just do it yourself!

Last week I was interviewed for a documentary focusing on the cosmetic industry in Canada. ?áIt was so much fun! ?áMy basic message was that if we are concerned by what is in our cosmetics, we can use our creativity and empower ourselves to make our own. ?áYes, there is much to do in terms of petitioning the government and helping to change laws that will allow for greater transparency. ?áWe have gotta know what is in these products if we are to make informed consumer choices! ?áAnd people are getting the word out there, such as the folks at Femme Toxic?áor those who are putting together the documentary, Fairly Foul. ?áBut, until we sort all of this out, if you want a really clean cream, facial cleanser, deodorant, etc., today, the fast and easy way of avoiding questionable chemicals in products is to make your own. ?áI want people to see that is not that hard to make your own stuff. ?áYour homemade products will be of excellent quality and you will know exactly what is in them!

Yes, people have their doubts! ?áSometimes when I mention how easy it is to make your own stuff, people ask about safety in terms of freshness and bacterial contamination. ?áThat is when I break the hard news that if you make your own products, you will be making some things every few weeks and other stuff every few months. ?áIt is like food. ?áIf you want a Twinkie for breakfast, go for it and buy enough for the year. ?áEach day grab yourself a Twinkie from the pile. ?áYes, this is a safe breakfast, but not necessarily a beneficial one. ?áIf you want some nutrition to fuel your day, you are going to have to find fresh food and prepare it in some way. ?áGreat skin care products are somewhat similar. ?áLike our friend Deborah says, this is a bit like the Slow Food Movement. ?áIt is the slow cosmetic movement. ?áIt takes some effort, but it is more than worth it.

To address the safety issue regarding natural products, I like to encourage people to know more about what they are putting on their face. ?áIt is a great idea to start a recipe file with two parts. ?áOne part should be the recipes. Include the ones that you have tried and the ones that you want to try. ?áRecord your experience, tweak your method. ?áIt is like cooking and you will only get better at it with practice. ?áThe second part to your recipe file should be a list of ingredients. ?áFor each ingredient you can keep record of all sorts of fascinating information such as what it does and what benefit it is to your skin, why you add it to products, what products it is use in, where it comes from, where to buy it and even any folklore or history of use. ?áAnd, why not record what chemical constituents are also in it? ?áAnytime you read anything new about this ingredient, add this information to the file and record where you found the information. ?áWithin weeks, months, or years, who knows, you might have enough to write your own book on the subject! ?á Most importantly, you are educating yourself on this subject! ?áAnd you will have a kick’n file that you can refer to at anytime.

For those who are interested, I offer a super introductory course on creating your own skin care products. ?áWe make the products, we try the products and you take home enough products for approximately one month’s worth of skin pampering ?áOf course you take home the recipes, too. ?áThe cost is $40, plus tax, per participant. ?áI am able to do this at our space, Fleurbain, and I am also available to come to you and lead the workshop anywhere within Montreal.

Tammy Schmidt, Montreal

Fleurbain is at?á460 St Catherine St. West, suite #917.

For more information, email me at fleurbain@gmail.com