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Why Am I Blogging?

November 20, 2019 //  by Joanna//  Leave a Comment

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I spent my childhood behind the Iron Curtain in communist Poland, where life was slower and a bit more earth-bound; but access to many things were limited, information scarce and controlled by the government, and travel outside the country difficult if not impossible. What was widely available though was the wisdom of the old and the access to bountiful nature.

Grandma and Her Witchy Ways

As a child and adolescent, I would spend every summer at my grandmother’s house in a sleepy hamlet bordering the ancient forest in Eastern Poland. My fondest memories are of my Grandma – Babcia –  and me venturing into that forest, foraging for mushrooms, picking super sweet wild strawberries and blueberries and collecting wild herbs and flowers.

POlish meaddow
Polish meadow

Once we got back, the real show would begin and I got to watch Babcia perform her herbal rituals: cleaning the herbs; selecting only the best buds, leaves or roots; tying them up for drying in her pantry or infusing them either in oil or pre-boiled well water and submerging them in strong Polish vodka to make tinctures and extracts which she used for every possible ailment of body and soul.

Then, when she wanted to relax, she’d crush some freshly picked herbs, mix them up with honey and the aloe plant juice from her cottage garden, and put that concoction on her own and my face, before handing me two cucumber slices.

Off to the porch we went, masks on our faces, cucumbers on our eyes, and the relaxing began. I was ten years old and my love of natural skin care began. The passing-by villagers, if they caught a glimpse of us, were murmuring something of “witchy ways” and we laughed, or maybe I just imagined it…

  • Daisy 5 1
  • mushrooms
  • forest springtime winding road

The New World

Since the 1990s, I have been living in the United States, most recently in sunny and beautiful Southern California. Moving here from the old country was a shock of sorts to say the least. So much color, so much choice, shiny, colorful packaging, everything for sale, every new food item or cosmetic product supposedly better than the one from a week, a month, or a year ago. I was mesmerized, I wanted to try it all, at least what I was able to afford. I rarely looked at the list of ingredients, and I was a sucker for grand promises and glossy advertisement tricks. 

  • Winter 2017
  • beach sunset
  • IMG 0040
Living sweet life in California

Cancer and Beyond

It all came to a screeching halt in 2014. Now a wife to a great husband and mom to a 12-year old and a 3-year old, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, stage 3. It was out of the blue, but that is how cancer usually appears – unexpected, often unexplained, out of the blue. For a year and some, I battled the disease with all that mainstream and complementary medicine had to offer: surgeries, chemo- and radiotherapy, supplementation, and change of diet.

I was lucky. I was and still am blessed with remission… and left with lots of questions. Why me? Why did I get it? Could I have prevented it? Could I have eaten better, slept more, exercised harder? And what now? Go back to the old ways: eat less than optimally good, apply synthetic skin and body care, pollute my life with stress and negative thinking? No way!

Lessons Learnt

My wake-up moment taught me to go back to the basics: live to the fullest, love more, practice gratitude and de-stress, exercise, clean up my diet, and go back to skincare basics by ditching store-bought, expensive, and chemically-overburdened products in favor of natural, gentle and far more effective creations. I realized that in order to stay healthy I needed to change things for good, starting with everything that comes in contact with my body, be it internally or externally.

  • drying herbs
  • C72F7C87 4506 473F 8D55 CB2E50880C90
  • botttles with herbs

Memories of my Babcia’s “witchy ways” started flooding in, and I knew in my gut that the secret to health lies in nature, not in the “franken-foods” and toxic fillers and preservatives in cleaning products and cosmetics. And so, I started detoxing and simplifying my life, including my skincare routine and food choices. Whenever I traveled back to the old country, I would scout for herbalists I could trust to help me find the purest herbs in Poland. I found, studied, and brought them back to infuse carrier oils and aloe juice with them, and I made tinctures according to my Babcia’s recipes.

Oko-logic Skincare

I wanted to use only what came from a known source and what I myself put in that jar or bottle: nourishing oils, wild-crafted herbal infusions, and therapeutic grade essential oils sourced directly from nature and extracted through sustainable and non-polluting production processes. When people started complimenting me on my skin and asked what I was using, I would gift them samples of my facial oil and moisturizing serum, and they wanted more and more.

  • hair mask
  • blush
  • IMG 5397

Now, four years later, I am healthy, strong, and thriving, and ready to bring all I know and continue to learn to you. I’ll share with you how I keep my home non-toxic, my body strong, my belly content with good food from my garden, and my skin and hair naturally beautiful. In the process, I’m committed to making the world a cleaner, healthier, and better-nourished place for everyone. WELCOME to my Oko-Logic Blog! So happy to see you here!

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About Joanna

Joanna is a committed researcher and educator, passionate about health and wellness for herself - a cancer thriver - and her family. She is an avid clean cook and baker, a gardener, and an inquisitive formulator of gentle and effective organic skincare products. When not blogging, Joanna teaches college in the field of German Studies. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California.

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okologic

JOANNA 🌺 | Blogger
Hey guys, I know how frustrating it is when you ar Hey guys, I know how frustrating it is when you are struggling with skin issues — no matter what skincare routine you use, you can’t seem to get rid of whatever problem you have… that was me. First, dealing with acne well into my late 30s, then dealing with lackluster skin and signs of aging. Until… I changed my routine completely and went 100% natural, non-toxic, and minimalist. 

Imagine if in 30 days from now, you could heal your skin by using all-natural skincare that’s not only designed to help you but is also friendly to the environment. 

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Are you a science geek? I am a bit especially when Are you a science geek? I am a bit especially when it comes to science behind issues like gut health and skincare. ​​​​​​​​
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Here is a bit of science behind this OS01 serum.​​​​​​​​
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With the “science of longevity” sector gaining rapid momentum in the public sphere, we are discovering that skin is not only a reliable indicator of overall health, but a major contributor to the prevention or development of age-related diseases. ​​​​​​​​
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The secret is the OS-01 peptide, a revolutionary molecule that has been shown to decrease key markers of skin aging and increase epidermal thickness and resilience.​​​​​​​​
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Clinical studies indicate that the OS-01 peptide improves health markers in the skin of human subjects, and in combination with the supporting ingredients in the OS-01 FACE Topical Supplement, significantly improves visual and functional health markers in skin.​​​​​​​​
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Neat, huh? ​​​​​​​​
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If you want to know more, head over to my blog or click on the link in my bio ⬆️ ​​​​​​​​
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Follow me @okologic to see new exciting natural skincare tips, ideas, routines and inspirations ♥️​​​​​​​​
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When you deal with gut issues, you’ll realize th When you deal with gut issues, you’ll realize this ancient saying to be the most important truth out there. Which doesn’t mean that illness won’t get you even if your diet is the healthiest that can be. I was vegan for a few years before getting colon cancer, and since battling it, I’ve been eating as best I can. Still, because of prior surgeries and cancer treatments, I’m still plagued by gut issues. Do I throw in the towel and start gorging on fast food and GMOs? Of course not! I pick myself up, recover from the setback, and start a new calm period with good eating and no tummy troubles. ​​​​​​​​
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Let food be thy medicine! As another ancient man has said. ​​​​​​​​
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My view for the next few days 😩 #postcancer #th My view for the next few days 😩 #postcancer #thegiftthatkeepsgiving
If pressed, I’d have to say that Aloe Vera is my If pressed, I’d have to say that Aloe Vera is my favorite skincare ingredient. It is so versatile! I use it in my gentle facial cleanser, my hydrating serums, I mix my face masks with it, and I make an anti-blemish spot treatment with it. ​​​​​​​​
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Turns out, Aloe is particularly well suited to treat blemish-prone skin. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties, Aloe Vera has been used for centuries to cleanse wounds, kill pain, and heal burns. And that’s only when used topically! You can also ingest Aloe Vera and enjoy it’s soothing benefits for the digestive system.​​​​​​​​
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Still on the fence about using facial oils? 

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This week is #nationalwomenshealthweek and this Ma This week is #nationalwomenshealthweek and this May is #mentalhealthawarenessmonth 

So what is health? Certainly much more than “not being sick.” There are so many dimensions of health and wellness. Physical, mental, emotional, social, environmental, financial, spiritual. Prioritizing health – in all its aspects – has never been more important, especially for women. Juggling too many things at once, saying yes to too many responsibilities, many women have put off taking care of their general health and wellness needs. 
And now, we have others (mostly men in the government and the highest court) presume they can make health decisions for us. 

Scary times, and times to fight for our health and well-being. 

What does health mean to you? Let me know in the comments 😊 

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Three questions I get a lot both here and on my bl Three questions I get a lot both here and on my blog:

What do you use on your skin? 
Everything I use is handcrafted by me, with one exception, the OS01 Peptide Serum which I would not be able to replicate because the powerful ingredients are proprietary (link to it in my bio)

Is your skincare organic?
About 95-98% organic. There are a few ingredients which are not certified organic like leucidal liquid to preserve my HA serum and a few extracts. All oils, butters, hydrosols and essential oils are organic.

Are you really 50+?
Yes indeed, and thriving! Ever since getting cancer at the age of 45, birthdays don’t have the ominous meaning that they might have for some. Every year is a gift and a new chance to enjoy life to the fullest. 

Hit me up with any other questions, and share a bit about yourself. 

💋 xoxo

#midlife
#midliferocks #midlifestyle #midlifeadventures #midlifeconfidence #midlifematters #midlifewisdom #midlifewellness #midlifetribe #midlifewomenrock #midlifemagic #midlifemotivation #itsnottoolate #bettereithage #ageboldly
HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY to all who celebrate! Moms, d HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY to all who celebrate! Moms, daughters, grandmothers, mothers-in-spirit, have a wonderful day filled with love and gratitude.
🌺🌸🌼🌻 🌺🌸🌼🌻
Pushing the stroller is my wonderful mom, behind her my grandma. In the stroller a month-old me. Poland 1968. 

#mothersday2022 #happymothersday❤️ #mymama #oldphotos #lovemymother #happymama
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