Category Archives: WELLNESS

But Is Your All Natural Deodorant Also Mood Boosting?

May 26, 2021

Is it also gender-neutral, cruelty-free, aluminum-free, 100% natural, paraben-free, clean, clean-free, and packaged in a stunning sexy little roll on?

Didn’t think so. Clearly, you need mindalt in your life.

mindalt, elevates your mood with the proven science of essential oils. As someone who has 2 diffusers running at all times, this product is right up my alley.

No aluminum or anything toxic doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. With endless testing, mindalt learned that using fewer ingredients has nothing to do with deodorant being any less effective.

mindalt delivers a rich combination of ingredients that target mood, sweat and odor in multiple ways.  

The right combo of essentail oils = 4x the mood boosting power.

Each of their 22 specific essential oils have been scientifically proven to impact your brain’s nervous system and positively alter your mood state and wellbeing.

The power of 5.

Five powerful sweat absorbers,  five natural ingredients to attack sweat from different angles, from reducing pore size to wicking away moisture to absorbing wetness. Five potent antimicrobial odor fighters that stop the bacteria that cause body odor from forming.

Mood enhancing essential oils

Lemon: EWG Clean Rating 1
Boosts your metabolism and mood. That’s why it’s nicknamed liquid sunshine. Refreshing citrusy. Slightly sweet scent.

Bergamot: EWG Clean Rating 2
The triple treat and why Bergamot is found in all our products. Positive mood enhancer with antimicrobial properties that also helps absorb sweat. Fresh citrus scent with a hint of spices.

Sage: EWG Clean Rating 1
Steels against negativity and uplifts your mood. Smells balmy and herbal.

Vetiver: EWG Clean Rating 1
Balances your mood reducing irritability. Smells much like uncut grass with a woody undertone.

Sandalwood: EWG Clean Rating 1
Aids mental clarity and promotes creativity. A woody scent offset by floral, balsamic and sweet accents.

Ingredients that absorb sweat

Zea Mays: EWG Clean Rating 1
Corn starch, highly effective in the dampening of wetness.

Pullulan: EWG Clean Rating 1
Produced from starch and provides excellent moisture protection.

Citrus Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil: EWG Clean Rating 2
An essential oil with a surprisingly high astringency, allowing it to reduce or contract the size of sweat-producing pores.

Witch Hazel Distillate: EWG Clean Rating 1
Derived from steaming the twigs of the Witch Hazel shrub, this essential oil is an astringent that constricts the tissue under the arm to prevent sweat and also reduces moisture.

Silica: EWG Clean Rating 1
A mineral component of sandstone, it acts to soak up moisture from sweat.

Ingredients that prevent body odor

Propanediol: EWG Rating 2
Derived from the glucose obtained from corn, it’s a highly effective bacteria inhibitor (especially Gram-positive bacteria, most commonly responsible for causing body odor). Gentle on the skin. it causes no irritation and acts as a moisturizer.

Triethyl Citrate: EWG Clean Rating 1
A citric acid that prevents bacterial decomposition of sweat ingredients that directly cause body odor.

Glycerin: EWG Clean Rating 1
A naturally occurring organic compound that has strong antimicrobial properties.

Pentylene Glycol: EWG Clean Rating 1
Naturally occurring in sugarcane, it is a longstanding antimicrobial agent which helps stabilize liquids that don’t mix well. It is an emulsifier and therefore a good ally of Sunflower Oil, our emulsion.

Citric Acid: EWG Clean Rating 1
An organic fruit derived acid (from lemon or lime) that combats armpit sweat as it reduces sweat production.

OP+ also includes:

Polyglyceryl: EWG Clean Rating 1

Derived from vegetables this plant based antimicrobial effectively targets all the types of body odor.

Zinc Ricinoleate: EWG Clean Rating 1

Found in castor oil this odor absorber rather than merely killing bacteria, traps and absorbs odor molecules making them imperceptible to the odor receptors in your nose.

Ingredients that improve the product experience

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower Seed) Oil: EWG Clean Rating 1
Sunflower Oil is the formulation’s key carrier oil that ensures the essential oils don’t lose potency on contact with the skin and are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Works to make the essential oil combinations more effective and ‘bio-available’.  It also acts to delay the oxidation of Bergamot, our formula’s most versatile essential oil.

Tocopherol: EWG Clean Rating 1
A naturally occurring organic compound known to have Vitamin E activity, a potent antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage by fighting off highly reactive free radicals.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: EWG Clean Rating 1
Made from palm. Beyond smoothing your skin, it helps agents bind together to make the mood enhancing essential oils longer lasting.

Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice: EWG Clean Rating 1
Aloe Vera is well-recognized to sooth and soften the skin.

Menthol: EWG Clean Rating 1
A crystalline compound found largely in Peppermint oils that provides a soothing and momentary cooling sensation upon application.

For example: Ingredients that maintain formulation integrity

Lecithin: EWG Clean Rating 1
Found in the tissue of plants, it is an emulsifier that extends the product’s shelf-life.

Hydroxyacetophenone: EWG Clean Rating 1
Found naturally in Cloud Berries, it is a preservative booster.

Phenethyl Alcohol: EWG Clean Rating 1
Occurring naturally in essential oil plants, it prevents or retards bacterial growth and in turn protects the product from spoilage. It is a natural preservative.

Sclerotium Gum: EWG Clean Rating 1
A big sugar molecule used as a thickening agent.

Xanthan Gum: EWG Clean Rating 1
An all-natural sugar molecule used in tandem with Sclerotium Gum, acts to stabilize our emulsions.

Glyceryl Oleate Citrate: EWG Clean Rating 1
A natural compound of citric acid and vegetable oils. It’s an emulsifier and stabilizer for water. It contributes to even the distribution of products during use, keeping the ingredients from separating.

SHOP for mindalt here! And check out their bundles. 

We Tried The Aromatherapy Showerhead You Always Wanted

May 12, 2021

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For years we have been craving to try the Moen® Aromatherapy Handshower In Chrome With INLY™ Shower Capsules – Alas, with Mother’s Day approaching, we decided it was for the plunge. Our only question is, why did we wait so long?

I think I had a block about changing out a showerhead for some reason. I thought I would need to hire a Task Rabbit. Alas, all it took was wrench and two minutes.  The whole deal took five minutes to install. Easy peasy.

The little aromatherapy pods are adjustable in strength – though I like it all the way turned up. Even then it’s totally subtle. My kids are really loving the different level changes and pressing the little button, lol.

Buy it on Amazon here!

Is Telehealth The New Secret Weapon To Company Mental Health?

April 12, 2021

Excessive wait times and a spike in demand for mental healthcare during Covid has given birth to an innovative experience: mental telehealth.  And in an effort to support employees, forward-thinking employers have begun to offer this service as part of their employee benefit packages.

So what does this service look like? Mental telehealth typically includes the patient services in highest demand — virtual talk therapy, psychiatric medication, and mental health education.

Concerning statistics, such as 40 percent of Americans struggling with mental health during the pandemic, have led many companies to announce new ways they are supporting mental health in the workplace – improving employee care, corporate productivity and perhaps, even becoming chic, given the latest workforce reports:

  • Mental and neurological disorders are a leading cause of disability in the United States.
  • In a 2019 survey of 1,500 respondents, 61% said their productivity at work was affected by their mental health and over 50% said cost and poor insurance coverage are key barriers to accessing mental healthcare.
  • And mental health is experienced differently by age in the workforce since the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a recent survey of 1,400 workers, a generational difference exists among those most likely to face mental health issues: Gen Z: 71%, Millennials: 59%, Gen X: 36% and Baby Boomers: 22%.

Now, with more people beginning to head back to the workplace after working remotely — or not working at all — during the pandemic, profound changes must be made in how they approach employees’ psychological and emotional well-being, advocates say.

While many California companies are prioritizing mental health, what is stopping some from offering expanded mental health support, despite the rise of mental health needs, and the proliferation of mental telehealth alternatives available?

Reasons commonly cited by employers include:

  • Perceived stigma toward individuals with mental health conditions. Employees harbor concerns that if they used company mental health benefits, their careers may suffer, which would leave these benefits unused.
  • Privacy limitations make it difficult for companies to measure the positive impact these benefits have had on their employee population.
  • Navigating a new territory of employee benefits and not knowing where to begin.
  • Companies already having insurance-based plans in place that include psychologists and psychiatrists for employees to access; they believe they can’t afford the incremental cost to add additional company-funded services.

What some employers fail to factor into their decision is the ease and convenience of these newer mental telehealth services. Individuals can often get video appointments within 24 hours from the comfort of their home — days, nights and weekends — while many insurance-based offerings can take weeks to months for an appointment, and have availability only during work hours.

Remedy, a telepsychiatry company based in Los Angeles, was founded by Dr. Kirsten Thompson because she wanted to make psychiatric mental care more accessible to all needing help.  Remedy provides psychiatric medication telehealth care for adults in California (expanding to other states in future) for all symptoms including depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, OCD, bipolar, insomnia and more from the comfort of one’s home – days, nights or weekends; and is encouraging California business owners to expand support for their employees to include mental health. Remedy recently launched an effort targeted to companies to offer their employees affordable access to medication treatment services to meet their employee mental health support needs.

“With mental health being the most important driver of productivity and happiness, companies are now realizing that offering improved mental health benefits is a clear win-win for both employees and the business. The disconnect is that our current insurance-based system is over-taxed, so companies relying on their existing medical insurance offerings are unknowingly behind the times and under supporting their staff. Luckily, many new telehealth companies have arisen to fill the gaps- but employers need to be aware of this deficit, and then take action.”

–       Dr. Kirsten Thompson, Founder & Supervising Psychiatrist, Remedy

If employee mental health becomes normalized as part of the business culture just as quarterly performance reviews and professional development, organizations will be rewarded with higher performance, fewer disability claims, and reduced employee turnover.

Sources:

https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2770050

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/coronavirus/survey-nearly-half-us-workers-suffer-mental-health-issues-during-pandemic-178105

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness.shtml

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/mental-health-in-the-workplace-the-coming-revolution

 

 

 

 

 

Mellö For Daily Maintenance Of Mind, Body, Mood

March 27, 2021

Daily maintenance for mind, body, and mood.

Loving this magnesium product from NED.

Mellö is specifically formulated to replenish your body’s magnesium levels at a cellular level, simply and naturally, while regulating feelings of stress and anxiety and their associated physical symptoms. I love popping this in a glass of water in the evening.

WHAT:

Mellö is a powerful daily magnesium supplement to propel memory, mood, brain function, stress response, sleep, energy, and nerve and muscle health.  

Mellö nourishes every inch of your body with a proprietary superblend of 3 forms of chelated magnesium, L-theanine, GABA, and over 70 trace minerals, specially formulated for whole-body—and brain — absorption.

WHAT’S INSIDE:

Magnesium lactate gluconate, Magtein® magnesium L-threonate, Aquamin magnesium citrate, L-theanine, GABA, trace minerals, birch xylitol, monkfruit, citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, purple carrot*, organic flavoring*.

There’s magnesium — and then there’s Mellö

MIND

Boost memory and brain function.

BODY

Support nerve + muscle health, restful sleep and regularity.

MOOD

Promote calmness and a healthy stress response.

WHO: 

The founders, Ret and Adriaan. Read more over on their site!

Ned® is the result of two friends, Ret and Adriaan, who started in different places arriving at the same destination. For years, we’d been living lives that left us feeling empty, bewildered, and disconnected. It wasn’t just us – everyone around us seemed beset by anxiety, stress, device addiction, you name it. The so-called solutions – pills, paychecks, more consumerism – seemed only to address the symptoms, never the underlying issues. Something about this way of life just wasn’t working.

Embody Retinol And ACV Gummies

March 5, 2021

The gummy biz is really just taking off. And now, EMBODY is the world’s first retinol gummy with a mission to radically evolve how women treat their skin. They are replacing hundreds of skincare products with one simple tasty gummy. Even better, Embody is a women-owned, minority-owned, women-led brand.

Just two a day (it’s hard to eat only two – they are THAT yummy), and your skin will appear more evenly pigmented, texture is eliminated, and collagen production is increased resulting in more youthful looking skin to produce a luminous glow.

Also right here on Amazon!

A formula designed to provide a dewy glow, reduce blemishes, promote cell turnover, strengthen hair, skin, nails and prevent premature aging (inclusive of ingredients like Vitamin A, C, D3, E, Biotin, Folic Acid, B12 and more). 

A juicy apple-flavored, inside-out wellness solution is designed to support healthy gut flora, improve digestion and replenish antioxidants. Supporting your gut health helps relieve inflammation in your skin and throughout your body; poor gut health can actually be the cause of acne and aging in the skin (it breaks down collagen!!).  Embody‘s ACV gummy provides the full recommended dose of ACV in just 2 gummies!

While Embody’s Retinol Gummy helps to promote skin cell turnover, the ACV gummy promotes gut health – while both add to the whole body approach to skin care. Most consumers don’t think about starting in their guts (healthy diet, probiotics, gut-supporting vitamins) when some of their skin concerns can be treated with a simple change in diet.

And the ACV Gummy!

 

More about Jenn Chung, founder of Embody:

Jenn Chung the founder of Embody Jenn immigrated to the US from Vietnam with her mother when she was 1 years old. She worked her way up through her family cosmetics company (Forever Beaumore) from packing boxes at age 15 to stepping in as President at age 24. Seeing first-hand how successful her family’s beauty supplements were in the Vietnamese market, Jenn was inspired to create a brand for women just like her and bring eastern beauty remedies to a modern western audience in a fun, palatable way.