Exfoliation (improving dull skin)

Exfoliation is for removing dead skin cells. This improves smoothness and tone, speeds up cell renewal, and allows products we want in our skin to penetrate deeper. As we age we have a more difficult time getting rid of old hardened cells on our own. These old cells lose moisture and can cause clogging and congestion. Exfoliation professionally or even at home allows the old skin to be removed, and the newer cells to be revealed for a fresh and healthier looking skin. But be aware! Don’t over do it! Too much exfoliation such as dermabrasion and chemical peels can lead to over-exfoliation. Any skin treatment that causes redness or irritation can cause premature aging.

Here Comes The Sun

The sun creates premature aging and skin cancer.  1 in 6 people will develop skin cancer, and 90% of these cases are caused by UV radiation from the sun.  You can also thank the sun for 80-90% of our aging.

The sun breaks down collagen and that’s where wrinkles come from.  The sun is also causing hyperpigmentation (age spots….freckles).  And regardless what people think, tan skin, is damaged skin.  A significant sunburn before the age of 18 highly increases your risk of skin cancer.

Hair is also affected by by the sun.  It causes cuticle damage and can change the porosity of your hair.  Hair can become brittle, rigid, and can break.  It can also lighten color treated hair by up to 4 levels.

In conclusion….protect you skin and hair all year round.  Use UV protection.  Use your common sense people.  Cover up!

Fresh from the beach look with Lanza Beach Spray

Lanza Beach Spray creates tousled, windswept hair styles with natural waves and separation.  This unique styling formula contains nourishing Ocean Botanicals and fortifying Sea Minerals to give hair a healthy, “fresh from the beach” look.  Features:  Keratin Healing System, Color Preserves, Triple UV Protectors, Thermal Guard, and Rain-forest Botanicals.

Spray onto damp hair or dry hair.  Let dry naturally or with a diffuser or spray on dry hair for light lift at roots.

Brazilian Keratin Treatment (a life changing experience)

If you want added strength, elasticity, and moisture.  Resulting in smooth, soft, shiny, and frizz free hair.  Then a Brazilian Keratin Treatment is your solution.  The “BKT” is a universal product that can be used on any type of hair.  Dry, frizzy, overprocessed, color treated, multicultural or even underprocessed virgin hair.

We use Marcia Teixeira’s Brazilian Keratin treatment.  Their unique formula is basically a “liquid form of hair.”  Small keratin molecules enter the hairs cortex improving and repairing from inside.  Larger molecules coat the hair and protects it from environmental damage.

Our clients have told us over and over again how the “BKT” has changed their lives.  For instance.  The time it takes them to style their hair has been shortened, which in itself is a blessing.  No more frizz….especialy in the summer when, lets face it…our hair becomes wild and frizzy.  Clients who have had the treatment tell us they get complimentes on their hair often.  Their hair is smooth, shiny, and frizz-free. A life changing experience!

Shellac…..a blog by Katie

CND’s Shellac is one of the newest and in my opinion, one of the most intuitive ways to keep your nails looking great for an extended period of time.  Shellac is a gel nail polish that is cured under a uv lamp.  Which means once the polish is cured, it’s hardened immediately and won’t smudge or chip. No more shuffling from the salon to your car in winter with flip-flops or having your stylist reach into your purse for your keys.  I myself and clients of mine, have had a shellac manicure or pedicure last up to 6 weeks without chipping.  It’s an amazing product!  There are many choices of colors and you can also layer colors to create new colors.  You can do anything you can do with regular polish….like traditional french or french tips of any color combo.  And there are also glitter top coats!!  If you’re intrigued by this blog visit me at Lotus for a Shellac manicure or pedicure.

There’s aging and then there’s accelerated aging.

While we cannot prevent the passage of time, we can take preventative measures to ensure that our skin does not age prematurely.  There are environmental and lifestyle factors that go beyond or genetic makeup, leaving us susceptible to damage by sources such as pollution, UV and environmental chemicals.  We can be sun-smart, avoid tanning booths and unprotected skin, and maintain a generally healthy lifestyle, there are ingredients that will protect the skin from accelerated photoaging.  The best protection from accelerated aging is UV protection.  Sunscreens do not provide the best sun protection – general shade and clothing do a better job, but daily use of sunscreen can dramatically prevent UV damage done on a daily basis.  Many products can have UV protection, most of these are just that.  AGEsmart products feature a diverse array of potent ingredients formulated to put a stop to accelerated skin aging altogether.  A unique combination of skin smoothing ingredients stimulate collagen growth, inhibit structural damage and prevent future photoaging.  Unique to this line is a skin smoothing complex that re-texturizes skin without the use of harsh hydroxy acids.  Made up of Urea, Glucosamine, Yeast and Algae extracts, this complex stimulates cell renewal and production of collagen to increase hydration and smoothness without irritation.

Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF30

The perfect solution to daily skin care regimen for preventing age-related skin changes is a multifunctional product that provides broad-spectrum sun protection.  Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF30 is an all-in-one product that addresses the skin concerns of mature or prematurely aging skin while providing a preventative solution to curb future damage.  When the skin ages, it results in thin, lackluster and dehydrated skin-all of which can be hastened by UV damage.  Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), natural enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, go haywire with UV radiation, resulting in slack skin.  The environment and UV can also deplete the skin from vitamins and can trigger inflammation, leading to premature aging.  Loss of elasticity can also be attributed to the development of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), which are the insoluble clumps of protein formed by the combination of proteins and sugar.  These reactions can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), or free radicals, in the skin and are also initiated by the presence of ROS.  A surefire way to prevent this from occurring is through the application of antioxidants and by preventing the vicious cycle from even starting.

Key Lifestyle Ingredients

Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF30 gets its powers from a multitude of effective ingredients.  Since sugar is needed to produce the age-related AGEs, scientists have developed a “sugar-trap” that can prevent this reaction from starting.  The Arginine-Lysine polypeptide does just that, it binds the sugar molecules to block them from reacting.  A proven method for preventing environmental aggressors from doing their skin damage is by fighting off free radicals.  These can trigger AGEs to form and are the result of other environmental damage, including UV radiation.  White tea performs as a super antioxidant to quench free radicals caused by UV radiation and pollution.  With age, natural MMP blockers decline, and we need to boost the anti-MMP activity with plant polyphenols and soy phytoestrogens.  This formula also boasts the power of palmitoyl tripeptide-5, a potent agent resulting in marked improvement to fine lines and wrinkles, age spots and skin firmness without irritation or compromising the skin’s natural barrier layer.  The final key ingredient really is UV protection.  We can prevent fine lines  and  thinning of the skin.  But leave the skin exposed to sunlight and all your efforts are in vain. 

Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Recovery SPF30 provides the right combination of ingredients necessary to promote skin health and prevent future damage.

Free yourself from harmful chemicals.

Lotus Studio is going green!

Introducing Onesta, products that are free of:  Parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, propylene glycol, DEA, TEA, colors, dyes, animal ingredients, and animal testing.  Onesta is a PETA-approved cruelty-free and vegan company.

Naturally-derived ingredients:  Our surfactants are derived from coconut oil.  Preservatives are derived from sage oil.  All ingredients have been scrutinized to come up with the most naturally-derived replacement.  All formulas contain USDA Certified Organic botanical extracts.

Onesta’s commitment to sustainable living:  100% offset by wind power.  All marketing materials, product displays and packaging are produced on recycled materials.  Onesta manufactures all its shampoo and conditioner bottles with 100% recycled plastic or PCR (post consumer resin) and saves over 100,000 pounds of virgin plastic from going into landfills each year!  They use USDA Certified Organic extracts to support sustainable farming.

Onesta donates 10% of net income to curing cancer.

Check out our specials to print coupon for 10% off any Onesta product.

For more information check out their website:  www.onestahaircare.com