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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.

The Beauty of Gretchen

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The first Shak Gal that I met – or rather, that introduced herself to me – was Gretchen. Gretchen is a stylist, and she has been making our clients at Sizzor Shak gorgeous for over 10 years. So in the “hierarchy” of salon life, she ranks a couple of levels higher than a new girl like me. But, despite this, on my very first shift Gretchen made her way over to my desk and introduced herself.

Gretchen is a knockout. She has amazing hair – thick and curly, light brown with highlights. It probably weighs 8 pounds and she complains about it being heavy and hot; however, for ladies with fine, flyaway tresses (like me), Gretchen’s locks are the stuff that dreams are made of.

Gretchen is also the most photogenic person I have ever met. Her face looks amazing in every picture, even when she’s in the background taking a big bite into a hamburger. If I’m not fully prepped and posed in a picture, I end up looking like I’m about to sneeze while my mouth’s full of lemon juice.

But beyond her hair and her photos and her eyes – did I forget to mention her blue, blue eyes?

Anyhow, beyond all that, Gretchen has a heart that is truly welcoming and inclusive. It was so awkward to be the new girl at a new job, and yet Gretchen eased my entrance into this new job by reaching out to me immediately, making me her friend on Facebook, and making me her friend for life.

At work parties, she would direct me to a chair near her. In the break room, she asked me about my kids and we compared parenting trauma stories. At the desk, she was patient as I rang up her customers, even though I typed her name in wrong at least 50% of the time.

Often in life, it seems like people are very protective of what is theirs. Their place in line, the money they make, the friends they have … a lot of people have an attitude that seems to say, “I worked hard for these things, so don’t expect me to share any of it with you. You gotta scrape and climb to get to where I am, and don’t expect any help from me.” But Gretchen’s openhearted way of welcoming me made me feel like part of the group for the very first.
And this is where the True Beauty of Gretchen comes out. She has definite seniority over me, and yet she was willing to share herself and give me a hand up when I felt most insecure.

As I’ve grown in my own seniority, I have witnessed her doing this over again … with the next new girl, and the one after that. And because of her great example, I have found myself striving to make sure others feel important and valued, especially during a time when they may feel uncertain.

Gretchen’s inner beauty has taught me an easy way to give to others – simply by being kind. It is one of the easiest ways to give, and yet it is one of utmost importance.

Sizzor Shak on Fox 2 News

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Betsey Bruce from Fox 2 News stopped into Sizzor Shak to interview co-owner Scott Weber about the Downtown Collinsville 159 Expansion Project. She asked Scott about how the construction has affected the traffic of the businesses. Bruce also mentioned our friends at Ashmann’s Pharmacy & interviewed Dale, from Terry’s Appliance Center. Check out the video below to see Scott get interviewed.

We would also like to thank Baxmeyer Construction & Andy from IDOT for working so closely with Sizzor Shak so that in the process of this transition, we’ve been able to serve our clients to the very best of our ability. In addition, another big thank you goes out to our clients for being so amazing & so loyal to this Collinsville salon; we are so proud to serve you.

Great Ideas Start With Your First Sip of Coffee

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Getting up in the morning, starting the coffeemaker, making kids lunches, feeding the two noisy cats and the one whining dog – finally, the coffee was ready to drink and it tasted terrible. But of course I drank it. Caffeine is as necessary to me as my contact lenses – I simply can’t see without it.

Fortunately for me, I was heading into work at Sizzor Shak, so I knew I would soon encounter our new Java Shak line. It is simply incredible… so smooth and rich with a great aroma. I won’t share the brand I have in my cabinets at home, but it is soon to be replaced with the shiny gold bags of 100% Arabica coffee beans. I guess this is one time it’s good to take my work home with me!