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Holiday Sweets May Not Be So Sweet To Our Skin

sweets and skin care issues over the holidays a perfect pinky day spa aurora

As we head into the festive holiday season, gatherings with family and friends will start to fill up our calendar. Lots of delicious meals and seasonal cocktails will be enjoyed by all! And in every home, at every party, and in every office, there will be decadent holiday treats. Cookies, cakes and candy canes will stare at us from the table waiting to be consumed. But did you know that overindulging in refined sugar not only wreaks havoc on our system, but can also ruin your skin? Processed sugar can not only cause breakouts, but is often the reason we develop skin conditions like rosacea, psoriasis or premature wrinkles.

Skin Troubles Caused By Sugar

Inflammation – sugar is one of the worst foods to cause inflammation, since it is so highly acidic. Eating something high in sugar causes your insulin levels to rise in an effort to stabilize your blood sugar levels, thus causing inflammation. This process can exacerbate existing skin conditions such as psoriasis, rosacea, eczema and acne. And to make matters worse, the stress hormone cortisol then boosts oil production, giving the inflammatory condition, specifically acne, a greasy environment to grow. Yuck!

Wrinkles – collagen is a protein found in the skin that keeps it looking supple and youthful. When sugar attaches to collagen, the collagen starts to breakdown on a cellular level. This creates dull, dehydrated skin, and in turn, leads to premature wrinkles.

Dehydration – when your skin appears dull and sallow, as opposed to bouncy and perky, it’s likely due to eating too much refined sugar. Since sugar is a dehydrating agent, it can suck the water out of your skin. This leads to puffy, dry skin and under eye circles.

Our diets should be well-balanced. Avoiding refined sugar is important for our skin and bodies. Eating appropriate amounts of grains, fruits and vegetables, and protein all help in achieving a diet rich in essential vitamins and minerals. Our skin is our largest organ. We need to take care of it. Throughout the holiday season and onward, limit your sugar intake as best you can. We all indulge once in a while so don’t beat yourself up. Just remember that limiting processed sugar will lead to fewer cravings, better digestion and glowing skin.

We welcome your questions and feedback. You can connect with us via email or telephone.  Don`t forgot to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest trends and special offers!

Til next time,

Phyllis

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Growing Old Gracefully: Essential Oils Can Help!

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Growing Old Gracefully: Essential Oils Can Help!

Let’s face it. We all want to grow old gracefully. There are so many products pitched to us from various forms of media, it becomes increasingly confusing what to pick! Nature can actually help in making these decisions. Essential oils are in fact a natural solution to help us achieve the best skin we can. They aid in wrinkle control, skin tightening and help skin to look fresh and flawless! Let’s look at some of the more prominent essential oils for the task:

Rose oil

Rose oil, or rose hip oil, has anti-oxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties- the perfect trifecta! It promotes a youthful looking skin since it aids in cell renewal, thus reducing the appearance of scars. This oil is rich in vitamins A and E, and it boosts collagen, creating a firmer skin texture.

Lavender oil

Not only does it have a relaxing aroma, lavendar oil is the perfect essential oil for toning and firming the skin. It aids in balancing sebum production, due to its antibacterial effects. These antibacterial properties can help to heal cuts, burns and other areas of skin repair, such as smoothing wrinkles and fine lines.

Pomegranate oil

Arguably one of the best essentials oils for tightening the skin. It has been a favourite of many for centuries. Acting as a powerful remedy to help a multitude of skin issues, even skin cancer. When applied to the skin, pomegranate oil reduces inflammation and even the appearance of sun spots.

Grapeseed oil

This oil aids in maintaining balance, which creates a firmer skin texture. It contains many regenerative components to promote skin cell production, and acts as a natural astringent. Thus it is added to many cosmetic products. Natural astringents make your blood vessels and tissues contract, which stimulates blood flow. Grapeseed oil is technically a carrier oil so most essential oils can be added to it.

Neroli oil

Neroli oil contains a natural chemical called citral. This chemical aids in helping new skin cells to form and reduces large skin pores. It is widely used as a general anti-aging oil. And is a key component in a multitude of anti-aging creams and masks. With the ability to increase skin elasticity while continually smoothing fine lines.

It is important to note, essential oils should never be applied directly onto your skin. Diluting them is necessary. Anywhere from three to fifteen drops of an essential oil can be added to a carrier oil. A carrier oil, also known as a base oil, is one that helps dilute the much stronger essential oils and literally carries those oils onto the skin. Grapeseed oil (as listed previously), olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil, are all examples of carrier oils, just to name a few. It is also a good idea to do a skin patch test on the inside of your arm to see if there is any allergic reaction like redness, swelling, rashes or itchiness.

Let’s promote our health and vitality and conquer aging skin together by putting these oils to use!

We welcome your questions and feedback. You can connect with us via email or telephone. Don’t forgot to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest trends and special offers!

Til next time,

Phyllis

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What Beauty Sheet Mask Is Best For You?

What Beauty Sheet Mask Is Best For You?

Beauty sheet masks are the latest craze in facial regimes.  Instead of applying a paste type mask, sheet masks are mess-free and chalk full of ingredients that aid the skin in hydration, brightening, tightening and healing.  They can be used during a facial or on their own after finishing your cleansing regime.

Individually packaged, the one time use of this cloth-like mask, rich in beneficial serums, can help to eliminate toxins, reduce wrinkles and even heal wounds caused by acne.  The following are examples of sheet masks introduced into the world of skin care.  Have a read and see which one would suit your skin best.

Pearl Powder

Pearl powder is easily absorbed into the skin and is a natural source of calcium.  It also contains multiple nutrients to tighten and brighten the skin.  These nutrients contain wrinkle diminishing properties as well as help to reduce various pigmentation problems such as dark spots or acne scars.  This beauty sheet mask smoothes the texture of the skin, making you feel and appear more youthful.

Snail

The skin stress buster! Snail mucin enriched sheet masks contain skin softening emollients which regenerate hydration in dry, flaky skin.  Since snail mucin contains glycolic acid, it soothes the face as it hydrates.  Glycolic acid smoothes and evens out skin tone while promoting elastin and collagen reproduction.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate seed oil is not only beneficial to consume, but also invigorating for our skin.  Since the oil is loaded with multiple minerals and vitamins, such as vitamin B1 and B2, the fruit creates a firm and supple skin texture.  The pomegranate sheet mask, therefore, aids in slowing down the aging process and reducing the appearance of skin damage from years of sun exposure.

Calming Aloe

A calming sheet mask infused with aloe and/or green tea leaf extract can leave your skin calm and comforted in just 15 minutes.  Applied chilled, this mask is beneficial to inflamed skin caused by several types of irritants such as detergents, or harsh environmental conditions.  Aloe Vera also contains wound healing hormones effective in helping to eliminate skin conditions such as acne or eczema.  A mask with so many benefits!

Charcoal

A mask for oily skin, charcoal products are great for those who are prone to break outs.  Charcoal pulls excess oil from the skin, drawing with it bacteria and other toxins.  After receiving a thorough deep cleansing facial, a charcoal sheet mask will detoxify the skin and help promote a flawless complexion.  A great mask for teens!

After using any mask, apply a moisturizer that is suitable for your skin type and that contains an SPF. This will help to seal in all the benefits of the nutrients within each mask.  Your skin will feel rejuvenated and refreshed!

If you’d like to take your skin care to the next level, we offer a variety of facial services to have your skin looking and feeling its best.

We welcome your questions and feedback. You can connect with us via email or telephone.  Don`t forgot to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest trends and special offers!

Til next time,

Phyllis

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