Tag: beautytips

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NYC Non-Toxic Self Care at sundays Nail Studio

I have been going to sundays nontoxic nail studio for the last few months and I am a huge fan! Since middle school, I’ve always, like clockwork have gotten my nails done every two weeks (and yes my nails have always been this long). When I started looking into more natural products a few years ago, I slowly started to take breaks between manicures to let my nails breath from the chemicals in the polish.

As we know, using toxic products that affect our endocrine system can contribute to disease over a prolonged use in the body. Last year a went a full 3 months in the winter with no polish. There really is no nail polish that is COMPLETELY chemical free, so I still like taking breaks in between my manicure here and there. But, there are better options that have way less chemicals in them, like the polish used at Sunday’s. It’s really nice to be able to get a manicure and not feel like I am doing something bad for my body in order to have a “fresh and polished” look. I was really impressed with their nail polish color selection. I have brought my own less toxic nail polish colors with me before to the nail salon, but there is still that toxic smell from the remover and from other chemicals being used in the salon.

I didn’t notice a super toxic smell at sundays, which is a major plus. I often feel bad for the manicurists in salons thinking how they have to breath in the chemicals in all day.

A few other things I liked about Sunday’s:

🔹They offer headsets for meditation while getting a mani or pedi ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀

🔹They offer tea (caffeinated and caffeine free)

🔹They put lemon in the water to soak your hand

🔹Their polish is cruelty free

Their newer Hudson Yards location includes:

🔹table with herbal tea for you to sit and let your nails dry

🔹a gratitude journal

🔹love letters to write to oneself

You can use code SIMPLY11 for 15% off any of their products. To shop, click here.

The light pink color I used above is color No 7. The darker color I used was color No 24.

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Sunbathing & Natural Sunscreen

☀️When I was younger, I would bake out in the sun for HOURS at a time seeking a dark tan & didn’t use sunscreen. After learning about how many chemicals are in synthetic sunblock, I am not sure if loading up on the sunscreen would have caused more harm than good? ⠀⠀⠀⠀

Now, I have a whole different approach around sunbathing. I allow myself to get sun when I am walking around/in the ocean for about an hour or less & put a natural sunscreen on, or nothing on if I have a base tan. When I am not being “active”, I seek shade and also love using a hat & coverup to cover my chest/shoulders. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀

The sun IS good for us in healthy doses. I am Vitamin D deficient in winter months & it really affects my mood a TON. After being in the ocean/sun, my friends commented on my increased energy levels & overall mood change. There are also many studies that show that Vitamin D is super important for bone health. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

I really loved @moonandbloom post from the other week. She is a Registered Herbalist. I share the same thoughts as her relating to ☀️. She recommends: “Exposing one’s eyes to the sun (safely in moderation) activates the pineal gland quite markedly, as we know from ancient practice of sun gazing. It’s so good for skin disorders and healing, and cleans & oxygenates the blood.

While the whole synthetic sunblock industry is WAY toxic to humans, animals, and the Earth, there are numerous plant oils with natural SPF. All skin types have their own unique thresholds for sun that can vary with age and genetics. When the sun is really strong, I like a blend of St. Johnswort oil (approx SPF 8), Sea Buckthorn oil (approx spf 30) & coconut oil (approx spf 4-6). Watch the amounts- the Sea Buckthorn & Johnswort will dye your skin orange.” ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀

Face: I used a sunscreen by Naturopathica for my face for the first time & loved it! On the Think Dirty app it is rated as a 1 out of 10 toxicity level.

Body: I used a natural sunscreen I bought in Costa Rica and really like! See below for ingredients.

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Organic Homemade Body Butter

image17

Ingredients:
  • 1c Shea Butter
  • 1/2c Coconut Oil
  • 1/3c Olive Oil
  • 5 drops Tea Tree
  • 30 drops Eucalyptus essential oil

Directions: Mix oil and heat in double oil until melted. Put in fridge for about an hour to solidify. Storing in glass instead of plastic is essential when it comes to oils. Phthalates, a group of chemicals found in plastics to make them softer. They are Endocrine (hormone) disruptors & are oil soluble.

I realized I’m not a fan of olive oil on my skin (some people like it.) Next time I will try another base oil (sesame, jojoba, almond etc.)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Essential Oil Breakdown: You can trade out Tea Tree and Eucalyptus for different essential oil of your choice. Eucalyptus is an antiseptic and can help with skin infections, bug or mosquito bites and cuts. It helps relieve muscle pain. It is also cooling and refreshing. It is a stimulant and can remove exhaustion and mental sluggishness. It can be effective for helping with stress. Rubbing this all over your body in the morning and breathing it in all day sounds good to me! Tea tree is well known for its antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. It can be effective with toenail fungus and athletes foot, so this could be a great hydrating foot cream. Tea tree has also been shown to fight against MRSA, a type of staph infection which is resistant to many antibiotics. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Simple Lip Scrub

image14Ingredients 📝

  • 1tsp honey
  • 1tsp coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1tsp sugar

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Directions:

Mix together in bowl and apply to lips. Massage for about 30 seconds and wipe off. Moisturize your lips after and/or apply lipstick for the night. The natural Chapstick I posted 3 days ago is perfect to use after the exfoliant.

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This scrub gives your lips a healthier, fuller look. I love these coconut oil packages from Trader Joes to take with me traveling. Use one pack & pack of sugar to take with you on the go. Be aware that plastic is oil soluble so this is not ideal to use all of the time & much safer to buy oils in glass bottles

Fore more, check out my instagram @nychamptonshealth

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Natural Beach Waves Hairspray

The Beach Waves Hairspray gives a beachy, tousled, wavy or curly effect (as seen in photo). Sometimes I will just use it on my roots if I am looking for more volume. image1-2

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp epsom salt
  • Lemon essential oil (to make hair lighter & for scent)
  • Lavender essentail oil
  • 1 cup filtered water

For more check out my instagram @nychamptonshealth

Why I ditched my mainstream hairspray: Two very common toxic ingredients in hairspray include fragrance and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate amongst many others.

  • Fragrance: The major concern with fragrance is that it is not required by law to disclose the individual ingredients used to produce it. Companies can add anything into their product and dub it as “fragrance” which could be a mix of synthetic and natural ingredients.
  • Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate. Has been nominated to The National Toxicology Program in 2006. It is a known and studied endocrine disruptor, effecting estrogen and thyroid activity. It affects several body functions including body development, brain functionality and metabolic activity. Estrogenic disruption has been linked to breast cancer.

Moisturizing Hair Masks: This hairspray is drying to the hair due to the salt. Below are some good natural combinations you can try.

Coconut Oil Hair Mask

  • Put Coconut oil all over hair
  • Put a towel over your pillow or hair in a shower cap and leave in over night.
  • It takes a good few washes to fully get the coconut oil out of your hair.

Mayonnaise & Egg Yolk Hair Mask

  • 1 cups mayo
  • 1 egg yolks
  • 1 cup of olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Put on Shower Cap or Saran Wrap. Wrap in a warm towel to help Mayo penetrate into hair.
  • Leave on for 30 min.
  • Shower

References

“Campaign for Safe Cosmetics-working for Safer Cosmetics.” Safe Cosmetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

“Home – National Toxicology Program.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

“Household Products Database – Health and Safety Information on Household Products.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 8 Nov. 2016.