A Wish for a Holiday Season

Birth of Christ

 

Wishing you a warm

and wonderful Christmas

and a bright and happy new year.

  

Visual source:  hubimg

Supplementally Speaking

A proponent of a diet rich in raw foods, Wolfe believes that “our diet must be raw, mineral-rich, and nutrient-dense to achieve the extraordinary result we are seeing.”  Wolfe recommends a diet high in seeds, a wide variety of organic vegetables and juices and super-food blends.  He also supports MSM supplementation: “The first thing you will notice after taking MSM is that your hair growth will be stronger and more vigorous.”

An organic sulfur-containing compound that occurs naturally in a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, MSM, or methyl-sulfonyl-methane, is a water-soluble, solid substance.  White and odorless, MSM has a slightly bitter taste and dissolves very easily, releasing bone-, skin- and hair-helping, biologically active sulfur.  When MSM was fed to folks who were interested in improved hair health, nearly every participant showed increased hair growth when compared with a group taking a lookalike substance, according to Ronald M. Lawrence, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of the UCLA School of Medicine.  An additional 30% showed improvement in hair brilliance.

Another supportive substance, silica, is one of the most abundant minerals on earth.  In addition to its presence in sand, quartz and granite, the mineral is found in blood vessels, cartilage, muscles, skin and teeth, with the highest concentration found in nails and hair.  A precursor to strong bone, teeth and connective tissue formation, a silicon-rich diet can improve the condition of aging skin, nails and hair.  Silica is versatile in that it can be utilized both internally and externally, via high-quality, silicon-rich supplements and skin and hair care products.  Foods high in silica include radish, romaine lettuce, New Zealand spinach, burdock root and oats, along with the skins of cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes. – Susan Weiner

Feed Your Hair

If you are what you eat, what is your hair made of?  If the answer is fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and cold-pressed oils, you’re already eating for optimum hair health.

Our perception of ourselves—our youthfulness, self-esteem and desirability—is greatly influenced by the appearance of our hair.  To build esteem, we cut it, color it, curl it, straighten it, perm it and subject it to an array of chemical treatments.  But to get to the root of caring for your hair, you have to start from the inside out.

Your tresses demand the very same care as every other part of your body:   nutrition and nurturing.  Food choices are vital to hair health, since hair is typically the first area of the body to benefit or suffer as a result of poor dietary choices.

Healthy hairs originate in healthy follicles nourished by a rich network of capillaries, the tiny vessels that bring blood to the tissues.  Inadequate diet, in addition to poor circulation due to muscles tightened by stress and tension, can nutritionally shortchange the 100,000 strands that push their way through your scalp.

While the scalp is a living organism, hair is not.  Comprised of non-living keratinized proteins, each hair shaft consists of three parts:  The cuticle, or outermost layer; the cortex, minute strands called fibrils that form 80% of the hair shaft; and the medulla, or central core of the hair.  Sebaceous glands at the scalp’s surface lubricate the firs inch or two of hair with an oily substance called sebum  keeping the remainder of your locks in tiptop shape is up to you.

“Malnourishment of the hair follicle is primarily caused by the clogging of the fine capillaries with mucus from mucus-forming foods,” says David Wolfe, authority on raw food nutrition and author of “Eating for Beauty.  If dull hair is weighing you down, introducing more nutrient-rich foods to you die, in addition to using supplements and all-natural hair care products, can bring back healthy bounce, body and shine. – Susan Weiner

 

Taming flyaways

Q:  When I blow-dry my hair, I get flyaways around my hairline.  This is especially annoying when I want to put my hair in a sleek ponytail or up-do.  how can I tame these strays?

A:  One hairstylist solves this problem with a toothbrush and hairspray.  Damien Carney, artistic director at Joico International Hair Care, in Los Angeles, recommends that you blow-dry your hair first.  Once hair is dry and styled, spritz a wide-bristle toothbrush with a little hairspray.  A non-sticky flexible-hold formula is best.  Two good choices are Physique Styling Spray and Joico con Text Assertion Finishing Spray.  Then stick back flyaway ends with the toothbrush.  Easy.  One of our staffers tried this trick for a wedding, and her hair stayed smooth all day.  – Carol Straley

Preventing facial spider veins

Q:  I tend to get broken capillaries on my face.  I know I can get the existing ones zapped with a laser, but how can I prevent them in the first place?

A:  there is no guaranteed way to prevent broken capillaries, but NYC-based dermatologist Steven Victor, M.D., passed along these tips for keeping dilated capillaries under control.  His R_x:  ●  Treat your skin gently.  Don’t scrub your face, but do apply a sunscreen daily since UV rays can damage elasticity.  ●  Keep your face cool.  (Heat dilates capillaries.)  stay away from hot tubs, saunas, spicy foods and hot beverages.  ●  Go easy with Retin-A and retinols—they may help prevent wrinkles but they also thin the skin, which can result in more visible veins.

A little pampering also may be helpful.  Magda Lenski, owner of the Ula Day Spa, in NYC, suggests using a treatment containing vitamin K.  vitamin K has been shown to help strengthen blood vessels, which may help minimize breakage.  Try a cream such as DDF Vitamin k Cream (at Sephora or call 877-737-4672).  Or try Eris Forte Inter Ampoules for Dilated Capillaried, a serum applied under moisturizer (available at Ula Day Spa, 212-343-2376).  Whatever vitamin K product you choose, it will do little good unless you follow Dr. Victor’s guidelines as well. – Carol Straley

Is Long-Lasting Makeup Summer-Proof?

Beauty companies claim that their long-lasting products look fresh for up to eight hours under normal conditions, but we wanted to see how they’d stand up on a hot humid day.  So there are volunteers to apply a full face of makeup and sit for an hour in a room heated to 103-degree F temperatures with 60 percent humidity—but no blotching, caking, or running.  The only trace of transfer was the hint of color left behind when lips were blotted with a paper towel.  But what’s a lipstick mark on your iced-tea glass if the rest of your makeup doesn’t melt?