BodyCare

Rock your Curls

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Get bitchin’ curls with my curly-q tips!

I worked with in an AVEDA concept salon for 13 years and learned just how perfect my curls.  If you don’t have curly hair and have some waves, these tips will work just as well and might even give you some curls =)

  1. Curls NEED MOISTURE. Make sure you are using a highly moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.  A smoothing shampoo and conditioner works nicely too.  My AVEDA favorite is Smooth Infusion, actually I love the entire line.  Another favorite that is budget friendly is the Seaweed Bath Company smoothing shampoo & conditioner.
  2. After washing your hair, don’t towel dry very much.  You want your hair to be pretty damp. So don’t let it sit wrapped up in a towel for very long at all.
  3.  DO NOT brush your hair.
  4. Applying product:
    1. First use a smoothing lotion, like AVEDA’s Stlye Prep Smoother or Andalou’s Styling Cream.  Depending on length, apply a nickle to a quarter size into palm of hand and spread it all over your hands.  Starting from the root, with your fingers “shake” the product into your hair, to the ends. Do this all throughout your hair.
    2. Next, use a gel.  My absolute favorite is the AVEDA Confixor.  I’ve been using it for YEARS and love it’s aroma. People know me for it and it’s not crunchy at all! Next best is John Masters Protein Styling Gel.  Apply the same way you did your lotion.
    3. No SCRUNCHING! Doing so will just break up your curls into a frizzy mess!
  5. Use a diffuser attachment to blow dry.  Flip your hair upside down and begin to blow dry your hair in sections, holding for a few seconds and working your way all around.  Again, NO SCRUNCHING.
  6. Blow dry until it’s about 80% dry.
  7. Apply a smoothing serum to really add shine and softness.  A tiny amount, pea size or less, of AVEDA’s Light Elements Smoothing Fluid is the BEST.  Since your hair isn’t fully dry be gentle when apply this product so you don’t disturb the curls too much. “Shake” it into your hair, focusing on the ends.
  8. Set it with some hairspray if you like!

In about 30 to 45 minutes, your hair should be about fully dry.  That is when you can really SHAKE IT UP to pump up the volume!

Side note: the more often you diffuse your hair, the MORE curly it will get!

Again, NO brushing and NO scrunching.

Let me know in the comments if you tried my tips! I KNOW it’ll work for you.

I’m taking my curls to headbang to Machine Head tonight. See ya’ll!

Get rid of your plastics

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FYI! Natural Grocers has Hydro Flasks on sale until November 30th 2018. I got this 40oz flask for $31.86!

Just because your plastics say it’s BPA FREE doesn’t mean it doesn’t contain other plastic chemicals that when heated (or even cooled) may leach into your water and food!

These chemicals coming from ingredients of the plastic material, byproducts of manufacturing and chemicals adsorbed from the environment have been shown to cause reproductive challenges in laboratory animals.  Another study showed that BPA can actually accumulate in reproductive organs and act as an endocrine disruptor owing to its structural similarity to estrogen. YIKES.

In our body, they are known as Xenoestrogens (or foreign).  They are synthetic chemicals that mimic estrogen and may wreck havoc hormone balancing.  This mineral water study concluded first evidence for a broad contamination of mineral water with xenoestrogens and stated that “it is probable that this estrogenic contamination originates from plastic food packaging materials because mineral water bottled in PET is more estrogenic than water bottled in glass.”

Our environment can also contribute to xeno exposure but there are things you can do to “ditch the plastics”.

  • NEVER heat up food in plastic or Styrofoam containers
  • Consider switching to glass containers
  • Eat fewer canned goods
  • Buy BPA canned good or AT LEAST rinse your canned food
  • Buy foods in glass jars
  • Reconsider your plastic coffee maker
  • Choose to use glass or stainless steel water bottles
  • Buy non-toxic toys
  • Use the “good china” instead of plastic ware
  • Apparently BPA is also known to found in baby formula, researchers recommend switching to powdered formula instead of liquid

Other ways to reduce toxic chemicals:

  • Eat organic always -> Strawberries, spinach, nectarines, grapes, tomatoes, celery, potatoes, sweet bell peppers, apples, pears, cherries, peaches -> Dirty Dozen, the top fruits and veggies that have the most pesticides.
  • Read body care product labels – look for phthalates and paraben free
  • WORKOUT
  • Cut out conventionally raised animal meats and dairy because toxins are stored in animal fats – choose organic and grass fed
  • Switch to “Green” cleaners
  • Clean your air with salt lamps
  • Drink plenty of water

Natural Bodycare Products to Love

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It’s officially cold in Austin which means our skin starts to become drier than usual.  Quit being so ashy with a safe application of bodycare products this season!

What do I mean by safe?

There are specific ingredients found in lots of skin care and hair care products intended for the entire family, even our fur babies, that can do harm.  Thankfully we have amazing research studies that have found these ingredients to be the culprit of skin issues, hormone imbalances as well as further agitate auto-immune diseases.  These are a few:

*Parabens: They are synthetic preservatives that allow skin care products to survive for months or even years on your shelf.  The biggest way they negatively affect us is that parabens can mimic hormones in the body and disrupt functions of the endocrine system.  Endocrine system, think hormones!  They are commonly found in moisturizers, deodorants, shampoos as well as food and pharma drugs.  Common parabens include methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben.  Guess how they get into our body? Through our largest organ, our skin!  Think about how much lotion we lather on our skin, especially during the winter!  According to one study, the body can absorb as much as five pounds of cosmetic chemicals every year.  Yikes.

*Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS): other types of sulfates including Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and Ammonium Laurel Sulfate (ALS).  These are the guys that make our soaps and shampoo lather up. So much fun but guess what, they may be doing more harm than just giving us a good time in the bath tub.  SLS is known to be a skin irritant.  It can strip the skin of its natural oils which can cause dry skin, irritation and reactions.  Have itchy skin and scalp? Eczema? Dermatitis? Seriously consider switching to SLS free products.  TIP: If you find a SLS-free shampoo that you like but it just isn’t lathering as much as you’d like, simply add more water ; )

*Aluminum in deodorants: First off, know that a deodorant is simply made to curb body odor, and antiperspirant is meant to curb sweat by plugging your pores so you don’t sweat as much.  Aside from the cancer causing factor, a concern is that aluminum keeps the body from sweating out toxins that need to be released.  Sweating is a normal body function and essential to not only regulating the body temperature, but ridding the body of toxins and working to keep the body healthy.  That fact alone, is convincing enough for me! My aluminum free deodorants work. Just ask my gym friends, I don’t stink!

I worked as the BodyCare Manager at Natural Grocers for almost 3 years and literally tired everything in the market of body care.  Before you do a skin care overhaul and wonder if what you’re considering buying works, check out these babies.  These are my favs!

*EO or Everyone Lotion:  I love Everyone brand because it’s not only cost effective but it seriously moisturizes my skin with just one application after a shower.  I literally only need 5 pumps for my entire body.  It soaks right in and doesn’t ever feel like it’s just “sitting” on your skin.  I love the “Citrus + Mint” aroma because it’s not synthetic, so it’s just a subtle refreshing aroma. A 32oz pump bottle is 9 bucks and change at Natural Grocers.

*Fractionated Coconut Oil by Life-Flo:  Fractionated means that “it’s a fraction of the whole oil in which certain chains of the fatty acids are separated, refined, clarified, and deodorized while maintaining the integrity of the emollients and moisturizing benefits of the oil.” This make it a superior carrier oil for homemade skin care products like moisturizers and body scrubs.  I use it to make my own body scrub using brown sugar and essential oils.  On days my skin is looking ashy, haha, I’ll add it to my Everyone Lotion.

Schmidt’s and Nubian Heritage Natural Deodorants:  A natural deodorant that works is hard to find!! I’ve tried them all and THESE TWO WORK!  I prefer the Nubian Heritage over the Schmidt’s because personally I find my skin may become irritated with a deodorant that has baking soda in its ingredient list.  Nubian Heritage does not contain baking soda.  Again, both truly work but Nubian Heritage has a wet feel to it upon initial application that personally bothers me, but doesn’t cause any skin irritations.  Schmidt’s is the complete opposite with it’s thick and gritty feel that easily smooths out after it’s been rubbed in.  I tend to use Nubian Heritage more often because I don’t want to chance a possible skin irritation.  Worth mentioning that Primal Pit Paste is also really great, while Tom’s does not work.

We do so much to take care of our body by exercising and eating well, do more by taking care of the beautiful skin we were given =)