Pop Up Beauty | The Salon That Travels to Anywhere You Are

Sun

Smoking

Alcohol

Did you think I’d hold back and try and lead you in to some big sell on a great new product?? Wrong! I’ve been in this business for over 25 years and it is just not my style. What I have noticed over the years how things have gone from selling hope in a bottle to well, pushing hope in a bottle by any means possible, down people’s necks…And, I still say, it’s not my style. You can also decide, as most people do, how you decide to perceive this information, but the facts are facts so, here’s is the honest to goodness low down on the three things that will age you quicker than anything else.

Sunshine

Yes, I know, that you enjoy sipping a margarita by the pool with friend is great fun, but it will age you after 20 minutes, unless you have pretty sallow or dark skin (these guys get all the luck when it comes to sun bathing without damaging skin). I don’t want to be a party pooper and I know lying on the lylo is the most important part of a holiday for most Brits and Irish, but seriously……think of the skin damage people! Thing is, after your skin has turned a slightly pink shade and you’ve absorbed all the Vitamin D that you need and it is more beneficial start covering up that face, hair and body if you want to glow well into your twilight years. Now, please do not think that I am any different to anyone else on the planet. When I go on holiday, I am certainly not getting out of the sun after 20 minutes. It’s just a reminder to keep the sun cream on. So, it’s too much that is not good for your ok?

Protect Your Eyes

This is as easy as popping a pair of sunglasses on. There’s no doubt you will look a lot more sophisticated and you definitely do not want those eyes to become swollen and puffy from too much sun. It’s not a good look people!

Protect Your Kissable Lips

You definitely want to put some some sort of chap stick on. When purchasing one, look for a natural brand that also offers some sunscreen protection. For the record, you are better off putting olive oil on (even though it has no sunscreen) than using Vaseline, which is a petroleum based product and not one you want on your lips. Even though it feels good, there’s a downside to using these products laden with chemicals that you definitely don’t want near your mouth.

Protect your Hair

The hair is another area that you most definitely want to keep under wraps when in the sun. Particularly for those with bleached hair colours. If possible, keep your tresses firmly fixed under a stylish beach hat. If the idea of a hat on the beach drives your mad then definitely consider a leave in conditioner. Paying attention to the small things will definitely save your lots of time and costly trips to the salon afterwards to put right the damage that the sun can do.

Protect that Beauty Face and God Given Bod

Protect Your Face and Body by applying a natural, good quality, high factor sun screen every few hours. If you’ve decided to go for dip in the pool or sea, then pop on another layer. You’d be amazed how a quickly those rays burn it off.

Smoking

This one seems obvious doesn’t it! Many smokers couldn’t give a hoot about the ageing aspects of this bad habit. Like most things, when you are in the firm grip of an addiction, how you look is really the last thing you are thinking about. However, when it does matter, as you are getting older and you are keen to grasp at anything to wipe away the years, then it is too late. The damaging effects of the myriad of chemicals will most definitely have done the damage at this stage. If you are interested in looking your best well into your 40’s, 50’s and 60’s then look to giving this non nourishing habit the boot. There are so may helpful sites on the Internet, including many reputable programmes run by government agencies that are there to help you kick the habit. If you are serious about letting go of the need to light up, then look around for those people who want to help you. They’re not cool, it’s not pretty and they definitely do not serve you in any way that is health enhancing. Let go and grow!

Alcohol

Ah, this is a tricky one. Being Irish and currently living in Ireland, it is definitely a toughie. When everything is based around alcohol, from christenings to funerals, it is definitely completely accepted as normal nowadays. This may seem like a harmless way to celebrate, but I can tell you one thing, there is nothing beautifying about it. I can hear all the arguments now and yes, the French do drink wine, but not normally in the volumes that some other societies do and they don’t usually save up their weekly quota and get blitzed all in one go. It takes the liver about 1 to 2 hours to deal with and detoxify one standard drink measure. So, 3, 4 and even more on a regular basis, is a pretty tall ask. Alcohol will seriously dehydrate the body and while I am not becoming a total party pooper and saying “Don’t Enjoy a Drink”, I am saying to hydrate in between rounds. The French drink one glass of wine with many glasses of water, to rehydrate. This is one of the secrets to minimising it’s effect. The best way to view alcohol is as a sponge that mops up all the moisture from your body so, if you can get to view it this way, when you are next ordering your favourite tipple, order a larger glass of water to go with what you’re having yourself!

Well, that’s it from this podium. If you know anyone who would benefit from reading this post, the share the love!

Enjoy taking care of yourself.

Ruth.

Beautifying Wheatgrass

Don’t judge it until you’ve tried it! You know that most things in life that are incredibly good for you, don’t always taste the best….in the beginning anyway. If I told you that you might actually get to like this substance, would you believe me? Alright, like might be too strong a word, but how about tolerate? Better? Wheatgrass was one of these little substances that took me a while to get used to. I found it bitter and just way to grassy for my liking. Even today when I take wheatgrass, and I do regularly, I think it’s the closest I will ever feel to understanding what a cow’s life must be like….without needing the 4 stomachs to digest it. However, I found it a lot easier to stomach (pardon the pun!) wwhen i found out just how anti aging this little green wonder berry is.

What is Wheatgrass?

A little information about this berry. It is grown from the wheat berry, which is the whole kernel of the wheat grain, so while it might have a similar appearance to lawn grass (see daisy above), in truth it is far from it. Wheatgrass is the young shoots from the berry that has been watered and nurtured for approximately a 10 day period. In order to extract the nutrients, the wheatgrass will need to be run through a juicer called a masticating or auger juicer to get all the available nutrients out and to make these nutrients available for the human body. Wheatgrass, can be tolerated by those with wheat allergies because the gluten, which is the protein in wheat that causes the allergic reaction, changes during the sprouting process and the protein that was in the original seed is no longer in the grass blade and therefore can be tolerated by people with wheat/gluten sensitivities. Some people people who have been diagnosed as coeliacs are not prepared to try it just in case, but research points to the fact that it is safe to drink because it does not contain gluten.

Wheatgrass has been around for a long time, but it was through Dr. Ann Wigmore in the 1940’s a health pioneer,  who uncovered it’s benefits when using it to help people with serious health challenges. Dr. Wigmore passed away in 1994 but if you would like to find out more about Dr. Wigmore and her legacy you can visit http://www.annwigmore.org or http://www.annwigmore.com . Suffice to say that almost anyone who is interested in the benefits of wheatgrass or sprouting, has come across the name Dr. Ann Wigmore. Her legacy is wide and far reaching.

The Benefits of Wheatgrass

Looking at the following list if might seem obvious that everyone should be consuming wheatgrass daily to their get their dose of vitamins and mineral, but they are not. I hope that the following will go some way to helping you understand a little about why it would be incredibly beneficial for you to start taking this green drink.

Wheatgrass is reported to have the following benefits:

• Be one of the richest sources of Vitamins A and C
• Contains a full spectrum of B vitamins including B17, which has been accredited to destroying cancer cells but without affecting normal cells
• Provides organic iron to the blood which helps improve circulation
• Contains 92 of 102 trace minerals
• Very rich in chlorophyll, a powerful detoxifying agent
• Helps to purify the liver
• Improves blood sugar problems
• Is considered a complete food by many authorities
• Helps wound and sores heal more quickly
• Is very similar to the molecular structure of your red blood cells, enhances the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen to every cell of your body

And I know that this list is not complete! But I wanted to give you some understanding of what those little green shots that you have heard are good for you are actually doing.

Another point that I would like to mention about wheatgrass is that it can be very strong. It also contains alkaloids, which are like nature’s chemicals that can strengthen the immune system, but if taken in too large quantities are not supportive to the body. At times, I can down 3oz shots (approx 90mls), but then I wouldn’t give you tuppence for even a 1oz shot. Like always, my advice is to see how you go. Try a 1oz first and then work up to more if you can tolerate it. Sometime, I add a shot to my green smoothie because I don’t want to take it on it’s own. This way I can still get the benefits, but without having to take it on it’s own.

One final note, wheatgrass is best taken on an empty stomach even though I personally add it to my smoothies at times. I mostly have it on it’s own to get maximum bang for my buck.

Well, that’s it from this meadow!

Think long lasting beauty, think wheatgrass.

Ruth.

Some of the potentially harmful ingredients commonly used by the personal care industry and the products that you can find them in are as follows:

Antipersperant
The main culprit here is aluminium. Aluminium is a metallic element used extensively in the manufacture of aircraft components, prosthetic devices, but also as an ingredient in antiperspirants, antacids and antiseptics. Scientific research conducted on the brain tissue of deceased Alzheimer’s patients, found unusually high levels of aluminium in the brain. Aluminium compounds are known to be neurotoxic (a toxin that damages or destroys nerve tissue) for humans. When we use products that contain these harmful substances, the liver must work harder to rid our bodies of these toxins. The US FDA advisory panel has requested the removal of such chemicals from antiperspirant deodorants but still they are widely available. Substances that have been considered safe in the past are now considered harmful and it is up to each of us to choose wisely when making our purchases for ourselves and our families.

Toothpaste

Hard to believe, but your toothpaste is not a harmless substance that leaves your teeth nice and clean and your mouth feeling fresh. The average bathroom toothpaste contains two harmful substances fluoride and sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) that are best avoided. Fluoride is a chemical that has had much research conducted on its safety levels for humans. The following might be worth noting: that if as little as 1 gram of fluoride is ingested, it can cause poisoning in humans. Adults don’t normally swallow toothpaste, but children do. However, adults don’t get away unscathed, as according to the World Health Organisation, Fluoride can accumulate in body tissue and can be poisonous if ingested over longer periods of time. So essentially, the choice is yours. We don’t need it. If you are still worried about protecting your teeth from decay you are receiving more than enough of your daily quota of fluoride if you drink Irish tap water! So why have it in your toothpaste as well? The reasons why SLS is best avoided is set out below under the heading “shampoo”.

Shampoo

Both sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) are synthetic ingredients found in most shampoos bought in supermarkets and chemists. SLS is a harsh detergent and wetting agent used in garage floor cleaners, engine degreasers and auto cleaning products, but also found in many of our personal care products. It is a known irritant that is rapidly absorbed and retained in the eyes, brain, heart and liver cells which can have long term health implications. Sodium laureth sulphate is another irritant that has a low molecular weight which is rapidly absorbed by the body and will readily penetrate the skin.

Other research has shown that SLS and SLES may cause potentially carcinogenic nitrates and dioxins to form in shampoos and cleansers by reacting with commonly used ingredients found in many products. Large amounts of nitrates may enter the blood system from just one shampooing. They are used in personal care products because they are cheap.

Skin Care Products

Considering the skin absorbs almost anything that we put on it, perhaps the next time you shop for your products, you might note the ingredient list. These are products that are widely available in our supermarkets and chemists and ones that we are told are totally safe for human use.

I believe the wost of the harmful ingredients to be propylene glycol. This is a substance found in many skincare products, body lotions and even baby wipes. Propylene glycol prevents the escape of moisture and water from the skin, which has the effect of making the skin look plumper and younger in appearance. The Environmental Defense Fund, state that propylene glycol can weaken the immune system and has been found to cause kidney damage and liver abnormalities. Propylene glycol is also found in paint, liquid laundry detergents, antifreeze and brake fluid. I for one have not used any harmful skin care products containing these ingredients for over 20 years, and I do hope that you will look on your bathroom shelf today and clear out any and all harmful products that do not serve the best interest of your or your family’s health.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of hazardous chemicals that we are exposed to every time we choose a personal care product . I have outlined some others to watch out for below.

Other harmful ingredients
Alpha Hydroxy Acid
Animal Fat (Tallow)
Bentonite
Collagen
Formaldehyde
Glycerine
Mineral Oil
Petrolatum
Talc

Over the coming days, I will add an article on the most commonly used E numbers used to preserve our foods that I believe are best avoided.

Happy hunting!

Ruth.

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