Vote for Woman Divine!

Maybe you already have heard that Woman Divine has been nominated for Faces Magazine 2024 Ottawa Awards - Best Natural Wellness Company! 

Thank you very much to the kind soul who has nominated us for this award and to everyone who has already voted. Also, thank you much for placing us within the Health & Wellness industry because at heart we feel that that's where we belong. 
As a small unassuming business that was built by word of mouth, we feel truly honoured.

We are grateful for initiatives like this one by Faces Magazine which provides a platform to celebrate Ottawa's most appreciated professionals and businesses. From personal experience we know that running a small business in the best of times is a hustle but the last three years have been exceptionally difficult. So a little bit of cheer feels extra good.
Please check out other nominees in various categories. You may find your fave people and business there. We are certain that your votes will be deeply appreciated ❤️
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Saying all of that, if you like us:) and would like to vote, here is how to do it.
You can vote daily until March 7th/2024

1. Go to Faces Magazine
2. Scroll down to categories and choose Health & Wellness
3. Select Natural Wellness Companies and scroll down to find us
4. Vote for Woman Divine🙏

Thank you for your support and for celebrating local businesses and professionals. We are very proud to be part of this amazing community❤️

Magdalena and Julie xo
 

I sit in stillness.

Every day I consciously sit in stillness. Silence emerges when tension, conflict and struggle fall away. I find myself listening to the sound of silence. 

A daily grounding practice for 2024 anyone?

find wd Meditation Drops here

This is an invitation to introduce quiet moments into your busy life.
Thoughts are things. And mindfully selected affirmations repeated with conviction are powerful tools for creating a life you desire.

The ritual of anointing the third eye area helps to balance the third eye chakra, helps to focus and prepares for a meditation practice. @womandivineskincare Meditation Drops can also be applied simply as a reminder to pause and take a conscious breath.

I blended organic essential oils of sandalwood, myrrh and frankincense in a base of jojoba in WD Meditation Drops. Sacred oils for a sacred practice.

Many blessings for 2024!

The cold weather is here, what does that mean for your skin?

When the weather gets cold everything constricts in a protective response. Exposure to low temperatures stimulates cold receptors of the skin and puts the sympathetic nervous system into action. Sympathetic stimulation causes vascular constriction in your skin, arms and legs and all energy goes towards delivering blood where oxygen is most needed during this fight or flight response. Skin becomes of secondary importance when you are exposed to very cold temperatures. Thus always bundle up and keep your skin and body warm.

Many people experience skin dryness, dehydration and sensitivity during cold months. And as if cold weather was not enough, our body needs to constantly adjust between the exposure to the drying indoor heating and the outdoor cold temperatures often accompanied by equally cold winds.

As a result of this temperature roller-coster and cold constricted tissues, your skin produces less sebum, becomes tighter, dryer and has difficulty to retain moisture. It also has difficulty absorbing what you apply to it.
Even though your body as a whole adjusts to cold temperatures and with time can cope better, cold temperatures continue to present your skin with challenges throughout the season.

Applying heavier, more protective and deeply moisturizing products is definitely the way to go during the Canadian fall/winter. But when skin is tight and dry and has a hard time holding on to moisture it is important to know how to practice your skin care in the most effective way.

So what can you do to help the skin healing botanical formulas absorb as intended and have the greatest impact on the health of your skin during the cold season?

1.
Keeping the skin barrier healthy and intact is a no brainer. If your skin’s  protective layer is compromised how can your skin thrive? Oil cleansing offers a perfect support for healthy skin barrier. Do not use any harsh products which strip the skin and disturb its precious microflora: No harsh drying foaming cleansers, no sharp grainy exfoliants, no acid peals, no resurfacing treatments… . I know there are different opinions out there and this is mine based on the holistic approach to life and skin care.

2.
Warm purified water compressing, to increase blood flow, relax, soften, hydrate and open pores for better absorption of serums, oils and balms.

3.
Adding skin hydrating, softening and soothing herbal infusions to your facial compressing like: marshmallow, burdock, calendula and lavender.

4.
Adding heavier more protective face products to your skin care practice such as face balms.

5.
When needed adding a very gentle exfoliation to assist with dead skin cell shedding.

6.
Adding a weekly skin softening, soothing facial mask (WD facial mask coming soon)

7.
Dry skin brushing your body to stimulate lymph flow and sebaceous gland function. This way your body will produce more of its natural moisturizer - sebum. Use a natural bristle brush only. Choose soft bristles if you have sensitive skin.

8.
Taking relaxing warm baths in purified water enriched with herbal infusions and/or essential oils. Marshmallow, calendula, oats, lavender... made into a strong infusion and added to bath water are great. When your body feels warm and relaxed and skin pores are open you will benefit greatly from the healing properties of botanicals which you choose. You can add your favourite essential oils to the mix, first blending them into a bit of a lipid oil like almond, olive or camellia … and then dropping them into the bath water.

9.
Face and body massage (now is the time to visit a massage therapist who works with warm oils, long relaxing and warming strokes.
It is wonderful to know how to take care of ourselves but it is very important from time to time to simply lie down and receive care from an attentive therapist.

10.
And last but not least, skin health also starts from within! So strive to feed your body the best you can. Pay attention to your stress levels and mental health. Sometimes we get so busy, so wound up that we don’t even notice a downward spiral. Make time to meditate and stretch and breath and most of all know that you are worthy and the world needs you to shine the brightest you can.

Love and Light,

Magdalena xo

Sowing seeds.

It is this time of the year again! A couple of weeks ago I received an email from the wonderful Anne who grows healing plants for our WD formulas. Every year around this time, Anne wants to know what to plant and how much to plant for WD for the year. It takes a lot of planning on her part to deliver what WD needs. And it’s not that easy to plan because weather changes and every growing season is a little different. For example some years calendula grows in abundance and other years it is too dry and flowers are scarce. So it is a bit of a guessing game.

Anne in her element

It also is a guessing game for WD. How much product will we need to provide for our clients this year, determines how much plant material we need to purchase. Will we expand in the coming year or will we slow down is the question. We can try to project but with today’s economic situation, it gets very tricky.

So every season, I say a prayer and ask for only that which will be needed. 

I never want to order too much, because dry plants do diminish both in life force and their effectiveness as time passes. I also don’t want to waste any. And if I order too little, there is no going back. Whatever is planted is planted and there is no more even if we run out.

Working directly with the grower certainly has a lot of nuances. We could have opted for buying plant material from big suppliers. It’s much easier for sure! We could order whenever we want, and if we want more, there is always more. It is also a lot cheaper. Like three times plus cheaper. So why not do it the easy way?

THE QUALITY OF PLANT MATERIAL 

When you see dehydrated plant material from plants grown by Anne and those purchased from a large scale supplier, no explanation is really needed.

plants grown by Anne

Anne’s plants are full of vibrant colour and aroma and are packed with antioxidants and phytonutrients. Intense colours and scents, are the testament to their vitality. 

Most of the plants from big suppliers look pale and tired as if life was completely drained from them. And it actually did! 

When I purchase plants from Anne, I am 100% sure that I am provided with this year’s harvest. Anne tends to the soil, nourishes it and prepares it for each growing season. She is devoted to the science of organic and biodynamic growing and continuously expands her knowledge.

With large suppliers, I actually would never know. Corporate organic farming, often happens in old mechanistic ways. Nothing to do with the connection to the earth, caring and wellbeing. There is a demand, therefore it is profitable, therefore it exists. 

During summer months, I can drop by Anne’s farm and I can visit with the plants as they are growing. This in itself is an incredible gift to a skin care maker. Witness what becomes my formulas while still in the ground is a wonderful mind trip:) 

Did you know that WD receives fresh plant material from the farm the same day it was harvested? We rush most of it into the dehydrator to preserve its healing qualities using a very low heat process. When dehydration is complete, some plants are infused in oil and some are carefully stored for later use. Plants which need to be infused fresh, like St John’s Wort, are immediately placed in jars and covered with oil. 

Plants infused in oils are called herbal extracts and they are the foundation for WD skin care formulas.

herbal extracts in the making

INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND LOCAL ECONOMY

I consciously want to support small producers like Anne and I am forever grateful for the support she provides to me and WD! It is an exchange not only of $ and product but a conscious exchange of energy in a pursuit of creating a more beautiful world for all of us.

I know Anne the human, and I know that she is a kind, caring person who loves feeling connected to the land and the plants. She excels at providing an incredible service to the local community by offering healing herbs, food from her gardens and the best maple syrup I have ever tasted. I want more of what Anne does in our lives! And my products are certainly better thanks to her efforts.

Supporting local has never been more important than today. I believe that in the coming years we will need to rely more and more on local growers, farmers and makers. Hopefully we will learn and understand that small organic growers are at the base of our wellbeing. Those who produce organic food and herbs in tune with nature are essential to our health. 

As a small grassroots beauty company, it is WD’s goal to support our local community through providing the healthiest, most effective and accessible skin care products directly to our clients.

We also feel that products created with local plants are best suited for the local skin care. 

Over the years we have been asked to sell our products in the US and in Europe. Even though it would assure an expansion and more sales, I refused. You may call me not business savvy but I have a very strong conviction in hyper-local service and although very important, $ is not a driving force for WD.

We have been also asked to wholesale WD products, and I refused that too:) Our price point is such that it has a modest markup so we can make a living:) and at the same time it makes our products accessible to everyday women.

If we would expand to the wholesale market then our price would have to double (or more) in order to make it feasible for us and for everyone else who would be providing our products. We would either have to drastically raise prices or downgrade to low-quality, cheap, raw ingredients. We will do neither:)

How can we ever make a shift to a healthier life for all, if high quality organic skin care and food is accessible only to high income earners? Not a chance! So this is how we choose to contribute to our local community.

Then in return you purchase WD skin care products and not only feed your skin with amazing quality ‘skin food’ but you also support a small business like mine and indirectly Anne’s as well.  And in this simple way together we create a beautiful circle of exchange of wellbeing, beauty, healing energy, care and yes money. I trust this is the way forward and this is how together we sow the seeds for a new purposeful and expanded way of life.

Love & Light,

Magdalena xo

Heart to heart on botox.

Botox is a controversial topic. And a bit of a touchy one for sure. There are strong views in both camps. I try to give more of a heart to heart or a woman to woman approach to the subject. Hope you enjoy listening!

I would love to know what are your thoughts on botox. Have you done it? Are you thinking of doing it? Please share if you feel comfortable to do so:)

Magdalena xo

Be your own medicine woman.

New clients often come to me when they feel completely frustrated and confused about their skin. They tell me that wherever they go seeking support they receive different and conflicting advice and every new attempt to seek help, simply adds to their skin care confusion.

We can probably agree that we live in a society/culture which strongly promotes seeking expert services/advice for literally everything.

There are obviously numerous benefits to having easy access to an array of specialists. However it is never desirable to hand over our decision making to someone else and to abandon the gift and importance of inner knowing, intuition and self knowledge.

If you don’t have a clear vision/desire of what you want your own health and beauty to express like, you’ll potentially end up chasing that of someone else. You will most likely feel dissatisfied with yourself, frustrated and often confused in the areas of health and beauty, not knowing what to do, what to use and so on.

The beauty of holding a clear vision for oneself and a willingness to step into the 'I’m master of my life’ position is that it comes with a sense of power, confidence and adventure as it opens us up to new possibilities. 

If I may, I’d like to make a suggestion that we start with an acknowledgement that life is a miracle and you were born in the body that’s perfect for you. It’s a body worth getting to know, and never to silence. You are the one who has the power to know it in the most intimate way and consequently to live in a harmonious way with it. 

So as much as seeking a guide or an expert is necessary at times, the most important thing that you can do for yourself right now is to become your own medicine woman, to be the boss of you:) And how do you do that? 

If you are not doing it yet, you may want to explore how to be more present with your body and yourself. Julie prepared a short video to help inspire you. It’s a snippet of an intuitive breath and self-massage sequence that she does to help ground herself and be more present. We hope that Julie sparks your interest and you will start your own daily sessions of ‘being with self’.  Let your breath and hands guide you!

When your body sends you signals through changes in the wellbeing of your skin (acne, redness, new wrinkles, sallowness…), acknowledge that you see and hear it loud and clear. Don’t judge it, don’t be frustrated with it, don’t be scared, don’t panic and don’t dismiss it! No good decision is ever made when we are in such a state of mind. 

How will you go about addressing what you see? Well, I’d say, first ‘be with self’ for a bit and sit with it. If you follow your intuition, it will look different for each individual.

Let’s say it is acne that your skin is expressing. One person may decide to immediately seek professional advice and they may be guided to a specific therapist. Another person may realize that their diet is an issue and they will commit to change. Yet another may become clear that emotional stress is flaring the acne and they need to meditate or contemplate regularly to help their mind and skin heal. 

This is why following advertising, doing what your friends do, or always searching for a new product to solve your problem doesn’t work.

The truth is that you are the key to your healing, not a product or a procedure. When you’re guided by your heart and your inner knowing and not the ‘outside noise’ you will always find that which will support you and build you and help you heal. Right products, right people and right information will simply show up on your path to help, when you are the boss of you! 

Love and light,

Magdalena & Julie

It begins with intention.

I think that everything that we do repeatedly and on a daily basis is worth looking at and reassessing from time to time. And this includes your skin care practice. 

There are physical aspects of skin care worth reassessing every once in a while, like: 

1. How does my skin look and feel? Is it healthy?

2. Do I enjoy using my current skin care products? And do I feel that they work for me?

3. Do I have any new skin health concerns? If so, do I need support to address them or do I know exactly what to do?

4. Am I devoting enough time to care for myself?

5. Is there any room for improvement?

But there also are emotional aspects to our skin care practice and I would argue that they are actually more important than physical care.

Is the intention behind what you apply, why and how you apply, a conscious one? Or are you simply moving through the motions every morning and every night?  Is your practice self-loving, is it self-loathing or is it disconnected and robot-like?

These are simple questions that you may want to ask yourself. Being present and observing your self-talk while you go about your skin care routine or when you are wanting to purchase more or new skin care products is important. And it is the first step to overcoming potential self-destructive perceptions and becoming loving towards yourself.

I hope that we would all agree that intention behind whatever we do in life is very important. For example, giving generously to a charity because you wholeheartedly want to help fellow humans carries a very different energy from giving to a charity for the pure purpose of gaining respect and importance within the community. Exercising because you don’t want to be fat carries a very different energy from exercising because you want to be the healthiest you can be.

It is very much the same with skin care. If you buy and apply your products because you hate your skin, or are scared of getting older, you’ll probably keep on hating your skin and you’ll not only see it getting old but you’ll start feeling old.

If instead you chose to make a conscious decision to purchase and apply skin care products to add vibrance, health and loving care to your life, it will be a completely different experience. 

The first one is self-loathing, driven by fear and focuses on lack and I guarantee depletes your life force. The second is loving, health and life-force building.

These two perspectives will certainly offer you a very different life experience. Which one will you choose for yourself?   

Magdalena xo

Your Winter Skin

Winter is here in full swing, and your skin may be feeling dry, dehydrated, dull or it may be itchy. I’ve prepared some holistic skin care info and a few tips to help you ride the wave.

Before we get to remedies though, it will be helpful to understand that the words ‘dry’ and ‘dehydrated’ are often used interchangeably to describe the state of our skin. However they shouldn’t be because they mean two different things.

DEHYDRATED SKIN refers to the skin which lacks the proper moisture/water level. Dehydration often presents itself through fine lines, lack of elasticity or roughness of the skin. Anyone of any skin type can experience dehydration, even people with oily skin. It may be caused by a disrupted skin barrier and trans-epidermal water loss and/or general dehydration throughout the body.

DRY SKIN refers to the skin which does not produce a sufficient amount of oil / sebum. Skin dryness often presents itself through tightness, itchiness, lack of lustre, and the skin may feel like it lacks volume and is thin …  People on the dry skin type spectrum are most prone to dryness and are most likely to experience the symptoms which come with underproduction of sebum. Dryness can be aggravated by the elements / weather, an improper skin care routine, harsh products, a diet which is insufficient in good fats and poor digestive function.

Dryness and dehydration are also symptoms of our overall health and often come as a pair. Insufficient sebum production and/or a disrupted skin barrier will certainly lead to water loss and dehydration will set in.

YOUR BODY
During the cold months, your skin will thank you for implementing a regular dry skin brushing routine, followed by a shower or bath and full body oiling. Some prefer a slightly different routine (an Ayurvedic way) of body oiling followed by a shower or bath. I personally like to start with dry skin brushing. I love that invigorating feeling that a natural bristle brush provides and the lymphatic fluid movement it initiates. It is amazing to observe how quickly skin turns to softness when cared for this way.

All you'll need is a natural bristle brush, water and oil.

When you are ready to purchase your natural bristle brush make sure to choose a softer one if your skin is more delicate and sensitive. I like a lot of stimulation and the skin on my body can take it, so my brush has a bit more oomph to it. Always go with what feels right to you.

For both dry skin brushing and body oiling start at your feet and work your way up.

The best time for the body routine is in the morning. It will make you feel awake, bright and shiny. And oiling your body will create a sense of protection before you step out into the world. It’s a simple and lovely practice to include in your daily self-care, and your skin will feel like a baby’s bottom as a result.

*Make sure to include good fats in your diet too. Eat avocados, olive oil, flax seed oil, sunflower oil… ,  or for ease add a well-balanced OMEGA 3, 6 & 9 supplement like Udo's Oil which can be found at your health food store.

YOUR FACE
The skin on your face can feel uncomfortable and dry, and it can look a little dull during the winter months. Yet for some it can feel irritated and more red. It’s the wind and sudden changes of temperature - going in and outdoors, the indoor heating… . Extreme climate conditions make it somewhat tricky now to care for your skin, especially when your skin is delicate and sensitive.

Naturally, skin will benefit from more oil during cold months. So upping your application of face oil, face serum or balm is a good idea. This adjustment plus improved dietary intake of healthy fats should take care of replenishing oil and creating a more effective protective layer to shield your skin from harsh winter elements or indoor heating; assuming that you are not using any harsh products which keep disrupting the natural and vital skin barrier and your skin’s microflora. A good  example are sand like textured exfoliants or skin care products containing acids.

*Sipping on warm purified water throughout the day will help to rehydrate your body at the deeper levels and eventually you will see the benefits in your skin too. But be patient. Rome was not built in one day. Your body will replenish water where it needs it most first. Because your skin is not a primary organ as far as your survival goes it is not the first one in line for rehydration. So keep on sipping patiently:)


LAYERING PRODUCTS
Sometimes, Face Mist followed by Face Oil or Face Balm does not feel like it’s enough. If you’ve never tried it before, you may want to experiment with a more complex layering of your products. What would that look like?

If you feel that dehydration is part of your concern, double misting with your Facial Mist is a great idea. How to double mist? Generously mist your cleansed face and press the mist with the palms of your hands into your skin. When it feels like your skin absorbed it, follow with another generous mist. Again press into the skin and follow with your Face Oil or Face Serum.

Warm up a few drops of Face Oil or Face Serum between the palms of your hands and press it gently into your skin.

Finish with applying a small amount of Face Balm. Now work your products into your skin and massage it gently as a final touch.

I can’t say it enough - oil cleansing is amazing, supports a healthy skin barrier and feeds beneficial micro-flora on your skin! You will find it very helpful especially during cold weather. If you are not doing it yet, please check it out. Here are the instructions to oil cleansing 


ADDITIONAL WINTER CARE

• Don’t forget about your lips and make sure to moisturize them regularly.

• If you don’t use eye care, now can be a good time to add it for extra softness and protection around your eyes.

• A fresh avocado mask is simple and can be applied on a weekly basis to improve winter skin health.

• You can exfoliate 1-2 times a week but with a very, very gentle non-invasive product only. Stripping of the skin = increased skin vulnerability, disruption of the natural skin barrier, increased trans-epidermal water loss and diminished skin health overall.

• Marshmallow root infusion is excellent for dry winter skin and can be used in skin compressing. If you don’t have access to a good quality marshmallow root but would like to make infusions for compressing, let us know. We have plenty in our apothecary and can make it available to you:)

I trust that this will be a good start to taking care and improving your winter skin. Please let us know if you have any questions.

If you are experiencing complex skin challenges, make a note that I do offer skin care consultations and will be happy to provide insight, support and personalized recommendations. To book an appointment contact us at hello@womandivine.ca

Wishing you a lovely week,

Magdalena xo

Why do you need both water and oil to moisturize your skin?

A client asked recently why it is important to always use rose hydrosol with facial oils, serums and balms. 

I will start by saying that it does not need to be specifically rose hydrosol. I like recommending rose because it is wonderful for the skin and it works well with most people. You can always opt for a different kind of hydrosol: Frankincense, chamomile, lavender, sandalwood … all depending on your skin needs.

In the context of holistic skin care practice, we love using hydrosols because of their healing properties and support, which they offer to encourage healthy skin function. They pair wonderfully with facial herbal oils, serums and balms and complement each other in the process of healing and moisturizing the skin. But if you ever run out of hydrosol you can use purified water or herbal infusion. Herbal infusion however is not a simple ‘mist and go’  and will require more work.

Why do you need both water and oil to moisturize your skin?

In simple terms your skin naturally produces sweat (the water component) and sebum (the oil component) and together with other components they create a protective layer on your skin which is called the Acid Mantle. This protective layer is part of the broader Skin Barrier which besides prevention of moisture loss, keeps out viruses, bacteria, foreign substances and modulates skin immune responses.  

When we work with a holistic approach to skin care, we like to observe and learn from natural skin behaviour. 

Rather than forcing the skin to behave in a specific way by treating it with harsh chemicals or invasive procedures, we choose to gently support natural skin function and we mimic what skin naturally does. 

Face oils, serums and balms are waterless formulas yet your skin needs both water and oil (sweat and sebum) to create the protective layer. This is one of the main reasons why we always need a water component (hydrosol) applied together with an oil component (face oil, serum, balm).

If only oil is applied to the skin it will most certainly dry the skin out over time. It will create an imbalance and have a ‘suffocating’ effect on the skin. 

The ratio of hydrosol to oil, serum or balm depends on your constitution, present skin condition and the particular season of the year. Your skin care professional can help you determine all of the above.

For most, summer and hot weather calls for a generous mist of hydrosol and a little less oil.  Why? Because in hot weather we sweat a lot (water loss) and we naturally produce more sebum.

As the weather gets colder, you will find that tissues contract, sweating has much diminished and applying more oil, serum or balm feels very good and helps your skin maintain its balance.

Spring and your Skin

If you are looking for best ways to take care of your skin during spring season, you may find my article ‘Spring and your Skin’ written for The School for Aromatic Studies helpful.

The seasonal shift is in its full swing and spring has arrived!

Many welcome longer days, warmer temperatures and life waking up from its deep winter sleep. Yet some, especially at the beginning of spring can feel physically and emotionally uncomfortable and their skin doesn’t look or feel happy either.

Because nothing in nature stands still, seasonal changes remind us that it’s time for a thoughtful atonement. If we wish to flow with seasonal rhythms with ease, observing and embracing what nature teaches is the obvious thing to do…. continue reading HERE