Powerhouse Pesto

First, lets get to the point! Here is the recipe

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Toss them all into a blender and pulse to your desired consistency. 

1. 2 cp Basil and 2cp Kale
2. 4Tbl Avocado Oil
3. 2Tbl Garlic
4. Dash Amino Acid, Splash of Apple cider vinegar, Pinch of Cayenne pepper

*Measurements are an approximation, use your own judgment and adjust to taste. If I want a wetter pesto - I may increase the splashes of vinegar or the amount of oil.

So what do you do with it once you made it? Most people toss it in warm pasta but I say, why limit this luscious treat?! Use it as a spread, dollop on your salad, use it as a dip, feeling hungry - eat it by the spoonful!

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So now for the story.........

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What the heck! Food on a Skin Care blog?! Are you serious?! What does that have to do with skin care? Food is Skincare from the inside out! It's true, I came to skin care from the opposite approach, spending great amounts of time carefully researching oils and blends and what is best to solve what when topically applied. In formulating for personal care, I am extremely selective and particular. Yet, what you eat is just as important (if not more important) than what you put on your skin. What we eat is Skin care from the inside out. But when it comes to food to eat, I more often than not make the wrong food choices.Why? Well the answer to that is complex and besides, does it really matter here? No.In life, there is nothing as important as your next decision.  

Recently.something hit me. Maybe it's more like a series of events hit me all making a perfect convergence to get me to the "Oh, I get it!" point. Whatever it is, I very recently started changing my relationship with foods. Finally! So as I get these little "Aha" moments and try new food blends I'll happily share with you my new favorite food blends.

Here is how (and why) to build your own Power House Pesto to taste!

Pesto is not meant to be heated. It is a raw food served cold and it is best to make what you will eat in the next few days. Trust me it is very easy to make so whipping up a batch on demand is very easy to do.

1. Greens! For the foundation you need greens- Basil is a mainstay of any pesto but how about adding another green or two? Arugula, Kale, Spinach, Chard....... Why these dark green leafy veggies? Vitamin A, C, K and Iron. I use a 1 to 1 ratio of Basil with any one of these. Pick what's fresh and what is interesting to you at the time. Gather enough green to make what you will be eating over the next 3-4 days.
2. Fats you need! Yes, you should all know this already. Fatty acids are our friend. A cold dish is the perfect time we can take advantage of those wonderful fats that should never see heat. Some are easier to get at your local store so here are some of my favs - Avocado, Hemp seed and Flax seed. Of course you can pick other monounsaturated fats, but these three are delicate and wither in any kind of heat so I like to find ways to get them into my diet and pesto is the perfect medium!  ** A little side note here. Only buy what you will eat in fairly short time. These oils are cold pressed and like any living thing, they will deteriorate over time. Some oils, like these three, age faster than others. I use all three of these in formulating Tres Spa Personal care and the same rule applies there. This is why we make small batches.
3. Cleanser. OK there are two cleansers/detoxifiers I love and any excuse to use them, I am totally on board. Onions and Garlic.  Raw or roasted use either or both.
4. Spice is nice - and can also boost the power of all of the rest of the nutrients. Think of them like your little "essential blend" that can completely change the dish you serve. When I formulate for Tres Spa I use Essential oils to do the same thing - add power to your skin care. Add what you like but I like to keep it simple a dash of cayenne pepper, a splash of  Amino acids and a splash of Apple cider vinegar.**Every kitchen should have these three ingredients and you should use them any chance you get! 
5. Optional: Folic Acid booster! Zest it up and add some citrus to the party! You could substitute the vinegar for citrus and or it's juice. How about tossing in a few strawberries? Go ahead, it won't hurt. In fact those lovely Vit B boosters are sure to give your cells a burst to help them regenerate and grow healthy and strong. Trust me, you want to finf foods rich in folic acid and add them into your eating regime.
6. Optional:  Feeling a little nutty? Try adding a few of these as an option: almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews. They can add protein and other nutrients not to mention some mighty fine oils. 

Diets are nothing new to me, having spent a lifetime on and off of restrictive diets. There are so many diets out there to choose from it's enough to make your head spin. Having spent my life on the plus side of the scale, there are all of those guilt associations with food as well. But, no matter how many times I have tried and failed in my lifetime, I have never given up on me and I am always willing to listen to new ideas and concepts. However, I am always leery of "experts".

So here I was one day, playing Hulu on my headset, getting work done, and listening to Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show. His star guest for the evening was Cameron Diaz. Jimmy mentioned Cameron's new book - The BodyBook: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love YourAmazing Body. I figured why not? I like Cameron and respect her as an artist and from the glimpses I have seen of her in interviews, she seems like a person you would want in your corner. She is no expert nor is she claiming to be. A fact I find incredibly refreshing! So...... I hooped over to Amazon and purchased. I'm still chewing through it, but it did not take long for it to hit me - We eat food for a reason. If the food you are feeding yourself is not filling that reason then you will live in deprivation. Profs to Cameron for writing a non diet diet book that is easy to read and makes perfect sense! She is calling attention to why you would eat one item verses another one and asking you to look at the science of food. Not what you should or shouldn't have but what nutrition do you need. In fact, she doesn't give you recipes, she gives you ingrediants. Except one thing - her Shallot Gold which I have not tried yet but is on my list for next week. Thanks Cameron for being an inspiration!

Then like a perfect convergence, it all came together and this is why I feel a skin care blog spot is the perfect place for food- What we eat is skin care from the inside out. In fact, a good deal of ingredients we eat go into Tres Spa skin care formulations as well. 

What do you know about chemical peels?

Not a great deal. 

In fact I don't believe I have ever had one myself. I know I had a "professional" facial one time many many many years ago and there may have been a light chemical peel with that. From that experience, I decided to never do that again. I just didn't see the reward for the discomfort.  My skin was soft afterwards, but I can do that myself with a good natural exfoliate.

The purpose of a chemical peel is to exfoliate the skin. To remove layers so the newest skin is exposed thereby improving the skins luster and minimizing the appearance of fine lines and minor scars. There are varying levels of intensity from a superficial to a deep peel. They all perform the same way, a chemical is applied to the skin which causes it to "blister" and peel away. And this is where they lose me. The thought of painting a chemical on my skin to make it blister and peel is just not worth it for me.

So I stick with the natural stuff.

But no matter which you choose or even if you choose both, it is very important that you care for your face afterwards.  

Here is my personal natural path

I enjoy the entire process of making a facial scrub and I can take as long or as little time in planning, preparing, and executing a facial as I want. If I don't have much time, I may just toss a few quick items together, when I have more time I create a facial scrub that is more elaborate.

Some of my favorite things to make your own fresh facial scrub:

Hemp, calendula petals, fresh lavender buds, rose hips

• Seeds, grains, or oats finely ground ( I grab whatever is fresh in my cupboard but my favorite is hemp nut meat) for their natural scrubbing action.
• Puree fruit or fruit juice (pineapple, orange, grapefruit, melon, lemon, lime, papaya........ ) for their natural acids and enzymes.
• Then you can add any one or more of the following: local organic honey, yogurt, buttermilk, aloe leaf juice (best to get it right from the leaf)
• Toss in my favorite botanicals and the possibilities are endless! Rose petals, lavender buds, rosemary leaves, sage leaves, calendula petals....... on and on the list goes.

You are truly only limited by your own creativity and what is locally fresh. Of course you can use dried herbs and essential oils, but for a facial scrub, I really prefer to keep it all fresh and as local as possible.  I only make enough to be used immediately so that what I use to exfoliate my face is fresh and pure.

Once you have exfoliated that top layer of skin, it is very important that you seize the opportunity to seal it with natural toners and moisturizers. The skin is freshest after a scrub and mask so it is also very vulnerable to external influencers that may cause harm. Like the sun. So take care that you protect the face, neck, and décolleté after facial treatments of any kind!

These are the steps I go through when I give myself a Très Spa facial at home;

1. Cleanse/Exfoliate. This may be one part or two parts depending.  If I have used makeup, I need to use a bit of soap and water to wash this away. If I have no makeup on then I skip right to exfoliation. 
2. Mask I'll use any one of the three masks made by Très Spa. 
3. Tone - always seal the pores with a gentle yet effective toner. 
4. Moisturize I'll use any one of these three choices from Très Spa: Defiance! , Meadow, Sahara.  

When I travel, it's pretty much the same except, I use a Très Spa soap with exfoliates in it to exfoliate my face. My favorite one is Grazinin the grass. It smells like the dickens to me (some people tell me they love the scent)but I like what it does for my face.
Maybe some day I may overcome my apprehension of blistering my face to the point that the skin falls off and be bold enough to try a chemical peel. Then again.....

Très Spa's Nickel Back Program

What the heck is this?

We decided to start our own recycle program. It started as a reconciliation for customers who had become such strong fans of our old handcrafted paper wrappers we used to package the soaps. They, like we at Très Spa, believe strongly in recycling reusing and re-purposing.

I was very careful in designing  our custom packaging, focusing on eco-responsibility first.  The boxes are made in the USA, contain at least 30% post consumer recycled material, and are printed with soy ink. The "sneeze guard" insert used to protect the soap is made from wood cellulose fibers sourced with sustainable forestry principles. Certified biodegradable, compostable and made carbon zero.  

So how do we make it even more eco-friendly? We offer our own recycling program! In fact, we extended the program to all of the Très Spa boxes: Defiance!, Organic Conditioning Shampoo, Face Oil, and of course the Organic Soap boxes!

You return any of the boxes and we will give you 5 cents for each one. Simple! You return a box and we pay you a nickel.

You can bring the boxes to any event Très Spa will be at (find events here) or you can mail them in to Très Spa PO Box 62468 Sunnyvale CA 94088

Thinking of cutting your hair? How about donating those lovely locks??

Ever since I was a little girl, my hair had been wild. Thick and determined to go this way and that way and tangle itself up. So in order to keep it easier to manage, I had pixie cuts on a regular basis.

I was always so envious of my sisters and all the other little girls who had long lush locks of hair. I longed to be like everyone else. In so many ways, I never felt like I fit in and I was always outside looking in. I even tried to grow my hair on a number of occasions, but it wouldn't last long and I'd have to have it cut short again.

This time I held out longer than ever before and I grew my hair out for the past 5 years. Perhaps it was a bit of defiance since I was no longer chained to corporate image. I could blaze my own trail and grow my hair out, leave the house without makeup, and wear sandals and shorts to work every day if I wanted to. Perhaps it was in homage to my Mother, who had passed away from Cancer just as I was launching the company. For whatever reason, I stopped getting my hair cut.

Eventually it became an experiment as I developed the Très Spa Botanical Organic hair care line. Believe it or not, it is harder to grow your hair long the older you get. One reason is breakage and damaging split ends are more common since It's harder to get nutrients down to the ends. Since I used nothing but Très Spa hair care products, my hair had a rich luster, resilient shine, and body it had never had before. The best part,  zero split ends. Not one! The only reason to ever trim my hair was to even out the ends.

I had finally reached a goal that I had since I was a little girl, to have long lush hair. Then I thought of other little girls out there who may have the same dream I had, but for different reasons.

Through illness or treatments for disease, hair loss can occur. For a child this can be a devastating blow to their self confidence. It's hard enough to battle sickness, but compounding this with the feeling of being an outcast because you look different is a pain that cannot be measured. How others around us perceive us has a profound impact that never really leaves us. 

I did a little research and picked two organizations that I felt would be a good place to donate to.

There are rules and guidelines for donation and they vary depending on where you are donating to. If you want to donate to children, the longer the pony tail the batter! Since most kids want hair that is long and lush, you should have a ponytail that is at least 12 inches long. 

Hair that has been chemically treated like permed hair, color treated hair, and highlighted hair cannot be donated. They just can't work with the damaged hair as it will not stand up to the processing for wigs. Grey hair is acceptable for Wigs for kids since they can dye the gray hair to blonde, strawberry or other lighter shades.

In the end, I chose Wigs forKids. My pony tail is 17 inches so it can go towards making a hair piece that is long. Most importantly, I liked their story and the company.

So now my hair is joining others to make a child's dream come true; to help them feel a little bit better about themselves, to help them feel like they fit and and don't stand out. Alas, it takes more than just hair to do what they do. It takes money to actually make the wig. So I have decided to donate 25% of the profits from any Très Spa Botanical Hair Care product from now until December 31st. So you can help this worthy cause every time you groom your hair with Très Spa! 

Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. It really is my favorite holiday of the year and not just because it falls on my birthday every 4 years. In fact, as a kid it was always confusing to me why I had to share my day with a bird and why was it every 4 years my birthday seemed to be a bigger deal then the others. Eventually I caught on.

There are many stories of the origin of Thanksgiving and many other countries who have their own version of a fall season festival of thanks. The dates are not always the same (our neighbors in Canada celebrate their thanksgiving in October) but the intent is very similar.

Thanksgiving is the one day a year that is set aside for the purpose of giving thanks. Pure and simple. How perfect is that? Not that you should only be thankful one day a year, but that we all, as a community set aside differences for one day and say what we are thankful for. It doesn't matter what religious, political, or philosophical belief you hold. It doesn't matter if you were born here in the US or if you or your family made the pilgrim voyage here recently.  It is a holiday we all share.

It is a day to celebrate each other and to say those simple little words Thank You!

A New Blend is born!

One of my favorite things to do is to create new blends. It’s not as simple or cut and dry as you may imagine. A great deal of creativity goes into blending your own and what may seem fairly simple, is actually far more complicated. Perhaps it really doesn’t have to be that way but I have always taken pride in formulating with intent. What that means is that each and every one of the products is designed to nurture you at many levels. My goal is to transform through scent and sensation. To nourish the mind, body, and spirit   It is a lofty goal, but perhaps it helps you understand why Très Spa synergy blends take time to design.

Take my latest endeavor and the inspiration behind this post. I’ve been working on one in particular blend for a little while now and it’s just about ready for its debut. If all goes according to plan, that will be November 23^rd, the day after my birthday. When I was describing it to a customer, they asked about how I create a new synergy blend. They had no idea the process that happens when creating a new synergy and since they found it enlightening, I figured I would share it here with you as well.

First step: Inspiration. This comes from many places, it can be from customers, from nature, from a feeling, an emotion, any number of places. The purpose of a synergy blend of essential oils is to support or transform a state of being. It is no secret that our senses can have a direct, and sometimes profound, affect on our mind body and spirit. With every experience, from the tactile to the scent, the intent is transform and transport you to a new state of being. From the inspiration, the theme of the product is decided.

Once the theme is decided, the anchor scent is selected. The anchor essential oil is chosen based on the folklore around the oil. What has it been know and used for from a holistic perspective. This is the scent that dominates the blend and carries the strongest message. It’s the first leg of the scent structure. But this is only the beginning. Other essential oils are selected that will work in harmony together to strengthen the overall experience. They complement each other.

Selecting the compliments can be very tricky. Most of the Très Spa blends contain 3 or more essential oils. Why three? I like the number three. Trines tend to be very balanced and withstand adversity. Take a look at the pyramids. It takes three dimensions to create a solid. And the list goes on, but most significantly, the secret is in the logo – Three Hares.

You can’t just pick any three random oils, the selection is based on synergies – how the plants work together in harmony. Which ones will add to the main essential oil, the overall message of the synergy. Each one of the oils is researched. Most essential oils have multiple oils that they will synchronize with but each one has its own dominant scent signature. This dominant note can have a profound effect on the full composition. It can make a blend that was once sedative to stimulating.

Once the oils are selected, now it’s a matter of amounts. The art of blending is in balancing all of the oils one drop at a time. Adjustments to the amount of any one oil can completely transform the entire blend. This is the most intricate stage of creation. Too much of one or not enough of another and your original message is lost. I tend to run several test experiments at the same time, carefully measuring and evaluating all along the way. The blends must rest together for 24 and even 48 hours before they are tested. Why is this? Because the scent notes will change once the oils have been married for a period of a day or two. Just like people, they are influenced by each other. Sometimes the interaction is not so good or produces and undesired result. If this happens, you start all over again.

Hopefully, the result is harmonious and you are well on your way to a final synergy blend. Now it is time to test a much larger scaled blend. Up until now, we have only been using drops of oil, but in order to use a blend in the Très Spa products we need to produce the blend in the terms of ounces. I’ve never had an issue with this scaling up as I take very careful measurements from the very beginning so translating is simply a matter of math. There may still be a few tweaks but the major work is done for the synergy blend. Now it’s time to test the blend in different product mediums,. The overall expression can be different based on the medium. A synergy blend will smell different depending on the carrier oils, after all carrier oils also have their own scent. It will also be influenced by the process it goes through.

Just like people, it may act a bit differently depending on who they are with. The scent can have subtle variations and smell different in the soap than in the lotion. And some blends that are created for the soap, are only in the soap. I don’t think I could imagine Venticello fresco or even Burly Borealis as a lotion! 

Don't get bugged this Summer!

Summer time and backyard BBQ's! Long days for outdoor play! 
I love summer, don't you?! But I really don't like bugs. Especially buzzy bugs as they tend to enjoy biting me. They like my smell too much. It's not that I want to harm them. In fact I am glad to see them back on the scene stronger than last year. I just want them to stay away from me personally. 
So, what does one do to deter these little welcomers of summer fun in the outdoors? Look for all natural products containing the following essential oils: Lemon Eucalyptus, Geranium, Peppermint, Citrus, Pine, and of course Citronella. These essential oils have a tendency to dissuade pesty bitters since they do not like the smell. 
Remember that natural alternatives may need to be applied more frequently for prolonged exposure. A good rule of thumb is the first application should get you about 3 hours of play time. But as is that case with sun screens, the best preventative measure is minimize exposed skin surfaces. I know, how do you do that and play Frisbee in the park?! 
Look for our very own Eco-Natural bug averter in 2013.  
For now, you could try out Renew or Invigorate Aromatic Sprays or lotions. 


How about for indoors? The same rule applies here, but since you wont be in the sun, you may want to give the Awaken scented products a try (Lotion or Mist). I have used the Summer Citrus Aromatic Mist in my kitchen to repel those annual tiny ants that show up to share my cats food and water.