If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

I’m going to bet that you didn’t know quinoa brings an excellent source of nutrients to the skin; the grain is full of healthy omega fatty acids and vitamins that improve concerns like skin texture, firmness and overall tone when applied topically. Luckily, one skincare brand has tapped into its benefits full force, offering an entire line of products dedicated to the “golden grain.” 

While NativaSpa’s hero seller is the Quinoa Firming Body Lotion, its runner up, the Quinoa Firming Body Oil, is not to be overlooked. It brings many of the same positives as its partner-in-crime, but in a super smooth, non-greasy oil formula. Plus, it’s currently on sale for under $19.

NativaSpa

NativaSpa Quinoa Firming Body Oil

Per the brand’s research, quinoa is a healthy source of plant protein, meaning its nutrition profile is unique and robust—you stand to benefit from more than just implementing it into your diet. NativaSpa used a patented extraction process to pull the best qualities from the grain and transform it into a 100 percent pure quinoa oil, which is twice as nutrient-rich as argan oil and almond oil. 

The potent oil is extremely comforting to the skin; it brightens areas of dullness, adds a hydrating layer of protection and even minimizes the appearance of stretch marks, But, perhaps best of all, it claims to improve skin firmness within a month of use. According to reviewers, it also leaves a lingering scent that “everyone will ask about.” It’s described as “warm, floral, with the perfect amount of sweetness, followed by notes of peony and a touch of comforting vanilla,” by the brand itself.

RELATED: Reviewers Say This Is the ‘Only Product That Helps’ Them With Sunken Under-Eye Bags—‘Almost Tightens the Skin’

Speaking of reviewers, one customer had plenty of things to say about the body oil, including that it feels “luxurious” on the skin. “It isn’t a heavy oil, feels light and soaks in fairly quickly, especially compared to other oils that rest on top of your skin and feel slimy/greasy. I’ve actually used it on my face a few times and noticed an improvement in my skin’s texture and acne scars,” they wrote.

“This oil is heavenly,” shared a second shopper. “Don’t know about the skin tightening yet, because I haven’t used it long enough. However, I use it when I am done showering and it leaves my skin feeling like silk.”

Winter may be on its way out the door, but that doesn’t mean body care isn’t a year-round effort. Scoop this lightweight oil that will make your skin glowing and smooth for less than $19.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

I’m going to bet that you didn’t know quinoa brings an excellent source of nutrients to the skin; the grain is full of healthy omega fatty acids and vitamins that improve concerns like skin texture, firmness and overall tone when applied topically. Luckily, one skincare brand has tapped into its benefits full force, offering an entire line of products dedicated to the “golden grain.” 

While NativaSpa’s hero seller is the Quinoa Firming Body Lotion, its runner up, the Quinoa Firming Body Oil, is not to be overlooked. It brings many of the same positives as its partner-in-crime, but in a super smooth, non-greasy oil formula. Plus, it’s currently on sale for under $19.

NativaSpa

NativaSpa Quinoa Firming Body Oil

Per the brand’s research, quinoa is a healthy source of plant protein, meaning its nutrition profile is unique and robust—you stand to benefit from more than just implementing it into your diet. NativaSpa used a patented extraction process to pull the best qualities from the grain and transform it into a 100 percent pure quinoa oil, which is twice as nutrient-rich as argan oil and almond oil. 

The potent oil is extremely comforting to the skin; it brightens areas of dullness, adds a hydrating layer of protection and even minimizes the appearance of stretch marks, But, perhaps best of all, it claims to improve skin firmness within a month of use. According to reviewers, it also leaves a lingering scent that “everyone will ask about.” It’s described as “warm, floral, with the perfect amount of sweetness, followed by notes of peony and a touch of comforting vanilla,” by the brand itself.

RELATED: Reviewers Say This Is the ‘Only Product That Helps’ Them With Sunken Under-Eye Bags—‘Almost Tightens the Skin’

Speaking of reviewers, one customer had plenty of things to say about the body oil, including that it feels “luxurious” on the skin. “It isn’t a heavy oil, feels light and soaks in fairly quickly, especially compared to other oils that rest on top of your skin and feel slimy/greasy. I’ve actually used it on my face a few times and noticed an improvement in my skin’s texture and acne scars,” they wrote.

“This oil is heavenly,” shared a second shopper. “Don’t know about the skin tightening yet, because I haven’t used it long enough. However, I use it when I am done showering and it leaves my skin feeling like silk.”

Winter may be on its way out the door, but that doesn’t mean body care isn’t a year-round effort. Scoop this lightweight oil that will make your skin glowing and smooth for less than $19.

In an article for Sixty and Me on why we love nature so much, I wrote about how fractal patterns in nature trigger 60% reduction in stress throughout our entire body.

What Do We Mean by Stress?

Your body’s balance is kind of like a kid’s playground see-saw or teeter-totter moving up and down between two sides of the nervous system with ease. One side of the nervous system is speedy and the other is slower. This body balance between speedy and slower side happens automatically.

Stress is when your body gets stuck on the speedy or the slow side. As a result, you feel unsafe, kind of like you are stuck way up in the air about to fall off or stuck on the ground on that tetter-totter with nowhere to go. Stress is formally defined as any time your body loses its homeostasis or balance.

The good news is that spending even a few minutes outside in green places automatically puts your mind and body back into balance. This rebalancing takes place without you even knowing.

The great thing is that there is nothing for you to do. All you have to do is get in that green space.

How Often, You Ask?

Green space researchers began asking the same question. Once they proved the health benefits of spending time in green space as comparable to medication, they wanted to know, like you do, the dose required.

In 2019, UK research team headed by Professor Mathew White at Exeter Medical School proved that just two hours a week or more of being in nature had a positive effect on your health and well being. They said that this amount of time spent in green space is comparable to getting your recommended (150 minutes) weekly amount of exercise. This means that two hours in nature has the same benefits as two and a half hours of exercise.

And the icing on the cake is that you don’t have to live in the forest or by a park, you just have to visit one for a total of two hours a week.

So, Give Yourself Some Green Space!

Try to notice that when you are outside, you begin to feel better, smile more, have more energy, and feel calmer at the same time. There is science behind each of your body’s responses to being outside. I will continue to share this with you in future Clipper columns.

Here’s one of my favourite quotes by green space researcher Professor Andy Jones on page 51 of my book Optimize Your Heart Rate: Balance Your Mind and Body With Green Space and in our podcast conversation episode #32 of Your Outside Mindset:

“We often reach for medication when we’re unwell but exposure to health promoting environments is increasingly recognized as both preventing and helping to treat disease. Our study shows that the size of these benefits can be enough to have a meaningful clinical impact.”

Today’s Tip

Spend a total of two hours a week outside in green space – on a long walk on the weekend or several short visits during the week. Just getting yourself outside is the most difficult part. Once you are outside in green space, as long as you are paying attention to anything at all that is natural (the shape of a cloud, the feeling of the breeze, bird song, the scent of a plant…) you will get the health benefits.

You can stroll around, walk, or simply sit and take it all in. The positive effects are all the same no matter what you do.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have a favourite sit space when you get outside (sit on a log or a rock to sip your tea)? When you stroll around outside where do your eyes like to go – into the tree branches, earth, sky)? Do you notice how easily your attention floats from one thing in nature to another?

My husband and I did this on purpose. We were not forced into it for reasons of physical infirmity or financial difficulties. Instead, we were drawn to it by the sheer force of the potential advantages we saw. Chief among those was the ability to form deep and meaningful relationships with our grandchildren.

What we chose to do was to pursue a multi-generational living arrangement.

It made the most sense to do it with our younger son and his family. His wife is an RN, and they are the ones who always told us, “Don’t worry; when you’re old, you’ll always have a place with us.” I began to think, “Why wait until we’re old; we could be of help to you now.”

My daughter-in-law was working full-time as a nurse, and they had three little girls under the age of six. And while they had fairly good arrangements for caring for the girls since my son could often work from home, they began to see some of the advantages of having “grandma and grandpa” on site.

And not just help with “babysitting.” Studies have shown just how important grandparents are in the lives of children. In one study conducted by the University of Oxford, children who had a close relationship with a grandparent showed more emotional stability, fewer behavior problems, and more resilience as adults.

Practical Considerations

First of all, we have five children. We had to check with the other four to see how they felt about it. Did they think we were “playing favorites”? After all, two of them had children as well. All four assured us that, “Hey, if that’s what you four want to do, we’re cool with it!” (Honestly, I think several of the others couldn’t imagine wanting to do such a thing!)

Second, we were clear that none of us wanted to feel like we were the “tenants” of the others. For this reason (as well as space and layout reasons), we decided to buy a new property that we could split the price of right down the middle, as joint owners.

Third, we agreed to have a number of meetings ahead of buying a property to think of “everything that could possibly go wrong” (!) and to put in writing how we would handle any difficulties. In the end, this included the stipulation that either couple could, for whatever reason, decide to break up the arrangement, with no hard feelings on either side.

The Search

Finding just the right property in our price range was a little challenging. We knew we wanted something where we could each have our private area, along with a “communal” area. My husband and I were fine having a basement apartment, but it had to have two things: a door at the top of the stairs to close off our area and its own exit.

In the end, we found a 5-bedroom home with a 3-stall garage and a walk-out basement. We spent about an additional $30,000 (evenly split by both couples) to create an office for my son on the main floor and a laundry room and fully outfitted kitchen in our area.

They have the bedrooms and two baths on the top floor, we have the walk-out basement, and the ground floor level is the communal area. We never go up to their floor without being invited and they never come down to our area without being invited, but everyone mixes freely on the main floor.

The only exception is our three-year-old grandson who often finds ways to sneak down to Grandma and Grandpa’s area. He knows he’ll get a treat of some sort before we chase him back upstairs!

The Drawbacks

It. Is. Not. Quiet. Initially, my husband and I thought we could just retreat downstairs when we wanted some peace and quiet. Well, we can go downstairs – but it is not quiet. They had three little girls when we first moved in together, and they now have four little girls and a boy (trust me, girls can be every bit as loud as little boys!)

That’s one reason why my husband and I invested in a modest little vacation spot about an hour-and-a-half north, along Lake Michigan. Nothing fancy, but it is nice to have a getaway for the occasional break.

I’d be lying if I said there were never any little tensions between my daughter-in-law and myself, but we always get past it. We agree that wherever there is good will on both sides, things can be worked out.

While the initial arrangement was financially advantageous to us (we were able to pay off our half of the new mortgage by selling our previous home, plus enough to invest in a little vacation spot), the day-to-day expenses don’t save us that much money.

Our property taxes are higher (although splitting does help) and since we evenly split the utilities, we feel we are subsidizing them somewhat: seven of them vs two of us. Plus, living with grandchildren, Grandma is apt to keep buying them little things…

We have to work extra hard to make sure we give our other grandchildren the same attention.

The Advantages

Too numerous to list! So many precious everyday moments; funny ones and sad ones and all the ones in between. Plus, there’s nothing like the love of a grandchild! Perhaps I can sum it up by explaining the title of this blog post.

Every night my three-year-old grandson wants me to sing him the lullaby, “Bonnie Wee.” While I am singing to him and stroking his hair, he is stroking my face. When I tell him, “Good night, my sweet little boy,” he sighs, “Good night, my sweet little Grandma” and then covers my face with kisses. It melts my heart, every single time.

You have to go back four generations on my mother’s side to find a woman who lived long enough to see a grandchild. I do not take these special moments for granted.

The Future

At the first property we considered, the Hispanic realtor for the seller looked perplexed when I told her what we were looking for. “That’s common in my culture,” she said, “but I don’t know many Americans looking for that.”

I replied, “Just watch! I think you are going to see more and more of this.” And indeed, that has been the case. In the five years since we did this, I know of at least a dozen others – friends, relatives, a co-worker – who have undertaken the same multi-generational arrangement.

In each case, it was a conscious choice, like our situation, not driven by necessity but desire. I will not be surprised to see future home construction designed with just this multi-generational desire in mind.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Would you ever consider an intentional multi-generational living arrangement? Why or why not? What do you think may be the benefits? What would be the drawbacks?

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

As a former swimmer, I’ve invested in all the hair removal tools for my bikini area. Non-irritating shave cream, high-quality razors, wax strips, exfoliants and as of recently, Brazilian waxes. After bouts of razor bumps and ingrown hairs from shaving last summer, it felt like nothing could alleviate my sensitive skin. Last August, I decided to give consistent Brazilian waxes a try, hoping the process would lead to less irritation and grooming on my end. But the often painful and expensive appointments got old. I pay $70 per month for my wax, and frankly, I’d rather put that toward something more relaxing like getting my nails done.  

As most shavers can relate, regular razors can lead to extreme irritation down under, which, to put it plainly, is the most frustrating thing in the world when all you want to do is flaunt your best swimsuit. So, when I came across this TikTok video from Ave Marin (aka @greenybeany420), I knew I had found the answers to my bikini shaving woes. With summer right around the corner, I was determined to find a solution to my expensive wax appointments.

Ave reveals her favorite bikini shaving product, the Panasonic Wet/Dry Electric Trimmer, and explains how, just like me, she used to dread swimsuit season because of razor bumps from shaving. Her claims that the Panasonic trimmer leads to zero bumps and irritation were incredibly convincing that I added it to my Amazon cart immediately to put the razor to the test myself.

Amazon

Panasonic Wet/Dry Electric Trimmer

How I Tested It 

The day my Panasonic trimmer arrived (I went with the three-blade trimmer in shade mint), I hopped in the shower to prep my skin. To say I was nervous at this point is an understatement. What if the razor bumps are inevitable and I just have to live with them forever? What if expensive waxes are the only option forever? The anxiety was real.  

Part of the trimmer can extend out to make it easy to cut the actual hair. When the trimmer isn’t extended, it “buffs” out the leftover hairs to leave skin smooth as a baby’s booty. To avoid irritation, I dry shaved (scary, I know) with the extended trimmer all over, then lowered it to its normal, resting position to finish my shaving off with the “buffing” part of the trimmer. After not removing my own hair for seven months, it took a little maneuvering to get used to the trimmer. My hair was about mid-length, so it only took 15 minutes to remove everything and rinse. Which brings me to the finishing touches: I rinsed off the area, cleansed it with ingrown hair solution and moisturized with jojoba oil. I kept a close eye on the area to see how it reacted immediately after shaving and the days after.  

The Results 

As shocked as I am to admit, I’ve experienced zero irritation from the trimmer and actual shaving process in my one month of testing. I’ve been using this trimmer for one month and can happily confirm it’s the hair removal tool I didn’t know I needed. While it can’t remove the entire hair follicle just like waxing does, it leaves my bikini area smooth and irritation-free. I’m super dedicated to having a pristinely smooth bikini area, so I also go in with tweezers a few times per week. The beauty of the trimmer, however, is you can easily maintain your bikini area whether you like to shave everyday or once a week. And it works wet or dry! 

My waxing specialist taught me that it’s extremely important to exfoliate the area every other day (exfoliating gloves work beautifully) and moisturize with an oil (like rosehip or jojoba). Shaving with the Panasonic Wet/Dry Trimmer and consistently exfoliating and moisturizing after every shower has created the perfect self-grooming ritual that I’m excited to continue as summer rolls around. I trim my hair two times per week, but I imagine it will be closer to every other day in the summer. As for the razor itself, it comes with a compact charging dock (no clunky cords, yay!), traveling case, and cleaning brush.  

RELATED: 20 Long-Torso Bathing Suits That Deserve A Slow Clap From Tall Women Everywhere

Don’t just take my word for it. Over 1,500 happy Amazon shoppers are also thrilled to discover the secret to affordable hair removal that doesn’t lead to irritation. “I always get bumps and irritated skin after shaving the traditional way no matter what I try,” writes a five-star Amazon reviewer. “This thing is amazing! Easy to use, gets a smooth shave if you go over a spot several times. Absolutely no irritation after and I have smooth skin for like the first time ever. And I got these results from dry shaving.” 

Another five-star reviewer adds, “When I tell you this product went above and beyond my expectations, it surpassed every possible doubt in my mind. Easy to use, easy to hold, and 110% made for sensitive skin. I was able to get a close shave without any nicks or razor cuts and on top of it no strawberry skin. Any woman looking to get hairless skin without suffering the aftermath, look no further than this product!”  

My sensitive skin is thrilled to have a routine that doesn’t lead to irritation–and my wallet is happy, too. If you’re ready to banish razor bumps for good, find your own Panasonic Wet/Dry Electric Trimmer on Amazon for $30. Swimsuit season, here I come!