While we have some excellent and effective natural hair dye kits, a rising number of mature and younger women are choosing to let their gray roots grow and their silver locks show. And, it’s hard to find great information on how to manage and even enhance your natural greys - most Google searches result in tips on how to darken, color or hide them! Below, some tips for unleashing those sterling strands and letting them shine...
COMFREY (Symphytum officinale): A healer of wounds, bruises and bones
By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator
September’s herb is a bit different than all of our past monthly plant profiles. This month we focus on the great green healer, comfrey. But, unlike all the other plants we’ve covered here, comfrey is meant for external use only, rather than for taking internally. (And I’ll explain why as we go along.)
Perhaps you’ve seen this lush, leafy plant growing in a garden, or even alongside the edge of a forest, where it has escaped cultivation and is happily growing in the partial shade. If you walk along the Somerville bike path you are sure to see some half-wild comfrey growing along the edges. In the summertime you’ll notice it’s lovely violet-hued flowers which are born on a spiral-shaped stalk and hang downwards like small bells.
Making Tacos with Seoul
Fermented foods are definitely having a moment, these days. It turns out that these techniques, used by our ancestors since time immemorial to preserve food, produce the very types of healthy probiotic bacteria that we in the modern age know to be essential for good gut health. In turning back to these techniques, we're also rediscovering something else our ancestors knew quite well: fermented foods taste incredible!
Another major trend in the food world right now is east/west fusion, which collides in happy harmony with the fermentation craze in the form of the mighty Korean Taco! This increasingly popular LA street food is making some major in-roads here on the east coast, with not one but two new spots serving them up on Brighton Ave in trendy Allston. Is kimchi the new pico? Bulgogi the new carnitas? Only time will tell, but we here at Cambridge Naturals would like to share some ideas with you about how to bring this taco trend to your table in a vegan, gluten-free manner which is both nutritious and delicious.
Bitters 101
By Mary, CN Blog Contributor and digestive health enthusiast
Remember when your parents would give you a dropper full of digestive bitters before dinner when you were a kid? Neither do I. But Guido Masé, chief herbalist at Urban Moonshine, sure does and he and the UM team are steadily bringing this long forgotten tradition back.
A group of us recently had a chance to meet Guido and the rest of the Urban Moonshine team, including founder Jovial King, for an amazing dinner and training session in Boston. While we shared edamame and rosé with our new friends, we learned exactly how bitters work and why they’ve been a focal point for the brand since its inception.
Monthly Muse: Steph Zabel
As part of an ever-growing community of individuals that continue to push the envelope in the natural health world, we’re happy to introduce this new monthly series highlighting locals who continually inspire us.
The bulk herb wall at Cambridge Naturals is often the most bustling section of the store. I love seeing and hearing the connections made between herbal enthusiasts, cooks, and DIY-beauty makers over the table. One of those frequent visitors is local herbalist Steph Zabel. She teaches classes on the art and science of herbal medicine practice and local plants. You may have noticed her very informative blog posts highlighting a different plant each month right here on our blog. Steph is also the founder of Herbstalk, an annual marketplace and herbal education event in Somerville, now going on its sixth year. Steph credits the help and support of fellow herbalists, friends, and neighborhood volunteers to getting Herbstalk started. As they say, it takes a village. And without her knowledge and grace bringing it all together, who knows how long we would have waited for such a brilliant idea to come to fruition! Read on for an interview to learn more about Steph and her work.
Partners in Wellness: Nordic Naturals!
This post was written by Zach, our Supplements Department Lead and one of our store managers. He is passionate about Omega-3's and especially Nordic Naturals brand! Select Nordic Naturals products are on sale through the month of August - ask us in store for details!
Often people come into the store and ask me about what they can do to be healthy besides just exercising or eating well. In the face of so much conflicting advice on diet, lifestyle, and even what it means to be healthy, it can be tough to know which supplements to choose.
Not Just Skin Deep: Five Favorite Sunscreens For Glowing Summer Skin
By Mary, Customer Service Specialist & CN Blog Contributor
If the last heat wave was any indication, the sun remains strong even as summer’s end looms ever near. Like most health conscious consumers, we at Cambridge Naturals are especially careful what products we use on our body’s largest organ: our SKIN! I don’t think I’m alone when I say the scent of SPF-laden sunscreens I remember from my childhood has no place in my current beach bag. I guess with age comes a higher standard for skincare, among other things.
A fully stocked shelf of sunscreen can be intimidating when all you want is one bottle to get the job done. I’ve narrowed down our collection to a few favorites from skin-brightening to toddler-approved.
Not Just Skin Deep: Introducing Pacifica Beauty
This post is written by Caitlin, our Body Care Department Lead:
Cambridge Naturals is bursting with color! This week, we introduced Pacifica Beauty to our Body Care Department.
Pacifica was formed in 2008 by Brook Harvey-Taylor and her husband, Billy Taylor. The couple cultivated the idea for Pacifica while taking a drive home from a surfing trip and applied their mutual love for fragrance & perfumes along with their passion for the arts & outdoors. Pacifica was originally born as a natural perfume and candle company and has since grown into a wildly successful cosmetic, beauty and body care leader.
Hibiscus: Relief for Summer Heat
By Steph Zabel
Herbalist, Ethnobotanist and Educator
As we move through the changing seasons of the year, so do our bodies change, along with what we need and crave. In the summertime, obviously, most of us are looking for ways to stay cool, refreshed and hydrated in the sometimes-unbearable heat. Especially with our recent tropical-like weather, it is important to balance out the heat of the season with foods and herbs that help to cool and rejuvenate the body.
Summer Camp Survival!
This blog post was written by Mary, the newest addition to our team! Mary recently graduated from UVM Burlington with a degree in Nutrition & Food Science, and is a major camping enthusiast. She has fond childhood memories of packing up her trunk for several weeks in the woods!
It's that time of year again. Time to pack a bag, or if you're like me pack a trunk, and GO CAMPING! Summer camp is one of my fondest memories from my childhood and I'm happy to see the tradition of overnight camp still holding strong. We've had so many visits from parents anxious to collect all of the products required to keep campers happy that we decided it was time to share our favorites. Whether you're looking for the right sunscreen or sunburn relief, Cambridge Naturals has you covered.