Winter Skin Care Tips !

Winter is officially here… your skin is undoubtedly letting you know! Here are our latest tips to help keep your skin looking beautiful despite the elements.

Our cream is like a coat for you skin
When the mercury falls, we change our wardrobe… wool socks, mittens and tuques anyone? Our skin also needs TLC, so be prepared to add come extra layers of protection to your regime. With the heating in our homes, cars, and work places our skin easily becomes more dehydrated. To combat this, a richer cream is key to help create a barrier and avoid our skin from losing its natural moisture.
Our Age-Defense Cream is perfect for this time of the year! When participating in winter outdoor activities, be sure to protect your face with our Crème Divine. And, for your hands and body we recommend our amazing Skin Therapy Cream: Ultra Nourishing Hand and Body Moisturizer. This dynamic duo will protect you from the cold and wind while their scent will remind you of beautiful summer days.

Did you know you can wear your mask all night ?!
Why is it important to apply your mask more often during the winter? A mask will deeply nourish the skin with its abundance of active ingredients. During the winter our skin is extra dry and crying for these extra nutrients. Our newest Cream Mask is ideal to get this job done. And, YES! you can leave the mask on all night to get an intensive treatment. During the night, the mask will amplify the skins natural repairing and nourishing processes. In the morning, your skin will feel plumped, nourished, moisturized, and even those fine lines will feel smoother… you will feel like you spent the night at the spa!
To get the maximum effect of an overnight mask , it is important to prepare your skin… start with our Cleansing Cream: Nutri-Luminous, followed with either our 100% natural Toning Mist or Eau Divine, then delicately massage your face with a drop of our Age-Defense Serum… now you are ready for the layer of Cream Mask. After 5 minutes, sponge off any excess mask with a tissue, do not rinse and leave the mask for the night.
In the morning, complete your cleanse… remove the mask using our Toning Mist or Eau Divine before applying the final layers of Age- Defense Eye Contour Cream and Age-Defense Cream.

If your skin is extremely dry…
We suggest you check-out our latest additions in our collection, Nature Divine! You will be pleasantly surprised by the quality and richness of the ingredients found in these products. This amazing new line contains more Sea Buckthorn than ever, up to 4 times more.
The Crème Divine is rich and abundant with nutrients that will keep your skin glowing even on the coldest of cold days. Eau Divine our amplified toner, will prepare your skin to absorb the multitude of active ingredients in Crème Divine.
Elixir Divine, also know as the golden oil, can be applied anywhere on your face or body. If you are heading south this winter Elixir Divine will be your best friend. Each night, after a day in the sun, blanket your body with our elixir… it will calm your sun-drenched skin, deeply hydrate and leave your sun-kissed skin glowing. Upon your return to the land of ice and snow home continue your daily applications to your skin to adjust to the drastic temperature change. Your skin will be soft, hydrated and radiate with its healthy looking glow.

These tips will help keep you hydrated outside, it is also important to drinks lots of water to keep help with overall hydration. Also, even when it is cold outside be sure to apply sunscreen. Wishing you a fun winter and splendid skin all year-round!

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Notes from our Bio-Estheticians: Summer Skin Care

This summer you probably would like your skin to be looking young and healthy ! With warm weather fast approaching, we’re prepared to offer you some advice from our bio-estheticians.

 

The arrival of summer! (Early June)

About 2 weeks before exposing your skin to the sun it is important to do some preparatory treatments. First, you should exfoliate your skin 2 to 3 times per week using our blend of Cleansing Cream and Seabuckthorn Facial Mask[1]. They allow you to rid your skin of dead cells and reveal healthy, glowing fresh skin. This step will ensure a uniform and healthy tan when you are out and about in the sun. For people who might have some spots, our Age-Defence Serum is the product for you. It has been clinically proven that to decrease the number of dark spots and hyperpigmentation up to 78% after 56 days of use (as part of the clinical study protocol).

 

The middle of the summer (July-August)

This is the period during which your skin will be most exposed to sunlight. It is therefore very important to moisturize. Start with the Toning Mist – your skin will soak up the moisture and the mist will soothe skin after long days in the sun. For a more calming effect you can even leave it in the refrigerator, it will be cool and help to calm redness. Use the Toning Mist in the morning to cleanse your face of impurities using cotton swabs (swap over the T-zone (chin-nose-front) to disinfect the area). Follow with the Age-Defense moisturizer which best suits your skin type (normal, dry, oily-sensitive).

Tip for the summer: our Age-Defence Gel for Oily-Senstitive skin is a fresh gel which is ideal as a moisturizer for normal skin during the summer season. It will leave your skin hydrated and silky thanks to the combination of sea buckthorn oils and jojoba.

One of the most important steps for any summer skin care routine is the application of sunscreen. Whether a full screen (which blocks all rays) or a solar filter (which allows some rays to pass through and enables the skin to tan) it is important to follow dosage and apply the cream every 90 to 120 minutes and when you exit the water. Another tip for beautiful skin: Our Sea Buckthorn Tea is makes a super iced tea, refreshing and rich in anti-oxidants that will help fight free radicals.

 

Late summer (September)

About 2 weeks after significant sun exposure, you will be able to start exfoliating. This will allow your skin to get rid of dead cells and clear the outer cell layer which is formed to protect your skin in the summer. As at the beginning of the summer, you should exfoliate your skin 2-3 times a week using our mix of Cleansing Cream and Mask. It is also advisable to make a nutritious mask[2] by mixing your moisturizer and the mask. Age-Defence Serum will hydrate and nourish your skin which will be much needed in the approach of autumn. During the coldest days, our Age-Defence Cream for dry and mature skin will be your ideal companion.

Use our advice to achieve healthy and beauitful skin this summer. You can also complement your home care with professional treatments from our certified bio-estheticians (visit « Where to Buy » on www.mont-echo.com to find the nearest esthetician’s office). The bio-estheticians have access to concetrated oils that provide extraordinary results. Click here to find retail outlets and bio-estheticians in your area.

 

[1] To exfoliate: Mix the equivalent of a tablespoon of Facial Mask, the equivalent of half a tablespoon of Cleansing Cream, and 5-8 sprays Toning Mist. Apply the scrub by rubbing in small circles for about a minute and let it dry. When dry (3 to 5 minutes), remove it by rubbing off in small circles until face is clean and rinse your skin with cool water. For the most sensitive skin, do not rub the scrub – just rinse with fresh water.

[2] For the mask: mix the equivalent of a tablespoon of Facial Mask, the equivalent of a tablespoon of Age-Defence Cream for your skin type, and 5-8 sprays Toning Mist. Apply on the skin, face and neck, avoiding the eye area for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water until completely clean. Spray Toning Mist and apply your Age-Defence Cream.

Celebrate Natural Beauty this month! Meet our finalists and enjoy special offers online!

Mont Echo Naturels has launched our “Love Natural Beauty” campaign, which celebrates the true meaning of beauty throughout the month in honour of Valentine’s Day. The campaign features the faces of Mont Echo Natural Beauty Contest finalists selected from actual Mont Echo customers across southern Quebec with minimal makeup and no artificial styling or airbrushing.

The women will appear alongside their personal definitions of natural beauty, which are unique and powerful.

“Mont Echo is a company built on the belief that we don’t need to risk our skins for beauty,” states Creative Director Tamara Ensio. “This group of women spans an age range of over 30 years. Their backgrounds and careers are diverse; they are all at different stages of life. These are real women, real customers. We want to take the opportunity this Valentine’s Day to encourage women to embrace natural beauty and not the artificial, photoshopped version that is so prevalent in our society.”

Along with the banners and ads celebrating Mont Echo’s faces of natural beauty, the company will be making their popular Skin Care Kits available online in February and unveling new packaging for the Sea Buckthorn Cream Cleanser. Facebook fans will have a chance to win one of the Kits, and online shoppers can look forward to several specials on hair and skin care.

Mont Echo’s hair and skin care products are 100% natural and clinically-proven effective. All of their products are made in Quebec and feature 100% Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn, one of nature’s most powerful anti-aging ingredients.

Visit http://www.mont-echo.com or http://www.facebook.com/montecho to view the campaign.

A good skin care routine is vital to maintain beautiful skin all year round!

Quebec’s climate is one of the most difficult in which to maintain healthy and well-hydrated skin. Through harsh winters with brutal cold and electric heating and through hot and humid summers, we must work hard to preserve and maintain our skin so that it retains its suppleness and radiance.

The secret? Daily hydration –preferably twice a day – as well as a routine which includes a weekly exfoliation to remove dead skin and allow better absorption of products, and a facial cleansing in the evening to remove the collected dirt and makeup residue . Our recommended exfoliant, which is a mixture of our cream cleanser and powder mask, may be used as a scrub and provides instant radiance while cleaning the skin thoroughly. Used regularly, it helps fade the appearance of dark spots and leaves the skin fresh and healthy.

For delicate skin, our mist is excellent cleanser which can be used morning and evening. Its hydrosols of Frankincense and Immortelle rejuvenate aging skin and soothe sensitive skin. The Sea Buckthorn hydrosol excellent for improving the appearance of skin lesions and pimples and reducing the appearance of pores.

Sea Buckthorn oil has proven its ability to alleviate radiation burns, dermatitis, eczema and sunburn. Our serum is composed of both sea buckthorn fruit and seed oils, rosehip and rosemary antioxidants. Its composition is excellent for dry and aging skin, and skin damaged by UV rays. In addition, this certified organic serum is extremely healing.

Mont Echo’s anti-aging products offer unmatched quality at very affordable prices.

Try one our facial sample kits today to see what they can do for your skin type!

Testing our hair care line on “Skindeep”

We have just launched our new line of hair care. As we do not test on animals, we sent to products to our entire team at Mont Echo and their immediate families (parents, children, spouses, cousins, etc.) to try. Everyone was delighted with the results!

• Men really like the shampoo and serum (occasionally), especially for dry and itchy scalps.
• Mothers loved the shampoo and conditioner for children. While not tear-free formulas, both are gentle and work wonders on tangles.
• All the women loved both the shampoo and conditioner, and many noted in particular the detangling and smoothing effects of the conditioner.
• Serum use depended on the type of hair and hair health. For dry and brittle hair or hair damaged by chemicals or colours, users reported that it really nourishes and revitalizes. If you have fine hair, we find that you should leave in for less time and be sure to rinse well. Those with dry and course hair found that they did not need to rinse at all. After two or three treatments, the difference in hair smoothness and appearance was remarkable.

Testing for Safety

Skin Deep is a website that allows you to test cosmetics and their ingredients to know the potential dangers of use. I decided to do the test with our shampoo, our conditioner and our serum – and of course they all rated excellent! This is a great site to research your current and prospective care products’ ingredients. This is not a test for natural but rather a test of reported potential harmfulness. Natural ingredients can, of course, be dangerous and it is well worth considering this when shopping for products for you and your family.

The site: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep

This site rates on two factors: toxicity of ingredients (rated from 0 to 10, with 10 being toxic) and existing knowledge and research on each ingredient (color-coded)

Data: None
Data: Limited
Data: Fair
Data: Good
Data: Robust

All but 3 of our ingredients have a score of 0, which is the best and least dangerous. One received a score of 2 and two others received a score of 1. All scores are incredibly low on the scale and indicate no danger. All were green, with reliable data for confirmed their non-toxicity. This is an amazing achievement!

The only ingredient that is not rated on the site is “sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate”, which is a mild cleansing and foaming agent derived from coconut and corn. I wanted to be sure our customers get complete information, so here is an objective rating of the ingredient from another consumer guide called, “the Good Guide”:

Sodium lauryl glucose carboxylate raises no health concerns because:

• It is not on any of GoodGuide’s lists of toxic chemicals which cause suspected or recognized health effects
• It has not been detected in human tissue or urine
• It is not a high production volume chemical that lacks safety data

So go ahead and indulge yourself with Mont Echo’s hair care and get healthier hair without risking your scalp!

We’re excited for great new things in 2013!

Mont Echo has recently moved into a new 5000 sq ft facility near our farms in the Eastern Townships of Québec.  While the trees continue to sleep, we’ve already begun to prepare for the fruit that they will produce.  This fruit, grown in the shadow of Mont Echo, will need to be transformed so we can collect and utilize these gifts from the trees.  Our multi-vessel Supercritical CO2 extraction system, the largest in Québec for the extraction of natural products, is now safely stored in its new home, and I am very excited to once again fill it with the seeds and fruit that give us the 2 very distinct and very concentrated oils that give Mont Echo products their clinically proven efficacy (click to view clinical study!).  With the ever increasing focus on source and traceability, Mont Echo continues to stand alone in North America by offering products made from 100% Canadian Grown Sea Buckthorn.  I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store for our farms and our products.  Already, 2013 has seen the launch of our new haircare line (learn more!), and as our plants continue to sleep through our long Canadian winter, we are continually working to develop new products, always mindful of how it all ties together from plant to product.

Brad Johnson 
President & CEO of Mont Echo Naturels, Inc.

Tips for Using the Facial Mask!

Do you know how to use Mont Echo’s Sea Buckthorn Facial Mask?

The mask is part of the protocol of clinical study that yielded spectacular results last year. Composed of s100% natural ingredients, the mask acts as both an effective scrub and a skin-smoothing mask. Used regularly, it naturally brightens the complexion and gently removes spots. Its vitamins nourish and provide unparalleled antioxidant protection. It soothes and softens irritated skin, and moisturizes and soothes sensitive skin.

To use as an exfoliating scrub, combine the mask in equal portions with cleansing cream and apply to the face for ten minutes. The mixture absorbs oil and begins to dry and crumble. Roll the mixture off your skin with your fingers. Dead skin cells are removed from the surface of the skin and your bright new skin is revealed! This scrub can be used 2 times a week followed by a tonic spray mist.

To use as a mask, mix the powder 1:1 with Age-Defence Cream, 1 spritz of Toning Mist and a add few drops of Age-Defence Serum for dry or mature skin. Apply to the face in a thick layer and leave for 20 minutes. Roll off and rinse with warm water. Follow with application of mist, serum and moisturizer as needed. For a a truly refreshing experience, refrigerate your Mist prior to final application

Satisfaction Guaranteed!

 

CHFA Quebec a Major Success for Mont Echo!

The CHFA (Canadian Health Food Association) tradeshow, held at Place Bonaventure February 1^st and 2^nd  of 2013, was a resounding success. The expo was only open to professionals in the health food and health products industries.

We presented our line of Age-Defence beauty products and our new line of hair care. We heard so many positive comments and so much enthusiasm from our visitors, it was very exciting!

We expected fewer attendants than the same show which was held in Toronto in September 2012, but were thrilled to find that there were actually far more visitors at our booth.

Different pharmacy chains have visited as well as the larger natural food chains and stores and, much to our surprise, a chain of supermarkets. There is a real demand for beauty products made ​​in Quebec with a proven efficacy AND 100% natural ingredients. Mont Echo, being “100% Naturally Effective,” is exactly what consumers want today!
Congratulations to the entire team of Mont Echo.

Traceability in skin care products

Canadian Sea Buckthorn

Traceability has long been an important topic in the food industry. In today’s global economy, your fruit likely originated in South America and your sausage may have been made with pork sourced from multiple countries. With such a lot of distance between the farm and your table, people are becoming increasingly concerned about what they are putting in their body… Where was it grown? What was it exposed to while growing and while being transported? How far was it transported? Who has handled it and how?

Consumers have also begun to advocate for greater traceability in the ingredients of products they put on their bodies. The skin absorbs large quantities of whatever it comes into contact with – nutrients, minerals, vitamins… and poisons. It is so important to treat the outside of your body with the same care with which you treat the inside.

How do you ensure that the products you are using are free of harmful chemicals and truly 100% natural? Trace the origin of the ingredients. If you can trace the ingredient to the source, you can be sure that it is natural or naturally derived. That way you can be certain it hasn’t absorbed harmful environmental pollutants, like heavy metals, during the growing process – and you can be certain that the ingredient IS what it claims to be. Countries in Europe have recently created new legislation to deal with traceability and to protect consumers after several frauds were uncovered. It was discovered in France, for example, that there was quite a lot more “Sea Buckthorn oil” being sold than could possibly have been produced worldwide. We found that a bit scary. What kind of oil, exactly, was being sold? What other countries may have been affected? The moral of the story: trace your ingredient to the source so you aren’t taken advantage of by companies looking to capitalize on a hot trend.

Here are five tips for choosing natural, traceable skincare products for yourself and your family:

1. Take the time to read labels and minimize your exposure to harmful chemicals. Look for locally-grown, sustainably-grown and cleanly-grown ingredients.
2. Consider both the environment of the ingredient source and the transport required to bring the ingredient to the final processor. Many organically grown teas in Asia, for example, are sprayed with pesticides on the dock before being loaded onto ships for transport to North America. Many ingredients in heavily polluted parts of the world absorb heavy metals and other toxins no matter how carefully they are grown.
3. Ask for proof. Is the company willing to share information about the source of its ingredients? There are many ingredients – particularly spices and exotic oils – that can only be sourced non-locally. And many exact ingredient locations are closely guarded secrets. But that does not mean the ingredient can’t be grown and handled according to the highest standards, and it doesn’t mean the company cannot share with you general information about the source.
4. When you have a choice, support your local growers. Local ingredients have a small environmental footprint, travel shorter distances, and are generally handled by fewer processors. Organic is great, but local is better.
5. Remember that natural does not mean hypoallergenic or non-irritating. Always patch-test new products on your skin – non-synthetic ingredients are not engineered by man to be hypoallergenic!

If you have questions about our products or how to use them, take advantage of our in-house esthetician, who will be available every Wednesday to answer all your questions. 1-888-640-2014

Committed to Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn: Why Do We Care?

Sea Buckthorn has suddenly become the darling of natural ingredients. Town & Country magazine featured the fruit in an article entitled “Sea Buckthorn – The Groves of Eternal Youth.” Whole Living listed Sea Buckthorn as one of the Hottest Ingredients of the year. Dr. Oz touted Sea Buckthorn’s weight loss and skin care properties on his show multiple times. Marie Claire, Oxygen, Shape, and Lucky have trumpeted its virtues.

The only thing that disappoints us about all this great buzz is that folks seem to feel that they need to travel the globe to bring home great Sea Buckthorn. Of course, China and the Himalayas are exotic and lovely – but did you know that there is a whole community of local growers who are cultivating this “miracle berry” right in your backyard?

Beyond Skin Deep

We’re biased of course. Our motto is “Beyond Skin Deep,” meaning that we believe that true beauty comes from knowing that you are making the best choices for your body, your environment and your community. That means we believe strongly in supporting local farmers and in minimizing our environmental footprint by sourcing our ingredients from places that don’t require excessive shipping and processing steps. So we thought we would take a moment here to explain exactly why we were so determined to found Mont Echo Naturels as a 100% Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn company when everyone else said it was impossible.

The Farmers

Sea Buckthorn farming is a family business for the founders of Mont Echo Naturels

We began as Sea Buckthorn growers ourselves and we were endlessly frustrated by companies – even Canadian companies! – that continually chose to bring in foreign Sea Buckthorn when there were farmers across Canada desperate to sell fruit. In many cases, farmers were forced to let their fruit die on the plant because it just wasn’t possible to compete with the bargain-basement prices of the mass growers overseas. This is an incredible waste of precious fruit! In fact, when we first started going to international Sea Buckthorn conferences, our plans to create products using Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn were laughed out of the room as “impossible.” And yet here we are, just a few years later, purchasing massive volumes of fruit from our own farmers and producing some of the finest products on the market with it. All we had to do was start small, support the industry, and put our commitment to local farmers ahead of concern for profit.

The Environment

A plant is only as good as the environment its grown in. Our company is named after the mountain next to which our Sea Buckthorn dreams were born. Our orchards sit at the base of lovely Mont Echo in southern Quebec, on property which backs up to thousands of acres of pristine Nature Conservancy land. Our fruit doesn’t fall off the trees when gently shaken, as fruit at high altitudes does. Our fruit clings strongly to the branches – even through winter if not picked. Like the land around it, our fruit is beautiful and bountiful and robust. And as our fruit requirements grew beyond what our farms could produce, we traveled across Quebec, the Maritimes and the Prairies to seek out similar sources of fruit. Why do we care so much? Because a plant cultivated organically in the rich lands of beautiful, natural Canada breathes clean air, drinks clean water and grows in clean soil. And it turns all these pure elements into clean, pure oils. And that’s the kind of oil we want in our products.

Knowing Your Source AND your Process

One of the other reasons we love to focus on Canadian fruit is that it gives us the opportunity to be innovators. Unlike other companies, we do all of our ingredient extraction ourselves, right here in Quebec. Sea Buckthorn oils are very difficult to extract and even small changes in temperature during the processing can have a large impact on the quality of nutrients in the oil. Because we know and control the source AND the process, we have the chance to make sure every drop of oil, floral water and powder we produce is as good and as pure as it can be. And we can experiment endlessly to produce new natural ingredients that utilize every part of the plant.

Spring is approaching here in southern Quebec and we’re looking forward to it after a long, icy winter. Our family farms are gearing up for another growing season and the company is also going to grow this year – new equipment, new products and new sales outlets are in the works to compliment our newly redesigned website! Come grow with us and take advantage of all the benefit that only Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn can offer.