Choosing the Right Toner for Your Skin Type

While most people don't necessarily need a toner to take good care of their skin, some skin types can really benefit from a toner. Here are some recommendations, depending on your skin type:

Oily or acne-prone skin may need an extra few swipes to remove excess oil, dirt, and makeup, even after washing. Look for ingredients like glycolic and salicylic acids, which can penetrate the oil glands and unclog pores. Try Clinique Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion, which contains 1.5 percent salicylic acid along with witch hazel, an astringent that helps control shine. Or try Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Lotion, which contains glycolic acid from sugar cane extract. As with many toners that are meant for oily skin, both of these contain alcohol, which can dry your skin, so use them sparingly if you're also using acne medicine such as benzoyl peroxide.

Dry skin can always use extra moisture, so look for an alcohol-free toner with hydrating ingredients like glycerin. Nivea Visage Gentle Toner contains glycerin along with sweet almond oil and calendula extract, which helps soothe irritated skin. Caudalie Toning Lotion is also free of alcohol and contains Vinolevure, a proprietary ingredient derived from wine yeast that holds moisture in the skin. It has a light, refreshing citrus-mint fragrance.

Sensitive skin can become irritated if you rub a cotton ball over it, so look for spray toners with skin-soothing ingredients. Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic has such natural ingredients as lavender flower water and willow herb extract, which calm angry skin, and jojoba leaf extract, an antioxidant. Spritz before moisturizing for extra hydration, and during the day to freshen your makeup.

BENEFITS OF A SEAWEED WRAP ✩¸•˚º•♡•º˚•¸✩

Here is a great weight loss tip …

As we grow older, our bellies grow bigger. They said it's because the body's metabolism slows down as people age. The seaweed wrap is a great way to trim down that extra weight/fat. The seaweed wrap is a mud wrap. It is the clay mixed with seaweeds and herbal extract that will help your body slim, tone and firm as well as reduce the cellulite in your body. When used the result is quick and you can even do it in the comfort and privacy of your home. It's very good for detoxifying the body and for treating cellulite. The body is usually scrubbed and exfoliated first and then the seaweed wrap is applied. It has a very strong marine odor, so people don't like the treatment for that reason. Depending on how tight your wrap is applied, it helps you eliminate water from the system. Unlike other weight loss remedies that will result in a sagging skin, using seaweed wrap will tighten & firm skin, reduce visible cellulite, detoxify the body's fat cells and clear up the complexion.

The Truth About Soap

By: Natalie Rios

http://www.spamagazine.com/

Is washing your face with a bar of soap bad for your skin? We've got the answers.

For years, women relied on simple bars of soap to wash their faces, but with the arrival of liquid, foam, and cream cleansers came the idea that bars dry the skin and clog pores.

It turns out that some soaps got a bum rap. "In general, they're not bad," says Jennifer Reichel, M.D., director of Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center in Seattle. "Some bar soaps can be very gentle and moisturizing and do not necessarily trap oils and chemicals."

The soaps that deserve the negative attention are those that contain synthetic detergents or surfactants (like alkyl benzene sulfonate). "Synthetic detergents can be drying, which makes them a poor choice for many skin types,"says Angela L. Bowman Wales, president and CEO of Lillian Skincare, a manufacturer of organic skincare products.

But liquid cleansers can cause problems as well, according to Julia Hunter, M.D., founder of Skin Fitness Plus, a cosmetic spa in Los Angeles. Detergents (often sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate), preservatives (such as parabens), and antimicrobials (triclosan, for example) can cause inflammation and disrupt hormones. Instead, opt for soap with coconut oil, shea butter, glycerin, or olive oil. Although these emollients are often thought to cause breakouts, there is generally not enough in soaps to have such an effect. "Personally, I would choose emollients over inflammatory chemicals," says Hunter.

Spa's Favorite Soaps

Arcona Berry Fruit Bar Cranberry and raspberry extracts neutralize free radicals. ($38)

Sisley Paris Soapless Facial Cleansing Bar Calendula and tropical resins remove excess sebum and tighten pores. ($65)

Suki Sensitive Cleansing Bar Organic shea butter and lemon grass extract moisturize and soften skin. ($11)

Woodsprite Organic Body Bloom Organic Complexion Soap Rose hydrosol and Bulgarian rose essential oil make for a gentle cleanser that suits maturing skin. ($10)

Benefits of Massage

When I go to the spa – my favorite service to get is a Deep Tissue Massage for 90 minutes. I feel that it helps me relieve stress. I always feel so rejuvenated when I come out of the spa :-)

This is one of my favorite articles that explains the benefit of massages.

Good Medicine

Originally published in Body Sense magazine, Fall 2001.
Copyright 2001. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

As you lie on the table under crisp, fresh sheets, hushed music draws you into the moment. The smell of sage fills the air and you hear the gentle sound of massage oil being warmed in your therapist's hands. The pains of age, the throbbing from your overstressed muscles, the sheer need to be touched -- all cry out for therapeutic hands to start their work. Once the session gets underway, the problems of the world fade into an oblivious 60 minutes of relief and all you can comprehend right now is not wanting it to end.

But what if that hour of massage did more for you than just take the pressures of the day away? What if that gentle, Swedish massage helped you combat cancer? What if bodywork helped you recover from a strained hamstring in half the time? What if your sleep, digestion and mood all improved with massage and bodywork? What if these weren't just "what ifs"?

Evidence is showing that the more massage you can allow yourself, the better you'll feel. Here's why.

Massage as a healing tool has been around for thousands of years in many cultures. Touching is a natural human reaction to pain and stress, and for conveying compassion and support. Think of the last time you bumped your head or had a sore calf. What did you do? Rubbed it, right? The same was true of our earliest ancestors. Healers throughout time and throughout the world have instinctually and independently developed a wide range of therapeutic techniques using touch. Many are still in use today, and with good reason. We now have scientific proof of the benefits of massage - benefits ranging from treating chronic diseases and injuries to alleviating the growing tensions of our modern lifestyles. Having a massage does more than just relax your body and mind - there are specific physiological and psychological changes which occur, even more so when massage is utilized as a preventative, frequent therapy and not simply mere luxury. Massage not only feels good, but it can cure what ails you.


The Consequences of Stress
Experts estimate that 80 percent to 90 percent of disease is stress-related. Massage and bodywork is there to combat that frightening number by helping us remember what it means to relax. The physical changes massage brings to your body can have a positive effect in many areas of your life. Besides increasing relaxation and decreasing anxiety, massage lowers your blood pressure, increases circulation, improves recovery from injury, helps you to sleep better and can increase your concentration. It reduces fatigue and gives you more energy to handle stressful situations.

Massage is a perfect elixir for good health, but it can also provide an integration of body and mind. By producing a meditative state or heightened awareness of living in the present moment, massage can provide emotional and spiritual balance, bringing with it true relaxation and peace.

The incredible benefits of massage are doubly powerful if taken in regular "doses." Dr. Maria Hernandez-Reif, from the Touch Research Institute (TRI) at the University of Miami, is known for her massage research, along with colleague Tiffany Field. Together, they and other researchers have done outstanding work proving the value of massage. While their studies have shown we can benefit from massage even in small doses (15 minutes of chair massage or a half-hour table session), Hernandez-Reif says they know from their research that receiving bodywork 2-3 times a week is highly beneficial. And if we lived in a fantasy world, Hernandez-Reif has the answer. "I feel a daily massage is optimal."

It's undoubtedly a wonderful thing when your therapist begins unwinding those stress-tightened muscles, and your day's troubles begin to fade away. But it's the cherry on top to know this "medicine" only gets better with frequency.


What You Already Know: The Benefits of Massage
In an age of technical and, at times, impersonal medicine, massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive and humanistic approach based on the body's natural ability to heal itself. So what exactly are the benefits to receiving regular massage and/or bodywork treatments?

- Increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.

- Stimulates the flow of lymph, the body's natural defense system, against toxic invaders. For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer.

- Increased circulation of blood and lymph systems improves the condition of the body's largest organ - the skin.

- Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles

- Reduces spasms and cramping

- Increases joint flexibility.

- Reduces recovery time, helps prepare for strenuous workouts and eliminates subsequent pains of the athlete at any level.

- Releases endorphins - the body's natural painkiller - and is being used in chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain.

- Reduces post-surgery adhesions and edema and can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred.

- Improves range-of-motion and decreases discomfort for patients with low back pain.

- Relieves pain for migraine sufferers and decreases the need for medication.

- Provides exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles and reduces shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range of motion.

- Assists with shorter labor for expectant mothers, as well as less need for medication, less depression and anxiety, and shorter hospital stays.


Other Body Therapies
Alexander Technique - A movement re-education therapy that was created by a mid-19th century actor who tried to understand his own movement dysfunctions on stage. The emphasis is on observing and modifying improper movement patterns, thereby reducing physical stress on the body.

Craniosacral Therapy - A gentle method of manipulating the body's craniosacral system (consisting of thin membranes and cerebrospinal fluid which surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord) in an attempt to improve the function of the central nervous system, dissipate the negative effects of stress and enhance health and resistance to disease.

Reiki - A therapy based on universal life energy that serves to align chakras and bring healing energy to organs and glands. Utilizes visualization as practitioner acts as a channel for the life energy.

Rolfing - Used to reorder the major body segments, this technique utilizes physical manipulation and movement awareness to bring the body into vertical alignment. Treatments are offered in a 10-session series.

Shiatsu - A deep, finger-pressure technique using the traditional acupuncture points of Asian healing. Works to unblock energy flows and restore balance to meridians and organs.


The Need for Touch
As a society, we are touch deprived and this can lead to disease or emotional dysfunction. From the cradle to the nursing home, tactile stimulation and the emotional assurance of caring touch bring about a sense of well-being and security. In numerous studies conducted on massage for infants, TRI researchers have found improved weight gain and development in pre-term infants, improved weight gain and motor behavior in cocaine-exposed infants, and improved weight gain and decreased stress behavior in HIV-exposed infants. Full-term infants also benefit with increased alertness and social behavior, less crying and increased weight gain.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FACIALS

A facial cleans, exfoliates and nourishes the skin to promote clear, well-hydrated skin. It is sometimes called a "deep-cleansing facial" or a "deep-pore" cleansing facial because of the extractions.

The Basic Steps To A Facial

• A facial begins with a thorough cleansing with cotton pads or sponges and a product chosen for your skin type (normal, dry, oily, combination, sensative, mature)
• Skin Analysis, The esthetician covers your eyes and looks at your skin through a brightly lit magnifying lamp that reveals various skin conditions.
• Exfoliation using a mechanical or chemical exfoliant. Mechanical exfoliation has a gritty texture and usally happens while a steam vapor is directed at your face.
• Extraction of blackheads or whiteheads if you want and need it.
• Facial massage using classic strokes like effeurage to both relax you and stimulate your skin and facial muscles.
• A facial mask targeted to your skin type (dry, oily, combination, sensitive, mature).
• Application of toners and protective creams.
• Advice on home skin care.