natural deodorant

I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but as I have been searching for the past few years, I'm thrilled to find a link to making homemade, natural, and supposedly quite effective, deodorant. Anyone ever give anything like this a try? Here's the link I've found so far, but I would love to hear other recipes, tips or links from you!

Gift Certificate Give-away

My friend Annie over at A Bowl of Cheeries is hosting a wonderful give away for our mutual friend Carissa, offer a $20 gift Certificate for Stone Street Soaps. I've mentioned Carissa's wonderful soap company a few times on this blog and am currently loving my Green Clay and Tea Tree soap she made to my custom specifications! (If you aren't used to the smell of Tea Tree oil, it might be a little off-putting at first, but what it does to heal my skin sure makes it worthwhile.) Don't miss out on Annie's give-away. Head on over to A Bowl of Cheeries and leave a comment to enter today. :)

How's everyone doing on their No-Shampoo Challenge? (If you aren't sure you want to actually join the challenge but still want to make healthier selections in hair care, be sure to check out Carissa's great natural shampoo collection over at Stone Street!)  I'm on day six with mixed results, but am enjoying the journey (and my son's recording my progress for you via video to be posted at the end of the process) and am learning as I go. Are you finding any tips (to do or even to avoid) to share along the way?

Shampoo Free

You may remember about a year ago I tried to go all-natural with my hair care. I posted To Poo or Not to Poo and gave it a good go, but since I was living with a PICC (deep vein semi-permanent IV) line in my arm for several months at that time, it just became more than I could manage. I caved and went back to those nasty old, chemically laden shampoos.

After having had a chunk of skin cut off my scalp last week (am currently waiting for biopsy results to see if it is cancer or not), I'm ready to pursue another No-Poo Challenge. Coming across just such a challenge on the Feelin' Feminine blog last night, then following links to learn more from Kate and finding additional Poo-Free recipes, I'm ready to give it all another try. Today I think I'll start by trying Jocelyn's egg wash.

I plan to give this method a try for at least two weeks then will updated about my progress. (I may be in a swimming pool this weekend and wonder if there are any special tips for chlorine but guess I will have to figure that out as I go.)  I truly would love to find a natural hair-care method that works for me.

Have you experimented with natural hair care? What have been your results? Any suggestions or tips you would like to share?  Anyone want to join me on a hair-care makeover?

Win Mineral Primer

Time for a late night give away for one reader and a discount code available to all as we round out today's Virtual Spa Weekend posts. :) Leave a comment to be entered to win a sifter jar of Defense Primer from Affordable Mineral Makeup™ along with a mini baby kabuki brush for mineral makeup application. Help me spread the word by linking to this post, then come back and leave a new comment for each social network or blog you post to before midnight, May 3, and receive and additional entry for each comment. :)



There is also a 10% Affordable Mineral Makeup™ (AMM) discount available to all InnerBeautyGirlz readers, valid through Sunday, May 10, at www.InnerBeautyGirls.com. Please be sure you are ordering through my personl consultant link rather than going to the main AMM page in order for me to receive credit for your purchase. Use discount code "mothersday09" at checkout. (For my readers dealing with heartache over this coming Mother's Day, please know that you are in my prayers. {{{hugs}}} I didn't want you to miss out on the discount just because it mentioned Mother's Day, but I understand that even these little reminders can hold a sting.)



See you back bright and early tomorrow mroning for a great book give-away! :)

Summer Skin Care Give-Away

This week our neighbors to the north celebrate Canada Day (July 1) as we prepare for Independence Day (July 4) here in the USA! To celebrate, we're giving away a 3-step travel size Natural Skin Care System from May Flowers Naturals. Keep reading for details on how to enter this drawing. :)

Summer fun, food, and friends are such a blessing. While you are out in all that sun, be sure to take good care of your skin. Sun block is a must (I love that mineral makeup offers natural SPF protection)! Keeping your face and all your sun-exposed skin clean and toned and moisturized is important too. With this in mind, I am thrilled to introduce you to May Flowers Naturals, a brand new line of natural skin care products created by a friend of mine.

For the entire month of July, May Flowers Naturals is offering Inner Beauty blog readers an incredible 20% discount on your purchase from her website. (Please note, this discount is for products purchased through the May Flowers Naturals site only, not my Affordable Mineral Makeup lines.) To redeem this specials savings, visit the May Flowers shop and enter the coupon code "spirit" at check out.

Our July contest for the 3-step travel size Natural Skin Care System from May Flowers Naturals involves a bit of an online scavenger hunt. First you will need to visit the May Flowers Naturals site, then return here and post a reply to the Inner Beauty blog with your answer to the following question:
According to the May Flowers Naturals website, what is “Nature’s Ultimate Beauty Product”?

When you submit your answer, please include your mailing address and contact information (email and/or phone number) so that we may contact you if you are selected the winner. Blog replies will not be posted live to the site until the end of the contest and all personal contact information will be removed before replies are publically posted. Around August 1, one winner will be selected from among all correct answers. Entries submitted without contact information will not qualify for the drawing.

Moisturizing Oily Skin?

JoyLynn asks, "I have a question about oily skin...should I still moisturize?"

Surprisingly, yes, you should still moisturize oily skin after a good cleaning, to keep your skin from trying to "over-moisturize" itself, thus producing even more oil! The key is to be sure to choose an oil-free moisturizer. You also want to avoid cleaning products that make your skin feel "tight" afterwards because this can mean the top layer of you skin actually "shrinks" and can cause your skin to retain too much oil and create an environment where pores clog easily. While I don't agree with absolutely everything on their website, a very helpful article on oily skin can be found on this holistic skin care page.

Thanks for your question, JoyLynn! You will be receiving a gift certificate to Affordable Mineral Makeup this week, so be checking your email!