HERBAL FORMULAS FOR Hair Loss, Graying, & Acne NOW AVAILABLE!

HERBAL FORMULAS FOR Hair Loss, Graying, & Acne

We now carry herbal formulas available at the salon for hair loss, early greying, and acne!  Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas have been successfully used by patients for thousands of years to naturally promote beauty from within.

· Colorful Phoenix Pearl Combo (Cai Feng Zhen Zhu An Chuang Wan) is helpful for many forms of acne

·       Silken Tresses (Qi Bao Mei Ren Dan) promotes hair growth, and slows early greying

·       Yin Care is an external herbal tincture that has many uses, including treating acne blemishes, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis, scalp dermatitis (including dandruff), as well as several gynecological issues.

These formulas are made by the most highly respected manufacturers, who use stringent quality controls.

Because these medicines have specific effects on the whole body, they should only be taken under the guidance of a licensed practitioner.  Our acupuncturist, Elizabeth Williams, LAc, is well trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and can prescribe formulas based on your own individual symptoms and constitution after an initial herbal consultation. Elizabeth will also help evaluate any dietary or lifestyle changes you can make.

Elizabeth is available Monday, Tuesday, and Friday each week for herbal consultations and acupuncture treatment.  If you are only interested in treating hair loss, early greying, acne, or other beauty concerns, a shortened consultation is available for $25.

An initial full herbal consultation to address health concerns is $50, and takes approximately one hour.

Come in today to naturally enhance your true beauty!

Top news story: Health Canada recalls hair smoothing products

Dec. 17, 2010- Health Canada announced on December 16 that it’s issuing a recall on ten “stop sale” hair smoothing products. The levels of formaldehyde found in these products exceed the limit according to Health Canada. The Allied Beauty Association has notified Salon Magazine that it “fully supports safe products and a safe workplace but also believes that its members are entitled to the benefit of sound science and current testing methods.” Questions have been raised over Health Canada’s methodology of testing and whether they’re using outdated information. The ABA says, “All we are asking is that Health Canada ensure that its testing methods are based upon sound science and, if hazards truly exist, then cosmetologists and the public are entitled to full protection.” Professional industry manufacturers and distributors are currently in conversation with Health Canada to review their testing methods. For now, distributors will likely be receiving instructions on how to handle this recent recall and will pass on the information to their salons.

The ten products being recalled by Health Canada are: 1. Brazilian Keratin Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 2. Advanced Brazilian Keratin Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 3. Chocolate Extreme De-Frizzing Treatment by Marcia Teixeira 4. Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy by Coppola 5. Global Keratin Taming System Strawberry by Global Keratin 6. Global Keratin Taming System with Juvexin Strawberry Resistant by Global Keratin 7. Global Keratin Taming System with Juvexin Strawberry Light Wave by Global Keratin 8. Pro-Collagen RX Keratin Treatment 9. IStraight Keratin (Advanced Keratin Treatment) by IBS Beauty 10. Brazilian Thermal Reconstruction by Cadiveu

Healing Use of Essential Oils for Winter

The onset of colder temperatures brings with it coughs, colds and flu symptoms. Adverse weather conditions and evenings that darken earlier mean that we all spend a lot more time shut up in homes and workplaces and less time out and about enjoying sunshine, even if we don't suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) we can all start to feel a little down. It is at this time especially, that essential oils extracted from plants during the summer months can really lift our gloom. We've all experienced the power of fragrances and their ability to transport us to another time and place – cinnamon, ginger and orange reminds us of Christmas, rose and lavender takes us to a summer garden.

Medicinally too, essential oils and the plants they are extracted from are becoming more and more widely recognised, from the honey and lemon blend we sip to ease our sore throats to the eucalyptus we inhale to clear our sinuses.

Kasia Organic Salon offers a range of Apothecary Diffusion Blends and Essential Oils that will boost your immunity, freshen up stuffy homes, ward off those winter viruses and raise your mood.

KASIA WINTER WARMING BLEND

Combine the following essential oils: 10 drops of "Spiritual" cedarwood 25 drops of  "Cheerful" bergamot 10 drops of Kasia "Universal Healer"  Lavender You can use the Kasia Winter Warming Blend to make a massage oil, just dilute 4 drops of the blend in 1 ounce of vegetable oil. This blend must not be used topically on the skin if you are pregnant or are going to use a sun bed within 12 hours (bergamot sensitizes the skin to UV light). The Winter Warming Blend can also be diffused into the air, use 3 drops diluted in a small amount of water.

KASIA SORE THROAT GARGLE

To soothe a sore throat and combat infection add just 2 drops of lemon-scented tea tree pure essential oil to a glass of water, use as a gargle and then spit out. Do not swallow, essential oils must not be taken internally.

KASIA MOOD ELEVATING BLEND

1 drop of  "Warming" Cinnamon Leaf

2 drops of "Happy" orange

This zesty blend is perfect for use in a diffuser to elevate your mood and give you some zing.

Changing Views of The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

When I first started working with chemists 3 years ago, I was a proud signer of the  Safe Cosmetics Datatbase.   While I still stand by many of their articles, and much of there studies, I can see a common thread to many exposed thoughts around my field. You, and I must always thinking critically and empirically.  Who wrote it? What is the motive?  What is the backing of the research and other truth that surround it?

Yes, I DO believe cosmetics could and should be safer, and cosmetics labeling in the USA DO need more transparency. Safety can always be improved in any field, especially in the light of new scientific data, but SCA 2010 over-reaches what is needed to such an extent that, with the possible exception of distilled water, I cannot think of any cosmetic ingredient that would be acceptable under its terms.

Back from the Fall of the Roman Empire as the Grain Tax came from government, this is example of how the Government now rules the Free Market. This is how the "best for all mankind" will come into the personal care industry and regulate ALL and put many true capitalistic entrepreneurs OUT of business.

To bring in the other side, take your time to read about others comments on the .....

The Safe Cosmetics Act 2010

Read about Rober TIsserands Article Here

Quoted from Personal Care Truth Website: A Campaign Against Campaigns, Or One in Particular

The “Campaign for Safe Cosmetics” (CFSC) is a misnomer. It is NOT a campaign for safe cosmetics. It is a part of the political lobbying process engaged in by the Environmental Working Group, amongst others. In other words it is part of Ken Cook’s ragbag army of professional lobbyists (one of whom actually lobbies for an oil company), career  anarchists, and a large number of well-meaning, but naive, dreamers. They rely on misinformation, disinformation and downright lies in order to scare the ordinary consumer.

I find the existence of a campaign for SAFE cosmetics an abhorrent insult to the rest of the industry, as the implication is that, if you are not a signatory to this campaign, you neither care about the safety of cosmetic products and the products you produce may not be safe. There is an insufferable smugness about the CFSC – a “we are right, and everyone else is wrong” kind of attitude. It is unfortunate that, in fact, it is the CFSC that is wrong.

How can I make this bold claim?  Read the rest HERE.

What do you think? I would love to hear your view!

Do you really absorb up to 60% of what we apply to our skin?

I remember back to 3 years ago when the phrase "we  absorb up to 60% of what we apply to our skin” was just starting to be used among natural beauty pioneers that were health minded as well.   Through my Functional Medicine research at the time, I just knew that this had to be true. To bring this topic up is important to me, as we are finding a increasing number of women with dermis allergies and environmental health complications with the overload of product use.   So, let's back this up.

There is  research to show strong evidence that we do in fact absorb quite a bit of what is applied. Rates of skin absorption of contaminants in public drinking water were studied by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. The study found that the skin absorbed an average of 64% of the total contaminant dosage. In another study the face was found to be 2-6x more permeable than other body surfaces such as the torso, and underarms and genitalia to be even more permeable. In fact, the underarms and genitalia showed up to a 100% absorption estimate (Kasting, 2005).

The studies showed that absorption rate varies depending on the compound. Some examples include, caffeine, which is absorbed by the skin at 48% while DDT is absorbed at 10%. Alarmingly  fragrance ingredients, showed a 100% absorption rate (Robinson et al, 2000).

In any case regardless of actual percentage rates, it makes sense to know the ingredients in our skin care products so we know what we are applying and absorbing. Of course those of us at Kasia Organic Salon commit  to  the  choice of natural/organic  as it immediately cuts out artificial preservatives, fragrances and color compounds that are either suspected or confirmed to be harmful to us.

We suggest the following TOP 5 for your everyday Beautiful Health needs:

Pureoderant Kasia Natural Skin Care Jojoba Oil La Bella Donna Makeup Kasia Spicy Citrus and Weigh-less Organic Conditioner

Reference:  Vitale

Maintenance Free Kasia Dry Shampoo

Dry Shampoo is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to have the appearance of clean hair without investing the time necessary to achieve it. Let’s face it: washing hair takes time. It’s not just about spending the 2 minutes or so it takes to lather and rinse… once you get your hair wet, you then have to dry it, and in most cases, style it as well. This can become rather tedious day after day. Thankfully, you can skip all of those steps and save a lot of time by using a little-known product called dry shampoo.

Dry shampoo is a specially formulated powder that gives hair a clean appearance and fresh feeling. It absorbs the excess oil that leaves hair looking greasy between washings. All you have to do is apply the “shampoo” to your hair and then brush it through. The result is soft-looking, lightly fragranced hair and a few more days before you have to get out the liquid shampoo.

Another benefit of powder shampoo is that it adds some volume to your hair. Hair that hasn’t been washed for several days not only looks greasy but also rather lifeless. By brushing in some dry shampoo, volume is instantly created. A bit of dry shampoo can help give a little bit of body and create the illusion of freshly blow-dried hair. The fragrance can help mask smoke and sweat odors as well.

This type of shampoo is very convenient to use on oily hair in a pinch, but it is not a long-term substitute for washing your hair the traditional way with regular shampoo and water. It is intended only to extend the time between washings, not replace them. Most people need to wash their hair the regular way at least once per week, and on the days in between.

Stop in to Kasia Salon to try our new Kasia Dry Shampoo 3 oz.

Reference: Dry shampoo guide

The vicious cycle of Silica + SLS and your hair!

Are you experiencing dry hair?  Limp with excess frizz?Do your hair products contain Silica or sodium laurel sulphate (SLS)  ?

Does this sound familiar?  The cycle of hair washing goes like this........

• we shampoo our hair because it is dirty
• the SLS in the shampoo strips the hair and scalp of natural oils so both are dry and hair is flyaway or frizzy
• we use conditioner with silica to reduce the frizziness created by the SLS
• the silica builds up on our hair leaving it feeling a bit flat and dull looking
• and start all over again, never getting the results we want so change products always looking for something that will give us healthy, shiny hair

Well this is the  story of many of our new clients anyway!  When you invest in a good natural or organic shampoo & conditioner for at least a month, it can take time to really see results when moving away from SLS and silica. Regardless, do yourself a favor and ditch the sodium laurel sulphate.

The Kasia Team suggests:

Kasia Spicy Citrus Shampoo and Weigh-less Organic Conditioner

Free of petrochemicals, parabens, synthetics, and colors. Ideal for colored hair and suitable for all hair types.  We use simple “beautiful health” ingredients you can trust with your hair and body and safe for the whole family.

Why Kasia LOVES Jojoba Oil and how it benefits YOU!

An extract from the jojoba seed, the resultant oil is actually considered a wax ester rather than an oil. This is significant because unlike most oils (which have a myriad of different benefits), jojoba wax ester is the most similar to the sebum we naturally produce. This is significant for a number of reasons:

• Jojoba mixes with skin sebum and follows its pathways down to skin cell and skin matrix levels destroying bacteria, dissolving dried skin sebum and creating a deeply moisturising barrier across the skin that allows the transfer of gases and nutrients but holds moisture in.
• It supports the acid mantle of the skin and by doing so can trick the skin into thinking it is producing enough oil, thereby balancing out oil production.
• It is non-comedogenic and so suitable for combination skin and dry acne as well as normal to dry skin types.
• It spreads easily on the skin and absorbs well.

Like anything else, too much of a good thing can be a problem so ideally use no more than 10 drops on the skin…more may increase oil shine due to the skins inability to absorb any excess.

A few excellent uses for jojoba oil:

• Moisturizer – After dispensing any facial moisturizer onto your palm, try adding a few drops  of jojoba oil to make it into a super moisturizer. Flakiness will subside and the moisturizer will have an improved feel on your skin.
• Make-up remover – Since jojoba oil is not an eye irritant, nor allergenic, you can use it to remove eye makeup. It also easily removes foundation, blush, and lipstick.
• Lip balm – use jojoba oil as a lip balm -  put a few drops on your finger and apply to my lips. Lots of lip balms tend to contain comedogenic (clogs pores) ingredients, so jojoba oil is a nice alternative. This is especially nice at night because, excuse the grossness, but if you tend to slobber when you sleep whatever you put on your lips will come into contact with your face. Jojoba oil is great for this purpose. As a side note, if you need major help with dry lips
• Hair conditioner – You can mix a few drops of jojoba oil into your current conditioner or use it on its own. You can also add it to damp hair before drying. Also, you can add it to dry hair to promote shine. Jojoba oil also moisturizes the scalp, helping prevent dandruff.
• Shave prep – Put a whole bunch of jojoba oil on your beard area beneath your shaving cream (lather from Acne.org cleanser or other non-comedogenic shaving cream) for a more comfortable shave. This helps prevent razor burn and leaves your skin feeling nice and soft.
• For an intensive hair treatment, massage into scalp and hair and leave overnight. A weekly jojoba treatment in hair will help prevent lice infestation and leave hair strong, silky and shiny while minimizing split-ends.

Apply jojoba to face, body, hands and feet to smooth skin and nails, reduce cracking of dry skin, and improve skin elasticity. When pregnant, apply jojoba to stomach and breasts to improve skin elasticity and help avoid stretch marks.

Our team especially recommends blending Kasia Apothecary Essential Oils with our Jojoba oil for therapeutic effects or personalized perfume blends!