A little bit about Lesia

Lesia Maruschak the founder of Cure: Blood Cancer  is the gracious host and organizer of our upcoming From Garden to Face workshop.

Lesia Maruschak founder of Cure: Blood Cancer Foundation

Lesia is one special lady! She runs marathons, paints icons and travels the world to study iconography with Masters. She is also a natural alchemist, mixing lotions and potions for her friends and family. The potion part is what really connected Lesia and I... actually there is more but this was the initial link. We talk products and recipes and compare notes. Hence the workshop collaboration. Lesia has a special gift for understanding colours and scents. You notice immediately when you hear her talk as she uses interesting language to describe them... beautiful. 

Before blood cancer showed up on Lesia's life path, she had a fancy job... this girl is very, very smart. A well balanced mix of a creative spirit and strong mind, nowadays Lesia has been putting her talents to work through her Cure: Blood Cancer foundation. This year she was presented with a Governor General's Caring Canadian Award for her contributions to her community. 

In short Lesia Maruschak is pretty amazing and an incredible inspiration. I consider myself very lucky to know her.

If you happen to participate in our From Garden to Face Workshop make sure to have a chat with Lesia: you will see what I mean. 

Will you make some products with me?

The season of Raw Vegan Facials, making herbal infusions, fresh herb picking and playing with food as skin care, is in full gear! This is my favourite time of the year to make skin care products simply because nature provides me with the most beautiful, fresh ingredients to create with. I have been seriously playing with product making for a few years now and it is the third season for Woman Divine to offer Raw Vegan Face Treatments to clients. I realize now that the need for creating remedies runs in my blood. When I was a little girl, I watched my mom lovingly prepare homemade remedies for my dad who was sick. We had an aloe plantation living on the window sills of our home and mom always had some interesting 'concoction' going.

Knock on wood, nobody is sick in my household. My passion is holistic skin care and I love preparing oils, masks, scrubs and other fresh, simple and elegant products to nurture your skin and mine too.

It is my intention to turn them into beautiful pure and loving rituals of self care.

This summer I want to share with women like you my favourite recipes and formulas! I have created a product making workshop and I hope you will join me. If you know anybody who might be interested please share this info. 

This particular workshop is a fundraiser for  blood cancer research. All proceeds will go to the Cure Blood Cancer/Ottawa, a foundation created by an amazing and inspiring client and dear friend Lesia Maruschak. You will have a chance to meet her as she has graciously offered to be my personal assistant during this workshop. 

Lesia and I will do our best to make it a wonderful experience. We will hang out together, formulating great product for our skin. I will share with you many useful skin care tips and we will raise some money to support a worthy cause. I hope you will be there :-)

Check below for the details and please let me know if you have any questions. 

organic product making workshop in Ottawa

Get inspired with our From Garden to Face Workshop and turn your kitchen into a natural beauty lab!

From face masks, herbal toners and scrubs to facial oils and lip balms, learn how to formulate your very own skin care products from the most pure and simple ingredients in your kitchen.

During this workshop we will be using seasonal produce from our local farmers' market along with many other botanical and organic raw materials. We will share with you many tricks of the trade and our favourite skin care tips. You will bring home a selection of wonderful freshly made skin care products: Face Balm, Lip Balm, Face Serum, Face Scrub and Healthy Gums Oil.

All proceeds from this workshop go to Blood Cancer Research Ottawa

When: 12July, 2014 10:00am to 1:00pm
Location: Maplesoft Centre 1500 Alta Vista Dr. Ottawa

Register online at womandivine.ca

It's that time of the year again!

I am just back from my trip to Poland and this is my first weekend at home. Since I was eager for a visit  (my very first this season) to the Ottawa Farmers' Market and the weather was lovely, Tony and I headed out this morning to the Brewer Park location. As anticipated it is great, filled with awesome people and amazing local produce. 

If you have not done so yet check out the Ottawa Farmers' Market website for info on vendors and hours and for some great recipes.

I hope the farmers' market movement keeps growing and we will get to experience more and more of wonderful locally and organically grown food.  

Make sure to eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit this season, support your local growers and keep healthy. 

...and remember HEALTHY BODY= HEALTHY SKIN

Here are few of today's pics.

Dark under eye circles and what you can do about them

Clients often ask me "what is the solution to dark under eye circles?". My answer is always the same: 'if there was a simple solution I would surely not have mine'. If you met me in person you've also met my circles; there's no way to hide them, not even under makeup. My family, on my dad's side has been (by nature or by whatever else) marked. When we are tired, the dark circles are very pronounced but even when we are rested they are there. So what is the cause? What do dark circles tell us? And what can we do to alleviate this undesirable symptom? 

The skin around the eyelids (periorbital skin) is the thinnest skin in the body. 

Blood vessels under the eyes can become dilated and engorged (for many reasons), which contribute to dark circles.

As we age the skin thins even more and the thinner the skin the more noticeable the blood vessels underneath it and the darker the circles.

There are many causes of this symptom from allergies, adrenal fatigue, lack of proper sleep, dietary insufficiencies, sinus infections, dehydration...

Eastern medicine points to an imbalance in kidney energy.

The eastern art of face reading tells us that the darkness around the eyes suggests a sensitive nature, someone who feels deeply... usually more than those around them.

dark under eye circle remedy/ womandivine.ca

There are a few simple (but not always easy to apply) things you can do to help alleviate dark circles however do not expect miracles. Be wary of skin care products which promise the cure... promises, promises. I am yet to find one which actually delivers.

Since dark circles are a symptom of a systemic situation in your body, external applications can only slightly alleviate the darkness. True change will come from within. 

• Be sure to drink plenty of purified water.
• Get sufficient rest.
• Go easy on salt.

The best dark circle home remedies are: thin potato slices and black tea rich in tannins.         Apply thinly sliced potato or cotton soaked in black tea to your cleansed eyes and relax for 15 - 20 minutes. 

If you are serious about addressing this symptom, if your dark circles are pronounced, pay a visit to a Chinese or Ayurvedic doctor or visit your trusted naturopath. Chances are you will not figure it out on your own. 

It's hard to accept but most of our concerns in regards to the way we look need to be addressed from the inside. No shortcuts...sorry.

And please, if you ever find an instantaneous dark circle cure let me know :-)

Hyper local organic calendula oil

This is a solar oil infusion prepared from organic locally grown plant material: calendula flowers by Anne Janssen from Aylmer Backyard Farms and cold-pressed sunflower oil by Huiles d’Amerique located just outside of Aylmer, Quebec.

calendula oil at woman divine Ottawa

I prepare this infusion all by hand in small batches to assure its freshness and quality.

Beautiful golden calendula petals were first slowly dehydrated at a very low heat to protect their healing integrity. They then were suspended in sunflower oil for a period of six weeks and exposed to the sun and moonlight to assist the process of infusing the sunflower oil with the goodness of calendula flowers. This process married the medicinal properties of both plant materials creating a potent skin healing synergy.

Calendula oil is traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to help relieve skin inflammations and irritations and to aid in wound healing. It is soothing and healing and perfect for the treatment of dry skin, redness, skin irritation, chapped skin, bruises, cradle cap, diaper rash, and sore or inflamed muscles. Calendula oil is also valued for treating radiation-induced dermatitis.

It is exceptional for those with sensitive skin. It is also gentle enough to use for babies and children.

calendula oil at woman divine Ottawa

50ml - $20

to order: call 613 2167676 or email info@womandivine.ca 

Glow an urban retreat for women

It is coming up at the end of this month!

Join Donna Davis, Alexa Spas and myself for this fun educational and inspirational Sunday afternoon retreat. We will eat good food, drink amazing freshly pressed juices, play with raw skin care and do some yoga.

Lots of good learning and great goodies to bring home :-)

REGISTER HERE

Need more info? Contact me at info@womandivine.ca or call at 613 2167676

REGISTRATION CLOSED. Thank you :-)

Tired of looking for a perfect skin care product? Make your own and have fun doing it!

Last Saturday I was in Almonte, hanging out with an amazing group of women from the Rising Sun Yoga Studio.  As Pure As It Can Be Workshop in action... we were playing in a lovely kitchen making our very own, all pure, healthy and natural beauty products.

It feels very good, getting together with a group of women sharing wisdom, interests and a good laugh.

We made some cool products to take home. Hopefully this is just the beginning and everyone is inspired to create more.

This is what some of the women said about their experience.

“I really enjoyed your presentation and what you do is of great interest to me also. It’s funny, you reminded me of when I was a little girl and I used to go into the kitchen, the garden and my mother’s cosmetics and experiment with making my own lotions and potions...

I love all of the products we made.

I believe it is so important for women to share and support each other as you are with your business!”

— Leigh

“Amazing and simple.”

— Angelina

“Loved every minute!”

— Jennifer

“Everything was so well organized and presented beautifully.”

— Mary

Thank you Almonte Rising Sun Yoga I had an amazing time with you!

Magdalena

If you are interested in hosting one of my workshops or would like to join the next available one or simply would like more info, contact me at info@womandivine.ca or by phone: 613 2167676

Why I love juicing with Flexi Lexi.

Yayyyyyy! Just finishing up my 3 day juice cleanse, literally,  2 more juices to go.

I love juicing (nothing like a freshly pressed juice) but sometimes I really do not feel like pressing juices myself. Call it lazy but if you have ever juiced you know it is messy and the cleanup takes quiet a bit of time, no matter how easy the juicer company promises it to be.

This time I have treated myself to a juice detox with the lovely Alexa Spas the owner of Flexi Lexi an Ottawa business focused on culinary nutrition and juice cleansing.

I absolutely loved the idea of all juices being prepared for me and delivered to my door. Yes, Alexa will press the delicious cleansing juices, all 18 of them and bring them to you. No need to scrub carrots, core apples, dice beets 6 times a day, no need to think which recipes will be the best to include in your juice cleanse... not even a trip to the store to buy all the produce needed...pure cleansing heaven.

Alexa's juices, each of the six you will have every day are very very tasty and there is plenty to satisfy you throughout the day. OK... I had my moments which is also a good reason to go with Flexi Lexi. All of the juices are in your fridge, paid for... so even if the weak moment strikes you will feel you may as well keep going. No easy way out:)

We are coming into a perfect time of the year for a cleanse. If you are feeling sluggish, tired and wanting to get a fresh kick start to healthier eating and a clearer complexion, I highly suggest you get Flexi with Lexi soon. I sure am glad I did.

Thank you Alexa!  I am looking forward to many more of your awesome delicious and nutritious juices:))

How to get in touch with Alexa Spas?

www.flexilexi.ca

https://www.facebook.com/flexilexi

email: hello@flexilexi.ca

For the love of essential oils - Sweet Orange

The scent of orange has uplifting qualities; sweet, fresh, cheerful light and fruity.

Perfect for the 'end of winter blues'.

Think... refreshing aroma of an orange peel.

The essential oil of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) is perfect to improve your mood.

Spray some in your room - mix 15 drops of orange essential oil and distilled water (fill up) in a small 50ml - 100ml spritz bottle.

If used in massage, Sweet Orange essential oil will not only uplift but it will also stimulate lymphatic flow and move fluids (good for cellulite), calm your nervous system, help relax the muscles and stimulate the digestive system.

In skin care I use it sometimes in my bespoke blends for oily skin but be cautious, it can be irritating to the delicate skin of your face.

*Do not apply before sun exposure... it can make your skin photosensitive.

Definitely a great oil to have for the grey, slow days... :-)

Sweet & sensuous vanilla body oil.

It is my daughter Carollyne who turned me on to vanilla ... she loves the scent. Last Christmas I gave her a bottle of hand-crafted (by my own hands) vanilla infused jojoba oil as a gift. I must say as I was preparing this infusion a few weeks before Christmas, I developed a bit of a love affair with it myself. 

I am putting together a new batch and it will be ready in about 4 weeks. Some of it will be available as simple vanilla in jojoba body oil and part of it will serve as a base for more complex formulations.

Vanilla body oil by Woman Divine

Vanilla is a member of the Orchid family. It is valued for its aphrodisiac qualities and you will often find it as an ingredient in sensual body oils and perfume.  Vanilla is believed to stimulate the release of serotonin which triggers feelings of arousal and satisfaction. An idea for Valentine's night... actually any night. 

Vanilla body oil by Woman Divine

Sweet smelling Vanilla is also beautifully soothing and calming for the nervous system. For this purpose it works great in body oils.

If you wish to make your own Vanilla infused oil please use organically sourced vanilla seedpods and carrier oil.

How to infuse vanilla into jojoba oil?

• 3 organic vanilla pods
• l cup of organic jojoba oil
• Cut up vanilla pods into small pieces place in the amber glass and cover it with oil.
• Place on the window sill and let it infuse for the next 3-4 weeks.
• Strain and you are ready to go.

If you like a softer scent, you can always dilute it using more jojoba oil.

If you are not the kind to play with making stuff but would like to have a bottle of organic, beautifully sensuous and relaxing vanilla infused body oil, my batch is brewing as we speak. I will let you know when it is ready... in about four weeks.