Skin deep Beauty

I think many things can add or take away from the beauty we see everyday not only in the mirror but in our lives. While there are a lot of things I could touch on and will in the future, today I am talking about massage. Since I am not an expert in that field I went to someone who is! Nichole Howe of West Orange Massage was kind enough to write the following article for my blog. She defiantly takes a serious medical approach to massage therapy and its benefits to us and not all of them are because it feels good. If you have any questions about today's article you can send them to me or visit her website at http://www.westorangemassagetherapy.com

Beauty Benefits of Massage There are many ways that massage therapy can enhance your beauty. The first and most obvious is its effects on the skin. Massage increases circulation, sending fresh blood to the skin and moving out toxins. Enhancements that can be beneficial include hot towels, salt scrubs to exfoliate dead skin cells, and hydrating body wraps. Our bodies are in a constant tug-o-war to find center. When we have a tight shoulder on one side, the other shoulder is working double time to counter balance. When we have forward head posture, our necks are straining to keep us upright. We know that people who are most recognized for their beauty have near perfectly symmetrical features. There are different types of massage, such as Craniosacral Therapy and Myofascial Release that can have a drastic effect on the structural analysis of the body and face. Studies show that Massage can greatly reduce the amount of stress people feel. Stress is a huge factor in your health, and we all know that healthy is beautiful. Taking time to get massage is part of a healthy lifestyle. Massage therapists are trained to alert clients to suspicious moles and other skin conditions that people may not be able to see for themselves. Timely treatment of these conditions can save a life as well as the appearance of the skin. The effects of massage are far reaching, from a cellular level to an outward appearance. A person who has just received a massage will be comfortable and at ease, making them more attractive to the world around them.

By: Nicole Howe, LMT West Orange Massage Therapy

Have Salon Beautiful Hair Everyday!

If I had a nickel for every time I heard the phrase “I can never get my hair to look as great as you do” I would be a rich woman. While a lot has to do with the fact that I do it on a daily basis it also has a lot to do with the tools I use to do it. So here is some advice so that your hair can look salon beautiful everyday. As always please submit your hair, makeup or skin questions to Heather@StudioImageLLC.com and I will answer them next month.

Hair

I tell my clients in the salon all the time,” do not wash your hair everyday!” It fades your color and it denies your hair the natural oil that your body produces to keep it healthy. If you must do something with it daily, rinse it at the end of your shower and put in a small amount of conditioner. Other than that I only recommend washing your hair 1-2 times a week.

On to styling

Products are the key to anyone’s hair looking amazing. I suggest you have a few key products that you always put in your hair and then a few that you use for different styles.

After washing and conditioning your hair a leave in conditioner is a total must.

Second a UV protection for your hair if you are out in the sun a lot and notice that your color fades fast this will help tremendously with that problem. There is at least one in every line of professional hair products but I use Pureology.

The third product is going to help with how your hair styles.

If you have curly hair I recommend the following products.

Paul Mitchell Round Trip- leaves the hair soft and curls defined.

Paul Mitchell sculpting foam mixed with Paul Mitchell Super Skinny- has a little more hold that the first product but still has the softness.

Moroccan Oil Intense Curl Cream- I love this entire line of products. Great for curls. This would be my top pick for sure.

When going for a more strait and smooth look

Paul Mitchell Strait Works mixed with super skinny- Gives it that smooth strait feeling without being so light that you have a bunch of fly aways. This will help keep that smoothed out hair last for days even in Florida’s moist weather.

Moroccan Oil- this can be used on the hair wet or dry and works wonderfully. (see full review of this product in my next set of reviews coming out soon!)

When using your smoothing iron take smaller sections that you have in the past. Go over the area a little slower as well. While it might seem like this will take more time, but it really saves you time because you don’t have to go over each area 4 times. You get it the first time and it looks amazing.

Beauty Tips and Secrets

Tested by Heather Brinkman of Studio Image,LLC



Ok so when I heard baking soda as a facial wash I was skeptical because how could something so cheap work well to wash your face? So I did a little research on the subject. It goes both ways with some people saying it is a great gentle exfoliate for your face and others saying no way no how should you be using this on your face. But I had to look into this on my own to make a decision on the matter.
So a little bit of background is needed Baking soda is a natural occurring mineral called sodium bicarbonate. Now this gets a little tricky so I am going to make a very long scientific story short. The ph scale has a lot I mean a lot to do with out skin and how it reacts to everything, the natural ph level of skin is 5. But things like sweat, dirt and oil change our skins ph so it is important to try and keep it at its natural ph level 5 to maintain healthy beautiful skin. Any substance with a ph level higher than 7 is considered alkali and below that is considered an acid. That is not to say that we have acid skin. Because baking soda’s ph is 8.2 it is considered an alkali. Now going back to our skins natural ph for a second (a 5 on the ph scale) the two don’t really match up. So one would think this would not be good to put on the skin because the goal in skin care is the keep the skin at its natural ph level of 5. But it turns out baking soda has a little something going for it. According to Arm and Hammer baking soda helps regulate ph levels and act as a buffer to keep them regulated longer. “When ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda comes in contact with either an acidic or an alkaline substance, it's natural effect is to neutralize that extreme pH - tilting the see- saw back toward level.”
With all of this promising information I thought it was worth a try. I used baking soda for about 2 weeks. I did notice that my skin didn’t need a lot of moisturizer and no blemishes popped up. I simply mixed it with a bit of tap water and gently washed and exfoliated in a small circular motion. After the two weeks I went back to my normal routine. I have notice my normal blemishes popping up and I plan on buying some baking soda to keep by my sink. All in all I am impressed with the idea and the effects on my skin. I would say at $.069 everyone can afford to give it a try.


For more information on the ph scale and how it works please visit the site below
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/184ph.html


For more information and faq’s about baking soda not included in this article please visit the following site for information

http://www.armhammer.com/basics/magic/#1






Make Your Own Blemish Treatment

I have tried this method and found it to work rather well. In fact I would say it is one of the best treatments short of going to a skin care professional. When first applied it did sting. I was glad to feel something because that must mean it is working! With a few hours after I did the treatment my blemish has dried up and was starting to go down.

Small amount of baking soda mixed with a few drops of Visine to make a paste. Apply to the blemish and let it dry.

The theory is that it will dry out the blemish and it will heal faster. I have found this to be true when trying it on myself.



Keep your foundation looking great all day long

When using the word foundation it means a lot more to me than a beauty product that closely resembles your own skin tone. To me it truly means a foundation for your face. Just as a house needs a proper foundation so does your skin. If you skip any of the important steps the difference will be written all over your face. So here are a few tips to keep your face looking youthful, even toned, and healthy.

You must wash your face two times a day and exfoliate 2 times a week. Why exfoliate? Have you ever seen people and the texture of their skin is not smooth. It isn’t covered in blemishes but it isn’t smooth either. More than likely it is because they don’t exfoliate. It leaves a build up of old dead (yuck!) skin on your face and hides the true natural beautiful skin underneath like an ugly mask. So exfoliate two times a week to remove this nasty build up. The exfoliant should be gentle and meant for the face. Micro-beads would be a great exfoliant to try.
Moisturizer can be seriously underrated especially by people with oily skin. If you feel like your skin is already oily enough get a moisturizer made for oily skin types. Because your skin needs the moisture and it can play a nasty game with its self. It’s oily but then you wash and it thinks it is dried out. So what does it do? It produces more oil! Make sure no matter what type of skin you have that you get an oil free moisturizer otherwise you could experience an increase in blemish production. For those of you who need extra moisture try a night cream.
Always wash and moisturize your face just before you put on your foundation. This will give it the opportunity to do its job better and will give it staying power for the day.
Using a finishing powder. It helps set the foundation. A good powder will not leave your skin looking dry or powdery so find the one that does this best for you. I like translucent powder myself. It does the job perfect but everyone’s skin is different so check out reviews and then try them for your self. This is one of those times that I think getting it at a counter would be better than at a discount store or drug store.