As a child I knew what she meant– Be Nice!

While there is a saying that “Beauty is only skin deep,” I think that the statement “Pretty is as Pretty Does,” contradicts the notion that beauty is only on the outside– That beauty comes from within.

We spend a lot of time thinking about the external.  Fighting those wrinkles, with lotions and potions.  But there is little talk about our “Pretty is as Pretty Does” Self, and how our emotional health transforms our beauty.

Think for a minute about the women you find most beautiful.  I think of Audrey Hepburn.  Her beauty was not only external but it was her grace and humor that made her more than just pretty, it made her beautiful.

Think for minute about a women you know that is pretty, but she doesn’t cross over into beautiful.  Some one like Lindsey Lohan comes to mind (maybe because she was recently in the news). Her inside unhappiness over takes the fact that she could be a beautiful women.

Positive mental traits do seem to make a women more beautiful. Pretty is as Pretty Does.

So add “Pretty is as Pretty Does” to your skin care routine, it is a free and cheap method that is a proven age defining method.

Of course all this digging in the dirt leaves my skin rough and dry.

Below are a few of my favorite post garden products to heal and renew.

Renew Your Hands and Feet: Exfoliate with Handcrafted Soap

Handcrafted soap is excellent for Garden Hands (and beach feet). Choose a natural soap with build in exfoliation to remove tired (and dirty!) dead skin.  Choose To Go., Lavender & Rhassoul, or Happiness.

Don’t want to get dirt under your finger nails?
Take a bar of soap, dig finger nails into bar leaving soap under nails. Leave under nails while gardening. When you are done, wash hands. The soap will prevent dirt from getting stuck under your nails!

Renew your Body and Feet: Therapeutic Bath Salts

Spent too much time in the garden or by the river?  Our special blend of Therapeutic Bath Salts soothes tired muscles and moisturizes and repairs skin.  Dead Sea Salts, release toxins and excess fluids.  Calendula Oil, heals, softens and soothes skin.  Alfalfa Leaf Powder aids in relieving fatigue, and inflammation.
Been running around barefoot?  Soothe and soften feet by using the Therapeutic Bath Salts as a foot soak.

Renew and Repair your Hands, Knees, and Feet: Soften Up Salve

Soften Up Salve is excellent to soften, soothe, repair and heal garden hands, knees, feet, sunburns and even bug bites.  The secret is in the botanically infused oils.  Calendula oil soothes and heals dry skin.  St John’s Wort aids in healing wounds, sunburns and bug bites.  Sea Buckthorn treats scars and dry skin.  Apply after a long day in the garden to repair skin and treat bug bites.  Don’t forget to apply Soften Up Salve (or pick one the Firming Body Creams such as Garden Hippie or Lavender) before (and after) sun exposure to reduce the possibility of your skin drying out and/or skin peeling.

So my bathroom is filled with half empty tubes, eye shadow colors from college and black nail polish. I know, I know, I have to let it go. This week’s resolution is to get rid of all the expired products.

But how do I know if a product has expired? Here are a few rules of thumb. Do remember that each brand has it own shelf life.

Rule Number One: If it looks bad, smells bad or feels bad, it is bad.
Rule Number Two: The more natural the product, the shorter the shelf life. In other words, Jackson Sage products are on the shorter end of the shelf life due to the lack of chemicals to prolong the shelf life.
Rule Number Three: The more water, the shorter the life span of the product.

Skin and Body Care Products:
* Cleansers/Toners: 6 months to 1 year from purchase.
* Creams/Lotions: 6 months to 1 year from purchase. Look for separate to let you know it is really time to say good bye.
* Oil Based Serums: 1 year from purchase.
* Oil Free Serums: 6 months to 1 year from purchase.
* Masques: 6 months to 1 year from purchase.
* Powder Clay Masque or Cleansers: 1 year from purchase.
* Bar Soap: Rarely do they expire. Natural soaps will over time lose their fragrance due to the lack of chemicals to hold the fragrance.
* Liquid Soap: If it is a detergent based cleansing gel, I suggest throwing it away on principle alone. It is bad for your body and the environment. But if is a natural cleanser, 1 year from purchase.
* Nail Polish: 1 year from purchase, or so I have heard. Not sure how something so toxic can expire. My guess is this number is based on the fact that it starts to dry up after being exposed to air. But it is a good rule of thumb since although flat black was recently in, that might not be the case by the time I actually get around to using it again.

Make -up:
* Liquid Foundation: 1 year from purchase.
* Powders: 2 years from purchase.
* Eye Liner Pencil: 2 years from purchase.
* Mascara: 4 months from purchase.
* Eye Shadow: 2 years from purchase.

Hair:
* Shampoo: 1 to 2 years from purchase.
* Conditioner: 6 months to 2 years from purchase.
* Styling products: 1 to 2 years from purchase.

Mouth:
* Toothpaste: 2 years (see expiration date).

Since most things seem to expire around year. January is a good month to have as the throw away and replace month. This makes it easier to keep track of when it is time to let go of that flat black nail polish.

I know, I know, leave it alone.

But it was just sitting there staring at me… so I went for it. In the process I managed to make it look ten times worse than before.

I know, I know, leave it alone- so I messed with again and again and again.

So what was a monster zit, now makes me look like Frankenstein.

Now I need to make it go away fast, heal and not leave a scar.

I know, I know, I should have left it alone… but in all due respect, it was talking to me, no wait, screaming at me.

Luckily, I have two products that are perfect for just this thing. You can also use the following products on any breakout, even those that you have the strength to leave alone, but they work wonders for the zits you tried to massacre.

My favorite is the Rose Serum. It has several ingredients that heal and repair skin. My top favorite ingredient is Sea Buckthorn Berry! I love this oil because it has it all: Vitamin C, Vitamins A, B1, B2, E, and, Flavonoids and essential fatty acids. In other words a ton of anti-oxidants to help fight free radicals and keep that skin looking healthy. Its rich orange color comes from the Beta-Carotene. This all works together to heal and repair skin.

Another star ingredient is the Rosehip Seed Oil, an excellent oil to aid in regenerating skin cells and reducing scaring (and wrinkles). As if that wasn’t enough, it even has Borage Seed Oil, to help calm and reduce inflammation. And that is just to name a few of the star ingredients.

To use, apply a drop on a break out or inflammation. You can leave it on there without rubbing in if you are hanging out at home. If you are heading out of the house, rub in and allow a few minutes before applying make-up to the surface.

Of course there is my favorite Double Duty product Soften Up Salve. This salve is the best because it can heal, repair and cure from head to toe. The blend of herbal infused oils, will repair and reduce inflammation of that monster zit. Apply the same was as the Rose Serum.

But above all else, leave that monster zip alone. Trust me, I know.

Our Lemon Sage Soap is hands down one of my favorite soaps. I love the way it smells, and it just feels amazing to use. With a mix of soften oils such as Avocado, Jojoba, and Grapeseed, this is not your run of the mill soap bar. Here is what one of our customers had to say “The lemon sage soap is incredible! I can’t stop washing my hands because they feel so soft when I do. I had to go buy a special soap dish so I could keep it by the kitchen sink and wash my hands a thousand times a day.”

The Lemon Sage Soap makes and excellent choice to use by the kitchen sink because Sage and Lemon both have antiseptic qualities. But here is where the double duty kicks in– it is an amazing facial bar for combination to oily skin. The combination of the healing and moisturizing oils with the cleanings essential oils helps to clarify and tone skin without over drying.

Use this wonderful soap from head to toe!

This week order a bar of Lemon Sage Soap and get one bar free! Just mention “Double Duty” in the comments during checkout. Offer ends October 2, 2009.

So here is the low down on the products
The Hot Dog Balm:
The combination of shea butter and neem oil, make it perfect for dry itch spots. Calendula Oil will soothe and repair skin. Use it on your feet, elbows, and any other itchy or dry spot. The essential oils pack in extra cleansing and healing action. Here is what a secret shopper for dogtime.com wrote “The balm is the perfect all natural remedy for skin irritations, infections, hot spots and other minor skin inflictions. But one smell, and you, like me will want it for yourself. My dog had no minor skin problems, but I tried it on my rough elbows and nicks from gardening over the weekend. In one day, those little scrapes were gone and my dry bits smooth.”

Doggie Sage Therapeutic Herbal Mist:
Combines powerful extracts with Icelandic Thermal Brine to help soothe skin and rid itches. Spray on bug bites. Even mist legs after shaving to help relieve razor burn. (You can purchase this product at select Whole Foods or online in October.)

Doggie Sage Shampoo Bar:
The Shampoo Bar is great for traveling or camping when you don’t want to bring all those extra bottles. You can use it for your hair, hands, and body. A facebook fan wrote “My pups love the bar shampoo! (I’ve even used it myself!) Great stuff!”

Doggie Sage Conditioning Mist:
Add a few spritzes to hair to soften and shine hair. Here is what a customer had to say about our Mist, “I use it everyday on my hair. It helps to keep my hair shinny without over doing it. I can use between washes to help style my hair.”

Have you tried our dog products on your dog or on yourself? Leave a comment with your experience.

Step 1: HYDRATE
You hear this all the time but it must be said: DRINK YOUR WATER. Dehydration makes skin look tired and may even cause you to have more breakouts. Also, add 2 drops of Bach Rescue Remedy to balance your energy, calm nerves, and ease stress.

Step 2: TAKE YOUR VITAMINS!
Make sure you are taking a multi. You may also want to take B-complex, Zine, and Fish Oil (Or Borage Oil).

Step 3: POWER FOODS
Watch what you eat while you are running around trying to get everything on your to do list completed. Need a snack, choose nuts over chips. Want to wake up, choose green tea over a coke. Simple choices will make your skin say thank you.

Step 4: SKIN CARE REGIME
Find a healthy skin care regime at least two month before the big. When changing skin care lines, it takes your skin a few weeks to adjust to the new products. Also, you want to see how you skin acts at all times of the month! Your regime should include a mild cleanser, weekly exfoliation, a toner, and face cream and/or serum. If you planning on getting a facial, schedule one two months before and follow up closer to the big day. If your facial includes a peel or microdermabrasion, make sure you schedule no closer than two weeks before the big day. This will give you skin time to heal. No one wants peeling skin on the big day! Gentle natural facials can be schedule as close to your wedding day as you would like. If you are in Richmond I recommend True Spa for your facials.

Step 5: TREAT BREAKOUTS
Don’t forget to include a breakout treatment such as our Tea Tree Serum with Willowbark Extract. Use Serum to spot treat breakouts. It will help rid your unwanted facial guest without creating dry flaky skin.

Step 6: USE NATURAL SOAPS
Don’t forget to take care of the skin on your body. Lots of wedding dresses show not only your face but neck, back, shoulders, and arms. Switch to a natural soap that will nourish your skin not strip it. Also opt for a bar with exfoliation to get rid of dead, dull skin. I recommend Jackson Sage Blue Eucalyptus and Lavender Soap. It not only has nourishing oils and Shea Butter, it includes French Green Clay to deeply and gently cleanse skin.

Step 7: USE A NATURAL BODY CREAM
Switching to a a high quality body cream. It will smooth and soften your shoulders, arms, and elbows. Jackson Sage Recovery Cream contains green tea and hibiscus to help improve texture and elasticity.

Step 8: TREAT PROBLEM SKIN
Don’t forget you hands, feet and elbows. A rich Salve such as our Soften Up Salve will help to repair and heal. (It also helps to fade scars!) Soak feet in 2 TBS on our Therapeutic Bath Salts to relax tired feet and soften up those dry cracking feet.

Step 9: DON”T FORGET YOUR LEGS
Take care of those legs. Try using our Lavender Toner on legs to soothe legs after shaving to beat razor burn. Soak a cotton round in Lavender Toner and apply for five minutes to varicose veins to help calm and repair veins.

Step 10: CALM TIRED EYES
Take Care of those eyes. Soak a cotton round in Jackson Sage Rose Toner. Apply to cotton round to eyes and relax for ten minutes. The Rose Water will hydrate, renew and restore tired eyes.

Step 11: TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Take a deep breath with a Hydrating Mist such as our Rose and Aloe Hydrating Mist. Mists will not only tone and hydrate skin, the scent will help you detox and take a deep breath even if only for a few seconds.

BEST WISHES!

Zinc:
Natural Sources: Found in foods like kelp, pumpkin seeds, green leafy vegetables, onions, fish and nuts.
Benefits to skin: Assist in wound healing, astringent, heals acne, reduce inflammation. Helps with the absorption of Vitamin A. Regulate hormonal production.
Cons: If taking a supplement it may cause nausea. Always take with food and a full stomach.

Vitamin A (Beta-Carotene):
Natural Sources: Found in foods like winter squash, carrots, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and Cayenne pepper.
Benefits to skin: Quicken healing, boots immunity.

B-Complex Vitamins:
Natural Sources: Found in foods like almonds, peas, beans, chicken, green leafy vegetables.