Blog

We’ll be tuning in to the Hallmark Channel on Christmas Day to see “Trading Christmas” – a film set in Boston and Washington State, but actually made in Vancouver this summer. 

We were delighted that LaVigne Organic Skincare products were used on the lead cast members daily during filming and found ourselves a couple of new fans, including Tom Cavanagh, featured here with LaVigne’s DMAE Firming Cream!

Click the link below to read about the movie plot. Sounds like a cute Christmas love story! http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/debbiemacomberstradingchristmas

A very interesting article by Dr. Rhonda Low…

According to the experts, house dust is a major factor that exposes children to toxic substances

When you have a newborn in your arms, it suddenly hits you that it’s a dangerous world out there when it comes to all the things to which your little one can be exposed.


Now, the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE) has produced the first national brochure on how to protect your child from various toxic substances. They say paying attention to five key things can make a big difference.


Their number 1 tip? Go after those dust bunnies in your home. According to the experts, house dust is a major factor that exposes children to toxic substances.


What Makes House Dust Toxic?

“Whether it’s from exposures that are airborne and settle in the dust, or whether it’s from things that were cooked inside the home, or whether it’s from lead-based paint from a renovation — those entire things settle into house dust,” says Dr. Bruce Lanphear, an expert in children’s environmental health and an advisor for the new report.


Toxic substances can include lead, tobacco residue, pesticides and new emerging concerns such as flame-retardant chemicals. “The chemicals that come from those, we find those in higher concentrations in young children largely because they put so many things in their mouth and because the house dust collects those chemicals and then can be ingested by young children,” says Dr. Lanphear.


Fortunately, providing protection is a simple fix. Keep your house clean by frequent vacuuming, wet mopping and dusting with a damp cloth.


How to Keep Your House Safe for Your Kids

Besides controlling house dust, the other top tips from the CPCHE include:


• Going green with cleansing products. Choose natural cleansers, such as baking soda and water, or vinegar and water, rather than chemical-based ones. This also includes eliminating the use of air fresheners.

• Pregnant women and children should stay away from areas being renovated to avoid toxin-laden fumes and dust, such as from paints, caulking and glues.

• Minimize your use of plastic products. Don’t use plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave. Heating can leach chemicals into food and beverages. Research has shown that Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in plastic, has been linked to hormone disruption. Eat more fresh or frozen foods rather than tinned products because BPA can be used in the lining of cans.

• Eat fish that are low in mercury, such as wild salmon, herring, tilapia and rainbow trout.


Most importantly, Dr. Lanphear says parents need to stay aware while the federal government catches up with the emerging evidence that shows even low levels of exposure to chemicals can be harmful to children. “Parents [can] make a difference,” says Dr. Lanphear.


For more information about CPCHE, go to healthyenvironmentforkids.ca. You can also find a copy of their tips to toxin-proof your child at bit.ly/kAoZEe

We’re excited to hear that one of our retailer friends, Down to Earth Health Shop in Fort Nelson, BC, has earned a Small Business BC Award for BC’s Best Green Business 2011! Here’s the story from Down to Earth’s website:

The owners Kym Gillett and Kevin Friesen purchased a health food store with hopes of educating the northern community of Fort Nelson about living a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle. Within 3 years of commiting all revenue from the business and most of their time, they decided to build an Eco Building.

In the center of town stood a asbestos contaminated wreck of a building that most residents hated – wouldn’t it be ironic to take a building that made past habitants sick and turn it into a healthy and environmentally friendly concious building as possible…

With all FSC certified wood, R11 windows, soy based insulation, no voc paint and caulking, reusing the foundation, cutting edge heat pump system, low flow water, t5 lighting, recycled paperstone counters, coconut oil based wood finish, eco tile flooring, magnesium boarding, recycled materials to name a few.

Challenges were presented throughout, such as extreme weather during asbestos abatement, permits for nonconvention construction and losing a truck load of prefab structure over the side of a cliff but their passion and commitment carried them through.

Mistakes were made but a lesson was learned each time. The community asked questions and learned what they were doing and why. The end result is the pride of Fort Nelson – customers are thanking them for doing this and making a difference.

It was then announced on March 29th that Down To Earth Health Shop placed first in BC for ‘Best Green Business’ in ‘Small Business BC’s Successful You Awards’, tying for the spot with FrogBox Inc. After Owner/Operators Kym Gillett and Kevin Friesen’s store made top ten and then top five in the province, they anticipated the possibility of losing to a larger competitor. When their names were announced at the award ceremony in Vancouver they could hardly believe their ears. The couple had overcome substantial setbacks and hurdles over the past three years while building their extreme green store, and the judges decided both companies were deserving of first place awards for their achievements. They were most impressed by Down To Earth’s all-encompassing approach and commitment to grass roots green living, and stewardship in the remote community of Fort Nelson.

Way to go, Kym and Kevin!

*Down to Earth carries all sizes of our Mayan Magic balm in store.

Just noticed LaVigne’s Body Contouring Kit featured by “Southern Brittany“. See what Brittany thought of this home body pampering kit here, and read more about the product on the Body Contouring Kit’s page.

Here’s what a couple of our customers thought of the Body Contouring Kit…

Affirm Body Wrap & Rapid inch loss

  “LaVigne Organics Body Wrap is amazing! With just 3 applications over a 1.5 week period, I lost over an inch around my waistline! The wrap is easy to apply and creates a very relaxing, soothing ‘spa-like’ experience. Plus, your skin feels energized and soft after washing off the product. I would recommend it to anyone!” 
Susanne S, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

Affirm Body Wrap – Bring out the bikini body!

“I just wanted to tell you how great your Body Contouring Kit is. I used your Affirm Body Wrap for 5 days in a row. Not only did I lose 2 cm around my waist and 1 cm around my thighs, but the rash I had on my hips from the metal buttons of my jeans dried up (after the first wrap) and completely disappeared!! I also tried the Mayan Magic Healing Balm on a burn I got—the pain disappeared right away and left no scar. I just started using the DMAE Advanced Firming Cream and can’t wait to see the results!!” Liana, Bassano del Grappa, Italy

SPECIAL: Until August 15th, 2011, receive 15% off when you spend $60 in our online store, using coupon “J11015″. Save 25% when you spend $100, using coupon “J11025″. Sign up for our “La-VIP” newsletter to receive our specials automatically!

If you tuned into watch Dr. Oz on August 1st, you would have caught rave reviews once again for DMAE as an anti-aging skin care ingredient.

Health All-Stars, including Doctors Agatson and Northrup and Perricone revealed anti-aging secrets including DMAE. Dr. Perricone discussed how we can reverse the signs of aging by eating an anti-inflammatory diet, and using skin products with the ingredient DMAE.

Dr. Arthur Agatston, the cardiologist creator of the South Beach Diet, was the first guest on the All-Star Alternative Health show. The basics of the South Beach Diet are good fats, good carbs and lean protein. It’s that simple. Dr. Agatston has developed a scale to prove his diet works at not only stop heart disease, but also reverse it.

Next to join the show was Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of “Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom.” Dr. Northrup is a strong advocate for women’s health, holistically, not just the female parts. When she started practicing medicine, the female body was seen as a disaster. Menstruation, pregnancy, etc. were seen as disease. One mantra she heard a lot was “there’s no room in the tomb for the womb.” Women have to stand up for themselves in the medical world, she says, and the biggest mistake doctors make is they don’t understand that what’s happening in our lives and brains affects what’s happening in our bodies.

Dr. Nicholas Perricone was the first doctor to tell the public that what we eat can change how we look on the outside. He has proven that you can reverse the signs of aging by eating foods that are anti-inflammatory. He says within two or three days of being on an anti-inflammatory diet, his patients’ skin becomes radiant with help. He also says that acne completely disappears as well, even acne that is resistant to Accutane!

The Estrogen Connection
Dr. Northup explained that women’s hormones fluctuate during the month, spiking and decreasing throughout our cycles. Regulating hormone levels can really help stabilize the mood and eliminate other symptoms of hormone instability like hair loss.

Dr. Northrup says if your ovaries were removed before the age of 45, you need some hormone replacement therapy as lack of hormones has been shown to increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Wrinkles are Optional
Dr. Perricone says wrinkles are a sign of our overall health. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, cold water fish and stay away from starch and sugar. You can also put something with DMAE on your skin which is also anti-inflammatory. He mentioned this is an ingredient that will be found in some face creams. It takes about 35 days to get results.

Dr. Perricone also recommends women to eat watercress three to four times a week, as it contains sulforaphane, an anti-cancer anti-oxidant. You can also take it as a supplement.

South Beach Diet
Dr. Agatston built the South Beach Diet on 3 simple principals: lean meat, good fats, good carbs. The good fats are cold water fish, canola oil and olive oil. These fight inflammation and lubricate the arteries to move plaque on through. Eating whole grains, walnuts, flaxseed oils can lower triglycerides dramatically. The good carbs in whole grains are very important. Eating fresh colorful vegetables and whole grains also lower blood pressure. Dr. Agatston said that if you eat like this your whole live, you won’t have a heart attack. If you already have heart disease, you can prevent it from getting worse, and even turn it around by following his diet.

Secrets for Treating 3 Common Ailments
■ Adding lemon to tea is not good for sore throats because lemon is so acidic. Instead try honey.
■ Chia seeds are not proven to help lose weight.
■ Garlic can treat foot fungas, rub it on athlete’s foot fungus.

View the clip from the Dr Oz show here.

Congratulations to Kirsty N of Ontario, who has won a skincare product of her choice from www.lavigneorganics.com!

YOU can enter the next draw in just 3 little steps!

1. Join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter.

2. Next, sign up for our email newsletter on our home page at www.lavigneorganics.com.

3. Lastly, tell us which LaVigne products you LOVE and why. Email a quick response to contest@lavigneorganics.com.

Voila, you’re entered! Next draw is August 31st.

EXTRA DRAW ENTRIES: You can gain extra draw entries by referring friends. Email contest@lavigneorganics.com and let us know the names of anyone you’ve referred to enter the draw or purchase our products and you’ll receive an extra draw entry for each person!

We just received word that LaVigne Organic Skincare products are being used on the set of a film being shot in Vancouver currently.

The film, “Trading Christmas” is said to have a story line similar to the movie “Holiday” (loved that one!) and is starring Tom Cavanagh and Faith Ford.

Here’s a shot of Tom Cavanagh on set with our DMAE Firming Cream!

LaVigne Organic Skincare product display at EPIC Expo 2011

Thanks to Michael Kwan (www.michaelkwan.com) for this photo of our products on display at EPIC Expo 2011 (http://www.epicexpo.com/).

It was a busy 3 days at the EPIC Expo in Vancouver last weekend, May 13-15th at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

EPIC is a fabulous opportunity to meet a wide variety of companies selling local, sustainable, fair trade and many other valuable lifestyle products and services. We were happy to be there and be a part of it all! 

Our favourite parts of the show were:

• The Epicurean Corner, which offered wines from 2 local wineries and food tastings from 7 restaurants
• The nostalgic and sustainable, hand-made wooden children’s toys (can’t remember the company that was displaying them, sorry!)
• George Stroumboulopoulos – a huge crowd draw!
   
• The quality and variety of vendors, you could re-do your bedroom in organic materials, from mattress, to bed frame, to bedding and more. There was a sustainable wedding section, fair trade manufacturers of everything from food to soccer balls, and the fashion show is always a hit.

We loved EPIC and overall it was a great success, introducing many new customers to LaVigne Organic Skincare. As always, thank you to all for your interest in our line!

Of course, George Strombo was a big hit!

Jenn loved the Kozie puppets - so cute!

The team back at the LaVigne booth.

Dry skin is never pleasant – itchy, painful, irritated. Yuck.

The trick to dealing with dry skin can be accomplished in two easy steps – add water and seal it in.

Just Add Water
Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated is the first step to fighting dry skin.

Seal It In
Now that the moisture is in your body, keep it there. Using a moisturizer will:

• Add a barrier to your skin, preventing the escape of precious water
• Replace lost water from the outside
• Add water-binding compounds to your skin

Looking for a Toxin-Free Moisturizer?
Use Mayan Magic Healing Balm – made with dense cream that stays in place, moisturizing throughout your day and offering the soothing, healing benefits of both tepezcohuite and shea butter. With all natural ingredients, you can use it without side effects on every member of your family!