Q&A with Botnia founder, Justine Kahn, on botanical skincare, why she doesn’t use clay in her masks and the power of hydrosols

Terms that describe botanical skincare: plant-based, nontoxic, chemical and synthetic-free, locally sourced, and eco-friendly. All apply to spa-born, San Francisco based botanical line, Botnia, with one kicker: customization. “With our back-bar items (Botnia skin care used during spa services) especially, we can be specific to the skin’s needs,” explains aesthetician and founder, Justine Kahn, who developed her line like a deconstructed palette with plant biologist, Clayton Coker, while he was working at Stanford. The Botnia skin care back-bar items, now used in more than 30-spas nationwide, soon to be fifty (there’s a long spa waiting list), can be mixed and…

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My 72-Hour Digital Detox, What I Learned & Why You Might Want To Try It

I never realized how much my iPhone has affected my life until I decided to do a 72-hour digital detox. My parents, who live in Portland and are self-proclaimed hippies (the kale-eating, poetry reading, meditating, nature-loving kind of hippies), attended recently their second silent poetry retreat where attendees are asked to hike through the woods, eat morning meals and listen intently as poetry is read to them while staying silent. When my parents told me about this very granola-y retreat they were planning to attend, I definitely rolled my eyes but seeing how rejuvenated, calm and happy they were post-retreat…

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Salmon Kale Salad Recipes You’ll Want To Eat Again, And Again

I’m almost four months postpartum and the reality is that I don’ t have time to workout and “get my body back.” Breastfeeding and walking with Chloe in her carrier are my two main calorie burners these days, but while working out is on the back burner, eating healthy is now even more so at the forefront with salads being my go-to. Three weeks ago, I started eating a salad with pan seared salmon every day for lunch. I wanted to see if it would affect my waistline. It has, but the best results were how it affected my skin!…

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Organic Baby Skin Care Must-Haves

(Above – our three month old baby, Chloe! *Tear…it’s going so fast.) As a first-time parent, getting ready for all of your new baby’s needs is overwhelming. There’s so much to think about, so much to buy, so much to prepare for. I thought I had everything down (which I explain in my post “Your Ultimate Newborn & Registry Guide 2018”) but funny enough, the one area I ended up not being prepared for and having to figure out as I went along was organic baby skin care. Before we had our baby, I didn’t realize how important and frequent…

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Biologique Recherche P50W Toner Review

Biologique Recherche P50W Best for: Gentle exfoliation, refining pores, smoothing texture and subtle brightening Skin type: Sensitive Review: While the Biologique Recherche P50W is the gentlest of the Biologique Recherche P50 toners, as someone with sensitive skin, I still found the toner to be a tad strong for every day use as directed. There was no burning or itchy sensation, but after three days of daily use, I started to get tiny red bumps all over. Aestheticians well versed in Biologique Recherche products advised me that this was part of the “purging” process associated with the first month of using…

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