What's happening in Maui?

Past readers of my blog have heard me mention Mike Kelley many times.  He is the founder and owner of Beach Activities of Maui and my closest friend of more than 30 years.

Beach Activities of Maui serves all the best hotels in Hawaii and has been the islands’ premier resort contractor since 1977.  Mike’s company sets the standard worldwide for others to try and measure up to.  And, since Absolutely Natural has resorts all over the United States, the Caribbean, Europe and beyond and since I visit those resorts for training purposes, I am uniquely qualified to tell you no one does it better than Mike.

Mike has expanded his business from a single hotel concession selling just suntan lotion to concierge services, luxury catamarans, full service SCUBA, retail stores, Maui Jim Sunglasses, snorkel and ocean rentals, surf lessons and much, much more at dozens of locations.  He employs more than 200 people and is truly an American success story.

Over the past 20 years, many thousands of our customers have originated from resorts where Mike has trained skincare consultants who have introduced you to our 100% natural product.  Many of you have enjoyed his boats in Kaanapali and his outstanding luau in Wailea.

Every year, the Maui News selects the “best of” in many categories.  Last year Mike’s boats (Teralani Catamarans) were selected as the #1 Sea Activity on Maui by the Maui New Readers poll.  His fantastic luau was runner up. This year I am helping him stay at the top in the boat category and become the #1 rated luau as it should be by reaching out to you. 

Even if you haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing these activities yet, please take my word for it and vote!  It is easy and should take you fewer than 60 seconds.  Just go to the URL in this blog, click and fill it out. 

Vote for Top Sea Activity for Teralani Catamarans and Top Luau for our Grand Luau.

http://extras.mauinews.com/onlineform2012/

Thanks and next time you are in Maui, contact Teralani at 808-661-SAIL and the Grand Luau at 808-875-7710 to make reservations and enjoy the island’s best adventures.

Best regards

Charley

Happy Father's Day, Dad

For those of us lucky enough to have one of “those Father’s”, this coming weekend is a very important day. Father’s Day is June 17th and it is a great time to reflect on what your dad means or has meant to you.

My dad passed away in 2000 and I miss him dearly especially on his birthday and Father’s Day. And my birthday and Christmas that he so loved. Oh, also on Thanksgiving. And, on days that I think about his sacrifices for his kids and family. 

My dad was one of “those Father’s” that spent hours and hours supervising sports teams, traveling for great distances to watch me wrestle, putting countless time into what my siblings and I needed and making sure we were taken care of.

My dad would wear his shoes long after they were worn out so we could have better and wouldn’t think of vacations or golfing or spending any money on himself. My dad was one of “those Father’s”.

Fortunately, my dad lived to see the start and expansion of Absolutely Natural and was so proud of me.  He was one of “those Father’s” that when you asked him how his kids were doing, he gave you the anti-Reader’s Digest version!

One of my fondest memories is him using my products. Growing up, I never saw my dad use anything beyond shaving cream, deodorant and Old Spice After Shave but he became a product aficionado during the last years of his life. 

He loved the Rosehip Aloe and various oils, crèmes, butters and other products that we manufactured. When we would get together (too infrequently), after making me feel the muscles in his still stout biceps, he would point out his soft skin and say, “Not too bad for ____ (fill in the birthday!)

So even though our customer base is mainly the fairer sex, we have thousands of men enjoying the benefits of our 100% natural products on a daily basis. Our products make a great gift for Father’s Day and believe me when I guarantee you will love giving them to him as much as he will love getting them.

Best regards,

Charley

Are spray sunscreens really safe?

Past readers of my blog know how I feel about chemical sunscreens, especially the very high SPF's and the continuous spray product that has been so popular over the last few years.

For this of you reading for the first time, I'll make it simple.  I think these products are some of the worst to ever be foiled upon the American (and worldwide) public and in my opinion, are dangerous, ineffective and causing more problems than they solve.

Now, a tragic event in Massachusetts recently is proof positive of what I have been preaching.  A man was using a continuous spray sunscreen  while attempting to enjoy a cookout.  Cognizant of the warning on the sunscreen bottle that contents were flammable, he stepped away from the grill to apply his SPF spray.   When he stepped back to the grill apparently the "vapor trail" ignited the sunscreen and he was severely burned over his chest, arms and back, basically wherever he had applied the sunscreen.  Dan Dillard of the Burn Prevention Network explained it this way, “As he approached the flame, the charcoal simply caught the vapor trail and it follows the vapor trail to where the substance is, which is on the body.”

Fortunately these incidents are rare, but these products are very drying for the skin… obviously.  And, one of the secrets to getting a good, even tan is to keep the skin hydrated.

As for the very high sunscreens?  Do we really need SPF 70? SPF 100?  Absolutely not and the big problem is to get such a high validation in the lab to be able to make the claim, mass amounts of chemicals are used.  Here's a rundown of three of the most predominate sunscreens:

Octyl Metoxycinnamate - an estrogenic chemical that has been linked to hormonal imbalance and increased rates of cancer

Oxybenzone - a chemical that may cause hormonal imbalance.  In Europe products that contain more than 0.5% of this chemical have to carry warning labels

Avobenzone - a free radical generator that absorbs UV radiation energy and since it cannot destroy it, converts the light energy to chemical energy which is typically released as free radicals in the body.

The traditional chemical sunscreen manufacturers have convinced the buying public through extensive and slick marketing that we need mass amounts of these chemicals and the buying public is assuming they are safe for use.  Evidence is growing that is not the case.

But, why take the chance.  Absolutely Natural offers a safe, natural alternative with our reflective mineral sunscreens.

Best regards
Charley