Beauty Tips & Tricks

Is the Sun Setting on Your Health and Beauty?

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It’s that time of year again! It’s the time of year that the sun disappears earlier and earlier in the evenings, which means no sun-light after we get off of work.

What does that mean for your health and beauty?

Well, for starters- no sun light equals no tan. But mostly, the sun naturally produces vitamin D production in your body.

“Vitamin D is a key ingredient for beautiful looking skin. Skin, like all organs, needs vital vitamins to function properly—and vitamin D is one of them. Having sufficient vitamin D in the skin helps minimize acne, boost elasticity, stimulate collagen production, enhance radiance, and lessen lines and the appearance of dark spots, he says.” says Dennis Gross, M.D.

Also, the lack of vitamin D in your body causes the immune system to be more likely to contract viruses, such as the flu. It’s the increase of stress and the decrease of water and vitamin D that causes your immune system to be so weak.

The Vitamin D Council says, “Many studies that have been done about influenza have shown that people who have lower levels of vitamin D are more likely to get influenza. Some researchers recommend getting more vitamin D to protect against influenza.”

So, what can we do to help increase the levels of Vitamin D in our bodies to protect us against these viruses and at the same time help increase our beauty?

  1. Supplement vitamin D with nutritional supplements. Try to find a brand that is derived from food and not synthetic sources.
  2. Increase your sun intake:
    • Try to sit outside for any extended period of time that you can find.
    • Open your window shades and sit near the window as often as possible.
  3. Increase your water intake. The Mayo clinic says, “The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake for men is roughly about 13 cups (3 liters) of total beverages a day. The adequate intake for women is about 9 cups (2.2 liters) of total beverages a day.”
  4. Relieve your STRESS! Sounds hard, right? It doesn’t have to be. Make sure to set some time aside for yourself:
    • Take a bath at the end of the evening.
    • Read a book alone.
    • Make lists of the thing you need to do. Lists have been proven to help you keep things organized, relieving the stress of you having to keep it in the back of your mind.
    • Make time to go out and have fun!
    • Enjoy the process.
downtown collinsville hair salon color main street

The Wonderful World of Watermelon & Beauty

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What tastes best on a hot summer’s day? There’s nothing better and more refreshing than the bite of a fresh cut watermelon in the heat of the day. Have you ever known someone to pass up that bowl of juicy melon? Probably not.

Better than refreshing, did you know that watermelon offers a whole list of health benefits that will help your summer beauty glow as well? Watermelon has been said to be one of the world’s most beneficial foods, according to new studies.

Watermelon produces lycopene, which is a phytonutrient important to cardiovascular and bone health. It’s also very high in Vitamin C, which is essential for collagen production. Vitamin C helps speed up healing from cuts, burns, common colds and much more. It also helps fight free-radicals that attack your skin, making you look older. By fighting free-radicals, your skin will look younger and much more radiant.

Dr. Mercola, a well-known doctor that emphasizes natural health options says,

“Watermelon has ingredients that deliver beneficial effects to the body’s blood vessels and may even increase libido [through scientific studies]. Phytonutrients with the ability to relax blood vessels (and maybe even prevent erectile dysfunction) include lycopene, betacarotene, and the more unfamiliar citrulline, which converts to arginine, an amino acid. When this compound is ingested, it dramatically strengthens the heart and circulation system. This may also serve in the treatment of angina, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular ailments.”

When circulation is increased in the body, inflammation is reduced giving the skin a more radiant appearance and clearing up skin blemishes. Increasing blood circulation in the body delivers more healing properties.

Increase of libido helps fight depression and fatigue. As you know, when you are feeling energetic, your demeanor also gives the appearance of a fully rested individual.

Case-in-point, eat watermelon until your heart’s content and be beautiful!

havoc on your hair

3 Painful Summer Events Reeking Havoc on Your Hair

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You hear every day about protecting your skin from the sun. There’s no new news when it comes to SPF, sunscreen and the like. Did you know that you are supposed to protect your hair from summer weather, as well? What do you mean, you ask? Well, what I mean is that your hair goes through a lot of torment in the summer sun and activities. Here are three painful summer events reeking havoc on your hair:

  • First painful event: You will likely lighten your hair with hi-lites from your favorite Color Spa, Sizzor Shak. Lightening you hair will always put a slight strain on the ends. The best solution for this is a healthy trim to cut off the breaking ends, followed by a professional conditioning treatment.
  • Second painful event: Spending your summer fun in a pool of some sort. While salt-water pools are healthier than chlorinated pools, both reek-havoc on your hair. Chlorine is a chemical that keeps water clean but also can dry out those beautiful locks. Salt, from the sea, is very hydrating. Salt that is bleach treated and processed through other chemicals (sodium chloride – what they use in pools and in table salt) is very dehydrating, also drying out your hair. Choose the better of the two if you have an option or avoid dipping under the water. You can also purchase a mild clarifying shampoo to remove chlorine and salt from your hair, like Fairy Tales Natural Lifeguard Clarifying Shampoo. Fairy Tales also carries an all-natural conditioner to help remove the chlorine green and salt called Lemon-aid Conditioner and a leave in spray called Coco Cabana Spray.
  • Third painful event: The SUN – shocking, right? You will want to use a protective oil with SPF in your hair to keep your hair from getting damage from the harmful UV rays that the sun lets off. Use a product, such as S Factor by Tigi’s True Lasting Colour Hair Oil.

Follow these steps and your hair will be the talk of the town!

color salon

Body Chemistry and Beauty

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In America, we are constantly fighting health problems, especially including skin concerns. Is your skin consistently inflamed, discolored or breaking out. Maybe complexion issues are more than just skin deep. Have you ever wondered if body chemistry and beauty affect one another?

What the doctors don’t tell you is that your skin and hair reflect your inner health. If you are breaking out with acne or rosacea, if your skin is discolored or if you have deep lines, it usually means you are lacking in a nutrient that is essential to your health. High yeast body chemistry and beautylevels, high sugary diets, malnutrition (this does not mean a lack of food), diets high in processed, greasy or trans-fat foods, foods with chemical preservatives and added hormones, genetically modified foods (GMOs), foods with dye are all foods that will cause inflammation in your body and add cancer producing cells to run your body’s chemistry. To the side is a chart (provided by http://www.phreshproducts.com) diagraming the foods that cause your body to be more acid, therefore creating an environment for inflammation, which will reflect in your hair and skin.

So, what can you do? Below are steps to help your skin reflect your true outer beauty:

  1. Avoid foods that land on the acid side of the chart.
  2. Eat more foods that have high alkalinity.
  3. Eat more organic and fresh foods.
  4. Add a whole food supplement to fill in the gaps of nutrition (like Standard Process or Zeal).
  5. Avoid GMOs, added hormones, chemical preservatives and additives, dyes.
  6. Add an organic skin care regimen, such as Eminence Organic Skin Care for surface control.

DISCLAIMER: THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Please consult a physician before making any medical decisions based on this article.

5 Ways to Beat the Harsh Winter Weather

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If there was a survey done for people who love cold weather and who hate cold weather, the survey would probably be split down the center. Whether or not you love or hate the cold, the weather is harsh on your skin, hair, and health.

Here are 5 ways to beat the Harsh Winter Weather:

    1. Keep your body hydrated with a moisturizer that will absorb into your skin. Most moisturizers are made with parabens and other chemicals, which makes the moisturizer sit on the surface of your skin. If it is sitting on the surface of your skin, it will just get rubbed off. The best products to use are organic or all natural moisturizers, these will absorb into your skin and are jam packed with nutrients since they are made from botanicals instead of chemicals. Our favorite body moisturizer is Eminence Naseberry Body Lotion, which has an amazing fruity scent without having any chemical fragrance added.

 

    1. No matter if it’s from blowing your nose, wind or dry air, your face can get chapped from the winter weather. Help protect your face from drying out, chapping and flaking by using a facial routine. First, wash your face Beat The Harsh Winter Weatherwith a skin nourishing cleanser (without alcohol or chemicals) like Eminence Blueberry Soy Exfoliating Cleanser. This Cleanser is designed to exfoliate and prepare your skin to receive a moisturizer. Next, use a masque high in anti-oxidants to fight skin irritants, such as Sugar Plum Revitalizing Masque. Then, use an organic or all-natural moisturizer (without parabens and chemical fragrances), like Sugar Plum Whip Moisturizer which is designed to hydrate, sooth and calm the skin.

 

    1. Cold & flu season is here! What is the flu? The flu is a virus that attacks when the immune system is lacking in Vitamin D and your stress levels are high. What do we do about that? Boost your immune system naturally with foods that are high in anti-oxidants and omegas. Here are 5 foods that help boost your immune system:
      • Rosemary – anti-microbial, anti-septic, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, astringent, diaphoretic, anti-oxidant, circulatory stimulant
      • Garlic – anti-inflammatory, stimulates immune system, thins mucous
      • Ginger – calms nausea, improves circulation, anti-inflammatory
      • Sage – rich in essential oils, anti-oxidant, astringent, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-catarrhal (helps remove excess mucous)
      • Thyme – anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-catarrhal, helps resolution of cold & flu and lower & upper respiratory infection

      Make sure to avoid foods that are highly processed foods that are high in white sugars & white flour.

 

    1. Dry hair is the ugly expected in the winter-time. How should you combat this war we all fight? There are several ways to do this. First, use a moisturizing or hydrating hair cleanser & conditioner such as Deva Concepts No-Poo Zero Lather Cleanser & One Condition or Health Factor Shampoo & Conditioner from S-Factor. These products will add moisture to your hair, ultimately leaving your hair looking healthy & shiny, as opposed to dry, dull and matte.

 

  1. Dry air also causes frizz and un-tamed locks. Keep your locks under control with an anti-frizzer or tamer. Use a product like Smoothing Lusterizer by S-Factor or Silky Smooth Moisture Serum by S-Factor. If you prefer an oil to a creme, try Dream Drops by S-Factor. You can also go with a spray de-frizzer like Oh Bee Hive! by Bed Head, Spoil Me De-Frizzer by Bed Head, or Weather Proof by Sexy Hair.

Lighten Up!

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Hooray for Summertime! Let us help you get into the summer mood with some fabulous highlights! Whether you want just a few natural touches or a bold new look, we got the right sunkissed look for you. And complete your “California Girl” look with a gorgeous (and safe!) spray tan!

Hair & Make Up Shots of Suzy

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We loved having Suzy at the Shak to get her hair & airbrush make up done for some new promotional shots for our salon & color spa. She is definitely a one-of-a-kind beauty & we absolutely loved how the photos turned out. We can’t to use them for our future marketing campaigns. Also, Hailey did a fantastic job getting Suzy’s look just right for the photoshoot with Kyle Weber. Take a peek!

For your next special event, make sure you stop into Sizzor Shak on Main Street in Collinsville, which is located right between Edwardsville/Maryville & Fairview Heights. CLICK HERE to see more photos from our Hair & Make Up Gallery!

Credits

Model: Suzy
Hair & Make Up: Hailey of Sizzor Shak
Photography: Kyle Weber

A Makeover Resolution

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[quote]“How can I control my life when I can’t control my hair!?!”
– Anonymous[/quote]

Photo by Kyle Weber

The new year is here, and along with it comes all sorts of new ideas, plans, resolutions … you know the drill. Maybe you should add a makeover to your 2012 changes!

Come visit our expert stylists and start off the year with a fresh new ‘do. Have our esthetician brighten your skin with a relaxing and beautifying facial. And if your winter white skin has you feeling blue, try a spray tan for a more colorful outlook on life. There are so many options and opportunities to give you a great start to this new year!

Hair & Make Up Shots With Model Kendra

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Shak girls, Melissa & Michelle, did a lovely job on the hair & make up for our gorgeous model, Kendra. Our favorite photographer, Kyle Weber, did the shoot for us.

Next time you have a special occasion, let Sizzor Shak take care of your hair & makeup. You’ll be the belle of the ball with what our stylists can do for you. Our airbrush make up is formulated to work with digital photography, so the photos of you at your special event will look flawless.

Click Here to see Sizzor Shak’s Hair & Makeup Gallery Portfolio!

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CREDITS:


Model: Kendra
Stylist: Michelle
MUA: Melissa
Photographer: Kyle Weber
Assistant: Kim
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“FALL”-ING Out of Summer

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Is your Summer Hair bringing you down this Fall?

Photo by: Kyle Weber

As the seasons shift, it can really affect the way you feel about the way you look. When you wake up on a chilly morning and have to spend extra time trying to dig out that sweater you packed away last April, it is easy to get upset and discouraged. Then you head to the mirror and find that you have to pile on extra bronzer in order to retain that summer glow that is quickly fading as the days get shorter. And your hair … all of the sudden it seems unattractive and impossible to deal with.

Sizzor Shak understands that new season slump. We suggest that you take your solution from Mother Nature – when she begins to change her style, so should you!

Summer’s style differs greatly from Autumn’s, and you are probably discovering that your summer tresses are no longer as lovely as they were when you were poolside. Here are some tips and tricks to help you make the transition along with our good friend and guide, Ms. Nature!

  • Get those ends trimmed! The sun, the pool, the highlights – these are the things that make summer fantastic! Your hair suffers, though, so getting an inch or two taken off the ends will revive it and give it a healthy bounce.
  • Dive in Deep … Deep Condition, that is! Make an appointment to have your stylist give you a professional treatment. At Sizzor Shak, we use a four step conditioning process that will smooth and seal your hair, giving it the healthy nourishment that it needs.
  • Don’t be afraid of the dark! Those blonde streaks that you loved all summer long are starting to fade, so why not try something new? Low lights are a great option, especially if you like to keep the dimension that highlights and lowlights offer. Another great option to consider is all over color. Just chose a shade that is slightly darker than your natural color, and you’ll find yourself loving the shiny, rich color. And get your eyebrows tinted to really frame your face.
  • OR pick a whole new color! Reds are really on trend this year and you can give Mother Nature some competition with some Fall Colors of your own! Be bold, be dynamic … there are so many amazing colors out there and you can really wow yourself, your friends, and all your natural surroundings!

Photo by: Kyle Weber