Fantasia Salon / Spa and Wig Specialists

I love to wear perfume and cologne.  It’s very girly and that’s probably what I like about it.  When I find something that works for me I will stick with it and wear it all the time.  Especially when people compliment me and want to know what I’m wearing - how cool is that?

Should you wear fragrances to work?  That depends on where you work. Obviously it’s going to be different if you work in a hair salon or in an office.

Keep the following things in mind:

I fyou are with the public, it’s advisable to use a perfume that is not too strong since it’s aroma can last a long time and might not be agreeable to the customers.

Are you in an open air or closed environment.  It is probably not wise to use strong perfume in a closed environment, again, that could cause offense to some people.

Did you know there are fragrances that are better for daytime and summertime as opposed to night and winter time?  During the day, it’s best to use very gentle and fresh fragrances .  Dominant or strong scents are not flattering  for summer and daytime.  Summer invites the use of citric fragrances.  Here are some great options for summer and daytime as they are very simple fragrances:

• Fresh rose water (Adolfo Dominguez)
• Aqua di gio (G. Armani)
• Extreme eau perfume (Bulgary)
• Aire (Loewe)
• Clinique happy clinique

At night we can intensify the aroma or our perfume.  Some sweet fragrance options include:

• Baby doll (Ives Saint Lauren)
• Opium (Ives Saint Lauren)
• Poison (Christian Dior)
• Coco Chanel (Chanel)
• Gloria (cachare)

If you are familiar with aromatherapy, you know it is the use of scents to relax and help our health and beauty.  Here is a list of some and what they are known to do for us:

• Amber- a well-known aphrodisiac, it gives resistance, daring and resolution
• Basil - tones and stimulates as effectively as coffee
• Tangerine - calms anxiety, alleviates stress and gives security
• Lemon - very energetic, gives rapid and precise reflexes
• Geranium y sage - relaxes and calms anxiety
• Jasmine - security in oneself, authority and daring
• Lavender - calms and regulates the nervous system
• Mint, fennel, and oregano - controls stress and hangovers
• Lily of the Valley - stimulates mental livelihood
• Daffodil and carnation - wakes up the mine and gives sharpness
• Nutmeg - aphrodesiac and a good stimulant
• Orange, mandarin& grapefruit - promote joy& develop the capacity to communicate
• Patchuli - extroversion, security and self confidence
• Apple and peach - relaxing scents that increase receptivity & facilitate concentration
• Rose - calms bad mood
• Sandalwood - security aphrodisiac and calms restlessness

So, as you can see, smells are good.  The key is to not “overdo” it to avoid offending anyone!

We’ve talked about fashion faux pas, how about some hair faux pas? Your hair looks great when you leave the salon. But it’s how you care for it on a daily basis that makes the difference. You can have a fantastic cut and it will look bad if you mistreat it. Here are some common mistakes.

Washing your hair way to often. Sometimes daily washing, drying and styling is just not necessary. For one thing, if you color your hair, washing it too often causes the color to fade away. Plus it strips away your hair’s natural oils. Try every other day for a change, that’s a good start.
Not getting regular cuts. You are trying to grow your hair out so you haven’t been to the salon in months. By continuing to get your hair trimmed it will look fuller and healthier.

Too much conditioner. Excessive conditioner weighs down fine hair. And, even dry, coarse hair looks dull and lifeless with a residue of conditioner on it. Concentrate on applying your conditioner on the ends of your hair, where it’s needed.

Overheating your hair. Constantly curling and drying your hair can fry it. You might be literally burning your hair. Use products made to protect your hair from heat. This will help seal the cuticle and keep the heat from damaging the hair strands. Get rid of brushes with metal paddles or bristles, they heat up and singe your hair.

Using the wrong products on your hair type. Just like selecting the proper skin care, you need the right styling products in order for your hair to look it’s best. If you use heavy styling cream or silicone products on fine hair it will look limp. Thick, coarse hair needs more than just a little spritz of spray gel. Used products specifically designed for your hair type and style. Your hair stylist will point you in the right direction.

More is not better. You may have the right products but be using too much or too little. If you use too little, your don’t get any benefit from the product, too much can make your hair harder to style. Start with a little and add as necessary.

A ponytail with any old elastic. If you are using uncovered rubber bands, you run the risk of damaging your hair. It can snag your hair causing breakage and damage the hair follicle. Covered bands will protect your hair.

Are you stuck in a style rut? I always think of a woman from my church who, to this day, has the Ellie Mae Clampet (Beverly Hillbillies) look going on. Look at a photo from 10 years ago. If your hairdo is the same, it’s time for a change. An outdated style may not be flattering and can make you look older.

Brushing your hair too much. While brushing twice per day is a great way to stimulate your scalp and distribute oil down the hair shaft, too much can have the opposite effect and will leave your hair vulnerable to breakage. It’s never a good idea to brush wet hair. Use a wide-tooth comb instead, when you get out of the shower.

Fighting your hair’s natural texture. You can be spending a lot of time and energy trying to straighten your curly hair or curling your straight hair. Try to wear it natural, after-all, if it’s humid, once you step outside it’s going to revert back to it’s natural shape anyway!

Ignoring your scalp. If the hair follicles (or factories) aren’t clean and healthy, they will not produce strong, full, healthy hair. Massaging your scalp when you wash your hair is a great way to stimulate it. Make sure to rinse all product away before you leave the shower so there is no residue to clog the hair follicles.

Pulling out gray hairs. Not a good idea! They will grow back and they will come in wiry and short and stick straight up until they grow in. If you have more gray than you like, it may be time to start coloring your hair. Getting your hair colored, once you start to go gray, can immediately take 10 years off your look. And let’s face it, what woman wouldn’t be excited about that?

When it comes to having great looking skin, experts say moisturizers and the right makeup are essential. But, how do you know which is giving your the best bang for your buck?

Here is a common concern. “When I put makeup on it goes into my fine lines and then I think they are more noticeable, what can I put on before my makeup to help with the problem?”

This can be a common problem. Foundation makes a difference and some of the cream based foundations just seem to find those lines and crevasses. So what’s a woman to do? Powder based makeups or mineral makeup is the solution. These are applied with a brush instead of a sponge so they are far less likely to exacerbate the problem.

There are a lot of great mineral makeup products on the market, all over the place in terms of price. I use and love Jane Iredale, sold in many upscale salons such as Fantasia. In addition to minimizing lines, another attribute of mineral makeup is that it doesn’t have all the preservatives and it goes on light. You get excellent coverage without feeling like you have heavy makeup or a mask on.

Those with dry skin should always moisturize well first before applying mineral makeup or, they may feel as though the powder is drying them out even more.

Choose moisturizers that have peptides in them, these are great for helping keep the skin hydrated. When it comes to skin care, it pays to spend as much money as possible for good products. With skin care you really do get what you pay for. SkinCeuticals is an excellent line which is why it is sold at Fantasia.

Half the fun of being female is all of the wonderful options we have with regard to makeup and skin care. For those of us who love natural, we have a lot of great choices available to us. And today, with the help of the internet, it’s pretty easy to be an informed consumer!

Most of us never start any kind of skin care until we begin seeing things in the mirror which disturb us. Perhaps you were fortunate to have a mother with beautiful skin who passed along her secrets. Better still, perhaps you were wise enough to listen to what she had to say.

As you age, your skin care protocol will change, at least it should change and evolve. Obviously a 20 year old skin needs far less maintenance than  50 year old skin. Typically in your 20s, the issues you are most likely to face are some acne and some discoloration from sun damage. The most important thing you can do is protect your skin with sunscreen, daily. And, don’t neglect your neck, chest and hands along with your face. A good regimen to follow in your 20s would be to use a light moisturizer containing sunscreen which provides UVA and UVB protection. Chose a product containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. Remember, sun can cause premature aging and you don’t need to look like you are 40 something in your 20s!

If you are one to stay up all hours of the night drinking, smoking, partying, you should be aware that it will take its toll on your face (skin). You may want to kick start your anti-aging program now by applying a serum at night that contains Vitamin C. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum would be an excellent choice for you as it will help fight the free radical damage your lifestyle is causing. You will also need a good light moisturizer.

In your 30s, you may still be dealing with discoloration caused by sun damage or melasma (which is caused by birth control). Both are big skin care challenges. Now is a good time to start exfoliating regularly because skin only exfoliates naturally every 35 days as opposed to every 14 days as it was doing when you were in your 20s. A good regime at this stage of your life would begin with a good cleanser. If you were using a foaming cleanser in your 20s, you may want to switch to a non-foaming, non-drying cleanser. You should use a daytime moisturizer before applying your sunscreen product. Preferably use one containing antioxidants as there are studies suggesting that antioxidants act synergistically with the sunblock to help guard against photodamage. And, this can correct “old” damage!

Add a retinoid such as SkinCeuticals Retinol to help improve the overall texture and tone of your skin. The highest strengths of retinoids are prescription only, but, unless you have some major issues and are working with a dermatologist, the over the counter will be a good close second. Retinoids are applied at night, and caution- do not apply them to your upper eyelids as they will be too irritating.

If you feel like your skin doesn’t need additional moisture after applying the retinoid, use a basic moisturizer that does not contain additional retinol. No need to “over treat” your skin.

So, we’ve talked about the 20s and the 30’s. If every woman followed the above discussed protocols, they would look alot better in their 40s, 50s and beyond. We will talk about these age groups in our next post!