Win “Mont Echo for a Year”!

Every season presents new challenges for our skin. From winter dryness to summer sun, we are constantly looking for ways to protect and nourish our skin in every climate and environment. While drinking plenty of water is always appropos, your skin regime needs to adapt to the challenges of your climate.

Mont Echo is celebrating beautiful skin in every season by offering you a chance to win a whole year of our 100% natural and Canadian skin & hair care products – a 960$ value!

There are FOUR ways to enter:

1. FACEBOOK – Visit the contest announcement on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/montecho) and include a comment.
2. EMAIL – Forward your name, email address and phone number to concours@mont-echo.com
3. INSTORE – Complete a ballot at a participating retail location.
4. ONLINE – Complete an online purchase during the contest period.

 

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WIN MONT-ECHO FOR A YEAR Contest Rules

Issued January 15, 2015

 

Contest Period
The contest begins on January 16, 2015 at 12:01 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) and ends on March 14, 2015 at 11:59 p.m.

 

Eligibility
This contest is opened to everyone 18 years or older, with the exception of employees, agents or representatives of Mont-Echo Naturels, Inc , as well as their family members and/or people living in the same household.

 

How to Enter
No purchase necessary. LIMIT One entry per person for the duration of this contest.

 

There are FOUR ways to enter:

1. FACEBOOK – Visit the contest announcement on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/montecho) and include a comment.
2. EMAIL – Forward your name, email address and phone number to concours@mont-echo.com
3. INSTORE – Complete a ballot at a participating retail location.
4. ONLINE – Complete an online purchase during the contest period.

 

Note We are not responsible for technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to the malfunctioning of any computer, cable, server, network, hardware, software, or web site.

 

Prizes and approximate value:

• There will be one prize consisting of one free Age-Defense cream: sea buckthorn facial moisturizer and one free seabuckthorn cleansing cream: nutri-luminous, or the equivalent retail value, per month for the twelve months of 2015.
• The prize will be fulfilled as twelve (12) promo coupons, one issued each month throughout 2015, with a value of $70 per month for online purchase. Free delivery is also included for each monthly delivery. The coupons are valid only at our online store mont-echo.com/shop.
• There is one (1) prize available with a total approximate value of $960.
• Prizes must be accepted as is, with no replacements or modifications. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash.

 

Prize Draw
A random draw will be executed on March 17, 2015, in Montreal, Quebec at approximately 12 p.m., from all eligible entries. The odds of winning will depend on the total number of eligible entries received during the contest period. The winner will be announced via our Newsletter, on our Website and Facebook page. The winner will be required to answer the following skill-testing question to claim the prize 10 x 2 + 6 – 10 = ____

 

Other Legal Disclaimers
For Quebec residents, disputes regarding the organization or conduct of a promotional contest may be submitted to the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux for a ruling. Disputes over the awarding of a prize may also be submitted to the Régie, but only for the purposes of helping the parties reach a settlement.

 

This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

Reverse time with younger-looking hair… naturally!

The latest and greatest trend in hair care is Anti-Aging. Yup, that’s right. The same ingredients that help keep your skin looking young can and are being used in shampoos and conditioners to reverse the damage that aging inflicts on your luxurious locks.

In a lot of ways, your hair suffers much more than your skin as you age. Harsh environmental factors, chemical colouring and styling tools inflict extensive damage, hastening the onset of dry, brittle and worn out strands. Harpers Bazaar recently cited a study that claimed thick, shiny hair makes women appear younger, while dull and lifeless hair adds years to your look.

Frankly this news doesn’t seem like news to us. As natural beauty proponents, we have always known that taking care of your body also includes your hair. Sea Buckthorn does, after all, mean “Shining Horse,” a reference to the radiant hair of the horses that ate it. Sea Buckthorn is one of nature’s greatest anti-aging products, and all types of hair benefit from the omegas, vitamins and minerals present in its oils.

Unfortunately, healthy NATURAL hair care is even harder to come by than healthy, natural skin care. Why? Well, there are a number of reasons. Natural ingredients just do not replicate the foaming and cleaning sensations of chemical ingredients. If your product creates a huge head of suds in seconds, the odds are pretty good there are a lot of chemicals in there.

A recent interview with well-known organic formulator Dr. Barbara Olioso highlighted these challenges in developing natural hair care:

I am facing two main challenges—a human one and a technical one. The human challenge is the client and consumer expectations for an instant sensorial gratification, which are unrealistic for a natural product. This is hardly a surprise given the way synthetics are marketed posing as naturals. For example, argan oil is often promoted as the miracle worker, but the silicones that produce the glossy sheen on hair in these products are often not mentioned.

The technical challenge I came across was to find natural conditioning actives that could compete with the mainstream actives. Ultimately, the product had to sell to an audience with these unrealistic expectations, so I had to use a raw material that was not completely natural but gave good conditioning on the hair and had good biodegradability.

At Mont Echo, it took us several years to put together the right ingredients for an all-natural hair care line that we felt was effective and safe. We tried to balance consumer expectations with our high standards for efficacy and natural ingredients. We hope you are as pleased with the results as we are!

And here are a couple of special tips right from us for getting the most out of your natural hair care products:

1)   Always shampoo twice. The old rinse and repeat mantra has never been so important. Without the strong chemicals found in standard shampoos, most hair types benefit from shampooing twice. Since the formulations are so much more gentle, it won’t dry your hair to use more product!

2)   Leave your conditioner in as long as you can. Let it really sink into your hair and scalp before rinsing. The length of time should be dictated by your hair type as well, with thinner or finer hair generally requiring less time to drink up the conditioning ingredients than thicker hair.

3)   Treatment serums like our Hair Serum are oil-based, so experiment with them to find the right amount of product and treatment time required. Those with thinner and finer hair will find that less is more, and a good rinse after treatment is essential. Those with drier hair will find that their hair appreciates a heavier dose and a longer treatment time. Some even find that they can leave a small amount on all day with no rinse for a shine boost.

So don’t be afraid to try natural anti-aging shampoos and conditioners! Your hair will thank you for it, and you’ll feel even better about looking 10 years younger.

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.

Personal Experiences with Mont Echo Skincare II

People of all ages and skin types have written to us to tell us about their experiences with Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Skincare. A few weeks ago, we shared the story of a 30-something with problematic skin, and this week we’d like to share two more personal skincare stories. And if you’ve tried our products, we’d love to hear from you too! Just send us an email at argousier@mont-echo.com

Sex: Male

Age: 67

Skin type: Normal

Concerns: Grover’s Disease (transient acantholytic dermatosis)

I’ve never had any issues with my skin until the past year, when I suddenly started getting an itchy rash of red spots on my torso—mostly on my back. I had never experienced anything like it before, and I went to the dermatologist right away to have it checked out. He examined the rash, took a biopsy, and soon I had my diagnosis: Grover’s Disease, or transient acantholytic dermatosis. He told me it’s a condition most often found in older men, and is characterized by sudden outbreaks of itchy red spots. The cause is unknown. He prescribed me some topical cortisone creams to help control the outbreaks and relieve the itching.

Unfortunately, the cortisone creams didn’t do much. They’d help for a week or so, and then the rash would reappear just as bad or even worse than before. It was especially bad in the hot, sweaty summer months.

The Mont Echo Soothing Mist was recommended to me by a friend. I was told it was very soothing and anti-inflammatory, great for skin conditions, sunburn, and bug bites. I gave it a try and the results were almost immediate. I use the spray liberally morning and night on my face, body, and especially my back. It helps relieve the itching and clear the outbreak. I’ve found that it’s really the only thing that works on my Grover’s Disease. Thanks for your great products.

Sex: Female

Age: 58

Skin type: Dry, oily T-zone

Concerns: Wrinkles, redness, blotchiness, uneven skin tone

I love all the products.  My doctor actually noticed a big improvement with my skin tone after I started using them.  I use the cleanser, the soothing mist, the facial serum, and the moisturizer twice daily, morning and night.  And then the mask/ scrub once a week.  Also I rub the oil on my nails and the results are amazing to me.  It seems to make my nails stronger and also makes them grow faster.  I’ve actually never been able to grow my nails before.

DISCLAIMER The information offered by Mont Echo Naturels is not intended to replace, in any way, the medical advice that can be provided by a physician or other medical professional. Please consult your physician with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your health.

Personal Experiences with Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Skincare I

Wondering if Mont Echo’s Bath and Body products might be good for you? Our 100% natural, Sea Buckthorn-based skin and hair care products are great for all skin types and ages. Over the next few weeks, we’d like to share some personal stories from people of all ages and skin types who’ve tried our products. And if you’ve tried our products, we’d love to hear from you too! Just send us an email at argousier@mont-echo.com

Sex: Female

Age: 32

Skin type: Oily / Combination

Concerns: Breakouts; wrinkles; dry, flakey areas in winter months

As a 32-year-old female with combination skin, breakouts have always been a concern for me. And now, as I creep toward my mid-30s, I’m starting to have to contend with wrinkles too. However, over the past year I’ve developed a simple skincare regime using several of Mont Echo’s Sea Buckthorn skincare products that has really helped me balance my skin and help it look its best.

My two must-have products are definitely Mont Echo’s Soothing Mist and the Oil Serum. In fact, I’m so addicted to them that when my supply starts to run low I get a little panicky until I’m able to restock!

I use both products twice a day. In the morning, I splash my face with cool water and then spritz on the Mist. The Mist has an unusual scent which took some getting used to, but I’ve grown accustomed to it and I appreciate that it’s all natural and unique. I love how it sooths my skin and preps it for the Oil Serum. When my face is still damp from the Mist, I apply a drop of Oil Serum on my forehead, each cheek and chin, and massage into my skin. I love the way my skin feels after—it’s not greasy at all, just soft and hydrated, and I find the Serum makes a great makeup base.

In the evenings before bed, I wash my face with the Crème Cleanser, which I find gentle enough for every day (though once or twice a week I exfoliate since the Sea Buckthorn oils in the Oil Serum seem to increase cellular regeneration, necessitating removal of the dead skin on the surface to prevent breakout and reveal the fresh skin beneath!) and then reapply the Mist and Oil Serum.

I love these two products, and I love what they have done for my often difficult and temperamental 30-something skin!

Mont Echo Naturels Wins Gala Excellence Award!

Mont Echo Naturels has been awarded the Gala Excellence Brome-Missisquoi Award 2011 in the category of Manufacturing (1 – 10 employees) by the Chamber of Commerce of Cowansville and the Region. The award was accepted by Mont Echo Naturels co-founder and CEO Brad Johnson and Mont Echo office and boutique manager Cindy Cleary at the awards banquet at the Chateau Bromont on November 12, 2011.

The Gala Excellence Brome-Missisquoi is a biennial competition recognizing excellence in local business. The competition is comprised of 15 prize categories representing various regional industries and businesses. Nominees in each category were announced in October, and the winners were selected by a grand jury in November.

“We are honored and thrilled to have been recognized by our local business community,” states Johnson. “We pride ourselves on being a community-conscious and locally-oriented company, so winning this award really means a lot to us.”

For more information about Mont Echo Naturels, please visit out website at www.mont-echo.com.

For more information about the Gala Excellence and a full list of the nominees, please visit: http://www.chambre-cowansville.com/gala-excellence/nominees-2011/

Notes from Our Esthetician: Getting the Most from Mont Echo Skincare

To get the best results from your skin care products, you have to know how to use them properly. This is certainly true of our Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn skin care line! To help you get the most out of your Sea Buckthorn skin care, our consulting esthetician, Veronique Picard, has put together some advice on using Sea Buckthorn in your daily regime:

Morning

Cleanse your face with the Creme Cleanser and rinse well with warm water.

Spray Soothing Mist directly on the face, or spritz on a cottonball and apply over face and neck. Allow to air dry briefly.

Combine 2 drops of Oil Serum with 2-3 pumps of Facial Moisturizer and apply to the face with light upward sweeps.

Night

Remove eye makeup and heavy foundations with your preferred makeup remover.

Clean your face with the Creme Cleanser and rinse well with warm water.

Spray Soothing Mist directly on the face, or spritz on a cottonball and apply over face and neck.

Massage 2-3 drops of Oil Serum directly onto problem areas (wrinkles, sun damage, brown spots, scars, etc) while face is still slightly damp.

Apply Facial Moisturizer as necessary.

Exfoliation

Once or twice a week, exfoliate your skin using the Nutritive Mask and Cleanser to reveal radiant new skin:

Mix Mask and Creme Cleanser in an approximately 2:1 ratio.

Apply mixture to face after applying Soothing Mist and allow to dry for 5 (for dry skin) to 10 (for oily skin) minutes, until mask is lightly set and dry enough to roll off using your fingertips without smearing.

Use your fingertips to rub / roll the mask from your face carefully until the mask is completely removed.

Rinse with warm water and apply Soothing Mist, Serum and Moisturizer.

Want to learn more? Visit our website at www.mont-echo.com!

Harvest Festival, Week 1 Highlights!

The 2^nd Mont Echo Sea Buckthorn Harvest Festival is well underway and the response has been amazing so far! People have been arriving from all over, excited to try the products, meet the trees and learn something new.

Tours are as usual at the heart of the Festival. Running 4 days a week (Tuesdays, Thursday, Saturdays, Sundays and for large groups by appointment), the tours have been full and lively! Visitors are brought from the Boutique in Knowlton out to a small, private production orchard in picturesque Sutton to learn more about the history, cultivation and uses of Sea Buckthorn. This year we’ve hosted families, potential growers, curious tourists – and even a bride with her wedding party! For a small fee, visitors can even fill a bag with berries and experience a true harvest moment. For all those who are contemplating a tour, please call us at 450.243.5777 to reserve a place and be sure to arrive at the Boutique at 12:45 on the day of your tour. You’ll be given a map and information before departing the parking lot with your guide.

Skin care education is an integral part of everything we do here at Mont Echo, and our in-house esthetician Véronique Picard has been fabulous on her consultation and spa treatment days at the Boutique (Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays). The mini-facial has gotten rave reviews and her consults are always personalized and effective. Véronique is on the floor to speak with customers between 11 and 3 (and later, depending on spa appointments) on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and available for mini-facials at the Boutique by appointment (450-243-5777).

Last, but certainly not least, the restaurants participating in the Festival continue to deliver delicious, inspired Sea Buckthorn dishes to patrons. Just this week, my family and I enjoyed Chocolate Sea Buckthorn Fudge at La Vie Sucree; Sea Buckthorn, Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Soup and Tortellini with Sea Buckthorn & Ginger at Café Floral; and an array of Sea Buckthorn-inspired specials at Le Relais including Mussels with Tequila & Sea Buckthorn, Salmon with Sea Buckthorn & Goat Cheese, Duck with Sea Buckthorn & Carmelized Onions and Cheesecake with Sea Buckthorn Coulis. Everything was absolutely delicious! We are looking forward to visiting Star Café, Brie & Cie, the Knowlton Marina and L’Echo des Saveurs next!!

Harvest Festival continues at Mont Echo through August 28^th; visit www.festivalmontecho.com for more information.

Spring is here and Mont Echo is nationwide!

Spring seems to have arrived at last out here in the Eastern Townships. We’re not discounting the possibility of additional snow but hopefully what does come won’t stick around. It seems like overnight the grass is green and some of the trees are budding. Daffodils are blooming and the birds are nesting. Of course, spring also means copious amounts of mud and mosquitoes but frankly we’re just thrilled that we can leave the house without 33 layers of jackets, scarves and sweaters.

The Sea Buckthorn orchards have recognized the signs of spring as well and the trees are coming out of their winter dormancy. Now is the time to repair fences that were damaged by heavy snow and wind, to prune the trees, and to smooth fields and prepare for mowing. Mont Echo’s Sea Buckthorn growers use no herbicides, pesticides or hormones in their fields and much work goes into orchard management to make sure that this year’s crop of superfruit is as nutritious and plentiful as possible.

We’re certainly going to need lots of those little berries to make enough product to supply all of Canada with Canadian-grown Sea Buckthorn skin care. That’s right, all of Canada! Mont Echo is now in partnership with Natural and Organic product distributor CLM Health Group (www.clmhealth.com). Starting this summer and through the fall, you will start to see Mont Echo in more stores across the country. We’re excited to be working with such a great company and we hope more of our customers will benefit from being able to find Mont Echo products in their local health food store. Mont Echo’s products will continue to be hand-made here in Quebec, right next to our family Sea Buckthorn orchards. We will also continue to use ONLY Canadian-grown fruit. And we continue to be committed to creating the highest quality Sea Buckthorn skin care in Canada.

So, Happy Spring to everyone across the country – and keep an eye out for Mont Echo products in your local health food store!