Winter Waxing

The winter weather is upon us and now that you’re putting away your tiny-weeny bikini’s and pulling out your winter jackets and scarves, I want to prevent you all from experiencing the winter waxing woes!! What I'm trying to say is, although you aren’t wearing shorts, tank tops and bikinis during the winter, you’ll still need to keep up with your waxing routines. Here are some reasons to get you into the salon on a regular basis, even if the weather outside looks frightful:

• So what if you want to stay warm this winter? That doesn’t mean you want a beard warming your chin this winter or any facial hair for that matter! You can’t use the cold weather as an excuse for slacking on your eyebrow, upper lip and chin waxes!
• The dry, windy weather and relentless central heating sucks moisture right out of your skin during the winter, leaving it tight and itchy and all around uncomfortable. Under these conditions, how could you possible look or feel your best? A great way to prevent yourself from feeling these types of winter woes and help yourself feel good is to keep up your waxing routine and stay smooth throughout the winter season! 
• If you’ve been thinking about starting to wax your bikini area, believe it or not, the winter months are the ideal time of year to begin! Getting started in early winter with your bikini waxes will mean that by summer time, you will have waxed all of your hair growth cycles at least once!  Also, it is much easier to grow your hair out to that pesky ¼ inch during the winter months!
• Covering up too much this winter can lead to fabrics against your skin that can cause irritation and flaking, or not allowing the skin to breathe.  A great way to combat this is to keep your legs lovely so you can show off your favorite pair of winter boots with a pair of beautifully smooth and freshly-waxed legs this winter!
• Don’t forget to exfoliate!! Keep a gentle body scrub and a less abrasive facial exfoliant in the shower. Using them both at least once or twice a week in addition to keeping up your regular facial and body waxing routine will get rid of built-up dead skin cells and expose a fresh layer of skin ready to suck up all the moisturizer you’re going to apply when you step our of the tub.
• Finally, and most importantly, keeping up with a regular waxing routine increases the comfort level for your future waxes and decreases the amount of hair follicles that will grow back. That means winter waxing results in less hair and better waxing session for you this summer!

~Sandy

Holiday Skin Stress?

This time of year, your skin can get really worked out.  Between indulging in rich foods, party treats and cocktails, your skin reacts in many (sometimes unwelcome) ways.

By paying attention to the products you're using, and keeping your sking extra moisturized, you can have a healthy holiday glow instead of a holiday drab.  I found a great article on WebMD that talks about things you can do to help - check it out, then give me a call and we'll get a super moisturizing treatments going to help too!
~Sandy

How Microdermabrasion Works

I get lots of questions about what microdermabrasion is and how it works. It's truly an amazing process, that while once only available to "Hollywood types" has crossed into the main stream.

This is a great article on microdermabrasion by Discovery Health. In it they explain the process in very easy-to-understand terms, as well as talking about the benefits:

"The idea is that if you remove or break up the stratum corneum, the body interprets that as a mild injury and rushes to replace the lost skin cells with new and healthy ones. In the first hour after treatment, this causes mild edema (swelling) and erythema (redness). Depending on the individual, these side effects can last anywhere from an hour to two days.This process has a few beneficial effects. With the stratum corneum gone, the skin's surface is improved. The healing process brings with it newer skin cells that look and feel smoother. Some of the skin's visible imperfections, like sun damage, blemishes and fine lines, are removed.

Also, without the stratum corneum acting as a barrier, medicinal creams and lotions are more effective because more of their active ingredients and moisture can find their way down to the lower layers of skin. As microdermabrasion temporarily removes some moisture from the skin, it is always followed by the application of moisturizing creams.Early studies suggest that repeated microdermabrasion treatment at regular intervals may influence the way the lower layers of skin grow, as well, removing deeper blemishes over time. Some evidence seems to indicate that the rapid loss of skin moisture may be what triggers the lower skin layers to work overtime in speeding healthy cells up to the surface."

What a great article to familarize yourself with the process! Take a look, then give me a call and schedule your session now!

5 Beauty Foods for Natural Radiance

Who knew raisins would be good for your teeth? I loved this article I found on Yahoo! Shine. It talks about several foods that are good for your skin, teeth, eyes and more. Nutrition is so often overlooked for beauty... we all know we need to watch what we eat for our insides, but knowing how much it can help us on the outside too makes it doubly important.

One thing the article doesn't mention is water. Drinking an adequate amount of water is one of the simplest, yet most underutilized anti-aging skin care techniques. Water is truly the building block of life and a constant infusion of water purifies and feeds cell tissue for optimal skin at any age.

Check out the article, then come in for a facial to get that dry winter skin ready for the holidays!

Ten Benefits of Chemical Peels

Keeping our skin healthy and glowing isn't easy, and the winter months can make it even harder. We all want to reclaim that wonderful radiant complexion we had in our youth, and one of the best ways to do that is to get a chemical peel.

If the words "chemical peel" scare you a bit, never fear! Peels are easy, and aren't nearly as terrifying as surgical options. They give you dramatic results, and have long been known as the secret to beautiful skin to many enthusiasts.

The article Ten Benefits of Chemical Peels lists ten of the many benefits of chemical peels, including repairing sun damage, acne management, smoother skin and age spot removal, among others.

I am a firm believer in utilizing chemical peels for a variety of skin conditions. I have trained extensively and use only the very best and safest products on the market. Give me a call and we can discuss which options are the best for your personal skin concern.