Have you joined the skin oil revolution that’s taking the beauty world by storm?

We’ve used the basics in skin care for eons: jojoba oil and sweet almond oil are two often-seen players. Coconut oil secured a spot with health lovers across the globe for consumption and topical use as well. Argan oil can now be found in it’s pure form, and as a staple in many highly effective lip balms, moisturizers, serums, shampoos and conditioners, even cosmetics such as foundation, lipstick and mascara. It’s clear that we’ve developed a full fledged love affair with essential fatty acids and nutrient rich oils that our skin just gobbles up. So what’s next? How about barbary fig seed oil.

Avoiding the sun is just as dangerous as excessive exposure, and it’s important that everyone strike their individualized balance, based on their skin tone and environment. If you aren’t comfortable venturing out into a sunny day without protection, nix the toxin-laden over-the-counter sunscreen and make your own natural and safe sunscreen.

In case you’ve missed it, oils are the new love child of healthy skin.

Dwindling are the days when when oil was to be stripped away from the skin with the harshest detergents and alcohol-based products for fear those oils were the root of all evils: breakouts. It turns out, overdrying the skin and removing its natural lipid barrier (those oils) only makes the problem worse, making skin more susceptible to infection by removing it’s natural protection and signalling skin to over produce oils to compensate for what it has lost.

Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. Fair or not, you are being judged by your appearance, especially if you are female, and bad teeth top the list of beauty factors that can affect your life and your career in a negative way. It doesn’t help that we see images of people with perfect white Chiclet smiles in every magazine, newspaper, movie and television show. The smile standard has been raised, but you don’t have to resort to harsh chemical treatments or fake veneers to get a white smile; you can do it naturally. Use the following tips to brighten your smile and never hesitate to grin and bear it again.

I don’t know about you, but when spring starts to show its bright and sunny face, I like to add a little somethin’-somethin’ to my beauty regimen. One of those somethings that I’m going to give a shot this spring is this nifty DIY hand treatment.

Gee, your hair smells…like nothing?  

For some, fragranced body care products are less than desirable. Whether it's because of an allergy or sensitivity, an aversion, or just because your own darn body smell is superior (am I just assuming, Brad Pitt?), the "unscented" market is huge. Except that it's not. Not unscented, that is.

Better watch out coconut oil. There’s a new oil gaining popularity among natural beauty junkies and it’s just as scrumptious for hair and skin—if not more so. Babassu oil boasts super moisturizing properties that heal dry skin and improve skin’s elasticity. It also contains lauric and myristic acids, fatty acids that are a treat for hair. Turns out babassu oil is one fabulous natural beauty secret.

Let’s face it. We’re mammals and we have body hair. Some we love...some not so much.

If you’re inclined to let your hair grow where and how it may, this isn’t for you. For those of us who prefer to remove unwanted hair from certain areas that don’t always lend themselves to a razor, this is for you. 

If you're one of those ladies who won't so much as peek out the window without your foundation, powder, eyeliner and lip stain on, you may want to rethink your morning ritual. When you go without makeup, you rid yourself of toxic chemicals and possibly spare animals from slaughter or cruel testing practices. I know it may seem impossible to feel like yourself without your fave rose-tinted gloss, but trust me—once you feel the freedom of the au naturel life, you may begin to dread gunking your face up with all of those products. And in reality, cosmetics may be hiding your true beauty, not creating it. 

Rituals are important to our lives. They focus and empower us. Rituals give us time to slow life down for a few moments and savor the small things. A cup of coffee in the morning. A daily yoga practice. Journaling. Rituals enable the distractions to melt away, giving us the chance to gain insight and happiness. Your beauty ritual is no different.

Often we’re too busy to enjoy the simple pleasures of our beauty routines. How many times have you frantically rushed through a shower in the morning? When’s the last time you really enjoyed the scent of your shampoo? Or, the sensation of water on your skin? When have you relished the cool feeling of applying your favorite moisturizer?