Category Archives: nailcare

Secret Ways to Save at the Salon

Posted on by
Reply

By Zoe Williams

Ever wished you had enough money for a professional stylist to dip your hair in buttermilk and honey (or whatever it is they do to get the celebs looking so flawless)? Most of us are guilty of using and abusing our hair: curlers, straighteners, hair dryers…that much heat is too hot to handle! The signs of damage eventually start showing and we have to run down to the local hairdressers to save our poor tresses.

You too could go for up-market stylists, by choosing to save where you can. A pro treatment is affordable when you play your cards right and you too can get gorgeous tresses like the stars. Here’s how:

Budget

Pick up a menu of hair treatments from your stylist and work out a budget at home. If you’ve found yourself on hard times, be honest with your hairdresser about your financial situation and discuss cheaper ways to get your hair looking fabulous. Instead of full highlights, you could opt for partial highlights. Alternatively, choose great styles that need minimum maintenance.

Apprentices

Any hair studio worth its salt usually has apprentices on hand to be trained by the experts in the building. You can volunteer to go under their scissors at a massively discounted charge. You’ll get the same treatment, albeit by slightly less experienced hands, for a fraction of the price.

DIY

Usually stylists charge extra for a wash and blow dry. Turn up to your appointment with already sparkling clean hair and see if you can get your bill knocked down. Depending on your treatment, this may not apply, so ring up and inquire in advance.

A great way to reduce your salon visits is to ask advice from your stylist on home hair care. By keeping your tresses in tip-top condition, you’ll limit damage.

Buy Professional Products In-House

Salons tend to offer discounts on their products for regular customers. Generally this hair care is of higher quality than anything you’ll buy in Superdrug and refills may even come at a reduced price too. Find out your hairdresser’s policy on professional products and keep an eye out for sales around Christmas time; you may be able to buy a whole basketful of treatments at 50% off.

That said, don’t purchase products you really don’t need. When possible, opt for treatments that double duty. Again, consult your stylist about this.

Loyalty Programmes

Now that loyalty schemes are commonplace, it’s likely that your salon has some kind of system that’ll offer you freebies. Ask if there’s a programme in place, and if so, join up to it immediately to start saving money.

Hair Model

Sometimes, salons are on the look for models to show off their work. If you’re asked to pose for a style shoot, say yes, as you’re likely to receive a discount on your next haircut and a new hairdo absolutely free of charge. You’ll also have a pretty fantastic picture of you rocking a rad cut – so win, win!

About the Author:

This guest post has been contributed and composed by Zoe on behalf of http://www.salonsdirect.com.

How to Stay Wrinkle-Free

Posted on by
Reply

Let’s play a skincare version of “Would You Rather…”

Would you rather immerse your body in a bathtub of cockroaches or have wrinkles?

Many women would choose the cockroaches.  Good thing we don’t have to choose…right?

Wrinkles are the nemesis of the aging process and unfortunately NO ONE is immune to them.  NEWSFLASH!  You WILL eventually get wrinkles.  I hate being the bearer of bad news, but, if you prepare (likening it to preparing for a cat. 5 hurricane) you might come out on the other side unscathed.  And without the use of cockroaches!

There are a few key environmental activities that cause aging that we can control.  And some we can’t.  (Insert frowny face here).

Let’s start with can’t.  Gravity.  Can’t control it.  Newton said it exists and our skin, over time, proves it.  We sag…and we sag south…some more rapidly than others.  But unless we live on the moon, we need to just accept that gravity helps with aging.

Muscle use.  Let’s all cheer for facial muscles!  They are a double edged sword.  They allow us to embrace our facial expressions.  They help your kids know when you’re not happy.   It’s those two lines that form between your eyebrows that insure that yes, they are in BIG TROUBLE!  Facial muscles also let your bestie know when you’re happy to see her by the deep commas around your nose and mouth area.  And the other side of the sword?  There is almost no controlling habitual facial expression.  Sorry.

Hormones.  Ahhhhhh, the culprit for everything bad and evil in the world.  You can blame your wrinkles on them too.  Yup, the decrease of the production of estrogen can have effect on the speed of chronological aging

Deep cleansing breath.  No more losing sleep about what we can’t control when it comes to collagen loss and and thinning skin.  Gravity, muscle use and hormones.  Check.

Now let’s talk about what we CAN control!  Raise your hand if you’ve ever been in the sun without sunscreen on?  I know you are ALL guilty!  Now stop it!  Never ever ever ever do it again!  The effects of ultraviolet rays on the skin are the biggest aging culprit that we can control.  It breaks down collagen fibers, it causes cancer and 90% of the symptoms of premature aging in the skin come from UVA, UVB or Ultraviolet light.  Use sunscreen.  Get a hat.  Protect your skin.  You get one shot with your skin…make it count!

Now, who smokes?  Drinks alcohol? Live in a city with any air pollution?  Another huge contributor to wrinkles is free radicals.  Each of these free radicals cause damage to the layers of the skin, which in turn,  breakdown the fibers of the skin, and cause the “W” word…wrinkles.  Reduce or stop bad habits and your skin will thank you!

Water.  Drink it or you will look like a dried up old saddle bag eventually!  Drinking water adds to the suppleness of the skin.  It makes it look plum, which will fill out the fine lines and wrinkles from within.   Oh, and an added benny?  It will help with your dark circles under your eyes too!  P.S.  Drinking Alcohol dramatically dehydrates the skin.  Moderation peeps!

There are a few other urban legends that claim to age the skin quickly such as husbands, jobs, kids, in-laws and stress.  However, studies are inconclusive to the severity of these stressors on the skin. 

So what can you do now, this very second, to keep the wrinkles from cropping up, or at the very least slow everything down a little bit?  Repeat after me.

“I solemnly swear to use sunscreen every time I leave the house.  I will drink at least 64 ounces of water a day.  I will reduce or eliminate free radicals from my life including, smoking (includes second hand smoke) alcohol use, pollution and ultraviolet lighting and in-laws and maybe even my husband.”

All punning and arthropods aside, utilizing these few suggestions will dramatically lessen the effects of the environment on your skin.  Check out the following links to some natural skin products that will protect your skin from the aging process.  Leave a question or two and I’ll even put your name into a drawing for a PRIZE!

Sensaria Daily Moisturizing Sun Protection SPF 28:

What I love about the Daily Sun Protection SPF 28 is that it soaks into the skin without leaving your skin oily or slick.  Perfect for under makeup for everyday use, or at the beach.

Sensaria SPF Lip Balm Trio:

Three yummy flavors.  One spectacularly silky lip balm formula. 

Sensaria Skin Perfecting Treatment:

Put a barrier between your skin and the environment while building back the moisture in your skin.  Doubles as a makeup primer and your skin will feel like silk.

Exfoliate Your Way to Smooth, Sexy, Unbelievable Skin!

Posted on by
Reply

So have you ever looked in the mirror and really (no really…?) liked what you saw looking back?  Wish you had celebrity skin?  Who doesn’t!  As women, when our skin is rockin’, we feel unstoppable.  And almost nothing gives us more confidence than great looking skin…well, maybe other than a new hand bag.

But you CAN have rockin’ skin and you can achieve it by using a skincare treatment that EVERYONE is talking about.  And that my friend is…Exfoliation.

Exfoliating is the process of removing dead cells from your top layer of skin.  But did you know that there are two ways to exfoliate?  Yup!  Chemical exfoliation and manual exfoliation.  So get ready for your Exfoliating 411.  Chemical exfoliation uses acids such as BHA (Salicylic Acid), AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) or benzoyl peroxide that eat away the dry skin.  Manual exfoliation uses small granules or abrasive particles, usually suspended in a soothing cream, which scrubs off the dead skin.  Easy peasy!

Now for the hard part…which do you use?  It’s up to you!  I prefer a more natural approach, so I always recommend manual exfoliation.  Exfoliating benefits most skin types; however those with rosasea or very sensitive skin should go easy.  No worries though, most skin types can tolerate some form of mild scrubbing.

Exfoliating the skin on a regular basis (twice a week), can help improve many skin issues such as clogged pores, black head, white heads, hyper pigmentation and dry, dull skin.  And it’s not just for your face!  Scrubbing the skin on your bod will help with clogged pores or rough skin there as well.

Check out Sensaria’s Microdermabrasion Crème with volcanic pumice that’s suspended in a soothing cream with azulene from the chamomile plant for the face, and for the body, go for the Rejuvenating Salt Mud, which detoxifies the skin, as well as exfoliates it, using volcanic silt, a blend of Japanese mushrooms and wasabi.

Use both twice a week and you’re almost guaranteed to barely recognize the woman with gorgeous skin looking back at you!