HELP FOR THOSE SUFFERING WITH ECZEMA AND PSORIASIS

As an esthetician I have clients on almost a daily basis with skin issues that require more than an exfoliator, moisturizer or peel.  Certain skin conditions require a whole body overhaul and most doctors and lower level estheticians are not equipped to help you get to the bottom of your skin condition and on the road to better skin.  While you might not always be able to heal your skin condition 100%, my goal is to help you manage your skin condition so it does not interfere with your lifestyle.  Conditions like eczema and psoriasis are two of the most popular skin conditions facing people today.

As with all skin conditions the most important step is to make sure you are not exaggerating the condition by using harsh products.  Make sure you are using products that your esthetician recommends or approves.  Unless a dermatologist has been trained in cosmetics, they are usually unaware of how cosmetics act on the skin.  That is why they prescribe medications first instead of starting with the most obvious factors.  Your skin should NEVER be red, dry, itchy or tight after washing.  If this happens, it means the face or body wash you are using is TOO STRONG for your skin type. 

Hydration, meaning water, is essential for balanced skin.  If your skin is dehydrated and flaking, it is very difficult to reverse any skin condition that you might have.  Water is essential for repair.  Pump up your daily intake of water to at least 64 ounces a day and add a hydrating serum under your daily moisturizer.

ECZEMA

Eczema is a term that can also be described as dermatitis.  The problem with dermatitis and eczema is that there could be a million reasons why you have eczema. Eczema is recognized by red, rash-like patches, and dry, itchy skin.  Sometimes swelling, crusting and flaking could be seen.  I would like to reveal a few reasons that might cause these outbreaks and how to prevent or minimize them.

Factors that can trigger eczema:

Perfumes, cosmetics, rubber, medicated creams and ointments, plants, metals, sunlight, stress, upset of intestinal flora (from antibiotics), hereditary, asthma, dairy, sugar, white flour, fats, fried foods, processed foods, drugs and alcohol, raw eggs, sodium lauryl sulfate, soaps and bar soaps, dust mites, change in formula of clothing detergent or body wash

Ways to minimize or eliminate eczema:

Daily intake of probiotics as recommended

Use esthetician approved gentle skin care and hydrating oils and exfoliators

Vitamin B6 50mg 3x a day as well as B complex vitamins on a daily basis

Biotin 300mg daily is very important

Essential fatty acids found in flaxseed oil, primrose oil, salmon, mackerel, fish oils

Shark cartilage 1 gram per 15 lbs of body weight daily divided into 3 doses

Low to no fragrance very gentle body wash. Nothing in a bar form.

Hydrate skin while still damp right after shower

Try gluten-free diet for 2 months and see if anything changes

Colloidal oatmeal baths

PSORIASIS

Psoriasis appears as patches of silvery scales or red areas on the legs, knees, arms, elbows, scalp, ears and back.  Nails can also lose their luster and develop ridges and pits.  The condition can be hereditary and is linked to a rapid growth of the cells in the skin’s outer layer.  There can be flare-ups and then times of remission.  The cause is not known.  It is interesting that psoriasis is rare in countries that have very low fat diets.  It is also linked to a lowered immune system, therefore it is important to build up your immune system with things like green tea, Vitamin C and exercise as well as anything that reduces stress!

Factors that trigger psoriasis:

Stress, illness, injury, surgery, cuts, poison ivy, viral or bacterial infections, sunburn, overuse of drugs and alcohol, lithium, chloroquine and beta-blockers, medications for hearth disease and high blood pressure, HIV/AIDS, backed up colons, citrus fruits, fried foods, processed foods, saturated fats, sugar, white flour, soaps and bar soaps

Ways to minimize or eliminate psoriasis:

Flaxseed/primrose oil daily as directed on label

Zinc 50-100 mg daily

Shark cartilage as directed with eczema. Wait a few months to see results

Vitamin A daily as directed on label

Vitamin B Complex 50mg 3 times daily

Vitamin C 1,000 mg broken into 2 doses per day.

Probiotics as directed on label

Glutathione 500 mg 2x a day

2 teaspoons of ginger to bath water

GENTLY exfoliate the skin with a body brush

Pure lavender oil in bath water

Eat a lot of raw vegetables and fruit

Fiber to clean colon and keep colon as clean as possible

Use of gentle skin and body care

Hydrating with good moisturizer and oils

Try the above recommendations to control eczema and psoriasis and you won’t have to resort to medicated creams or pills that have side effects and never really correct the problem.  Creams and medications usually mask the problem and the conditions will persist as soon as you stop using the medication.  As with most physical problems, investigate your diet, lifestyle and try the non-invasive solutions first before moving onto more invasive potential cures.

I LOVE MASCARA AND I’M OBSESSED WITH LASHES!!

Here is how I apply almost all mascara’s to get the biggest, longest, lushest lashes around.

First I “roll” the brush through the lashes on the top part of the lashes. This is the part of the lash that is facing the eyelid. Make sure to coat all the lashes and separate them well.

Then I redip the mascara wand and roll the brush through the front of the lashes. This is the side of the lashes that everyone will see when they look at you.

Then I go back and make sure the lashes are all separated and well coated.

Depending on the mascara, I will go back and do another cycle to build up thickness and length.  Never have little clump balls at the end of your lashes.  Thats what makes you look psycho.

I never use waterproof mascara (unless there will be crying) since it is more difficult to remove and pulls on the lashes when you try to wipe it off. I also never use brown and don’t really recommend it. It’s just lame and weak….ewww. Go big or go home!

MY FAV’S

1.Maybelline Define A Lash
Right now I’m obsessed with Maybelline’s Define a Lash. It comes in a green tube so it should be easy to find in the drug store. The brush is a long and narrow, short nubbed rubber-like brush. This makes it SUPER easy to really get in and coat the lashes without clumping or multiple coats. It has won many awards and I totally agree. It doesn’t flake and washes off very easily.

2. Dior Show
Expensive, but I have to admit that every time I wear it, people comment on my lashes! It’s a great splurge but I have found that it dries out quickly. This mascara does give a great curl to the lashes without wasting time curling and breaking your lashes off! The big azz brush is not the easiest to manipulate and I’m not sure why it needs to be so big. Bigger is better. Sorry guys, but I guess size matters even with mascara!

3. Carbon Black Double Extend Mascara by Loreal
Be careful with all the different Double Extends by Loreal. This is the original one and I feel the best. One end has the white fibers to build thickness and length. The other side has the actual mascara. If you’re willing to take the time to build and layer, this mascara is more than worth the cheap price.

4. Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara by Estee Lauder
This gives very thick lashes. Be careful of clumping because of the thick consistency. I really like it for quick thick lashes.

THE YUCKY ONES

1. Double Extend Beauty Tubes by Loreal
This stuff is just plain gross. If you LOVE crunchy lashes, then this is the mascara for you. It is the same concept as the Double Extend with the fibers and mascara. The fibers get hard and crunchy right away and putting the mascara over it is not always easy. This stuff is like super glue and not easy to get off. The last thing I want to do is pull lashes out when I’m trying to make them look thicker. I was always finding remnants all over my face after showering. I don’t know anyone who has used this that likes it either.

SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON SUNBLOCK

The number one anti-aging ingredient is SUNBLOCK.  UVA and UVB rays destroy collagen, which is the protein that keeps our skin plump and young looking.  Sorry people, but there is NO SUCH THING as safe tanning.  It doesn’t exist.  There are no safe tanning beds and getting a base tan to protect the skin is a delusional magic trick that would even impress David Copperfield.  So here are the truths as well as some tips and tricks to keep you looking young for as close to forever as possible. 

1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer.  The sun actually mutates and changes your DNA.  That means keep reading and follow the below instructions.

Sunblock is NOT waterproof all day long.  If you go swimming or are sweating, you must reapply it every hour to hour and ½.  They are only water resistant for 40 minutes!!

The number of the SPF means that it will take you that much longer before you burn.  So if you normally burn in 12 minutes, an SPF of 10 will give you 120 minutes more protection before you burn.  This is assuming that you applied enough sunblock.  Applying too little will decrease the SPF. 

SPF means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in regards to the cancer and aging sunrays.  SPF only absorbs UVB rays, which are the rays that mostly give color.  So while you might not get color, it doesn’t mean that you are not wrinkling by the second!  An SPF 60 only gives minimally more protection than SPF 15. Even if it was SPF 200, you would still need to reapply it every hour or so if you are swimming or sweating outside.

T-shirts only give a UVB protection of about a 4 and yes you can get sun damage through house and car windows.  Put sunblock on your whole body to prevent aging.

Even if you never go tanning or lay on the beach you are still getting 18 hours of sun damage per week doing your normal everyday activities.  On the most cloudy day, you are getting sun damage in the form of UVA rays which of course are the most deadly.

If you use a moisturizer with a sunblock in it, STOP!  Just use a pure sunblock as your daily moisturizer.  Combining them lowers the SPF.  If you need more moisture, use a hydrating serum or booster.

TANNING BEDS ARE CANCER COFFINS AND SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. Any questions?!

If your skin is sensitive, use a sunblock with physical sunscreens like zinc oxide and titanium oxide.  These are natural and much less irritating.  As always make sure the sunblock is not mineral oil, lanolin, petroleum based.  These ingredients tend to clog pores.

MARCH MADNESS – YES IT’S SHECKY’S BEAUTY JUNKIE EVENT

For those of you who are truly beauty obsessed, get ready to indulge your inner goddess.  March madness has arrived and I’m not talking basketball girls.  I’m talking everything beauty under one roof at Shecky’s Girls Night Out.  This fabulous event features trendy clothes, new beauty products, tons of samples, and spa services.  No party is complete without a goodie bag and this one is sure to quench your thirst for beauty.   My first introduction to Shecky’s was while tweezing eyebrows for Tweezerman a few years ago at the New York City event.  We were doing complimentary tweezing and I think I tweezed half of New York City!  It was love at first sight and I couldn’t wait to take advantage of all the deep discounts.

Shecky’s Girls Night Out is legendary.  Be sure to bring some friends and get your shop on!  If all that shopping gets you tired, sip on a few cocktails while reviewing all your treasures.  What I love about Shecky’s is the adventure of finding the newest beauty products and hottest trends.  I love being the first person to have the hottest bag, moisturizer or jewelry.  It’s also a great way to network and make some new friends who totally empathize with my beauty and fashion addiction.

I know you’re dying to know how to get into the hottest event in New York City. Let me tell you one thing, get there early!  The beauty bash goes from March 11^th – 14^th.  Believe it or not, you can actually get into the event for free.  Let’s face it though, we want the goodie bag.  Entrance plus the bountiful bag is only $30.  Buy your tickets in advance to save some money for shopping.  If you’re a serious shopper, visit some friends in other cities and take advantage of all the different vendors and find the latest and greatest from every city.  This is the perfect after work event.  Go to www.Sheckys.com to purchase your tickets and sign up to stay up to date on all the newest trends.  Never be left out again!

Taking Care of Your Xtreme Lash Extensions

1.      Avoid getting your lashes wet for the first 24 hours to allow the adhesive to dry.

2.    Remove contact lenses for the application and you can put them back in right after.

3.    Try to sleep on your back so you don’t crunch your lashes in the pillow.

4.    Avoid hot steam, saunas, jacuzzis, swimming and tanning salons for the first 48 hours.  Try to keep them to a minimum in order to keep your lashes longer.

5.    You can ONLY use oil-free makeup remover.

6.    Anything oil based will remove the lashes, so be careful with eye creams, moisturizers and eye liners

7.    Do not wipe lashes harshly.

8.    If you use mascara, only put it on the tips and do not use waterproof mascara.

9.    Be as gentle as possible with your lashes

HEAL ON, MR. MIYAGI

Just what was Mr. Miyagi doing when he healed Daniel’s leg in the Karate Kid movie?  He was doing reiki.  Reiki is a Japanese healing technique that transfers energy from one person to another.  It was started by Mikao Usui, and brought to America in the 1970’s.  I know it all sounds hokey, pokey, but modern science has now proven that the transference of energy from one person to another exists.  Science has also proven, that reiki energy heals tissue and bone at certain frequencies.  Reiki is almost like a laser, healing whatever needs to be healed.  Reiki energy heals by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings are lingering. This removes the negative energy.  Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way.  Reiki is a special kind of life force that can only be channeled by someone that has been attuned.  Everyone who legitimately practices reiki, has been attuned or given the reiki energy from someone who comes from a direct line of practitioners from Mikao Usui.  Reiki symbols are used to increase power. They used to be handed down from reiki masters in secret, but since the explosion of reiki, you can find a lot of information on the internet and books.  Reiki can never hurt the person giving it or the person receiving it.  It is pure energy, thus it knows exactly where to go and what to do!  Although Reiki energy is spiritual in nature, Reiki is not a religion, it is a healing technique.

How does a reiki treatment work?  Reiki energy flows from the practitioners hands onto the client. The client is usually lying on a massage table, but treatments can also be given while the client is seated or even standing. The client remains fully clothed. The practitioner places their hands on or near the clients body in a series of hand positions.  Each position is held for a few minutes, depending on how much reiki the client needs at each position.  Feelings of deep relaxation are usually reported. People may also fee a calming, glowing radiance that flows through and surrounds them. Reiki encourages one to let go of all tension, anxiety, fear or other negative feelings. A state of peace and well-being is experienced. Some drift off to sleep or report floating outside their bodies or have visions and other mystical experiences. At the end of the treatment, one feels refreshed with a more positive, balanced outlook.  Intense and miraculous healing has been reported for years, all over the world due to reiki. By now, most people know someone who performs reiki or have had it done.  I highly recommend adding reiki to your spa treatment or having it done as a solo treatment.  Heal on and feel great Daniel-son.

GIVE GOOD FACE

With so many skin care products on the market, how is the average person supposed to know what products are best for their skin type? It’s really not that confusing once you have a few basics down. There are a few myths I am going to dispel, as well as a few tips I’m going to share. The skin is the largest organ of the body and the least respected. In your average health class, you probably learned all about every other organ and how to take care of it. I’m sure you were never taught how to take care of your skin. Most people would say they learned everything they know about skin from beauty magazines. Well magazines are paid by the cosmetic companies to promote their products, so you might not always be getting unbiased information.

Only in the past 10 years has skin care in America become popular. Here are a few quick basics tips to get you started on achieving beautiful, glowing skin.

1. Squeaky clean skin is not clean skin. That squeaky clean feeling is actually skin that has been stripped of all the moisture. That moisture is made of oil and water that is needed to protect the skins outer layer. A lot of people say, “Well if my skin isn’t squeaky clean, then I get oily after an hour.” What is really happening is that you strip your skin and it thinks it’s dry, so it produces more oil to compensate. You’re probably not as oily as you think. It’s just that you’re not used to having moisture on your skin. Blot away with a tissue if you need, and bask in the glow!

2. If your skin feels tight, dry and itchy right after you wash your face, this is most likely due to your cleanser being too strong for your skin type. Change your cleanser to something milky and more gentle and you’ll probably correct that problem after one cleansing. After washing, your skin should feel clean but still soft and moist. You don’t cure skin problems like acne or breakouts with a cleanser. You use a treatment serum to do that. A cleanser only removes makeup, surface debris, dead skin cells and excess oil.

3. A dermatologist specializes in skin diseases and medications to treat those diseases. They do not get trained in cosmetics and taking care of the skin cosmetically. The samples they give you are given to them from the sales reps, and samples are an easy way to make the client feel like the Dr. was at least trying to help. There are a few dermatologists who study cosmetics and how to take care of the skin. Some will even employ estheticians to cosmetically take care of the skin while the doctor takes care of the medical side.

4.You don’t need a banana boat load of products to have beautiful skin. The three most important products are a gentle cleanser, gentle exfoliator and sunblock. Sunblock is to youthful skin as location is to real estate! Make sure your products don’t contain mineral oil, sodium laurel sulfate, talc, petroleum, petrolatum, lanolin, or paraffin. These are usually common pore cloggers. The first 5 ingredients are the most important, since that is what the product is mostly made of. Anything after the first 5 ingredients is in such a small amount, it doesn’t really effect the product that much. So if the cream says it’s Vitamin E based and Vitamin E isn’t in the first 5 ingredients, then there is almost no Vitamin E in the product. Start reading labels and you’ll be shocked at how the advertising claims don’t match the ingredient list.

Here are a few skin care lines that I absolutely love. I have worked with these lines for years and my clients have seen great results with each of them. They are, Nelly du Vuyst, Phoenix Rising All Natural Skin and Body Care, Young Living, and XTREME Lash. Price is not always a factor in a product being effective, but I will tell you that there is definitely a difference in lines you find in the mall and/or drug store as opposed to those you find in a spa. Mall and drug store lines use models, celebrities and huge ad campaigns to promote products to consumers. Salon and spa lines have to prove the product to the licensed esthetician first, before they’ll promote it to their consumers. The goal of an esthetician is to have a clientele, so if the products they recommend don’t work, their clients won’t come back for their expert advice. It’s the estheticians job to read the labels for the client and recommend products according to their skin type.

I hope these few tips get you thinking about how to take care of your skin so it stays youthful and glowing. Hopefully your friends will start asking you for skin care tips!

THE WHOLE BALL OF WAX – LITERALLY!!

It’s almost that time of year again, and I don’t mean Christmas. I mean bathing suit time. Bathing suits mean you’ll be showing more skin, which means your skin needs to be silky smooth and hair free. The best way to remove hair in the summer is by waxing. Personal grooming “down there” has become quite popular for women as well as men. Lets face it, we love it when a man returns the favor! Here are a few pointers when looking for a bikini wax whether you’re a man or woman.

A basic bikini wax consists of the hair that comes outside your basic bathing suit bottom, even if it’s a speedo! A Brazilian wax can be called a few different names, so I recommend speaking with your waxer to determine just how much hair you want to remove. Brazilians usually consist of removing the hair from the buttocks and in-between the butt cheeks. The hair from the labia and general bikini area is removed. The front part is waxed into the infamous landing strip. Some women choose to remove it all from the front or you can leave a smaller patch of hair. I like to call a mans Brazilian, a Boyzilian! In this case, all the hair is removed from between the butt cheeks. You can leave or remove the hair on the buttocks. All the hair is removed from below and along the sides the testicles as well as the base of the penis. The hair in front can be removed, trimmed or buzzed down. This is all a matter of personal taste. No pun intended!

I highly recommend getting a referral for a waxer from someone you know. This is not an area you want to trust to any cheap nail salon.  Not all salons that do waxing, work on men, so make sure you ask if they have done male bikini or Brazilian waxing before.

If this is your first time, relax! It’s not as bad as the movies make it look. I do recommend taking an aspirin about ½ an hour before the treatment though. Don’t do anything that will make your skin cells swell before waxing, because this will make it more painful. This could include drinking coffee, eating chocolate, working out, sweating and of course your menstrual cycle. Waxing should feel like a band-aid being ripped off, and the pain should dissipate shortly after the strip is removed. After any waxing, be careful not to expose the area to the sun and use sunblock so the area does not become discolored. I also recommend using a scrub brush or body scrub a few times a week over the waxed area to prevent ingrown hairs.

Brow Recovery
Gone are the days of pencil thin, tweezed within a hair of their life brows. People are now saying fuller, big brows are “in”. While this may be true, don’t go Brooke Shields on me yet! Fuller and bigger brows just mean in proportion to your face, as opposed to the pencil thin brows of the early 90’s. This is part one of an article to teach you the first step to perfect brows. In the quest for the perfect arch, women have tweezed 1/2 their eyebrows off. It’s time to recover your perfect brow, and the good news is that it’s just waiting to grow or be filled in. Follow these steps to create the perfect brow shape. Remember to be objective in your measuring!

1. Take a make-up brush with a handle approximately the size of a lip liner and put it along the side of your nostril (where it dents in) with the brush tip angled straight up to your brow. Make a mark with powder and this is the point where your brow should start. It is not the point above the inner corner of your eye.

2. Take that brush and now place it at the base corner of your nostril and follow an imaginary line to the outside corner of the eye. Make a mark, and this is the ending point of your eyebrow.

3. Place the brush handle on the tip of your nose and angle the brush so it crosses over your iris. Make a 3rd mark and this is where the all important arch should be located.

The highest part of your brow is the arch. If you follow along the roots of the hairs to where the highest point is, that is your arch. Don’t go from the top part of your brow. If you have over-tweezed, your arch will most likely be too close to your nose as opposed to diagonal from the iris. Brows are so important because they give proper balance and symmetry to your face. Studies show, the more symmetrical your face is, the more beautiful you appear to others. Look at pictures of yourself from the past with different brow shapes to see how your face changes with each brow. If you look at most celebrities, they have balanced brows that are not very thin like the average woman. They tend to leave their brows to the professionals. You’ll really notice the difference in pictures of celebrities in their early years before they had a team of groomers. Some great before and after celebrity brows are Julia Roberts and Madonna. Sometimes it’s best to “step away from the tweezer”.

Here are a few examples of celebrities with great balanced brows: Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Faith HIll, Hilary Swank. Here are a few examples of celebrities with questionable brows: Hillary Clinton, Hayden Panettiere, Kelly Ripa, Marlene Dietrich and of course Donald Trump.

So recover your brows and recover your beauty! Stay tuned for the next article where I’ll teach you about coloring your brows and the most effective technique for creating the perfect brow using pencil, powder and creams.

HOW TO FILL IN YOUR EYEBROWS TO CREATE BROWS A CELEBRITY WOULD ENVY!

Filling in your eyebrows can be the perfect solution for brows that stopped growing or have sparse hairs. The most import thing to remember when filling in your eyebrows is to make them look natural and even. I’m going to give you a few tips on creating a perfect natural brow. Your brow stylist at the spa can create your correct shape, but the daily brow grooming is literally in your hands!

If you’re looking to tweeze your brow but always make them uneven, fill your brows in first to the shape you desire BEFORE tweezing. Fill them in with a dark color to get a very clear line. Then tweeze anything that is outside that dark outline. Don’t let the dark eyebrows fool ya! Go along that guide and know when to stop. Cut the hairs above the dark outline and then wash off the color to reveal even brows. Don’t worry if you have holes or gaps when you remove the powder outline, because you are now going to fill in those holes with a matching powder.

Take a brow color powder close to your BROW hair, not the hair color on your head. Your brows should be relatively close to whatever color your hair is at that moment. If you need to dye your brows than do that to create a harmonious look. Your brow color should be 1-2 shades darker if your hair is light and blonde. If your hair color is dark, your brows should be 1-2 shades lighter. Natural blondes need to be careful to not look washed out with blonde brows. Tinting them a light brown will do wonders for bringing out your eyes. Dark brows with dark hair can give a very harsh and aged look. It’s best to dye dark brows 1-2 shades lighter to soften your face. Grey and silver haired women can use a light brown or slate color for brows. Many times their skin color undertones will determine what looks best. If you have full brows but want to change the color, use a brow gel that will lighten or darken the brow a shade and washes out when you wash your face.

Pencils are another way to fill in the brows. The only negative is that unless you’re skilled at the application, it can be difficult to make the brow look natural. We’ve all seen drawn on brows and know the look!!

The 3rd most popular way to fill in brows is with pomade. This is a must for those with no brow hairs. Pomades stick to the bare skin where powders will fade away. Use a synthetic brush to apply the pomade using short feathering, hair like strokes. You can also use a powder over the pomade to make it longer lasting and more natural. Pomades are basically pencils in a cream form.

Play around with a few different alternatives and see what looks best. It is very difficult for people to see themselves differently, so take a picture with different brows and try to look objectively. Ask friends for their opinion and “brows” around fashion magazines to see how full, complete brows make the face look more symmetrical as well as beautiful.