Quality Products vs. Value Products
We all want to see results from our skin care products. But is price the 
determining factor?
Many products have great value and can be found at your local drugstore. Some examples are the ever-present calamine lotion and witch hazel. They serve their purpose not only at summer camp! These products can help relieve itching from poison ivy and insect bites, and work as an antiseptic for active acne breakouts.
Witch hazel hydrosol is used in skin care. It is a strong anti-oxidant and astringent, which makes it very useful in fighting acne. It is often used as a natural remedy for psoriasis and eczema. It is also under $5 at your local drug store.
I’ve already mentioned a great way to use the moisturizing properties of coconut milk as well. To read about it click here.
Also previously mentioned is a great tool for buffering up your congested nose, where we all can get blackheads. Take some water, dip your finger in the water and then dip it in some baking soda. Mix the small amount of baking soda with the water and rub in circles on and around your nose. This will buffer away the top level of impurities.
When it comes to Quality products, it really does serve you better to get your moneys worth. Especially with serums. Your serums are your anti-aging life boat. You don’t want a cheap boat that is going to have holes in it. Make sure your serums are great quality and properly suited for your skin. Serums are essential if you are trying to target the deeper layers of your skin.
Also extremely important is a good sunscreen. It is worth it to spend more money on an organic, zinc oxide or titanium dioxide sunscreen than a cheaper brand that has cancer causing ingredients.
We can’t forget a good skin care expert. Having a specialist of fantastic quality that can recommend the best treatments and products for you every season is worth spending money on. More on that in Part 2 of this blog.
Best,
Julie
Delay Sagging Skin with this Beauty Tool
Is there a magic wand that can zap all the imperfections away?
The answer is NO but there are many tools offered for home use today to delay the skin’s aging process.
Here is one of my favorite tools. I have been using this cell energizer light therapy in my facials for more than 12 years. I have to say this LED Light does help to perk up loss of elasticity in the lower face. The energy that flows in this light stimulates the cells and increases the production of collagen and elastin. How does it do that? Read the article below. If you are interested in getting one of these wands, email me for more info.
Stay beautiful,
Julie
LED Photo Rejuvenation, Intense Pulsed Light or Infra-Red Light and it’s Affects on Skin Rejuvenation
In order for your skin to continue to exist, it has to constantly reproduce new cells to take the place of the ones that are being shed.
People need certain wavelengths of light similar to the way plants need sunlight to thrive. Your skin has the ability to absorb light and use it as a source of energy to stimulate cellular regeneration.
LED Photo Rejuvenation or Intense Pulsed Light (P.R./IPL) is infra-red light which stimulates the cell activity; this increases Collagen and Elastin production. (The proteins responsible for strength and elasticity of the skin).
Photo Rejuvenation translates the process of plant photosynthesis into the workings of human skin cells, stimulating the body’s own cells to build new proteins the same way plants use chlorophyll to convert sunlight into cellular building blocks.
Photo Rejuvenation flows light through your skin’s epidermis to fibroblast cells, which produce such structural proteins as collagen and elastin. When the light hits the cytochromes inside the fibroblasts’ mitochondria, it stimulates the cell’s energy transport system. The cell produces more structural proteins, which in turn gives it the appearance of improved tone and elasticity.
Photo Rejuvenation sends light rays into the cells, which in turn excite the Mitochondria into producing up to 10 times more ATP. This fuels the cell’s activities, which causes more of the needed Collagen and Elastin to be produced, as well as other needed materials for the skin.
ATP – Nature’s Energy Store
All living things, plants and animals, require a continual supply of energy in order to function. The energy is used for all the processes which keep the organism alive. Some of these processes occur continually, such as the metabolism of foods, the synthesis of large, biologically important molecules, e.g. proteins and DNA, and the transport of molecules and ions throughout the organism. Other processes occur only at certain times, such as muscle contraction and other cellular movements. Animals obtain their energy by oxidation of foods, plants do so by trapping the sunlight using chlorophyll. However, before the energy can be used, it is first transformed into a form which the organism can handle easily. This special carrier of energy is the molecule adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. (Nobel Prize winner Paul May – Bristol University).
The light rays that are emitted from infra-red light also come from the Sun. They are a natural light. The only problem with getting these light rays from the Sun alone is that you also get harmful Sun rays that can damage your skin more than do it good.
Using infra-red light you only get good helpful rays of light that help your skin produce the Collagen and Elastin it needs to continue to appear healthy, smooth and radiant. The more Collagen and Elastin you have in your skin the smoother, healthier and radiant it will look and feel.
Infra-red light also stimulates cells into producing other substances needed for repair. Dr. Harry T. Whelan says, “The light is absorbed by mitochondria where it stimulates energy metabolism in muscle and bone, as well as skin and subcutaneous tissue.”
The Medical Collage of Wisconsin says, “Our laboratory has improved the healing of wounds in laboratory animals by using NASA LED light and hyperbaric oxygen. Furthermore, DNA synthesis in fibroblasts and muscle cells has been quintupled using NASA LED light alone…”
How Was This Discovered?
P.R./IPL was discovered accidentally by NASA about 40 years ago. Astronauts who became injured while in space would not heal until they were back here on Earth. Scientists didn’t know the reason until plants were placed aboard space craft with the intent to grow food during long distance space travel. These scientists determined that the red LED lights that were used to encourage the plants to grow were in fact healing the astronauts’ wounds! Now the astronauts who became injured while in space were healing before they got back to earth, due to the P.R/IPL. They concluded that the red spectrum of light is the healing spectrum and the ultra violet light spectrum are the damaging rays.
Here is what a few experts are saying about Photo-Rejuvenation All aspects of wrinkling, skin coarseness, pore size, irregular pigmentation showed visible improvement with Photo Rejuvenation. —Dermatology Times
Photo Rejuvenation treatments…the results are the closest thing to a face lift that I’ve been able to achieve since becoming an esthetician. —Day Spa Magazine
The treatment is especially effective at improving the appearance of the face, neck and chest, by reducing signs of aging, wrinkles and age spots. —Web M.D. Health
A process called Photo Rejuvenation can smooth away wrinkles, erase age spots and relieve the symptoms of Rosacea. —ABC’s Good Morning America
With all this cell energy stimulation happening from the infra-red light rays being massaged into your skin, what do you think would happen if you super-charged your skin with the exact nutrients it needs to build or re-build itself?
Answer: Better, superior anti-aging results!
***
This article was obtained off http://www.lightstim.com. Nancy LaTouche is a new distributor of LightStim International, and wanted to pass along this fascinating information.
Is Your Skin Hormonal?
Zits. Brown spots. Sagging. Forget PMS—now you can blame your hormones for bad skin, too.
By Ning Chao
Photo Credit: Fabio Pettinari
Up until your 30th birthday, you lose about a million skin cells every 40 minutes. Sounds gross, but this desirable sloughing is actually what gives you the dewy skin that radiates youth. “For the first few decades, your epidermis renews itself every 30 days, but by the time you’re 40, it takes about 45 days,” says Dr. Kathy Fields, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at UCSF. Unfortunately, this shedding slowdown is a reflection of your body’s gradual aging process. Long before menopause, the same hormonal production shifts that sap your fertility will start showing their signs on your face. But before you start stockpiling your pantry with soy and estrogen supplements (which may raise your risk of breast cancer because of their systemic effects), try treating your hormonal skin issues safely, from the outside in.
Breakout Role
Just as you may see a little thinning in your hairline or the slight shadow of a moustache, more blackheads and blemishes are a sign of aging. “About a third of women will get adult acne, usually in their early 30s, even if they didn’t have breakouts when they were younger,” says Beverly Hills dermatologist Dr. Stuart Kaplan. “Starting in your late 20s, estrogen levels decline faster than testosterone.” Because testosterone is an androgenic hormone, it increases masculine qualities (hence the new facial hair) and boosts oil production, plugging your pores and causing blemishes. The difference between adult acne and the teenage type? Small red bumps (not painful, cystic pimples) are more common when you’re older, according to Kaplan, and acne along the jawline or around the mouth are a telltale sign that you’re dealing with a hormonal breakout. Going on the birth-control pill or spironolactone (a diuretic with antiandrogenic effects) will balance hormone levels and reduce breakouts. For a nonprescription approach, try combination acne-and-wrinkle-fighting formulas that gently keep skin clear without over-stripping.
See Spot, Run
Even if you haven’t had a baby, brown, patchy melasma (aka the mask of pregnancy) can appear if you take birth-control pills. “Estrogen turns on melanin pigment production, so being on the Pill can be a trigger,” explains Fields. “If you’re genetically prone to melasma, you’ll have brown spots, even if you stop taking the Pill.” Since pigment problems are notoriously difficult to treat, Fields recommends strict sun avoidance and a cocktail of antioxidants and sunscreen to keep dark dots at bay.
Dry Spell
Thyroid function naturally peters out over time, which means less hormone production overall. But many women are diagnosed as hypothyroid during or after pregnancy. “When your thyroid function is low, skin becomes dry and scaly,” explains Miami dermatologist Dr. Fredric Brandt. He also notes that the epidermis starts losing moisturizing hyaluronic acid when you hit your late 20s. Since estrogen enhances hyaluronic acid production, declining estrogen levels mean less moisture. Kaplan describes the result: “Your skin becomes leathery and starts to crack like an old raincoat. The purpose of skin is to act like a barrier. As your face gets drier, it also gets more sensitive.” The good news is that you can replenish hyaluronic acid topically. Sealing in serums with a cream will protect against irritation and further moisture loss.
Timelines
Estrogen is stored in fat, so severe dieters will look older, faster, warns Fields. Aside from hyaluronic acid production, estrogen also affects collagen and elastin levels. And hormonal dips thin the skin, making it less pliable and more prone to wrinkling. “After age 30, you’re losing 1 percent of your collagen a year,” says Fields. “Peptides, growth factors, and retinols will help rebuild the collagen, but elastin is difficult to replace.” Elastin is responsible for—you guessed it—elasticity, so skin becomes looser and less flexible over time. “Facial wrinkles occur when the skin becomes too big for the tissue underneath,” explains Kaplan. The first place you’ll start seeing fine lines is around the eyes (the periorbital region), where skin is the thinnest. When peptide-fortified eye and face creams are no longer enough, Kaplan recommends lasers and injectable fillers to plump out the padding.
Slacking Off
In the decade leading up to menopause, testosterone finally drops as much as estrogen. You’ll see less acne, but the deepest layers of your skin will start to thin and sag. Also, early hormone-related bone loss collapses facial structure, squaring off formerly rounded eye sockets (causing dark circles under the eyes) and increasing skin slackening. Going on and off the Pill makes things worse, warns Fields: “Skin looks more juicy when you’re on the Pill, but if you’re playing around with it, your face will get dehydrated and drop earlier.” However, topical applications of plant-derived estrogens (phytoestrogens like soy, green tea, and wild yam) are safe and can help firm up the face. “If you start applying phytoestrogens in your 40s,” says Boston dermatologist Dr. Ranella Hirsch, “I’d bet money that it would help prevent much of the sagging that occurs after menopause.”
Once hormone production grinds almost to a halt (hello, menopause!), skin changes dramatically all over your body. “Thirty percent of your collagen is lost in the first five years after menopause. As a result, not only will your face fall, but you’ll also see more cellulite—your hormones are gone and your body turns to Jell-O,” says Fields. “Forty-year-olds still look good, but even Demi Moore will turn to gush.” Stay tuned for Demi’s solution (because you know that at age 47, she won’t go down without a fight).
Read more: Is Your Skin Hormonal – How Hormones and Aging Changes Your Skin – Marie Claire
Question of the Week!
Q:
I have, for many years, been using the same basic products for my skin and have read somewhere that it’s good to change up a bit. I keep seeing new products out there I wish to try but I’m afraid how my skin will react.
Why is it important to change up? What will it do to my skin? Thanks.
Tiffany Shaw
A:
Hello Tiffany,
These are questions you should ask yourself to determine whether to switch your products or not:
1) Does your current product achieve the results you want?
2) Do they help to minimize or control anything you don’t like on your skin?
3) How much time would you spend on your skin care?
I highly suggest you switch ingredients every season due to the weather and mood changes. Look at the Skin Care Seasonal Protocol below. Of course this may differ depending on which city and country you live in.
January-March
Skin needs good hydration to keep fine lines at bay. The drier your skin is the faster those lines appear.
April-June
Skin needs rejuvenation due to the dull winter. Use ingredients that will prepare the skin for sun exposure and keep your skin looking healthy by increasing blood circulation.
July-September
Skin needs high sun protection, as well as products to control breakouts and clogged pores. Exfoliate skin more frequently and use ingredients to prevent future skin damages and delay the aging process.
October-December
Skin needs focus on correction and repair due to the summer.
I hope this helps you to determine whether to change your current products or not. Again, if you love what you are using and they achieve the results you want, stay with it. Although introducing your cells to something new may help you to achieve healthier, more radiant skin and keep you looking younger for longer.
Have radiant glowing skin!
Julie
Beauty Secret of the Week
Recipe for Aging Prevention
It is no secret that it takes an effort to have beautiful skin. One of the greatest contributors to aging skin is the sun. If you can avoid a sunburn, you will help to delay the aging process.
What to do when you get a little too much sun? Did you know that even when it’s cloudy, 65% of UV rays still come through-even through windows and car windows. Ten years later you wonder why you have sun damage on your skin even when you have been good with your SPF. Let’s analyze why.
Sun damage shows the most on your chest, neck, face and hands. If you want to minimize sun damage, use spf 30 even when it’s a cloudy day, even if you’re just walking to work. When you do get a sunburn, act very fast! Don’t delay the healing process. When you get a sunburn, it looks red and damaged on the surface however it’s 5 times worse below the surface.
There is a misconception out there about tanning. Tanning is not necessary. I am not saying everyone needs to stay pale, and getting a little color can make you look fresh, but there are safer ways of getting the same effect. There are many ways to protect yourself and they are for your own benefit. Again, I am not here to preach that you have to hide and become vampire… it’s about prevention.
- Avoid the strongest rays between 12 and 3pm
- Re-apply SPF every 30-45 minutes while sun bathing
- Wear a T-Shirt, hat, sunglasses and stay under an umbrella during strong sun hours
- Don’t forget to apply SPF on your hands and feet
- Use lip protector with SPF
- Drink tons of water
Option 2:Soak a cloth in chilled aloe vera juice and apply to your sunburn, like a cold compress.
Option 3: Buy Calendula Gel
Stay hydrated, drink a lot of water and stay away from the sun while you are healing. If you must expose yourself to the sun, SPF is your best friend. In several days, probably a week, that burned skin will peel. When you start to shed your old burnt skin, it is not a green light to go back in the sun. Now it’s time to repair the damage below by applying the right products to your skin. Long-term over exposure of sun will results in thickening and rubbery looking skin which is NOT attractive. Like the image below.
Let’s Fall in Love with Yourself!
One evening I sat in a wine bar having a glass of wine and I noticed that the 
majority of people were on dates. I looked at the women, they were all so gorgeous. They worked really hard to make sure their hair, outfit and make up looked perfect.
Isn’t it funny how we women work? Great example – when we are asked to go on a date, we go all out on how to dress to impress. Plan everything from make up, hair and what outfit to wear. All because we hope that he is the one to bring us joy. We are filled with excitement and it can be very thrilling because we know what tools to use to bring out our best features for that evening. Then if the date goes really well, we are filled with joy and laughter in our hearts and being in the present moment and nothing else matters. When it doesn’t go as you thought it would, we feel emotionally disappointed at OURSELVES. Thinking what’s wrong with me? I thought I looked great and the conversation flowed. Questions and details flows through our mind. When this happened what do we do? We go back to our normal state of mind.
No matter which city I visit, women I treat or meet I realized that women today do not make the time to be in the moment and to feel beautiful. Be the goddess they can be. As many of you already know, I’m into my goddess rituals. I learned to embrace my femininity at young age due to the way I grew up. That’s also one of the reasons I developed the Lifestyle Beauty Awareness Program. A program to help you embrace your beauty. Whether it’s through my treatment, product use, guided manifestation or other tools to be part of your lifestyle. You may be someones wife, daughter, mother, girlfriend, sister, you mustn’t forget that you are your own person as well.
So today I would like to share with you my Goddess Ritual that I do for myself everyday morning. A simple exercise that only takes 5-10mins. I want you to at least try it once and see how you feel. I have also begun to implement a guided version during my treatment.
Lets begin!
Make this part of your morning routine. Put your alarm on 15 minutes earlier if needed. I do this after my shower.
Stand or sit in front of the mirror and look at yourself and do 3 long breaths. Be in the present moment with yourself.
For many years I have followed Deepak Chopra’s 3 questions before a silent moment or meditation. You can follow this as well if you like. No answers, just questions.
– Who am I? What do I want? What is my purpose?
1) THINK – How do I think about me?
That I am grateful because…
That I am incredible because…
That I am worthy because…
..and so on..
Believe in the words you are thinking in positive way
2) FEEL – How do I feel about myself?
I am feeling beautiful inside and out because…
I am feeling loved because…
I feel I have accomplished…
…and so on…
Feel the joy in your heart and smile to yourself
3) LOOK – How do I look?
Look at yourself from head to toe. How do you look overall right now? What would you do to enhance the way you look?
Close your eyes
Imagine that you are looking fabulous from head to toe. That you have already been to a hair dresser, got your facial, had manicure and pedicure, been to the gym, lost few pounds and more.
See yourself in a state of joy and smile, feeling rewarded, empowered, proud and grateful for what you have accomplished.
You can send me feedback and let me know how hard or easy it was for you.
To think beautiful, feel beautiful and look beautiful doesn’t have to be hard, but it all begins with you. Bring your attention to the present moment to manifest what you really want. I promise once you start doing this everyday, your energy and new doors open for you.
If you want daily encouragement and to learn how to bring out the Goddess in you and build self-confidence for any purpose, sign up for my Lifestyle Beauty Awareness Program and Workshop.
Stay beautiful!
Julie
Question of the Week
Q:
Julie,
I know this might be out of your territory but I know you always said skin is skin. Ok, for the past 3 years I started to develop small tiny bumps on my upper arms. I scrubbed, scratched, exfoliated but they seemed to never leave me. I noticed that during the winter I get red tiny bumps, during the summer they turn brown or even black. I don’t know what to do. My dream is to wear sleeveless blouses. Do you have a treatment for this or products you recommend?
Thanks, Cass
A:
Hi Cass,
Keratosis pilaris is a very common skin condition. I know it’s frustrating to have those tiny bumps. I have treated several clients with a special resurfacing p
eel method and it seemed to respond well. I suggest weekly treatments for 4 weeks to achieve the results. For at home I give tell my client to use my Oil Balancer Gel which has natural salicylic acid to help minimize the bumps.
Julie Recommends…
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