LOVE your Skin! (Fun facts and what you should know inside)

1) The skin is the body’s largest organ. The average adult has around twenty square feet of skin with each square inch containing 19,000,000 skin cells and nearly 300 sweat glands.

2) Our skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous (from outer to innermost).

3) The total skin on our body accounts for 15% of our body weight.

4) On a blisteringly hot day, our skin can produce up to three gallons of sweat!

5) Every minute, your skin loses 30,000 to 40,000 skin cells (it’s okay because we are constantly reproducing more!).

6) The thinnest skin is on your eyelids (0.02mm thick).

7) Your feet contain the thickest skin (1.4mm deep).

8) Over 50% of the dust found in your home is dead skin.

9) Sweat is actually odorless, bacteria is what produces body odor.

10) Melanin is the pigment that gives your skin its color.

11) 1-110,000 people have albinism, which is a lack of melanocytes (skin cell that produces melanin).

 Contact our team today for any hair and skin questions you may have!  Schedule@kasiaorganicsalon.com

When does Menopause and Perimenopause Start? (are these hormone myths sabotaging you?)

MYTH: I don’t have to worry about hormones until menopause. Meanwhile, I can do whatever I want to my body – drink like a fish, party like a rock star, skimp on sleep – without consequences.

TRUTH: This is one of those myths that even most doctors believe!

Many hormone levels – such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone – start to drift downward in your twenties. Other hormones, like cortisol, often spike too high and pull other hormones out of balance. Women younger than thirty may not yet feel affected by the aging process, but perhaps they want to get pregnant (or keep the option open) or avoid the wrinkles that they see on their mom’s face.

At What Age Do Menopause and Perimenopause Start?

Menopause occurs at a mean age of 51. Perimenopause, the years from about 35 to 50, are famous for hormonal chaos, but even Chinese Medicine recognizes that subtle hormonal shifts begin at age 28.Quite poetically, Chinese Medicine teaches that your energetic meridians are focused on your pelvic region during your reproductive years, and as reach toward menopause, chi starts to flow more toward your heart. In the West, we’re far less poetic. We focus on how many ripe eggs are left in the ovaries at any given time,how’s the egg quality based on a lab test, and when am I finally going to meet the life partner so that I can get busy having babies.   Here’s where you want to focus your energy:

Women In Their 20s…

… benefit from understanding that the best way to mind your hormones so that you are brimming with vitality begins early. Master your sleep (94% of us need 8 hours each night), eat nutrient-dense food (and not too much), stop sitting so much, and detox your liver periodically (off the alcohol). When you don’t indulge stress and let it overpower you, you’re actually creating hormonal grace. The reason is simple: Cortisol, the main stress hormone, controls the levels of the other key hormones in your body, including thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Women in Their 30s…

… may feel increasingly tense and overwhelmed, in need of better strategies on how to chillax. Your goal should be to prevent the high blood pressure, prediabetes, and accelerated aging that come with chronically high perceived stress.

Women in Their 40s/50s…

… may want to regain the buoyancy of their earlier life. Perhaps you want to wake up feeling more restored, without the obsessive thoughts or brain fog.

Women 60+

… may wish to optimize their cognitive functioning—to improve their thinking, memory, and competitive edge.    Don’t suffer needlessly. I don’t want you to be misinformed by prevailing myths, underserved by your doctors, or miseducated by the media. With natural hormone balancing, these years can be fun and sexy.   It starts with being fully informed about your hormonal status, regardless of age.

Guest Post: Sara Gottfried

Antioxidants and Phyto-chemicals for GLOWING - inside and out! (Super Protector Juice Inside)

Beautiful skin starts with good nutrition. Try this fabulous orange, apple and broccoli juice, it's not only rich in Vitamin-C but also packed with anti-oxidants to make you glow from the inside and out. 

If you want a really direct, easy way to nourish and energize, you have found it in juicing. Yes, with a juicer and some fresh veggies and fruits, you can make incredibly delicious, colorful elixirs, and make sure that you are getting all those veggie servings. Toss those clunky, hard to swallow vitamins and feast on real food in liquid form, with all the antioxidants and phyto-chemicals you really need.

Super Protector broccoli · orange · apple

2 cups/115 g chopped broccoli, stems and florets 2 large oranges, peeled and seeded 1 large apple, cored MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

Sip a lively glass of apple and orange juice blend, with a little broccoli thrown in for color! If you are feeling a little under the weather, this vitamin C– and antioxidant-rich juice is just the ticket, and you can hardly tell you are having broccoli.

Juice the broccoli, oranges, and apple, in that order. Run the pulp through again to extract as much liquid as possible. Serve immediately.

Reference: Robin Asbell Author, Juice It

Your Guide to Xenoestrogens (be aware and avoid at all cost)

Before we move on with Xenoestrogens, a brief on Estrogens.

Xenoestrogens are derivatives of Estrogens. Their chemical structure acts like estrogen in the human body. They are highly estrogenic, fat-soluble and non-biodegradable compounds.

Estrogens are a group of steroid compounds, which are part of the hormone cycle and function as the primary female sex hormones in most female mammals.  They are also used as part of some of the oral contraceptives, in estrogen replacement therapy of postmenopausal women. They also act as a powerful anti-inflammatory.

Xenoestrogens, in addition to being highly estrogenic, are fat-soluble and non-biodegradable. Prolonged exposure to Xenoestrogens causes early menstruation and can also cause breast cancer, uterine cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, premature sexual development, uterine fibromas, heavy periods, and infertility.  Though our bodies are amazingly resilient, the immunity to endocrine disruptors is not strong enough.

 

Sources of Xenoestrogens:

Pesticides-

Pesticides are perhaps the biggest source of Xenoestrogens. They are highly estrogenic, and some experts estimate that the average American ingests over a pound of pesticides a year.

Xenoestrogens get into our system through our “food-chain” by means of chemical fertilizers and sprays used to disinfect crops. Most bio-accumulate, meaning they are stored in fat cells of fish, poultry and other food sources in increasing concentration until they reach the top of the food chain — where we consume them. Later, they accumulate in our fatty tissues (breast, brain, and liver) and can cause a variety of aliments as mentioned before.

Livestock’s-

A second major source of Xenoestrogens is the large amount of growth hormones given to livestock and poultry, most of which contains fat-soluble estrogens. When humans consume such live stock or their milk, we ingest those estrogens.

Organo-chlorides like dioxin (a by-product of chlorine when it is burned or processed), PCB’s, PVC’s, and some plasticizers are just a few of the many manmade chemicals that act like estrogen in our bodies. Many others have the effect of interrupting our normal endocrine function, hence the term “endocrine disruptors.”

Plastics-

Products associated with plastics such as bisphenol A and pthalates. Bisphenol-A was originally designed for use a synthetic estrogen replacement. It was found to work quite well as an antioxidant to prevent plastic from breaking down in the sunlight. Bisphenol-A is used in drinking water bottles, plastics used in baby bottles, plastics used to pack food, and some dental composites. Pthalates along with excess estrogen given to chicken used as food were suspected to cause girls as young as 18 months to begin to menstruate in Puerto Rico between 1970 and 1980. Pthalates are found in cosmetics, shampoos, hair dyes and more.

Cosmetics-

Preservatives used in skin lotions, shampoos, and body lotions such as the Parabens that include Methyl Paraben, Ethyl Paraben, Proply Paraben, Butyl Paraben. Researchers from the Department of Biology and Biochemistry of Brunel University in the United Kingdom have conducted a study and found that alkyl preservatives (methyl, ethyl, propyl  and Butyl Paraben) are weakly estrogenic. The European Union has asked the European Cosmetics and Toiletry industry about these new findings and the implication for breast cancer. These preservatives are found in the vast majority of skin and body lotions, even in natural progesterone creams. Anything absorbed through the skin is 10 times the concentration of an oral dose.

Prevention:

Prevention of Xenoestrogens from entering our system can be done by either avoiding consumption of the very sources of Xenoestrogens if possible or by choosing organic and natural products for consumption. For example, consume organically grown produce and live stock only. Use cosmetics that are prepared without the use parabens.  Avoid usage of plastic products that contain Bisphenol-A and pthalates.

Broccoli, and in particular, the indole 3 carbinol (I3C) found in broccoli, interferes with xenoestrogens. I3C increases the good estrogen (2-hydroxyestrone) to bad estrogen (16-alpha-hydroxyestrone) ratio by increasing the detox enzyme CP450 in the liver.

Besides the food we consume the next biggest source of Xenoestrogens could be Cosmetics. Kassie (owner of Kasia Salon/Skin Care.) feels strongly that - what we put on our skin is a major result of our hormonal problems. Skin is the largest organ of the body, acting like a huge sponge. She says.  “Purely avoiding parabens, we’ve tagged our retail with broccoli seeds ready to  sprout or plant, yielding anti-cancer phytonutrient found in cruciferous vegetables, offering an abundance of Indole-3-carbinol (I3C)”.

About the Author: Kassandra Kuehl, a natural products hair stylist and health coach, and believes that it is important for women pay close attention to the ingredients in their hair, skin, and body care products. Her goal is to help you wake up to the power of the choices you make every day, and how those choices impact your health and well-being.

Kassandra  has many educational articles and info about her Organic Salon Services at www.KasiaOrganicSalon.com. Kasia Salon offers high-quality, natural skin care products to help improve your overall health of your skin, body, and soul! 

Get a Healthy Glow (minus) the Damaging Effects of UV Rays

 Get a healthy glow and be pro-active youthful skin -  all without the damaging effects of UV rays.

It’s hard to resist the season's bright call of a sun-kissed summer glow. But it’s also hard to achieve it, well, without the sun.  

Our hottest item is our Honey-Dip Natural Tanner in which makes it possible and easy to bronze year-round. Here are some of my own personal tips for application of our Honey-DIp Anti-aging Sunless dream cream.  

A true glow-getter, Honey-Dip offers both the perfect sun-kissed glow and anti-aging benefits in one convenient bottle. Delivering intense hydration and nutrient support for youthful and clear skin, this healthy alternative to typical self-tanners is chemical free and infused with organic ingredients, pure botanicals and naturally derived DHA for a decadently radiant complexion.

Easy Sunless tanning tips

The market is flooded with great sunless tanning products. Their benefits are plenty: no sunburns, no sun damage, and no premature aging!

First off, Exfoliate

For the best results, it's important to first prepare your skin before applying your tanning product. A quality sugar scrub to exfoliate with will go a long way. Once a week is a good add-in to your routine, whether you are tanning or not. 

The right formula and tone

Sunless tanning products come in a many different varieties as well as skin color shades. Our age-defying lotion dries and develops with a great natural tone that never turns "orange."

Secret Ingredient: 10% DHA (Dihydroxyacetone): Because our DHA is naturally derived from beet sugar, it has none of the carcinogenic or toxic effects associated with synthetic DHA. Plus, the generous 10% dosage means you get the same gorgeous, flawless tan whether you mix Honey-Dip with your favorite moisturizer or apply on its own.

Smear with no fear

The best way to apply the cream is to put a small amount on your palm and work from the feet up. Shift from the left to the right side as you are working your way up. The back can be tricky if your hands are not super extended; the easiest solution is to ask someone for help.  YES, you can use our formula on the face!

Try to go easy on the elbows and knees. You won't want to reapply the self-tanner here as much; the skin is thicker on these areas and the tan might end up looking a lot darker than the rest of your body.  Remember to wash your hands!

Take your time drying

Nowadays, most self-tanning products don't leave any stains on your clothes, but you may not want to take the chance.  

Our lotion is NOT known to leave stains.  Still, give it at least a few minutes before putting your clothes on to make sure the cream has dried properly. I prefer to put mine on in the morning after I shower and exfoliate.

Make your color last

Of course this varies from product to product, but normally a sunless tan should last for at least 3-4 days. For the best and longest-lasting results, a good idea is to reapply every other or third day.

Remember, most sunless tanning creams do not contain sun protection. So if you are heading out into the sun, make sure to use some sunscreen too.

Learn more about our beloved Age-defying Honey-Dip Sunless Tanner!  

• Gradually builds a healthy, gorgeous glow
• Formulated with nourishing ingredients that reverse signs of aging and reduce inflammation
• Infused with organic vitamins, botanicals and antioxidants that cultivate youthful skin
• Light consistency absorbs quickly with no streaking, staining or unpleasant orange effect
• Lovely, fresh coconut aroma