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Speed Is Life! – Join The Keys Wholesale Family


Speed is Life – Time flies fast, but it’s good when you are the pilot. Just control your time well away from hijackers. Save time profitably; Spend time productively!

Helping You Spend Your Time Wisely

Now more than ever, your times is the most valuable commodity that you have. Spending time ordering the old way is a waste of your time.

Our fantastic geeks at Keys have streamlined our online ordering system, which now rivals Amazon and other leading online sites. The difference is that ours is for the wholesale trade only customers.

Here are a few of the many features:

  • 24/7/365 Online Ordering
  • Orders directly load to fulfillment servers for next day shipping.
  • Fast loading website with 50 servers located around the US.
  • Single page “Order Sheet” style fast ordering page.
  • One-Click “Add All” ordering feature.
  • Saved Wholesale address book for a quick bill to and ship to information.
  • Centrally stored credit card information on Wells Fargo site for remembered payment.
  • Product catalog showing all products by category in Features, Benefits, and Advantages format.
  • Useful blog articles built into the site.
  • Automatic discounting for volume purchases.
  • Automatic promotions when applicable.
  • Quick “Remember Me” login.
  • Face recognition & Touch-ID login for Apple devices.
  • The adaptive format lets you order from a desktop, tablet or smartphone.

Trust Earns Trust

Know that Keys natural solutions are designed to solve problems and make your customers feel good. As Trusted Advisors to your community, you can trust Keys to help you and your customer. Keys products are natural functional medicine solutions with a long list of features, benefits, and advantages.

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Keys Wholesale Dealer Registration

Our new wholesale website is chocked full of simple innovations making your buying experience quick, easy, and 24/7.

RegistrationCurrent Dealer/Reseller Registration/Log In

If you buy from Keys already using Text, Email, Vmail or through your Rep, you can add online ordering easily by going to the box to the left and click “Lost Password,” or click on the Sign-Up tab in the menu above. Scroll down to the “Reset Password” box and enter your email address. You will be redirected to a page where you can reset your password from the one we made up for you. Once you have put your email address in, click the reset password button. The go back to the login using your email address used for the password reset as your username and enter the password you just created. You are in! Buy away.

New Dealer/Reseller Sign-Up

I the top menu, there is a tab titled “Sign-Up.” Click and scroll down to the application form. It is simple, easy, and quick. Once approved, you will be able to log in and see wholesale pricing and enter orders yourself.

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Register

Register for Keys Wholesale

Keys Wholesale Registration

Reset Password?

Please enter your email. The password reset link will be provided in your email.
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Why Keys? Our Retailer’s View

Become A Keys Reseller from a Resellers Point-of-View

by Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

Often the question we get from prospective resellers is, “Why should I become a Keys Reseller?” We decided that it might be best to check in with some of our current Apothecaries, Pharmacies, Coops, and Natural Markets. So, we reached out in a survey format, and here is what came back. Many resellers responded with Merz Apothecary, Santa Monica Homeopathic, People RX in Austin, Mothers Market, Erewhon, W3ll People, Dorothy Lane Market & Healthfood Unlimited offers:

  • Natural products that work.  “Every product was designed around a skin condition or problem.” They do what they say they do.”
  • Whole natural ingredients. “Ingredients are never estered or processed. Each component has a historical functional use and matches synergies with other elements.”
  • Custom Extracts.  “I love the fact that they make their own extracts. They are custom designed by Keys and made in their factory labs.”
  • Ancient remedies using modern technology.  “They have reached back into aboriginal and ayurvedic medicine to find remedies. They then use new technology to make them easier and safer.”
  • Not sold through distribution.  “I love that Keys has a direct connection with us. Distributors are good for commodity items, but when people need answers about why a product works, I can text my Rep, and someone in technology from Keys gets back to me with answers.”
  • Not in Big Box Stores.  “Keys focuses on the local retailers that are trusted in their communities. They do not sell to Kroger, Walmart or other chains that are merely pushing products through their checkout lanes.”
  • Feature, Benefit, and Advantage based products. “Every product does something where end users can see, hear, and feel the differences. It is not the fragrance of the week club, and Keys provides the technical expertise where customers want to buy and try.”
  • Functional Products.  “Every Keys product does something where customers can expect noticeable results.”
  • Natural Integrated Epinegenic Results.  “I work in our Coop, and I am an eastern medicine practitioner. I understand the need for products to interact with the lifestyle of people.”
  • Skincare, Ayurvedic Therapies, Anti-Aging, and Integrated Petcare.  “We carry the full line of Keys products and appreciate that they have responded with products that fit our customers like a glove. Keys understands that beauty and anti-aging is different from someone with a rash or eczema. Their dog care products are equally functional with both topicals and supplements that fit the heartbeat of the market needs.”
  • Good margin per square inch. “My Keys rep said to me that Keys product had more cash profit return to my bottom line than other HABA products. So I measured the footprint on my shelves and looked at the hard cash profit per item. I was amazed that it was almost 2X any other product on my shelves.”
  • Returning buyers.  “We order Keys products like clockwork because when people try Keys, they come back again and again. We took the time to promote Keys functions and features to customers, and when they bought, they come back to buy more and try more of the Keys products. The products sell themselves”
  • Industry leaders.  “There is a lot of noise in the natural products industry — some fake and some very biased. Keys has been around for over 15 years and part of many movements like the EWG Skin Deep and SafeCosmetics. Unlike many, they tell their truths and back it up with data. No opinions, and only the facts are refreshing.”
  • Thought leaders – Chemical-Free Skin Health®.  “I am a pharmacist and owner of an apothecary. The Keys founders actually visited us to do training. I challenged, Bob, as the author of Chemical-Free Skin Health. We went at it on various subjects for a couple of hours. He learned something about my business, and I learned that he knows what he is talking about.”
  • Bob Root Conducting a Seminar at Dorothy Lane Market

    Authors & Industry Speakers- Advocates.   “Bob & Wendy, Keys Founders, have been in my stores many times delivering speeches and messages to my customers. It is always on point, current and, more appreciated, is that the talks are never sales pitches. They care about helping my customers.”

  • No Minimums.  I buy a lot of Keys products, but a handful of line items. We probably carry 15% of their product line. Often, a customer of mine that buys a Keys product or two will ask me if I can order a specific Keys product that I do not carry regularly. Keys will let me order one of something, and it does not have to be combined with my regular order making the customer wait. I can text in my request for one of something, and it arrives in a few days at the regular wholesale price.”
  • No Big Sales Pitch.  I get tired of salespeople coming in with the deal of the week loading me up with products that everyone else sells. I do not want to compete with Walmart in the first place. Keys reps talk about features, benefits, and why my customers will appreciate a product. Very refreshing to speak to a rep that knows what their product does.”
  • Demo’s and Marketing. (Suspended because of C-19) “I allow demos in my stores because customers love to try products, and I think demos are the best way to do that. Keys demos are by knowledgable people. They arrive on time and stay until they are finished. This alone is refreshing to see someone that is alive.”
  • Keys Expo West Booth

    Sample Sachets.  “I love that Keys provides small sample sachets of most of their products free to me to hand out. Our state and liability insurance have pretty much-killed testers on our shelves, and frankly, they are difficult to manage. Keys provide us 5ml foil packs with live samples of their products. Hand them to a customer, and they come back.”

  • Positive Attitude.  “I just like these people. They support me, listen to me, act when I need help, and truly understand me. That alone makes them fun to deal with and professional.”
  • Online Ordering.  “Keys has both online and assisted ordering.  You can but through the website when approved or email/fax in your orders 24/7.”

 

At Keys, we let our customers and our products speak for themselves. Thanks to all that participated. We could not say it better ourselves. 😀

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Is Resistance Futile! How To Survive Amazon?

“Death by Jeff?” aka Amazon.  Who is next?

Will Natural Pharmacies, Apothecaries, and Natural Markets survive the Amazon invasion. I believe the answer is yes if you are smart and act quickly.

 

by Bob Root, Keys co-founder and Chief Technologist and Scientist.

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Scientist

You may know me as the formulator and one of the founders of Keys. Less known is that I am an entrepreneur survivor of the photography industry and the personal computer collapses.

Keys is a company that made a conscious decision to only sell our products exclusively through established brick and mortar Natural Pharmacies, Apothecaries, and Natural Markets. We have flourished in what has become a commodity market. Now it is becoming a war zone between the grocery titans that are threatened by the Amazon juggernaut. 

We are more than concerned now than ever that our channels are now under attack by Amazon and its new subsidiaries. Referred to as “Death by Jeff,” there are several books about the topic, so it probably is a survival tool to make yourself aware.

There used to be a camera store on every corner and a computer store on every block. Both have all but disappeared for numerous reasons, but primarily because of the onslaught of Amazon into these markets. Amazon is the largest retailer of computers, tech, and cameras. The retailers who thrived in these markets are gone. Why? Where did all the bookstores go? Yesterday, Pier 1 announced they are closing half for their 900 stores and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  In the natural markets sector, Lucky’s, Earthfare are gone and Sprouts stock is plummeting.  All because of Amazon.

Living through the morphing of these two industries not only saw retail channels collapse, but many brands died in the process. There was a common thread as to why both went out of business. “They tried to compete on price and bought products primarily through distribution for convenience.”

When Walmart became a food supermarket, it started the movement to big box stores concept where they became the one-stop place for food, household items, and prescriptions. Cameras and computers were too technical for commodity stores in the early days. Same as in natural products, differentiation between conventional products with nasty pesticides and chemicals were quite easy ten years ago, and many brands traded only on the fact that they were chemical-free without offering differentiated features, benefits, and advantages to their customers. NGOs like the EWG trade on fear and drove to educate consumers about harmful chemicals in conventional products. The “Dirty Dozen” chemicals are almost gone, driving all stores to more commodity and price-based shopping for natural products. Big box stores are now as natural as they are conventional, making them the preferred markets of choice.

Today, Amazon owns Whole Foods, is sweeping urban markets with Amazon Go convenience stores, and will be announcing an entire new chain of local grocery stores coming in 2020. Their goal is simple to understand. It is “Domination.” Like a scorpion stings anything, it is merely their nature. Competing with them toe-to-toe is death. They plan to target a broad range of customers while also providing a full array of online products deliverable to their stores for pickup. Not only does it look like an unstoppable machine. It is unstoppable.

There literally are bunches of books written about Amazon as a market eating machine, but coming from two markets that were devoured by Amazon gives me a unique perspective that I feel I need to share.

Camera stores, computer stores, and natural product sellers all started the same. They differentiated themselves through unique product offerings and customized services, all cemented by consumer education. Not too long ago, you could march into a camera store with a roll of film or a memory card and get pictures to share with your friends. That is gone. 

The emphasis is on differentiated products. Last year we saw a 300% increase in natural markets going out of business. Why? Frankly, it is simple to see from a high altitude, but they probably did not see their death coming. What they did to kill themselves was to buy exclusively from distributors the same products that Amazon, big-box, and grocery stores have and trying to sell at higher prices. They honestly expected loyal customers to pay more for the same products. What they forgot was to differentiate their product offering, making it desirable for people looking for products that work and are not the same things as Kroger or Walmart sells. When Amazon bought Whole Foods, they brought their buying power and AI systems to the grocery market, starting a war a couple of years back. Again, I could probably write a 1000 page book detailing the problem and solution, but here it is in a nutshell.

For pharmacies, apothecaries, and natural markets to survive Amazon, they have to return to their origins and differentiate their product offerings and themselves by:

  1. Join the “Buy Direct” movement and carry only products not sold by distribution (aka commodity)
  2. Carry products that not sold in mainstream grocery stores or Amazon’s grocery stores
  3. Carry products that are functional and on purpose
  4. Regain margins by offering differentiated products  
  5. Educate consumers as to why the products you carry are better than the commodity stores
  6. Reinstate the Pharmacy, Apothecary and Natural market as a trusted advisor in the community
  7. Stop trying to compete with big-box stores by driving down manufacturers’ pricing stifling their product innovation.
  8. Hire buyers that know product differentiation in place of beating up salespeople for BOGOs, better pricing, and Free-Fills.

So, if you find yourself asking your vendors to lower their price and be “Cheaper Please Cheaper,” you are driving yourself and them out of business. So get on the high side of things and offer your customers new and different products than those carried by Walmart, Kroger, and any other super-duper markets. It goes beyond supporting the small boutique product manufacturers. Frankly, they do not need your charity; they need your business because distributors won’t carry their products because they are not cheap enough. Become the boutique reseller you once were through differentiated products, education, being their trusted advisor, and refocusing your attention on the customer.

Bob

Keys products are functional and integrated medicine natural products that have measurable results. Bob is the Chief Technology Officer and head formulator. Keys was born after he created his products for his wife, Wendy, after her Melanoma diagnosis and subsequent battle with chemicals in her prescription products. Bob is a former High Tech CEO and engineer from Silicon Valley. He began his career at Polaroid before migrating to the personal computer industry in its fledgling days. Bob is the author of “Chemical-Free Skin Health®,” “Keto Plus” and “Defining Moments,” books. He has written hundreds of articles on the natural products market and was a member of the Washington Speakers Bureau. He is a member of the World Future Society who specialized in skip-generation technology and scenario planning.

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Keys Ten Basic Principles – Bob’s Story

Melanoma Was The Keys Beginnings

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Scientist

I have never told my story. Most of everything we have written is about Wendy’s fight with Cancer and stupidity in the skincare market intermixed with how I created our products. So, since it is 15 years in business this year, I just felt like writing down my perspective of who we are.

In 1994, I met the woman of my dreams. In 1997, I nearly lost her to Melanoma cancer. Dr. Hugh Greenway at Scripps in LaJolla, CA saved her life. The prescriptions so severely hurt her that the experience became the basis for the invention of our products. The experience changed my life and my purpose. Read our book, “Defining Moments” and will get a tiny glimpse….tiny… of our lives together.

Keys was born was out of strife and conflict. It was a confusing time where any action was better than no action. Everything on the market was full of junk and even the “natural” brands had parabens and sulfates. It was 2004 when the first four products debuted at the Natural Products Expo and the years since have been full of change, innovation, and staying true to our purpose. It shocked the industry when our newly minted sunscreen, Solar Rx, was featured as the most effective by Consumer Reports Magazine, and the EWG ranked it the safest out there.

Continue reading Keys Ten Basic Principles – Bob’s Story

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Merz Tea Time with Q-Brothers Webcast with Bob Root Keys CTO & Founder

Merz Tea Time is a new webcast by Merz Apothecary in Chicago IL.  Merz is a 145-year-old apothecary and online giant based in Chicago.  Keys and Merz have had a 12-year relationship that has grown even stronger in these tough times.  Merz Tea Time is a new live online webcast created by Merz to inform in a Joe Rogan style interaction with Merz vendors.  One of the first guests in this series was Bob Root, Keys founder, formulator, and head engineer.  Rogan style, the conversation bounces all over the gamut from skincare to the origin of Keys and why the company exists.  It is a funny, educational, and insightful podcast.

If you are offering podcast, webcasts or ZoomCasts to your customers, please contact us to book time with Bob

Below is the YouTube of the interview.

Featured Products

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Your Staff Better Be Smizing – It Could Make or Break Your Business

Smizing – Smiling with your eyes is the secret to business success moving forward.  It is the New Normal

by Wendy Steele, Keys CEO, Founder & Melanoma Survivor

Making sure that your staff knows how to Smize can make the difference between profit and loss or making it or not in these times. Here is how I learned to smize and why you should care.

Human ingenuity always amazes me, and I am seeing great things “here and there” now that our society is trying to move forward. Many things have changed and will never return to normal. The new normal is 2 meters of separation, avoiding crowds and wearing masks. Whether you agree or disagree with how things are being handled, change is inevitable, and growth is optional.  

Masks are probably one change that will stick with us and make sense in many ways. In Japan, if you have a cold, you wear a mask. In Bejing, if you are exposed to allergens, you wear a mask. In San Francisco, if you ride a bike through the industrial areas, you wear a mask. Now, if you shop at Costco or the grocery store, you should wear a mask. I get that.

Our friends at Jams World have some cool looking masks. Theirs is the one I am wearing. I have also seen some super fashion statement masks that are very cute, and some are very cool. If we have to wear them, we might as well have some FUN. I am taking life’s changes in stride because it is more comfortable.

I have to admit that I have worn buffs and neck gaters for years. I wear them to protect my neck from the sun, and occasionally I would pull it up over my face as a sort of joke for friends. Not much fun these days, but it is a good option as well. People would ask me what I was wearing and why in a sort of judgemental way. I wrote them off as muggles. What I do and what I wear is my business, and people’s insecurities are theirs. Not mine. Yesterday, I went to pick up lunch from my favorite Southwestern restaurant, and when Monica walked out to my car with our lunch, she was wearing a very cute “bandito” neckerchief hiked up over her mouth and nose. It was damned cute, and I knew that I had made the new order transition because I felt like asking her where she bought it. So, I am back to wearing my neck gaters because they are so much more fun than a surgical mask.

IMS – Get Over It.

I have seen some very terrifying masks, which is what inspired this article. Sometimes, it is not the mask that bothers me; it is the eyes of the wearer.

So the topic of this article is a kind of RBF story or to be more specific, IMS. Irritable Mask Syndrome is genuine and seems to be caused by various things. Some have told me that masks are an invasion of identity or uncomfortable. One said having to wear one is unconstitutional. Some feel self-conscious while others seem to like that they can hide behind one.

IMS Revealed

I was out walking, which I do a lot. Most of the time, I don’t see anyone, and sometimes, these days, when I do see people, they have their masks on. One day, just recently, I saw someone who was wearing a mask and stressed at having to wear it. Even though her mask covered most of her face, it was a clear case of IMS. I thought, how is that possible. How can her negative appearance scream out so much that I noticed her temperament wearing a big mask? We passed quite away from each other, and there was no attempt at a gesture or acknowledging of me. In some ways, it reminded me of being in New York City three weeks after 9.11. It stunned me a bit that this ‘no-no’ bothered me so much. Usually, I do not let people annoy me, but she did. I was mad at me for having the feelings, not her. About a mile down the road, I saw another masked woman headed toward me. As she passed, her eyes glistened and sparkled. Her eyes were smiling, and with my eyes, I smiled back and waved to acknowledge her. It suddenly dawned on me that the first woman had terror or anger in her eyes, which affected me, and this second woman made me feel good. All with their eyes only.

Oh No, I thought, do I have IMS? So when I got back home, I kept my mask on and looked into the bathroom mirror. Thankfully, I did not have IMS, but I wondered, “Could I practice smiling with my eyes?” What would that look like, and how hard could it be. Damned hard, I found out.

Smizing – The Duchenne Smile

The second woman started it with her smiling eyes, and I mirrored her. That was easy. It was automatic. What I discovered is that it is both an art and talent to be able to initiate smiling eyes. So, I grabbed my iPad and looked up “how to smile with your eyes” and surprise-surprise; there were many articles with most talking about something called a Duchenne smile.

A Duchenne smile involves contraction of both the zygomatic major muscle (which raises the corners of the mouth) and the orbicularis oculi muscle (which raises the cheeks and forms crow’s feet around the eyes). The Duchenne smile has been described as “smizing,” as in “smiling with the eyes.”

So, I texted an actress friend of mine and asked her if she knew about the Duchenne smile. She laughed at me and told me she spent almost a year in an acting class trying to learn to smile with her eyes, and it was quite hard to master until she stopped trying. She said it comes from the soul, and when you smile naturally, your eyes squint and raise a bit. Little bags form under the eyes, and there you have it. She said it is the opposite of Instagram’s face because you don’t look perfect. You look happy and excited to be alive as opposed to trying to impress. Her best lesson for me was to be comfortable at smiling at everyone all the time. She said you would get better at it.

So, I tried it in the mirror, and it was true. That little squint made my eyes sparkle, and I was even happier feeling. So, I tried it with my mask, and it worked. I just made up that I did not have a mask, and my eyes do all the work since my face was covered.

So try smiling at your cellphone and do a bunch of selfies before and afters. You will be amazed. Now do the same thing with your mask on and notice how you feel. Then go out and practice on everyone you walk by to see what their reaction is.

So if you are like me, you have to believe that the world would be a better place if everyone smiled at each other. Now we have to wear masks, so we have to work a bit harder at it.

Lastly, here is a link to a great how-to article about how to master the Duchenne smile. https://www.wikihow.com/Smile-With-the-Eyes

Also, here is a good short video I found that describes the Duchenne smile that was a help for me.  Show it to all your people.    Wendy

 

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How Do Your Sunscreens Rate Against Keys Solar RX? – EWG 2020 Sunscreen Report

by Wendy Steele, Keys CEO Melanoma survivor, and Founder

So, how do the sunscreens you sell to your customers rank on Saftey and Efficacy?  Do they actually work and are they safe.  The controversy rages on whether sports sunscreen is safe.  The FDA says they should be reapplied every 15 minutes in high-stress conditions.  Our Solar Rx Moisturizer with sunscreen has the highest and best rating.  It can be worn all day as a foundation.  How do the ones you sell rate against Keys Solar Rx?   The results may surprise you.  Every year the Environmental Working Group publishes a sunscreen report.  Keys has been at the top of the list since the first report ten years ago.  This year the report is better to read in every aspect.  It is easy to read and figure out which is best for your customers.  They already read the report, it is time you compare what they know to what you sell.

First, there are fundamentally two types of sunscreens.  There are “go-to beach” sports screens and daily moisturizers with SPF.  Keys Solar RX is a daily sunscreen foundation with anti-aging moisturizing properties.  Having both types on your shelves is important and knowing when to recommend one of the other is essential.

Keys has received the highest ranking in the 2020 EWG sunscreen report for safety and efficacy. Keys Solar Rx and Keys KPRO SPF each received a 1 rating in this year’s EWG sunscreen report. The scale of 1 to 10 ranks safety based on ingredients and efficacy based on the type and concentration of sunscreen ingredients; 1 being the highest rating and 10 the worst.  As you can see from the chart to the right, there are very few #1 ranked sunscreens with the majority rated 3-6 on the EWG scale.

Keys uses a 20.5% level of its proprietary uncoated zinc oxide blend. The base moisturizer is our Luminos lotion formulation that focuses on avocado oil, black seed oil, carrot seed oil, agave aloe, and Shea butter for maximum hydration.

Spherical Zinc Oxide particles

Keys SPF products use a technique from high technology sputtering to process the particles for maximum UV blocking efficacy. Our zinc oxide blend uses a vapor deposition process to make our particles spherical and, therefore, transparent. The mixture maximizes UVB and UVA properties for perfect UV filtering.

Keys SPF products are the best moisturizers with UV protection. Solar Rx and KPRO SPF are for everyday use in non-sport applications. The products last all day and need not be reapplied, assuming the wearer does not sweat or do physical activity. Keys Solar Rx is perfect under makeup, acting as a clear luminescent foundation. KPRO adds sparkle from our OptiFx particles for special occasions.

How Do The Sunscreens You Are Selling Rate Against Keys

Click Here or the image above to access the Moisturizer with SPF EWG report and scroll down to Keys to read the reviews

Anti-Aging

Keys CEO, Wendy Steele, Melanoma survivor and reason for Solar Rx being developed

Both Solar Rx and KPRO SPF have anti-aging emollient properties because of the ingredient purity and quality. These are the most exquisite oils that money can buy blended into a formulation that hydrates, moisturizes, and effects fine lines. Avocado oil has skin clearing properties and, over time, will reduce dark spots and patches.

Therapeutic

Keys Solar Rx broadens its purpose as a skin ailment and disorder product because the zinc oxide is uncoated. This means that the wearer gains all the benefits of a zinc cream at even higher concentrations than over the counter skin disorder products. Most zinc creams contain 6%-8% uncoated zinc oxide. Solar Rx is at 20.5% uncoated zinc level. One major benefit is as a redness reduction solution. Many dermatologists prescribe zinc oxide cream and ointments. Solar Rx is a universal solution while also providing UVA and UVB blocking.

10 Years

This is the tenth year that Keys Solar Rx has received the highest rating from the EWG. Consumer Union thrust Keys Solar Rx into the limelight when it rated Solar Rx the highest and most effective sunscreen in its class. It has been the choice of Hollywood makeup artists and actors. It was featured two years in a row at Maria Shriver’s California Women’s Conference. Originally developed for Wendy Steele, Keys CEO, melanoma diagnosis, Solar Rx is Keys number one selling product.

 

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Melanoma Month – Keys Solar Rx – SPF, Safe & Therapeutic

There are two things about Keys Solar Rx Sunscreen that separate it from the pack

  • Cosmetically Transparent Sunscreen

  • Anti-Inflammatory Uncoated Therapeutic Zinc Oxide

And, May is Melanoma Awareness Month and the beginning of sunscreen season.

Solar Rx is an SPF moisturizer like none other. It is cosmetically transparent using a proprietary zinc oxide vapor deposition technique that uses uncoated zinc oxide with truly therapeutic properties. We know of no other SPF that offers both a broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection, natural moisturizer with avocado oil and Shea Butter, and anti-redness anti-inflammatory properties.

FDA SPF30 + Safest Sunscreen by EWG

Solar Rx was one of our first four products developed over 15 years ago for our founder, Wendy Steele, after her Melanoma diagnosis. Her orders were simple. I need a natural sunblock using zinc oxide that does not make me look like a mime. Her boyfriend engineer used a technique from silicon valley to vaporize the zinc oxide and turn the particles into perfect spherical shapes. Solar Rx is optically transparent while still providing industry-leading SPF UVA and UVB protection. An FDA Drug Facts panel and EWG safest rating make Solar Rx an unbeatable combination for those wanting a natural moisturizer with sunscreen.

Not Go To Beach

Solar Rx is not for going to the beach or sunbathing. It is an everyday moisturizer with SPF 30+ UVA and UVB ultraviolet radiation blocking. The transparent visible light zinc oxide is opaque to UV light. It works well under makeup and can be worn all day to work or when out and about. Not for sports, swimming or exercise. You will have to wear a sports-based sunscreen for that and look like a mime. Please avoid chemical sunscreens as they are full of very questionable chemicals.

Wash with Island Rx Foaming Cleanser and Apply Solar Rx as your moisturizer foundation for daily use. Apply makeup directly over the top for a flawless pallet and look.

May is Melanoma Month

Visit The Skin Cancer Foundation & Tell Them Keys Sent You. 😎

With over 5 million cases diagnosed in the United States each year, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Fortunately, skin cancer is also one of the most preventable forms of cancer. About 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers and 85 percent of melanoma cases are associated with exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. By raising awareness of the dangers of unprotected exposure and encouraging sun-safe habits, we can change behaviors and save lives.

With the incidence of this disease reaching epidemic levels, we can’t do this work alone. We need your help. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, the perfect time to get involved.

 

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RediCare – A Featured Star of the Keys Line

RediCare – Born Out of Hurricane Katrina

RediCare
Wendy Steel, Keys CEO & Founder

RediCare began just after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, Louisianna. We had an excellent therapeutic lotion named MetaCare that contains Ayurvedic Neem and Karanja oil. What happened next was the creation of a new product called RediCare.

We were at a pet trade show outside of Washington, DC. We had a booth there, and early on the first day, a uniformed ranger named Rod came by our booth with his dog, Tye. He had Tye lay down, and his belly was nothing but rashes, open sores, and inflamed. I asked what happened and he told me that he and Tye were in New Orleans on a search & rescue mission along with a bunch of other dogs and handlers. He asked if we had anything. I grabbed a MetaCare lotion, and Rod smeared it all over Tye’s belly. You could see the relief instantly, and it made me tear up. Luckily, I noticed that Rod’s hands were equally inflamed, and I encouraged him to spread it on his hands. They left, and I was busy with a lot of people interested in Natural products for their dogs, so I did not think much of the incident.  

About an hour later, Rod showed back up with Tye and flipped him over on the booth carpet. Believe it or not, Tye’s belly was almost healed, and Rod’s hands were much improved. He wanted to buy the lotion, and I told him that because it was a tradeshow, we were not allowed to sell. I asked for his card and called back to the factory to have a bottle of MetaCare sent. My good deed.

What happened afterward was terrific. Remember, at this time, we did not have a pet line and not marketing to dogs. We decided to do the tradeshow because we were toying with the idea and thought it would be an excellent place to get consumer and dealer feedback. Throughout the afternoon, handlers and their dogs started to show up. It was one very young and pretty blonde gal that brought her golden by asking if we had some spray that would work for her long-haired dog that would do the same thing as we had done for Tye. You guessed it, RediCare was born as a sprayable version of MetaCare at that very instant.

The geeky part is that numerous coincidences came together almost to make the product development instantaneous.

  • The week before, a salesperson showed me a trigger sprayer saying it would spray oil.
  • I had an original formula for MetCare that was too liquid. It had the same amount of Neem and Karanja as MetaCare, but came out runny.
  • Mike at our label company called to ask if he could double up one of the labels so they could gang a full run of labels. No, I said, I have a new product to add to the run
  • I had initially thought of putting MetaCare into a 4-ounce bottle with a lotion pump. So, the label I had in development fit the new RedCare bottle and all I had to do is change the name of the product
  • We had a bunch of dealers from the show that wanted to get going with us but wanted a unique “Go-To” everything product. Yep, RediCare

So, RediCare came together almost overnight, and the first dozen bottle got shipped to the blonde ranger for her and the other long-haired dogs.

That story spread quickly, but not as soon as RediCare became a super-multipurpose product. It is a sprayable moisturizer and lotion. It repels 200+ insects. Works for horses. People with diabetes use it because it sprays on for sensitive skin. The list goes on. It was so much of an outpouring that we created this fun advertisement here that showed all the uses.  

To this day, RediCare remains in our Top 10 products and has as many pet users as people. Its sister product, OmniCare was what we thought would replace RediCare in the dog market, but dealers stick with the tried and true RediCare.

The last bit of anecdotal thought is that our team referred to RediCare as Windex. Why do you say? There was a famous movie called “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” There was an older man in the film that used Windex on everything from scrapes, cut, polish tables, clean mirrors, etc. You get the analogy.

RediCare is our most versatile product and one of the most beloved. Hang a big star on RediCare

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Dr. Google is Up to Something Cool

Dr. Google at it again.  This Time with Apple as a partner.

After all this, there will be no industries untouched in some way or another. Perhaps the most impacted will be the medical industry. We have talked about Dr. Google for many years now and marvel at how over 95% of us consult Google first before going to the doctor. Contrary to some, people consult Google first because it is fast, efficient, and free. Now Google and Apple are taking another leap and may finally be integrating live doctors into the technology shift. Hopefully, as most doctors I know are, frankly, Luddites, I sincerely hope that everyday problems and illnesses will go online first. Cleary, in the next five years, the primary first contact will be an AI consultant the will screen and pass off patients to a live doctor.

Although this article in Apple News may seem to be C-19 focused, it is a wave of the future and one of the positive benefits for us all that will come out of this common disease.

Google starts showing virtual doctor options in Search and Maps

Some medical facilities are discouraging personal visits in response to C-19

As part of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus, some medical facilities are currently discouraging visits in person. But pandemic or no pandemic, many ailments won’t merely disappear, and so sometimes we need to get help.

In such a scenario, Google wants to assist. The web giant recently announced it would begin highlighting health facilities that offer consultations over a video connection, enabling you to avoid a potentially busy waiting room, thereby reducing person-to-person contact.

“Over the coming week, we’re beginning to roll out two new features in Search and Maps that make it easier for people to connect to virtual health care options, whether it’s to a doctor’s office down the street, the hospital across town, or a national telehealth platform,” Julie Black, director of product management at Google Health, announced in an online post.

The features have been made possible after Google started allowing health care providers such as hospitals, doctors, and mental health professionals to add information for a virtual care service to their online business profile. It means that if you use Google Search or Maps to look for a local provider, you may see a “get online care” link in the results.

Clicking this link will take you to that provider’s virtual care website where you can find more information and perhaps set up a health care consultation that will take place online.

Black said Google Search will also start showing widely available virtual care platforms, giving people more options when it comes to making virtual visits.

“For example, when people search for ‘immediate care,’ we’ll be able to also present available virtual care options and related information such as the out-of-pocket price charged for a visit (for those without insurance) and an easy way for people to directly connect with the virtual care platform,” the executive said.

The update to Search and Maps is likely to prove popular as Black noted in her post that since the pandemic started, interest in virtual care and telehealth has risen dramatically.

The severity of the pandemic has even prompted a collaboration between Google and Apple, with the two companies planning a new opt-in system using Bluetooth technology on smartphones to track the spread of the coronavirus, officially known as C-19. Data collected through the new system will be shared with local public health authorities to help them make better-informed decisions on how to deal with the outbreak.

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Lights! Camera! Action! – Megan and the Teleconference Crisis

Just Another Beautiful Day in New Mexico

Bob Root, Keys CTO & Founder

Friday, April 10, 2020, 6:00am. My Friday started like all the rest of my days in week four of my sequester. In the high desert of New Mexico, mornings start crisp and cool with a bright sunrise over the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. Not a bad way to start the day. So, this Friday, I punched the Nespresso Machine and waited the moments for it to brew. Cat Isabel cruised by, and Jasper dog and Wendy were out an asleep in bed. I sort of like the solitude and rarely look at email until after the first espresso. I know you are saying, “poor baby.”

Today was different, and for some reason, I opened my email on my iPad. I never do that! Maybe it was a mistake or something Freudian.

The first thing I saw was an email from Megan, an old consulting client and long time friend in New York marked “Urgent”- Respond Immediately! She is an executive with a mega-company, and I worried that something was very wrong. So, I popped open the email and began to laugh out loud. Here was the first line. “Bob, holy shit, I need your help now. I am working from home and have to teleconference every day next week, and I look like shit on camera.” “What should I do?”

Before I go on, Megan knows me very well and my misspent youth. I spent many years involved with Hollywood mostly behind the camera in the early days of digital productions. Lots of tall tales, but I do know a few things about making people look good on camera. Keys KPRO line was developed in Hollywood with makeup artists. Today my Beta test team, Wendy calls them “Bob’s Possie,” are makeup artists, actors or makeup specialists. So, Megan is in trouble and needs some image guidance.

First, my days for the last month or so have been turbulent with lots of customer questions, manufacturing issues, and scrambling like most everyone. Most days are 12-14 hours. It may seem to pale in these times, but honestly, I welcomed the Saturday Night Live moment. So as I sipped my Nespresso, I decided to take the request seriously because I know her, and she was in distress over how she looks to her peers.   

Megan lives on the water in Connecticut. She has this beautiful porch that overlooks the sound. It is a very old New England style home and a perfect setting for an executive to have a conference call. She is a big dog, so people expect her to have a nice home. She does, and why not show it off.

It is crucial to recognize that Megan is quite pretty, thin, and self-assured. Said, nobody looks good on a cheap webcam in poor lighting. That is why the lighting people get paid whatever they ask for, followed quickly by the makeup artist. Lighting is everything!

Rather then paraphrasing herein is my email to Megan.

Megan, do not ever do that again. Do Not ever use urgent unless you or mark have been hit by a beer truck.

Here is what I want you to do in order:

    • Move your computer out onto the porch where people can see the water and boats going by. It will distract them from looking at just you with a bare white wall behind you.
    • Make a couple of reflector flats by taking cardboard and covering it with crinkled aluminum foil. Position these, so the outdoor light fill in so that it is not too bright behind you. A movie screen will do if you have one tucked away from 25 years ago in your basement.
    • Move your computer toward the back of the table so that you do not fill the screen of your webcam. They know what you look like, so you do not have to hover an inch away from the webcam.
    • I will FedEx you Our Luminos and KPRO tinted moisturizer. I developed Luminos as a means of tricking digital cameras into softening and diffuse the look on screen without looking like a soft-focus filter. I want you to Google “Strobing” and notice where they suggest to create a brighter area on your face. This is around the eyes and on your cheekbones. This is where you will use the KPRO tinted moisturizer.
    • I am going to order you a ring light from Amazon that I want you to hang over the camera on your computer. These light fill in your face with no shadows (Here is what I sent her).  I hope it will arrive Monday for you, but you can use most any light right above the camera to light your face.  
    • When you get the ring light, practice with it by not looking directly in the camera, but by sitting off angle a bit and looking slightly to the left or right of the camera.
    • Then when it comes to the teleconference, wear bright jewel tones like reds, blues, and greens. Dress up!
    • Do not stare at the camera, and do not stay still. You want people to believe you are still alive.
    • Consider using the stand that holds the ring light that I bought you and your iPhone. The iPhone camera is better than the one on your computer, and you can move it off-angle. You don’t need to see other people on the conference call. You will see what I mean. People on a webcam can be extremely distracting.

So, this is as important as dressing up going to the office for a big meeting. You do not want people to think you are on vacation and doing the frump thing. Get up and walk around once in a while. I know how much you hate sitting still. And do not hold up charts in front of the camera. People cannot see them. Send any presentation ahead of time, even though you like the art of surprise.

Lastly, Smile and keep your hands away from your face!

Bob

So, I heard back from her that the first call went off well, and everyone complimented her on how she looked, that she looked rested (Thank you, Luminos) and that she seemed like a Dover pro doing teleconferences. The ring light did not arrive on time, but she received it later on Monday. It will be an addition to the Tuesday call.

Now some of you might think that this is a sort of quirky subject at a time when there is lots of bad news. To me, there are a lot of people working from home, and the estimates are that video chatting is up 10,000% or an order of magnitude in geek terms. Keeping moving in tough times is not only necessary, but it is also something that can energize and console people. Clearly, there is no replacement for personal energy being with people. A well-lighted video call can be the next best thing.

Lights, Camera, Action!

“It is a serious time, but even in times of war you must laugh when you can.”  Churchhill

Seems like a lot of people want to know what ring light I bought for Megan.  Here is a link from Amazon.

 

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Jams World Making N95 Masks and They’re Cool.

Jams World
Click To Go To Jams World Site

Jams World N95 Mask with Attitude – Mahalo

I only collect one thing. They are Jams World Vintage Hawaiian shirts. Can you imagine my surprise when I got an email saying they were making and selling a mask to ward off viruses?

Before you jump to confusions, these masks are the real deal and look very cool. Let me explain!

Tight Weave and Carbon Fiber

Much of the principle of a good mask to ward off viruses is a tight weave. Jams World uses a rayon that is the tightest weave because they want to have the bright colors set and hold. On top of that, they have developed and inside the filter that includes a tight weave and a carbon layer.

Here is from Jams World (Link)

JAMS WORLD FACE MASK WITH A DISPOSABLE FILTER INSERT

  • Washable/Reusable Face Mask
  • Includes Two Insert Filters – PM2.5 N95 Made of 5-Layer Activated Carbon Filter, Non-Woven + Melt-Blown Cotton + Activated Carbon.
  • S – 2 1/2 inches x W 7 1/4 inches, Center Length is 3 3/4 inches (Children up to 12yrs)
  • M – 3 inches x W 8 inches, Center Length is 4 1/2 inches (Women’s)
  • L – 3 1/2 inches x W 9 inches, Center Length is 5 inches (Men’s)
  • 100% Spun Crushed Jams World® Rayon
  • Made in Hawaii

Jams World Filter Construction

Filter Specifications

Set of Two Disposable Insert Filters for Jams World Face Mask – PM2.5 N95 Made of 5-Layer Activated Carbon Filter, Non-Woven + Melt-Blown Cotton + Activated Carbon.

The Jams World Mask is $15.99 with Two Filters.  Extra Filters are available.

N95 Protection, But Not 100% Says Science

Jams World is quick to point out like all other mask makers are that no one is 100% sure that masks help.  Most are pretty sure and therefore cannot make 100% claims of prevention.  I put it in the “can’t hurt & probably helps category.”

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Frequently Asked Question In the C-19 Storm

Questions

It would be irrational if I did not say these are odd times. We are all in a turbulent storm.  A world dilemma has brought us lots of questions. Touchwood, our factory is still running, and we have been swamped. One of the busy areas is questions we are getting on our info email, customer service, and social media sites.

We started to notice a pattern, and we know that if we get a question on a topic, there are 100 who have the same issue but did not ask. So, we have created a composite FAQ section below that seems relevant to our times.

I must add that many of the answers may seem to be self-promoting. We don’t want to look tone-deaf, and at the same time, most of the question usual start off with “Which of your products can I use for-” We do try to offer some open suggestion, but we want to make sure that we are upfront in a time when there is lots of self-promotion.

Okay, some of these are very general and some very specific. Please try to keep that in mind as we answer the questions.

Mickey

Keys Customer Service

Here we go:

Question: I have been using hand sanitizers for a few weeks, and my hands are a wreck. What do I use?

Answer: Our Tortuga lotion is the most emollient lotion we make. It is chock full of avocado oil and Shea butter. The alcohol is drying, as is washing hands with detergent. Tortuga solves it right away and has not glycols to irritate further.

Question: I have been washing my hands with dishwashing soap, and they look and feel terrible. Anything I can use that will work.  

Answer: Our Galleyon antibacterial soap is designed to reduce bio-mass as antibacterial soap. It is Castile and has avocado and spearmint oil that leaves a monolithic coating of oil on the skin. So, it cleans and lubricates. Our Island Rx, Windsurfer, and MetaClean are equally as good. Galleyon contains spearmint oil, which does affect some types of bacteria and viruses.

Question: My hands are dry with cracking between the fingers. What can I use?

Answer: Guessing that you are washing with a soap that contains sulfates. These have been shown to create eczema and psoriasis type symptoms. Washing with Galleyon may help. If they are really cracked, our MetaCare ayurvedic lotion will help reverse the problems. MetaCare has Neem and Karanja oil. Google the benefits of these two oils.

Question: I have been locked up for three weeks and my diabetic skin has really flared up on my back. Do you have a lotion that will help?

Answer: We have a sprayable lotion called RediCare. It has Neem and Karanja oil and is sprayable. So, it does not have to be rubbed in. For years, diabetic skin suffers have used RediCare. My guess is that because you are3 in one place that seasonal allergies may be bothering you more. It seems like, on top of everything, allergies are more intense this season.

Question: I have heard that alkaline soaps are better for washing than neutral soaps. Are your soaps alkaline? What is their pH?

Answer: Yes, but we are not sure what you heard is true. Covid-19 is a lipid covered hydrophobic virus. The act of breaking down lipids is the main goal. Washing with detergent or our Castile-based soaps works equally as well with no real proof that higher pH helps. To answer your question specifically, our soaps range from alkalinity of 9.2pH to about 10.0pH.

Question: Your soaps talk about being micelle-based. Micelles seem to have a similar structure to some viruses. Do they help?

Answer: Wow, a really astute question! We don’t know, and yet, our scientists are asking the same thing because of the hydrophobic nature of micelles. I suggest you follow Dr. Rhonda Patrick in San Diego. She is involved with Salk Institue there.

Question: What do you recommend as far as a going ot regimen for your products? Do you do the same thing coming home.

Answer: The first obvious answer is to stay at home. I understand the question, and we have a unique reply.

Going out:  

  1. Wash your hands with detergent or Galleyon soap
  2. Wear a mask and gloves
  3. Spray sanitizer as needed on gloves and hands
  4. Avoid people

Coming Home:

  1. Strip and wash your clothes
  2. Spray hands with alcohol-based sanitizer
  3. Wash with Galleyon
  4. Use Tortuga lotion to moisturize

Question: Do I have to wash longer with Galleyon soap than if I use a conventional antibacterial soap.

Answer: Not really. Although most people do not wash long enough, most professionals recommend 20 seconds wash time. We recommend surgeons wash time regimen, which is fingertips to elbows for 5 minutes. Yes, 5 minutes. Some surgeons wash for 10 minutes before gowning up. Please wash at least one minute to make ‘me’ feel better.

Question: I love the scent of Island Rx Micelle Facial Cleanser. Can I use it to wash my hands?

Answer: It is not recommended because Island Rx Cleanser is diluted for the face. Use Island Rx liquid soap instead. It has the same scent, but stronger.

Question: What is the difference between your moisturizers/lotions? Not sure which one to buy.

Answer:

  • Luminos is a light facial moisturizer that adds luminescence to the skin and is great under makeup moisturizer.
  • Tortuga is our most emollient lotion and is for very dry skin. It can be used on spot areas on the face and all over the body. Perfect hand lotion because it absorbs fast and is not sticky
  • MetaCare is Tortuga with Neen and Karanja oil added. It is an ayurvedic therapy lotion for skin disorders. Google the benefits of Neem and Karanja for the skin.
  • AvoJel is an avocado oil-based jelly that seals the skin like petroleum jelly but without the petroleum side effect. It is for the most extremely dry skin or where chafing may occur.
  • Urban Shield is like AvoJel, but with ingredients designed to solve skin disorders on dehydrated skin and as a protectant trapping environmental issues. It is truly a shield against allergens and some pathogens.

Question: My doctor recommended that I cover my skin in a thin light lotion because I have severe itching, and I live in the desert southwest. What can I do?

Answer: Often, we find that the itching is a direct result of glycols in lotions and soaps. This is especially true of body washes that are designed as a moisturizer. So, there are a couple of tricks.  

  1. Mix a base oil like avocado or olive oil in with a Castile soap like our Island Rx or Dr. Bronner’s. These soaps will take about 1% to 3% without separating. When you wash, the oils cling to the skin, and only the soap washed away. You will notice the silky feel quickly and get hooked on the feel.
  2. Our MetaClean soap has about 6% oil level made up of avocado, Neem, and Karanja oils. It has the same effect as the DIY above, but with a medicinal bent.

Question: My doctor gave me a prescription for my dry cracked hands. It seems to have made them worse. What can I use?

Answer: This is a huge problem because most prescriptions contain huge amounts of glycols and parabens. Both are known to cause extreme skin conditions. I honestly do not understand it. I cannot legally tell you to stop, but I will not also tell you that we have anything that will overcome the effects of a paraben bacteriacide or glycols. It is up to you. If it was me, I would wash with our Island Rx or Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile and use lotion like Tortuga. You should feel and see the difference in a few minutes.

Also, please search for the cause. There may be something you are using on your hands that have glycols and parabens in them, which have been shown to cause the symptoms you describe.

Okay, these are just a few of the many questions we are receiving. We will amend them as we hear more unique problems.

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The Handshake is All Shook Up

The handshakeHandshake Ritual Seem Odd Now

A friend of a friend told me that the “Handshake” began in merry old England. It was supposed to show the other person that you were without a weapon. It seems to me that it might not have worked if your enemy was left-handed.  

Anyhow, I decided to look this up, thinking it might be right or just another urban myth. Well, it turned out to be partially true and interesting.

The Origin of the Handshake

The history of the handshake dates back to the 5th century B.C. in Greece. It was a symbol of peace, showing that neither person was carrying a weapon. During the Roman era, the handshake was actually more of an arm grab. It involved grabbing each other’s forearms to check that neither man had a knife hidden up his sleeve. Some say that the shaking gesture of the handshake started in Medieval Europe. Knights would shake the hand of others in an attempt to shake loose any hidden weapons.

Well after all these years, the handshake may be dead and gone. Not only does it not help us figure out whether someone is armed, but it also spreads germs and viruses. I can’t say that it bothers me as I am not real fond of touching people I do no know. Now I have an excuse.  😎

Frankly, I much prefer a wave and a smile! Hope this little ditty made you smile.

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Courageous or Just Smart? – Buying Direct is Smart

Having trouble getting products to sell? Stop buying from distribution!   Buying Direct is Just Plain Smart

It is time to get wise. Yes, stop buying through distribution because if you are a small business, they don’t want you anyhow. Maybe the writing is on the wall. Scrapping for inventory against Whole Foods, Sprouts, Trader Joes is not a win-win proposition for the small retailer. Pharmacies & Apothecaries learned long ago after Wal-Mart and Groceries got into their business, learning to differentiate and not sell the same things as big-box retailers.

Some Evidence

UNFI CEO, Steven Spiner said,(the) “Top 100 customers represent about 75% of UNFI’s total volume.”  ( As reported by Winsight Grocery Research – Read Article Here)

Groceries Flow Where Attention Goes! – The fable of the squeaky wheel.

The entire quote was, “Wholesale sales to our top 100 customers were up 4.3%. For customers two through 100, the increase was 2.2%.” Top 100 customers represent about 75% of UNFI’s total volume.” Even more telling.

The solution? Buy direct and get the products you need. Better yet, they are usually different and better products than those carried by distributors. Differentiated products mean that you are differentiated and unique in the eyes of your once loyal customers.

Change The Game

So, tear down your BOGO signs and replace them with signs about products that help your customers have better lives. Buy direct from small manufactures and became the trusted advisors in your community once again.

How can you expect to succeed in business if you are carrying the same products as everyone else? We know, we know, it is easy to buy through distribution. But why would you want to be just another lemonade stand littering a suburban corner? More than likely, being a commodity retailer is not how you started. How did you end up there?

So, for our sake, and the sake of all the cool little manufacturers out there, change the game and buy direct. It feels good, it helps us, and it helps you. So be the hero and break the distribution habit. Your customers will thank you.

Lastly, I always find it a bit disconcerting that the natural markets that I walk into promote the fact that they buy from local farms, ranches, and bakers, but the center of the store is full of distribution products.   

Bob Root

Bob Root, Keys CTO & Founder

Bob Root is a founder of Keys and its Chief Scientist. Bob is a former high tech Fortune 500 CEO and started in the photographic industry at Polaroid. He is the author of four books and is a former member of the Washington Speakers Bureau. This OpED article comes from his perspective, watching the destruction of the photographic industry and the total state change that the computer industry experience in the 90’s. He believes in the traditional grocery model growing up as the grandson of Root’s Grocery founder but admits that mom & pop retailers may not survive and that the industry is heading the wrong way.

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Grocery Shop Smart – Not Often!

Shopping Smart and Not Often Saves Lives

The Center for Disease Control, The President and State Health Organizations, are asking us to stay out of the grocery stores for the next two weeks. Why?

The reason we are being asked not to treat grocery shopping as entertainment is that smart people know that we can cap this virus by exposing fewer people to other people. So, where do we typically go when we are being asked to stay at home? Of course, we go grocery shopping. It is allowed, right!

We do not have to elaborate. They are asking us to stay at home for a reason. STAY HOME, and do your part!

When you do shop, shop smart and not often. A least for now, help out by trying to live off of what you have in your stockpile. When you do shop, buy all of what you need quickly and get the hell out of the store. The operative word is to buy all that you need, don’t hoard, and shop wisely.

Grocery shopping is not a family outing. Figure out a way to go it alone. Better yet, have someone shop for you like Instacart.com. Sprouts, Sams, and other grocery chains have Instacart accounts. (www.Instacart.com) It can indeed be as much fun unpacking what an Instacart shopper brought you as buying it in the first place.

It is time for innovation, ingenuity, and sucking it up. The life you save may be your own.

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“Blue Babies” Therapy May Help!

Some Good News – Nitric Oxide Therapy May Help The Suffering

FDA opens up Bellerophon’s (Nitric Oxide) gas therapy for COVID-19

nitric oxide
Bob Root, Keys Chief Scientist & Founder

Bob Root, Keys Scientist:   I have a core belief for my life when it comes to health.  The only person I hold responsible for my health is me.  Yes, me.  When I am confronted with a malady or this giant COVID dragon in front of us all, I turn to science to learn what I can.  Sometimes I don’t understand and sometimes one article leads to another.  When the path turns cold, I back up and take another path until I find what I am looking for.  It is just who I am.  Sometimes I find something so interesting I share it with my friends.  Not to proclaim something, but to entice them to study themselves.  Like my books, I try to inform and not convince. In these times, there is so much misinformation.  I never want to subtract but add something that may fuel a new way, a new path or some new thinking.  So is this bit of news:

There is some interesting and I feel, good news on the horizon that I am reading about in the scientific community about prevention, relief, and vaccines.  Please remember that scientists’ comments and findings are revised carefully by peers.  Yes, it slows the process but is a positive factor in weeding out BS.

First of all, my compliments to the FDA for opening up the emergency expanded access program for SARS-COVID.  “NO” is the chemical acronym for Nitric Oxide.  It is made in cells in our body but can be supplemented through nitric oxide mass inhalation.  More important is that is is a common therapy in “Blue Baby” syndrome and has been used for years to treat the newborn malady.  A doctor at UCLA Medical Center says he can watch blue babies with respiratory distress turn pink in front of his eyes.  So now, it seems that “NO” may be a tool, not the solution, but a tool, with SARS COVID-19.  Below is published verbatim and not my words.

Bob

Nitric Oxide

FDA opens up Bellerophon’s gas therapy for COVID-19

Using a regulatory pathway that allows patients with life-threatening conditions to use unapproved therapies, the FDA has granted “emergency expanded access” to Bellerophon Therapeutics’ inhaled nitric oxide delivery system for treating the novel coronavirus.

Also known as compassionate use, the agency’s policy is typically administered on a per-patient basis—at times when clinical trials are infeasible, the benefits are seen to outweigh the risks, and there are no available alternatives.

According to Bellerophon, the FDA’s decision now opens up its INOpulse system for use at high-doses in ventilated COVID-19 patients, immediately.

Inhaled nitric oxide acts as a vasodilator, relaxing the lungs’ muscles and blood vessels, and is used in hospitals worldwide. Bellerophon has been researching its use to combat potentially harmful high blood pressure in the lungs among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial lung disease and sarcoidosis.

The compound has also been tested as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus’ closely related predecessor—the strain behind the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s. Previous studies showed that nitric oxide slowed down the replication of that virus and reduced the need for long-term ventilator support.

According to Bellerophon, the genetic similarities between the two coronaviruses “support the potential for [inhaled nitric oxide] to provide meaningful benefit for patients infected with COVID-19” and inhibit the progression of upper respiratory tract symptoms.

“Based on currently available data and its significant role in the immune response, we believe INOpulse has the potential to be a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19,” said CEO Fabian Tenenbaum. “INOpulse technology utilizes targeted pulsatile delivery of inhaled nitric oxide, providing important antiviral potential, as well as improved arterial oxygenation.”

“Importantly, INOpulse is designed to treat patients in the outpatient setting, which may be critical in helping combat the further spread of the virus and significantly alleviate the mounting impact on hospitals and intensive care units,” Tenenbaum added.

Prior to the outbreak, Bellerophon had been building up inventory of its INOpulse device for a planned, large phase 3 trial in pulmonary fibrosis—which the company is currently looking to divert to hospitals in need, Tenenbaum told FierceMedTech in an interview.

Additionally, about a month ago, Bellerophon completed a safety trial in healthy volunteers showing its high-dose paradigm could be tolerated, at levels similar to those used against the earlier SARS outbreak, he said. The FDA is also currently reviewing a research protocol for a new clinical trial against COVID-19 to explore the device’s next steps in development.

The FDA’s access decision comes less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump pointed to compassionate use as one of the ways the administration is responding to the spread of the virus.

“Disseminating information about promising off-label uses of drugs we already have, investigating their effectiveness, and pursuing other therapeutics will help give American healthcare providers the tools they need to save lives,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in an FDA statement on the agency’s work to facilitate development of investigational treatments such as the malaria drug chloroquine and Gilead’s remdesivir antiviral, which is also available under compassionate use.

“While there are no FDA-approved therapeutics or drugs to treat, cure or prevent COVID-19, there are several FDA-approved treatments that may help ease the symptoms from a supportive care perspective,” the agency said March 19.

The new emergency expanded access pathway allows doctors to request use of the INOpulse for multiple patients at once, without including their names or other personally identifying details, Tenenbaum said.

Inhaled nitric oxide has also been pursued as a COVID-19 therapy by several others, and is currently undergoing clinical trials in China—both as a potential treatment for patients and as a preventive measure for healthcare providers—with studies sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Mallinckrodt, for one, has been exploring its use against the disease in coordination with the FDA, NIH and BARDA, and previously markets the gas as a treatment for neonates suffering from respiratory failure.

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Tough Times Need Smart Leaders!

Bob Root, Keys CTO & Founder

Time To Get Wise – Covid Boom or Bust.  The grocery business has been around a long time, but there is no need to be arcane.

I have over 35 retailers that I regularly contact to get a feel for what is happening in the market. These are regularly scheduled connections, and I thought that with the Covid virus problem facing us all that I should back off the calls. Truthfully, Keys business has almost doubled in the last month, and I am plenty busy with Keys projects and orders. So I decided not to call and mistakingly forgot to tell my group I was not going to call.

To my surprise, some of them checked-in to make sure I was okay, and they really wanted to chat. So, I quickly got off a note to all that I was okay and busy, but honestly did not want to bother them. I did have a chance to chat with a few, and most are crazy busy finding that their business has almost doubled or tripled. Most have had to alter their grocery business more back to their roots closing off the freshly prepared food and salad bars and spending their days stocking shelves. Many are frustrated and adapting to the use of InstaCart.com and other delivery services.

This is a brief story of one traditionally stable grocer who was at wit’s end. The reason I share is that I can imagine that some simple solutions are staring you in the face that you might not see.

Let’s call my grocer friend Art. He has been in the natural food business for 35 years and inherited his business from his Mom & Dad. Art was very frustrated that his business grew overnight, and he claims he cannot higher qualified people to work in the store, prep packaged food, stock, or cook. He said that his local employment agency and temporary service companies were not of any help. Art pissed me off quite a bit because he was grousing more than doing. Meaning, he was bending my ear instead of thinking. When Art stopped his tirade, I offered him a simple solution that stunned him into silence. Here is what I said.

Art, you are a member of your local Chamber of Commerce. You need people that understand food, customers, and how to be clean. All the restaurants in your community are closed. Their food server, cleaning staff and “back of the house” are all out of work. Call your chamber president and have him or her offer to go to the restaurant owners and offer jobs to their idle people. Simple right?

So, he emailed me this morning to say thanks and let me know that within hours, he had staffed-up with qualified people. Now he said, I need an IT person to figure out this InstaCart thing. My answer, “Don’t make me slap you!” There are furloughed IT people out there as well, and there are freelancers that know this stuff like the back of their hands. Just ask for help and stop being the victim.

So, it is time to get wise and stop the grousing.  This will pass and it is your choice of how you will react and respond.

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DIY Hand Sanitizers – Formulas

Time for Hand Sanitizers.

It is important to be effective and know what you are putting on your hands.   There are a number of natural commercially available products that work.  Right now, they are hard to find in the stores.  So, it is time to make your own.  It is simple and done right, just as effective as the store-bought sanitizing products.

DIY Sanitizers Formulas

So here is a formula for creating the world’s best hand sanitizers.

Use 98% of 99% Isopropyl alcohol and 1% spearmint essential oil.
Can’t find Isopropyl Alcohol? Turn to white lightening. Yes, Grain Alcohol or 190 proof ethanol. Do not dilute or buy less than 190 proof.  This means the alcohol level is 95%.   It doesn’t matter the source; ethanol is alcohol. Also, mix it with spearmint essential oil for lubrication and positive microbiome effects.

Wash Hands

Washing your hands with Castile soap is best. Seriously, but when you cannot, alcohol sanitizer helps.

My suggestion is to put it into a spray bottle. A 1 ounce (30ml) size will do for your pocket or purse. Spray it on your hands or surface. Spray on hands liberally and rub until dry: just a moment or two.

Denatured Alcohol, But Be Careful

There is also another choice at Home Depot od Lowes in the paint aisle. It is denatured alcohol altered with Menthol. Warning! Denatured alcohol can have other additives like Methyl Ethyl Ketone (aka MEK). Avoid at all costs, and if it is not marked, do not buy it.

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Hand Sanitizers Debunked

Hand Sanitizers, The Right Way, and the Wrong Way.

Where to begin?

My article, “Just Wash Hands,” has brought a lot of comments. Lots of thank you’s, a few questions and some opinion. Cool, that is what is supposed to happen.

YES

Most comments address a short paragraph I wrote about “Hand Sanitizers.” There is a wrong way and a right way. Most of us do it the wrong way.

So, I cruised into a Wal-Mart to buy a pair of new windshield wiper blades. I noticed two sanitizer stations at the entrance. One was the right kind, and the other the wrong kind. One was an alcohol towelette, and the other a hand dispenser. One was designed to wipe down the cart and the other to disinfect hands. To my surprise, as I watched for a bit, people grabbed the towelette and wiped their hands with it. It seemed like most people were avoiding the dispenser.

Here are my facts. The dispenser, marked as a hand sanitizer, claimed to contain Triclosan and alcohol. Fact, this machine kills all the good and bad bacteria on the skin. I firmly believe, as studies point out, that pathogens populate faster than good colony bacteria. This means that when you indiscriminately kill off your microbiome bacteria, the good guys, the bad guys show up first, giving good bacteria almost no chance to defend. So, please keep this in mind when you enter a store and see a squirt dispenser. Said, I am still amazed that the one I saw said it included Triclosan, which is a banned substance. Perhaps they were refilling the old dispenser.

The towelette dispenser used on the hands is equally wrong. My story about the engineer on the airplane wiping down his seat area wearing Nitrile gloves is the right way. Those towelettes kill the bacteria, good and bad, the same way as the sanitizer dispenser. The difference is that the towelettes are designed to wipe down the cart and not your hands. So, it is perfectly proper to wipe down the things you touch with a bacteria killer and not your hands. Make sense?

NO! NO! NO!

In my trek around Wal-Mart, I saw one woman do it right. She wiped down her cart with the towelette and was wearing Nitrile gloves on her hands. She did not have a mask on, but I suspect that if and when a virus or the flu breaks out in New Mexico, she will be wearing a mask. For now, she was fending off germs the correct way.

So, there is a right and wrong way to keep safe. If you are going into public places, wash your hands, use gloves, and do not under any circumstances, rub your nose or face with your gloved hands. It is common sense that viruses are spread primarily through the nose, so keep your hands and fingers clear of your face.

To overly simplify, liquid hand sanitizers are not good, and sanitizer towelettes are for wiping down carts and things you touch. Disposable gloves are best.

Bob

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Mom Was Right! – Just Wash Hands

There is a Simple Way

by Bob Root, Keys CTO

Yes, it is flu season, and traveling is getting to be a more significant concern. It is the time of year to write about not only how to wash your hands, but why doing it the wrong way can hurt.

Many years ago, we researched the University of California Irvine on proper handwashing as a means to stay healthy during flu and virus outbreaks. The study formed our opinion, which I will share here.

The primary purpose of washing your hands is not to spread viruses to your face. The average person touches their face about 50 times a day. When I mentally checked in with how often I touch my face or nose with my hands, I quickly lost count—much more than 50 times a day.

So why wash your hands? The process of washing hands is to reduce the bacterial mass on your hands without harming the Microbiome. Our skin has friendly bacteria. Our Microbiome is occasionally invaded by bad gram-positive and gram-negative rods known as pathogens. These are the disease-carrying bacterial that infect us mostly through our noses and mouths. Was to remove them lowers the risk of infection.

Our Galleyon foaming soap helps to remove the bacterial mass because it is a Castile based soap that uses a high concentration of spearmint essential oil. Galleyon makes an excellent cleanser because Castile soaps are alkaline, and the spearmint aid in the cleaning process to reduce the overall bacterial count.

How to Wash with Galleyon

It is simple, and you might not be washing long enough.

  1. Wet your hands thoroughly with warm water. This will open the pores of the skin to let the soap get deep in.  
  2. Apply a few pumps of Galleyon Foam and wash all parts of your hands for at least 30 seconds. More if you like, but not less.
  3. Rinse with cool to warm water under flowing water. Rince longer than you think.
  4. Shake your hands over the sink rapidly to release the water.
  5. Use a paper towel to dry because a cloth towel used more than once is a home for the harmful bacteria to accumulate. Optionally air dry or use one of those clean air dry blowers like the Dyson Blade.
  6. You’re Done!

What Not to Do.

Antibacterial agents

Stop! The term antibacterial has two distinct meanings in the world of science. Reducing the biomass on your hands is the good antibacterial action, and killing the bacterial with bactericides like triclosan is terrible. Killing bactericides like triclosan indiscriminately kill good and bad bacteria at the same time. The grandmothers’ tale is accurate. If you kill all the bacterial, there is no defense for the bad guys to invade harder and faster. I read one article where someone said to use Lysol to sanitize. Nuts!

Hand Sanitizers

Okay, you can make your own hand sanitizer with Galleyon by mixing one part of the liquids soap with five parts water. Spraying it on parts or your hands will help, but not that much. Using most hand sanitizers can hurt because they are mostly ethanol alcohol—usually about 60%. Ethanol is a bacteriacide that also indiscriminately kill good and bad bacteria. I was just on a plane where I watched a guy, who looked like an engineer, put on rubber gloves, take what seemed like an alcohol wipe, and cleaned his entire seat area. Then he carefully captured the wipe by removing his glove in a way to make it into a baggy. This was good because he sanitized the area as opposed to his skin. A+ The message is to sanitize your surroundings and not your hands. Keep that good bacteria working for you.

Gloves?

Wearing gloves is a good thing, but it is hard to do and uncomfortable. Those Nitrile blue or black gloves work, but they can get hot, and your hands can get sweaty wearing them. Bacterial needs oxygen (air) and water to propagate. So, unless you change them out and wash between, they are not that good. Cloth or porous gloves do nothing!

Don’t Touch Your Face.

One of the best deterrents is not to touch public things and not touch your hands/fingers to your face. I recently had a meeting in Las Vegas and had to fly through Phoenix to get there. The areas I was in were very low humidity, and most people were not sick. Said Wendy warned me not to touch anything and never touch my face. That was hard, but I made a conscious effort. I did watch most people as they grabbed handrails, pushed open doors on trash containers, and washing in the bathroom to little and without soap. They were continually touching their faces, and I could quickly see Wendy’s point. Research it if you want, but touching public fixtures and then your face is a disaster.

Okay, that is it. Wash your hands a lot with a Castile soap like Galleyon, and you have a pretty good chance at warding off a bacterial or virus attacks.

Bob

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Merz Apothecary, A Valued Keys Partner for 12 Years

Merz, 145 Years and Going Strong – Honest, Integrity, Innovation

There is no doubt that the natural market industry is in turmoil since Amazon bought Whole Foods. With all this change and dynamics, Merz Apothecary in Chicago has not missed a beat. Why, because they lead with their H.I.P.S. Honesty, Integrity, Persistence, and Sincerity.

Keys Partners with Merz for 12 Years.

Keys is celebrating our 12th anniversary with the world-class apothecary, Merz Apothecary in Chicago, Illinois. 145 years-old and going strong, we have had an excellent symbiotic relationship where their customers and our functional products have been the center of attention. Now with AmazonGo, Amazon’s Whole Foods, and the new suburban Amazon grocery stores emerging, we are excited to strengthen our partnership with Merz further. Put, if you perceive Amazon to be a vast coastal tidal wave, Merz is a world-class surfer.

Wendy Steele, Keys CEO offered, “For Keys and our products, we have always sought great partnerships with retailers who are trusted advisors. Keys is not a brand just offering a natural alternative to conventional products. Our products are a functional part of today’s wholistic wellness and integrated medicine scene. There is something to be said for a company that is 145 years old that is also an industry innovator. We are super-proud to be in their stores and as our partnership.”

To summarize our relationship with Merz, they have learned to differentiate themselves, and Keys products are a part of that differentiation. They mirror our philosophy that Keys products must solve problems and make people feel good.

Merz History is More than Interesting.

In 1875, Chicago pharmacist Peter Merz opened a small drugstore on the city’s North Side. Being of Swiss descent, Merz decided to call the store an “Apothecary” in the European tradition. Even from the beginning, Merz Apothecary set itself apart.

At that time, your neighborhood drugstore was not only a place to fill prescriptions but a source of information and remedies for common ailments. Pharmacists were consulted like family doctors, and they would hand mix formulas for each specific customer. However, Merz Apothecary differed from the typical American drugstore because the clientele were mostly European immigrants. Like European apothecaries, Merz focused heavily on herbal medicines and traditional formulas, which were already popular with its international customers.

Although Merz Apothecary was a humble store, it served as a gathering place for the community. Comfortable leather chairs allowed patrons to sit and chat as they waited for their remedies to be prepared. Merz and his pharmacists spoke many languages, allowing customers to shop and seek advice in their native tongues. The store’s reputation steadily spread, and the business continued to grow over the next 85 years. Heralded by several generations of the Merz family, the store retained its international focus and developed a devoted following among Europeans throughout the Midwest.

In the early 1960s, competition from large chain drugstores began driving independent pharmacies out of business. But Merz Apothecary’s loyal customer base and traditional herbal approach to health allowed it to thrive during this challenging period. Customers continued to seek out the advice of Merz’s experienced pharmacists and request their hand-mixed formulas.

Abdul & Anthony

Despite the success of the business, in 1972 Ralph Merz was ready to retire without a successor, and the store was about to close permanently. One month before the scheduled closing, a 26-year-old Indian-born pharmacist named Abdul Qaiyum walked into Merz Apothecary after hearing about it from his German in-laws. He immediately fell in love with the store. With its focus on natural remedies, Merz reminded him of his family’s business and the healing traditions in his homeland. He purchased it a few days later.

The Transformation

Over the next few years, independent pharmacies continued to vanish, yet Merz expanded dramatically, due in part to a booming mail-order business. In 1982, Abdul moved Merz to its current, larger location, only a few miles from the original store. The new store was custom-built to replicate a turn-of-the-century European apothecary, complete with a hand-carved wooden exterior, leaded glass windows, tin ceilings, and solid oak cabinets. The original antique pharmacy jars and herb containers now had a fitting home.

The shift in the location was matched by an essential change in their wellness approach. With the move, Abdul expanded the store’s inventory to include homeopathic medicines, supplements, and natural self-care products. Abdul nurtured a larger vision of health and wellness: to feel good mentally, physically, and emotionally. To meet those needs, he began offering natural personal care products from around the world. Promoting external and internal health, along with physical and emotional well-being, was unheard of at the time. Merz popularity grew enormously among Americans and international customers alike.

The Internet

Recognizing the opportunity to offer an expanded vision of health and personal care, Abdul and his son, Anthony, founded Smallflower.com in 1998. So many customers had trouble spelling “Apothecary” that the Qaiyums chose the name Smallflower (one of their best-selling herbs) for their website. They also began selling through Amazon in 2004, before most people had even heard of the online retailer!

As one of the first e-commerce sites and one of the first sellers on Amazon, Merz knew early that they had to stand out from the competition. Their goal was, and still is, to blend Old World traditions with new technology, without losing the vision and character that make Merz Apothecary special. Rightfully, they are quite proud of the path they’ve taken so far! When customers shop with them online, they can be confident they’re dealing with a staff that has intimate knowledge of the products and superior customer service skills.

E-commerce is a vital component of Merz business and an area that has experienced rapid growth in the last few years. They created a marketing department and customer service team to ensure that Smallfower continues to thrive. And rather than view Amazon as competition, they have partnered with them online to grow their business. They sell directly to customers and ship items to Amazon to be fulfilled. To keep up with demand, they have a dedicated FBA team and warehouse space.

The Expansion

Merz devoted customer base has grown not only online, but also at their brick-and-mortar stores. In 2003, the Qaiyums decided to open Merz Downtown to serve customers in Chicago’s Loop. Located in the historic Palmer House Hotel, the downtown location is frequented by working professionals, loop locals, and tourists from around the world.

Although the packed shelves are part of our original location’s charm, They reached a point where they were practically bursting at the seams! In 2014, they opened Q Brothers, a boutique space adjacent to their Lincoln Square store. Their new space allowed them to bring in an outstanding selection of men’s shaving and grooming products, expand their fine skincare lines, and offer a comprehensive assortment of natural cosmetics. The expansion also made room to create a fragrance counter with a carefully curated collection of hard-to-find, niche fragrances.

Q Brothers is a beautifully designed boutique space, but unlike some specialty stores, they work hard to maintain a comfortable and friendly atmosphere! We want to make sure the essence of Merz—the care, knowledge, and approachability—is imbued in everything we do.

The Present

These days, Merz Apothecary is a Chicago landmark (tour buses from around the Midwest make regular stops here) and a mecca for people who want unique and natural products. They send packages to customers around the world and are often featured in blogs, books, and magazines.

Even as they have increased in size, they have worked hard to continue being a true family-run, neighborhood business. Abdul scouts out fantastic new products to fill the shelves year-round, and assists at the pharmacy counter during the holidays. Anthony stays busy, ensuring all aspects of the business are running smoothly, but can still be spotted helping customers in the store.

All that they do is possible only through the help of an amazing team dedicated to carrying on the traditions Merz started back in 1875. The location and people have changed over the years, but Merz’s goal has remained the same: to support every customer’s well-being through genuinely superior service.

Keys are very proud and excited the Merz and Smallflower sell our entire line of products. We are pleased to call Merz our friends and partners.

Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

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Chemical-Free Skin Health Book, Anniversary Sale -Kindle $4.95

It is the tenth anniversary of Bob’s book, “Chemical-Free Skin Health.” That does not mean it is ten years old. It has been remastered a number of times to keep it current. Ironically, our collective amnesia will make much of the book new to first-time readers.

In 2008, Bob announced the beginning of a book focused on skin health over two years ago at the Natural Products Expo West. His book was published in early October 2009 and Bob will officially launch the book at the 2010 California Women’s Conference. Maria Shriver chose Keys Luminos for her California Women’s Conference for the speaker’s gift bag. In 2010, she wanted Keys Solar Rx for the speaker’s gift bag.

The book, titled “Chemical-Free Skin Health” with a subtitle of “Stop • Challenge • Choose,” was published by Orion’s M42 publishing company and was sold on the show floor by Roman’s bookstore next to Dr. Oz. Bob, Mehmet, and others were signing their books. Chemical-Free Skin Health sold out the first day.

Keys exhibited in the newly created section called the “ECO Island,” which features green sustainable products. For those attending, Bob and Wendy were in the Keys booth along with Kathleen Beaton, Hollywood makeup artist, and writer of the Foreword for Bob’s book. Kerry Malouf, motion picture makeup artist and beauty editor for Malibu Magazine, was also in the Keys booth in the ECO Island.

Bob and Wendy opened the ECO Island with a speech on the Mind, Body Soul stage for the conference at the Night at the Village on October 25th. Bob and Wendy also lead what Maria calls the “Kitchen Table” sessions within the ECO Island. These were 25 minute Q&A sessions where each will offer information and answer questions.

Oprah, Jane Fonda, Caroline Kennedy, and over 100 other celebrity women with a few men like Sir Richard Branson talked to over 35,000 women at the Long Beach California Convention Center.

Since then, Chemical-Free Skin Health has been published four times and is on Amazon Kindle. In celebration of the tenth anniversary, Chemical-Free Skin Health is on sale on Amazon Kindle for $4.95. That is a $15.00 savings.  Well worth the original $19.95 list price. It makes this timeless book a super-value.

Click Here to go to Amazon Kindle or Click on the book cover image above.

The paperback is available here at 40% off published SRP:

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Micelle Cleansers – Not New and Beware Petroleum Versions

Micelle Cleansing

Everywhere you read, people are introducing micellar water, micellar cleansers, and micellar tonics. Funny, when we launched our Island Rx Micellar cleanser 16 years ago, not many listened or cared. What did happen, though, is that it became one of our top selling products because of our vegan micellar structure. The reason for that is that micelle in the soap makes it clean deeper and leaves the skin not harmed like chemical-based detergent facial cleansers.

Micelle is Not a Chemical

Over the years, the general first question we get about Island Rx, MetaClean, and Windsurfer is, “Are Micelle a chemical?” No, it is an ionic structure created by the soap making process that both loves and hate water at the same time. We use this principle of science to allow the micelle to like water on one side of the ionic bond, and it loves oil on the other side of the ion. Micelle is why we can deliver ayurvedic oils or moisturizing oil via the soap. This functionality is a huge deal, while the micelle also offers the ability to remove grime from the skin without stripping oils. All said scientists in school take a long time to understand how and what a micelle does. What is right for you, is that we know it.

Continue reading Micelle Cleansers – Not New and Beware Petroleum Versions

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Keys Urban Shield – Super Ointment

Urban Shield – Product of the week

Urban Shield Jel is one of our best selling products because universally, it does so many things for the skin. Urban Shield is based on our Avo Jel replacement for petroleum jelly. Rather than being made from petroleum, our base is an identical jelly made from avocado oil. We add strategic Ayurvedic and homeopathic ingredients to turn it into a universal ointment that achieves multiple results for skin problems.

The history of Urban Shield and its name was based on a request from friends that lived in New York City and Los Angeles that complained that their skin was being bombarded with chemicals in the cities that included hydrocarbon pollution and a just plain dirty environment. Our solution was a barrier (shield) that they could apply that would capture these pollutants on the surface of their skin. Initial tests proved that it was successful, but like most customers, they wanted more. As we added ingredients based on their observations, the Urban Shield of today was born.

It is all in the ingredients that tell the story about Urban Shield Jel.

  Avocado Oil Jel

  • Using a gel on the skin seals it from the external environment. Like an invisible bandaid, the gel protects the skin while acting as a carrier for the rest of the purpose-based ingredients.
  • Avocado oil is super emollient and hydrating.
  • Avocado oil has whole natural Omega-3 properties that rejuvenate.

Continue reading Keys Urban Shield – Super Ointment

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You Can Reverse Skin Damage and Visible Aging

Can my skin recover after years of damage? Yes.

Wendy Steele
Keys CEO

I recently had a 60-year-old woman ask me if there is a way to reverse the damage she had done to her skin over the years. She elaborated that she had tanned too much in her teens, lives in a desert environment, smoked, and spent her business years flying and scurrying around airports. Looking at my skin, she commented that she’s never looked that good. It was a nice compliment, I replied that it was many years of work and staying out of the sun, but you can improve reasonably quickly.

Here is How.

Our skin is our largest organ, but we tend to treat it the same as a jumpsuit that we step in and out of. It is far from that, and it responds or reacts to how we treat it. Beat it up, and it looks beat up. Treat it nicely, and it will look beautiful.

Our skin will respond to various regimen changes and will react rapidly to significant changes. The prime reason it will do that is called the ‘Collagen Factor.’ Our collagen, overly simplified, are little helicoid springs. Keep then pointed in the right direction, and they are tight and resilient. Let them hang sideways, and they sag. I hate the word “Sag.”

It is Reversible

  • Hydration
  • Sun protection
  • Diet
  • Skincare

Continue reading You Can Reverse Skin Damage and Visible Aging

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Keys Epigenetic Skincare – Musing about Functional Skin Health

We make epigenetic systemic changes to our physiology every day — Consciously and mostly Unconsciously.

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Scientist

There are many things that we can do in our lives to change our genetic processes. We have found that one of the significant enigmas as humans is inflammation. It is measurable, but at the same time, very distant and diverse. Inflammation is external chemical factors or internal changes like stress. Stress itself is unusual because anything the afflicts itself on our bodies is stress in a form.

We have found that many chemicals used in skincare are often looked at as benign when viewed by itself and in micro quantities. However, when combined in an aggregate way or with other chemicals, the conglomerate creates physical stress on the body.

Take methylparaben. Parabens are used at ~0.05% concentration in most skincare claiming its use as a preservative. It is a biocide chemical. It is a very bad-ass chemical that kills good and bad bacteria indiscriminately. True, but imagine the statistic that the average woman uses 38 different products a day on her skin, and each contains 0.05% methylparaben. That is a cumulative 19% level of methylarabben and is considered extremely toxic at those levels. At 0.05%, it is a bad-ass. At 19%, it is toxic. Now combine the same methylparaben with a Phthalate fragrance, and you have a hormone disrupter that could be interacting with your body’s insulin levels. None of this is proven, but it is speculated by the contrarian scientists and medical thinkers. How much in our life is refuted by the establishment only to be (pro)found to be true? If you live in a big city, more than likely, your benzene levels are out of tolerance. If you are a smoker, the benzene levels are borderline caustic. We will not change the establishment, but we can change ourselves.

Recognize the principles of epigenetics, where our behavior and lifestyle change our genetic processes. A simple example of this is in a recent book I wrote called “Keto Plus,” where I changed my lifestyle to go to the Keto Diet, Intermittent Fasting, and going Sugar-Free. I became a “Fat Burner” and lost a lot of body fat percentage. What it did was to alter my genetic food profile from the outside-In. My food intake ratios went from carbs to fats like avocado, butter and olive oil.  The actural ratios are 70% fat, 10% carbs and 20% protein with no sugar.  Epigenetics is all about outside influences and this is merely one simple example.

I am in the skin business, and I have known for years that if you get Chemical-Free and use alternative whole natural ingredients, you can physically change the architecture of your skin in a form reversing or at least slowing the aging process. Really.

There are some fantastic guru’s that are on the front lines. Gary Taubes, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, and Dr. Jason Fung are ones you should pay attention to for the facts about epigenetic. I am pretty informed, but I do not have the “Cred” that they do.

The message is still pure. You are responsible and in charge of your health & wellness. Take charge of your life and well-being.

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Hormone Disrupters and Insulin Resistance

Do Hormone Disrupters Cause Type 2 Diabetes?

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Scientist

I am in the skincare business, but also a wellness advocate.  I am a firm believer that much of our skin and body aging is affected by chemicals in our lives.  From time to time I find things out that go beyond our business, but are worth noting as someone who cares about society.

Since writing my book, “Keto Plus,” I have not stopped investigating anomalies that I marked down as I researched my book. There are a couple of people I stay close to in their work. One particular person is Gary Taubes, whose books buck conventional thinking about health, wellness and nutrition.   

Now enter my book titled, Chemical-Free Skin Health. It was in the back of my mind as I wrote Keto Plus because a lot of research kept touching on hormone disrupters and the effects on obesity and weight gain. I dedicated a lot of space in CFSH to hormone disrupters as the concept was the basis of the original “Dirty Dozen” chemicals in skincare products as positioned by “Search for the Cause.” As a side note, this organization was initially funded by George Lucas in the San Francisco Bay Area. The goal of the organization was to find out why there were elevated cancer rates in the area. They conclude that it had something to do with the “Dirty Dozen” chemicals.

Forward to now, and the Dirty Dozen have grown to the Dirty 100. Among these chemicals are parabens used as preservatives, phthalates used as fragrance enhancement, and fire retardants. All purported to disrupt hormones. Cancer is the big one, but phthalates in young men’s fragrances are theoretically the cause for lack of sexual development at puberty and beyond. To my surprise, when I found out that BP-A might be a hormone disrupter to insulin, it got my real attention.

If you contact Dr. Google and search for hormone disrupters, you will find a few days worth of intense reading. It will be no surprise to me that many writings by Gary will popup.  There is so much to read and by some huge scientists that the conventional thinking is now questionable.

Insulin is a Hormone

I live a relatively clean life food-wise and in my external environment. I am mostly in dark sky communities, but I realize that I am a potential victim of my settings. Travel and encounters are probably not great, but when I do blood tests for environmental toxins, I test pretty well in heavy metals. Realizing there are no real tests for hormone disrupters started to make me wonder, “Was my elevated glucose blood levels potentially caused by a hormone disrupter stored in my body fat?”

Now consider that type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. There is a lot of debate and speculation about what insulin resistance means. The nature of research is to drill deep into a subject. Unfortunately, in medicine, analysis usually starts as an opinion, and the research itself is to prove that opinion. In short, if your hypothesis is that most cars are red and you only look for red cars, your analysis would prove that out categorically, albeit flawed. Researchers are often incorrect about their first principle assumption when it is opinion-based. It is tough for me to research where the issue is immediately confronted with contrarian opinions. How can you study when you cannot arrive at a fundamental principle that is worth investigating? For me, the premiss that type 2 diabetes is caused by too much sugar in an individual’s diet seems plausible on the surface. What if nutritional and environmental hormone disrupters created insulin resistance.

In another article, I pointed out that almost all skincare products use parabens at about 0.5% as a bactericide preservative. Parabens kill all bacteria, good and bad. Now multiply that by an average 38 products, an average woman uses a day on her skin, and you realize a 19% concentration of parabens on the skin. What goes on the skin goes into the body.

I am not saying parabens cause insulin resistance, but what if some other hormone disrupter did?

Dr. Google

Out of curiosity, I Google’d, “Can hormone disrupters cause insulin resistance?” I was pretty shocked at what came up, and my old friends at the National Institutes of Health dominated the topic. So, I logged into my “PubMed” account and followed my nose. Here is what they said:

From NIH Pub Med

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21467970

The etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus involves the induction of insulin resistance along with the disruption of pancreatic β-cell function and the loss of β-cell mass. In addition to a genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors seem to have an important role. Epidemiological studies indicate that the increased presence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the environment may also play an important part in the incidence of metabolic diseases. Widespread EDCs, such as dioxins, pesticides, and bisphenol A, cause insulin resistance and alter β-cell function in animal models. These EDCs are present in human blood and can accumulate in and be released from adipocytes. After binding to cellular receptors and other targets, EDCs either imitate or block hormonal responses. Many of them act as estrogens in insulin-sensitive tissues and in β cells, generating a pregnancy-like metabolic state characterized by insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Adult exposure in mice produces insulin resistance and other metabolic alterations; in addition, during pregnancy, EDCs alter glucose metabolism in female mice, as well as glucose homeostasis and endocrine pancreatic function in offspring. Although more experimental work is necessary, evidence already exists to consider exposure to EDCs as a risk factor in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus and other diseases related to insulin resistance.

Key Points

  • The prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has increased dramatically worldwide, making the disease one of the fastest-growing public health problems
  • The etiology of T2DM is based on the induction of insulin resistance together with functional disruption of insulin-producing β cells; genetic predisposition and environmental factors play key roles
  • Some widespread endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), at concentrations found in human plasma, induce insulin resistance and alter pancreatic β-cell function in cellular and adult animal models
  • Epidemiological data indicate that exposure to EDCs is linked to an increased risk of diabetes mellitus in adults
  • Data obtained from pregnant mice and offspring indicate that short exposure to the EDC bisphenol A during pregnancy disrupts glucose homeostasis in female mice and their adult male offspring
  • Sufficient scientific evidence is available to consider the exposure to persistent organic pollutants, including bisphenol A, a risk factor for T2DM and other metabolic disorders

 Holy Shit!

When I read this, my first reaction was “Holy Shit.” Maybe Gary Taubes and others are already on this, but I am now not sure. “Were the toxins locked in the fat tissue and released during Keto? Is that why my glucose levels are down?”

Film at 11

I don’t know for sure, but I am sure this is going to be the basis of my research as I drill into the subject. If I hit some box canyons, I will let you know. I do encourage you to research the topic for yourself. Not whether hormone disrupters cause insulin resistance, but could other disrupters cause other hormones, you may be deficient in, from being functional.

So for me, my first principle basis for researching is, “Hormone disrupters cause type 2 diabetes.” I hope that Taubes and others with far more cred jump in on the hypothesis.

Bob

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Try This Simple Skin Test – Search for the Causes

Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

Have you ever had a rash on a part of your skin? Maybe it is all over. Have you wondered what the cause is for the outbreak? Did you try to fix it by smearing on lotion, or did you look for the cause?

The tendency is for us to call the Doc or visit the dermatologist looking for a fix or a prescription, rather than trying to think about that the symptoms are from a reaction to something new in your environment.  If you have searched for the cause, you might have wondered if my rash is something I was exposed to or is it something internal.

The Bandaid Skin Disorder Test

There is a simple trick that might help you that our customer service team uses with customers. They suggest to customers that they can use a Hydro-Seal large area bandage to cover a part of the rash. These are those waterproof sealing bandages often used for areas like elbows. Meaning they are pretty big. They suggest leaving it on for a week and then removing it. It is not 100%, but if the rash has reduced or gone away, it is a pretty good bet that the cause is external.

Spoiler Alert: It is usually about 95% external causes, but if you are skeptical that chemicals in your environment can cause skin disorders, this is pretty good proof.

Continue reading Try This Simple Skin Test – Search for the Causes

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Neem & Karanja Oil – Ayurvedic Solutions

The Magic of Ayurvedic Medicine

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Scientist

Just about everyone involved with natural skincare and Ayurvedic medicine has heard of Neem oil. Well, Neem has a sister oil from a symbiotic plant that lives near the Neem tree. It is called Karanja oil. The simplest way to put it is that the two together are a dynamic duo for natural skin therapies. What is also very interesting about the pair is that Neem is known for its pungent scent that some people cannot tolerate. When you mix Neen and Karanja, the combined scent resembles the smell of freshly husked corn, and it is quite pleasant. What Neem does not do for the skin, Karanja fills in.

Keys MetaCare lotion, RediCare Spray lotion, our Alternative Naturals Urban Shield ointment, and MetaClean Castile micellar soap all use the blend of Neem and Karanja oil to ward off many misdiagnosed skin disorders. These products help and even reverse dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis-like disorders.

Karanja Citings:   According to Hartwell (1967–1971), Karanja fruits and sprouts are used in folk remedies for abdominal tumors in India, the seeds for keloid tumors in Sri Lanka, and a powder derived from the plant for tumors in Vietnam. In Sanskritic India, seeds were used for skin ailments. Today the oil is used as a liniment for rheumatism. Leaves are active against Micrococcus; their juice is used for colds, coughs, diarrhea, dyspepsia, flatulence, gonorrhea, and leprosy. Roots are used for cleaning gums, teeth, and ulcers. The bark is used internally for bleeding piles. Juices from the plant, as well as the oil, are antiseptic. It is said to be an excellent remedy for itch, herpes, and pityriasis versicolor. Powdered seeds are valued as a febrifuge, tonic, and bronchitis and whooping cough. Flowers are used for diabetes. Bark has been used for beriberi. Juice of the root is used for cleansing foul ulcers and closing fistulous sores. Young shoots have been recommended for rheumatism. 

Continue reading Neem & Karanja Oil – Ayurvedic Solutions

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About Keys

Melanoma Was The Keys Beginnings

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Scientist

I have never told my story. Most of everything we have written is about Wendy’s fight with Cancer and stupidity in the skincare market intermixed with how I created our products. So, since it is 15 years in business this year, I just felt like writing down my perspective of who we are.

In 1994, I met the woman of my dreams. In 1997, I nearly lost her to Melanoma cancer. Dr. Hugh Greenway at Scripps in LaJolla, CA saved her life. The prescriptions so severely hurt her that the experience became the basis for the invention of our products. The experience changed my life and my purpose. Read our book, “Defining Moments” and will get a tiny glimpse….tiny… of our lives together.

Keys was born was out of strife and conflict. It was a confusing time where any action was better than no action. Everything on the market was full of junk and even the “natural” brands had parabens and sulfates. It was 2004 when the first four products debuted at the Natural Products Expo and the years since have been full of change, innovation, and staying true to our purpose. It shocked the industry when our newly minted sunscreen, Solar Rx, was featured as the most effective by Consumer Reports Magazine, and the EWG ranked it the safest out there.

Click To See On Amazon

Another Defining Moment for us is when Maria Shriver as the first lady of California invited us to exhibit at her California Women’s Conference.  Not only did she give us this great opportunity, she asked us to place products in the speaker’s gift bags.  She also helped me to launch my book, “Chemical-Free Skin Health®” next to Dr. Oz.  It was amazing with over 30,000 women mixed with 126 celebrity speakers including Jane Fonda, Oprah, and Caroline Kennedy.  She refers to our products as, “So Pure.”

What has not changed is our dedication to the basic principles that I defined to design and build our authentic niche products. While big brands flex to the market trends to be more natural, they tended to be of a marketing effort than a reformulation. At Keys then and now, our principles and dedication to functional products have not wavered. It is simple yet hard.

Continue reading About Keys

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Keto Plus – A New Book by Keys Founder, Bob Root

Keto Plus Book – Turbocharging the Keto Diet

Click Cover to buy on Kindle Amazon

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Scientist

I decided to create my own version of Keto by combining the Keto Diet, Intermittent Fasting and giving up sugar.  When I told friends, they said I should write about it.  So, I took a few days off over the New Years break to write Keto Plus.  It is a short book of more the why and how I did it versus justification.  If you are looking for a way to drop pounds quickly, this $3.99 Kindle read might just help you understand the process.  The references to the guru’s I found are worth the price alone.  😉

Here is the “Why” in a nutshell.

I needed to lose weight fast. I had to drop my blood glucose faster. My clothes were telling me I had to lose inches, and a fat percentage test at the docs confirmed it was time for a change. Travel was getting the best of me, but I was not that out of my ideal weight.  What was wrong was my body fat percentage and blood glucose levels.

Keto diet alone was not going to be fast enough for me. So I reached back into my history and combined Keto with intermittent fasting. I then did the unthinkable, unimaginable change to go sugar-free. The result was 25 pounds down, body fat down from 22% to <6%, and my clothes hung on me. The ultimate was that I felt worlds better. This book is about how I did it in 90 days.

Keto Plus, came about when a blood test showed I had an elevated glucose level. As an autodidact, I drilled into the solution. As a scientist, I found some real doctors that were not only controversial, but they bucked the conventional wisdom with some shocking facts and revelations. This book’s foundation comes from hundreds of hours researching effects, studies, and points of view of contrarian experts.

“I discovered my holy grail of the fountain of youth! It is what I call Keto Plus because it combines the Keto diet, Intermittent Fasting, and going sugar-free. I became a “fat burner.”

What I really did was to reprogram the way I fuel my body and life. Think of it like looking at cars in a used car lot and the salesperson asks, “what kind of fuel do you want your new car to burn. Do you want gasoline, diesel, or electric?” I realize that I wanted to stop burning carbs (gasoline), avoid too much protein (diesel), and consume only electricity (fat) in my body. So, I set out to change my carb dominant diet to fat, creating a new ratio of fat first, protein a distant second, and almost no carbohydrates. 

So what is Keto Plus? There is an underlying assumption for this book. It is “Being Fat Is Not Healthy and Sugar Kills.” To lose fat, you must first stop eating sugar, eat fat to lose weight, and lower your body fat percentage. My secret is a strict Keto diet, an 8-hour food eating window, and eliminating all sugar from my diet, including fruit.

It is truly a lifestyle, but first, a philosophical change. “First Principles Thinking” about this epidemic of obesity and sugar born diseases alter conventional thinking. The research and realities I encountered became Keto Plus.

Sugar in human diets has not been around for long. It saw its beginnings in the late 1800s, but became dominant in the early 1900s during the “cereal wars.” Yes, just a few men took down a nation.

Here is the Keto Plus punchline.

The moral of this story is that to attain all the results of this book, “You Must Stop Eating Sugar!”

  • Our bodies live on three sources: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. 
  • Fasting was the way of life for our ancestors. 
  • Raw sugar in all of humanities diets did not exist 200 years ago.

Change your approach!

  •     Keto teaches how to burn fat.
  •     Intermittent fasting helps the body burn fat.
  •     Cutting out sugar does not allow the body to regress to a state of dependence.
  •     Minimizing carbs helps Keto to make you a fat burner. 

There is a simple ratio of food intake on Keto: 

  • 70% Fat
  • 20% Protein
  • 10% Carbohydrates

Following this rule, I went from 22% body fat to 5.9%, eating mostly good fat.

Keto Plus – The Challenge

Are you capable of living outside the establishments thinking? 

    • Do you want to lose inches everywhere on your body?

    • Ditch diabetes

    • Lose body fat!

    • Release and use all your fat-soluble vitamins

    • Reset your life

    • Change your attitude about everything

    Keto Plus – Lifestyle change and not a diet.

Bob

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Keys Nextra Line Featuring NeoRetinol – Coming Soon!

Keys New Discoveries – NeoRetinol

“Retinol is a vitamin A ester developed many years ago with side effects as legendary as it effects.  We have developed NeoRetinol that does all the same things as Retinol, but with none of the side effects.”   Wendy Steele Keys CEO

Retinol is the staple of everyone’s skin regimen that wants to turn back the clock. Retinol is a vitamin A ester developed many years ago, primarily for acute acne sufferers. The effects are legendary, as are the side effects. Retinol claims to erase wrinkles and fine lines, but the drying, redness, and peeling flaking skin happen when you use too much too frequently. Lots of fakes on the market and the real stuff sells for about $300 an ounce. What used to be prescription-only saw the emergence of many fakes when the Retinol trademark expired.

Keys has always researched ancient aboriginal remedies and coupled them with pure high efficacy natural ingredients. So, it is not uncommon to find us searching the outback of Australia or the rain forests of South America for elements and solutions. Sometimes it is easy when you walk into a village, and 60-year-olds look like 30 somethings with bright clear, smooth skin. You ask, “What are you using on your face?” More often than not, it is a single plant or tree byproduct that they attribute their youthful appearance too. A good example is Tamanu oil that we discovered was being used by Polynesians to soften the appearance of aging. That is why we feature Tamanu oil in our Reflex ProBiome Serum.

Often, it is not easy to figure out how an element of designing new products work or how to extract it. Sometimes it is a combination of things that people put together that works. Generally, when you find these sorts of solutions, the elements are not commercially available. Most companies pass on this discovery process in favor of chemicals that almost work. At Keys, we are scientists first and developers second. So, we are drawn to revolutionary discoveries. It is just our nature.

Element 6 – NeoRetinol

In Western Bolivia near Lake Tiwanaku is a place called Pumapunku. At its peak, Pumapunku is thought to have been “unimaginably wondrous.” Adorned with polished metal plaques, brightly colored ceramic, and fabric ornamentation, it was an Inca cultural center. It was visited by beautifully costumed citizens, elaborately dressed priests, and elites decked in exotic jewelry. Research shows that there were merchants around 500 AD that were selling fountain of youth style remedies that lore has it, reversed aging.

About five years ago, we heard about this elixir and probed Ancient Astronaut Theorists studying Pumapunku for what they had discovered. Their tales are always slanted and biased to what they are trying to prove. Within these stories come sub-stories of the culture and vanities of the people who lived and visted there. They report that the native people never aged. We read into it that they had some secret.

Element 6 is our discovery from the region. It is not just one plant extract, it is a combination of elements, mostly from far away, but constructed at Pumapunku. I am confident I have not discovered the exact concoction from Pumapunku, but I am on the path with our Element 6 ingredient. I will not tell you what it is, but what I can tell you that it is plant and tree-based and that it does everything that Retinol does with none of the side effects including no sun sensitivity.

What we have observed is that it reduces fine lines, resurfaces, and smooths the skin without drying, scaling of the skin, or redness from overuse. I use it twice a day, and I have notice age lines disappearing, dark spots fading, and my eye bags diminishing. My skin feels softer than when I was a teen. I like to think I look younger. I also sent it to my posse of Hollywood TV and Film makeup artists. They had similar results feeling tightening and firming of the skin. They all noted a smoothing and almost restructuring of their skin. Please keep in mind. These are the most beautiful people walking the planet. For them to notice a change is a big deal.

So, where are we? We have a new line or very high-end products coming out in 2020 called Nextra. Nextra is a truncated word describing the line and is a combination of the words Extra and Next. Element 6 is an ingredient in all of the products. The first in the Nextra Line is NeoRetinol. It, too, is a play on words that it is the next generation of Retinol with none of the side effects. NeoRetinol is in beta test now with our beta-test team. These individuals range from actors, makeup artists, young and old. These people are not shy about being critical, and feedback so far is extraordinarily exciting.

Sometime in Q1 of 2020, we will introduce NeoRetinol and other members of the Nextra line of products. They will not be $300 an ounce, but they will not be big box store fakes either. No pricing is set, but like all Keys products, we will employ modern manufacturing techniques to reduce the cost of making Element 6 as much as possible. Equally, the ingredient deck will be impressive for the exotic ingredients we will add to each of the products to make them work more effectively in age reversing.

What I can say for sure is if you have skin that you have not taken care of, you will notice a dramatic change. If your skin is flawless, youthful, and well kept, you will feel the difference and more likely, friends and family will notice a change.

For Now, NeoRetinol is Coming Soon.

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Winter Sunscreen – Keys Solar Rx Secrets

Winter is Time for Sunscreen

by Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

Every skier around the world knows the importance of using sunscreens at high altitude. As the air thins, the UV radiation protection from the atmosphere declines exponentially. The same is true when it gets cold and dry at sea level. Worse, cold winds chap, dry, and redden the skin on your face neck and hands. Ironically, it can be as important to wear sunscreen in the winter as in the heat of summer. Reflected UV can double the dose of UV A aging rays while UV B burning rays can be more docile. Our face neck and hands can take a real beating in the winter months. Even places like the Southwest US, where it is warm, are also dryer in the winter. Make Sense?

FDA
Click To Visit Solar Rx Page

Solar Rx is a daily use sunscreen with higher than SPF 30 and is broad-spectrum squelching both UV A & UV B rays. Perhaps more important is that it is a skin repairing anti-aging moisturizer and uses uncoated zinc oxide that soothes and restores damaged skin.

Solar Rx Hidden Secrets

Solar Rx truly has hidden secrets, which alone make it a 365 daily multi-use product. So here is a look under the hood of Solar Rx.

  • Zinc Oxide is the active ingredient in Solar Rx blocking UV radiation. Solar Rx uses uncoated zinc oxide, so the element itself comes in full contact with the skin. Uncoated zinc oxide is an FDA over the counter remedy known for its skin repairing properties. By using uncoated zinc oxide, we are the only sunscreen moisturizer that aids the skin while blocking aging UV.
  • Avocado oil has a vast array of skin-repairing properties while also offering minor UV B protection. Google avocado oil properties, and you will be amazed.
  • Carrot seed oil reduces inflammation and puffiness while aiding skin hydration
  • Black Seed oil went back to ancient Egypt and was the primary ingredient used by Cleopatra as her beauty regimen. The vitamin E8 levels are astounding.
  • Ghana Raw Shea Butter has its own active skin nutrients. We use it as an incredible humectant. Shea butter provides a non-comedogenic seal trapping natural skin moisture reducing skin dehydration.
  • Aloe Vera polysaccharides make this natural ingredient famous. Using a blue agave freeze-dried leaf gel10X’s the polysaccharides, and its crystalline structure adds a luminosity to Solar Rx. Not quite a shimmer, Solar Rx is our Luminos moisturizer with SPF protection.
  • Clary Sage essential oil is also legendary for repairing damaged skin.

So, Solar Rx is much more than just a sunscreen. It is a daily repairing and anti-aging product that has notable and discernible results.

Wendy

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For Makeup Artists Only…Actors Too! Join Our Pro Team

Keys Vanities Makeup Artist & Actors Pro Team

Keys Vanities Pro Team entitles the professional makeup artist, and actors too, to unique benefits, including product discounts and exclusive access to tips and techniques. …and the most exciting is a free membership in our Beta testing team where you will see new products and be able to test them before they are in production.

What You Get?

If you qualify for the program, you will receive a 40% product discount online at www.KeysPure.com and receive an industry insider newsletter sent out to your email on a periodic basis.

Learn More and Apply – Click Here

 

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Keys Vanity Pro Makeup Artist Team Application

Keys Vanity Pro Makeup Artist Team

Keys Vanity Pro Team entitles the professional makeup artist to unique benefits, including product discounts and exclusive access to tips and techniques. …and the most exciting is a free membership in our Beta testing team where you will see new products and be able to test them before they are in production.

What You Get?

If you qualify for the program, you will receive a 40% product discount online at www.KeysPure.com and receive an industry insider newsletter sent out to your email on a periodic basis.

What We Get.

Our benefit is a discrete group of professionals that help guide us to develop better more effective products for you and consumers.

What Can You Do for Us?

Talk us up and get more makeup artists to signup for this program.  The more artists that are signed up, the more we can learn from you and your peers.  That is priceless for us.

DO YOU QUALIFY? 

The Pro requirements are as follows:

  • Completed application with credentials

AND

  • Two pieces of professional makeup artist criteria uploaded within the application form. (valid within the past 2 years):
    • Composite Card
    • Business card with name and specific Makeup Artist profession
    • Editorial page with name credit
    • Union card
    • Professional valid license
    • Crew Call list on production company letterhead
    • Reference letter from employer or director

So, When You Are Ready…Here is the Application

[formidable id=20]

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Ugly Ducklings Moles – Part Three – Hold The Mayo

MayoIn the first two parts of my story, I was diagnosed with two atypical biopsies, discovered that the diagnosis was a coverup for a botched lab test and prepared myself for a visit to the revered hallowed halls of the Mayo Clinic. Surely Mayo would be a much better experience. Right?  It can’t get any worse or can it?

Hold the Mayo!

Bob and I arrived in Rochester, Minnesota, yesterday late. It was a long drive from South Central Michigan. We pushed through to make it a one-day trip so that we could relax a bit before my appointment at the Mayo Clinic.

I am not one to ever do things on blind faith. I operate much better when I have a chance to ask my questions, consider the responses, ask some more questions, and then fix on a plan of action.

So, since I was traveling and on my way to Minneapolis, when I received the pathology report, it made sense to secure a referral from my primary dermatologist, so that I could visit the Mayo Clinic Department of Dermatology. 

My primary physician who also helped me with the Mayo referral said my assessment should also determine “were the doctors at Mayo smart enough for me.” I honestly believe it was a little uptown rivalry between Mayo and Johns Hopkins that sparked the comment.

mayoI was surprised to find that so many friends when they learned I was going to Mayo, responded with some apprehension about my visit. It was like they thought it is a oneway door. My attitude about this visit was based on my approaching it from a wellness perspective. Admittedly, most of my hospital, clinic, and doctor experience do not understand visits for wellness. What’s wrong is usually the first words. For some unknown reason, I thought Mayo would be different. Surely they must understand wellness!

I was not sick, I was happy to know that the ugly duckling moles removed were not cancerous…no Melanoma, no basal cell carcinoma and no squamous cell, just atypical. No, I did not know if there was anything to worry about because the labs were botched. I thought Mayo would use state-of-the-art technology to give me a clean review. By now, the biopsies had healed, and I could not even tell where they were.

So from a wellness perspective, I admit that I am a Melanoma survivor who does not quite understand what “atypical” actually means. When I look at my body, many moles look “atypical.” So, my important questions for the doctors at Mayo Clinic: What is my normal? What advanced medical scanning process or techniques can we use to determine how to address my “a-typicalness” given the high number of moles on my body and considering my history of Melanoma and basal cell carcinoma?

My nature is also to be deeply curious, especially when it comes to my body. I am ultimately responsible for how I take care of myself and my skin health. I was interested to learn as much as possible about new advancements and technologies being used for skin screening.

Mehmet Oz (Dr. Oz) would have been proud of me. Being a good patient, I wrote my list of questions and was excited at the prospect of learning more! I anticipated that perhaps I could participate in a more advanced screening process that I hoped that Mayo was using for skin cancer screening. At the same time, I brought along my medical pictures that were taken of my body. I laughed at the thought that (back then) digital cameras were not being used by dermatologists and how arcane these 35 mm photos now seemed in light of the advancements in photo-technology.

Arriving at Mayo seemed very much like coming to a hotel. The covered car entrances had what looked like helpful bellmen, and someone was announcing over a public address system the arrival of this shuttle or that shuttle. It was highly orchestrated and appeared as though it was a well-designed movie set. Once inside the slow-moving revolving doors, my first thought was, I was back in New York at Pfizer corporate HDQ’s building. The eye was drawn to the highly polished marble looking floors and expansive, glass, artwork and artistic chandeliers. When I heard the music coming from grand pianos, I immediately thought of Nordstrom or a big cruise ship. I also thought fleetingly of the Titanic, and wondered if that’s what James Cameron would have said with some attitude while walking in the door? There was no feeling that I was in a medical institution until I saw people in wheelchairs and noticed a sort of uniform look to the staff members. There was a curious absence of white coats.

Mayo is very efficient at moving people through to their appointed time. They take pride in this. The deck of new patient paperwork was a bit daunting. As a first time visitor, it took me about 30 minutes to complete the deck. I realized as I was reading each question and checking off “no’s” and “none,” that the overwhelming assumption is that there is something wrong with you. Otherwise, why would you be there? Leaving the expansive waiting area, I was escorted down the very long corridor by a tall woman in a suit. There were rows and rows of examining rooms behind closed doors. When escorted into the examining room, I was surprised. The room reminded me of coming into a perfectly set hotel room, but with no windows, with a long couch, separate changing room, and an examining table that had a folded card on it saying that it had been sanitized and disinfected with something in a bottle from 3M. (After a day to reflect on this I now realize there were lots of subliminal messages swirling in my head around these visual images.)

The friendly and efficient nurse was welcoming and asked me to get changed into a gown. She gave me a heads up that two doctors would be seeing me today. While waiting for the doctors, the nurse confirmed some pertinent background information: my Melanoma surgery, my basal cell carcinoma surgery, and all the biopsies. She had the most recent pathology report from regarding 2 ugly duckling moles that were excised that came back with the moderately atypical notation. I asked the nurse if they received my pathology slides, as I was told the day before on the phone, that these slides were being FedEx’d in from the lab in Maryland. The nurse said she did not see any record of them and said she would check for them. Damned, they did not send them!

A charming resident doctor then greeted me. She let me know that she would do a thorough visual body screening check for me first. Great! This time gave me a chance to let her know of my primary questions:

Mayo
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO at Mayo

I mentioned that with the high number of moles on my body and with many of them looking more atypical than normal I was hoping to learn more about how I could determine “what is my normal.” I let her know that I was very interested in learning more about what point of care diagnostics Mayo is offering to skin cancer patients like me?

Was Mayo using the Dermatascope? Yes, in some cases for some moles, but not for the entire body. What? Why?

What about cellular scanning? No, not yet. What? Why?

What about body scanners? No, not yet. What? Why? Are you serious?

What about passive thermography? Nope. Uh oh…oh no, I was in shock. 

She said that there were things in the works but not available.

When she asked if I had any other questions, I asked about my pathology slides and wondered if anyone had received them or looked at them? She said she would check. She also wanted to know how long I planned to be in Rochester and I let her know that I was going to Minneapolis next week for business.  

The resident then announced “my consultant” would be coming in shortly. “Consultant?” The card I was given showed he was Dermatology Surgeon. I guess I was expecting a white coat because I was surprised when he walked in an Armani suit. Wait a minute a suit? 

What about my pathology slides? Is Mayo now a part of my dermatologist’s coverup?

My antenna was up, was this a business or a medical facility? I was about to learn that if you are looking for advanced thinking that you probably should not go to an institution touting its past. To me, trying to look for the most advanced thinkers conjures up research facilities and universities with wild-haired young passionate and inquisitive looking characters like you would see at Berkeley or Stanford. 

Determined more than ever now, not to give up, I asked the same set of questions to my “consultant”, to see if he had any further insight. He let me know that there was much they were still learning about Melanoma and that there were many facets to making a diagnosis and that it still relied on identifying the ugly ducklings, then cutting, biopsying and prescribing treatment. He let me know that he did not believe that there would be a time when technology or machines could do better than the human eye and human brain for detecting Melanoma. And that at this time, the best practice was still visually inspecting the body regularly and to have photos taken so that a visual comparison could be made manually by looking at the pictures and comparing them to the visual inspection, real-time of the body. 

I let him know that I was in shock, as I am such a fan of technology and found it hard to believe that current technology would not have some positive impact on people like me. The fact that German scientists are experimenting with skin cancer detection devices based on the iPhone tells me that this is not as much rocket science as the people at Mayo would want me to believe.

How about could we at least start with a more sophisticated way of taking full-body pictures that would accurately show a comparison of changes in moles over time and recognize the fact is that this is not advanced thinking? It is 20-year-old optical comparator technology used in everyday manufacturing.

Finally, my consultant recommended that “given my history and as a precaution,” he would perform another procedure to excise both of the atypical areas on my chest surgically. He described the size of the incisions and said that while one area would be easy to hide the scar, the other would not be so easy. He described the size of the scar and the fact that it would probably pucker a little as it was in a hard area to heal. He asked, “How does that sound?” I felt my face get hot and flushed. I was searching for the right words. What I blurted out: “Honestly, that sounds terrible! It sounds barbaric to me that you are recommending more cutting even though this is not cancerous. Moreover, if I were to do this, I would not even consider doing this without a plastic surgeon!” 

Okay, it was a straight throw down! I realized that I was firmly in control of my body and that I was not ready to check into this hotel. It was at this very moment that I thought, his path was only crossing mine and that we were in two very different worlds.

It became apparent to me that I am off to Stanford or Berkeley or where ever this may take me. In one sense, I am relieved, and in another, I am very disappointed. I realize again never to assume. It taught me a lesson to seek out people and organizations that are on a constant quest to improve and learn, and that do not rest on their reputation alone.

Back to the original test results? My results were not atypical. The test was botched, and they did not want to admit it. These “doctors” put me through a very scary and expensive ringer. As a Melanoma survivor, I have no insurance for this and mine is a vote of no-confidence!

Maybe my experience was a comedy of errors that just seemed to fall in place one after the other.  This was a chronical of my experiences as I saw them.  My message is to be on guard at all times when it comes to your health and wellness.  Please take off the doctor goggles.

You have to be your own judge of your doctors, clinics, and hospitals. Blindly following the system can be harmful to your health.  

Time to Get Wise!

 

Mayo

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Ugly Ducklings Moles – Part Two – A Revelation

My Ugly Ducklings Skin Cancer Story by Wendy Steele

In part one of my Ugly Ducklings story, I explained the process and reasons I went through having three moles , aka Ugly Ducklings, biopsied and tested. My story turned from being alarmed at the doctor’s findings to anger when I realized that there was a coverup of a sloppy lab process. I was lead to believe I had potentially cancerous growths that needed retesting only to find out the lab messed up the test. Not atypical, but typical!

You are Responsible for Your Health!

I chose the title “You Are Responsible for Your Health” because I have been saying it for years, and I learned firsthand how true this statement is after my experiences over the last two weeks. It does not cut it when people say to me that life is so fast-paced that people make mistakes. This excuse does not fly when it comes to my health. 

To put everything into perspective, I received my biopsy results that showed two of the ugly duckling moles removed were “atypical.” What then happened was weird behavior from my dermatologist. Not at all what I expected!

Almost everyone lives somewhere and develops doctors and services in their community that they frequent. Not Me!

I travel for Keys visiting our customers and resellers 200+ days a year. I often do not have the luxury of getting things done in the same place by the same people. I have trusted professionals all over North America that I rely on for haircuts to healthcare.

A while back, and because of my extensive travel, I joined a Doctor Concierge service offered by my primary physician. I would say he is also one of the more advanced thinking doctors I have met. He is a teaching doctor at Johns Hopkins, and I pay him for a comprehensive annual physical that is wellness-based. Then, as a part of the concierge service, I receive email, phone, and referral help from him while I am on the road. Pretty neat and little did I know I would rely on it when my dermatologist was not able to help me.

Here is the deal in a nutshell. I received the news that my two moles were not cancer, but “atypical.” I thought to myself, what exactly does that mean? I called my dermatologist, and her nurse assistant explained that they wanted to take a more extensive biopsy area and a layer deeper of skin to be sure that they had “clear margins.” As a Melanoma survivor, I want to make sure that any “questionable” area be excised to make sure nothing undesirable is left. I have had numerous Mohs surgeries.

What happened next was minimally very disappointing. I told my dermatologists office that I was traveling and asked if they could give me a referral to the Mayo Clinic. The silence on the other end of the phone indicated they did not know how to do this. So, I began my strange journey to get to Rochester, Minnesota.

Since my dermatologist was not able to help, I thought, “my concierge service”! I called my primary physician, and he called back in just a few minutes. When I answered the call, he said, “Hi Wendy, this is Steve Katz returning your call”….he said, “Steve” not “Doctor Katz”! I was relieved and immediately began to feel better. 

I explained my situation, and he asked me where I was going to be over the next few weeks. I said, Minneapolis, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque. He said, “I will get to work and get back to you.” I hung up and told Bob, “Steve is on the case”!

To my surprise within 10 minutes, I received a call from the Mayo Clinic referral service in Rochester, Minnesota. Steve gave them my information, situation, and timing. He signed me up as a patient and explained that I am a Melanoma patient. A few calls later, literally minutes, and I had an appointment with one of Mayo’s wunderkind Mohs surgeon dermatologists.

What happened next unsettled me tremendously.

Ugly Ducklings
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

Kelly called me from Mayo Dermatology and told me that I needed to have my dermatologist officially refer me and send my patient records as well as the atypical dermatology report to them. I called and luckily was able to talk to my primary dermatology assistant who agreed to call Mayo immediately. She did, and all was set except for one shockingly simple problem.

Kelly called me back from Mayo and told me that I had an appointment on the following Thursday with a specialist in Mayo Dermatology. Then there was a pause and a bit of silence. Kelly then said that the doctor might not be able to do the additional excision that day because when they asked for the pathology slides from my regular dermatologist, they responded to Mayo that “We do not have them, and no one has ever asked for pathology slides before.” To me, that seemed a normal thing for a Melanoma patient to have their dermatologist keep these. It sounded to me that Kelly at Mayo was shocked at this response from my primary dermatologist’s office, mainly because Kelly repeated that she found this to be “very surprising” no less than 3 times during our conversation. Uh Oh!

Does it not seem strange to you that a doctor, a pathology lab would not keep the slides from the biopsy or images at least from an atypical diagnosis for a Melanoma patient? So, I am going to find out what the heck is going on. I realize the institutional assumption is that I would have to return to the same doc for more work? 

I am taking charge of my health. NEVER ASSUME.

I also hate that phrase on TV…you know the one in the pharmaceutical commercials. “Ask your doctor!” I believe the phrase should be “Tell Your Doctor!”

Ugly Ducklings Part 3 gets even weirder!

 

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My Skin Cancer Anniversary – Lessons Learned

WISDOM FROM “UGLY DUCKLINGS” On My Skin Cancer Anniversary by Wendy Steele

Anniversary is a thing to celebrate and to remember. Sounds strange that I celebrate my Melanoma diagnosis and use this to remember my experiences. What I learned then and know now is that I am in charge of my health and well-being.  

My doctors have all earned a basic level of my trust. The keyword is basic! I never let down my guard and question everything I hear. I respect the doctors I have chosen, but I do not treat them like gods. I have way too many experiences where what they thought or said was just wrong.

I bristle when I hear people that blindly follow their doctors, especially when they assume the worst and use Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt tactics to get me to agree with a treatment. They all do it! It is how they survive in a corrupt and broken medical system. Below is an example of one of my experiences that led me to a terrible experience at the Mayo Clinic a few years ago. As a part of my Melanoma anniversary celebration, the story below is an essential reminder to me.

One Experience Among Many! – Part One!

My experience with several “ugly ducklings” has once again put a bright spotlight on my desire and responsibility to share my personal wisdom about skin health.

Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

So far, I have had the pleasure to personally talk to and meet many of our customers during multiple special events. At one event, I was wearing several flesh-colored bandage strips on my upper chest and self-consciously made sure that I covered those strategically with clothing, as I did not want to reveal those ugly little bandages. I thought later that perhaps I would have been better off letting them show because then I could share more personally my own experiences with “ugly ducklings.” Knowledge is a powerful thing.

As the story goes, I visited my dermatologist for my overdue annual skin check. Because I am a Melanoma survivor, it means that I am, and always will be, a Melanoma patient. I live 365 days a year with the reality that I am a melanoma patient.

Before my appointment, I called ahead, and I alerted my doctor, “ I have several ugly ducklings that I wanted to have excised and checked.” 

So what are ugly ducklings? “Ugly ducklings” are a recognized medical research term being used by skin specialists to help people understand how to recognize and track early warning signs of skin cancer. The more you know about how to identify ugly ducklings, the more effective you may be at beating skin cancer through an early treatment!

On appointment day, the excellent news reality of my melanoma patient status is that I get much extra attention when I have my skin checked. In my case, my Doc and her specially trained RN assistant double-teamed me as they scanned my entire body- scalp to soles of my feet, hands fingers, and places where the sun never sees. I have lots of spots and freckles on my body. The fact is I could easily count more than 100 moles on my body. So many that five years ago my dermatologist decided that they should all photographed so that we could keep track of any changes in my moles! So with double team attention and prior photos in their hands, my body exam took about 15 minutes with two sets of trained eyes on me.

At the end of the exam, in addition to the two ugly ducklings, my Doc identified a third one. All of these were on my upper chest near the pectorals. All three were excised and sent for biopsy.

These moles were not truly ugly. They just looked different to me. Moreover, they looked different to my doctor. So this is the “ugly duckling” practice at work…prompting me to get checked by my dermatologist.  

So what exactly should you be looking for when you check your skin every month? Also, what early warning signs should you pay attention to always and act on immediately? Here’s what I do:

  • I pay attention to any mole that stands out – that is anything that I think looks darker, redder more round rather than oval. These are moles which my eye are automatically drawn to looking at. It is because it just looks different from the other moles that I have! The fact is I know these moles better than my doctor-mainly because I live with them and see them every day! Anything that stands out to me could be the first sign of an ugly duckling, an outlier that bears having checked for any change.
  • I also watch closely any moles where one half of the mole does not look like the other half, this is known as asymmetry
  • I pay attention to moles with blurred, ragged or notched edges – with irregular borders
  • Color changes in moles – from clear to red to brown to black or even blue – all are early warning signs
  • Anything larger than 6mm in diameter, i.e., the size of a pencil eraser bears watching more closely and getting checked
  • Every day we are aging and evolving, and any change or growth in the mole is an early warning sign.

Any of the above signs in new moles or growths or existing moles or growths should be checked immediately by a dermatologist. What I just described above is now known as the A, B, C, D, E‘s of melanoma skin cancer. They are all early warning signs to pay close attention to and pro-actively take action on with your doctor.

Another thing that I have learned is if a mole is itchy, crusty, or bleeds, you should immediately ask your doctor to remove it and order a biopsy. Do not let a doctor freeze or burn off these moles because you will not know if there were abnormal or cancerous cells in the tissue that are burned or frozen off. If you experience a regrowth of an area that was previously burned or frozen, immediately have a re-excision and order a biopsy to be sure it is cleared of any potential skin cancer.

So what was the result of my ugly duckling moles that were excised?

Two out of the three came back from pathology as abnormal! Not cancer, but unusual. Now, I am in the process of learning exactly what an abnormal pathology report looks like up close and personally in real-time. I am about to learn more about the wisdom from ugly ducklings and what my next steps will be. I want to share this experience so that others will not be fearful but instead may learn from my experience.

What came next was initially alarming and later another big lesson why you cannot always trust your doctor. What started as fear turned to anger and a lot of time and expense.   

 

 

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Keys Overview – Our Elevator Speech

Wendy Steele, Keys CEO & Founder

Business people have a thing they call an elevator speech. It is a short description of a business delivered on a short elevator ride that tells someone what your company does and its purpose.

Recently I was, you guessed it, on an elevator and someone asked me what Keys does. Here is what I said:

“Keys 15 Years of natural product development are easy to understand. They are whole natural ingredient products designed to perform by using a deep understanding of the skin. Products use the highest quality ingredients from around the world in therapeutic proportions. They do what they say they do without chemicals. Products include Anti-Aging Skincare, Naturopathic Skin Therapies, Haircare, Alternative Naturals, Personal Lubricants, Dog Topicals & Functional Supplements.”

So there you have it! Keys Elevator Speech!

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Keto Diet Saves On Skincare!

Bob Root – Keys Founder & Formulator

Keto Skin!

There are two ways you can save half of your skincare products price. Either you get 50% off the price, or you only have to use half as much.

We have always said that a 100ml 4-ounce bottle of Luminos or Tortuga lotion is like getting a 600ml bottle of lotion. It is because there is almost no water in the formulation. All of the oils are concentrated and in therapeutic proportions. Avocado oil is our dominant oil, and the blend provides the highest possible concentration of emollients without chemicals. True, but what if you could use only half as much of Keys products and get the same results?

Enter My Keto Diet

Okay, I am lucky that as I have gotten older that I have tended to lose weight rather than gain. I went on the Keto diet to lower my blood glucose. The net was that I lost another 10 pounds, went from 16% body fat to 5.9% and gained lean muscle mass. What was to most exciting side-effect was that my complexion tightened and my skin was super-hydrated.

Although I love Luminos as a moisturizer, as I have pointed out in previous articles, I use Tortuga lotion as my go-to everything lotion. Although Wendy uses almost all of the Keys products every day, I am a two Keys product guy. Give me my Island Rx and my Tortuga.

So what I noticed after the first month on Keto was that I reduced the amount of Tortuga I was using by half. After three months, I was down to a stabilized 1/3 the amount of Tortuga I was using daily. My dominant fat intake is avocado, cheeses, fish, and some fatty meats. What I found was that being on Keto and operating at a ratio of 74% fat, 19% protein, and 7% carbs and No Sugar!   My skin became more emollient. Even my dry elbows disappeared. Why? I have become a fat burner, and more fat finds its way to my skin requiring less product. I now only apply Tortuga to wet skin because I can’t spread a thinner layer without the surface being wet.

My usage of Tortuga has gone down to about 30% of what I used before. Less is more savings. Ironically, my Island Rx usage is also down, but I have not figured out why.

Bob

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Micellar Water FAD or Innovation

micellar
Click To Buy

Keys Island Rx Foaming wash is a patriarch of our line. With the popularity of micellar water cleansers, we thought it would be essential to point out that Island Rx has always been micelle-based. It has been that way since its introduction in 2004.

Our society, especially beauty, is fad and fan based. Keys has always been a “Fan” based product line, but we have started a few “Fads” in our 15 years. More often than not, we have not been credited with some interesting trends.

There is a difference between fads and fan-based products. Word of mouth advertising is generally associated with fan-based products and Fads with fake news.

The origin of the word fad is generally tied back to about 1834. Loosely related to “hobby, pet project” (adjective faddy is from 1824), of uncertain origin. Perhaps shortened from fiddle-faddle. Or maybe from French fadaise “trifle, nonsense,” which is ultimately from Latin fatuus “stupid.” From 1881 as “fashion, craze,” or as Century Dictionary has it, “trivial fancy adopted and pursued for a time with irrational zeal.”

Micellar water is not a fad as it has been the fundamental basis of Castile soaps for over 500 years. It is neither new or a flash in the pan. The fact that many are crediting the invention to a French chemist just a few years ago is bunk. Said, the fad is also functional. But, the craze of it will diminish, and we will keep extracting micelles for our Island Rx foaming wash.

All of our soaps are micelle-based cleansers.

Windsurfer is a huge fan-based product with runners, outdoors people, and people that want a refreshing citrus lime full body cleanser.

MetaClean has helped people with psoriasis, eczema, and other skin disorders for years because of its Neem and Karanja ayurvedic oils.

Island Rx Foaming Wash is consistently one of our top sellers because of how it cleans and moisturizes the face neck and hands with avocado oil and clary sage.

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Glacier Water Micelles and Other Natural Mysteries

Island Rx Foaming “Glacier Water” Cleanser – All Natural, Chemical-Free Healing Foaming Wash for Skin Disorders, Itching, Allergies & Irritations.

Our micellar abundant cleaning soap was developed for sensitive skin like the face and neck.  The micellar technology foaming applicator automatically dilutes the  Island Rx formulation so that it can be used directly on wet skin.  It is also great for bathing small children and babies.

Island Rx was the first product we developed. With over 100 initial version, the product was developed for Wendy Steele after her bout with Melanoma. The basis for Island Rx is a 300-year-old Castile soap recipe with holistic and naturopathic influences in the form of healing essential oils, a Micelle that resembles the antioxidant properties of natural glacier water and the addition of softening oils like avocado and jojoba. Keys customers have reported the reversal of common skin disorders like eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, and skin allergies after just a few uses.

From 2004 Article: Micelles by Bob Root

There are two distinct places that you find Micelles.  One is in Glacier Water and the other is Castile Soaps.  They fundamentally trap and hold dirt from the skin and wash off with water.  Simple, but a very complex mystery of nature.

Micelle Structure

A micelle, plural micelles, micella, or micellae) is an aggregate of surfactant molecules dispersed in a liquid colloid. A typical micelle in aqueous solution forms an aggregate with the hydrophilic “head” regions in contact with the surrounding solvent, sequestering the hydrophobic single tail regions in the micelle center. This phase is caused by the insufficient packing issues of single-tailed lipids in a bilayer. The difficulty filling all the volume of the interior of a bilayer, while accommodating the area per head group forced on the molecule by the hydration of the lipid head group leads to the formation of the micelle. This type of micelle is known as a normal phase micelle (oil-in-water micelle). Inverse micelles have the headgroups at the center with the tails extending out (water-in-oil micelle). Micelles are approximately spherical. Other phases, including shapes such as ellipsoids, cylinders, and bilayers, are also possible. The shape and size of a micelle is a function of the molecular geometry of its surfactant molecules and solution conditions such as surfactant concentration, temperature, pH, and ionic strength. The process of forming micellae is known as micellization and forms part of the phase behavior of many lipids according to their polymorphism.

Micelle Structure

In our studies of ancient remedies, we found that some of the most powerful yet gentle skin agents were Clary sage, blood orange, black cumin (black seed) oil, carrot seed oil, and avocado oil.  When using on the skin in lotions or soap, they perform the same as some harsh chemicals in a slow but sure manner.

So, how does all this work to help acne suffers?  We have found through our customers that they have developed a sort of regime that makes perfect sense to me.

 

Click To Buy

They get off all the junk(dirt) and go clean, including shampoo, personal care, and home care products.  You probably already get this because you are reading this.  Then they wash daily with Island Rx foaming wash, rinsing and lightly drying.  In the morning (some twice a day) they apply Solar Rx.  Yes, the sunblock.  Solar Rx contains pharmaceutical grade avocado oil, back cumin oil, carrots seed oil and uncoated zinc oxide.  Those powerful essential oils soothe the skin and mimic the skins own sebum restoring good oil levels lost by being exposed to hydrocarbons, pollutants, dryness, and dehydration.  The uncoated zinc oxide is at 18.5% by volume.  Most zinc oxide based acne and skin prescriptions only contain 5%-6% uncoated zinc oxide.  They discovered that they could get the same pharma grade zinc oxide in Solar Rx at much higher levels and a fraction of the price of prescription creams.

Here is a link to the original full article

Buy Island Rx Foaming Wash

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May is Melanoma Awareness Month

Melanoma Can Strike Anyone

The list is long. Dianne Keaton, Melanie Griffith, Hugh Jackman, and Anderson Cooper are all now advocates of skin cancer protection.

There are several different types of skin cancer, including melanoma, basal cell skin cancer, and squamous cell skin cancer.

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is a prevalent cancer in the United States, with more than 5 million people diagnosed each year. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which are nonmelanoma skin cancers, are the most common types of skin cancer. Nonmelanoma skin cancers rarely spread to other parts of the body.

Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer. It is more likely to invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body than the more common forms of skin cancer.

Although melanoma represents 5 percent of the skin cancer cases diagnosed in the United States each year, it results in the most deaths. According to estimates made from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, 96,480 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma and nearly 7,230 people will die of the disease in 2019.

Melanoma is more common in men than women and among individuals of fair complexion. Unusual moles, exposure to natural sunlight or artificial sunlight (such as from tanning beds) over long periods, and health history can affect the risk of melanoma.

So, May is Melanoma awareness month, and we have a couple of suggestions.
1) If you know someone who has had skin cancer, give them a call to see how they are doing.
2) Check yourself for moles that are larger than the eraser of a pencil
3) If a mole itches, get it checked
4) Stay out of the sun from 10am-2pm
5) Cover up with SPF/UPF rated clothing

You are responsible or yourself, especially when it comes to skin cancer. Always insist on a biopsy of any abnormality. If your doctor is not willing to or says they can tell with their eyes, it is time to find a new doctor.

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FDA Set to Ban Chemical Sunscreen Ingredients

 

FDA Study Reports Chemical Sunscreens Enter Bloodstream in One-Day

In a recent report and study by the FDA, it appears they are on a path to ban all chemical sunscreen ingredients used in most sunscreens on the market. Keys Solar Rx is a clear physical sunscreen using zinc oxide.

The four chemicals studied — avobenzone, oxybenzone, ecamsule and octocrylene — are part of a dozen that the FDA recently said needed to be researched by manufacturers before they could be considered “generally regarded as safe and effective.”

Excerpt: Wired Magazine

Today, researchers at the FDA revealed the results of a small clinical trial designed to test how four of the most common sun-filtering molecules on the market behave after they’ve been sprayed on and rubbed in. The results, published in the journal JAMA, show that contrary to what sunscreen manufacturers have been saying, UV-blocking chemicals do seep into circulation. Now, don’t panic and toss your tubes. There’s no evidence yet that they’re doing anything harmful inside the body. But the revelation will have serious impacts on sunscreen manufacturers going forward, and may change what options you’ll find on drugstore shelves before the year is out.

“Everyone had always thought that because these are intended to work on the surface of the skin that they wouldn’t be absorbed, but they are,” says Theresa Michele, director of the FDA’s division of nonprescription drug products, and coauthor on the FDA-funded study. Her team found that it took only a few hours after the application of sunscreen for the photoprotective chemicals to infiltrate the bloodstream and shoot up to concentrations above the FDA’s toxicology threshold that triggers further safety testing.

Read the entire article Here.

If you have trouble opening the article copy the following into your browser.   https://www.wired.com/story/sunscreen-chemicals-soak-all-the-way-into-your-bloodstream/

Click Here to goto the Keys Solar Rx store page.

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Sardines – Skin & Omega 3’s

Sardines for Beautiful Skin – Sardines = Omega 3’s!

Bob Root, Keys Technologist

Sardines may be the best anti-aging secret going to protect and beautify your skin.  It The Omega 3 oils, collagen and proteins are the start of something beautiful…You!

Forever, skin gurus have said there is a direct relationship between Omega 3 oil and beautiful, youthful skin. I agree. Also, it is the balance of Omega 3’s and Omega 6’s that is equally important. Too much Omega 6 is bad and can cause breakout on the skin and discoloration. Omega 3’s only is excellent, but balancing Omega 3, 6 and 9 is essential. It turns out the perfect combination is sardines. Don’t like sardines? Too bad because fish oil capsules won’t work. Here is why.

Buying fish oil capsules and smearing will not work because your skin and pores will not like it. The combination will clog your pores, and the oils themselves are going the wrong direction when you apply them. They want to be excreted from the skin and pores. Some believe that taking a high-end fish oil capsule works, but not in my experience. What does work is eating a can of those silvery goodness fishes and watching your skin improve, clear and become youthful looking.

Cardiologists have long held that the secret to heart health is Omega 3, 6, and 9 in a combination that looks just like sardines. Dr. Jonathan Wright and other nutritional experts all recommend eating sardines three times a week. Yep, an entire can every other day.

The results are measurable in a blood test but more important to me is what they do for your skin. So here goes, eating sardines is like a natural botox for the skin except the sardines don’t leave you expressionless. Those Omega oils and other nutrients cause the skin to smooth, collagen to build and fine lines and wrinkles to lessen. And you can eat a ton of sardines for the price of one Botox treatment.

So, Eat Sardines to look younger and healthy. The side benefit is that you will be helping your heart as well.

I do not like all sardines. My favorites are Crown Prince Mediterranean with olive oil and olives. I buy then by the twelve pack on Amazon. BTW, if you are on Keto, this is also the perfect ratio of fat to protein. Here is the link to my brand listed below.

Bob

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Micelle & Keys Island RX Soaps

The Micelle Magic – It’s All In The Soap!

Bob Root, Keys Technologist

The secret to clean vibrant skin is a natural oil-based soap that is full of Micelle.  They are magical in almost every way imaginable.

When I first developed Island Rx soap, it was because I could not find a Castile soap that was lower in alkalinity. As I formulated and saponified oils like Avocado, Jojoba, Coconut and Olive oil, I not only noticed that they were not as alkaline, but that there was some different reaction on the skin. Researching my ingredients and processes, I realized I was releasing something called a Micelle.

Click To Buy

Micelles are polar critters that live in a real soap. One end of the structure loves water, and the other loves oil. So the more micelle in soap the more effective it is in clearing oil, dirt, grime, and pollutants from a surface like the skin. These are not little creatures that live in a Jedi Knight’s blood like in Star Wars, but an ionic compound that does work.

On the skin, micelle act to remove all sorts of things and a high-density micelle soap like Island Rx foaming wash does many things at once. Here are just a few:

1) It removes dirt and grime
2) Removes “loose” acne-causing bacteria
3) Dissolves dead skin (exfoliates)
4) Affects skin collagen
5) Removes complex oils
6) Balances pH
7) Causes positive skin reactions
8) Deep cleans and opens pores releasing pollutants
9) Carries oils from the soap formulation and deposits them on the skin
10) Rinses quickly and thoroughly carrying away unwanted contaminants

In other words, a micelle-based soap is Magic. Unlike surfactant based cleanses, it gives and takes. It nourishes the skin and removes things the skin does not want. I believe Island Rx soap and foaming wash have the highest concentration of micelle available anywhere.

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Keto Diet & Keys – Skin Is In The Game

Keto and Skin – Carb-Free, Sugar-Free, Sodium-Free, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free Anti-Aging

The revelation that some skin care products have sugars, carbs gluten and salt is stupefying and scary!  Clean products are not that hard to make if you know what you are doing.

The Keto diet is sweeping the world and at Keys as well. In its purest form, we are switching our bodies from sugar burners to fat burning. Yes, the body runs on fat as well as sugar. There are lots of benefits to the switch, cutting out ALL sugar and limiting carbohydrates to under 20 gram a day. Yes, it will melt the weight off your body quickly, but what it does for your health is even more critical. Not the least of which is your skin.

Funny as it sounds, Keys products are ketogenic. No carbs and no sugar and they are mostly good fats like avocado oil, black seed oil, olive oil, etc. etc. Besides being gluten-free (carbs), we are sugar-free.

The exciting part is that those of us at Keys that have been on a Keto diet for three months now have noticed how good our skin looks and how fewer products we have to use to have great looking skin. Our skin universally seems smooth and cleans easier as if the grime is riding on top of our skin. Lotions and creams require less to get more. I have personally cut my Reflex and Luminos usage by about a third (33%), and my skin loves the nourishment.

There were some ironies like when I tried to use a sugar scrub, and my skin reacted almost as it dropped out of ketosis. Yes, and I will never do that again. One person tried a bar soap that turned out to have a raft of gluten and carbs used for thickeners, filler, and grains as an abrasive. Gluten = Carbs. And yes, we now believe the skin reacts to sugar and carbs the same way as our gut does.

So, most of us will never go back to sugar and carbs because of how the Keto diet has made us feel. Life changing is about the only description I can offer. Knowing that some skin care brands use carbohydrates and sugars, as well as artificial sweeteners, was stupefying to all of us. It is a central message for all of us that have noticed how much better or skin looks, feels and acts since going Keto.

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Mangrove Shampoo & Conditioner – Pour Homme

Bob Root Keys Technologist & Founder

You love all your children equally, but sometimes those older more independent ones move to the corner of your eye. Mangrove Shampoo & Conditioner are among my oldest children and have matured into quite the adults. In product years, they are in their thirties and quite resourceful.

Dynamic Duo

Click To Buy

When Mangrove Shampoo and Conditioner were born, I had a vision for them which was entirely different. They were going to be a one-stop go-to duo for men. Early on, our marketing people convinced me to focus more on people with short hair for the products. That was not how I perceived them and over time, they matured into what I envisioned them to be. , Mangrove Shampoo and Conditioner are a duo that are the only two products men need and want in their lives for their hair and skin.

Men Like Multi-use Products…Yep

So instead then tell you what they can do, I will tell you about how I used them this morning. Seeing them in the bathroom shower was a reunion with my dynamic kids that I want to share.

Okay, the obvious is that I started to wash my hair lathering up and smelling the clean, fresh tropical smell that initially got them their names of Mangrove. I had enough lather to soften up my beard to shave. I final lathering of my hair before rinsing, I used what was on my hands to wash my face. Then I squirted some more Mangrove shampoo (soap) on a mesh scrubby and washed the rest of me. I cranked up the shower heat and rinsed off lightning fast. I mean I forgot how fast a clean Mangrove feels. Now clean, I dried off in the shower.

Mangrove Conditioner Not Forgotten

Okay, you thought I was going to say that after rinsing I would apply Mangrove conditioner and rinse again. No Way! I dried off to light dampness and squirted Mangrove conditioner into my hands. Nope, not the hair yet, I lotioned my damp face and neck. With the remaining, I ran my hands through my short hair to apply Mangrove as a leave-in conditioner. I then pumped some more to rub on my dry elbows and my arms that are generally exposed to the sun and everyday environment. I love our Tortuga lotion for really dry spots, but Mangrove Conditioner is not only a remarkable hair conditioner for short hair, but it is a light lotion that does not feel heavy on my skin.

Afternoon Swim

I am a distance freestyle swimmer for health and exercise purposes. Sometimes I get to swim in salt water pools, but it is mostly chlorine or bromide pools. There is nothing more harsh to your hair or skin than a chlorine or bromide pool that you spend 30 to 60 minutes every day. My grey hair could look like straw, but it does not… you guessed it, Mangrove Conditioner.

In my pool bag, there is now a Mangrove Conditioner. I rinse off before getting into the pool and then work Mangrove Conditioner into my wet hair. On goes a Nike Swimcap for my laps. The Mangrove not only conditions my hair, but it keeps the chlorine from leaching my hair. After the swim, I rinse again I do a quick outdoor shower with Mangrove Shampoo. It is 100% biodegradable, so there is no harm to the environment where the shower runs off to and no huge suds. I add Mangrove Conditioner to my hair and jump in the hot tub to relax after my swim.

Shine my Shoes and Clean My Glasses

You would not believe all the things I use Mangrove Shampoo and Conditioner for every day. Before writing this, I did a quick wipe of Mangrove Conditioner on my Merrell leather clogs to give them a shine. Then I used Mangrove Shampoo to wash my grubby reading glasses. No streaks, clean and fast rinsing. Maybe I will look for a door hinge to lube up.

Click Here to Buy!

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Galleyon Soap – A Multi-Use Wonder

Wendy Steele – Keys CEO

Click To Learn More!

I have super sensitive skin. I am also a germaphobe. For that reason, I pay attention to everything that touches my skin. After all, this is the season when bugs and viruses seem to peak. Without a doubt, Galleyon Foaming Soap is my go-to product. It is naturally anti-bacterial and not a bactericide. Spearmint essential oils are effective cleansers. Therefore, it is not destroying the healthy microbiome on my skin. As a result, I use it not only for my hands, for my face as an extra cleanser and for sure on those things that ultimately touch my face.

All year round I pay particular attention to my facial skin. When I wear a cosmetic foundation, my clean fingers can be great applicators. Frequently, my favorite applicators for a sheer natural finish are my beauty sponge and make-up brushes. To that end, what you use and how you clean it does matter. Therefore, I use super clean cosmetic brushes and complexion sponges.

To be sure, I always use Galleyon Foaming Soap to clean my makeup brushes, sponges and tools. Galleyon is an all natural antibacterial spearmint soap that quickly and safely cleans my brushes and sponges.

To clean cosmetic brushes, first wet the brush in warm water. Then apply Galleyon foam cleanser to the palm of your hand. Follow by gently swishing the brush in a circular motion for about 30 seconds. Rinse and repeat if necessary. Afterward, blot to remove excess water. Use a clean washcloth or hand towel for this process. Gently press out water and take care to retain the original shape of the brush. Finally, allow it to air-dry naturally. Place the brush on a clean surface, like a countertop, with the brush tip hanging over the edge. This technique assures that the brush tip will maintain its shape during the drying time.

To clean cosmetic sponges, first wet the sponge in warm water. This time apply Galleyon foam cleanser directly to the sponge and squeeze cleanser throughout for about 30 seconds. Rinse in warm water while squeezing until water appears clear. For faster drying, press into a clean washcloth to remove excess water. Let air dry.

In conclusion, Galleyon has a rich spearmint lather that makes cleaning simple and pure. With natural conditioning oils, it does not dry out my brushes or damage my sponges. I also love that it rinses fast and leaves a refreshing scent!

Best of all no perfumes, toxins or bactericides that irritate my sensitive facial skin.

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The American Organic Hustle – Understanding The Misunderstood

VaporJelMy name is Bob Root.  I am one of the Keys founders and the chief scientist.  A customer contacted Keys Customer Service with three fundamental questions. The questions are mostly about being organic and safety as well as functionality. I have answers, and they might not be what you think.

First, What Does The USDA Say About Organic and Skin Care?

USDA certified organic foods are grown and processed according to federal guidelines addressing, among many factors, soil quality, animal raising practices, pest and weed control, and use of additives. Organic producers rely on natural substances and physical, mechanical, or biologically based farming methods to the fullest extent possible.  Skin care and cosmetics can have a USDA certification if the ingredients they use are the same as food that has been certified organic

● FDA does not define or regulate the term “organic,” as it applies to cosmetics, body care, or personal care products.

organic● USDA regulates the term “organic” as it applies to agricultural products through its National Organic Program (NOP) regulation, 7 CFR Part 205.

● If a cosmetic, body care product, or personal care product contains or is made up of agricultural ingredients, and can meet the USDA/NOP organic production, handling, processing and labeling standards, it may
be eligible to be certified under the NOP regulations.

● The operations which produce the organic agricultural ingredients, the handlers of these agricultural ingredients, and the manufacturer of the final product must all be certified by a USDA-accredited organic certifying agent.

Click Here to Download the FDA Document on Organic

Keys Customer Asked About Organic?

“I am delighted with the questions and order of the questions asked because I have waited a long time for the market to mature to understand my answers.” This will be one of the main subjects on my Joe Rogan Podcast.

Questions & Answers!

The Customer asked: “I am thinking of getting Keys MetaClean Healing Soap & Shampoo, it says there is >85% organic content, what is the rest that is not organic in this shampoo?”

Bob Response: “There is a reasonably simple answer here, but has more far-reaching implications because consumers have a perception that the meaning of organic equates to safety. Later for that.

One of the biggest consumer misunderstandings in skincare is that organic is not a synonym for safe. Safety comes in many forms including trusting the people who use the products you buy.

At core levels, an ingredient, like Avocado oil, can be purchased from a producer that has followed and been monitored by the USDA(United States Department of Agriculture). Wild-crafted ingredients like Shea Butter and high-quality beeswax cannot be certified as Organic because they cannot be traced through the process of where a plant comes from or how they are pollinated. It is pretty hard to trace the pollination path of bees through the jungle.

Technically, MetaClean is considered to be organic because it exceeds the 70% rule put forth by the USDA for skin care and cosmetics. Yes, a product can be USDA certified organic and still have 30% non-organic ingredients including water. We choose to list the true organic content as opposed to using a blanket statement that may or may not be true. So MetaClean has 85% organic ingredients and 15% wild-crafted. In this case, it is Shea Butter made by hand in Ghana by a women’s tribe that we have been buying from for nearly 15 years.

As to safety, there seems to be an impression that organic farms are safe, run by Hippies and use state-of-the-art equipment. People often opt to buy at a farmers market versus trust a new age supplier. That may be a bad decision.

To gain a USDA Certificate, it takes modern machinery and techniques to get certified. We love “wild-crafted” ingredients because they are hand-made and usually of the highest quality. Most often, they come from places that do not even know what a pesticide is and their religions or culture do not permit them to use pesticides. So, that farm on the California coast near the diesel truck stop and using 100-year-old rusted machinery lubricated with motor oil is organic and not safe. Most often they have spent more on their Organic Farm sign or Facebook page than they have testing their food for pollutants and pesticides.”

Whole versus Fractionated Ingredients

Customer Asked, “When you list on the right the vitamins/actions, are you indicating that the actual ingredient is providing those vitamins, for example, Avocado Oil gives Retinol vitamin or is Retinol separate from the Avocado Oil?”

Bob Response, “Great question and a good pick for an ingredient to use as an example! We opt to use only whole ingredients because of how pure forms interact. We use the term “Chemical-Free Skin Health” as a marketing term because fractionated and estered whole ingredients used in most skin care products are used to amplify the effects of the base ingredient. The product branded as Retinol is a powerful and violent product using massive levels of a particular type of vitamin A extracted and condensed into something that has immediate effects on the skin. The adage that if it burns and makes something red it must be working. Retinol, the brand, works in minutes and overnight. Is it better? To me, the answer is no because it harms.

Whole retinol in avocado oil has gradual effects improving the skin elasticity and tone over a much more extended period. Use it every day, and you will see a difference in a couple of weeks, and it is life-long if you keep using it. More important, the “Keys Challenge” has always been to see how long it takes before your friends notice a change.
So, quick results are quick but are they harming. That is the biggest question.

To answer directly, we do not separate ingredients into their constituent components; we appreciate what they do for you in their native form.

Product Safety Rankings

Customer Asked, “What is it in here that can be unsafe for some individuals since it is not complete 0 on safe scale.”

Bob Response: “I would never design, produce or sell a product that is knowingly not safe. I am an engineer who developed products for my wife suffering from the chemical after effects of Melanoma caused by prescription sunscreens, creams, and lotions. We make and design products that solve skin problems and make people feel good. Part of feeling good is knowing that I am here to ensure that my products are safe.

So, I suspect you are talking about the ranking on the EWG Skin Deep database. You should probably direct the question to them, and you might start by asking why Aloe Vera has a 3 ranking (if 100% natural).

The database is an excellent tool and has been abused by companies in the past selling just plain water to get a 0 ranking.  Also, the database is an accumulation of many databases. The EWG does not have its own broad spectrum testing program. I have long questioned the numeric ranking system versus a pass/fail system or a category ranking similar to the way California ranks restaurants. Where you have a choice of eating at an A establishment or not at a B

Thank you for your questions and taking the time to contact us.  I hope I have answered them to your satisfaction.  Bob

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Keys Deodorant? – Well Maybe!

A Keys Deodorant – If It Works For You!

For 15 years, customers have asked me to develop a deodorant. When I asked specifics, what they wanted was an antiperspirant. I may have unintentionally given them what they wanted.

About six months ago a young Keys fan texted me that he had been using our Skin-Aid as a deodorant and antiperspirant. I immediately corrected him that it probably would make a good deodorant, but was unlikely an antiperspirant. He quickly corrected me and said he noticed far less perspiration and he and his girlfriend loved the scent. Spicey and dry he said. So, I decided to try it and ask some of my beta testers.

It is hard to afford a blind study for a company our size, so you have to take into consideration that when I asked my beta testers if they would try Skin-Aid as a deodorant and antiperspirant that there is some built-in bias.

Before the results, I also analyzed the ingredients in our extract. They are very similar to Theieves® and some other natural remedies designed for skin disorders. Breaking down each extract in Skin-Aid, there were none that stood out as deodorizers or antiperspirant. The consensus is that only Aluminum Chlorhydrate is indeed an antiperspirant and used in most commercial products. A heavy metal, it works, but at what consequence? I did note that the combination theoretically could have some antiperspirant properties.

The results were mixed but leaned toward a ‘good’ deodorant and a ‘maybe’ antiperspirant. Universally, all suggested I write this finding.

SkinAid can make an excellent daily deodorant that seems to have some antiperspirant properties for some people. Sounds a bit like corporate FDA speak, but the results were worth noting as a maybe!

SkinAid is probably one of the most broad-spectrum products we make. The list for what it does for people grows daily. Being a deodorant/antiperspirant is icing on the cake. Hope this helps!

Bob

Buy Skin-Aid by Clicking Here.  Use code: SKINAID at checkout and save 10% off.  Coupon Expires February 5, 2019

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Keys New Online Super Store!

Keys has a New Super Store.

Visit www.KeysPure.com and register to receive a $5.00 off discount on your first order. You must register or reregister on our super store because the new store has a much higher level of security, encryption, and ease of use.

Why? We realize last year that there was a significant demographic shift happening. Last year 85% of our customers purchased our website from a desktop or laptop computer. Over the last year, that number has flipped to 80+% of our customers purchase Keys products using a smartphone or tablet computer. What that meant to us was a need to redesign our entire store from the ground up around smartphone and tablet technologies while maintaining simple use on laptops and desktops. It was hard, but we are up and running.

Here are a few things you will notice:
• Simple and complicated interface
• Fast! processing and simplified checkout for Desktop, Laptop, Tablets and Smartphones
• You can choose to save your credit card information. (not on our site, but called from Authorize.net Merchant Bank…Super Secure!)
• Ordering is 2X faster than before

SPECIAL NOTE: If you have saved our old store as a Bookmark, you will have to access the new store by entering www.KeysPure.com in your browser or by Clicking Here.

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Parabens – They Are Everywhere

Parabens hiding in plain sight.

parabensWhen I started writing my book, Chemical-Free Skin Health, I thought I would mention Parabens as a side comment in the chapter on the Dirty Dozen Chemicals in most skincare products. Yes, about 95% of every skincare product produced has a bacteriacide that goes by many names. Most are listed on product labels as Methyl-Paraben or something with paraben in the name.

I was speaking at a conference and was attacked by a person in the audience because they claimed that parabens were not harmful in the small amount used in a product. True that most applications of this bacteriacide are in the 0.5% range and are useful in keeping mold and bacteria growth in check. Back to the incident, I responded that “the average woman uses between 20 to 40 products a day on her skin. Because paraben use is cumulative, that means that the average woman is exposing herself to 10%-20% parabens levels every day. They sat down, and the moderator of the discussion took a quick turn away.

The rub is simple. Parabens kill good and bad bacteria indiscriminately. That is in the bottle and on your skin. The MSDS (federal product safety document) requires a fully garbed and nitrile gloved worker also to wear a respirator if exposed to >2% paraben levels. Someone using 10%-20% level of parabens cumulatively is damaging the skin microbiome and affecting that person’s overall health.

Read more in Chemical Free Skin Health available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon

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InfoGram™ – New Keys ‘Quick-Reads’ Mini-Blog

In keeping with the times, we created a new area of Clean Green Cafe blog for quick informational bites. Infograms™ is focused on helping you understand our product applications. Infograms will offer tips and tricks as well as educational information. We will bring you industry news and our perspective on various important subjects. Clean Green Cafe will continue to have in-depth content while Infograms will be quick short bits of information. Often there will be crossover content where Infograms will link to a larger more profound article on the Clean Green Cafe Side.

An InfoGram is a bit like Twitter with a few exceptions.

  • Like Twitter the messages are short and to the point.
  • They are quick reads at mostly under one minute and never more than two minutes
  • Messages are straightforward.
  • No flowery words our comments that are up in the air.
  • You can choose to subscribe to Infograms separately from Clean Green Cafe for quick bites.
  • Infograms a frank and friendly…you know where we stand

Important to note is that the InfoGram blog is independent of Clean Green Cafe. That means that you need to subscribe to Infograms knowing that there will be more, but shorter content coming your way in the form of emails. We invite you to click on the links in emails to get to the main article, but please know that 100% of the content of the Infogram will be in the body of the email you receive. So, it is essential to subscribe so that you do not have to bookmark Inforgram to read the content.

Hope this makes sense, but, you need to subscribe to Infograms on the Infogram site at this link to get more frequent short information content

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Mangrove Hair & Skin Conditioner for Men

I was at a classic style barber shop in Mesilla New Mexico. Sort of a man cave with traditional services. After the cut and shampoo, my barber placed a hot towel on my face. Then to my surprise, he conditioned my hair and then moved to my face. Yes, he used the same conditioner on my face and hair. It felt good.  I asked him to see the conditioner bottle to look at the ingredient. Full of junk, but the core ingredient caused me to think about our Mangrove conditioner.

In keeping with the new writing trends, I tried conditioning my face and hair for a week with Keys Mangrove Conditioner. I wash my hair every day and generally do not moisturize much. Honestly, after a week, my hair looked great. Wendy commented that my skin looks better than ever. Now I am hooked on the combination of using Mangrove for my hair and face.

Mangrove Conditioner – Maybe a new trend for men.

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Calluses and Gluten Connection

I was attending a panel discussion at an industry event. A researcher from Finland showed a study connection calluses on feet, knees, hands, and elbows to people having gluten intolerance. The speaker did not offer any solutions other than avoiding gluten.

What was particularly interesting is that she did point out that it was a manifestation that covered those people with mild gluten intolerances as well as those with full-blown celiac disease. I asked her if there was a Psoriasis connection and she said there was, but not enough detail was available.

We have noted that both our Tortuga lotion and MetaCare have a semi-fast-acting effect on calluses and Psoriasis. We have seen and heard from our customers that eliminating gluten has reversed calluses. Initially, we thought that it was just the Tortuga or MetaCare. Now, we are wondering.

Any thoughts?

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Island Rx for Acne

Fifteen years ago, one of the first things we discovered about our Island Rx pure castile soap was its fantastic success with acne and backne. What we found was that the combination of slightly high alkalinity and the Clary Sage had a tremendous effect on controlling and reversing acne. Today it is available in two bottle types — the original liquid soap and a facial cleansing foamer version. The liquid version is a strong fighter for more acne and backne. The foamer is one of the most popular products we make for how good it cleans and moisturizes. The bonus is that, because it is Island Rx, you get daily maintenance of the bacteria that causes acne.

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Eczema – Getting Wise – It’s Probably the Chemicals in Your Life!

Eczema seems to be a catchall term for a lot of doctors. The cause is unknown, but some of us suspect chemicals in everyday products.

Bob Root – Keys Founder

Common culprits for chemically induced eczema are sulfates in laundry detergents, PEG (propylene glycol) in just about everything and parabens (a biocide in most products). So, what we have heard from our customers is that finding the cause of the skin irritation is much more important than giving it a name. Doc’s seem to want to name it so they can prescribe steroids and topical antibiotics. We find this seems to make thing worse with usually a fast relief and then a return of the irritation with a vengeance.

Our customers tell us that our MetaCare and RediCare do an excellent job of getting rid of the symptoms and keeping them away. The secret seems to be the Neem and Karanja oil we use along with high-quality ingredients. MetaCare is a nice soothing lotion, and RediCare is the same basic formula in a sprayable lotion that is good for larger areas.

The trick seems to find out what is bothering the skin. Sleuthing the cause is the best solution. Look to those laundry detergents that use sulfates and optical brighteners (phosphorus mostly). Most imported clothing has fire-retardants in them. Carpet cleaners also use sulfates.  Parabens in 98% of skincare products.

Getting Clean is more than what you eat!

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Dear Dr. Google

96% of educated internet users consult Dr. Google first when they have a health concern. It is easy to understand why. It takes a matter of seconds to access an answer to your symptom on Google Search. You instantly get opinions from people and reputable sources like WebMD, Mayo, et al. ..and it does not cost anything. More often than not, Dr. Google offers many solutions that you can decide to try or not.

Keys business is skin health. Our customers’ issues can range from an itch or rash to Melanoma. Our products are designed to solve skin problems, so understanding quickly what might be bothering you helps you to make quick decisions and try things that might or should help. The reality is that Google offers many options versus waiting months for a dermatologist appointment. Your health is your responsibility and understanding what might cause your symptoms is something you want to know fast.

Often a trip to the emergency room for a simple skin disorder gets escalated out of control. Often simple natural skin health solutions will help quickly. Google often helps to identify the cause so you can eliminate what might be bothering you.

Speed is wellness!

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Bandage Test for Skin Disorder Causes

I am constantly asked how can you tell if a skin disorder is caused internally or from exterior attacks.  Here is how I do it and why my trick works.

Bob Root – Keys Technologist & Founder

The bandage test really works to help find the cause of skin disorders quickly. In our 15 years of research and development, we always keep focused on our mission to solve skin problems using natural remedies. Over the same period, we have seen time and again that most skin disorders are from exposure to chemicals in the environment or chemicals in conventional products.

Sulfate, parabens, PEG’s and the balance of the Dirty Thirty Chemicals are at the top of the list of skin disorder causes we have seen. The bandage test may not be 100% exact, but it is something I invented to help decide whether a skin disorder is internal or externally caused.

Band-Aid® Brand make a series of band-aids called Hydro Seal. It is available in just about every grocery store or drugstore. Here is how to do the test. Let’s say you have a rash that has been bothering you. Place a small Hydro Seal band-aid anywhere in the affected area. Follow instructions to create an excellent watertight seal. Then wait for a week and remove it. If it has diminished or gone away, something your skin is coming in contact with is probably the cause. Since the hydro seal has isolated to an area, the bandage test is usually very enlightening.

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Asymmetrical Dermatitis – Fact or Fiction

Asymmetrical Dermatitis is a common diagnosis for a skin disorder that appears on one side of a person or animal.  Fact, Fiction or catchall diagnosis?

A couple of years back I was attending an event at Capitol Drug Store in West Hollywood (WeHo) California. A mom stopped by because she heard I was going to be there as a part of my book tour. She showed me her little boy’s face. His left cheek was inflamed. She said she had waited weeks to see the dermatologist and he said it was asymmetrical dermatitis. He was given a bunch of creams and ointments to take that included steroids and antibiotics. One was Prednisone. She Googled the prescriptions and was horrified by the side-effects. She asked me my thoughts.

Rather than commenting on the birthday basket from the dermatologist, I asked, “Does your son sleep on his left side?” Yes, she said! “Do you wash his bedding with Tide with Bleach.” the look on her face was astonishing, and she answered, yes! I walked her to the back of the store an showed her a laundry detergent brand named BioKleen.

I asked her to wash everything in BioKleen and send me an email in a couple of weeks. Astonishingly (not) the asymmetrical dermatitis was gone.

Not my first time at this rodeo.

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Healthy Skin Makeup Remover

Makeup Remover Trick.  Our theatrical actor friends have shared this super easy tip with us. As part of their occupation, they must wear heavier makeup for the stage. Based on their experience a cleansing lotion works best for fast and easy makeup removal. Their trick is to use an emollient, gentle and naturally non-toxic creamy lotion all over their face and neck, massage in with a little tap water and wipe off with a warm face cloth. Keys Tortuga Lotion works well as an all-natural makeup remover lotion. A little bit goes a long way, and the emollient avocado oil, carrot seed, and black seed oils hydrate the skin while prepping for makeup removal. Best of all it leaves no trace of dryness or irritation. Some also will do a double cleanse by following up with our Island Rx Foaming Facial Cleanser.

Clean and healthy skin, skip the drama.

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Groomers – Show and Tell

Groomers, show me your hands! We travel all over the US with our dog Jasper. He is a snow-white Bichon Frise. Jasper’s coat care requires grooming every six weeks. I google to find a master certified groomer in the area. My initial visit with the new groomer starts the same. I ask the groomer to show me their hands. I want to see the condition of their hands! Inflamed, irritated, dry or cracking hands are red flags. Their hands are evidence about what they are using to bathe the dogs. Ugly groomer hands mean irritating ingredients for the dog’s skin and coat. Cheap grooming shampoo is the culprit. And after bath perfumes are also irritants. Jasper is eight years old and has never experienced skin irritation issue from shampoo. Of course, all of his life he has experienced our KODA OmniCleanShampoo. Not one groomer has ever complained about my bringing KODA shampoo. We have educated quite a few groomers along the way.

Show your dog that you care. Always take clean, chemical-free dog shampoo with you. Tell the groomer to use your shampoo on your dog! And request no perfumes to be added after bathing.

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PurPlay Condoms Safe

An actor friend called me to tell me her engineer boyfriend said he couldn’t use condoms with PurPlay. Why did I ask? He read somewhere that oil-based personal lubricants should not work with condoms. Not True!

PurPlay is avocado and coconut oil, not petroleum or chemical based. Petroleum oils have solvents in them that can degrade latex and other synthetic condoms. Not good to generalize. PurPlay oils do not deteriorate.

PurPlay® line of personal lubricants provide the highest form of sensitivity and work with the majority of condoms available. PurPlay Classic, PurPlay Surf, and PurPlay Astra use the same base lubricant.

Good to Go!

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Keys Infograms

Keys designs, develops and manufactures whole natural skincare and skin therapies that solve problems and make people feel good. Born from Wendy Steele’s brush with Melanoma, Bob Root used first principle physics to develop functional natural medicines using ancient remedies merged with modern pure science and technology. The therapeutic proportions with world class grade ingredients created a line of products that work to solve problems and because they are natural, are simple, reassuring and make people feel good about the company and products.

The line consists of:
• Natural Skincare
• Natural Auyervedic Skin Therapies
• Alternative Natural Petroleum Jelly Replacements
• KPRO Hollywood Makeup Artist Inspired Foundation & Solutions
• PurPlay – Functional Personal Lubricants
• KODA – Topical and Functional Supplements for Dogs

Keys has some of the top products listed on the EWG Skin Deep database. For the last ten years, Solar Rx has ranked as one of the top moisturizer sunscreens on the annual EWG Sunscreen Report.

Solar Rx was rated #1 by Consumer Reports Magazine for safety and efficacy.

The Keys products are handcrafted in Oregon by highly skilled artisans. All products are functional by design. They are aboriginal medicines by nature. University and research affiliations make the company as science-based as they are focused on the integral wellness of their followers.

After 15 years of making natural products that help people with skin disorders and making them look young, we amassed a huge list of tips, tricks, and solutions that people have shared with us. Imagine a huge wall full of sticky notes with things people have shared with us. The problem has always been that the notes are too short for blog articles. Because they are ideas, thoughts, and things we learned, our lovable geeks created a new section of Clean Green Cafe for short blurbs. Herein is stuff we have learned summarized. Simple words and diagrams that we hope help you!

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Why Daily SPF and Moisturizing?

SPF Daily for Your Health & Youthful Appearance

by Ashley Parker

In the summer virtually, everyone gets a bottle of sunscreen for a long day outside whether it be at a beach, lake or pool etc.  It’s important to protect your skin from UV rays.  However, applying sunscreen should not be restricted to the summer.  The need for shielding your skin from the sun is a necessity all year round.  In addition, it’s important to moisturize your skin on a daily basis.

Because of the need to moisturize and protect from the sun on a daily basis, the popularity of products that meet multiple needs has skyrocketed.

With so many products on the market today, it’s hard to know which to buy and how they can benefit us. That’s why we created this article with tips on what to look for and avoid when selecting a daily moisturizer/SPF.

One of the markets top moisturizers is Solar RX Moisturizer SPF due to its UVA-UVB protection minimizing the chemical burden on the skin. In addition, its lack of additives such as biocides and paraben which kill the microbiome of the skin causing disorders that are chemically driven.

UVA-UVB SPF Protection

The sunlight that reaches has two parts to its rays.  These two parts of rays are made up from UVA and UVB rays.

UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis of the skin, which is the skins thickest layer. The dermis, if unprotected, can lead to premature skin aging and wrinkling, even suppression of the immune system.

UVB rays typically burn the superficial layers of your skin.  This plays a key role in the development of cancer.  The intensity of UVB rays can vary depending on the season of the year.  With that said it’s important to wear a moisturizer SPF that block both UVA and UVB rays. Remember that sunburn skin does not just feel awful, it can cause permanent damage to your skin.

Avoid SPF Products with Parabens

Most often products can contain parabens. Parabens are often used in products as preservatives. Parabens have been used since the 50’s and are often used in beauty products.  Some of the most commonly found are lotions, lipstick, shampoos, deodorants and more.

Some studies have shown that parabens can mimic the activity of the hormone estrogen, parabens have been found present in breast cancer tumors.  Parabens are additives that kill the microbiome of the skin and can lead to disorders that are chemically driven.  Solar RX does not contain parabens!

Zinc Oxide for SPF

Solar RX contains uncoated zinc oxide.  Let’s talk about just a few benefits from zinc oxide.

  • Helps lower skin inflammation caused by allergies, irritation, and rashes
  • Keeps moisture locked into dry skin
  • Treats pigment disorders
  • Provides broad-spectrum sun protection that prevents burns
  • Helps prevent aging of the skin.

Why Use a Moisturizer with an SPF in it?

Why would anyone buy a moisturizer that has SPF in it?  The list of benefits goes on, but the short answer would be to save time and money.  Buying an SPF and moisturizer separately can be costly.  Add in the fact that you have to apply them separately, it’s a no-brainer.

Ashley Bio

“Hi! I am Ashley and I love writing about beauty related topics. When I am not writing about skincare and beauty products you will probably find me reading a book. Through work experience, I have been able to craft excellent writing skills in a number of different styles and tones. in addition a deep understanding of consumers and what motivates them online and of course grammar skills.

Ashley Parker is a freelance journalist and writer.  She is a non-paid contributor to Clean Green Cafe.  Although her opinions and views are her own, we believe they fully align with our philosophies.  She runs the SkinStore blog

 

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Galleyon Antibacterial Foaming Soap is Now Supercharged

Antibacterial Foaming SoapGalleyon Natural Antibacterial Foaming Soap has been a cornerstone of Keys for near 15 years. Galleyon is an alternative to soaps that contained Triclosan. Unlike antibacterial soaps, it is not a biocide, so it does not kill our skin’s natural Probiome. It reduces the levels of harmful bacteria without harming the natural colonies of bacteria on our skin.

Antibacterial Foaming Soap & More

Over the years, Galleyon has become much more. Surgeons and medical workers have been known to wash with a clinical bacteriacide and then wash with Galleyon to protect their skin from the bactericidal soaps and gloves they have to wear. A car mechanic reports how great Galleyon was at removing automotive grease and grime. Teens like to shower with Galleyon because it tingles, smells good and makes them feel good. Runners and athletes love it as a whole body soap, and even surfers use it to get rid of the crud they surf through. All the interesting stuff.

The secret to Galleyon is the Lakota Sioux Spearmint Essential oil and the blood orange essential oils we use. The spearmint is off the scale for quality and bacteria reducing properties. The blood orange essential oil is cleansing, deep cleaning and very friendly to the skin. Our base Castile soap was designed to be low alkalinity and brags to be the mildest Castile available. Put them together with avocado oil, and you have Galleyon.

So What Is New?

To the naturally cleansing Castile base soap, we add the spearmint blood orange and avocado oil. What is different is that we have figured out how to get more of the spearmint and blood orange into the soap base without separating. More is better, right? The main benefit is that all the benefits of the essential oils are now in higher concentration without affecting the gentleness of the product. Galleyon’s pH is the same as it was, but the intensity and cleansing properties are better now.

What you will notice is a stronger scent of spearmint and a bit of a raspberry scent coming from the California Blood Orange essential oil.

For our cult full body users, you will notice more tingle and a softer feel. All without a price increase!

Enjoy Galleyon Antibacterial Foaming Soap.

Antibacterial Foaming Soap

Avoid Triclosan

Read Our Position

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PurPlay Classic – A Personal Lubricant For Dryness

personal lubricant for drynessPurPlay Classic Has Suprised Us!  A Very Pleasant Surprise.

We have learned a great deal very quickly after launching PurPlay just a month ago.  One thing that is clear is that it is much more.  It is also a personal lubricant for dryness.

We began to think about the PurPlay product line nearly five years ago when women would ask what they could use for vagina personal lubricant for dryness, chafing and minor discomfort from the weather, traveling, etc. Our initial answer was Tortuga lotion and then later AvoJel.

We love to hear from our friends and Keys customers are particularly vocal about what they want and what they like. Over the years, we heard lots of suggestions, and one that was lingering along was the area of a personal lubricant for dryness.  About two years ago, the low rumble of voices became a loud chorus asking us to do something. Customers complained that personal lubricants were full of chemicals. They complained that some reduced sensitivity because they were too thick. Others complained that water-based lubes only lasted a few minutes. Our customers got louder and louder asking for a Keys style of product that was natural, functional, vegan and gluten-free.

PurPlay Classic

Classic was our first experimental personal lubricant product. We looked for oils that when combined mirrored and mimicked natural sexual lubricant produced by men and women. Viscosity and slip were critical to match while sensitivity was a very close third. It was both easy and hard to figure out the right oils because only a few oils are near-water in viscosity, produce good slip with heightened sensitivity, and that would last without reapplying. We discovered that if we refined coconut oil to remove the aggressive properties and blended in, at temperature, organic avocado oil that it nearly resembled the lubricants we all naturally produce. It worked, and beta testers roared.

You learn a lot in Beta Testing

All Keys products are reviewed a tried by people before we productize them. They testers are called Alpha and Beta. Alpha testers test a product before the ingredients and formulation are complete. Beta testers are a different group that examines the final formulations before the product launches and test for precise questions. Sharing this is important to recognize that during Beta, you learn the answers to your specific questions and can re4fine the product based on that premise. When you launch, you learn about many things that you could not envision from actual customers. Often what you learn are revolutionary and exciting features. The critical thing for a designer, you have to listen carefully.

PurPlay Classic – Personal Lubricant For Dryness

Some of our team predicted that PurPlay Classic would be the top seller right out of the gate. They were right, but not for the reasons they gave. All said that Classic would be first because it was pure, chemical-free and so heightened sensitivity for both men and women that it would be a hit. It was and is a hit, but for other reasons.  Yes, it is a world-class personal lubricant, but much more as we are learning.  It is truly a world class personal lubricant for dryness.

personal lubricant for drynessWe harken back to our original customers from nearly five years ago that asked for a personal lubricant that would help with daily vaginal dryness and the associated discomfort that includes chafing. Little did we realize how big a deal this was for many women. So, more than half of the sales of PurPlay Classic seem to be from women seeking a daily lubricant that is comforting. Classic is just that, and you can feel it by spraying a little on your fingers.

Bob and I have a rule in our lives that products that come into our home have to have more than one purpose. PurPlay Classic is probably the best sexual, personal lubricant available. It is also functional in helping women to find daily comfort. Adding to the feelings of safety by being chemical-free, vegan and gluten-free increase the value of PurPlay Classic.

We are just one month into a great and exciting product for us. I am confident I will be hearing and learning more from our customers about how and why they use our PurPlay products. I will be sure to share with you as the list builds.

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Keys, Thievery Corporation and CafeCody.com – An Unlikely Group.

Keys, Thievery Corporation and Cafe Cody – The Beginning

Every company has many stories of how it started and defining moments that changed the course of its history.  For us, Thievery Corporation and Cafe Cody were defining moments.

Every entrepreneur has good days, average days and some really bad experiences that teach, scar and modify you.  Creating defining moments mark course changes for everyone.  It is how we respond that separates us all.

Keys is no different, but with the caveat that we chase defining moments rather than avoiding them.  Change is good, so constant change must be better.  Innovation follows function, but form follows emotion.  Recognizing our core need to innovate and change, there are so many defining moments and we embrace all of them.

Thievery CorporationOne such story is our close encounter with the musical group Thievery Corporation and how they and a small internet radio station in Mallorca Spain altered the direction of our company numerous times.

So this story starts like all other Keys stories.

Boy high tech Silicone Valley CEO meets girl VP at Coca Cola.  They have a 3000 mile relationship, fall in love and run away together for a new life away from the corporate grind.  They plan their getaway to the Caribbean on a 85’ sailboat when a diagnosis of Melanoma changes their direction forever.

Keys was born in earnest to create products that Wendy could use to battle off the skin distress Wendy suffered from the chemicals in prescription products prescribed to her after her Melanoma surgery.  

Keys started over 15 years ago building natural skincare products with the help of many friends who advised, guided and helped in sometimes the simplest ways.  The advisors and advice were too numerous and great to single out just one.

So, in those early days we had developed four products that included Solar Rx SPF, Island Rx soap, Windsurfer soap and Tortuga lotion.  In our little factory, we employed manufacturing techniques from a combination of high tech and Coca-Cola.  We manufactured, shipped and designed everything ourselves.  All were chemical-free, vegan, gluten-free and completely whole natural. Our skincare factory resembled more of a food production process.  Rightfully, loyal customer adopted our products and we experienced good growth in our little niche market.  Many of this customers are still with us today and feel more like family.  

One of the early stories became the foundation of our close encounter with the music of Thievery Corporation and our long support of a little internet radio station in Mallorca Spain called CafeCody.com

What is funny is the event lead to one of our fastest, most beloved and highest selling products.  Eye Butter was not born out of need, but more want.  So, here is that story.

Eye Butter and Thievery Corporation

One day, in our early days, a call came in form a industry supporter of Keys asking if we would like to present and be a part of an event in Hollywood for 300 Hollywood Makeup Artist.  Sponsored by the Environmental Media Association, the event launched us into many movies, TV shows and a very nice relationship with, then first lady of California, Maria Shriver.  

The answer to whether we wanted to participate in the makeup artist event was an immediate yes.

Circa 2006

As the story goes, the person on the other end of the phone said, “the only problem is that you need a product that will interest the makeup artists.   Oh Great!  The event is a couple of months away and we had no idea of what to design.   Wendy had used Tortuga for everything from a lip cream to eye cream.  She thought, we need an eye cream anyhow, so why not do that.

Years before, I had been to an industry trade show in New York City and ran into this wonderful woman from Ghana who had sent me samples of her Shea Butter.  There were several types and I was using the unfiltered unprocessed version for our Tortuga lotion and Solar Rx.  It was and still is the most amazing ingredient that we get from the tribe directly in Ghana.  Part of the problem with using it for an eye cream was that it’s color is grey and the amount I would have to use in an eye cream would make the product grey.  Not so desirable.   I remembered that one of the sample she sent was a beautiful yellow.  I dug it out of a cabinet.

It only took 10 or so tweaks to get the formula for the new eye cream.   After those experimental versions, I had enough to makeup just one jar to show our team.  We gathered around a big teak table that was our conference table and just about everything else work surface.   I popped the top and the smell of fresh cucumber stunned everyone.  The yellow color was perfect and the consistency excited everybody.   This would be it for our future eye cream and our entry pass to the Hollywood makeup artists event in Santa Monica California.  The event coordinator agreed that it was perfect and asked me to makeup 300 samples for their gift bag.

But what to call it.   We sat around the table throwing out ideas that got worse as we went on.  From the Coca-Cola influence, all Keys products have names that have some special meaning.  Tortuga, Island Rx etc became the naming standard for Keys.   So, just Eye Cream would not work.

I had filled the jar with a French pastry piping bag with a fluted tip to make it look more attractive.  One of our teams young son said it looked like butter and suggested Eye Butter.  Although we had been trying to bring cucumber into the name, Eye Butter it was.  We were running out of time.

So, I am an engineer with a predisposed opinion about everything.  When the event coordinator asked for 300 samples, I just assumed that it would be the full 15ml jar that I had showed them.  Little did I know that I was the only company that brought full size products to the event.

The event came and the opening speeches started as volunteers handed out the treasure bags for the makeup artists.   Being somewhat respectful, the makeup artists sneaked a peek at what was in the bag.  Almost everyone noticed the big Eye Butter jar and could not resist.  I am still friends with some of the makeup artists I met that day.  We still laugh at what happened next.

The makeup artist could not resist and as Amy Smart, the eco inspired actress began to speak, the artists dug into the bag and pulled out the Eye Butter.  Unbelievably, the room filled with that smell of fresh cucumber.  Everyone dipped into the jar and started to apply it to their eyes directly on top of their makeup.  It was controlled chaos.  The event coordinator was thrilled, but her east coast counterpart was perturbed at me and remains so to this day.

After my part, it took me over an hour to get out of the hotel.  The makeup artist had a million questions and a bunch of opinion of how it should be refined.  Great event!  It was the beginning of Keys in Hollywood, but it also was the beginning of our relationship with Thievery and Cafe Cody.

As I said, Eye Butter is consistently in the top 5 products we sell yearly.  Seasonally, it moves into the #1 position frequently.  Okay you say, but who is this Thievery Corporation and what is CafeCody.com?  More important, what do they both have to do with Keys?

The Thievery Cody Connection to Keys

My trip to California from our factory outside of Annapolis Maryland was bittersweet.   Yes, I was heading back home to LA ,but it would be alone and not with my pal and sweetie.  The reason was that just a few weeks prior to the event Wendy fell off a ladder and tore just about every ligament in her right ankle.   She would be relegated to cruising around the factory using an office chair as a makeshift scooter with ankle elevated.   No way could she fly or standup for even a few minutes at the event.

So, I was off to LAX.  It was a lonesome trip with the only upside that my 3 million miles on American Airlines scored me a first-class upgrade.   Walking out of LAX, I was greeted with the wonderful weather of the Southern California’s center of everything.  I gathered my boxes of samples and bag to head to the rental car agency.

When I jumped into the car, I decided to take the coast road to the Marina Del Rey Marriott hotel.  I arrived a bit early for check-in, so I got to hangout in the lobby.  That is when it happened.

The MDR Marriott is very trendy and contemporary.  Sitting in the lobby, I heard music like I never heard before.  It was an interesting combination of a downtempo beat, a bit of reggae with almost jazz scat singer vocals.   Determined to find out who the artist was, I went to the from desk and asked what the music was.  The front desk person said she did not know.  Out of character, I said, I need to know now!  I even shocked myself at my aggressive behavior.  Then I heard a voice from my side of the counter from an older hip looking guy.  He said, the music is called Chill and that is Thievery Corporation’s “Lebanese Blonde!”  He said there is also a guy in Mallorca starting an internet radio station and it is called Cafe Cody…cafecody.com.   There are lots of artists including big names like Madonna recording the genre.  I thanked him and out of curiosity I asked how do you know.  He said he was with SONY music and was in MDR for meetings.

I have always believed in coincidences, but this one would turn out to be life changing for me, Wendy and Keys.

Excited, I checked into my room and called Wendy.  She thought I was insane as I tried to explain the music.  I spent the rest of the evening trying to listen to Cafe Cody.  Today, you can just click the link, but ten years ago it required all sorts of software and tweaking to listen.  It was internet bootleg music in the early days.

So I did the event and headed back east.  When I arrived, my first task was to get Cafe Cody up on our internet at the factory and broadcast it throughout.  It was an instant hit with every human, dog and cat at the factory.  Friends who visited became instant fans.  Chill music still plays in our offices with the factory listen on Chill-day which comes just after Outlaw Country Day.

The Story Continues

Clearly, when I hear Thievery’s Lebanese Blonde, I am immediately transported back to the MDR Marriott and that first encounter with Thievery Corporation.

Part of the irony of the story is that we have never been able to see them live and that is about to change.

Thievery Live!

It was not without trying, but we could never connect with Thievery live.  Even though they were based about 35 miles west of our factory in Washington DC, no matter the appearance, we were either out of town or torn away for business.  A couple of times we were close within a few hundred miles.  Once, we were scheduled to be in Las Vegas and Thievery was going to be at The Brooklyn Bowl, but we had to cancel.

The inspiration for this article is that a couple of weeks ago, Wendy received a marketing email from Thievery that they would be in Reno NV the 4th of September around Burning Man time and over the labor day weekend.   Hmmmm.  We both looked at each other and said yes!  It is only a four hour drive from Eugene where are new factory is located.  …and it would be nice to get away.  So Wendy began.  show tickets?  Got ‘em.  Hotel reservation on labor day??? Got ‘em

So here we go and will update you on what it was like for us to finally here Thievery live.

Are we crazy.  Well Yes, but it pays to be a bit crazy most of the time.  I just only wish that words could capture what Thievery and Cody have meant to us.  The music has sustained us through good time and not so good times.

Everyone at Keys is inspired by different things.  Two things we all share at Keys are a love of Thievery Corporation and CafeCody.com   To both we are grateful and forever fans because they both have bright us meaning and have been a thread of normality for us.

It is just another story about Keys and one of the important ones.

Rememberin the past, living in the present and planning for the future.

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Keys PurPlay Now Available! PurPlay Personal Lubricants

PurPlay Now!PurPlay Now  

A new Line of Revolutionary

Natural Personal Lubricants from Keys

Three Unique Personal Lubricants Combine Herbal Extracts and Pure Oils to Stimulate and Calm. 

Spray & Play™

PurPlay Now
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

PurPlay Now for Sale!  We are so happy to announcee that Purplay is now available!…Wendy Steele, Keys CEO

“The PurPlay products use herbal extract blends along with natural oils to create personal lubricants that either stimulate, relax or heighten the sexual experience.  Specifically formulated based on the science of stimulating a woman’s pleasure receptors, PurPlay also enhances the intimate play experience for men.  PurPlay for sale now on the Keys Store and at select resellers.”

 

 

 

PurPlay now comes in three versions:

  • PurPlay Classic™provides superior lubrication improving intimate experiences for both women and men.
  • PurPlay Surf™relaxes and calms so women can enjoy intimate play.
  • PurPlay Astra™stimulates her pleasure receptors for erotic play.

The Three PurPlay Products:

PurPlay Astra™

For sultry intimate play.  Stimulating herbal oil blend provides her with ultra exhilarating sensual experiences.  Her choice for euphoric play.  His choice for silky smooth heightened enjoyment.  Long lasting for “climactic maximus.”

PurPlay for Sale
PurPlay Astra – Click to Buy

Stimulating Euphoric Herbal Lubricant

SRP $24.95

PurPlay Surf™

Like magic waves of pleasure, rainforest herbal oil blend stimulates feelings of intimacy and arousal so she can relax and enjoy romantic play.  Soothing herbs send subtle messages calming both mind and body while heightening the senses.  Women and men enjoy a silky smooth sensual experience. For waves of erotic sensory play.

PurPlay for Sale
PurPlay Surf – Click to Buy

Sensual Herbal Lubricant

SRP $24.95

PurPlay Classic™

Natural alternative to synthetic personal lubricants.  Specially formulated organic coconut and avocado oil blend supplements natural lubricants made by the body to maximize intimate play.  Simply your natural choice for silky smooth pure pleasure!

PurPlay for Sale
PurPlay Classic – Click to Buy

Natural Pure Pleasure Lubricant

SRP $24.95

Potential Side Effects

Wendy Steele offered, “PurPlay testers did expose some interesting side effects.  PurPlay Astra testers offered that they sometimes got the “giggles.”  PurPlay Surf users found that they wanted more cuddle time and PurPlay Classic users coined the phrase “Affectionitus” or wanting more!”

Wendy Steele, Keys CEO, said, “Over the years, we have had many requests from our female customers to produce a natural personal lubricant for sex.  Four years of research lead us to the conclusion that one product does NOT fit all.  Hectic lifestyles, personal preferences and different perceptions around intimacy revealed a need for three distinct types of lubricants for women.  So we challenged our engineers to discover natural ways to heighten the sexual experience, provide a version that calms and relaxes and develop a third product that provides an extremely stimulating erotic experience.”

PurPlay Now – Its Only Natural!

Bob Root – Formulator & Scientist

Recent trends in the personal lubricant market use unpleasant menthol or numbing chemicals to desensitize or stimulate.  Bob Root, Keys CTO offered, “Major brands of personal lubricants are anything but natural and often use menthol and lidocaine to either stimulate or desensitize.  Many women experience pain, burning or lose total sensation with those products.  We (Keys) first had to study female pleasure nerve receptors to understand the effect we wanted to create.  Making adjustments based on feedback from our alpha testers, we created whole herb extracts using modern extraction techniques.  With just the right combination and proportion of ancient aboriginal herbs, we believe we have the right formulas to create the basis for experiences women want.  They are added to a blend of a specially refined coconut oil and avocado oil.  All are 100% natural, vegan and gluten-free.”

Bob continued, “We created a base oil blend that lasts long and is very lubricating while heightening the sexual experience.  For the relaxing formula, we add an herbal extract blend that offers overall calming and relaxation to enjoy intimacy without desensitizing.  The third formula offers an erotic stimulation that can last through multiple orgasms.”

“We have tested our PurPlay lubricants on materials used in the manufacturing of condoms with no notable problems.  Urban myth or a generalization that oils do not play well with condoms does not seem to be an issue with PurPlay”, Bob said.  “We recommend testing your condom of choice with PurPlay to be sure.”  We are offering free evaluation samples to condom manufacturers for their own certification.

PurPlay Now for Sale – Spray & Play™

PurPlay for Sale
Click to Buy

PurPlay comes in a 30ml airless sprayer.  Wendy Steele added, “Most personal lubricants are liquid, in a tube, need to be warmed and are messy.  Not only did we create three functional personal lubricants, we revolutionized how they are applied and feel.  We employ an airless spray mist bottle to dispense a lubricant that feels warm, no cold shock.  Because it is airless, it can spray at any angle.  It fits comfortably in the hand and is intuitive to use even in the dark.  PurPlay™ is long lasting and can be sprayed as often as desired.  The ingredients are compatible with all sorts of sex toy play.”

For Women…and for Men

Both men and women who tested PurPlay reported that using PurPlay lead to more playful and fulfilling sexual experiences.

For optimal results, incorporate PurPlay Surf or Astra into your foreplay allowing 5 minutes for herbal effects to take place before intense play.  As the anticipation builds, so does the effects of the herbs.  Testers found that they like the choice of three different products.  After a hectic day, PurPlay Surf relaxes and calms.  PurPlay Astra offers her an erotic experience when a planned encounter or spontaneous play presents itself.  PurPlay Classic provides long-lasting superior lubrication for extended intimate play.

PurPlay for Sale – Go To PurPlay Product Page for More Information

Learn More About Keys

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Keys Tortuga Exfoliates, Moisturizes and Removes Makeup

Keys Tortuga To Exfoliate The Skin and More

In the 1950’s virtually every woman owned a jar of Pond’s Cold Cream.  They removed makeup, washed their face, moisturized and exfoliated with it.  The problem was that it was full of chemicals and today’s natural woman wants something safer and healthier.  Keys Tortuga to the rescue!

Tortuga Exfoliates

The petrochemicals in cold creams simply dissolved dead skin.  Many women today use salt and sugar scrubs to exfoliate.  Yes, they make the skin feel smoother, but like sandpaper, they can damage the alive part of the skin.   With Keys Tortuga, the avocado oil we use contains natural retinol’s that will nicely exfoliate the skin, moisturize it and leave it clean and fresh without a sub or harsh soap.

The process is simple.  Just wet your face with warm clear water.   Take a pea size dollop of Tortuga and begin to massage it into the skin.  You can start with the forehead and work down adding more Tortuga creating a light coat.  Then start where you began and massage with your fingers.  You will notice that the skin begins to slough off.  If needed, add more Tortuga.   When you have completed the process, since your face with cool clear water and pat dry.  You’re done!

Tortuga Removes Makeup

Even stage makeup is no match to Keys Tortuga.  For years stage and screen actors have used Tortuga to remove stubborn and waterproof makeup.   They spread Tortuga thinly all over their face and use a tissue or washcloth to remove makeup.  Using more Tortuga for a hard area, they remove all the makeup and then rinse with cool clear water and pat dry.

Tortuga As A Moisturizer

Like exfoliation, you can wet the face and lightly massage Tortuga into the skin.  Keep the face wet and lightly massage Tortuga on the face, neck and décolletage.   Let the thin and water air dry.  You want a very thin layer and let it dry.   Why it is a preferred moisturizing method is because you are trapping moisture from the water in the skin.  Also, the natural retinol in avocado oil helps smooth and fade spots and dark patches.  Carrot seed oil and black seed oils deep moisturize and have an effect on skin elasticity.   The idea is to really dilute the Keys Tortuga using the water.

That’s It!

Last point.  In all cases, you can use Keys Tortuga around the eyes and it will not burn or cause tearing.  It does everything that cold cream does and better because it has no harsh chemicals and the ingredients are probiomme…meaning good for the skin health.

Click Here to Buy Tortuga

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Tips – Thinning Lotions

Keys TipsThinning Keys Lotions

We get lots of questions on our customer service system.  This week the dominant question has to do with thinning Keys lotions in cold weather.  We generally get very unique questions which is why we don’t have a FAQ page.  We answer each question individually.  Sometime we do get a burst of questions that are similar.  In the future, as we receive similar questions we will post them here as well.

Over the last couple of weeks we have had a number of questions regarding the viscosity (thinning) of some of our lotions.

We think the question is coming up because of cold weather around the country.  So, first thing, Keys does not use glycols in our products.  Glycols keep a product viscosity consistent over a wide range of temperatures.  Thinning can be done by raising the temperature or adding water.

Most of the question circle around how to go about thinning our lotions.  Some request us to make a thinner lotion.  Thinning our products in the manufacturing process lessen the quality, so we won’t do that.

There are some tricks that include heating the bottle to around 90 degrees F.  Some people place the bottle near a window to catch some sunlight.  Add water as you apply to thin the lotion.  As the water evaporates on the skin, the lotion will be more even on the skin and deeper in the pores.

The reality is that if we made our lotions by thinning, we would lose some of the emollience.

So here are the tricks:

  • Heat the lotion to nearly skin temperature which is typically 90 degrees F
  • Put a drop of a lotion in the palm of your hand and add a few drops of water.  Be your own judge of how much water to add.
  • Apply lotions to a wet face after washing.  Again, the lotion will thin and go into the pores.  Allow your face to air dry.

Do not use these tricks with Solar Rx Sunscreen/Moisturizer as thinning it will reduce the efficacy on the SPF.

Keys does not use preservatives and all of our lotions are water soluble.  Do not dilute the lotion in the bottle as you may expose the contents to airborne bacteria.

Hope this helps!

Mickey

If you would like to purchase our lotions you can go to our store by clicking here.

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Keys Personal Lubricant Rumors – TMZ

PurPlay – The Rumors are True

Prototypes Are Out There

PurPlay Early Prototype Bottle and Box

A few years ago Keys engineers started working on a line of personal lubricants because we had so many requests for a better and natural product.   Although many people use Tortuga lotion as a personal lubricant, (Read Story) it was not ideal because it is a water based lotion.  So, we set out to invent something great and not a copycat product.  PurPlay was born out of industry research and talking to many women about what they were looking for in a personal lubricant.  To our surprise, it was a lot bigger project than we thought.

PurPlay Has To Be Innovative

Turns out that women wanted more than a same old water or silicone based lubricant. Women want the natural wellness and health features known from Keys and they wanted something more.  They want a product and that is a stimulant without menthol or burning sensations.  Women also wanted a different product that would help them relax and calm down to better enjoy the experience.  They did not want a product that numbs or desensitizes.  A very tall set of features.

In theory, the base lubricant was easy using some technology we developed for our Reflex product.  As we solicited early product testers, we found that there were a number of problems to address.  Some physical, some emotional and some about the ways to use the product.

PurPlay Not Just Another Lube

Seems as though personal lubricant makers never used their own products. Maybe they do not care that a product feels cold, stings, burns or totally collapses the libido.  PurPlay testers pointed out some things that should be solved that had noting to do with our product.  It was an industry issue where lubricant makers did not understand these problems or tried to solve them the wrong way.  At Keys, we have always built every product to make people feel good and solve their problems.  PurPlay started as a single product simple lubricant that tester pointed out that there should be three products with different features and functions.

Over the five years, we identified that there are indeed three distinct products that needed to be developed.  In the early Fall of 2017, we began testing.   Well, we guess it leaked out and we started to get more volunteers to test the products.  Then we started to get request from bloggers, social media types and conventional press.   We needed to accelerate our development.

So, if you have heard a rumor that Keys was developing a line of purpose designed personal lubricants, the rumors are true and we are close to releasing these new products in the early second quarter of 2018.

Stay Tuned for more.

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New Keys Eye Butter Airless Pump

A Keys Top Selling Product Now in a New Airless Pump

Eye Butter is a wildly successful product for us.  In fact, Eye Butter has been a top selling Keys product since it was introduced almost 15 years ago.  The anti-aging properties, anti-allergenics, soothing, anti-puffies and makeup friendly properties are Hollywood and everyday proven.  Just as popular for men as it is for women, Eye Butter has been ranked the finest most effective eye cream by Hollywood makeup artists.  ..and it is all natural whole ingredients.

So, how could we make it better.  We can’t improve Eye Butter itself, but we can improve how it is packaged.  It was now about 4 years ago that our customers asked us to create an airless pump so people could travel with a more compact container.  We found a airless pump that worked and the pump version of Eye Butter became the most popular container almost overnight.  People still buy the Eye Butter in the jar because it is more traditional and it was easier to get a small amount.

As quickly as the Eye Butter airless pump became popular, we started to get suggestions.

What People Asked For

  • Could you make the pump more precise?
  • Could you make the container body transparent so you can see how much product is left?
  • Could you make the container easier to hold

So, we did it and we are pleased to introduce the new Eye Butter 15ml Airless Pump today.  Ant order from today on will come in the new container.

Same great Eye Butter in a New Travel Container!

Eye Butter also makes a great lip balm to make lipstick look bolder and brighter, eliminate chapped lips quickly and for its anti-allergy properties.  Like all Keys products, it is Vegan, Gluten-Free, Free of manmade chemicals, soy-free and non-GMO

Eye Butter – Refreshing Anit-Aging Eye Cream

NEW! Airless Travel Pump.  Smoother & Silkier

Natural Eye & Lip Cream with Cucumber, Avocado Oil and Shea

  • Keys Whole Natural Cucumber Extract
  • Softens & Hydrates
  • Aloe Vera Conditions & Conceals
  • For Sensitive Skin
  • Deep Penetrating
  • Makeup Friendly
  • Moistuizing
  • Reduces fine lines
  • Will not sting eyes

The Secret

Eye Butter combines an age old secret to eye care with pharmaceutical grade ingredients to soften eye tissue, reduce fine lines and tighten the skin. The glowing effect brightens the skin around the eyes, enhances skin color and is a great natural foundation for mineral eye makeup. Eye Butter like all Keys products is first and foremost skin therapy.

The secret to Eye Butter is naturally distilled organic cucumbers. We distill our own cucumber to create an extract that is high in the ingredients that have been known for years to tighten and tone eye tissue. Actor and models have placed cucumber slices on their eyes to reduce puffiness and to tighten eye tissue. Our cucumber extract has all of those natural features in a concentration you can feel and see.

The secrets to eye butter does not stop with our cucumber extract. We combine a natural filtered and unprocessed Shea Butter from Ghana that has the highest fatty acid levels we have been able to find with pharmaceutical grade oils in therapeutic proportions. Avocado, Black Cumin and Carrot Seed oil hydrate, rejuvenate, tighten and create a soft glow around the eyes. Aloe Vera creates a prismatic effect similar to Luminos and creates a natural clinging action to gently hold eye makeup.

There is More!

Eye Butter has natural anti allergen features as well. Eyes that are irritated by pollen, danader and other allergens receive an interesting barrier when you apply Eye Butter around the eyes. These natural and made allergens cling to the surface of Eye Butter providing a shield protecting sensitive eye tissue from itching. This has a great natural anti aging benefit because rubbing the eyes causes skin to sag and look older, tired and irritated. With Eye Butter you get younger looking skin without the itching during allergy season.

Keys Eye Butter is featured on the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep Report as one of the safest around the eye products on the market.

”Eye Butter was created to be our first product for Hollywood. In 2006 we were invited by the Environmental Working Group to attend a presentation in Santa Monica California to 300 Hollywood makeup artists. Eye Butter was a natural for the group because all of our researched showed that most of the hard work by makeup artists was around the eyes. We put our Eye Butter in the goody bag and when they opened our oversized sample, the room filled with the smell of fresh cucumber. It was an overnight hit and many of our makeup artist advisors today were in that room.” Wendy Steele , Key CEO and Founder

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Apple – The Next Revolution in Healthcare & Wellness…A Keys Perspective

Apple – The Next Revolution is….

By Bob Root, Keys Founder and Technologist

Being insiders in the medical and pharmaceutical industry, it is clear that there are many severe problems with our healthcare systems.  Young greedy new doctors flock to rich suburbs to make their fortunes. Many 65+ year old’s bilking the healthcare insurance systems by treating their doctor visits as a new-age hobby.  Healthcare, en-mass, using TV commercials creating FUD…Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt…to drive people to take pharmaceuticals feeding the cycle of doctor to hospital to drugs to the casket.

Today, self-aware medical practitioners realize that the healthcare system treats the 60+ as expendable.  While many doctors are disturbed by this flaw in the system, they admit privately that healthcare in America is set to find cancer and then get every last dollar out of insurances to either cure or kill the patient.

According to AARP (AARP Study) the vast majority of Americans age 50+ (85%) say they have taken a prescription drug in the past five years, and three-fourths (76%) say they are currently taking at least one prescription drug on a regular basis.  Just watch the Weather Channel to see an unbelievable amount of pharmaceutical commercials flanked by lawyer adverts asking if you have been harmed by a drug or medical device.

In researching this article, I must admit that I slipped into a cross between depression from all the sickening stories of peoples’ lives being ruined to a mild case of hypochondria where I took on the symptoms of various maladies.

What To Do

I guess the easiest answer of what to do appears to be only two choices.  Either you bitch about the system in hopes of some Washington politico changing it or, like Apple, you change the game.  This article is about once such game changer and a very simple example of how it can be changed overnight.

Melanoma

We started Keys Care because of my sweeties bout with Melanoma.  The Mohs surgery saved her and the prescriptions left her skin a total train wreck.  We fixed her skin.  Visits to Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic and Dermatologist are a way of life for Wendy.  Sometimes waiting 6 months for an appointment to have a 5 minute look by the doc to make sure that suspicious mole was benign.  Yes, it seems inhuman, but it is typical. Again, many docs are well intentioned, but they have no control over the required insurance process that rakes the patient over some hot sharp coals.

Patient?

Funny use of a term to describe people.  To see a doc you must be patient?  Seems so!

Apple To The Rescue

When I saw the first Apple Watch with built-in heart monitor 3 years ago, I clearly saw the revolution starting.  I saw the same sensor reported to also be a blood glucose monitor that was quickly turned off because of heat from the medical community.  Yes, a heart tracker was okay for fitness, but leave doctoring to the doctors was a cry heard down many halls including the FDA.

The War is All But Over and Apple is the Victor

The invention of the Apple Healthkit enabling software is the nuclear hand grenade with the healthcare system holding the pin.  Envision a software that would let developers create apps that use the sensors and cameras on Apple devises to alert,  diagnose and schedule immediate treatment for disorders they detect.  I know, it is hard to imagine, so during the launch of the new Apple Watch 3 and iPhone X, I decided to create such a hypothesis to show how such a bold move would be possible.  Some quick searches of the web and to my surprise, my hypothesis is already in play.  

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the Glue

Elon Musk says that AI can destroy humans faster than a world war.  Probably true, but it can also change lives and save them as well.  Ultimately, AI will give way to intelligent neural networks, but what Apple has created is nothing less than the first true revolution in healthcare.

A Simple Example

Before I detail this my example, it is important to realize a couple of things.

  1. Any systems based on a database like medicine or law will be replaced by AI in the next 10 years
  2. My simple example below is one of tens of thousands possible uses of AI
  3. Denial is futile

Herein is a simple hypothesis based on Wendy’s life after Melanoma.

To reiterate, here is a true story that happened to her not too long ago.  She had a mole removed from her breast about a year prior to this incident.  She visited the dermatologist who took a biopsy a few days before Wendy had to travel on customer visits.  The report is that it is suspicious and the doc recommends to take another biopsy.  Her skepticism is a learned trait and she questions the doc intensely.  Revealed, it turns out that it was not that the biopsy was suspicious, it was that the test sample was flawed and they could not get a good reading.  This is not how the doc sold the need for another biopsy.  After all, they have to protect their own, don’t they.  So, now it is a 6 month wait to see a competent dermatologist for an appointment.  She opts to travel across country to Mayo Clinic.  Greeted by a suited doc, he whips out his binocular magnifier and before looking her over he reads her medical record.  Reading the chart first…Hmmmm he says, this one looks suspicious.  Wendy says WHAT?  He says we should cut this one out.  She says, you are looking at a flawed biopsy and we need to take another biopsy, not cut my TIT up.  She says, can we have a look at it with a Molescope.  He says, we have one, but my eyes are better.  Wendy walks out. 

I realized that at one point there were six doctors, two assistants and Wendy in the room.  I said the the receptionist, “now that was a fair fight!”

Now for what I see will happen in the near future…like next year!

I will use my iPhone 7 plus to take closeup pictures of moles and any regularities using a Molescope ll which I purchased on Amazon for $299.  This is the fun part for me!   We will upload the images that we also mapped onto her body locations. An AI programs scans the images in real-time looking both at a visible light picture and the thermal image as well.  In real-time it looks for irregular shapes and ‘hot’ moles.  In real-time it pops up a window with green lettering that says “nothing suspicious.”  Recommends a reshoot of certain moles in 6 months. 

6 months later I get to reshoot and upload again.  In real-time, a red window pops up with four suspicious moles that are now ‘hot’ and has grown irregularly.  Immediately a window pops up asking her a zip code for where she is now because the AI software knows she is constantly traveling.  She types in 92102.  The AI software pops up a screen that looks like expedia.com.  It says in a Siri voice, “Choose a date and time to schedule a biopsy.”  She says, speaking to Siri, “I see tomorrow at 2pm is open.  Can you book that.”  Siri says, “I have scheduled your biopsy and forwarded your medical records with the images and location for the biopsies.”  Siri, “Would you like me to book a car to pick you up?”  “Yes,” Wendy says. 

The next day the car arrives at 1:30p and she arrives 5 minutes before her appointment.  She thinks, “Funny, the place has no waiting room, no disinterested receptionist behind a shut glass window and there is a man that has an iPad that greets her.  “Hello Ms. Steele.”  Wendy says, “How did you know it was me?”  He says, “Apples new face recognition software identified you and brought your records up on the iPad.”  “WOW” she says. 

Wendy asks if he is a nurse.  He answers, “no, I am an engineer.”  He leads her into a room and asks her to sit in a chair that looks like something in a SpaceX capsule.  She says, “When will the doctor be in to do the biopsy?” He laughs, and says’ “The doctor is here.” As he points to a robotic arm.  Wendy actually relaxes because she is no stranger to doctors, but also is relieved that this robot has no ego. 

“So what is going to happen now,” she says.  He says, “I see you have four suspicious areas from the initial scan.  The robot will scan these suspicious areas again to see if the more high powered sensors confirm the scanned irregularities.”  The what?  “Here, watch this 2 minute video and at the end you can ask me any questions you have.”  She watches and has no questions.  It is all covered and she is now curious to get started.

The robot begins to work by first positioning its arm in front of her face.  Siri’s voice says, “I am scanning to make sure that you are Wendy Steele and will map the locations of the irregularities.”  Siri says, “Welcome Wendy Steele, I will start now.”   Siri starts and says, “Hmmmm.”  Wendy says “WHAT?”  Siri says, “Haha a bit of Siri humor!”  “Now relax, this will take about a minute.”  The arm swings to the first mole.  Siri says, “this one is okay.”  The arm moves to the next mole.  Siri says, “This one is okay as well.”  The arm move to the third mole.  Siri says, “This one does not look right and we will come back to it for a closer look.”  On to the fourth, Siri says, “This one is okay as well.”  Back to the third, the robot moves in close and relooks at the mole.  Siri says, “This one looks like a basil cell carcinoma and I would like to do a Mohs style biopsy.  Do you agree to the biopsy?”  Wendy says, “Yes, do I need to sign something?”  Siri says, “No, I recognize your voice print and you only have to say, I agree.”  Wendy says “I agree.”  The robot swabs a topical anesthetic, waits for 60 seconds and then injects a subdermal anesthetic. 

On the screen in from of her, a 4k video of an undersea adventure pops up for her to enjoy while she waits the four minutes for the anesthetic to take effect.  See Siri knows Wendy is a swimmer and the undersea video relaxes her while her favorite chill artists, Thievery Corporation, plays “Lebonese Blonde.”

The video ends and the robot swings in on the mole.  It uses a new form of Mohs surgery.  Rather then taking a biopsy and checking for clear cancer-free margins and then a larger biopsy plug, Siri tells Wendy, “I am going to take a dozen small needle biopsies around the mole where I think clear margins should be. Then I will use a small robotic knife the remove the mole and test it in real-time.  If all is clear, I will glue the site closed and you will be done.”

The process begins as Wendy strains to look away as her curiosity peaks.  Two minute and it was done.  Siri says, “Wendy you are done.  I have posted your calendar with a reminder to take another picture of the area next week so I can see that everything is healing properly.

20 minute start to finish and Wendy steps into the waiting car for her return ride with only a small dot bandage on her arm.  She thinks, a glass of wine would be nice.  After all, no big bandage with instructions to keep the arm elevated.  Yes, wine sounds good and asks Siri on her Apple Watch 3, “Siri, where is a good wine bar near me with Tapas?”  Siri says, “I like the Vampire Lounge on Santa Monica Blvd.  Would you like to go there?”  Wendy says, “Yes!”  Siri says, “I have loaded the destination on the cars CarPlay Maps®.  You will be there in 5 minutes.”

Far fetched?  NO!  …and yes it is coming soon.

The simplest way to describe it is when check engine light comes on in Wendy’s Corvette Grand Sport, she takes it to the nearest Corvette dealership.  They greet her, take the car, fix it and return her on her way in a matter of minutes.  All day, everyday.   Shouldn’t healthcare be the same?

Impersonal?  No way.  I would choose Siri over an intern doctor that probably has not slept in 18 hours and is being trained using 25 year old techniques.

Lastly, they say medicine is an art.  That’s NICE! I believe it needs to be a science and Apple is on its way to making it so.

The FDA has given Apple a Fast Track allowance.  Seems as though it is a pretty tame and low-end allowance though. We will see if Apple will go rogue.

A Bit of Advise!  Run Out and Buy Apple Stock Now!

When Wall Street gets its head out of its own proverbial healthcare ass and realizes what Apple has created, they will bail like fleeing rats from the healthcare systems ship.

Authors Note:  I have a vested interest in Wendy’s health and safety.  Her example herein is our story of how Tim Cook’s Apple will affect us personally.  I sat down for 30 minutes and typed on my iPad non-stop listing industries and markets the iPhone cameras, sensors and Apple Watch will create and enable.  The current heart monitor in the Apple Watch WILL save lives world wide.  Add AI and we can turn painfully slow experiences into instant experiences.  Apple’s Augmented Reality, Siri and Sensors in its products will revolutionize many industries.  Apple is no longer an entertainment company with Tweets, Facebook and picture sharing.  It will be the largest medical device company in the world in five years or less.  After all, it only took 2.5 years for it to become the worlds largest producer of watches…and now those watches an Apple are on the FDA Fast Track medical device program.

Bob

_______________________________________

VaporJelAuthors Notes:  This article was inspired by Tim Cook at Apple.  During his keynote presentation introducing the Apple Watch 3 and iPhone X, there were numerous referrals to medical technology and health.  So, I decided to take a quick look at any and all advancements that related to our own healthcare scare.  Wendy’s Melanoma was a wakeup call that would not be forgotten.  I looked at the Apple Watch and iPhone technology as it relates to our skin.  It is a road to this article that was clear, wide, paved and well signaged.  It took me all of an hour to research and another hour to write. Imagine if I really dug deep into what is possible.  The next couple of years will be amazing!

Again, this is just one tiny segment of the medical market.  No brainer how impactful Apple will be.

Another fine point is how the Apple Watch has improved our daily health from just our Healthkit and Activity app mapping.  It is very interesting to monitor your heart and exercising.   Just beware the “Open Rings” syndrome…that in a future article.

Truth be told, I trust Apple with my medical information more then some local doctors office

 

Bob Root is a former Silicone Valley Tech CEO and is the founder of Keys Care and Applied Alchemy products companies.  He is a member of the World Future Society and has briefed military and business leaders on the use of mesh network nanobots, neural networks, AI drones and advanced AI medical systems.  He is an author and speaker of diverse futurist subjects.

Disclaimer:  Bob was affiliated with Apple in the early days of the Macintosh and was a vendor to Apple while in Silicon Valley.

As always, this article is the thoughts and view of Bob Root and not that of Keys or Orion Learning Intl., inc.

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SmallFlower Interviews Bob Root, Keys Scientist & Founder About Probiome

Smallflower Chats with Bob Root of Keys Natural Skincare & Beauty (Probiome)

BY RACHEL RUSTEMEYER |
Bob Root & Wendy Steele

Keys Natural Skincare & Beauty (Probiome) was born after co-founder Wendy Steele was diagnosed with and beat melanoma. The cancer was gone, but she was still dealing with some nasty side effects on her skin – itchy, irritated patches that were just made worse by sticky sunscreens. Her then-boyfriend (now husband) Bob Root decided to take matters into his own hands and researched the work of everyone from Harvard MDs to aboriginal healers.

The products that Bob developed for Wendy worked great for her, so together they decided to start manufacturing for the public. We sat down with Bob to discuss their products, how the company got started, and his best advice for people looking to switch to natural skincare.

Smallflower: The Keys story starts with Wendy’s bout with Melanoma and her struggles with ineffective treatments for the subsequent skin troubles. As you were first working on products with Wendy, when did you realize that you were on to something bigger than a one-off personal solution?

Bob Root: Wendy’s Melanoma came at a time where our core business was brand marketing consulting for major tech and pharmaceutical companies.  I shared prototype products with the pharma people and they encouraged us to develop the first four products.  We sold online only, and the big break came in 2007 when Consumer Reports Magazine ranked Solar Rx number one in its category.

probiome

At the same time, the Environmental Working Group ranked Keys’ four products number one in each of their respective categories.  Now at 43 products, we continue to have the safest ratings on the EWG.  This series of events caught the attention of over 500 retailers which increased the brand awareness.  Over the years, we’ve continued to work with integrity, avoiding high-volume big-box store lures.

“Probiome is a Keys-registered trademark for products that restore the balance on the skin by creating formulations that promote good bacteria growth on the skin”

S: Can you briefly describe the Probiome line and name, where the idea came from, and where you think probiotic and microbiome-friendly products are going to go over the next few years?

BR: Ten years ago, I became a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Microbiome Project.  The project discovered that our skin has 10 times more bacteria than human skin cells. Creating a balance is what Probiome means.

Parabens and Triclosan destroy good and bad bacteria collaterally.  This imbalance allows bad bacteria to attack the skin.  I firmly believe that greater than 50 percent of diagnosed skin disorders are caused by products containing parabens and triclosan.Probiome is our registered trademark for products that restore the balance on the skin.  We do this with formulations that promote good bacteria growth on the skin, similarly to how probiotics restore the flora in the gut. The difference is that gut flora can be promoted by adding breeder bacteria.  Skin needs an environment that attracts natural growth of the skin flora.

Natural instead of conventional is a good first step.  Natural oils that promote growth is the real answer.  Our products are the real deal, because they use the right ingredients of the highest quality and in therapeutic proportions.

S: For someone who is new to natural skincare products, what’s the single best piece of advice you can give them?

BR: Read the label – if you can’t recognize the names of the ingredients, don’t buy it. Find a manufacturer that you trust implicitly.

Also, vote with your wallet.  It will change the world faster than donating to Non-Governmental Organizations.  Manufacturers follow the money.

S: If there was one currently popular skincare ingredient you could get banned, what would it be and why?

BR: Parabens!  FDA recently banned Triclosan.  To brag a little bit, my book helped a lot to polarize the FDA.

S: Are there any upcoming projects you’re excited about, that you can give us some hints about?

BR: Our Alternative Naturals line has very deep potential.  Basically, the initial challenge was to replace petroleum jelly with a jelled avocado oil for the astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS).

probiome

It blossomed into a series of products that offer a non-petroleum jelly carrier for solution-oriented products.  So we will continue to replace the top ten used solution-oriented products that have petrolatum as its carrier with AvoJel.

Another hot project is bio-based 3D printing of skin cells as a catalyst for age-reversing skin repair.  It’s really out there, but it’s where I’m headed.  It’s more than anti-aging, it’s un-aging.

S: What’s one Keys product that nobody should be without?

BR: For anti-aging, Solar Rx. We use no chemical sunscreens, only pure uncoated zinc oxide in a natural lotion base. Solar Rx is for those who want to avoid the extreme aging effects of UVA and UVB on a daily basis.

This is a reprint of the Small Flower article.  You can Click Here to go to their site.

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Congrats America! You Did It. You Voted With Your Wallets

You Voted With Your Wallets!  Natural Products Are Mainstream in Grocery Stores.

In my book, “Chemical-Free Skin Health®” I suggested that the fastest and best way to bring about change in Natural Products was to buy products that were pure and clean. Voting with your wallets. Boycotting the junk also sent a huge message.  Well, you did it.  The result is that not only have you put natural products front and center on store shelves, but you have convinced major brands to return to their roots by offering natural wholesome and clean products.

walletsI recently read a draft report by a research firm that specializes in retail store trends.  They noted in a recent study that many mainline brands like Campbell soup have initiated and brought out new natural brands that are simple and wholesome alternatives.  Campbell’s “Well YES” brand was singled out as an example of how many brands have shifted back to simple foods.  Same was noted for personal care.

walletsI decided to do something totally out of character.  I went to a Kroger Fred Meyers store in Newport Oregon and just walked the aisles.  This store has a natural products section, but it was very apparent that all the food aisles were focused on natural products.  As a point of reference, when a retailer puts products at eye level and easy to grab, that is what is called “First Position” meaning that it is priority.  Walking the soup aisle, Amy’s and Campbell Well Yes were front and center.  The jam and peanut butter section was even more noticeable.  Traditional brands like Skippy were bottom shelf with Jason’s, Smucker’s Natural and other pure brands were front and center.  The rest of the store was the same as was the conventional health and beauty aisles.

So, you did it.  You voted with your wallets and sent a message to the manufacturers that you wanted a change and they responded.  Good on you and good on them for listening.

I must also say that I hope you have learned a lesson that your voice works, but a voice that speaks directly to those that can make a change.  The manufacturers!  Stop wasting your money by donating to those that claim to be trying to change the government to protect us all from the evils of bad manufacturers.  Keep your dollars in your wallets and spend them on products that are good for you.  Trust me, funky questionable products that sit on the shelf get discontinued quickly by retailers that see them gathering dust.  Those manufacturers that get their products returned because no one is buying them speaks volumes.  Always, always, Vote With Your Wallets.  It works every time.

walletsWhen we started 15 years ago, Keys promoted natural functional products that solved problems and make people feel good.  We said, “and by the way, they are natural.”  Today we still market the features, benefits and advantages of our natural products.  Because of the natural products food movement, we now have a huge following by people wanting to solve their skin disorders with natural products.  We are celebrating the turnaround…or really the return to natural.

I guess a simple message is that the P&G’s of the world are really not so bad.  They just follow the money.  If you ask for junk, that’s what you get.  If you ask for good, that’s what you get.

So leave your money in your wallets.  Spend it wisely on products that you know what is in the container.

Congrats!  You just learned how powerful you and your wallets can be.

Bob

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Living Strong In A Hostile World – The Realities of Skin Cancer

My 20 Year Journey to Feel Safer in a Hostile Environment

Hostile
Wendy Steele, Keys CEO & Founder

Twenty years ago I learned everything I could about how to protect my skin from ultra-violet radiation. Because I am a Melanoma skin cancer survivor UV awareness is critically important to me. Thus, my mission was to discover how to feel safer in a hostile daily environment.

The sun’s rays are a formidable foe. For millions of high-risk and sun sensitive people the sun is public enemy #1.

Moreover, many years ago, my early stage Melanoma diagnosis served as a fork in the road. With education, I consciously changed all of my thinking about sun exposure. First, the California tan faded. I stayed the course, even when many others were skeptical and even opposed my thinking.

Sometimes I Just Get Angry

Reflecting now on this 20-year journey, I realize I was ribbed and sometimes even ridiculed by others. Many proclaimed that I must have daily sun exposure for healthy Vitamin D levels.   And others lived by the ‘ignorance is bliss’ rule.

This was not an option for me. Based on my skin type and history, those behaviors were risky for me. Instead, I chose to supplement with a daily Vitamin D emulsion. In addition, I have my Vitamin D levels tested regularly.

Consequently, I redefined what I was willing to do to protect my skin and my life! Then I discovered my personal truth that ultimately made me feel safer.

You Have a Choice

hostile
Staying away from UV is the “trick” to Anti-Aging

I learned to change my habits. I shifted outdoor exerci