I hate moisturizer!

I hate “moisturizers”. Ok, maybe hate is too strong of a word but here’s why: They often don’t truly moisturize at all. Often you are unknowingly coating your skin with a “protective” layer of chemicals and irritating ingredients that actually work to weaken the skin over time. Some moisturizers also add to the problem of acne or clogged pores for individuals that are susceptible to those conditions.


So instead of traditional “moisturizer” I prefer these two wonderful products that help the skin to maintain it’s own moisture instead of just gunking it up with…gunk!

Recovery Plus from 302 Professional Skincare:

A facial moisturizer - light, non-residual, effective lotion with a wonderful essential oil blend. This is an outstanding product for milder climates and mild skin dryness that leaves the skin perfectly toned without residual feel.

Symptomatic relief, hydration, and rapid barrier build out through prompting of carbamoyl phosphate formation, an essential step in the process.

Restores natural systemic moisture functions to the skin - it helps the skin produce its own moisture.

Compliments other topicals and may be used daily without causing skin fatigue as so often occurs with many topical moisturizers.

Reduces the appearance of irritation



Skin Savior Waterless Multi Balm by One Love Organics

Hair tamer, Illuminizer, Make up remover, Moisturizer, Pomade, Primer for mineral power, Skin soother...

Skin Savior works in mysterious ways. Pure, cold-pressed plant oils and extracts break down dirt and makeup, clearing out your pores without stripping your skin of its natural protective layer. And you can use the very same balm for head-to-toe cleansing, moisturizing, conditioning, smoothing and massaging.

A little goes a long way, so there’s plenty left for the rest of the family.

Every single ingredient in Skin Savior is plant-based: Organic Cocos nucifera (Virgin Coconut) Oil, Organic Glycine Soja (Sweet Soy) seed oil, Beeswax, Mangifera indica (Mango) seed butter, Salvia Hispanica (Chia) Seed Extract, Avena sativa (Oat) Extract, Citrus aurantium dulcis (Orange) peel wax, Vanilla planifolia fruit extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Something besides coffee this morning...

I must finally be hitting my blogging rhythm cuz I had some profound blogging thoughts in the shower this morning. However, if you know me you know that mornings are not when I'm at my best so I hope I can remember it all now!

Just wanted to share with you how much I LOVE Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap! I opened a fresh bar this morning and for a meager $4.05 from my favorite health store (Food For Thought) it was a just what I needed to get me going this morning! In fact, I was so caught up in this small bit of luxury that I was inspired to even shave my legs....sorry T.M.I. You may think 4 bucks for a bar of soap is spendy, but who hasn't spent that on one cup of fancy coffee? Besides I promise you this bar of soap will live for quite a while compared to your average sulfate laden, skin drying stuff you find at Walmart. 

NOW:

Having suddenly remembered again why I switched to the natural soap I am putting it on my list to switch to a healthier shampoo. I have a lot of hair-do hangups so this should be an interesting project....stay tuned.



Here is the description from Dr. Bronner's website:

DESCRIPTION:Our most popular fragrance. The peppermint essential oil tingles the body and clears the mind. Because therapeutically peppermint oil is a mild stimulant it increases vitality and clarity. All oils and essential oils are certified organic to the National Organic Standards Program. Wrapped in 10% hemp-flax / 90% post-consumer recycled paper from Living Tree Paper Co.

INGREDIENTS:

Organic Coconut Oil*, Organic Palm Oil*, Sodium Hydroxide**, Water, Mentha Arvensis*, Organic Olive Oil*, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Peppermint Oil*, Salt, Citric Acid, Tocopherol

* CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENTS

** None remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerin

Summer Skin Nutrition: Watermelon

Watermelon has beneficial effects on the body's fluid balance, helping prevent water retention and promoting well-hydrated skin. It supports the body in shedding excess fluid, which is often held in the face, hands, ankles and feet. Watermelon is 92 percent water and 6 percent sugar, stays well diluted, does not negatively affect blood sugar levels and helps pull watter into the cells. The bright red color of the flesh is due to the watermelon's high levels of the carotenoid antioxidants beta-carotene and lycopene, which help protect skin from the damage caused by the sun's ultravoilet rays. Its diuretic effects help clean out the kidneys, thus supporting revitalizing detoxification. Eat slices of watermelon to cool down on a hot day, or make juice by scooping out the seeds and blending the flesh.

Source: LNE & Spa June 2011

Summer Skin Nutrition: Red Bell Peppers

The color of the red bell pepper comes from the antioxidant carotenoid lycopene, just one of the nutrients that distinguishes them from green bell peppers. It also has twice the vitamin C and about nine time the carotene as thier green counterpart. Its rich vitamin A content helps stop the damage to skin from ultraviolet light, which can appear in the form of wrinkles and age spots. The folate, needed for cell growth and skin renewal, keeps skin looking young. The red bell pepper's fat-soluble carotenoid needs oil to carry it into the body, so eating it with olive oil will double its health benefit and optimize its absorption.

(source: LNE & Spa June 2011)

Summer Skin Nutrition: Raspberries

Bursting with vitamin C and proanthocyanidins, raspberries have one of the highest antioxidant profiles of any fruit. They support circulation and, in combination with vitamin C, contribute to the health and vitality of our veins, skin and hair. These wonder berries are high in fiber, which helps remove toxins from the body. Fiber is as important as antioxidant content in the pursuit of staying young because it helps the body rid itself of toxins. Buy these beauties in season from local growers to enjoy the maximum benefit from thier nutrient content and choose the darkest berries.

(source: LNE & Spa June 2011)

Yum! I like 'em on yogurt with a little granola...try it!

I have been answering so many questions about sunless tanning lately. I think with summer heat creeping in and the shorts coming out people are considering it. Sunless tanning has come along way in just the last 5 years that I've been doing it. It looks more natural than it used to and the formulas seem to be of much higher quality than they once were too. So with more and more newcomers to the sunless concept I thought I'd share my own personal sunless success strategy:

The secret to sunless tanning success is all in the preparation.

The night before or the morning of my spray tan I do the following:

• Shave
• Use a sugar scrub on the top and bottom of my feet and on my elbows if they feel rough. (100% pure body scrub is what I have.)
• Scrub my whole body (not face) with a body brush and natural soap (I like Dr. Bronners)
• Use my Clarisonic brush on my face with my 302 Cleanser.
• After my shower I moisturize entire body (not face) with 302 Body Treatment Lotion and use 302 Recovery lotion on my face.

Seconds before my spray tan:

•  I put an excessive amount of body lotion on the bottom of my feet and a little of it on my hands and wrists. (we keep this in the tanning room)
• I do not wash off my makeup since I usually only wear a couple light layers of mineral powder makeup and the spray tan soaks right through it nicely. If you are wearing liquid makeup I recommend removing it or not wearing it to your spray tan appointment.
• Once I'm done being sprayed I wipe off the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet. I usually wipe the soles of my feet several times. (using baby wipes that we keep in the tanning room)

After my spray tan:

• I wait at least 8 hours to shower although it usually ends up being at least 12 hours just because of my schedule.
• I use moisturizer on my whole body (including face) after my shower. I alternate daily between body lotion and 302 Sunless Tanning Gel. This makes my tan look better longer and it tends to fade more evenly too. Also if you're shaving alot this will help keep color on your legs since shaving exfoliates some of the color off each time.
• I use the Swedish Foot File on the soles of my feet after that first shower and it tends to correct any spray tan that accidently got left on the bottom of my feet, plus it keeps my feet from looking rough and callus-y in my flip flops.
• On day 3 or 4 I use the body brush lightly on my whole body again. Don't know why but seems too make my tan look better, longer.
• When my tan starts to visibly fade, I do the total exfoliation all over and repeat daily until I feel most of the sunless tanner is gone.

Then it's time to get another spray tan!

 

Summer Skin Nutrition: Cucumbers

One of my favorites...
Not only do they actually have a cooling effect on the body, they are a great source of silica which is a mineral needed for a healthy complexion. Cukes have a high water content too so you get the bonus of extra hydration too! It's a win/win with this vegetable all the way around. They reduce inflammation and prevent dryness AND they remove toxins that can cause further aging.
Everyone knows you can put a couple slices on the eyes to fight puffiness and fatique, but did you know you can use cucumber juice for cooling relief on cuts, burns and some skin conditions?

So when you're in the produce isle picking out those cucumbers, envision yourself as a fresh beauty with non-puffy eyes and ultra hydrated, smooth skin!

Summer Skin Nutrition: Avacados

Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.
Avocados have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat.
These healthy fats help to maintain the water level in the epidermis and supply the ceramides and fats that keep the bricks and mortar of the skin healthy and intact. This translates into less itchy, healthy-looking, glowing skin.


...so break out the guacamole' or put a healthy dose of avacodo on your next salad or try them on a sandwich...or just have one for a snack if you want they are yummy!
(Try to remember they have a lot of calories, recommended serving size is 2 tablespoons which is about on fifth of an avacado)....

The Art of Service

So I’ve been reading “Minding Your Business-Profits that Restore the Planet” by Horst M. Rechelbacher (Founder of Aveda and Intelligent Nutrients.) This book is full of very wise ideas about social responsibility in business as well as a personal manifesto about managing ones personal life as a holistic corporation. He calls this corporation “I, Inc.” which exists within a larger conglomerate-the ecosystem of all our relationships with others, with society and with nature itself. It’s pretty heavy reading at times!


There are so many good ideas and principles presented in this book, but the one that has really got me thinking is “The Art of Service.” I can relate to his experience of having a service job at a young age and how it taught him how to treat customers, relate to them and show them respect. “When we serve without expectation of reward, everyone gains. And those who serve in this fashion benefit the most, often in unexpected ways.” These words really rang true for me. I have spent my entire adult life in some sort of service industry. As an esthetician, I have found that when I provide service in earnest and really put my entire focus on my client and meeting their needs it can be rewarding and sometimes in very unexpected ways. The feedback I receive from clients can be so insightful and helpful to me. I am also blessed with some of the greatest people as clients, which I believe is part of my unexpected reward for all my service.

He makes an interesting point as well about the decline of service in today’s world. “The ideal of service has been greatly devalued, and those who serve are often viewed as lesser or even lower class. As a result, the quality of service has declined.” Please try to think about the people in your life who provide you service and really think about how it makes you feel. Whether it’s that voice on the other end of the customer service line you waited for on hold for a while to talk to or the waitress serving your lunch or the nail tech giving you a pedicure or the guy who fixes the brakes on your car.

“When service is devalued, life and relationships are devalued, and an essential quality of our humanness and our business is lost. When service is devalued , work and business are engaged grudgingly, regarded merely as ways of getting by or getting rich. And the higher purpose and spiritual opportunity of service that work and business are called to, that are their very reason for being, are lost.”

Mr. Rechelbacher makes an extremely valuable argument about serving others and the effect that this art has upon us. Service through altruistic acts bestows immediate and long-term emotional and physical health benefits upon the giver and receiver, with the giver benefiting more than the receiver and it even transforms the personality over time. In many studies altruism is specifically cited in alleviating ailments including, insomnia, migraines, ulcers, arthritis, anxiety, depression, lupus and even cancer.

I think I’ve always had the spirit of service in mind in my career. Now having seen the idea depicted so articulately in this book, I think I will be view the “art” of my service in a whole new light with much more intension and conviction. I hope you’ll do the same whomever you serve and as Bob Dylan said “You gotta serve somebody.”

It's good to know the make up of your makeup...

So many people come in talking about Bare Minerals. This seems to be the most recognizable mineral makeup on the market. Could it have anything to do with all those infomercials that are constantly playing on tv? Anyhoo, I have tried bare minerals and I must say I did NOT look anything like those women on tv. Maybe I need to carry some tv studio lighting around with me?


My intension is not to bash Bare Minerals here. It does bug me that Sephora stamped them with their “natural” seal of approval, when their foundation actually contains things like Laurel Lysine a “conditioning agent” and Calcium Silicate a “bulking” agent. While these may be a little more “natural” than what’s found in your drugstore brands, I’d hardly classify them as minerals.

Minerals are, by far, the healthiest way to wear makeup. Minerals are a physical sun barrier. By sitting on the surface of the skin and reflecting light. Because of this reflective quality they are a natural UV blocker causing most UV rays to bounce off the surface of the skin. Liquid makeup or moisturizers that contain non-mineral SPF such as Oxybenzone allow chemicals to soak into the skin. These chemical sunscreens also allow UV rays to penetrate the skin where a reaction occurs with the chemical to “protect” you from the sun. Technically you may not get a sunburn, but I promise you there is plenty of damage occurring in your skin cells during this reaction, not to mention some chemical sunscreen ingredients are endocrine disruptors which can lead to certain kinds of cancers in women. Mineral makeup is not only a great sunscreen, it is naturally anti-bacterial and will not expire or go bad on you.

There are so many mineral brands out there that are miles above Bare Minerals in quality of ingredients. I prefer brands with only mineral ingredients in them. Skin Essentials carries Alima Pure which contains only minerals, no fillers or bulking agents. It also does not contain Bismuth Oxychloride (also in Bare Minerals foundation), which while it’s a mineral, it’s the one that makes you shiny and in some cases way too shiny. Other quality choices of minerals are Jane Iredale Cosmetics and Colorescience Mineral Makeup.

Calling all Exfoliators..and Nylon Magazine

While vacationing in sunny Florida I read an article in Nylon magazine:
"Doctor' Orders" (January 2011 Issue) which was advice from skincare experts including 2 Dermatologists, an Internist and a "Facialist" (not sure why they didn't call her an Esthetician?)

Anyhoo, usually these types of articles are bogus claims that all kinds of cheap drug store products will save your horrible skin. I was pleasantly surprised that this one, while still mentioning their fair share of OTC stuff like all these magazines do, (who do you think pays for the ads in these mags after all?) it also had some great skin advice that I don't usually find in the fashions mags.

Dr. Sabena Toor, the Internist warned against Microdermabrasion:
"Go Easy: I hate microdermabrasion- I just don't like anything that abrasive on the skin; you should think of your skin as a piece of silk. Encouraging cell turnover with good products without tearing at the skin is important because too much abrasion can increase breakage of blood vessels, capillary damage, and collagen breakdown."

This is such unbelievablyy wonderful advice! In my experience as an Esthetician I have seen countless casualties of Microdermabrasions and refugees of many other types of over-exfoliating!
Go Easy!!!
(We like Ultrasound facials as a safe and healthy, yet VERY effective alternative.)
While you're at it, stay away from the home peeling agents and walnut shell scrubs and all other methods of commercial-skin-torture!

There were lots of other surprisingly good pieces of advice about nutrition in this article as well as my favorite obvious solution: Get facials! I also enjoyed tidbits about music and books as well as some very bright funky and wearable makeup looks!

I declare this one not your average fashion mag!
check it out at www.nylonmag.com

One Very Easy, Healthy Change For Your New Year.

No diets.
No workouts.
Just an easy change to your routine that could do you a world of good.

What product do you use on your entire body?
Is it soap?
Body Lotion?
Body Oil?

Well pick one of those and change it out with an organic option.
See that's easy.
What we put on our skin does to some degree absorb into the body that's why I'm saying start with just one thing that use one your entire body daily.
Once you've traded it for a healthy alternative then you've just done your whole body a favor!

See that was easy!
And you don't have to analyze all the ingredient labels on everything in your medicine cabinet or beauty regime, panic-stricken by how you were going to ever be rid of all those chemicals. That all-over body product covers the most surface area, so you can worry about the other things one at a time and explore new options as you run out of stuff.

No need to thank me, just pat yourself on the back and give yourself a cookie.
Unless you're on a diet....sorry....it is New Years!