Love is in the air!

Valentine's day is a week away. It got me thinking about self love... which I have talked about before.

Self love affects our skin health, our emotional health and our overall sense of well-being.

If you are stressed out or having a lot of emotions come up, it can show up on your skin a week later.

It definitely does for me.

I'll get a break out and I know it is directly related to how I was feeling the week before.

Which is a good reminder to know that even in the moment the uncomfortable feelings and pain might seem like it is going go on forever. But those feelings DO pass.

What would make you love your skin?

A new facial product?

A nice long facial massage?

A hot bath with a facial mask on?

I give you permission to have some chocolate and red wine for your skin. They are anti-oxidants after all!

As always...

Live in Beauty,

Sasha

This or That?

If you asked me to choose between Lymphatic Drainage Facials and Microdermabrasion, I would say, "Why not both?"

So, instead of having to choose between one or the other, I invite you to give yourself the gift of ALL of the choices that feel good to you.

You can have it all.

Can't decide between a massage or facial? Book me for both.

But if you DID have to decide, reply with which self care choices you would make from the image below.

Book an appointment, to have it all.

Support your Local Nano-Business

I was riding my bike doing errands when I passed a sign that said, “Facial $79.49.”

Places that have low prices advertised add on for every item. But, in the end you end up potentially paying more for the same services; and, that gets under my skin (pun intended).

This dilutes the market and makes it so services that a nano-business esthetician or massage therapist is not valued. 

I can do an excellent custom one hour facial for $95. That includes an enzyme exfoliant, facial massage, head massage and hand massage. I don’t charge extra for the extra TLC. 

That’s my two cents! Take it or leave it.

Why support a local small business or better yet Nano-businesses?

• Local businesses are more likely to utilize other local businesses such as banks, service providers, and farms.

• For every $100 you spend at local businesses, $68 will stay in the community.

• Independent retailers return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales to the community in which they operate than chain competitors. Independent restaurants return more than two times as much money per dollar of sales than national restaurant chains.

• Small businesses employ 77 million Americans and accounted for 65% of all new jobs over the past 17 years.  

Support Local Small Businesses

Peels: Less is Better.

I think it is interesting that all of the peels are called Chemical peels. They are made from fruit. The sugars from fruit make up the chemicals!

Chemical peels can be light, medium or deep. Differentiating between the peels depends on the ingredients and their percentage that are used. This is a method where a solution, usually and acid, is applied to the skin for a certain period of time. The solution penetrates into the upper most layers of skin creating the skin cells to peel off naturally. When you remove skin cells, the skin makes new cells.

By removing the upper layers of the epidermis you are creating small wounds that the skin repairs. By doing that, you are replacing old cells with new cells. When you slough off the old cells, it can help to remove sun damage, scarring, and fine lines. Of course, as with anything, one peel is not going to magically make everything go away.

I always use the analogy that working on your skin is like exercise for your body. The better you take care of it and the more consistent you are with getting facials and peels, the better results you will have.

There is a caveat to peeling the skin, one in Colorado in particular: most of us are outside all year round! So, that needs to be taken into consideration, if you decide you want to start receiving peel treatments. You do not want to do anything other than a light peel if you are going to be outside after.

Being an outdoor person, I will do light peels on myself and ride my bike a day later. But, I apply sunscreen every two hours.

I think that aggressive peeling can be done in short increments; but, you don’t want to be doing them all of the time.

Light peels can be “glycolic acid peels, AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) chemical peels, beta hydroxy acids, or salicylic acid chemical peels. Glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) that occurs naturally in sugar cane, is the most common ingredient of light chemical peels.” -https://www.docshop.com › chemical-peel › type-light.

The www.docshop.com also says AHA chemical peels often contain:

• Glycolic acid (extracted from sugar cane)

• Lactic acid (extracted from milk)

• Malic acid (extracted from pears and apples)

• Citric acid (extracted from oranges and lemons)

• Tartaric Acid ( extracted from grapes)

“A medium chemical peel removes skin cells from the epidermis and from portions of the upper part of your middle layer of skin (dermis). It's used to treat wrinkles, acne scars and uneven skin tone.” -https://www.mayoclinic.org › about › pac-20393473

Medium chemical peels often contain:

• TCA (trichloroacetic acid)

• Higher percentage of glycolic acid, retinol and/or salicylic acid

• Pumpkin enzyme

Practicing in the scope of my license, I can’t go any deeper than medium.

7 Reasons why YOU need an esthetician in your life.

1. ADVICE. You would never take advice on your skin from your car mechanic… and vis a vis…. you would never take car advice from your esthetician. Estheticians are licensed professionals and we study skin anatomy and physiology. Having a deep understanding of this knowledge allows an esthetician to have the ability to recognize when you need to see a dermatologist, when an esthetician needs to see you, as well as optimizing your facials to best suit your skins needs.

2. PROFESSIONAL PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. I am a product nerd and love knowing about all of the ingredients in the products I sell and use. I can recommend the best products for you to achieve your skin care goals at home.

3. WELLNESS AND STRESS RELEASE. All my facials include at least one stress relieving technique such as gua sha massage, lymph drainage, or led light therapy.

4. MEDICAL FACIALS. Microderm abrasion, micro-current, LED light, nano needling, and lymphatic drainage are all specialized medical modalities that help your skin be at its optimal health.

5. BEING AN EDUCATIONAL PARTNER. I continue my education so that I can pass on the most up to date research and information in the esthetics world.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE. With both services and products that fit what you as the client need, I am here to help guide you in caring for your skin. You can ask me anything about your skin. I will do my best to give informed advice.

7. FRIENDS FOREVER. The bond we create while you are on the table goes beyond skin care and towards self care. Allowing yourself this time to nurture your skin not only helps you look younger, it keeps you feeling younger as stress and worry falls away. Our connection is important to me.

LED Light Facials

As a holistic skin therapist, I am always looking for modalities and products that help your body, skin, and face work at its optimal level in producing collagen and elastin.

This is why I chose my new piece of equipment.

The LED Light combined with the radio frequency help to firm up tissue.

Deep relaxation helps alleviate the stress of our modern world. Which in turn, helps to slow down the aging process.

Low grade everyday stress does cause the body to produce a stress hormone called cortisol. The body produces this as a natural response to stress.

Unfortunately, elevated levels of cortisol can cause aging of the skin such as fine lines and reduced immunity in the skin.

Not only am I using this modality, I also have created a very relaxing facial. Check out the video below to see what I have created for all of you.

I love creating new facials to keep your skin looking fresh and your cortisol levels low.

What is LED Light Therapy?

I use a skin safe, professional grade LED that also does radio frequency and ultrasound.

This low level light uses different colors and wavelengths to enter the skin at different depths.

Benefits of LED Light Therapy:

• Eases fine lines

• Makes the skin softer

• Stimulates skin cells called fibroblasts which help make collagen

• Collagen is important for healing wounds and keeps our skin bouncy and youthful looking

• Eases inflammation and redness

• Helps with acne

• Can help with pigmentation

Why I Became an Esthetician

I feel like people always ask me, “Did you have to go to school to do what you do?”

I started my college career at CSU thinking I wanted to be in the fashion world. As much as I loved fashion and clothes, the industry did not want to help people.

And, I always wanted to help people.

I have had this fascination with anatomy and physiology specifically the skin and why the skin does what it does.

In the 90s, I was working at the Oxford Spa as a massage therapist.

This amazing esthetician named Aya gave me my first facial introducing me to the world of esthetics.

And, I fell in love with it.

After six months practicing massage therapy, I realized I wanted to become an esthetician.

I went to Front Range Community College in Boulder for a year while working full time.

I did massage and esthetician work at Oxford. Then I got a job at Essentials and worked there for 17 years before I went out on my own.

Running my own business, I not only give facials, I offer lash extensions, lifts and tinting. I do sugaring. I am learning to make my own products. I enjoy coming up with new treatments to revitalize the skin and create a deep sense of relaxation for my clients.

Heated hand mitts with hot stones.

PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS -vs- Over the Counter Products

Why use Professional Products vs Over The Counter.

What is the difference between $40 moisturizers and $10 products?

The over the counter products are made in large batches.

This means they are made for the mass market and general consumption.

The products are intentionally made to have a lower risk of irritation and in doing that they have a much lower amount of actual effective ingredients in them.

In a nutshell, they have less active ingredients and more filler.

This reduces the cost but also reduces the effectiveness and quality.

For example, ULTA sells a hyaluronic acid serum where the hyaluronic acid is listed as the 11th ingredient. This means it doesn’t have a very high concentration. *Denatured alcohol is the 3rd ingredient.

One of the hyaluronic acid serums I carry has it is the 5th ingredient. And, it is way cleaner. With less preservatives and more hydrating ingredients. It has aloe and jojoba oil. And, it is also a plant based hyaluronic acid.

Having a licensed esthetician, who you see regularly, can help you choose the right products. A professional can also help you determine what product will help you address specific skin issues.

PS I am a skin ingredient nerd. If you have questions about ingredients and what they do, please email me.

A quick reminder about sun safety🌞

We are in the height of summer and I don’t know about you guys; but, I start to get little lazy about wearing sunscreen.

“Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. UV rays are an invisible kind of radiation that comes from the sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells.” -https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/sun-safety.htm

UV rays are strongest from 10 am to 4 pm.

Protection from UV rays is important all year, not just during the summer.

Sunscreen is the obvious way to protect your skin from the sun.

I like to use the hydro-peptide, Solar Defense, tinted SPF 30 for my face. And, for my body I like ALBA sport 45, because I think you should save your money for your facial sunscreen and use the lesser expensive on the body.

Some other ways to protect yourself from sun exposure is to:

• Stay in the shade

• Wear UV clothing whenever possible

• Wear a hat when hiking or walking

• Use sunglasses to protect your eyes

Check the UV index especially in Colorado. Because we get a lot of sun exposure here. And, cloudy skies are not a free pass to not apply sunscreen.

Not getting enough VIT D is also NOT a reason the skip sunscreen.

And, don’t think you can skip the sunscreen because you are sitting inside working on the computer all day.

Our devices emit short wave blue light rays which are very damaging to the skin.

I’d like to end with some good news with skin cancer rates.

Coloradans can congratulation themselves. We have fallen to the bottom of the list for skin cancer.

So, we are doing something right.

Moisture Vs Hydration

MOISTURE VS HYDRATION

Everyone wants hydrated and moisturized skin.

But, what is the difference?

A lot of us think those words are interchangeable. They’re not. They mean two different things.

Water helps skin stay healthy, smooth and radiant. Drinking water is still the best way to hydrate the skin.

Hydration is also achieved by absorbing the water in your environment.

If your skin is dehydrated, it lacks water and must be hydrated.

If you have dry skin, it means it is lacking OIL and means it must be moisturized. (A facial can determine which one or possibly both that you may have.)

You may want to use a moisturizer and a lovely facial oil like the Blossom facial oil i just created.

Using a hydrator for the skin like hyaluronic acid, my favorite, or a product with aloe & honey are ingredients that pull moisture from the environment into the skin. These are called humectants.

Facial oils help to seal in other ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, when applied on top of serums and moisturizers. 

Facial oils are not humectants… not mega face moisturizers, instead they seal the skin, forming a protective layer.

REMEMBER: Moisturizers help with hydration levels in the skin and Facial Oils help keep that moisture in.

A facial oil can be tremendously helpful for people living in dry climates such as Colorado.

As always.

Live in Beauty,

Sasha

Crabapple blossom in my neighborhood