Yesterday I discussed taking care of your hair.  Today, I want to talk about taking care of YOU!

What kinds of things do you do to unwind?  I’m a big proponent of meditation.  I have to admit, I don’t do it daily, but whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, I know I need to “go within.”  When you connect to your innermost Self, there can be no more strife or angst.  It takes practice to get to that place and remain there for any amount of time, but when you get it, you get it!  So, even if you can only tap into that for a minute or a few seconds at a time, you will receive the enormous, invaluable benefits of peace and love.  What could be better?

So, if you have never meditated before, I invite you to give it a whirl.  Please?  Here is a little tutorial for any newcomers to meditation.  It’s how I started and a simple way to start practicing.

1. Sit or lay down – however your body feels most relaxed.  It has been said that sitting is the most accessible position for meditation, but when you are just starting out, if laying down feels more relaxing and comfortable…Do that:)
2. Consider setting your cell phone timer for 15 minutes (it would be best on vibrate to avoid being startled).
3. Begin by focusing on your breath.  Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.  Really focus on the actual air flowing in through your nose.  Try to relax further into your body with each additional breath.
4. Whenever you feel your thoughts drifting (to what you have to do today or what was that noise you just heard), try to immediately push them aside and refocus on your breathing.
5. Envision the white light that exists within each of us.  Imagine a white beam of light so powerful and brilliant radiating straight from your center.
6. After the 15 minutes, slowly bring yourself back to being present within your body.  You might want to do a little stretch.

If you did not feel you actually got out of your body…Don’t worry!  Just keep doing it.  For me personally, right at the end of the 15 minutes…I mean at the very, very, very end, I started to “get it.”  I started to feel out of body.  And it lasted for maybe 10 seconds.  But then I practiced.  Again, and again, and again.  It truly is a learned practice.  So, get started!!

If meditation is not your forte…what is?  I’d love to hear how you relax.

City Salon & Spa - Buckhead

This is a subject about which I receive TONS of questions.  While it may not be a pleasant one, hair loss is a condition from which many people suffer.  And because it affects so many and for so many different reasons, more and more companies are researching and developing products for hair loss.  This common condition can be caused by any number of things including: medications, disease, hormonal changes, stress, medical procedures, scalp infection, poor nutrition and styling procedures.  Below you’ll find a few simple tips as well as some recommendations for products from the Southern Sass store.

Tips/Tricks

To prevent unnecessary hair loss, be careful with your hair styling. Wearing your hair the same way all the time and pulling the hair tightly can cause hair loss – the technical term for this kind of hair loss is called traction alopecia. Tight hair rollers, braids, and pony tails can all cause this kind of hair loss.  If you have long hair that you like to pull back in a ponytail, avoid the use of rubber bands or elastics that drag on the hair and pull it out. Instead, use soft fabric bands where the elastic is covered, kept safely away from the hair shaft and won’t tug on the hair.

Do not style your hair while it is wet or damp. Doing so breaks the hair and damages its elasticity by pulling it away from the root. Wait until your hair is dry before using a brush on it to prevent this type of damage.

Regular scalp massages can be beneficial at combating hair loss.  Stimulation of the scalp & hair follicles promotes re-growth.

Stress and anxiety contribute to hair loss immensely.  When your body is experiencing some sort of duress or trauma, it can trigger a temporary hair loss. 

Product Recommendations

Rene Furterer Products  

Complexe 5 – Perfect for scalp massages, COMPLEXE 5 strengthens hair from the root while deeply cleansing the scalp. Its unique concentration of essential oils stimulates microcirculation and invigorates the scalp to enhance the growth of healthy, beautiful hair.

RF80 – Sudden thinning hair most commonly affects women and can be triggered by various factors such as pregnancy, stress, an unbalanced diet or medication. RF 80 has a double patented and scientifically proven formula that combats the two major factors of sudden thinning hair: Vascular and Nutritional. It works against these 2 causes to naturally encourage the growth of stronger hair and improve hair structure for thicker and faster growing hair.

Triphasic - Hereditary thinning hair, caused by genetics, most commonly affects men. TRIPHASIC VHT counteracts thinning hair with a convenient, natural and scientifically proven triple patented formula that specifically targets the three major causes of hereditary thinning hair: Vascular, Hormonal and Tissular. It works directly on these factors with three active phases that result in stronger, faster and noticeable hair growth.

Forticea Shampoo – Good for both sudden and hereditary hair loss, this stimulating shampoo compliments and enhances the effects of the René Furterer thinning hair treatments. It gently cleanses while microbeads of essential oils increase scalp microcirculation, encouraging the growth of stronger, thicker and healthier hair.

Although hair loss can be a distressing experience, it is comforting to know that there are many different products and tips to try.  Most importantly, know that this is a common issue affecting many, many people.  It is often just a simple, hereditary part of aging.

I hope this is helpful and as always, please let us know if you have questions or comments!

Stay with me…We’re making a right hand turn today.

The Boho style seems to make its way back into the limelight pretty regularly.  And while it always manages to convey a certain lightness and/or blithe energy, the fashionistas are somehow successful at re-inventing this hot trend again and again.  So, today’s demonstration exhibits the ease of executing a Boho Braid a few different ways.  Best of all, it takes very little time & is not difficult in technique.  Having said that, if you don’t know how to French Braid, please visit YouTube to learn…Immediately

Photo credit: prphotos.com

To begin, make a deep side part in your hair (shown here on our girl Mena Suvari)

Next, section off just a portion of your hair in the front.  You can pull the rest of your hair into a clip or loose ponytail while you’re working.

OK, OK, I know…I’ve got a little “thing” for these infographics.  I can’t help it.  I think they’re so frickin’ cool.  And the one below, from Launch Grow Joy (30 Ways to Promote Your Blog Posts) is K-I-L-L-E-R!  Check it out ↓↓↓ 

Did you learn something!!  Tell me about it below – I want to hear!

And Happy Sunday y’all!

THIS… is my arsenal.  I equate it to a man’s gun cabinet.  Within, are all of my secret (beauty) weapons.

Because there is nowhere to actually sit in my bathroom, I sought out a formal makeup vanity.  I found this at Restoration Hardware several years ago.  And I love that I can sit in one place and have all of my beauty tools readily accessible.  With cabinets, drawers, dividers & a makeup mirror, it’s the perfect solution for a well organized, relaxing way to parlay through my beauty routine.

Having makeup organized by category enables me to see exactly that for which I’m looking.  I’ve purposely made it easy, not perfect.  For example, lip items in one bin.  Eyes in another.  It cuts down on time; no wasted minutes searching for things.  It also helps to make sorting & discarding old or expired makeup a snap (using expired makeup is not good for your skin.  It can harbor bacteria and lead to nasty things like eye infections…Bleck!).  I try to make a habit out of cleaning my makeup cabinet once a year.  And that’s probably not ideal, but it’s okay.

Being organized helps shape the framework for the rest of my day.  I truly believe this.  Once upon a time I was the picture of orderliness.  And as annoying as I’m sure that was for the people around me….I LOVED it!  Fast forward 12 years: 2 little boys, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 businesses & a husband who is….ummm….not exactly orderly  – I’ll take what I can get.  I once heard some organization guru say “if it’s not easy to keep in order, you won’t.”  Sounds simple, right?  Here’s an extreme example.  Think about those Rubbermaid things that all your Christmas stuff is in.  Call me crazy but the thought of dragging those suckers down from the attic makes me say things like, “I’d rather stick needles in my eyes.”  Now, consider the people (there really are these people….They’re here in Atlanta, I swear) who have a “Christmas Tree Closet.”  What if you could just wheel your tree out of the closet?  And, when Christmas is over, wa-la, you just wheel that sucker back in the “Christmas Tree Closet.”  Let’s skip over the fact that this would eliminate all the Christmas nostalgia that I absolutely would not want to forsake.  Would wheeling your tree around eliminate quite a lot of those “I detest un-decorating Christmas” feelings?  Yes, I think so!  Now, Christmas is only once a year & the season itself outweighs the un-decorating, but you get my point.  If you can find ways to make the organization easy, your chances of sticking with it are far greater.  So, my advice is to think about the tasks that make you dread doing them.  Is your makeup in a makeup bag that you have to rifle through for 10 minutes only to find you can’t find the right gloss?  If you could walk into the picture of makeup orderliness, what would it look like?  Now, find a way to tweak that such that it works for you within your surroundings.  Happy tidying!