havens for a little pampering. But how do you go about choosing the one best suited for your needs? With some guidance, the choices won't be overwhelming.

September Spectacular
As the blooms of early summer fade, gardeners stave off shorter days and evening chills with warm floral displays. It can be the showiest time of year-when temperatures are less intense and the air is crisper.

Unwrap Your Beauty
All that glistens this time of year isn't necessarily found under the tree or on a holiday table. Even with your busy schedule, your skin can also sparkle if you try these three easy beauty tips.

Face Winter Head On
We do a lot of things to prepare for the winter months-install storm windows, mount the car's snow tires, dig out the snow shovel. Why not extend that same care to your skin?

Your New Beau-Tea Secret
Green tea is best known as a healthy drink, a wise alternative to coffee, and a superb choice for the daily dieter. You know it as a "power tea.

Under the Spell
In the rush of daily life, the ritual of the spa flourishes. A distinctive trend toward using local natural resources makes falling under the spell of the spa even more magical. These four enchanting spa treatments will soothe, cleanse, rejuvenate, and beautify you.

Expose Yourself
After hiding in wool and dark colours all winter, it's almost time to break out the pastels, slide into shorts, and pop on a T-shirt.

Gardening By the Moon
The idea of gardening by the moon may elicit images of dancing naked around your blueberry bushes, asking goddesses for special favours. In fact, lunar gardening is actually based upon the moon's gravitational effect on the flow of moisture in soil and plants.

Deeper Beauty
If you're like most women, you have a cabinet full of squeeze bottles and pump-tops whose contents attempt to mimic an ocean breeze or a vast field of lavender. Are all those different kinds of lotions really necessary, or will one type fit all your needs?

Grooming Your Grounds
Natural lawn care is not simply a choice between good and bad gardening products. It is a philosophical shift to a new relationship with your lawn, working with, rather than against, the ecosystem of your garden.

Do-It-Yourself Spa
While nothing beats spending a day at the spa, sometimes it involves a little too much spending-straining the pocketbook and leaving you more stressed than when you arrived. Instead, try these affordable homemade spa treatments.

Rethink Your Skin Care Routine
Just like your body and the foods you put in it, your skin absorbs up to 64 percent of what you put on it. Putting your largest organ on a nutritious, organic, and natural skin care diet helps to prevent the absorption of toxins through your skin.

Bathing Beauly
Lather up with these aromatherapeutic and healing bath time benefits.

Jojoba
The cosmetic properties of jojoba (pronounced ho-ho-ba) are amazing. Jojoba can bring body and shine to dull, lifeless hair. It's also great for skin care, offering simple, speedy, and surprising results.

Fall Garden Maintenance
As the days get shorter and the air develops a chillier nip, why do all the work yourself? Let Mother Nature help you take care of your garden.

Diet for Clear & Glowing Skin
In recent years it has become clear that lifestyle factors are playing an underappreciated role in the day-to-day maintenance of healthy skin, as well as the long-term prevention of the visible signs of aging.

Twinkle toes
Winter is a thing of the past and the promise of rising temperatures makes me want to throw off my socks and bare it all. I can't wait to feel the breeze caressing my soft feet and the warm sun kissing my shiny toes.

The Organic Picnic
Eating alfresco surrounded by nature makes us realize how much we need to take care of our precious planet. We can start by packing an organic picnic—its positive impact can go much further than just the foods we choose.

Give Dry Skin the Brush Off
Dry brushing helps the body detoxify by removing excess dead cells that hinder our natural ability to eliminate waste through the skin.