Hair Health for Hotties
06.03.09
If you want the sort of hair that turns heads, you just need to follow these tips. You will be sure to have lovely locks in no time! First of all, you don't need to wash your hair everyday. Doing so will only strip away essential oils that your hair needs to stay healthy and shiny. Then once you're washing, there is no need to "wash and repeat" as it says on many shampoo bottles. Try to use the coolest water that is comfortable as hot water is harsh on fragile hair. There are SO many types of shampoos out there now-a-days. Shampoos for volume, shine, moisture or gentle formulas line the shelves for whatever is your hair need.
The next step to obtain lovely hair is to condition. Apply thickly to the ends, being that ends are the driest, oldest parts of your hair. Try to avoid applying conditioner to your roots as that will just weigh down your hair. Once a week, apply a deep conditioner & leave it on your head while you read, do some chores or chit-chat on the phone. About twenty minutes of deep conditioning will keep your hair in tip-top shape.
After rinsing the conditioner, do a final rinse with really cold water. This will seal the cuticle of the hair & smooth it down. To maintain the softness and health of your hair, spray it with a leave in conditioner, preferably one that has UV protection. We all know what the sun's rays do to our skin, well it's not so great for hair, either.
Don't use your regular brush on your wet hair, it will only cause breakage. Use a wide tooth comb or your fingers. And finally, get your hair trimmed about every four to eight weeks to keep it fresh and from looking brittle. Soon you'll have the hair of a goddess!
Earth Friendly Beauty
04.23.09
To continue with the Eco Friendly Earth Day theme, we've found a few beauty products that are good for you, the Earth and affordable! You don't have to spend a lot to find quality organic makeup!
Our first find is Softlips Pure Organic Lip Conditioner. You won't get any color from this, but it's a nice alternative to a basic lip balm with it's light scent. The balm contains Vitamin E, organic shea butter and organic coconut, olive, and jojoba seed oils which give you the kewlest, softest lips. Softlips Pure is 95% USDA-certified organic and is produced without pesticides and contains no parabens or gluten. This cruelty-free balm is also available in honeydew and pomegranate and comes in recyclable packaging. It'd be nice if more products would take a cue and start using recyclable packaging, too! Softlips can be found basically in any drug store.
Almay has a new line of makeup, which can be found in drugstores, called Pure Blends. Products range from foundation, eyeshadow, blush and lip gloss. All of the products are hypoallergenic and are rich in antioxidants.The lip glosses, which are moisturized with sweet almond oil, sound yummy. Pure Blends products contain over 95% natural ingredients with no parabens, talc, or artificial fragrance. They come in packaging made with 35% to 45% post-consumer recycled material, which is awesome. If you want to make sure that your makeup every step of the way is good for you and the environment, Almay Pure Blends is the way to go.
These Green glosses from Target are the bee's knees!! They contain pure peppermint oil, which can freshen your breath and leave your lips tingly and pouty. They do NOT contain petroleum but do contain a whopping 95% natural ingredients. Your lips are certain to be soft & shiny with the help of Vitamin A, shea butter, pistachio oil, avocado oil and aloe. That's a lot of oils packed into one tiny tube! And what's even better is that the company gives at least 1% of their annual sales to environmental organizations.
NAIL-O-RAMA!
04.18.09
With trends constantly changing, it can get to be pretty costly for a fashion savvy gal. Updating your nail polish collection can be a very inexpensive way to make sure you're keeping up with the fashion times. And what fun colors do we have to play with for Spring 2009! These kewl polishes cover every color in the spectrum. Light pretty pinks and nudes, easter egg blue, bright purple, glitter, metallics and even orange. You can find the hip colors for Spring for less than $5 a bottle at drugstores, which is a mighty cheap accessory. So be bold! Be pretty! Be creative! Have fun with your finger and toe nails because, hey, if you don't like the color, all you have to do is just remove it!
Drugstore Make Up VS. Cosmetics Counter
03.17.09
Is the quality of the makeup measurable by its price tag?
Not always. It might seem like a great idea to buy Estee Lauder or Lancome at the make up counter of your favorite high-end store, but the whoopin’ it gives your wallet isn’t so pretty. Many drugstore make up brands are actually manufactured by their high-end department store counterparts so the quality is the same or roughly the same. For example, L’Oreal’s Voluminous mascara costs about $6.99, as opposed to some designer brands which can be priced around $24 and it gets rave reviews even by make up artists.
In general, mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, lipstick, lip liner and nail polish can be bought for much less than at a department store cosmetics counter and the quality is the same. This is not always true for concealers, foundations, powders and blush. If you can spend a little more on these, great. These are items you’ll want to try before you buy and they’re the products most likely to be of better quality at a cosmetics counter. In addition, selecting the right foundation shade for your skin can be challenging and buying at a department store means you get the help of a makeup specialist. (If money isn’t growing on a tree in your back yard, then get the best one you can afford. Revlon and L’Oreal make good drugstore foundations and powders, but avoid NYC’s version. It’s not the best for your bucks.) In general, stick to companies like L’Oreal and Almay in drugstores.
Note to self: the actual colors of lipsticks and blush are often different than what it looks like on the display! So don’t get discouraged. You’re going to make some mistakes. We all do! Fortunately, most drugstores these days will take your makeup back – no questions asked. So even if you can’t try it on first, if you get it home and you don’t like it they’ll give you your money back. It wasn’t like that in the old days!!
In addition, a good set of make up brushes is a great investment. The better the brush, the better the makeup looks on you. Have fun and remember: less is more!
Sunscreen
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97... wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be IT.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.”
-Mary Schmich; The Chicago Tribune
As temperatures are warming up, and some of us are already heading out to beaches and other summery spots, it’s important to be reminded of that famous graduation speech (and song!),” Wear Sunscreen”! Because Mary was right! We now know that too much sun exposure can cause skin cancer and definitely makes your skin more leathery and wrinkled as you get older. Hard to imagine, but just look around you at the leathery and wrinkled people you know, and remember: they once had the skin you do now. So protect it!
Some facts: - Eighty percent of lifetime exposure to sunlight occurs before the age 18.
- UVA rays penetrate glass/windows.
- Eighty percent of damaging rays can get through clouds.
- Sixty percent of the day's sunburning radiation occurs between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Heat and brightness are not indicators of UV intensity.
Knowing these things should help you get in the habit of wearing sunscreen just about everyday and all the time! But how do you do that without clogging all your pores and getting pimples? How do you use sunscreen in the best way possible to really protect yourself? There are ways!
- Use a daily face cream and lip balm with a sunscreen or SPF of 15 or more.
- Acne-prone teens should use a gel or alcohol based products for sun protection on the face. Usually the words “non-comodogenic” will be on the package, which means ‘won’t block your pores’, basically.
- Replace sunscreens each year.
- Cover all exposed surfaces, including tops of ears, scalps where there is less hair, noses and bony surfaces.
- Wear a hat and sunglasses that say they block 99 to 100 percent of the sun’s rays to prevent eye damage.
- Water-resistant sunscreens lose their SPF after 40 minutes in water; waterproof sunscreens after 90 minutes. Re-apply as needed.
- Apply sunscreen lip balm to lips.
- Sand, snow, concrete and water reflect up to 85 percent of UVA and UVB rays. Always be sure to protect your skin with sun screen especially in these environments.
Sunblock vs Sunscreen: What’s the diff? - Sunblocks : contain zinc oxide or titanium oxide that reflect or scatter rays and act as a barrier.
- Sunscreens: are chemical and absorb harmful rays.
- It has been determined microscopically that sun damage can be reversed by using sunscreens.
- Sunscreens are labeled with a sun protection factor (SPF). A sunscreen with SPF 15 gives you 15 times as much sun exposure before getting a sunburn.
The “base tan” myth Going to a tanning booth to get a ‘base tan’ before a big beach vacation is a bad idea all around. Not only are tanning booths bad for your skin in general, they create a certain kind of tan that doesn’t even relate to the kind of tan you’ll get in nature. The SPF you get from a tanning bed tan is about a 4, and even the least powerful sunscreens are better than that! So by going to a tanning booth, you’ve not only damaged your skin unnecessarily, you also haven’t even saved yourself from a possible burn at the beach! Pretty silly for the money, don’t you think?
Artificial tanners don’t help you either, unless it specifically gives an SPF on the package!
So basically, nothing beats Sunscreen! Just for fun, we’ve added a few options you can look into, but as always, check with your parents or doctor for possible allergies, and test a little before using any new product all over your body.
Clinique Lip/Eye SPF30 Sun Block This product is specifically designed for use on the face, around the eyes and on the lips. Chemical free formula and broad spectrum protection (protection against UVA & UVB rays). Product need only be applied every 10 hours.
Clarins Sun Block Stick Ultra Proctection SPF 30 This portable sun stick is ideal for the forgetful sunbather. Just twist the case and swipe the balm wherever sun protection is needed, including the face. Must be reapplied after swimming and heavy sweating.
Jack Black Sun Guard, Oil-Free Ultra-Light Sunscreen SPF 20 This very lightweight sunscreen has nothing to do with the famous actor, and is great for guys and girls. It feels like nothing on the face, is not greasy or heavy, and offers protection against both UVA and UVB rays. If you avoid sunscreen because it feels too sticky on your skin this is the product for you.
ZIRH Shield, Water Resistant Sun Spray Sunscreen SPF 14 Spray on product offers medium range protection (SPF 14) in a light weight, non-greasy, water resistant formula. Great for active sunbathers, as it resists the effects of sweat and water. Lightly scented. Suitable for guys and girls.
Clinique Special Defense Sun Block SPF 25 A great choice for those with sensitive or acne prone skin. Can be used on the face and body. This unscented cream offers high SPF protection against UVA and UVB rays. It goes on a bit greasy but quickly sets. Highly recommended for fair skinned people.
