Smoke Signals

Shampoo, no-poo, or co-washing?!? What does all this mean and what is the best natural hair care method? Do we really need shampoo? What about just using conditioner? All those plastic bottles not only contribute to the waste epidemic but what about all the money wrapped up in this one simple daily practice? Do you think I can write this entire post in questions? My opinion ( which has not been evaluated by the food and drug administration, I assure you ) is this; Shampoo as infrequently as possible. -No I'm not kidding.- Even the mildest shampoo strips oils, that's what it is formulated to do. Therefore one who has dry hair, doesn't need more drying. And if you tend toward oily hair, frequent shampooing creates a cycle in which the scalp increases production of oils (Sebaceous glands secrete an oily or waxy matter, called sebum.) in response to every washing away of it. Subsequently this leads you to believe that you should be washing y...

Transition into the season making time for yourself!  ...No one else is gonna do it for you.  As the winter weather settles in here in the north-east, common colds and influenza come along with it.  Folks scurry around (some like a chicken with their head cut off) shopping, serving, and cramming for months before they find a moment to settle down and just breathe.                                                                           (°༣°)   ༇༇    ༇༇    ༇༇ One very simple way to unwind and nourish the whole being is having a cup of tea.  Better yet not just tea ...

Benzoin (Styrax Benzoin) is one of creation's amazing trees with lovely, small clustered, white, bell-shaped and fragrant flowers.  ...Magical in its' own right.  The essential oil is obtained from incisions made to the 8-10 year old tree's bark and is an organic preservative of fats.  Thus benzoin oil is ideal when formulating natural products without ingredients foreign to your body such as BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene).  I'll be more detailed about BHT in the upcoming post.  Benzoin has been used for many years in some of the oldest civilizations of the world, notably for religious ceremonies and as medicines, mostly due to its antidepressant, aromatic and disinfectant properties. This essential oil is actually a resin.  This allows it to form a protective film over the skin, which stops it from losing moisture.  This is why TribalMama.com utilizes benzoin in all of our lotion bars , our Rose Garden lip balm , and Ancients Path...

If the ingredient is vague...it is more than likely hiding something.  “Fragrance” can actually be a cocktail of chemicals and you’d never know it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require companies to disclose the breakdown of a fragrance’s ingredients to consumers because the chemicals that produce fragrance are considered “trade secrets.” Most of the time, synthetic chemicals and cancer-causing toxins (like phthalates, commonly used to make fragrances last longer) are shielded under this overused sneaky term. Constant exposure to fragrances has been shown to negatively impact the part of the nervous system that consists in the brain and spinal cord and subsequently coordinates the activity of the entire nervous system. It may also trigger allergies, migraines and asthma symptoms ( 1 ). Ok, so WHAT is fragrance?   “The fragrance mixture itself can be comprised of dozens, even hundreds, of individual chemicals, and those don’t have ...