By: Angela Viesti

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Being able to express our views by participating in nonviolent demonstrations is what actually makes America great. There’s no feeling like being part of a crowd that gathered because we share a common bond, be it a cause we’re supporting or an injustice we’re resisting.

It takes a huge amount of energy to put on such events and to make them safe and enjoyable to participate in. Being in the crowd also requires its share of energy and patience, and coming prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually can make all the difference in how much fun you have. Here are some self-care tips for before, during, and after a march, protest, or strike that will make all the difference.

 

Pre-March Self-Care

Considering that you’ll be out and about for several hours, it’s best to ensure that you start your day well prepared. You’ve had a nutritious breakfast, checked the weather, planned your commute, and packed a bag with water and healthy snacks like nuts, seeds, and fruit–plus, a few joints to help mellow you out when things get hectic. So far so good, but let’s not leave without doing the following:

  • Hydrate! If you can start hydrating the day before you’ll be in great shape. You want to drink water during the march, but not so much that you’re stopping to the bathroom every five minutes. Being hydrated before you get there will save you trips to the dreaded port-o-potties

  • Stretch! Nothing ruins the high from a day of marching like foot and leg cramps. Being hydrated helps, but I strongly recommend a 15-minute yoga stretch before you head out. Check out this runner’s yoga video that’s also great prep for long walks.  

  • Protect your skin! This is no time to skimp on sunscreen, even if the weather reports cloudy conditions. UV rays can penetrate clouds and burn your skin if you aren’t protected. Bring a hat or umbrella to block your face from direct sunlight all day

  • Show your feet some love! Before you put on your comfy walking shoes, get some Melt Lotion and rub it into the soles of your feet (I actually do this every day!). While you’re at it, give them a mini-massage and express gratitude for being able to walk in the name of what you believe in

Staying Present in the Crowd

You’ve got your sign held high and your squad by your side as you navigate the streets and the crowd collectively. Chants break out all around you and you feel like part of something bigger. This is what you came here to experience.

While you’re out enjoying the vibe, make sure you listen to your body and take breaks, drink plenty of fluids, and get out of the sun when necessary. Look out for the people in your group and others around you. If you tend to get anxious in big crowds or small spaces, pair up with someone in your group so that you can be each other’s safe space if you need to break away from the group.

One thing I didn’t expect during my experience at the Resist March in 2017 was the overwhelming emotion I felt when I looked around and took in what we were all marching for—people’s human rights. Whenever we’d turn a corner and encounter an opposing group, the crowd directed their chants toward them and I could feel the energy of everyone around me. As an empath, this was super intense. Thankfully, someone in my group had a sage bundle that they lit from time to time, which helped me ground myself. I strongly suggest bringing a talisman of your own—a smudge stick, a crystal to carry in your pocket or on a necklace, a vape, Hemp-PreRoll or tincture ,—something to bring you back to Earth when your senses are overloaded. Your higher self will thank you for this!

 

Post-Demonstration Recovery

After you reach the end of the event, you’ll likely feel the need to decompress as you make your way back home. Plan to have mellow day post-march with plenty of nutritious food and restful activities, like a foot massage or bath—or both! Soaking in the tub will provide a much-needed reset and help you ease out of the day’s event. Throw a Relieve or Immunity bath bomb in the tub to take this to the next level—you deserve it after exercising your rights and body all day long.

 

Power to the People!

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Are you going to the 2019 Women’s March? Let us know how you showed up and how you recovered by tagging @kushqueenshop and @kushqueenco on your Instagram posts and stories!

It’s incredible to see the world changing. I remember a time when even CBD could not be sold online and now it’s going nationwide. With so much excitement in the air, it seems some truth is getting lost in shuffle. Ultimately, CBD or cannabidiol is just a molecule. Our endocannabinoid system interacts with this molecule which triggers effects inside the body. While CBD is non-psychoactive, there are still effects experienced.  CBD is currently unregulated, thus consumers are dependent on businesses to self-regulate. This is why it’s important to us at Kush Queen to have as much transparency as possible. Recently, we have begun to see our products on lists’s with other products that are labeled CBD, but do not actually contain CBD. It’s important to set the record straight.

Hemp CBD vs. Hemp Seed Oil

Hemp CBD is not the same as hemp seed oil. Hemp CBD is extracted from a fully grown cannabis plant using either solvents or a solventless method, while hemp seed oil is pressed from seeds. Furthermore, hemp seed oil contains absolutely no CBD.

Recently we have begun to see our products next to many different hemp products. Some products are ‘cannabis-inspired’ (contain no hemp seed or CBD oil) , some are hemp seed oil, and some contain CBD. As we usher in a new era and industry, it is important to educate and have transparency. For years, we worked behind the scenes at cannabis companies and at Kush Queen we make cannabis products that are in the most regulated cannabis system in the world. Currently, our cannabis products must test within a 10% margin of error for potency, while the FDA allows a lax 20%. In addition to strict potency guidelines, all of our products are tested at the highest sensitivity for residual solvents, over 60 pesticides, heavy metals, microbials, mycotoxins and foreign materials. Every batch is fully present at the time of testing and samples are randomly selected. Until CBD is regulated, we follow this same standard at our Hemp CBD facility. This is how we make products at Kush Queen and it’s important for our customers to know. We do this because we believe in safe products and the effectiveness of the plant.

We believe that putting hemp seed oil products next to Hemp CBD causes confusion, or worse, that a company may be trying to mislead customers. Ultimately, a lab test will show how much CBD is present in a product. Accurate dosing is important with CBD because it is an active ingredient. That is why every Kush Queen product has the exact dosing on the front of every package. CBD is not a buzz word, for many, it is the only medicine that can help. We take our products seriously, and we hope that you take CBD seriously. Ask questions, demand transparency and clarity. As a consumer, you have a right to know that the products you are putting in or on your body are safe and effective.

Below are lab tests which show the differences between Hemp seed oil and CBD products. You can see the products containing hemp seed oil show no CBD detected. The third lab reported shows our Immunity bath bomb and detects 104mg of CBD.

 


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While the industry booms, consumers will have more options than ever. It’s our hope that we will be able to arm them with the knowledge they need to choose the CBD beauty and wellness products right for them.

By: Ben Mervis

The history of my real skin-care journey began when I was somewhere around 10 or 11, when my mother – whom I love so much – brought me to Tanya for my first facial. Upon entering from the street, we would immediately begin to climb a steep staircase, with a blinding light coming from Tanya’s “spa” on the second floor. Being a Jew “light at the end of the tunnel” means I get to be anxious about going to a place where it’s always so bright.

Tanya often worked the receptionist desk herself, greeting guests with a smile that hints she knows something you don’t. Tanya’s thick glasses meant that she’d be precise, and since I didn’t even know what a pore was yet, I had no reason to fear what precise squeezing would feel like. All I knew was that my mother – whom, again, I love so much – said this was going to be “a good experience.”

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None of this helped the facade of a closeted gay boy. Really, it just added ammunition to my rebuttals for unwarranted “you’re so gay” comments from my less-evolved peers.

“There’s nothing gay about caring for your skin” I would respond, not realizing that the accompanying self-satisfied smile was about as gay as it gets. As if that wasn’t enough, I often followed up with a weightless threat; “I have so many girl friends (note the space) because I know what girls like.”

Admittedly, mom says the facials “weren’t necessary or necessarily appropriate” but again she thought it would be “a good experience.”

Experience it I did – Tanya’s steaming and poking and squeezing for about a full year. Like a dog being brought to the vet, I began to dread getting in the car for my appointments with Tanya, and it took every ounce of courage to climb up those stairs towards the bright light. I eventually told mom that my skin was reacting worse to Tanya’s forceful touch than it was to hormones and grease.

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Throughout my childhood and to this day I enjoy a variety of sweets and am lucky that neither my skin nor my blood sugar has reacted poorly. With the exception of an occasional zit or blemish, I’ve been #blessed with pretty clear skin.

My real skin struggles have been a homage to my Eastern European ancestors – I’m what you call “sensitive.” The elements tend to leave my cheeks puffy and red, clogged by things like dander and whatever else is floating around out there. My time with Tanya taught me the basic concepts of cleaning my skin and spotting blemishes before they become a real issue.

Witch hazel became my best friend, and many years later I would begin buying that iconic yellow bottle of Clinique “dramatically different moisturizing lotion.”

In 2014 I moved to San Diego from Vermont and spent more time sunburned than not. I left the DRAMA behind and got into Kiehl’s – as was the trend. My face became a Kiehl’s face, and below the neck, I was a walking/talking aloe leaf.

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In 2015 I moved to Los Angeles and began visiting a local beauty store – I enjoyed working with their sales reps more than I did at Kiehl’s, and still got free samples! It was around this time that I was introduced to hyaluronic acid moisturizers, and the effects were noticeable early on. I bought inexpensive face cleanser from the drug store, and settled into a routine I was finally comfortable with.

So now let’s flash forward to Spring 2018 – I’d known Kush Queen’s CEO Olivia Alexander for about a year and had been working with her for a couple of months. As we were wrapping up a meeting, Olivia hands me an unlabeled container and says I want you to try something we’ve been working on.

When someone hands you a mysterious liquid and says “I want you to use this as your moisturizer for the next week” – it’s normal to question them. But not when Olivia asks. It was then that this rosy-cheeked Bubbe’s boy began his love affair with what is now known as the Defynt Anti-Serum.

I regularly shower at the gym after my morning workouts; the water pressure is strong and the towels smell like eucalyptus. After a hot shower, my skin is perfectly primed for Defynt to simultaneously clean and shrink my pores in a way that Tanya only ever dreamed about.

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After seeing your Defynt skin for the first time, you’ll have a new standard for yourself. Tighter, evenly-toned, DEWY even. As I said, I’ve never really had bad skin, but after using Defynt for less than a week, I received my first-ever skin compliment. Even my own mother noticed my skin improving, so I sent her a bottle of Defynt and told her I thought it would be “a good experience.”

 

We would love to hear how Defynt is helping you #skincarejourney! Don’t forget to follow and tag us @kushqueenshop & @kushqueenco in your intagram posts and stories.

 

Feeling FOMO? Shop Defynt below!

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Jessimae Peluso is an amazing comedian who you might recongnize from MTV, E!, Fox, VH1, Comedy Central, TruTV and NBC. She’s been featured in the Moontower Comedy Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Boston Comedy Festival, North Carolina Comedy & Arts Festival, and Just For Laughs and featured on Kevin Hart’s LOL Live network. She’s also contributed to Cosmopolitan Magazine, High Times Magazine, DOPE Magazine, Self Magazine, GQ.Com, Playboy.com, MadeMen.com, and was highlighted in Huffington Post as ‘one of the funniest comics to follow on Twitter’.

Jessimae, most known from MTV’s “Girl Code”, can be heard weekly hosting the Sharp Tongue and Highlarious podcasts. Both available on iTunes, Stitcher, Sound Cloud and Google Play. You can watch her LIVE every Wednesday on her Instagram and Facebook show “Weedsday”.

On this hilarious episode of Shenk, Comedian Sara Weinshenk sits down with Comedian Jessimae Peluso.  When asked how she preps for her podcasts, Sara said, “I love to use Kush Queen’s Bäre tincture before I interview my guests and while editing my podcast because it helps minimize my pre-show nerves and keeps me present, it’s truly one of my favorite products.” Thanks to Bäre, Sara is definitely present in this Episode. It’s funny, enjoyable, and a great hour long escape from your day to day life.

The comics discuss everything from the scent of ferrets to the peculiarities of ‘bird women’ and San Diego drunk dad culture. Peluso talks about her fashion choices from her high school years, which were mainly hip-hop inspired and included: jerseys, braids and baggy jeans. Jessimae talks about how she was the only white girl on her basketball team at an inner-city school. The girls talk fear-based sexual education experiences and the lack of actual information about sexual health for adolescents. Plus they touch on what they wish they learned in school and the need for educational system reform.

They move on to talk about art and some of the boring themes that occur in older oil paintings such as still lifes, bowls of fruit, and exposed renaissance boobs. Peluso jokes about art, when she says, “Was Picasso like, ’I’m on acid, here’s a horse?’ ” Which is a fair question.

Listen to this episode of Shenk with Jessiemae here.

Follow Jessimae @jessimaepeluso on Instagram / @jessimaepeluso on Twitter.

Listen to Shenk on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Laughable.

Subscribe,Rate & Review on iTunes.

New episodes every Wednesday.

Submit any fashion advice help to shenk.pod@gmail.com.

Follow @princessshenk on Instagram/ @princessshenk on Twitter for podcast updates, funny tweets and comedy tour dates.

 

Sponsored by KUSH QUEEN.

 

For many of us, 2018 was a doozy, but we here at Brit + Co are ready to hit refresh in 2019! Follow our Hit Refresh series through January and February for new ideas, hacks, and skills that will help you achieve (and maintain!) those New Year’s resolutions.

Make this the year (as well as every subsequent year) the one where you finally take care of you, inside and out. Here are the wellness products that will help treat your mind, body, and soul to a little extra TLC every day.

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By: Angela Viesti

There you have it, folks! 2018 is in the books and it’s the dawn of a new year. As always, the pressure to make New Year’s resolutions is real. And that’s a good thing! The beginning of a new year is a symbolic marker in time and it inspires us to aspire to do better. The key to making and keeping our New Year’s resolutions is to approach them with love, intention, and positivity.

 

Check your Mindset

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Approach your resolutions from a place of abundance—you already have everything you need to make this a good year! Focus on letting go of unhealthy behaviors and habits, like negative self-talk, and then move on to cultivating positive change.

Aim to become the best version of yourself and avoid comparing yourself to anyone else. Rather than setting out to match the success of your mentor or an influencer, set specific goals you want to achieve and plan check-ins throughout the year to measure your outcomes.

The reason most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick is that they are too drastic and we are too rigid in their enforcement. If you fall off the resolution wagon dust yourself off, figure out what went wrong, modify your approach, and get back on! Take defeats and failures as lessons and use them as measurements of your progress as you carry on.

 

Get to your why

The goal is to turn resolutions into a new way of living, not setting resolutions for resolution’s sake. If you want your resolutions to stick, you have to uncover your “Why?”

Take an honest look at what you want to prioritize. Want to lose weight? Ask yourself: Do I want to improve my health, have more energy, increase my stamina, or be the fittest version of myself? Understanding what drives your desire to set a particular goal will help you to remain aligned with it as the months go on.

Maybe you want to step up your self-care game and transition your cannabis consumption into your wellness routine. Or perhaps you want to cut out dairy and processed foods and make healthier food choices overall. You may be committing to being more environmentally friendly in 2019. Whatever your goal is, identify the root intention behind it and work with that as you craft your plan.

 

Plan for Success

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Make realistic resolutions. Don’t expect to go from holiday-season-feasting to raw-organic-juicing in one week. Make small, gradual changes over time to see results that will continue throughout the year. Equip yourself with knowledge and a plan to set yourself up for long-term success. Who knows? This could spark an interest in a new lifestyle or passion.

Say you want to cut out alcohol and processed foods, find an assortment of recipes for healthy snacks and replace booze with lemon water and kombucha. Stick to fresh foods as much as possible, and when buying packaged foods, always read the label and buy items with minimal ingredients, preferably only ones that exist in nature.

Are you giving up alcohol, gluten, meat, dairy, nicotine, tobacco, or something else? Fantastic! Let your friends and loved ones know your plan so they can help keep you accountable; find community with others on similar paths in person and online to gain insight and share struggles and successes. You never know who you might inspire or help by sharing your progress.

Planning on getting serious about your career or education this year? Want to become more active in your community or begin volunteering? Great! Make time in your calendar to commit to these goals so you can map out how these responsibilities will fit into your life; planning now will save you from overcommitting and over scheduling.

 

Make it a Happy and Healthy New Year!

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I hope this first blog of 2019 helps you to make self-honoring resolutions with intention. Remember that these goal-oriented self-improvements should come from a place of self-love and are meant to help you blossom into your highest self.

We at Kush Queen wish you a happy, healthy, and abundant 2019!

 

Grab some of our Favorite Kush products below and Kick off your new years with some Relief, Relaxation and a lot of Self Love! Don’t forget to follow and tag us in your Kush Queen Instagram Posts and Stories @KushQueenShop & @KushQueenCo.

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