Organic Baby Products

Posted on December 28, 2010 by Paige

Many parents are trying to minimize the number of chemicals that touch their babies and they are searching for organic baby products. Soaps, shampoos and body lotions come into direct contact with your baby’s skin and so these items are of particular concern. At Well.ca, we carry a variety of brands of certified organic products and many of these brands have specific product lines for babies.

Here are a few brands to check out and we’re adding new brands every day. Please tell us if there are other brands that you’d recommend.

Under the Nile provides a line of organic baby toys made of Egyptian cotton. The company features fun characters and products that give a parent piece of mind (especially when parents know that the toys may spend hours inside the mouth of a teething baby).

Another great brand is Badger Balms. The products are comforting blends of fresh, whole, organic, extra-virgin oils, waxes, exotic butters, herbal extracts & pure essential oils. There are no chemicals, synthetics, parabens or other additives in the products. Try their balms and sunscreen for your little ones.

Aubrey Organics makes healthy, natural products based on herbal traditions. They carry organic baby shampoo organic baby soap as well as organic baby lotion. They also carry products for adults as well.

Shop Well.ca’s organic baby products:

Bed Bugs, Banished!

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Laura

Bed bugs have become a major health concern in the City of Toronto over the past several months. They feed on- ew!- human blood, and one female bed bug can lay hundreds of eggs over her one year life span. Eggs can be carried on sheets, mattresses, furniture and clothing, which means they can make their way into your home without you even knowing it! Bed bug bites are red and itchy, often resemble mosquito bites, and occasionally grow into large inflamed welts. As with other bug bites, the best way to help the bed bug bite heal is to leave it alone. If the bites really bother you, you can always apply calamine lotion or an anti-itch cream.

The best cure for bed bugs is prevention! Bed bugs lay their eggs in nooks and crannies, like between the bed and the mattress or in a crack in the floor. It’s a good idea to check these on a regular basis and vaccuum as often as possible. When travelling, be sure to check each hotel room or bed that you sleep on thoroughly for eggs, and don’t be embarrassed to ask whether or not the room has been checked for bed bugs.

If you want to be extra cautious, take a mattress cover with you when you travel. These special mattress encasements are densely woven to protect you against not only bed bugs, but also dust mites and allergens. They come in various sizes, and can be vital in protecting you against infestations.

If you think an area of your house might be infested, do a thorough clean and vaccuum, replace the sheets, and be sure to check all of the tight spaces in and around your bed and bedroom where the bugs might hide. Use a contact spray to kill bed bugs on contact, and repeat regularly to ensure that the bugs are really gone for good!

Relax, it’s the holidays!

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Laura

Relaxation is a distant dream for most people any time of year, and it’s usually unheard-of in the weeks leading up to the holidays. But this is the time of year when you need relaxation most: the days are shorter, summer sunshine is a distant memory, and it can seem difficult to fit all of your tasks into the few hours of sunlight that remain. Once all the hustle and bustle of the season is past, you may want to take some time to sit back, relax, and maybe even pamper yourself a little bit.

Here are a few inexpensive ways to take care of yourself, right in the comfort of your own home:

Home Facial Treatment

One of the loveliest things about a day at the spa is sitting back in a chair and having someone massage your face. It sounds a little strange when written down, but a facial massage is one of the most relaxing sensations known to humankind! Here are some ways you can enjoy a similar sensation at home:

Start by washing your face gently with your favourite face wash, or a gentle daily facial product, like Olay Daily Facials.
Exfoliate gently but thoroughly using a gentle scrub such as Snap Clear Skin Facial Scrub, Kosmea Daily Facial Exfoliant, or simply use North American Hemp Company’s Exfoliating Face Cloth when you cleanse.
Rinse two clean, soft facecloths or hand towels with hot water, lie down somewhere comfortable, and drape the hot towels over your face, leaving your nostrils exposed so you can breathe. This will open your pores and allow the facial treatment to work its magic.
Apply a face mask of your choice, such as the Sanctum Hydrating Gel Mask, or the Biore Self-Heating Mask, or something homemade!
Rinse gently with warm water.
Apply a gentle moisturizer such as Jamieson ProVitamina E Fresh Youthful Hydrating Gel-Cream, using firm motions to trace a line from your chin to your temples, and then over and around your ears, and from between your eyebrows to the top of your forehead, and around your face. Repeat.

Give Yourself a Manicure or Pedicure

It’s not as hard as you think to get soft hands and perfect nails. You can do it at home with a few key tools. Here’s how:

Remove any lingering nail polish from your finger and toe nails with a gentle nail polish remover.
Treat your paws: Either soak your hands or feet in warm water for 10 or 15 minutes, coat your hands in a hydrating moisturizer such as Sally Hansen Hand Care Moisturizing Cream and wear Urban Spa Moisturizing Gloves or Booties overnight, or use an exfoliating scrub to soften the skin.
File your nails in one direction using a good-quality emery board such as the Revlon Ceramic Stone Nail File.
Use a cuticle moisturizer such as Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream to soften the cuticles, and then push back and shape your cuticles using a cuticle pusher and trimmer such as the Revlon Cuticle Trimmer with Cap.
Apply two coats of your favourite french manicure nail polish, or make it easier on yourself with the Sally Hansen 5 Minute French Manicure Pen Kit.
Or, try these other easy at-home manicure kits: Pedifix Pedi-Quick Salon Pedicure or Urban Spa Manicure Pedicure Kit.

Aromatherapy: Make your Bath more Relaxing!

Whether you are looking for a good body scrub or just a scented oil that can create a relaxing, invigorating, or rejuvenating environment, there are plenty of products to tickle your fancy. Here are some items that will make your bath more relaxing:

Add a few drops of essential oils to your bath, and let the aromatherapy work its magic. Use peppermint and spearmint to enliven the senses, rosewood to stabilize the emotions and create self-awareness, sandalwood to inspire and gain insight, or pine to detoxify and invigorate.
Exfoliate your skin and give it a youthful glow with Forever Natural Bamboo & Jute Bath Mitt, or the Sanctuary Mande Lular Sensuous Body Scrub.
Sit back and soak up the relaxation: lean back on an Urban Spa Microfibre bath pillow and cover your eyes with an Urban Spa silk eye pillow and let the water wash the tension away!

Retinol creams for anti-aging?

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Laura

Do you ever wonder about those commercials for anti-aging creams that show wrinkles being magically filled in by the mysterious substance known as Retinol? I do. I wonder just how scientific those diagrams are, and what these magical retinol creams are actually doing to your skin. Well, it might not be magic, but that the effects of Retinol are scientifically proven. Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that is effective for various medical purposes, including acne– and even if the illustrations are a bit of a stretch, there is actually some truth behind the anti-aging claims!

Retinol is a naturally occurring, fat-soluble form of Vitamin A that is found in animal products like fish oils and liver. Retinoids, tritonin, and retinyl palimitate are all forms of vitamin A that have positive effects on the skin and occur in various products.

Because its cell structure is comparatively small, Retinol is easily absorbed through the layers of the skin. From there, it stimulates stimulate cell growth and reproduction, renewing the skin’s collagen, sloughing off dead skin cells, and causing the skin to look brighter and more youthful.

The effectiveness of Retinol, and how quickly the product works, depends on which form of Vitamin A is being used, how potent the product is, and how often it is used. It can take up to 12 weeks for results to be visible, but that youthful glow can last up to 6 months!

Once you’ve done your research on the Retinol product that is right for you, try these great over the counter Retinol products, available at Well.ca!

Settlers of Catan Board Game: #1 Gift for 2010

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Laura

Settlers of Catan is the board game that is taking the world by storm. If you haven’t heard of it, you might be living under a rock. Here’s everything you need to know about the game and it’s many elements.

The Original Settlers of Catan Game and Expansion Pack

If you are thinking of getting into Settlers of Catan, this is the place to start. This is a 2 to 4 player game in which the premise is that you are a settler in a new land called Catan, and the location in which you build your home dictates the resources that you are awarded later in the game. Each roll of the dice produces new resources that players collect and use to trade for settlements, roads, cities and other things that help them grow their empire. For each development you make, you gain points. The first player to get 10 points wins.

If this sounds simple, it’s not. There are lots of additional features that make the game a bit more complicated, so it usually takes a game or two for new players to completely understand. You have to watch out for the robber, try to get the longest road, build the biggest army, and prevent your opponents from doing all of this before you!

Once you master the basic world of Catan, there are endless numbers of add-ons and alterations that make every game a new adventure.

Settlers of Catan: Seafarers, Cities and Knights, Traders and Barbarians

Once you get the hang of the game, it can get a bit repetitive. That’s where the game expansions come in! There are currently three game expansions that each provide many additional hours of fun. Each expansion comes with various additional game scenarios and added features that can make the game more interesting. Whether you are integrating some younger players and want to make the robber more friendly, or need a new challenge

and want to explore Catan’s seas, establish new trade routes, trade in gold or fish, or ford the rivers of Catan, you’ll find that the expansion packs are a fun new way to enjoy Catan!

Game Extension Packs

These packs allow for up to 6 players to play Catan at once, and are available for the original game as well as each of the expansion packs. A must for any dedicated Catan player who wants to integrate even more friends into the game!

You can pick up the following Settlers of Catan games, expansions, extensions and accessories at Well.ca:

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Monthly Archives: December 2010