Beauty Goes Wild

Melinda | March 26, 2012 | 0 Comments

By chance I ran across Diane Kidman’s blog on herbal beauty and natural remedies and thought her work was pretty amazing.

Then I found out she was the author of three incredible books all are about having a more chemical free life with the use of herbs. My interest was tweaked to say the least. Diane graciously agreed to do an interview to tell us a little more about herself and her herbal philosophy.

1. You have three books on natural remedies and beauty, when did you get interested in a more natural, chemical free approach to life?

- While I always enjoyed using natural remedies, I didn’t dig in fully until I was pregnant for my son six years ago. I realized that what I thought was a natural, chemical free life still needed improvement. Just six years ago, I wasn’t even able to purchase natural diaper ointment or baby wipes. I decided to learn to do it myself and blog about it, hoping there would be other moms out there who felt the same way. Turns out there are lots of us!

2. How did you learn about what works and what doesn’t?

- Lots of experimenting. A great deal of what is in my ebooks is just me relaying how I do things in my own life. The rest have been tested on myself (and sometimes slightly nervous friends). Someday, I should write a book about the experiments that didn’t work. That would definitely end up in the “Humor” category. Most of what I know about herbalism, I learned from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. I can’t say enough about what herbalist Michael Moore has given us through his school and books. I owe him a great deal of gratitude.

3. What is your favorite natural remedy? Your favorite natural beauty secret?

- That’s a tough question because it changes all the time. One of the most impressive is plantain leaf for splinters. If you smash the leaf into a paste and put it on a splinter – even a biggie – leave it overnight with a bandage on top, and the splinter is pulled to the surface by morning. That’s probably my son’s favorite remedy. He hates tweezers. My favorite natural beauty secret is ditching the shampoo and using natural products for hair cleansing, which I cover in Hair Gone Wild. You can’t imagine the difference that makes!

4. When people buy your books what can they expect to learn? Where can they purchase them?

- My books cover a wide array of health and beauty issues. I try to pack in as much information as I can; simple stuff, though. For instance, in Beauty Gone Wild, I talk about using honey as a facial cleanser. One ingredient most people already have around, and it couldn’t be easier. My ebooks are all available on Amazon. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can even read them for free!

5. Some ingredients can be difficult to find if you live in a more rural area, is there an online retailer that you recommend?

- If someone lives in a rural area, they may have an easier time than the rest of us! It’s a matter of learning what the plants look like and gathering them yourself. At the end of Beauty Gone Wild, I have a list of online retailers that are reliable. One online retailer I use (when I can’t find the stuff in the woods) is Frontier Co-op. They’re inexpensive and everything I’ve ever gotten from them has been good, fresh stuff. Love their henna.

6. You also have a successful blog. Tell me about what you like to write about.

- I’ve had dkMommy Spot going for almost six years. More than anything, I enjoy writing about herbalism. I like a simple approach that anyone can grab onto. Plants are nature’s health care plan, and I love showing people how easy it can be to go natural and to learn to be self-sufficient. If I can write something that helps someone to take care of their family in a healthy, natural way, I’m very happy indeed.

You can buy Diane Kidman’s books “Beauty Gone Wild” , “Herbs Gone Wild” and “Hair Gone Wild” on Amazon. Also check out Diane’s dkmommyblog.

Thank you Diane!

Be eco-beautiful.

xxtrees

Melinda

Tags: eco conscious, eco fashion, Eco Living, eco style, eco-friendly, green fashion, green living, healthy, herbal beauty, herbal medicine, mother earth, natural beauty, natural remedies, organic, sustainable

Category: Go Green Fashion

About the Author (Author Profile)

Melinda received her degree in Communications from Drury University. After working in marketing for many years, she refocused her career and is now a freelance writer and artist.

Melinda brings her love of fashion, beauty and the environment together to find eco-friendly clothing and products each week.

She resides in the midwest with her wonderful husband and a really great dog.