Scent of Summer

We all know that smell...its the scent of summer. It usually consists of chlorine, fresh cut grass and sunscreen. But there may be things lurking in your drug store sunscreen that aren’t so nice. Aside from parabens, which we all know are bad  because they are chemicals that harm your body; there are little teeny tiny particles called Nano-particles. Nano-particles are one-twentieth the thickness of a human hair. They are most commonly found in over the counter sunscreen products that contain zinc oxide. Some researches say that the presence of nano-particles when mixed with water and UV rays can generate free radicals. Since some skin cancers are linked to damage done to the skin by free radicals, this is a major cause for concern. Free radical formation is also the primary cause for aging. Although research on this topic is still in the early stages, it’s enough for us to believe that something more should be done to protect our skin from harsh UV rays.

We have created a sunscreen that is non-nano. This means that none of the particles in our sunscreen enter the blood stream, unlike a sunscreen that has nano-particles. The air you breathe when spraying sunscreens that contain nano-particles becomes unsafe; damaging sensitive lung tissue and destroying cells. Luckily, our sunscreen allows you to breathe in and out without the fear of inhaling toxins. So even though it may take a few summers to detox from the traditional “scent of summer,” the health benefits of using non-nano sunscreen will prevail.  

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New Cancer Risk!

New Cancer Risk: Are Parabens the New BPA?

December 19, 2013 By Melissa Rayworth

How dangerous are parabens, and should we avoid them?

Women are likely getting a steady dose of parabens through the use of common personal care products such as body lotions, makeup, and cleansers, according to a new study. Babies and toddlers are likely to be absorbing even more.

Use of these products, by the researchers' analysis, would expose infants and toddlers to a maximum 766 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. That's about three times more than the amount adult women are believed to be exposed to—which is alarming because women were previously believed to be absorbing the highest levels of the chemical.

This comes in the wake of research published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology exploring the potential link between parabens and breast cancer; the research found traces of parabens in 158 of 160 breast tissue samples taken from 40 women being treated for breast cancer.

That research, released in 2012, noted that parabens were present in the breast tissue of every woman in the study—including those who did not use any "underarm cosmetics." That suggests that avoiding chemical deodorants and antiperspirants, once considered a useful way of keeping parabens from leaching into your body, isn’t enough.

What Makes Parabens Scary?

So parabens appear in a huge range of products. Scan your stash of makeup, lotions, cleansers, and shampoos: You'll probably see words like "methylparaben" and "propylparaben" in the ingredients lists.

Yet, avoiding them is becoming increasingly easy: Paraben-free skin-care options for grown-ups and babies are now common, and new ones are frequently hitting the market.

You can be assured that parabens are NOT in any of our products! We strive to keep our ingredient list short, healthy & vegan! 

Why Exfoliating Is SO Important!

Let's start with the basics. Most people are completely in the dark when it comes to exfoliation.

What is skin exfoliation? Exfoliation is the removal of dry/dead skin cells on the surface of your skin.

How do I know if I need to exfoliate my skin? Try the tape test-take a piece of clear tape and apply it to your forehead. Rub it gently and remove. Look at the tape-are there little pieces of flaky skin? If so, then you will benefit from skin exfoliation!

Why is exfoliating important? A regular exfoliating regimen can enhance your skins overall health and restore it's natural, beautiful glow.

The goal is to exfoliate as much as possible with the least amount of irritation. The skin needs a healthy boot but not everyday. As you age, your skin loses its natural ability to generate new skin cells and requires a boost to do so. This boost accelerates the shedding process of aging surface cells and stimulates collagen production that directly strengthens your skins cellular structure.  
Exfoliation is important for your skin because as you've read above, you skin can not do this alone. It is important to remember that too much of a good thing can wreak havoc on your beautiful face! Please don't over-do exfoliating. Your face will fight back by producing larger amounts of oil and become red and irritated. We know you just love our Halo Spa Exfoliating System but please only use it a few times a week.

The Effect of Sleep on Your Skin

New research at the University Hospitals Medical center in Cleveland, Ohio demonstrates that poor sleep quality impacts both skin function and signs of aging.

The study showed that poor sleepers had increased signs of skin aging and slower recovery from a variety of environmental stress factors, including disruption of the skin barrier and ultraviolet radiation.

Likewise, when asked to assess how they perceived their skin and complexion, poor sleepers also had a considerably worse opinion of their skin and facial appearance than those who did not have sleep issues.

This study is the first to conclusively demonstrate that inadequate sleep is correlated with reduced skin health and accelerated skin aging. Sleep deprived women show signs of premature skin aging and a decrease in their skin’s ability to recover after sun exposure.” Said Dr. Baron director of the Skin Study Center at UH Case Medical Center.

“Insufficient sleep has become a worldwide epidemic. While chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to medical problems such as obesity, diabetes, cancer and immune deficiency, its effects on skin function have previously been unknown."

The study results showed a significant difference in skin quality between volunteers reporting good quality sleep and those who reported poor, with the SCINEXA scoring system  skin aging assessment showing increased signs of intrinsic aging in individuals with poor sleep patterns – specifically a slackening of the skin and less elasticity.

The SCINEXA scoring system gives a lower score to better skin and the results showed that volunteers with good sleep patterns had an average score of 2.2 compared to those with poor sleep patterns who scored an average of 4.4. Likewise, the research also found that those individuals with good sleep patterns recovered quicker from environmental stress factors to the skin such as sun burn, with the study also showing the moisture retention was around 30 percent more efficient in individuals with good sleep as compared to poor sleepers.

First proof that poor sleep affects skin aging

“this research shows for the first time, that poor sleep quality can accelerate signs of skin aging and weaken the skin’s ability to repair itself at night,” said Dr. Daniel Yarosh.

“these connections between sleep and skin aging, now supported with solid scientific data, will have a profound effect on how we study skin and its functions. We see these findings as yet another way we can direct our scientific research toward the real needs of our customers who want to look their best.

Avocado Oil

With all the latest buzz surrounding coconut oil and it's wonderful health benefits, we have done some digging to bring you yet ANOTHER natural source of healing and beauty: avocado oil. What if we told you, that you could reduce cellular damage, reduce inflammation, boost antioxidant absorption by 400%, decrease body fat AND protect your liver? Wouldn't that be enough incentive to take another look at this simple yet amazing cooking oil? We think so! Cooking oil may not come to mind when you think about inflammation, but it should. In fact, the types of fats and oils you use every day have a big impact on the level of inflammation in your body.
Avocado oil fights inflammation and protects the heart from the daily stress it encounters. If you want to protect your heart and reduce physical aging, then your first priority should be to reduce inflammation. Many common cooking oils – like vegetable oil, safflower oil, corn oil and other so called “healthy” oils – increase the inflammatory factors associated with most chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s. Enter avocado oil. Boasting high levels monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) – the fats associated with the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet – avocado oil helps to reduce harmful levels of inflammation in the body.But the MUFAs don’t deserve all the credit. Avocado oil also contains high levels of oleic acid, carotenoids, lutein, vitamin E and phytosterols that combat inflammation too. And if you’re concerned about heart disease and stroke, there’s another way avocado oil can help. 
The phytosterols in avocado oil help to lower total and LDL cholesterol levels. But avocado oil doesn’t just help reduce cholesterol, it also protects cholesterol, which is far more important. You see, healthy cholesterol isn’t the cause of heart disease. It is damaged or oxidized cholesterol that increases the risk of dangerous plaques that lead to heart attack and stroke. A recent study of more than 3,000 men and women found that enjoying a MUFA-rich diet can help reduce damaged cholesterol by almost 20%. 
Avocado oil can also help to get rid of stubborn belly fat and fight diabetes. Belly fat is the annpyance for many of us, not to mention a big risk factor for chronic diseases including diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and cancers. Belly fat is an ugly symptom of a diet rich in carbohydrates and sugars. After eating these foods, blood sugar rises, triggering the production of insulin. The job of insulin is to escort sugar out of the bloodstream and into the muscles, where it can be used for energy. But once the muscle cells have had their fill, sugar gets stored somewhere else – in your fat cells! Yikes!


So if this was enough to spark your interest, read more at http://healinggourmet.com/article/avocado-oil-the-healthiest-cooking-oil-youre-not-using-yet-853 and see how you can experience the benefits of this simple cooking oil, today! 

Spring Awakening

Spring. It's finally here. Where you live however, it may feel more like December but according to the calender, spring has officially arrived! So let's take some time to revisit our recent past; whether it be regarding your New Years resolutions or goals you had set for yourself this year. We are now four months into the year of 2013. We all started this year with new goals, new ideas and new prospects. We all started at the same place. Our 2013 all started at the same time. So here's a question: are you where you wanted to be? When you made your resolution, or promise to yourself, are you still honoring that? Have you already achieved it? It seems like the momentum slowly fades away after the holidays. Right after January 1st, the gyms and local yoga studios are jam packed with people trying to shed the extra weight for the fast approaching swim season. Come April however, it is the regular gym rats and yogi's that are still going strong. So the question remains: are you one of them?

Spring cleaning can mean so much more then cleaning your closet, car or garden. It can mean de-cluttering your mind and sprit as well. We can all agree that we feel lighter and freer when we clean out a messy drawer or donate unwanted clothes to charity. Something else feels a little lighter too-your soul and guiding inner light. As Americans, we are constantly on the go. Kids, careers, school, activities, hobbies and family all  keep our minds and bodies going at a constant speed of 120mph. So slow it down for a second. Remember your resolution or self promise and get back on track. Spring clean your mind. Take a yoga class. Paint a picture. Try eating vegan for a day. Do something that gets you back to you and in touch with the most important person in your life: you. At the end of the day, all you have is this body and this mind. So why not make it as sharp, aware and clean as you can? Spring clean your mind and the rest will follow. It can be as simple as meditating for ten minutes in the morning before the chaos begins. Just make it yours. Be selfish. Be your own advocate. Most importantly, honor the promise you made to yourself back when the winds were cold and the snow covered the earth. Reawaken your spirit like the earth reawakens every spring. Be bright, full of life and full of new hope. Happy spring! 

Detox Time

For some, the word alone strikes up an uneasy feeling of starvation and deprivation. So let's start small...with something that is easy, relaxing, and only takes 40 minutes of your time. A detox bath. Detox baths have been used for thousands of years to rid the body of toxins and chemicals that may be bogging you down. A detox bath also absorbs minerals and nutrients that are in the water. Best of all, it will leave you feeling awakened and refreshed. So here's what you'll need:

1.) 40 minutes devoted to relaxation. The first 20 minutes of soaking remove the toxins from your body and the next 20 minutes are for absorbing the minerals in the water. Light some soy candles and play a little soothing music. Turn your bathroom into your own personal, private spa.

2.) A bathtub full of comfortably hot water.

3.) Add Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Soaking in Epsom salts actually helps replenish the body’s magnesium levels, combating hypertension. The sulfate flushes toxins and helps form proteins in brain tissue and joints. Epsom salt is very inexpensive and can be purchased at grocery stores or pharmacies. Add 2 cups of Epsom salt to your warm water.

4.) Add 1 to 2 cups or more of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Baking soda is known for its cleansing ability and even has anti-fungal properties. It also leaves skin very soft.

5.) Add ground ginger or fresh ginger tea. While this step is optional, ginger can increase your heat levels, helping to sweat out toxins. However, since it is heating to the body, it may cause your skin to turn slightly red for a few minutes, so be careful with the amount you add. Depending on the capacity of your tub, and your sensitivity, anywhere from 1 tablespoon to 1/3 cup can be added. Most people sweat profusely with the addition of the ginger, and if you wrap your body in a blanket immediately after getting out of the tub, you can continue to detoxify through perspiration for another couple of hours. This is especially beneficial if you are trying to rid the body of a bug of some sort, like the flu, or a cold.

6.) Add aromatherapy oils. Again optional, but many people love the fragrance of such oils and for many, the oils have particular therapeutic properties to take advantage of. There are many oils that will make the bath an even more pleasant and relaxing experience (such as lavender and ylang ylang), as well as those that will assist in the detoxification process (tea tree oil or eucalyptus). Around 20 drops is sufficient for a standard bath.

7.) Swish all of the ingredients around in the tub, then soak. Again, 40 minutes is recommended (the longer the better), but aim for at least 20. You should start sweating within the first few minutes. Remember-you are detoxifying!

8.) Get out of the tub slowly and carefully. Your body has been working hard and you may get lightheaded or feel weak and drained. On top of that, the salts make your tub slippery, so stand slowly with care.

9.) Drink plenty of water. Any time your body detoxes (after this type of bath, a massage, or chiropractic work, for example), you need to flush out toxins. If you don't, you will likely feel sick afterwards. This is a very important step!

10.) Enjoy the benefits! Detox baths have many health benefits:

-Improved heart health and circulation

-Improved ability for the body to use insulin, reducing the incidence or severity of diabetes

-Flushed toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances

-Improved nerve function by electrolyte regulation. Also, calcium is the main conductor for electrical current in the body, and magnesium is necessary to maintain proper calcium levels in the blood.

-Relieved stress. Excess adrenaline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation.

-Reduced inflation to relieve pain and muscle cramps.

-Improved oxygen use.

-Improved absorption of nutrients.

-Improved formation of joint proteins, brain tissue and mucin proteins.

-Prevention or easing of migraine headaches.

 Remember: Do not take a hot bath or a detox bath if you are pregnant, or have heart, kidney, or any other health issues. As with any application of essential oils, be aware of the properties of the oils and any contra-indications (things that might bring about harm) for your particular conditions.

If you are overall healthy and wish to improve your health and detox your body of chemicals and impurities, get soaking!