Eating Your Way to Healthy Skin

I am turning 40 this year. And one of my biggest birthday “resolutions” made back on December 2nd (my actual birthday) was to be in the best shape ever on the big day. So I am doing tons of research on how I can take better care of myself – how I can add more veggies and fruits to my diet, how I can reduce my own fine lines and wrinkles – as well as adding in a much bigger dose of exercise and willpower:-)

What I am finding is that there is a lot you can do to improve your diet that will actually help your skin. Eating tomatoes for example provides a healthy does of anti-oxidants from the inside which is good for your skin and body. Bell peppers contain a lot of good things including folic acid which helps your body to produce new, healthy cells everywhere. Click here to read about some other pro-skin foods and a few yummy recipes to boot!

Facial Fitness – Looking Your Best Naturally

In the Bellanina Facelift Massage, an esthetician or massage therapist does facial massage to help improve the muscle tone. But what can you do at home to improve your skin with facial massage or exercises? In just a couple of weeks, we will be unveiling a new treatment and product at Inspire for at home use that can make a huge difference in those fun things called fine lines and wrinkles. But no matter what machine, product or service you use at home or in the spa, regular self-care is the key. That is why I wanted to go ahead and share some ideas on facial exercises and fitness to help get you started.

As your eyes are the window to your emotions, spirit and personality, they are a good place to start. Click here to check out a couple of eye exercises I found on www.ShapeYourFace.com. I also found a few free exercises at www.CarolynsFacialFitness.com. The one I have already tried is the Neck Firming Exercise. I have been a long-time believer that a lot of the cause of drooping chins/necks (the waggle as they called it on Ally McBeal back in the 90’s) is from tight connective tissue in the neck. This exercise definitely stretches that tissue or fascia while toning the muscles in the front of the neck.

Just like exercising your body, your face won’t be in shape with just one session or treatment of any type. Be consistent in what you do and you will see results!

Spa at Home – More Beauty in Your Kitchen

I just ran across this great article on various foods you can use for skin and hair care at home. Many of these same foods are the basis for the beauty products available at Inspire and other salons. As I’ve been finding these various recipes, I’ve been trying them at home which has actually been kind of fun. It’s sort of like being back in elementary school, making mud pies or other totally inedible concoctions from berries and seeds I found outside. I get to be creative – just like I do in cooking – and then test out my concoctions like I did with my amateur chemistry set in the third grade.

In all the fun I am having I do have to say there is one caveat…some of these at home treatments are really messy! Take the body scrub I made the other day out of used coffee grounds. I am not a big fan of coffee smell alone so I added some powdered ginger and allspice to it. Once I had that mixed up I added some grape-seed oil to part of the batch (and I admit it – hair conditioner – to the other.) If I do it again I will add them to my shower gel instead.

Anyway, the oil mix was oily – go figure – and potentially a little dangerous in the shower. The other worked out a bit better in my opinion. But they were both really messy! Obviously the grounds released a dark, oh I don’t know, coffee colored tinge onto my skin which I wasn’t crazy about. And when it was time to rinse of the coffee scrub, it was really tough to get it all off AND out of the shower.

I am not sure how crazy my husband would be if I used that scrub all the time. But I will say, my skin felt great, and I am considering taking the next step and doing an at home coffee-ground body wrap on myself to combat that ever present c-e-l-l-u-l-i-t-e. Click here to watch a quick video about using coffee grounds as a hand or foot scrub. I tried this too and really like being able to do it over the kitchen sink and disposal.

Spa Person of the Year? Inspire Owner Felicia Brown is in the Running!

                                                     
 Back in June of this year, while I was teaching at a conference in Poland, I got word that I had been awarded Spa Person of the Month by the Day Spa Association. I was shocked beyond belief, but obviously thrilled to be given such an amazing honor.

Well now the time has come for the Spa Person of the Year to be selected from those of us who received the “Of the Month” award in 2008. I would greatly appreciate any support I can get and hope that our blog readers and clients will cast their votes for me. Please click here to visit the online ballot and select your choice for Spa Person of the Year! The award will be presented in Las Vegas in March 2009 at the Day Spa Expo. It is an incredible honor to be given by the industry’s clients, professionals and mentors. Past recipients include a number of people I look up to and respect including Douglas Preston, Skip WIlliams and Katie Armitage.  Here’s hoping that lady luck (and a lot of votes) are on my side:-)

Felicia’s Recipe for Warming Sweet and Spicy Honey Body Scrub

This is the recipe I shared on FOX8 Morning News on December 10th. Enjoy!
1/2 cups honey
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup kosher salt

Warming Sweet & Spicy Honey Body Scrub

Mix all ingredients in a bowl adjusting salt and oil amount if needed to make the scrub thicker or thinner. Take finished mixture into shower and use all over legs and arms for a warming, exfoliation. To increase the detoxifying effects of the ginger, do a complete dry brushing on your body before you take a shower. Your skin will feel smoother and you will feel the warming effects throughout the day.

Are you ready to Be Inspired?

Welcome to Inspire’s first blog column! The Skin Care and Massage Therapy Experts of Inspire are so excited to be able to share our ongoing thoughts and discoveries about health, beauty, wellness, skin care, and simply getting the best out of life with our clients and friends. We invite you to share your own ideas and questions here at Be Inspired and look forward to the conversation!

Please check back often for new information and resources for total mind/body health. And please feel free to share this blog with others so they can Be Inspired!