Thai herbal 101

List of ingredients commonly use in Thai cuisine, medicine, and skin care regime. Check out their benefits here!

Green Tea benefits for natural skin care

1.Weight Loss - green tea extract is rich in polyphenols and caffeine which stimulate fat oxidation and increase metabolic rate.  Green tea consumption should be limited to 2 - 3 cups / day.
2.Cancer and heart disease - consumption is green tea is also shown to reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, and reducing risks of cardiovascular disease.  Studies suggest that polyphenols in green tea inhibit the growth of certain cancer cells.
3. Skin care - High in vitamin C, minerals, and phytochemical compounds, green tea helps increase elasticity and skin rejuvenation.  Anti oxidants in green tea reduces appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, sun damage, and lighten uneven complexion.  The leaves can be used as a gentle exfoliant to give skin a healthy glow.
4. Inflammation - Green tea extract has anti-inflammatory effects on sensitive skin
5. Acne - Green tea catechins are anti-bacterial and can control acne breakouts without side effects.  To create a green tea toner, simply steep green tea into a cup of distilled or mineral water.  Apply to affected areas with cotton pads.
6. Tired puffy eyes - Caffeine in green tea can help stimulate blood circulation.  Steeped green tea pouches can be refrigerated for 2 hours then placed over tired eyes to alleviate puffiness.

Skin care NO NO's: Cockroach face mask

I'm still not 100% sure if this is real or fake because of the cockroach legs strategically placed on her face.  Nonetheless, I hate cockroaches and I think they are dirty.  I know of nutrients in the fruits and yogurt, but cockroaches blended and mixed with yogurt for face mask? I think it can only do more harm than good.

Thailand, the land of spa

During the early 2000's, the growth of the spa industry in Thailand rocketed by an exhilarating 64% and since 1999 Thailand has secured itself a top-5 world rating. Currently, Thailand is the second highest ranked spa destination and one of the largest spa exporters in the world.  If you have traveled to Thailand, you have seen health spas flourish in almost every street corner.  The popularity soared with the locals becoming more health conscious and looking for natural ways to relax and detoxify while foreigners often seek traditional Thai massage and being in a tropical retreat.  Most commonly seen spas are 4 to 5 star resort and spas which are often destination retreat for honeymoon couples, or foreigners who often come back to relax.   Health spas in Thailand usually includes Thai traditional massage, detoxification, body wraps, and rejuvenating facial treatments.  


The uniqueness of Thai spa comes from a combination of holistic approach to healing and balancing the body and spirit with nature.  Thai traditional massage originated around 2500 hundred years ago.  Practitioners operate the massage with yoga-like postures, treating the body as a "vessel" which permeates "air", energy, to travel through.  Since ancient times, both traditional massage and the use of natural ingredients are combined to treat ailments and skin disorders.  Abundant with botanicals, Thailand is rich in both resources and knowledge of the healing properties of these plants on human physiology.  The same ingredients used in modern day skincare products today are the same that were used over one hundred years ago in Thailand.  They include coconut oil, rice bran oil, moringa, bergamot, etc.  Aromatherapy used with essential oils extracted from tropical herbs and flowers such as orchid, jasmine, ginger, and lemongrass have also become distinct signature scents for Thai spa.  

Harnn & Thann goes head-to-head against skin-care giants

Harnn & Thann goes head-to-head against skin-care giants

Fadi Ghaby has a nose for business. After falling in love with the exotic scents and smells of Thailand, the savvy businessman jumped at the opportunity to bring them home.

Ghaby is the owner of Harnn & Thann North America. The Thai-based, all-natural skin-care line enjoys huge success throughout Asia, Australia and Europe. Surprisingly, its North American headquarters is in Ottawa. The brand's success across the continent rests largely on Ghaby's shoulders, as he gets set to take on the leading skin-care giants.

"I am blown away by the product," he says. "Both men and women love it. The line is exotic but not feminine."

The 37-year-old believes people buy products from companies that have a huge marketing machine behind them such as Aveda, Clinique and the Body Shop.

Harnn was first launched in Thailand in 1999 as a home-spa product company. Thann was created three years later to promote its skin-and hair-care line. The company now boasts 70 stores in 22 countries. The two lines feature all-natural face and body care, moisturizers, cleansers, aromatherapy and anti-aging products. All are paraben-free with no artificial colours or fragrances, and the packaging is made from recycled materials.

"Asian culture is about balance. Our concept is to calm people down by concentrating on mind, body and spirit," Ghaby says.

The sensual aromas of jasmine, orange, magnolia, lemon grass and cinnamon greet visitors at his store, where customers can purchase full spa treatments.

"When people try it, they're addicted, but this is a niche market where we have to entice the right customer," Ghaby says. "Our client is not usually an impulse buyer. They want information on ingredients, product line, and will return to make a purchase."

Ingredients include sesame seed oil, rice bran oil, chamomile and honey extract and Shiso essential oils.

Ghaby, a former JDS Uniphase employee, left the field of high-tech in 2006 to become an entrepreneur.

"When a friend brought back the product from Thailand, my wife and I tried it and were hooked. I went to Bangkok, met the owners and the rest is history."

Visit www.thann.ca

What's the deal with parabens?

What are parabens?
Parabens are a class of synthetic chemicals used in preservatives for cosmetics.  Their anti-fungal properties stop the spread of bacteria and increasing the shelf-life of products.  They are known to be effective and low-cost which explains why they are widely used by many cosmetic brands.  Recently, there has been much controversy regarding the health risks on the long-term use of paraben containing products.  In many inconclusive studies, there seems to be an indirect correlation to breast cancer, endocrine disruption, and reproductive problems.  Even though, there is no restriction on the use of parabens in cosmetics, there are heavy restrictions on the production and labelling of product ingredients.  In the past years, consumers are becoming more concerned of the potential risks associated with the long-term use of products.  Instead, they actively search the market for natural alternatives which exclude parabens, aluminum, mineral oil, and so forth.  Due to the vast reduction in demands, cosmetic companies are responding by promoting natural or organic product lines that are "paraben/chemical-free".

Natural alternatives 
When shopping for natural skin care products, consumers should look for "paraben-free"labelling and checking the list of ingredients.  For more information on how to check the labelling, click here.

In cosmetics, parabens are being replaced by grapefruit seed extract, vitamin E and essential oil as natural preservatives.  Some "paraben-free" deodorants contain caster seed oil which absorbs and neutralizes odour.  Alum (potassium alum) is an organic compound known for reducing bacteria growth.  Due to its large molecule, it is impossible to be absorbed through the skin.  It is also biodegradable and free of toxins, making it one of the main ingredients for natural deodorants.


 While many consumers can take a breather knowing that the natural, "paraben-free" products are completely  safe, but how effective is the natural alternative compared to the previous?  Here is a testimonial of one consumer on the use of "paraben-free" deodorant:

"On the stick my new deodorant smelled like honey drizzled over fresh-cut hay. On my armpit it smelled like a child caked in sweaty, urine-drenched baby powder."

In terms of perspiration, natural deodorants do not prohibit or suppress sweat production.  The body odour caused by perspiration is simply masked by the scent, and the rate of bacteria growth is reduced.  Therefore, even though natural and "paraben-free" deodorants do not get absorbed through the skin, they do not last just as long and have to be used more frequent to achieve desirable results.  Also, everybody has different body scent that when interacts with a fragrant and sweats, will produce a completely different scent.  Some might turn out smelling great, while others with the same scent might turn out repulsive.  It might be a good idea to test out which essential oil extract will produce the best outcome when combined with your body scent.  Try testing a small area for a few hours and see if that turns out alright.