I am really excited this week because the National Psoriasis Association has included Skin Free Skincare products in the "Consumer Corner" of their "Psoriasis Advance" journal. The NPA publishes "Psoriasis Advance" four times a year. It is a really valuable journal with lots of information. I encourage everyone to go to http://www.psoriasis.org/ to read about their projects, publications, and the many wonderful things they do to help people with this debilitating and chronic disease.
Many people are not aware that psoriasis lasts a life time and may be accompanied by psoriatic arthritis. Not only can psoriasis be painful physically, but it is extremely painful emotionally. These patients suffer a great deal of stigma and concern about their appearance and the reaction of people who are unfamiliar with the disease and it's symptoms. I've had more than one psoriasis patient in tears during a consult at the pharmacy. The disease can cause depression, loss of work, and other social complications. I hope everyone who knows someone with psoriasis will vist the website and encourage their friends and family to do so as well.
The National Psoriasis Association sponsors walks, patient conferences, Congressional visits for support, research for a cure, and awareness programs for patients and physicians. These are really important efforts that will benefit a large portion of our population.
As our lives are filled with more and more artificial products and our immune systems are compromised with stress, junk food diets and living indoors with poorer air circulation, we are seeing a frightening increase in diseases like psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders, diabetes, renal disease, and cancer. I hope you all will take a moment to consider your lifestyle. Really evaluate what you do for your body to keep it healthy! It's never too late to start thinking about eating a healthy diet, exercising, and taking a moment to relax!
All the very best, Julie
Friday, March 21, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
"HELP!!! There are big white lumps in my Balm"
K.F. wrote to me recently, "I love your products and have given up all other lotions and use your balms exclusively. The last time I ordered the super moisure body balm it was full of little white beads of something.they will eventually melt if I rub them long enough in my hands, but it makes applying the balm more difficult.Is this normal for the product? The first time I bought this, it was liquid enough to come through the flip top.But now I have to remove the cap and squeeze it out."
The most frequently asked question about the Skin Free (R) Skin Care products is why does the Balm "clump", "lump", or "separate" (depending on the user's perception). The Super Moisture Body Balm was formulated to be as close to a cream or lotion as you can get without using water. From time to time, that formulation does get into trouble.
If you think about 100% natural peanut butter, I'm sure that you have opened a bottle that has separated. The Balm is very similar in that it is made of 100% natural oils and butters. Exposure to extremes in temperature cause changes in the texture and consistency of the Balm. The shea butter will actually "crystalize out" and form the "beads" that KF was describing.
In order to get rid of the beads, you can do the following:
1) Remove the cap of the Balm
2) Place it in the microwave and heat for about 1 minute. Times vary from microwave to microwave. You want the Balm to liquify and the "beads" of shea to melt, but don't add too much heat.
3) Shake well. Your Balm will return to it's original consistency as it cools to room temperature.
Some of my clients tell me that in heating the Balm they have discovered a wonderful spa-like treatment for their dry skin. Think about that for a moment!
Now that Spring is right around the corner, I bet your legs and arms need a really great spa treatment to get ready for short sleeves and shorts. I recommend using a good exfoliating product like our Sweet and Smooth Sugar Scrub or even St Ives Apricot Scrub. Follow that up with a couple of warm Balm applications over a period of days and you should have really silky skin!
The most frequently asked question about the Skin Free (R) Skin Care products is why does the Balm "clump", "lump", or "separate" (depending on the user's perception). The Super Moisture Body Balm was formulated to be as close to a cream or lotion as you can get without using water. From time to time, that formulation does get into trouble.
If you think about 100% natural peanut butter, I'm sure that you have opened a bottle that has separated. The Balm is very similar in that it is made of 100% natural oils and butters. Exposure to extremes in temperature cause changes in the texture and consistency of the Balm. The shea butter will actually "crystalize out" and form the "beads" that KF was describing.
In order to get rid of the beads, you can do the following:
1) Remove the cap of the Balm
2) Place it in the microwave and heat for about 1 minute. Times vary from microwave to microwave. You want the Balm to liquify and the "beads" of shea to melt, but don't add too much heat.
3) Shake well. Your Balm will return to it's original consistency as it cools to room temperature.
Some of my clients tell me that in heating the Balm they have discovered a wonderful spa-like treatment for their dry skin. Think about that for a moment!
Now that Spring is right around the corner, I bet your legs and arms need a really great spa treatment to get ready for short sleeves and shorts. I recommend using a good exfoliating product like our Sweet and Smooth Sugar Scrub or even St Ives Apricot Scrub. Follow that up with a couple of warm Balm applications over a period of days and you should have really silky skin!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
My Face in Your Space
Hello, this is my first post in my new blog, so it seems appropriate to introduce myself. As you can see from my profile pic, I've been exposed to pharmacies since the '50's. My mom was a pharmacist and she assumed that I would want to be one, too. WRONG! I inherited the "artistic" gene and wanted desparately to be a painter. Mom decided I was nuts and held out patiently for the 12 years after I graduated from high school for me to finally succumb and head off to Richmond for pharmacy school.
I practised and practised and practised pharmacy in every facet that I could find- community, hospital, consulting, management. Somehow, it never really expressed the real me. Just before the year 2000 rolled around, my husband and I decided to follow our "gypsy spirit: and move to the middle of nowhere. For us, that was Nelson Co. VA. We found a gorgeous piece of property, built a house and started a new life.
It was then that I started "Blue Ridge Gypsy Studio". Originally a little shop with gifts and natural skin care products that I formulated, BRG has grown to really encompass all the different parts of my personality. There's the creative side, the nurturing pharmacist side, and the really wild and crazy side.
Each of these "personalities" has it's own website. If you want to visit the creative thinktank, go to www.blueridgegypsy.com. There you will find a hodgepodge of projects from the retail store in Nelson Co., Garage Sale items from old stuff, and even a collection of used David Yurman jewelry for sale. Things may change quickly or they may stagnate for a while when other projects distract me from changing the site.
If you want to see the nurturing pharmacist, visit www.skinfree.net. After listening to the needs of my patients, I created a special natural skin care line for people with skin issues or really sensitive skin. You may not realize it, but almost 1 in 3 Americans suffer with skin care problems due to allergies, immune system problems, various disease states, or side effects from drug or radiation therapy. Skin Free offers all natural skin care without harsh chemicals, colorants, and fragrances.
If you want to see the really far out wild side, you have to go to www.bigbadmamabikerbodyworks.
Think --great skincare packaged in beer bottles and labeled with tattoo art. (I warned you, didn't I?) Most skin care products are boring and predictable, so I thought I would liven things up a bit.
Enough about my multiple personalities! This blog from here on out will be posts discussing the many questions that I am asked by my clients about skin care, skin problems, and my recommendations on skin products. If you have questions, please email me. I will be happy to help.
All the Very Best, Julie
I practised and practised and practised pharmacy in every facet that I could find- community, hospital, consulting, management. Somehow, it never really expressed the real me. Just before the year 2000 rolled around, my husband and I decided to follow our "gypsy spirit: and move to the middle of nowhere. For us, that was Nelson Co. VA. We found a gorgeous piece of property, built a house and started a new life.
It was then that I started "Blue Ridge Gypsy Studio". Originally a little shop with gifts and natural skin care products that I formulated, BRG has grown to really encompass all the different parts of my personality. There's the creative side, the nurturing pharmacist side, and the really wild and crazy side.
Each of these "personalities" has it's own website. If you want to visit the creative thinktank, go to www.blueridgegypsy.com. There you will find a hodgepodge of projects from the retail store in Nelson Co., Garage Sale items from old stuff, and even a collection of used David Yurman jewelry for sale. Things may change quickly or they may stagnate for a while when other projects distract me from changing the site.
If you want to see the nurturing pharmacist, visit www.skinfree.net. After listening to the needs of my patients, I created a special natural skin care line for people with skin issues or really sensitive skin. You may not realize it, but almost 1 in 3 Americans suffer with skin care problems due to allergies, immune system problems, various disease states, or side effects from drug or radiation therapy. Skin Free offers all natural skin care without harsh chemicals, colorants, and fragrances.
If you want to see the really far out wild side, you have to go to www.bigbadmamabikerbodyworks.
Think --great skincare packaged in beer bottles and labeled with tattoo art. (I warned you, didn't I?) Most skin care products are boring and predictable, so I thought I would liven things up a bit.
Enough about my multiple personalities! This blog from here on out will be posts discussing the many questions that I am asked by my clients about skin care, skin problems, and my recommendations on skin products. If you have questions, please email me. I will be happy to help.
All the Very Best, Julie
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