Posts Tagged ‘natural beauty’

Phyto: A plant botanical-based, healing, corrective product line for all hair types

What do you get when you merge one man’s passion for beautiful healthy hair and the need for a plant-based, naturally healing hair care product? You get Patrick Alès’ innovative, comprehensive haircare range: Phyto.  At a very young age Mr. Alès discovered that he had a strong passion for hair styling – he went on to become one of the most renowned stylists in Paris with high profile clients like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.  Alès started out experimenting with essential oils and plant botanicals and soon created a scientifically designed and tested haircare range proven to treat and correct all hair types and conditions.  Phyto is committed to discovering and utilizing the most effective, active plant ingredients while respecting environmental protection and ecological ethics.

Phyto Products

The Phyto line can be segmented based on hair concerns such as the following: dry, ultra dry,  weakened & damaged, color-treated, grey & blonde, anti-aging, thinning, fine & limp, lifeless, dandruff, oily, and suncare.  For best results it is recommended to alternate between segments to achieve best results.  Here is a sneak peak at some of their most popular products:

Phytolium® 4

   Phytolium 4 is an innovative thinning hair treatment

   with Capicellpro, a botanical breakthrough combining

   Shiitake and wild apple fruit stem cells.

 

 

 

Phytojoba Hydrating Shampoo

   

Phytojoba Shampoo contains jojoba oil, cornflower and

mallow extracts to intensely hydrate and soften the hair.

 

Phytophanère Dietary Supplement

   Phytophanère contains a unique blend of essential

   fatty acids, Vitamin E, and B Carotene to improve

   hair, nails, and skin.

 

 

 

Have a look at Phyto’s full product line here

Click here to watch a video about the history of Phyto

 

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cornflower Recovery Serum by Eminence Organics

We are pleased to feature the Cornflower Recovery Serum, new to Eminence’s Beyond Organic collection. This rejuvenating serum is Eminence’s newest product made of only the best Biodynamic ingredients- the purest, most nutrient-rich ingredients nature has to offer. Like all of Eminence’s other amazing products, the Cornflower Recovery Serum is completely certified organic, cruelty free, paraben free, and made from only the best Biodynamic farmed fruits, vegetables and herbs.

This serum is formulated for all skin types, but is best used by mature and sensitive skin types. It is made from a few key ingredients that will revitalize, calm and hydrate the skin. Chamomile will regenerate, calm and balance the skin. Clary Sage balances oil production and boosts cell regeneration. Seabuckthorn is a vitamin and nutrient rich antioxidant that will enhance the skin and protect the skin cell membrane. And finally, Cornflower acts as an antibacterial antioxidant, a gentle astringent which will soothe and detoxify the skin.

The Cornflower Recovery Serum will normalize oil production, while clarifying, purifying, and firming your skin. In mature skin types, it will help minimize the visible signs of aging. This intense serum will increase the skin’s ability to stay youthful and regenerate. For people with sensitized skin, the Cornflower Recovery Serum will reduce redness in the skin and return balance. This vitamin-rich serum will promote elasticity and improve skin’s tone and quality. It is the perfect addition to your organic skin care regime, made from the best in organic skin care – Eminence.

 

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Beauty Smarts Carnival- A Collection of Articles from Beautiful Bloggers

Welcome to Spa Boutique’s  first time ever hosting the Beauty Smarts Blog Carnival!

What this means is we’ve collected a number of great articles all in one place for your learning pleasure. This month the entries were really themed along Tips and Tricks for skincare and beauty. From fragrance to eyeliner, you’ll be beautiful all summer long!

The lovely Amanda from A Minute With SpaBeautySchools gives a hopeful breakdown of the future of the Spa industry with her article “The Steady Growth of Beauty Schools“. The economy may be quickly shrinking, but that doesn’t mean that all businesses are suffering. In fact, beauty schools are doing a pretty good job of staying afloat during this tough economic crisis, as more and more beauty-obsessed individuals ditch the cubicle for the beauty salon classroom in a variety of beauty school concentrations.

For those of you interested in starting up in this industry, she has a lot of great information. She normally hosts these carnivals, so you should stop by her site to see the previous five.

Chat de los Santos from Chris & Chat Spa and Facial Care offers some great and realistic tips for those of you who are using or are thinking of using Retin-A products with “Guidelines on Maximizing The Benefits of Tretinoin Retin-A“.

Along the lines of properly using skin care products, Aparna from “Beauty and Personal Grooming” goes into detail about the “Dos and Don’ts of  Skin Bleaching“. If you are fond of bleaching, these are some points to keep in mind to make the maximum use of this cosmetic preparation. A few tips about bleaching, the benefits of bleaching and the precautions to follow while bleaching  are mentioned in these posts: The wonders of cream bleach and How to apply cream bleach.

Are you all about the Natural? Diana from Hot Beauty Health gives a list of “10 Natural Secrets to Preserve Your Youth and Beauty“.  From common sense to great at-home recipes, you’ll have beautiful, glowing skin in no time!

If you’ve been struggling to get that flawless look with your powder foundation, then Julie’s post at Healthtrition is a must read! With a love for beauty products and a great list of tips, “Applying Face Powder- Tips and Tricks” is a great read.

Risi-Leanne Baranja from Palacinka makes us all better consumers with her “Summer Challenge: Refreshing Fragrance” article. She’s great on Twitter as well, so make sure you’re following her for updates.

At Makeup Lovers Anonymous, get perfectly lined eyes with tips and tricks from a pro!

So there you have it, a great collection of some awesome summer tips.

With that, Beauty Smarts Blog Carnival number 6 comes to an end. You know what that means….start getting ready for Number 7!

Are you a blogger? We invite you to contribute to the next Beauty Smarts carnival: Submit Here.

Readers: Let us know what you love to read about. We can give you more of what you’re looking for with each Carnival.

As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Tips For Using Mud Baths At Home- Relax and Detox

People can be a little frightened of mud baths at home. When they get any “mud” services in a spa, all the scary parts go unseen. The set-up, the clean-up. Then more clean up. Then laundry.

That seems like an enormous undertaking and not at all relaxing to bring home.

Luckily Moor Mud companies have thought of solutions. While home wraps are nearly impossible to enjoy, bathing is extremely easy and has a built in cleaning system.

You can read more about the benefits of Moor Mud here at The Natural Beauty Workshop.

Proof of the skin benefits can be seen when you consider the somewhat creepy Bog Man. His skin looks very supple for being 2000 years old. Not like those brittle desert mummies, clearly they need to hydrate. Granted he was not found in Moor Mud, just regular old peat. But when else was I going to get to link to a mummy?

Onwards.

When used in warm bath water, the muds can alternately cause deep relaxation or increased energy. I for one am ruined after using one of these. Completely incapable of staying awake and usually end up sleeping soundly through the whole night.

We carry the Golden Moor line here, and the scents are fabulous, Lavender, Chocolate, Pine and a refreshing Mountain Mist. Oddly enough each one of us prefers a different scent. Deigh-Anna swears by the Chocolate while I adore the Lavender

We hear a lot of concerns about usage and the product being messy. Remain calm! These have almost no clay in them and are fine for normal, non jetted, bathtubs. They’re also fine for use with septic tanks.

If you use the small bottles or packs, it’s best to immerse the entire container into the bath water. If you try and dump it in from above, you will get splashage. Totally a word.

If you use the large container, hold it as close to the water as possible or use a spoon to get the desired amount.

The sweating from water bath water combined with the mud is very detoxifying and circulation-increasing. 20 minutes is all you need. Don’t rinse off, just swipe excess water off you and dry off with a dark towel.

When you empty the tub there will a little bit of plant matter left behind. I just do a quick rinse with the shower head. No other cleaning is necessary as the mud rinses cleanly away.

Now the important part.  The invisible veil of mud left on the skin is going to continue working over the next little bit. Let yourself relax. Wrap up in some comfy clothes and just relax.

No matter what line of Moor Mud you go with, you’re bound to feel some result. The mud can be processed and included in creams, gels and emulsions, but I believe the best way to use it is just as is, in all its muddy, chunky glory.

Visit www.spaboutique.ca to see the complete line of Golden Moor products and other Natural skincare options.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!

Creating At-Home Spa Products with Essential Oil Recipes

I’ve been getting quite a few requests for tips and ideas on how to use essential oils in the home.

There are literally thousands of recipes  what with the staggering number of oils available and how they  can be combined. Here are some basic tips and guidelines that will hopefully help inspire you to be creative with the use of essential oils:

1)High quality oils will have the therapeutic effects.  Fragrance oils will do just that, provide fragrance only. Decide what is important to you and purchase oils accordingly.

2)It is possible to create your own scrubs and bath oils/salts. First make sure you are aware of any contraindications for the oils you want to use. Some may smell great but can be skin irritants if they aren’t used in a carrier oil.

3)When using oils for cleaning, be aware that some surfaces can become discolored. If they’re being used as a fragrance spray make sure the mist doesn’t fall on any food or open drinks. It will alter them!

4)Storing the oil products is very important to their integrity. Keep them in dark, cool places and tightly sealed. Open containers will let them evaporate and sunlight will break them down quicker.

5)Never use any equipment with copper, aluminum, cast-iron or Teflon finishes, they react with the oils. Glass or steal is best.

Now that we’ve gotten the responsible stuff out of the way, let’s have some fun shall we?

Bath Oil Recipe:

• This is extraordinarily simple. Take 2 oz of a carrier oil (lighter ones will distribute more evenly throught eh water, almond, jojoba or sunflower) and add 20 drops of your chosen blend. You can focus on invigorating with a citrus blend or relaxing with lavender and chamomile. The possibilities are endless! Just pour the mixture under the running water. Add the oils to the tub right before you get in to get the most from the aroma. Store in an airtight glass jar or bottle.

Bath Salts:

• The amounts fluctuate on how much you’d like to make. You can use any type of coarse salt, the most common being Epsom salts or dead sea salt. For every cup you use, add 10 drops of the essential oil(s). Mix everything together in bowl and store in an airtight container. Add a generous handful under running water just before you get into the tub. The larger the crystals, the longer they will take to dissolve. Store in an airtight glass container.

Body Scrubs

• Probably the most fun. You can really experiment with this. It’s important to use gentle granules, so fine ground salts and sugars are best. Stay away from crushed pits or nuts as they actually scrape and cut the skin. It’s best to make this in medium sized batches, and play around with the amounts, deciding what works best for you. A good amount would be 2 cups of salt/sugar to 1 cup of oil (olive oil, sweet almond oil, anything cold pressed) 10-15 drops of essential oils per cup.
• Don’t forget you can use brown sugar too! In smaller batches add a small amount of honey for more moisture and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or cocoa to get delicious scents.
• Never use scrubs like this on your face, they are not gentle enough. It’s also best to use scrubs before you shave to avoid irritation.
• Massage the mixture into the skin and rinse off. Pat the skin dry.
• Because there are no preservatives you will want to make manageable batches that will be used within a month. This will avoid bacterial growth. Store the mixture in airtight glass containers to preserve the scent.

Relaxing experiences aren’t the only way to use essential oils. They can also be a great alternative to common, toxic household products. (Recipes were found in the Essential Oils Desk Reference)

Laundry: Add 10 drops of any essential oil to a washcloth and put it in the dryer with your clothes. The oil will lightly fragrance the clothing without the irritation of dryer sheets. This won’t help with static cling though!

Surface Cleansers: Using a clean plastic spray bottle, fill with water and add 10 drops each of pine, lavender and lemon along with a squirt of dish-washing soap.  The antibacterial and antiviral effect of the oils will help to disinfect. Do try and keep the solution off of linoleum floors as it can stain them. Other oils with strong disinfecting properties are cinnamon, clove, Eucalyptus globulus, thyme and juniper as well as grapefruit.

Floor cleaners:

• Non-Carpet floors: Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to a bucket of water. Add 5-10 drops of lemon, pine or spruce. If the floor is very dirty add several drops of dishwashing fluid.
• Carpets:  To create a freshener add 16-20 drops of essentail oils to a cup of baking soda. Mix and store overnight in an airtight container. This will ensure the the oils distribute through all of the powder. Sprinkle lightly onto the carpet, and vacuum up a few minutes later.
• Vacuuming: saturate a disposable cloth with several drops of essential oil and put it in the collecting bag of your vacuum. This refreshes the carpet and the room.

Insect Repellants: Single oils like lavender, lemon, peppermint, lemongrass, cypress, cinnamon, basil and citronella placed on entryways repels many types of insects. Peppermint placed on entryways will keep ants out! Nothing for spiders though. *shudder*

Air Freshener: using a 4oz spray bottle add half  water and half high proof vodka. Add 30-40 drops of essential oils and let it sit for a day for the oils to mingle. Shake before every use and beware of spraying over fabrics. The alcohol will help the scent linger. So pretty!

There are several websites for complete lists of essential oils and different blends, the best way is to search “aromatherapy blends” and add in the type your looking for. Whether it be relaxing, energizing, getting rid of anxiety/depression. There are blends for everything!

Using essential oils gives you a wonderful feeling of control over products. You know exactly what has gone into them and you control the quality.

Spa Boutique carries several essential oils from Canadian company Golden Moor.

We would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of this blog!  Feel free to post your comments or questions below.  As always, just for being a follower of our blog, enter coupon code BLOG10 for 10% off your next purchase! Also, remember to follow us @spaboutique on Twitter, like our Facebook  page, and check out our boards on Pinterest! You could be the lucky winner of one of our many contests!