The other day I got this email from a site visitor.
I am hoping your beauty expert can help. I am allergic to scented products and have been trying for some time to find a hair product to control frizz that is fragrance free. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Sherry
So I asked beauty editor Beth Thompson if she could respond, and I would post the answer here for the benefit of all of us who want to tame frizz without scent. Here’s what she said:
Thanks for your question. This is definitely a toughie! More and more we are seeing some quality brands offering naturally fragranced frizz fighters — Ojon Damage Reverse restorative hair treatment springs to mind — which is a step in the right direction for most women, but of little consequent to allergy sufferers. A scent is a scent is a scent, natural or synthetic.
We suggest you look into Nonscents, whose claim to fame is professional fragrance-free products. You can find them at Nonscents.net and, yes, they ship to Canada.
Try its Smooth and Separate Texturizing Cream, it’ll give you piece-y, smooth locks with movement.
For a home remedy, try adding a few drops of olive oil to your favourite fragrance-free conditioner and style as usual.
Thanks Beth!
-Helen
Have a read of “The whiff of nostalgia,” in More‘s September issue, a funny piece about shampoo written by Terri Favro. It brought to my mind all kinds of products that I’ve loved over the years that aren’t around anymore.
In particular, I recall a Revlon antiperspirant (I don’t think they’re in the deodorant business anymore in North America) called No Sweat that actually smelled distinctively nice, not like a faux berry or a powdered baby bum. I wish I could find it today, but it’s been gone for about two decades by now.
So I thought it could be fun to compile a list of products we miss, and why. Chime in here if there’s one you’d like to share, let’s see if we remember each others picks.
-Helen
This is why I love More.ca readers. I posted this question on our Facebook page, and found your responses so wise and inspiring that I am reposting them here. Add your thoughts in the comments, too, I look forward to hearing what you think.
What makes you better today than you were 20 years ago?
“So many changes have happened in my life. Things are so much better than 20 years ago. Change is good and aging isn’t bad at all either. It allows for more freedom of choice.”
-Michelle
“Twenty years ago I cared about what other people thought of me….Today I care what I think about me – And go from there……It’s so less stressful and I am happier about myself and my life!”
-Catherine
“I know for myself I have more self esteem and confidence in my life… there definitely have been some very rough patches in the last 20 years but some totally awesome experiences as well that have made who and what I am today….Here is to me and here is to you for the next 20 years to be the best journey of our lives… Enjoy.”
-Dorothy
“I am a lot less critical of myself for sure. I have always been rather shy and have figured out if I smile and look people in the eye and just listen authentically they automatically warm to me and I can relax and participate in conversation easier. Just doing that alone has helped build my confidence.”
-Rhonda
“Learned, and still learning patience, feeling fulfilled and in love with my partner with a common purpose and goals in life. Able to be there for my teenage girls and still working towards a diploma and eventually a degree. Able to see things through experienced eyes and better able to “let go” of things I can’t control to keep a balance in my life of work and family. No stress…….for the most part 
”
-Natja
Here’s to you, ladies! You’re better than ever.
-Helen
Do you suffer from cold sores? More associate editor Kate Daley rounds up the newest over-the-counter remedies.
Cold sore sufferers listen up!
Did you know that 80 percent of Canadians will have come into contact with the HSV-1 virus that causes cold sores by the time they turn 50?
Physical and emotional stress, anxiety, fatigue and sun exposure are all factors that can trigger an outbreak.
For most women, concealing spots as quickly as possible is their priority, and now there are two new options to do just that.
Polysporin has created a thin, invisible patch that you can place directly over the sore. It has hydrocolloid technology used in wound care to help seal the outbreak and maintain optimal moisture levels to promote healing. The bonus for beauty fanatics? You can apply concealer and lipstick over top and you only have to change it every 8 hours. Try the new Polysporin Cold Sore Healing Patch in stores September at $19 for 15 patches.
The makers of your favourite sniffle fighting remedy, Cold-FX, have created a new product to help shorten the healing time of sores. Created with Propolis, a resinous substance that honeybees collect from plants, this natural-based formula has antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial elements. You can apply the product multiple times a day and it’s clear so it won’t stand out. Check out Cold Sore-Fx in stores in September for $25.
-Kate
Win Cold Sore-Fx and Polysporin Cold Sore Healing Patch by telling us in the comments below why you want to try it, by 11:59pm August 17th!
If you have a little time to spare today (this is code for “if you’re bored and your boss isn’t looking”) check out these stories. I found them this morning while searching the More.ca archives, and I think you might like them.
When your ex has someone new
Deborah Moskovitch, a divorce expert, offers this evenhanded approach to dealing with an ex’s new love. Clubbing your ex over the head with a cast-iron pan is not an option, so revenge-seekers, this is not the article for you.
The FlyLady’s following
Do you watch the show Hoarders? I do, back-to-back episodes. It’s a brilliant way to kill an entire evening and I guarantee it will quell any urge for high-calorie snacking. This article about the FlyLady chronicles her journey from being pack-rat messy (she was too embarrassed to have her husband’s colleagues beyond the front door of her house) to becoming an organizing maven.
Beyond the Labour Day barbecue
If you live in Canada and you don’t enjoy eating barbecued food on the last long weekend of the summer, you’re weird.
Ok, fine, you’re not weird.
But if for some reason you’d rather be inside or your grill broke or you don’t want to deal with the post-BBQ cleanup that somehow always falls on you (by the way, are there any food scraps more disgusting looking than eaten corn cobs and the ketchupy heels of hot dog buns?), here are some ideas ranging from wacky to swish for last-minute end-of-summer entertaining.
Enjoy!
-Helen
Last week, everyone around me in the office had on sundresses and short-sleeved tops. Today? I’m seeing my peers in black pants, jeans, sweaters (albeit light ones, but still!) and fall-worthy flats.
Considering it’s still well above 20 degrees outside, I am going to attribute this to the beautiful fashion, including colours, styles and silhouettes, that are coming out for fall. (Ok, honestly, it’s probably the over-zealous air conditioning that has everyone around me in warmer clothing, but I’m choosing to take a more romantic view.)
Me, I’m steadfastly wearing my summer clothes until mid-September. Air conditioning followed by autumn chill be damned! I’m thoroughly unready to banish these airy garments to storage for the rest of the year.
That doesn’t mean, however, that we aren’t going to be talking about fall fashion in the next few weeks. Remember our summer sandals slideshow? We’re brewing a brand-new slideshow about fall shoes and boots, and we’ll be picking some clothing and beauty faves. Stay tuned, and let me know if there is something you’d like to see.
-Helen
P.S. Speaking of fall, we’ve got a new issue hot off the press. Check back with us tomorrow, here, on Twitter or on Facebook (or all three) to see who’s on the cover.
A study that keeps popping up in the news this week is this one about longevity from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, in New York.
Maybe I’m interpreting it wrong, but the upshot seems to be that those of us who get to age 95 and older aren’t models of healthy living. Rather, genes play a huge role in who lives to 100 and who doesn’t.
One of the 477 study participants was a smoker with a 70-year-old habit.
Most centenarian and near-centenarian men did not partake in regular moderate exercise, for example.
Of the women, only 27 percent ate a low-calorie diet (remember the hubbub a few years ago when restricted-calorie eating was thought to extend life?).
So my question is this, have you known anyone of advanced age without particularly healthy lifestyle habits?
-Helen
More.ca editor
When you’ve got a moment, take our poll today about how much you check your personal email.
I am one of the few respondents that checks hers 10+ times a day on an average day. Probably at least 15 times, to tell the truth. I consider that to be nearing into “Crackberry” territory.
Most of you are checking a sensible one-time per day (or maybe your bosses were hovering when you took the poll, heh heh).
After an email-free long weekend, it’s funny but not having access to my inbox was a completely neutral feeling. So maybe I’m not so bad after all. And I only had about 30 emails. That’s 10 per day.
Why am I checking so frequently when I’m not even getting an email every time I check? It was an interesting revelation, and it will help me cut down my checking habit.
What about you? What do you consider too much checking? And what are your tips for stopping?
-Helen
