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sugar beauty parlour treatment tips

Sugar – Why sugar is bad for your skin? – Facial Treatment Tips by Charene Beauty Salon

Sugar & High Glycemic = Increased Insulin Levels

Increased Insulin Levels = Inflammation

Inflammation of the Skin = Glycation

berry-close-up-delicious-141815

What is Insulin?

A hormone produced in the pancreas by the islets of Langerhans, which regulates the amount of glucose (type of sugar) in the blood.

What are High Glycemic Foods?

Foods that are assigned a value on The glycemic index according to how fast or slow a food cause blood glucose levels (blood sugar levels) to rise. 

  • High Carbohydrates
  • Dairy Products & alternatives
  • Fruits – such as oranges & pineapple
  • Legumes
  • Sugars – honey, glucose, fructose, sucrose
  • Vegetable – such as potatoes & carrots

For a more in-depth look at High Glycemic foods click here from Harvard Medical School.

Why in this Case is Inflammation bad?

I am going to talk about chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is persistent low-level inflammation that never stops. The body perceives a threat when there isn’t one sending white blood cells to swarm but have nothing to do and nowhere to go, and they may eventually start attacking internal organs or other healthy tissues and cells. It can lead to muscle loss, and certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. As well as causing glycation of the skin.

What is Glycation? How Does it Affect Skin?

Glycation is when sugar molecules attach to fat and protein (such as collagen)  molecules making those molecules ridge. Causing collagen a protein to become inflexible making elastin in your skin less elastic. Collagen and elastin keep your skin firm and wrinkle-free. The loss of collagen and elastin, which as we age do lose over time but is exacerbated by inflammation causes sagging skin, wrinkles, acne, and Rosacea.  Glycation also causes free radical formation and oxidative stress. Free radicals can damage the skin by trying to grab an extra electron from atoms in the skin. When atoms are taken away from molecules in the skin, it causes damage to our skin’s DNA that increases skins aging. Again causing loss of collagen and elastin as well as causing pigmentation to the skin in spots as well as broken blood vessels. While oxidative stress is when the balance between the production of free radicals and other bodies’ antioxidant defenses is exacerbated.  Oxidative stress causes the skin to lose collagen and elastin as well as causes skin pigmentation.

Following a healthy diet by a dietician or doctor that has less sugar and low glycemic food will help not only your skin but your entire body and your aging process.

 

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essential oil beauty tips

Essential oil of the Month: Lemongrass – Insights by Charene Beauty Salon

Essential oil of the month Lemongrass!

Cymbopogon, better known as lemongrass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants (herb) in the grass family.  Lemongrass is widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisines prized for its strong citrus flavor with hints of mint and ginger it is also a medicinal herb in India. In the garden, lemongrass forms a tall, grassy clump 3 to 5 feet tall. Its appearance rivals that of many ornamental types of grass and can easily fulfill a similar role in the landscape. Harvest lemongrass for its bulbous stem bases, rich with lemony flavor, or clip leaves for infusing tea and soup stock. The oil is used as a pesticide and a preservative. Research shows that lemongrass oil has antifungal properties. Despite its ability to repel some insects, such as mosquitoes, its oil is commonly used as a “lure” to attract honey bees.

lemongrass

photo credit: Andrea_Nguyen Fresh lemongrass via photopin (license)

The essential oil is stimulating, relaxing, soothing, and balancing. The chemical composition of lemongrass essential oil varies according to the geographical origin; the compounds typically include hydrocarbon terpenes, alcohols, ketones, esters, and mainly aldehydes. The essential consists of mainly citral at about 70 to 80 percent.

Lemongrass essential oil is a source of essential vitamins such as vitamin:

A

B1

B2

B3

B5

B6

folate

vitamin C

It also provides essential minerals such as:

magnesium

phosphorous

manganese

copper

potassium,

calcium

zinc

iron

Common Method of Extraction

Steam Distilled

Plant Part Typically Used

Grass

Color

Pale Yellow to Vivid Yellow

Consistency

Thin

Perfumery Note

Top

Strength of Aroma

Strong

Aromatic Description

Fresh, lemony, earthy.

Lemongrass Essential Oil Uses
Muscular Aches & Pains; as well as Headaches
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Indigestion
Helps Physical & Mental Exhaustion, Anxiety, & Depression by Boosting Self-esteem, Confidence, Hope, & Mental Strength

Inhibits Microbial & Fungal Growth has Antiseptic Properties; Helping Lower Fevers, Acne, Heal Wounds

Astringent
Helps Flatulence
Stimulates Urine & Lactation
Helps with Hairloss
Insect Repellent
Sedative & Calming

Lemongrass is personally one of my favorite essential oils!

 

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beautiful travel destinations

Beautiful Travel Destinations to help your skin – Secrets by Charene Beauty Parlour

The Dead Sea:  Israel, Jordan & West Bank

Dead Sea December 2007 |David Shankbone

Moor Mud

Peat Moss

Thermal Baths

Therapeutic water from bubbling springs Bad Elster, Germany

Himmalyanan Salt

Russain, Korean, Scandanivian baths

Hammans

Roman baths

Suana/Banya
Steam room
Sweat lodge
hot spring

jimjilbang & Mogyoktang – Korean

Ice room

An onsen (温泉?) is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language

sitz bath

Sulphur

Ionithermie

Mud bath

Hot spring
Mineral spa
Peloid
Destination spa
Hydrotherapy
Electrotherapy
Onsen
Balneotherapy (from Latin: balneum, “bath”) is the treatment of disease by bathing, usually practiced at spas.[1] While it is considered distinct from hydrotherapy,[2] there are some overlaps in practice and in underlying principles. Balneotherapy may involve hot or cold water, massage through moving water, relaxation or stimulation. Many mineral waters at spas are rich in particular minerals (silica, sulfur, selenium, radium) which can be absorbed through the skin. Medicinal clays are also widely used, which practice is known as ‘fangotherapy’.
Notable spas

Ein Bokek, near the Dead Sea, Israel
Blue Lagoon (geothermal spa) in Iceland
Băile Govora (Spa town) in Vâlcea County, Romania
Druskininkai (Spa town) in Lithuania
Warm Springs, Georgia, USA
Ananda – In the Himalayas, India
Termas de Río Hondo, en Santiago del Estero, Argentina

Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produce water containing minerals, or other dissolved substances, that alter its taste or give it a purported therapeutic value. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage underground.

Mineral water obtained from mineral springs has long been an important commercial proposition.

Mineral spas are resorts that have developed around mineral springs, where (often wealthy) patrons would repair to “take the waters” — meaning that they would drink (see hydrotherapy and water cure) or bathe in (see balneotherapy) the mineral water.

Historical mineral springs were often outfitted with elaborate stone works — including artificial pools, retaining walls, colonnades, and roofs — sometimes in the form of fanciful “Greek temples”, gazebos or pagodas. Others were entirely enclosed within spring houses.
Types

For many centuries, in Europe, North America, and elsewhere, commercial proponents of mineral springs classified them according to the chemical composition of the water produced and according to the medicinal benefits supposedly accruing from each:

Lithia springs contained lithium salts.
Chalybeate springs contained salts of iron.
Alum springs contained alum.
Sulfur springs contained hydrogen sulfide gas.
Salt (saline) springs contained salts of calcium, magnesium, or sodium.
Alkaline springs contained an alkali.
Calcic springs contained lime (calcium hydroxide).
Thermal (hot) springs could contain a high concentration of various minerals.
Soda springs contained carbon dioxide gas (soda water).
Sweet springs were springs with no detectable sulfur or salt content (arguably not ‘mineral’ springs at all).
Radioactive springs contain traces of radioactive substances such as radium or uranium.

Deposits
Stepped travertine terrace formations at Badab-e Surt, Iran.

Types of sedimentary rock – usually limestone (calcium carbonate) – are sometimes formed by the evaporation, or rapid precipitation, of mineral spring water, especially at the mouths of hot mineral springs. (These mineral deposits can also be found in dried lakebeds.) Spectacular formations, including terraces, stalactites, stalagmites, and “frozen waterfalls” can result (see, for example, Mammoth Hot Springs). One light-colored porous calcite of this type is known as travertine and has been used extensively in Italy and elsewhere as a building material. Travertine can have a white, tan, or cream-colored appearance and often has a fibrous or concentric “grain”. Another type of spring water deposit, containing siliceous as well as calcareous minerals, is known as tufa. Tufa is similar to travertine but is even softer and more porous.

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clean water helps skin

Do you know where your bottled water comes from? – Charene Beauty Salon

Information Source: Consumer Reports

Bottled water reviews

Artesian, spring, purified, and sparkling waters may be treated differently or come from different places.

Sales of bottled water are on the rise, increasing 2 percent, to $7.8 billion, from August 2010 to August 2011 in supermarkets, drugstores, gas and convenience stores, and mass merchants (excluding Walmart), according to SymphonyIRI Group, a market-research company.

If you’re going to pay for a product you could get for free, it helps to know what you’re buying, so below you’ll find a water glossary. Along with the information that follows, note that you may see “glacier water” and “mountain water” on bottles, but there’s no standard definition for those terms.

Whatever the bottle says, don’t be misled by crisp blue labels and pictures of mountains. Forty-seven percent of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is tap water that’s been purified, according to data from the Beverage Marketing Association, a trade group. If you’re concerned about the water quality in your area but don’t want to pay for bottled water, check out our review of water filters.

 

 

 

More from
Consumer Reports:
Water filter reviewsFlooring ratings and reviewsConsumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers or sponsors on Yahoo!
  Artesian Water obtained from a well that taps a confined aquifer, an underground layer of rock or sand that contains water.
Example: Fiji Natural Artesian Water.
  Distilled Water that has been boiled and then recondensed from the steam that the boiling produces. Distillation kills microbes and removes minerals, giving water a flat taste.
Example:
 Glacéau Smartwater.
  Mineral Groundwater that naturally contains at least 250 parts per million of dissolved solids. All minerals and other trace elements must be present in the water when it emerges at the source.
Example:
 Calistoga.
  P.W.S. Public water source, also known as municipal water supply, or tap water. Fun fact: Aquafina, one of the top 10 selling domestic brands, used to say “P.W.S.” on its label—but changed that in 2007 under pressure from Corporate Accountability International to make clear that the water came from a public supply and not some pristine mountain spring called P.W.S.
  Purified Water from any source that has been treated to remove chemicals and pathogens according to standards set by the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. Must contain no more than 10 parts per million of dissolved solids. Distillation, deionization, and reverse osmosis are all purification methods.
Examples: Aquafina, Dasani.
  Sparkling Water that contains carbon dioxide at an amount equal to what it contained when it emerged from its source. Carbon dioxide lost during the treatment process may be added back. (Carbonated waters such as soda water and seltzer are considered soft drinks, not bottled waters.)
Example: Perrier.
  Spring Water derived from an underground formation from which water flows naturally to the Earth’s surface. Spring water must be collected at the spring or through a borehole tapping the underground formation (aquifer) feeding the spring.
Examples: Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water (Nestlé), Evian.

 

Please visit the below mentioned knowing everything about your skin, hair, and many more treatments.

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To Steam or Not To Steam That is the Question! Benefits & Contra indications to Facial Steaming! – Insights by Charene Beauty Salon

Anyone who has ever had a facial has probably had steam direct at the face or a hot towel draped over the face.  It feels wonderful that is not in question.  What is, is what the benefits to the skin are to facial steaming/hot towels and who should not be steamed?

A History:

While steam was used in ancient times it was not used specifically for the face, it was definitely used for the body.  First made popular by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The origins of the steam bath come from the Roman bath, which began during the height of the Roman Empire. Ancient Roman baths served many community and social functions within Roman society. Everyone in Rome used Roman public baths, regardless of socioeconomic status. These Roman baths were supplied by natural hot springs from beneath the ground.  Public baths originated from a communal need for cleanliness. The term public is not completely accurate, as some types of public baths are restricted depending on membership, gender, religious affiliation, or other reasons. As societies have changed, public baths have been replaced as private bathing facilities became more commonly available. Public baths have also become incorporated into the social system as meeting places. As the title suggests public bathing does not refer only to bathing. In ancient times public bathing included saunas, massages, and relaxation therapies. Members of society considered it as a place to meet and socialize. Public bathing could be compared to the spa of modern times.

The earliest public baths are found in the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilization.  Historical parts of a spa – Roman, medieval, Georgian and Victorian have been restored in Bath, England, and are available as a public bath or Thermae.  In ancient Rome, Thermae (from Greek thermos, “hot”) and balnea (Greek βαλανείον, balaneion) were facilities for bathing. Thermae usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while balneae were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout Rome.  A public bath was built around three principal rooms: the caldarium (hot bath), the tepidarium (warm bath), and the frigidarium (cold bath). Some thermae also featured steam baths: the sudatorium, a moist steam bath, and the laconicum, a dry steam bath much like a modern sauna.  A sudatorium is a vaulted sweating room (sudor, sweat).  The whole building comprises a double set of baths, one for men and the other for women.

In order to obtain the great heat required, the whole wall was lined with vertical terra-cotta flue pipes of rectangular section, placed side by side, through which hot air and smoke from the suspensura passed to an exit in the roof.

When Arabs and Turks overran the eastern Roman Empire, they adopted and developed this feature in their baths or hammams.  The origin of Japanese bathing is Misogi, ritual purification with water.  After Japan imported Buddhist culture, many temples had saunas, which were available for anyone to use for free.  Native Americans used dry and moist sweat lodges for physical and spiritual ills.

Today, natural steam baths still exist, and often still use similar systems that the Romans used, which contain pipes and pumps that bring water up and into the large pool areas, wherever the natural springs exist. Heaters are also now used to maintain warm temperatures in the baths.

There are many different types of steam baths, which are different than sauna. (Both are hot, but the steam in a sauna is created by throwing water on a stove.

Turkish baths, steam rooms, and steam showers are types of steam baths.

 

Benefits of Moist (Steam):

  • Softens the surface layer of your skin (stratum corneum)
  • Helps loosen dirt, sebum, dead skin cells, and bacteria
  • Makes extractions easier
  • Stimulates circulation
  • Increases perspiration (help to sweat out toxins and body waste)
  • Dilates pores
  • Alleviate sinus symptoms

Contraindications of (Moist) Steam:

  • Rosacea
  • Fungal Infection
  • Skin conditions that is aggravated by sweating and increased blood circulation

How to Steam at Home:

Hot Towel:

  • Hand Towel
  • Bowl (Microwaveable)
  • Water (distilled preferred)
  • Few Drops Essential Oil (optional)

After removing makeup and cleansing the face.  Wet towel with water and wring out.  It should be wet but not soaking.  Place a towel in a microwaveable bowl and a heated towel in the bowl in the microwave for a few seconds.  Shouldn’t take very long in the microwave if you start with warm/hot water.   Test the towel on your inner forearm to gauge temperature.   It should be hot but not too hot that it will burn you.  Wrap towel around the face in u shape.  Place the middle of the towel under your chin, bring the ends up to your forehead covering your face, but leaving your nose exposed for air.  Leave the towel on the skin till cool.  May repeat hot towel if desired one more time.

or

Steam from Bowl:

  • Bowl
  • Body Sized Towel
  • Water (boiled till there is steam, distilled preferred)
  • Few Drops Essential Oil (optional)

 

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clean water for clear skin

Keep your Hair and Skin Healthy with a Shower Water Filter! – Insights by Charene Beauty Salon

I have tried several shower water filters over the years and nothing has worked as well as Aquasana.  Why a water filter in the shower?  City water has chlorine, traces of synthetic chemicals, high acid or low alkaline PH.  Well, water can have an excess of iron, calcium, and magnesium.  Aquasana removes 91% of the chlorine in your water, compared to 50% for other water filters, and also reduces synthetic chemicals and enhances pH balance.  They have shower filters specifically made for well water, but you need to call (866) 662-6885 to order it is not for sale on the website.  I was able to install it like any other shower head no plumber was needed.  The filter contains two stages.  Stage one copper-zinc oxidation media reduces chlorine and enhances pH balance and stage two coconut shell carbon reduces synthetic chemicals.   The filters need to be replaced about every six months and cost $52.50.  That may sound like a lot of money but if you constantly have dry, itchy skin and dandruff it can make a difference.  Also, remember that your skin is absorbing the contaminants in the water.  You wouldn’t want to drink that, why would you want to shower in it?

 

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Facial & Hair Oils Beauty Tips

Facial & Hair Oils, not as scary as you would think! – Secrets from Charene Beauty Parlour

Pure Jojoba

(Photo credit: Evelyn Parham)

First off let me say that I personally love facial oils when the correct oil is matched up with the correct skin type and condition.  When used correctly facial oils can do wonders for the skin!  I know what your thinking, “what put oils on your face, that’s crazy!”  For centuries people have used oils in skincare especially the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.  Avoiding oils can actually exacerbate an acne problem. Stripping the skin of its natural oils causes dehydration, which can lead to the overproduction of sebaceous oil (sebum). Without sufficient hydration, excess sebum can create clogged pores and eventually breakouts.

The skin-the body’s largest organ naturally excretes oil, so using it to replenish, cleanse and hydrate seems fitting. In fact, in some countries, like Japan, using oil-based skin-care products is the preferred way of caring for the skin. Such as with cleansing oils, yes that’s right, oils or oil blends are specifically designed to use in place of your cleanser.  I personally recommend cleansing oil for dry and mature skin only or as a makeup remover or first cleanse followed by a second cleanse with a traditional cleanser.  As we age, moisture levels in the skin drop, causing it to become dry and dehydrated, in turn making fine lines and wrinkles more noticeable. You may be surprised to learn that a large majority of skin-care products boast an oil agent as the main ingredient.

But how does oil work with skin? Because oil is an emollient, it fills in the spaces between the cells in the upper levels of the skin. By replacing these essential lipids, products that are oil-based smooth, and lubricate rough skin. Because of their chemical structure, the skin more easily absorbs oils than water-based moisturizers.
Oils can do many things for your skin:

  • Calm
  • Purify
  • Cleanse
  • Act as an antiseptic
  • Act as a moisturizer
  • Act as a barrier to seal in moisture
  • Protect your skin against the elements, wind, and the cold, for example
  • Provide nutrients such as vitamins and minerals to your skin
  • rich in moisturizing fatty acids, including omega-3, -6, and -9, which strengthen the skin’s lipid layer and help stabilize natural oil production
  • Plant-based oils are non-comedogenic, meaning they’re not likely to clog pores and cause breakouts.

Application tips

• Since oils lack the water component of creams, it’s best to apply them immediately after cleansing, while skin is still moist, so the oil can lock in the moisture.

• Massage in and remove extra if need with toner on a cotton pad.

• Blend oils to fit your skin type and conditions, add essential oils again to fit your skin type or conditions to customize.  (You can always buy a pre-formulated facial or hair oil, but they tend to be pricey.)

• If your skin is particularly dry, rich oils are ideal. Try layering oil on top of your regular lotion or moisturizer for the ultimate moisture-locking effect

• You might also like the regimen of using a hydrating facial mist just before you apply the oil. Again, the facial oil will lock in the water to keep the skin hydrated longer.

• Try this lymphatic drainage technique to help reduce facial puffiness: Apply oil with your fingertips using light, sweeping movements in a downward motion. Then press and release your fingertips, moving down your face, and finish by tapping very lightly all over.

Ease into it

If smoothing an oil onto your face still sounds daunting (and if the prices are more than what you typically spend on skincare), many mainstream brands are responding to consumer demand for natural ingredients by incorporating plant-based oils into their creams and serums.

Oil:                                     Skin Type or Condition:

Grape Seed                                   All Skin Type

Hazelnut (nut)                                       Oily or Acneic

Almond (nut)                                          All Skin Types, Sensitive, Dry or Mature

Olive (fruit)                                                Dry, Mature, Dehydrated

Avocado* (fruit)                                       Rosacea, Sensitive, Hyperpigmentation,  psoriasis, and eczema

Pomegranate (fruit)                               Hyperpigmentation, Oily

Jojoba (nut)                                             All Skin Types, Dry, Acneic

Rose Hip* (plant)                                   dehydrated, aging, scarred                                                                                                            hyperpigmentation

Apricot Kernel (fruit)                           Mature, Sensitive, Rosacea, Boils, Inflammation

Argan (nut)                                               All Skin Type, Pre-shower Hair Conditioner,

Peanut (nut)

Saffaflower (plant)

Sunflower Oil (plant)

Sesame (plant)

Kukui (nut)

Neem (fruit/plant)                              Pre-shower Hair Conditioner

Coconut (nut)                                        Pre-shower Hair Conditioner,

Castor                                                       Pre-shower Hair Conditioner, Massage into face prior to facial extractions to purge sebum and debris then remove

Emu (animal)                                          Dry or Mature

Wheat Germ                                             Acneic, Dry, Mature

*Refrigerate

 

 

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beauty tips on enzymes for better skin

Enzymes our Little Exfoliating Helpers, Time to Fight those Free Radicals! – Insights by Charene Beauty Salon

What are enzymes?  How do they help my skin?

Enzymes are proteins, biochemical compounds or macromolecules, that increase the rate of chemical reactions by acting as catalysts.  Created through various processes within plants, animals, and marine and human life, these are crucial life processes. There are over 3,000 enzymes in our bodies.

Enzymes protect the skin against the effects of free radicals and they enable the skin to generate new cells.  Less specialized cells join together to form specialized cells such as skin cells. Atoms, the basic unit of matter, have become unstable when their structure is changed due to at least one unpaired electron is free radicals.  The unstable atoms cause a chain reaction, atoms stealing electrons on and on causing a radical reaction damaging the skins cells.   Protease enzymes are used for skincare.  They are able to break down the proteins holding dead skin cells together.  This aids in the accelerated renewal of healthy cells causing cell turnover by breaking down keratin, the main protein of the epidermis, the top layer of skin, thus exfoliating the skin.

By adding an enzyme mask to your skincare routine once a week or every other week if you exfoliate with a facial scrub or use Retinoids or Alpha Hydroxy Acids.   You can not only help exfoliate your skin you can accelerate cell renewal and turnover and decongest the skin and help soften it for extractions.

Cells stained for keratin and DNA: such parts ...

Cells stained for keratin and DNA: such parts of life exist because of the whole, but also to sustain it (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

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Juicing to Cleanse & For Your Skin: Good or Bad? – Insights by Charene Beauty Salon

I started doing cleanses and incorporating more juiced drinks into my diet and I personally feel a difference and find it makes my skin looks better!  I shy away from drinks that add sherbert or sorbet and just ask for ice or sometimes yogurt in place of.  I used to think green drinks were disgusting now I love them!

I want to present some articles on cleanses and juicing one that is mainly cons, one that is mainly pros, and one balanced article so that you can decide for yourself if juicing is for you.

 

Balanced

Article by: AIMEE BLANCHETTE, Star Tribune

Juicing is big business, thanks to adherents who swear by its cleansing characteristics. But some health experts say the glass is half-empty.

 The thought of consuming nothing but the juice of green leafy vegetables for five days terrified Jamie Hickok, but she couldn’t ignore the promise of more energy, weight loss and a glowing complexion.

“The first day I was like, ‘Oh, dear God,’ because the green juice tastes like what you smell when the lawn has been mowed,” Hickok said. “Now I call it liquid gold.”

Since Hickok’s first “cleanse” in April, the 37-year-old Minneapolis woman has sipped 19 gallons — more than $1,600 worth — of “liquid gold.”

Pulverizing stalks of kale and bunches of spinach into juice is nothing new. Remember Jack LaLanne’s infomercials? But juicing is seeing a resurgence.

Green smoothies are the new Starbucks for celebrities in New York and Los Angeles, where juice bars are a dime a dozen. Wall Street investors are pouring money into companies that promise to take the guesswork out of juice detox programs. Even right here in our own back yard — where new businesses hawk the fresh-pressed nectars by the bottle — juicing is the diet du jour.

Yet some health experts aren’t convinced.

“The intense interest around juicing is concerning,” said Cassie Bjork, a registered dietitian (www.dietitiancassie.com). “There are a lot of good nutrients in the juice, but the problem is, it’s not balanced.”

But supporters are legion, pushing the practice into the mainstream.

“It’s blown up,” said Arturo Miles, who oversees the Juice Bar at the Wedge Community Co-op in south Minneapolis. “People want to detox, prevent cancer, and juicing is a fast way to absorb nutrients.”

While the juicing industry’s worth is hard to gauge, sales are surging. More than $215 million worth of home juice extractors were sold in 2012, up 71 percent over the year before, according to market-research firm NPD Group. BluePrint Juice Co. grosses more than $20 million a year by delivering prepackaged juices to your doorstep. Individual bottles cost between $8 and $10 at stores such as Whole Foods.

Who’s juicing? Everyone from parents who sneak carrots into their kids’ apple juice to extremists who undergo juice-only detoxes for several days at a time. Proponents claim that when juice is extracted from fruits and vegetables — leaving behind the fibrous pulp — the vitamins, minerals and enzymes are more quickly absorbed. Juicing fanatics claim the benefits include weight loss, elimination of toxins, clearer skin and increased energy.

The daily detox

“Some people think it’s kind of a hippie thing, but I feel better when I’m drinking my veggies rather than eating them,” said Michele Kamenar, 44, of Eagan, who makes a juice for breakfast four days a week, especially when local produce is available. “I get a great boost — feel more alert, less bloated and more satiated.”

Juicing can be a good way to get fruits and vegetables into a diet, but there’s no sound scientific evidence that it’s any healthier than eating whole fruits and vegetables, said Jennifer Nelson, director of clinical nutrition for the Mayo Clinic.

Other nutritionists worry that juicing is being promoted as a quick way to lose weight.

Juicing too much can send a rush of sugar into the bloodstream, Bjork said, which spikes blood sugar levels and is destructive to metabolism. Vegetable-only juicing is a lot better, but Bjork still prefers a balanced smoothie with healthy fat, like avocado.

Skepticism aside, juicing fans continue to replace certain meals — especially breakfast — with green juice.

Tracy Tabery-Weller has given up her usual morning coffee and scones. The 40-year-old Minneapolis woman said juice and smoothies are a good way to mix vegetables into her kids’ diets. When she’s traveling for work, juice bars save her from having to dine out.

“I feel good about putting real nutrients in my body instead of taking vitamins or pills,” she said.

The new juicing

Despite the warnings, new companies are getting into the juicing frenzy, each claiming that their juice is better than the others.

Mike Haugen quietly started his Eden Prairie juice delivery service, the Juice Works, in 2009 for people who want the benefits of juicing but don’t want to do the work themselves. His business has quadrupled and Haugen is now in the process of starting a mobile juice bar to serve his recipes at local health fairs and fitness events.

The newest player in town is Truce, a juice-only store in Uptown started by friends Blaire Molitor and Allie Pohlad. Truce sells six bottled varieties of fresh-pressed juice from its storefront.

At both the Juice Works and Truce, produce is slowly pushed through an industrial-sized masticating juicer. The resulting juice is often referred to as “fresh” or “cold-pressed.” Most home juice extractors are centrifugal, using quick-spinning blades to extract the juice. Some say the heat generated by these more traditional juice extractors destroys nutrients and live enzymes.

“Produce that goes through a centrifugal juicer begins to break down faster — within 45 minutes — versus our fresh-pressed method, which lasts for three days,” Haugen said.

Minneapolis rapper Malik “MaLLy” Watkins is a new convert. For 15 days in April, the 27-year-old drank concoctions of cucumbers, spinach, kale, and pineapple for breakfast and dinner, but ate a regular lunch. His lifestyle change earned him a few razzing from his buddies.

“What rapper do you know who juices and works out every day?” he said.

But Watkins said he feels great while juicing, so he’s not giving it up.

“I’ve turned a whole new leaf,” he said. “I feel inspired. It’s strange — like a new part of my brain has been turned on.”

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beauty tips on body fragrance

What is Your Signature Fragrance? – Secrets by Charene Beauty Parlour

NUIT DE LONGCHAMP by Libertine

 

Created for ‘Night of Longchamp’, a party held in 1934 after the Grand Prix de Paris. This fragrance was traditionally given to society ladies who attended the gala dinner. Bergamot, orange blossom, ylang-ylang, cardamom, nutmeg, iris, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, broom, patchouli, oakmoss, vetiver, rockrose, balsam, and tolu balsam.

 

Or

 

Iris de Nuit Eau de Parfum by HEELEY

Mystical, sensual and delicate, iris is one of the most rare and difficult fragrances to achieve. A seductive and delicate blend of iris, wood and Tuscan cypress, Iris de Nuit is a laid back, mellow iris fragrance. Clean and fluid, its gentle charm evokes modernity–clean spaces, soft angles and crisp white linen, quite different from the classic iris scents of the past. Perfectly wearable for anytime of day and any situation… Iris de Nuit never screeches its presence, but the air is somehow diminished when the wearer leaves the room. Memorable and tangible.

 

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Acqua di Colonia – Melograno

 

Melograno reminds of a scent I would opt to wear in the cool, fall weather. It possesses citrus, florals and earth tones jockeying for position during its opening and heart accord. In actuality, this fragrance is a good representation of what’s listed in the accords as undertones of wood, green and the suggestion of tobacco are all represented as Melograno heads into the base and drydown.

 

Some Great Scents to Mix to Create Your Own Personal Scent!

Dior Homme Intense Cologne by Christian Dior

Launched by the design house of Dior in 2007, this fragrance is aptly named for the man who is vibrant, vital, and intense. Dior Homme Intense for him is a floral, woody, musky scent that he may find himself wanting to wear every day. Casual yet provocative, this alluring fragrance has a strong lavender top note that is accentuated by middle heart notes of pear, musk mallow, and iris, with deep, dark base notes of Virginia cedar and vetiver.

 

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Prada ‘Amber’ Eau de Parfum Spray

frag

This hypnotic amber scent is a modern classic that intertwines memory, reality, and possibility. Made from pure essential oils this long-lasting scent is distinctive, intimate, and sumptuous. The fragrance comes in a modern sleek solid glass bottle symbolizing the future.

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Margiela Replica

 

A stroll along the ocean. Feet sink into the sand. Waves brush the skin. The sun at its zenith radiates the beach. “Beach Walk” evokes the memory of a summer day.

Or

 

LILY OF THE VALLEY / MUGHETTO Cologne

 

 

The Lily of the Valley flower is native to Europe where it grows wild in the woods of the Alps. Because of its sweet scent and beautiful, fragile appearance, the lily of the valley signifies innocence and happiness that has returned. This fragrance is sweet, yet has an underlying hint of green which adds character. Good for day or evening.

 

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