Dr. Em Natural Skin & Hair Care

I read a while back that the  more choices we have, the more complex our life can become. It does make sense, but I see it from a time management perspective. Imagine you are standing at the lotion isle of a supermarket. Would it be quicker if there were only 2 choices to choose from? If you knew what you wanted, it might just take you a second. But what if you went to the store thinking that you needed a better lotion? Well... you might as well plan to be there for a good several minutes. Not only are there hundreds of brands to choose from, you also need to decide if you want lotion, cream, butter, with this ingredient, with that ingredient, the pretty jar, the cute bottle, etc. etc. And if you read ingredients like me, you'll be there a little longer.  Your decision is basically based on several factors including the following: cost and value, preference and knowledge, and past experience. These factors play a huge part in how and what you choose. Your past experience with ...

We can take care of our skin the best we know how, but when an autoimmune skin disease afflicts us, we feel uncertain and sometimes helpless. In 2014, a rare form of autoimmune skin disease was no longer rare or strange to our family.  Many physicians had no name for the disease until a dermatology specialist ,who was humble enough to collaborate the diagnosis with me agreed that my husband had bullous pemphigoid and linear IgA dermatosis . Difficult to pronounce names and difficult to treat. From 2014 until his death this year, my husband battled the disease, which overwhelmingly preoccupied him on a daily basis. Although, he had many good days, he also had many bad days.  The disease's entry in our life began when large, round, and bright red "angry" looking lesions came out of nowhere and covered my husband's entire body. For days, these lesions would get redder and bigger, and when these pop, my husband's clothes would get stuck to the skin. As he removed his...

Can you honestly name all the ingredients in your skin and hair care products? Do you know if they’re beneficial, harmful, or questionable? It’s easy to overlook these details, much like the “Boiling Frog” metaphor, where gradual changes go unnoticed. However, the cumulative effects over time could lead to irreversible consequences.  Here is an example of a list of ingredients of a well-known moisturizer brand. Do you know half of these ingredients? Are they all good for you?  Water\Aqua\Eau, Isostearyl Palmitate, Cetyl Ricinoleate, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Arginine, Sigesbeckia Orientalis (St. Paul'S Wort) Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract\Extrait D'Orge, Castanea Sativa (Chestnut) Seed Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Yeast Extract\Faex\Extrait De Levure, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Trehalose, Salicylic Acid, Creatine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Lecithin, Propyl...

You're lucky if...... you NEVER had your hair colored, permed, exposed to chlorine in pool water, or exposed to the sun and wind, or used hot styling tools. Basically, if you have virgin, untouched, unprocessed hair, then this article is NOT for you.  If you're not so lucky, read on.... When you look at children's hair, you wished you were a child. I would love to go back in time and appreciate the beautiful hair I had before I got into perming, coloring, rebonding, or using curling irons or hair dryers. Healthy hair accepts the right moisture, and oil for shine. It is soft, smooth, and bouncy (like my niece Rhaiza's beautiful hair).  Normally, our hair has an outer layer called lipid epicuticle and has a smooth appearance. But when you see frizz and split ends, this means that there is damage to the cuticles, likely through friction such as from hair brushing. when your hair is wet, the combing friction of brushing is quite damaging!   Normal hair is also porous (ab...