The Male Hand Treatment March 1/2013

 Here are 4 easy steps to reviving rough guy hands! Wether he works in the garage, loves to build things or plain old likes to get dirty, here is how to bring those hands back to life!

BEFORE

AFTER

 Step 1: Wash and Exfoliate hands well. The absolute KEY to any hand treatment is exfoliation. Exfoliation also known as desquamation is the sloughing off of dead skin cells allowing new skin cells to come through. Any hydrating products used in a treatment will be able to absorb into the skin and really do its job providing exfoliation has first taken place.

Step 2: Next I prep the nails by shaping, buffing, and cuticle work. A big tip here; If there are cuts, dry patches, or rough spots along the knuckles and backs of the hands I lay a thin layer of Coconut Oil on these spots and allow it to soak in while I work on the nails and cuticles. Giving time for creams/oils to absorb is another key part of any hand treatment.

Step 3: The best hand and forearm massage you can give along with a rich cream (i.e. Hempz Original, Evelyn Charles Cream, or Hempz by Body Shop) Or using an absorbent oil (i.e. Sesame Oil by Neutrogena or Organic Coconut Oil) I used Coconut Oil.

Step 4: Take a clean hand towel and pat down the skin to remove any excess cream/oil. Dip a hand into warm paraffin wax. 3 dips per hand allowing a few seconds to drip in between. Cover in plastic (freezer bags work great, without the lock top) and place hot sleeve mitts over top. Repeat the same steps on other hand and allow to sit for 10-15 mins. Paraffin Wax helps push moisture into the skin and also acts as a mild exfoliator. The heat is a bonus because of the relaxing effect. Remove paraffin by slowly peeling backward. This step reveals soft hydrated hands that shine!

 No more cracked, split knuckles, parched and uneven cuticles! Just a side note; Paraffin Machines are fantastic for anyone who suffer from arthritis or sore joints. positivelybeautiful.ca

BEFORE

AFTER

Max Hydration for a Winnipeg Winter. Oct 24/ 2012

As I have talked about in past blogs of mine, hydrating our skin is very important. From head to toe our bodies need moisture all year round and especially in the dry winter months. Living in a place like Winnipeg, when fall/winter seasons come around our skin certainly feels different. Some of us deal with mild dryness, itchy and flaky skin, and sometimes even red ruddy patches that can be itchy or even painful. I have discovered a product that will soothe your skin and mind this winter.......

Its called GNC Vitamin E Ointment. This product has done nothing but blow me out of the water. For feet, slather on a thin layer concentrating on the heels and rough spots. Apply before bed and after 2 nights of using Vitamin E Ointment, you WILL see a difference. Same goes for hands, elbows, knees, and even the backs of the arms where those red ruddy bumps appear. If you have dry flaky skin on the face, wether it be on the forehead, around the nose, or on the cheeks this product will do the trick (If you get regular breakouts on your face or are quite oily, this product is too much for your skin.) I recommend using this product on your face once or twice a week (before bed) for dry/sensitive, dry/dehydrated skin types. Vitamin E Ointment has become a staple in my purse, night table, and even in the esthetics room! Find Vitamin E Ointment at GNC (General Nutrition Corporation) near you. If you want Max Hydration this Winter, get this product.

http://www.positivelybeautiful.ca/

Quote Oct 17/ 2012

"IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT IS TRENDY, IT'S ABOUT WHAT EXPRESSES YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL."  
                                          Megan Gyles

Bad Habits Your Body Will Hate You For! Oct 3/ 2012

* 1. Smoking! One of the biggest forms of skin damage I see other than from the sun is from smoking. It causes vasoconstriction, reducing blood supply to the skin causing changes in the elasticity and loss of collagen. Smoking burns the skin from cigarette heat, sucks the Vitamin A out reducing moisture of the skin intensively, cause of viral infections cancer (I won't go on here, since we have all seen and heard about it) Lastly, you smell bad.

* 2. Picking/Poking the skin with instruments of any kind! Picking pimples, blackheads, scabs, scars, ingrown hairs.....Anything of the matter will cause further damage to the skin that is permanent. For women over  the age of 45 that own a magnifying mirror, I would not recommend them. I understand that as vision changes its harder to see what you are tweezing in the mirror. But these mirrors magnify things to where you actually see TOO MUCH. This is when picking or poking things that are unnecessary come into play. Don't forget that not a soul is looking at us that closely, and not even Cindy Crawford, Christie Brinkley, or Salma Hayek look fantastic THAT close up! Don't forget that ladies. Commonly the scars, marks, imperfections that we end up trying to cover or conceal is something we created ourselves years ago. This is for all women who pick or poke their skin! Don't.

* 3. Tanning To Excess! I am a believer that too much of ANYTHING is bad for you. If we eat too many carrots (healthy or not) we will turn orange! If we colour our hair too often, we will see damage. Same rule goes for tanning! Don't over do it or you will see its wrath, if not now then later. Take it easy on the tanning beds and sun exposure. This along with smoking is where I see the MOST permanent damage to the skin and it isn't pretty.

* 4. Chemical/Facial Peels! If you feel the need to make an appointment with a facility that provides machine operated facial procedures, stop and ask yourself why first. Sometimes as women, we forget just how beauty brainwashed we can become. Don't get me wrong, we all want to look and feel beautiful but don't let the world around you define what that is. Its your body, face, breasts, no one else's. Many times women have these procedures done when there was nothing wrong with their skin in the first place. If it isn't broke....don't fix it! There are MANY things that we can do at home or with an esthetician to conceal or improve skin imperfections naturally and affordably. 

* 5. Nail/ Cuticle Biting! This sounds like something we tell our children, not to bite their nails but there are MANY adults who do it as well. Not only can this disrupt nail growth but its incredibly incredibly unsanitary! Lots of women and men take pride in healthy beautiful nails and this habit certainly effects that. I can't stress enough that this isn't just for esthetic reasons but also health reasons. If you bite your nails/cuticles and notice that you commonly get colds, a cough, sniffles, or even the flu it is very likely that this bad habit is connected. Take a month challenge to avoid biting your nails and I guarantee that you will feel healthier. 

IF ANY OF THESE HABITS APPLY TO YOU, HERE ARE SOME TOOLS TO HELP YOU ALONG: 

* For smokers- Do the proper research to find the best solution for you. Whether it be the gum, patch, proper medication, or the help of a friend or family member. Do your best to quit.

*Skin Pickers- Get rid of the magnifying mirrors, your husband will thank you as well as yourself. Schedule a facial with your trusted esthetician for proper extractions. They are trained to remove blackheads and more without damaging your skin. Let them wax/thread/sugar your brows, that way you aren't blindly tweezing and causing problems. Start with weekly homemade face masks, I promise that your skin will thank you!

*Tanners- Love the sun appropriately! Use SPF 30 and upward to get that bronze glow that you love without over doing it. Be aware of high UV times of the day, and wear fashionable hats to ramp up the protection. This all sounds like no fun now, but you will thank me later.

*Facial Peel Lovers- Speak to a dermatologist or esthetician for less abrasive products or solutions. If this is an addiction which may be, make an appointment with a trusted psychologist or councellor since your physical solutions could be reflecting an inner issue.

*Nail Biters- I treat you like a smoker in the sense that you need to find another GOOD habit to curb the bad one. Purchase suckers or gum....something that will substitute the habit to bite. Some have their nails done and that helps. Others have found that the bitter clear nail polish that you purchase at the drugstore does the trick. Or maybe there is a specific time of day, or activity that brings on your biting habit. Journal when or what those things are and go from there.

GOOD LUCK! AND REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF LATER!    

http://www.positivelybeautiful.ca/

Revival Night Treatment Sept 19/2012

Here is the best revival night treatment that your body will thank you for. Enjoy!


* Cleanse skin gently in small upward circular motions. Make sure to concentrate in tight areas like around the nose and eyes. When skin is clean, pat dry with a fresh towel.

* Soak a single seaweed/Nori sheet (torn into patches) in a bowl of warm water for 1 minute.

* Dip hands into bowl and massage seaweed onto your face and neck (neck is optional but beneficial). Use as much of one seaweed sheet as you can. The mask will appear spotty.

* Leave mask for 10-15 minutes, the longer the better! By this time the mask will have dried and want to flake off.

* Rinse your skin with warm water until you are seaweed free. Pat dry gently.

* Smooth a dime sized amount  of Bio Oil over your face and neck. Massage in delicately. If you are not familiar with Bio Oil refer to last blog; Top 10 Super Products.

* Let the Bio Oil sit on your skin for a few minutes before applying your moisturizer.

* Apply a quarter sized amount of GNC Moisturizing Cream using a light tapping rhythm, this is good for blood flow. Refer to last blog again if not familiar with the GNC cream. Take a few moments to assure that cream is absorbed.

* Next! Take a water bottle to bed with you, smooth your thickest most luxurious cream over your feet and hands. Put cuticle oil on for best results. Hit the pillow (at a descent hour I might add)  and wake up  soft, happy, and hydrated.

http://www.positivelybeautiful.ca/

10 SUPER PRODUCTS from the drugstore/department stores.

Straight from the Esthetician's mouth, here are My 10 Favourite Super Products from the drugstore or department store near you. Enjoy!


*GNC MOISTURIZING CREAMS - (Vitamin C, Vitamins E, A&D, and Aloe Vera) - These are fantastic face creams, especially for the summer months. They are non-greasy, light creams that give you a hydration kick. Great for smoothing over your skin when you hop out of the pool or lake. Also incredibly soothing when applied after a waxing. I recommend these creams mostly for summer, unless you are very oily they can be great all year round. Find these creams at your local GNC supplement store.

*BIO-OIL - Where do I begin! Bio-Oil is meant for scars, stretch marks,uneven skin tone, aging skin, and dehydrated skin. This product feels like silk! Don't let the word "oil" scare you either, it goes on beautifully and when applied as directed will not leave you feeling greasy. I have about 1 million reasons why I love this product and what I use it for but I don't have all day. Great product for after sun relief, used as a serum before bed, for ugly scars (i.e. oven burns, cuts). You will feel amazing when you use Bio-Oil and if you do the 3month test on the back of the bottle, there will be nothing but smiles from here on out! Find Bio-Oil at your local Shoppers Drug mart in various sized bottles. Can also be found at Costco (and I might add a better deal).

*BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO - Batiste refreshes your hair between washes and can be found in nice scents. I love this product for camping or when you are on the go and you simply have no time to wash your hair. I love the Tropical scent, it smells like coconut. Comes in a large or travel sized can and you shake, spray 30cm from hair, give even coverage, massage through your hair, leave for a few moments, then brush out. Find Batiste Dry Shampoo at your local Shoppers Drug mart.

*SMITH'S STRAWBERRY LIP BALM - This was an accidental find and I love it. Also comes in a mocha scent and goes on like butter with a easy on the go applicator. SMITH'S Strawberry Lip Balm can be found at a local Sephora near you.

*LUSH LUSTRE DUSTING POWDER - Soft gold shimmer powder for dusting on your skin. Lustre has a jasmine scent to it and leaves you glowing. I used this on my wedding day so my skin would glimmer, it doubles as an eyeshadow, and can be toted anywhere with you! I also put it in my hair. Lustre can be found at a local LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics near you.

*HEMP HAND PROTECTOR - I realized the other day just how long I have been using this hand cream and I hope to god it will never be discontinued. Made with hemp seed oil, this product makes your hands (or feet) feel buttery silky smooth. One important fact about Hemp Hand Protector is the drier your hands are the better it works. If you can get away with a light (almost milky consistency) on your hands, then this product is too thick for you. Works best applied before bed or when you are simply bored and not doing much. Hemp Hand Protector can be found at a The Body Shop, in a local mall near you.

*JOHNSON'S HAND AND FACE WIPES - So many uses for this one! Great on the go, throw em in your purse, or bedside night table(for quick or lazy makeup removal), helps wipe away 95% of dirt and germs, your hands feel sooo clean since they have a soft scent, they're textured, and dampened. Also a fabulous camping essential! Find Johnson's Hand and Face Wipes at a local Shoppers Drug mart near you.

*HOOLA BRONZING POWDER BY BENEFIT - Sun shine in a box! If you are fair or even have a hard time keeping a tan, you need to try Hoola. Easy to apply bronzing powder, includes on the go brush. Hoola is perfect with your everyday makeup or applied by itself for a sunny appearance. I love this bronzer over other brands because it goes on easy, doesn't look muddy or orange and I even carry it in my professional makeup kit! Find Hoola Bronzing Powder at Sephora or a local Shoppers Drug mart near you.

*BURT'S BEES LEMON BUTTER CUTICLE CREAM - Or as I call it; Cuticle Butter. This product  pretty much speaks for itself. Lather it on your cuticles when you have a break at work or before bed. Works wonders and smells like lemony heaven. There is no place I don't take this product. Massage it in thick or thin, you will love it and your friends, your mom, your grandma are all going to want to use it. Find Burt's Bees products of any kind at a Shoppers Drug mart near you.

*LUSH WHIP STICK - Last but certainly not least, my all time favourite chocolate lip balm. Whip Stick contains essential oils and your lips will never feel better until you try this. This product also goes everywhere with me and IF I forget my cuticle butter this doubles as one. When I apply Whip Stick to my lips, people around me think that there are baked cookies near by....and there aren't lol. Find Whip stick at a local LUSH Handmade Cosmetics near you.

Hope you enjoyed the read and found some products to try!! I was just asked out of these 10 products, which would be top 5. Here they are; GNC Face Creams, Bio-Oil, Hemp Hand Protector, Whip Stick, and Hoola Bronzing Powder.

Zit Zapping Remedies!

Here are THE BEST zit zapping remedies, just as I promised. Enjoy!

For starters, I just want to recap on what I had posted on Facebook. This is definitly the most common question I hear in my profession; What's up with my skin?!  Why all the breakouts?! I want to remind everyone with major breakouts (or even little ones) that more than likely its connected to stress. When they pop up in the chin and jawline region, its from being extremely overworked, worried, you aren't sleeping well, eating badly, or all of these at the same time. If you are about to try any of these zit remedies please keep in mind that they work BEST when you take time to relax. SO take a deep breath, a long bath/steamy shower, read a book, listen to music, eat!, sleep and RELAX. Ok, now for the good stuff.

THE ONE WEEK DOCTOR ORDON TREATMENT

You will need *Dried Basil Leaves
                        *Aspirin or baby Aspirin
                        *Chamomile Tea bags
Start by adding 3 tablespoons of dried basil leaves to 1 cup of boiling water. Mix in and let boil for a few short moments. Let cool then strain leaves. Place the liquid in a clean jar or clean spray bottle (spray bottle if you want to spritz it on and jar if you want to swipe your skin over with a cotton pad)
Before cleansing, apply the basil toner to your skin. Let sit for a few minutes then cleanse your skin like  normal. After cleansing apply a thin layer of moisturizer. Take your Aspirin (only need 1 or half of one at a time) place in a mortar and pestle to crush down to a powder. Place a few drops of water and mix until it becomes a paste. Spot treat...I repeat...spot treat any flare ups. Leave it on and go to bed. This treatment should be done before bed. It sets in better and you aren't walking around with paste on your face all day. For any random flare ups that come at a bad time (i.e. before family photos) Take warm chamomile teabags and use them as a compress on the spots for 15 minutes. This calms down any redness and takes away the urge to pick (hands off). Basil is an anti-inflammatory, Aspirin contains salicylic acid which kills bacteria within the pimple and shrinks them down. And chamomile is an anti-inflammatory as well.  Always be sure to moisturize (with an oil free moisturizer) even while doing this treatment. Your skin needs hydration and many think that not moisturizing while they have breakouts will help them disappear. This is not the case.

DO THIS TREATMENT EVERYDAY FOR A WEEK (7 DAYS) AND YOU WILL SEE A DIFFERENCE

For anyone that finds this treatment above too much work for them; cleanse your skin, and spot treat with Tea Tree Oil which you can pick up in the drugstore. Make sure you are not allergic to Tea Tree Oil first. You will notice that it has a potent scent because it is pure. Take a clean Q-tip and saturate the tip with Tea Tree. Spot treat in dabbing swirls. Moisturize and go to bed. You will see results by morning. Not as quickly as the Aspirin but still quick. I have sooo many more of these treatments but a blog should only be so long. So Enjoy these for now, relax, and I will see ya soon with more skin treats. http://www.positivelybeautiful.ca/