Sxc.hu

Get this: Even getting a manicure during flu season – -especially during the H1N1 (swine flu) scare can lead to getting sick. However, according to Dr. Kenneth Gerenraich (aka Dr. G, founder of Dr. G’s antimicrobial products), there are ways to protect yourself.

1. Ask your technician if they have washed their hands. Imagine a doctor not washing his hands before touching a patient! However it’s not just simply about washing hands; it’s the technique and time a person employs while washing that matters. “While in school training to be a doctor, I learned to sing happy birthday at the proper speed to determine the length of time to wash. I also learned to wash underneath my nails, between my fingers, (both favorite hiding places for germs) and then dry thoroughly with a clean, dry towel. Once my hands are dry, I use the towel to turn off the water and then use it to open the door to exit the restroom. This is very important because we don’t know how the person before us washed or if they did at all,” Dr G. says.

Touching germs after washing recontaminates the hands before the technician or client even returns to the station or table. Although we and the technician should both ALWAYS do this before any salon service, unfortunately in real life it doesn’t happen this way. When proper hand washing is not readily available, a technician should use a sanitizer to clean her hands and her client’s hands prior to starting the service.

2. Use properly use hand sanitizer - Like hand washing, it’s how a person uses a sanitizer that makes the difference. Sanitizers only work where they touch. A sanitizer must cover all these locations and similar to happy birthday, the sanitizer must be rubbed on these areas for 15-20 seconds. It’s important to note that hands can be recontaminated during a procedure. If a technician or client sneezes, sanitize again. A customer can always ask a nail technician to use sanitizer before starting a service.

3. Ask the nail salon if they use antimicrobial products to clean their tables and implements. This translates to instruments as well. “All tools should be soaked in proper disinfection solutions, not just wiped off with a cloth. If there are germs are on the tip of an instrument and the technician is pushing cuticles back, then the germs are directly deposited under the epinychium. Used instruments should not touch clean instruments. Think about how a dentist puts contaminated or infected instruments on a separate tray,” Dr. G says.

Eeek…now, if you are like me, getting a salon service at least once a week – you should really take this seriously. Otherwise, beside your gunmetal polish, you may be bringing home a nasty surprise!

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BotanicChoice.com

It was so bad that I had to postpone a trip to Jamaica that I was supposed to be on right this moment.

The culprit? Well, clearly a renegade germ. But also…that I didn’t take my vitamins!

I used to be a stickler, and now I will be again…but that means it’s time to stock up in a big way. Good for me, now is a great time to stock up on at Botanic Choice, because for  every one bottle of a select supplement I buy, I  two more bottles of the same supplement FREE! Plus, orders over $50 get free shipping.

So, I’m stocking up. Because if I ever have to cancel an island get away again, there’ll be seriously a problem, mon.

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Just in time, I got a shipment from GNC. They sent me a variety of products from the line, and right now, I am testing their BeWHOLESOME.

This is a set of health and beauty vitapaks that contain a month’s supply of essential vitamins and minerals.

Is it hard for you to remember what to take, when? The daily packs are super-travel friendly, and already divided up into exactly what you need to take, and when. It’s especially formulated for women, too, and each pack contains triple strength fish oil, multivitamin, hair/skin/nail formula, mobility & stretch formula, and bone strengthening formula.

My hair and nails haven’t been as healthy as they should be lately, and my sleep patterns aren’t all that. Lets see what this can do for me!

Image: GNC

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RealAge.com, a leading health and wellness site, wants consumers to know the latest science behind the cold and flu products that line drugstore shelves. A new sinus center, with an interactive quiz on everything from echinacea to hand washing, offers visitors the real deal on bolstering immunity and driving colds and flu away faster.

Let’s say your head is as stuffy as a Victorian tearoom. Should you tough it out? “When it comes to sinus symptoms, it’s smart to be a wimp,” says Dr. Michael Roizen, cofounder of RealAge and coauthor of multiple best-selling books, including YOU: The Owner’s Manual.

For more about neti pots, the role of garlic and ginseng, and other cold and flu soothers, visit www.realage.com

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“In this economy, people are watching their money, plain and simple. Spa professionals are listening to the needs of customers and creating specialized treatments. Whether it’s a 30-minute pick-me-up massage on a lunch hour, or soothing those worked-to-the-bone Wi-Fi fingers, it’s all about meeting the demands of consumers,” says ISPA President Lynne McNees.

Customized Treatments: In addition to 30-minute facials and massages, spas are listening to the demands and desires of their customers. So whether you’re looking to combine a series of treatments or have one tailored to fit your needs (i.e., Wi-Fi massage), talk to your spa about how it can best fit into your lifestyle.

Mind, Body & Spirit: Consumers are looking to spas to recharge not only their body, but their spirit and mind as well. Many spas are increasing self-discovery services like ropes courses, art classes and other learning activities that help consumers to stop, be still and focus on themselves.

Family-friendly Resort Spas: In an era where we’re all moving at warp speed, more and more people are looking for spas that cater to families. These spas are responding to the need for families to communicate and spend time together, whether it’s flying through the air on a trapeze or attending family yoga.

Organic Spas: More spas than ever before are offering environmentally friendly products and services, but that’s not all. Many feature outdoor treatments and eco-friendly facilities, as well as treatments that highlight indigenous plants and the environment in which the spa is located (i.e., seashell body treatment and blueberry body wrap).

Spa Credits: In this economy, the smart traveler is the one who de-stresses at the hotel spa after a long flight. Hotels are looking to entice travelers and increase bookings by offering free treatments or spa credits when booking a room.

Spa Memberships: Similar to a gym membership, it allows spa-goers to experience spas at a lower cost. A 12-month membership could include unlimited use of the facility, a treatment a month and discounts on additional monthly services.

Half-day Spa Vacations: With people watching every penny, many are canceling their expensive vacations and instead turning to spas. Transform your morning or afternoon into a full-blown escape with a massage, facial and pedicure.

Dental Spas: Your annual cleaning just got more relaxing. The American Dental Association says about 50 percent of U.S. dentists are providing spa amenities at no additional charge. With hand massages, paraffin wax dips and reflexology, you’ll never dread the drill again.

Tried & True: Consumers are moving away from the trendy and seeking treatments with proven and tangible results. They’re getting back to basics, focusing on core spa services like deep tissue massage and clarifying facials.

Increased Spa Amenities: Turn a 60-minute service into an entire afternoon of rejuvenation by taking advantage of the spa’s amenities. After your hot stone massage, take a plunge in the pool, sit in the sauna or cool down in an ice room; today’s spas encourage loitering.

Image: International SPA Association

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Mr. Bader, a longtime sufferer of the condition known as multiple chemical sensitivity, has founded a company called Organic Mattresses, Inc. that manufactures and markets organic mattresses and commercial mattresses. “There’s always the issue of potential contamination. Polyester and all this stuff goes airborne. Who knows what goes where?”

An excerpt from the article:

In stores and on the Web, she found plenty of mattresses labeled “organic,” “natural” or “eco-friendly,” but little guidance about what exactly that meant, or what made any one of them better than — or even different from — another, or from a conventional mattress. Vast disparities in pricing, from a little more than $100 to more than $500, only added to the confusion.

….

Stores across the country have lately been trumpeting the benefits of “organic” and “natural” mattresses, for adults as well as babies. There are now models made with soybeans, stuffed with coconut husks, infused with green tea and treated with aloe vera (“known to have a significant effect on energy levels,” according to a press release from Serta).

But as mattresses like these have become increasingly common — and an increasingly popular subject of online discussion forums for parents — it has become ever harder for consumers to sort through the panoply of manufacturers’ claims.

No government agency regulates the labeling of mattresses as “organic” or “natural,” and trade groups like the International Sleep Products Association and the Specialty Sleep Association offer their members no guidelines for using the terms. Throughout the industry — as a number of people within it acknowledged in interviews — promotional materials are rife with vague or misleading information. “The whole thing is a smoke and mirrors industry,” said Ralph Rossdeutscher, the president and owner of Natura World, a manufacturer in Cambridge, Ontario.

….

“The chemicals in consumer products are a huge problem,” she said. “Mattresses are one of the only things where it’s not a problem.”

But as awareness of toxic chemicals in ordinary products has become widespread, many consumers have been drawn to arguments like Ms. Dadd’s.

In recent decades, most mattresses have been made either with metal springs sandwiched between layers of polyurethane foam, or with just foam. In showrooms, salespeople typically focus on firmness, talking about the number of springs or the density of the foam. What they rarely bring up — but what has become increasingly common knowledge among consumers — is that polyurethane foam is made from petroleum, and that it can emit volatile organic compounds (V.O.C.’s), which have been linked to respiratory irritation and other health problems, according to both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Salespeople are also unlikely, green-minded advocates say, to talk about the chemical makeup of fire retardants. In the 1970s, when cigarettes were the main cause of mattress fires, polyurethane foam was itself seen as a retardant, because cigarettes don’t make foam ignite. Open flame, on the other hand, does, and in later years, when candles and children playing with matches were the bigger threats, manufacturers began treating some foam with polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or P.B.D.E.’s. This type of fire retardant began to worry environmentalists and health experts as scientists found them accumulating in places as diverse as seal blubber in Greenland and the breast milk of American women.

In 2004, after animal studies suggested that P.B.D.E.’s impaired development of the nervous and reproductive systems, their manufacturers voluntarily stopped making them in the form that the Polyurethane Foam Association said was used in some mattresses. Most of the new fire retardants introduced since then consist of synthetic fibers that block fire, and in many cases consumers have no way of knowing what they contain, since the fibers are proprietary and manufacturers are not required to disclose their composition.

The material that covers a mattress — its ticking — is another source of concern. Conventional mattresses for children are often covered in vinyl, which begins life as a hard plastic and is softened using additional chemicals, frequently ones called phthalates. But small amounts of phthalates have been found in human tissue, and have also been linked to health problems. Last year California became the first state to ban the sale of mattresses with phthalates for use by children, in a law that became effective on Jan. 1. On Feb. 10, a federal law passed by Congress in August will forbid the use of three types of phthalates in products for young children, including mattresses.

…

Even if consumer concerns about health risks are exaggerated or entirely misguided, though, the lack of clear standards for mattresses labeled as organic or natural — and in some cases, a lack of transparency about their contents — may risk feeding the kind of suspicions that Mr. Luedeka noted. Serta, for example, describes its Perfect Balance Organic Crib and Toddler Bed Mattress as having a phthalate-free vinyl cover and “organic cotton fill,” but does not disclose all its other contents. When contacted by a reporter, Kelly Rampson, a spokeswoman for Serta International, would not say exactly how much of the filling is organic cotton, and referred all questions to LaJobi Industries, which makes the mattress for Serta. A LaJobi spokeswoman also declined to identify other filling components.

“Most people don’t think or realize that memory foam is made from petroleum,” Mr. Alexander added, referring to the high-density form of polyurethane foam that has been popular in recent years. “People need to start paying more attention to what they’re sleeping on. They need to stop going into stores and believing everything they tell them. They need to take personal responsibility for their personal health. Nobody is regulating it.”

“Green products have really taken off in the last two or three years, and it’s a hard thing to really get your hands around,” said Ryan Trainer, the executive vice president of the International Sleep Products Association. “What is green? The food people are farthest ahead on this issue and even they are having difficulties.”

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The survey, which was conducted among 1,131 U.S. adult women by Harris Interactive, reported how much women care about the overall health and condition of their skin, particularly their face.

Even in a time when many women have cut back on discretionary spending, they are willing to spend on a facial care system that they believe will be effective at making their skin look younger and healthier.

“Results, results, results. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Women are fed up with products that don’t work, that make empty promises and bogus claims. What counts are the active ingredients and their concentrations,” says Dr. Zein Obagi, board-certified dermatologist and creator of ZO Skin Health.

Some of the products and services-like peels, injections, lasers, creams and machines–can be pricey, so overall spending has shifted away from procedures that are new and trendy, in favor of products that are proven effective.

The ZO Skin Health survey also revealed that women think about the health and condition of their skin more often than they think about their love life. About two in five women (43%) think about the health of their skin always or often, which is more often than they think about their relationship status (39%) or cardiovascular health (33%).

Photo credit: Newscom

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If you are addicted to beauty, you too will be addicted to this concept. Giftybox.com allows you to give the ultimate “gift of experience”… you choose a theme, while your recipient gets to choose the activity. Giving an experience is extremely personal, not to mention, if you are looking for a gift for “the person who has it all,” giving an adventure or a class or a winery tour might just be the best way to go.

How it works:

* As a buyer, you pick the theme you want to give based on whatever suits the personality of the recipient: winery tour/tasting, spa experience, adventure (e.g. scuba diving, scenic flights, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, 4×4 tours, etc.), classes (dance, martial arts, cooking, etc.)
* Once you pick a theme, the gift recipient receives a guidebook of all the options in the theme (beautifully packaged) so that he/she can choose the specific activity (based on preferences and location)

It may seem as if this is an expensive gift, but in fact, the prices range from $34.99 to $129. No joke! Hello, spa, recessionista!

This is really a great item for holiday gifts

Check these out:

Spa & Well-Being for Women
Choose from 130+ venues nationwide for a full spa or well-being treatment
Examples of treatments: massages, facials, nutritional counseling, life coaching, etc…

What you get: 1 all-inclusive Gift Pass for a full treatment, a 200-page color guidebook and 5, 2 for 1 specials so you can try additional treatments with a friend

SRP: $89

Spa & Well-Being for Men
Choose from 120+ venues nationwide for a full spa or well-being treatment
Examples of treatments: sports massages, acupuncture, life coaching, personal grooming, etc…
1 all-inclusive Gift Pass for a full treatment, a 188-page color guidebook and 5, 2 for 1 specials so you can try additional treatments with a friend

SRP: $89

I haven’t gotten my treatment yet – but I plan to ASAP – and one of you will too! One reader will win one of the above spa boxes of their choice. To have your chance pick any three posts from the last two weeks and leave a comment. Good luck! Deadline to enter is December 31.

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At a loss about how to get the most out of this miracle vitamin? Top NYC Dermatologist, Dr. Craig Austin helps us out by recommending his top quick-fix solutions to achieving healthy skin that is rich in Vitamin C for your inner + outer self.

Kopali Organic’s Goji Berries are coated with rich organic dark chocolate and energy-packed with essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, calcium, zinc and magnesium- which are commonly deficient in most people’s diets. Not only are gojis considered the highest anti-oxidant content of all known foods, this nutrient-dense berry is also being called the world’s most powerful anti-aging food, so eat up!

AB Eye is a nourishing serum that delivers the super hydration benefits of hyaluronic acid (great alt-use for Botox) to soothe the delicate area around the eyes while also containing Liposomal Vitamins A,C, E Co-Q10, and Green tea. Another area in need of a little plump? The product is not only perfect to plump areas around the eye, but is also recommended to plump lips.

Fresh cucumber seeds also contain a healthy amount of Vitamin C, otherwise known as absorbic acid. This vegetable doubles as a cheap and easy, snack, or place slices on eyes as a part of your bedtime beauty regime.

Photo credit: AB Skincare, Kopali Organics

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If you see something great that you think we should know about, please feel free to let me know by leaving a comment, or shooting me an email (christina@b5media.com). There is so much great pink in the world, and so little time to cover it all.

Also, I always do an October donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure (see our Passionately Pink for the Cure effort from last year) so this month, I will donate $1 for every comment left on eBeautyDaily during this month, so please come out of the woodwork and say hi if you have never done so before, ok? It’s for a great cause – and I do love to hear from you!

If you wish to donate directly to breast cancer research/support causes, you might look into one of these highly rated charities:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Cancer and Careers

Living Beyond Breast Cancer

National Breast Cancer Foundation

Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization

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