03/31/2010 In Skin Nutrition by bien-être

I found this great article from MSNBC today on eating “green”. I’ve talked about these concepts before and will say again that your skin reflects your state of health. You are what you eat. Facials, clinical skin treatments and skin care products are an important part of the equation. But, if you go home and stuff your face with greasy processed fast food and sugar laden drinks – don’t expect results! Beautiful skin comes from healthy skin care practices AND a healthy diet. Enough said?

Speaking of green eating….adding more greens to your daily meals is a great way to increase your iron, protein and antioxidant levels all in one shot! Powdered green supplements like Vita Mineral Green are great in smoothies or just mixed with a bit of water or juice, but you can also take advantage of greens in simpler forms. Here are some of my personal favorites, along with some recipes for you to try. Add dark leafy greens to each meal for one week and watch your body and skin transform!!

Bok Choy with Cashews: You can also grill it…yum!

Cran/Raspberry Spinach Salad: I like this green best in the raw, like in salad. If you are new to spinach, try doing half spinach and half spring mix or romaine:

Kale Pesto – Veggie Soup: Kale can be tricky, it’s a bitter green and can be intimidating…but these two recipes make it easy:

Broccoli Stir Fry with Ginger an Sesame: Honestly, I think this veggie tastes the best when simply blanched (so it stays a bit crunchy) and tossed in lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic…cayenne pepper adds a nice kick too
this recipe is great too, and i add in other veggies, like bell peppers, bok choy, and zucchini too.

Do you have a favorite way to incorporate greens? Share it with us!!

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03/29/2010 In At Home Spa by bien-être

Ruby Red Grapefruit and Tangerine Sea Salt Body Scrub
large mason jar (if making larger batch to keep in the fridge for a week or two) or small bowl

¼ cup almond or coconut oil
17 drops grapefruit essential oil
11 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops tangerine essential oil
½ cup sea salt, pink Himalayan salt or Epsom salts (if others are not available)

• mix essential oils into carrier oil (almond or coconut)
• add salt a little at a time, use more if necessary to get the right consitency
• turn on the shower to warm – not hot
• dry brush your skin from toes to hips
• get in the shower, away from stream of water and massage salt scrub from toes to hips moving in upward circular motion
• rinse skin in shower

Cypress and Citrus Cellulite Body Oil

½ cup almond, grape seed or coconut oil
20 drops juniper essential oil
11 drops cypress essential oil
17 drops lemongrass, lemon or tangerine essential oil
5 drops rosemary essential oil

• add each essential oil one at a time into glass jar (can use mason jar or reuse clean food or cosmetics jar / bottle)
• slowly pour carrier oil into jar
• close jar tightly and turn to one side
• roll jar gently to distribute essential oils – do not shake
• let oil blend sit for at least one hour before use
• use on lower half of body only, preferably after the shower when skin is still slightly damp

*Because these ingredients are meant to stimulate the skin and increase circulation. So, it may not be suitable for pregnancy, sensitive skin, or sunburn.

Make a habit of dry brushing before EVERY shower to enhance the benefit of these treatments!

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03/26/2010 In Skin Care 101 by bien-être

Ayurveda, known as the science of living, stems from ancient philosophy of life, health and beauty. These teaching were written more than 5,000 years ago in Sanskrit and are still practiced today. According to Ayurveda, skin is the outward sign of inner balance and health.

Ayurvedic philosophy says that we are each born with some of the characteristics three main doshas, or constituents, in different proportions. Kapha, Pitta and Vata are the three doshas that we are all born with in varying amounts. When one of these doshas is dominant, we are slightly out of balance. Since balance is equated with health and beauty, there are several techniques and daily practices in Ayurveda that focus on not letting any one dosha get too strong.

The Ayurvedic skincare philosophy is very similar to its view on internal health. Each person’s skin is unique and carries a dominant dosha. They goal is to balance all doshas, calming anything too dominant in the skin. A dosha imbalance causes skin symptoms such as breakouts, dryness, rashes, oiliness…even hyper-pigmentation and wrinkles.

Balancing your skin’s doshas is the key to unlocking your true beauty potential. Here is a fun and easy quiz to determine your dosha.

Usually your dominant dosha also corresponds to your skin’s dosha. However, this is not always the case. So just in case, we added a brief description of each skin type, or dosha:

• Vata skin: When healthy, skin is clear and soft with refined pores, and pale or olive in color. When out of balance, Vata skin tends to be thin, dry and dehydrated. In severe cases, skin can itch, crack and flake. Continued Vata imbalance can lead to premature wrinkling of the skin.

For Vata dominance, focus on: deeply hydrating facials and collagen masks treatments, nut and plant oils, and lots of vitamin E and C, as well as home care that focuses on gentle exfoliation and rich moisture.

• Pitta skin: When healthy, skin is clear, bright and rosy cheeked with medium pore size and some freckles. When out of balance, Pittas are extra sensitive, ruddy or overly freckled skin with a tendency to become irritated and break out. Usually Pitta skins show signs of classic combination type.

For Pitta dominance, focus on: calming and soothing ingredients, LED therapy and gently cleansing home care with focus on hydration and balance for combination skin types.

• Kapha skin: When healthy, skin is very moist, soft and smooth. When out of balance, skin runs thick, oily and acne prone. Pores are usually larger, especially on cheeks, nose and forehead. Kapha skin is slower to show wrinkles due to oil content, but can be prone to scarring from acne breakouts.

For Kapha dominance, focus on: stimulating and deep cleansing facials with mild acids, retinoids and clay based masks and home care that focuses on sebum and bacteria control

It is possible to have a combination of two skin doshas, so treat your skin accordingly. It is also very common to experience symptoms of each dosha depending on your environment, diet, hormones, stress level and seasonal changes. This is just a basic key to balance these symptoms and keep your skin healthy, happy and beautiful. True Ayurvedic Skin Care Practices involve diet, exercise, meditation, supplementation and Skin Treatments. If you’d like more detailed information on Ayurvedic skincare philosophy, here’s a terrific resource book: Absolute Beauty by

For more information on Ayurveda and skin care read this great article by Nancy Lonsdorf M.D., dermatologist and Ayurvedic doctor.

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03/25/2010 In Skin Care 101 by bien-être

Need another reason to skip the tanning bed? How about the newly signed health care bill. Because of this, taxes will soon be raised on tanning salons. This means that your fake bake tan may cost you more than ever before.

Health Care Law Will Likely Increase Tanning Fees

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03/24/2010 In Spa Community by bien-être

We wanted to post a sneak peek for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, airing this Friday at 8PM EST on ABC.

Here’s a brief description of the show:
“Jamie has made a new series for American TV about food – how families eat, what kids get at school and why, like the UK, the diet of processed food and snacks is causing so many health and obesity problems. The series was filmed in Huntington, West Virginia. Jamie’s challenge was to see if he can get a whole community cooking again. He worked with the school lunch ladies and local families to get everyone back in the kitchen and making tasty meals with fresh ingredients – no packets, no cheating. He’s started a Food Revolution: to get people all over America to reconnect with their food and change the way they eat.”

It is a truly wonderful concept! Jamie is a British chef, author and philanthropist who has made it his goal to educate and inspire the world to eat better, feel better and live longer. His projects in Europe have revolutionized not just school lunches, but the relationship people have with their dinner (and breakfast, and lunch.) Jamie’s campaigns have helped numerous schools, families and individuals in the UK. From the looks of it, Jamie is met with much resistance…let’s hope he can break through and inspire not just Huntington, but the rest f us too!

**Jamie’s website explains more about his past and current projects…check it out here: http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/

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