A Great Idea: all links so far

a great idea

• A good idea: Facial Brushes for Beards

• A Quick Tip to have fresh lemon juice at the ready—always

• Bathroom = Sanctuary—really! 

• Get every last drop of your creams!

• Horse Rescue and Sweat—what?!

• Hot water and lemon to the rescue

• Let Bed Bath & Beyond save your skin!

• Puffy eyes? Turn a negative into a positive!

   

A good idea: Facial Brushes for Beards

Although I’m not a fan of women using facial brushes (manual or electric) on their faces, a good use for a manual facial brush would be under a beard or even just a moustache. Due to the dense hair growth, the skin underneath doesn’t get any action and certainly little if any exfoliation. This can cause itching and possibly bumps under the skin, although you may not be aware of their existence.

To exfoliate the area under a beard or moustache, take a manual facial brush and gently nudge it underneath the hair onto your dry skin. Use this brushing technique prior to washing your face. Gently massage with the brush until you can feel the stimulation on the surface on your skin. Go over the entire area under your facial hair. If using this method on dry skin causes irritation, try wetting the skin under your hair growth and then use the brush.

Afterwards, take some cleanser and wash your face as you normally do (hopefully!), paying extra attention to the areas you just brushed, and work the cleanse into your facial hair. Be sure to get a thorough rinse to finish. Use your spray toner, and moisturizer your skin as usual. Do try to get some moisturizer under your beard, but don’t glob it on there. Just massage a little into the hair to help moisturize the skin you brushed underneath.

By using a facial brush under your beard, you are benefiting the skin by exfoliating that untouched area.

For more information, see:

• Beards & the skin they cover
• Men’s skin care advice: Q & A
• Men’s Skin Care Dos & Don’ts 

Horse Rescue and Sweat—what?!

I have been happily volunteering at Colorado Horse Rescue (CHR) since February 2013. I am in the sun for most of my 2-3 hour shift. Because I’m around horses I have on jeans and cowboy boots, and I also wear a long-sleeved shirt under my CHR T-shirt to keep my arms from burning. And to protect my all-important hands, I have on thick leather gloves. (I know—hot, right?!)

Along with the obligatory sunscreen, I always wear a bandana around my neck. I do this to protect the skin on my neck from sun damage. In the summer, I’ll wet the bandana before I put it on; this helps to keep me cooled off a bit. At the end of my shift and after a lot of sweating, before the sunscreen and sweat start to dry, I splash rinse my face and use the bandana to wipe and dry off my face.

Wearing a bandana—or something like it—is a good idea, even if you’re out walking. (With other exercising activities, like running and cycling, it’s a bit harder to pull off wearing one.) In the winter months at the rescue, the bandana adds an extra layer between my skin and the cold winter air.

If you’re in the Boulder/Longmont area and are looking for a really satisfying volunteer opportunity, consider Colorado Horse Rescue. Many of the horses who arrive at the rescue have sad backstories, but after a short time, whether a horse is eventually adopted or stays at CHR, the healing power of love is apparent in each and every equine. Seeing these transformations is truly heartwarming and makes this “job” so fulfilling and worthwhile. 

For more ideas on keeping your skin safe in the sun, see:

• Hats, Hats, Hats! Protect your skin in the sun
• NO SWEAT: What happens when sweat dries on your skin? 
• Colorado Horse Rescue website

If you look closely, you can see my red bandana poking out around my neck.

A Quick Tip to have fresh lemon juice at the ready—always

I love lemons, lemon juice, and my little electric fruit juicing machine I purchased many years ago. I have a real juicer, but the machine I’m talking about just juices fruit. It’s super easy and not a pain to clean like a real juicer.

Since I love to have real lemon juice squeezed into my water, or in tea, or when I make the Master Cleanser drink (lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper), I pretty much always have lemons in my kitchen.

I’m also lazy, or perhaps it’s because I’m practical. No matter, I simply don’t love juicing 1/2 of a lemon, leaving the other half sitting around (no doubt losing potency) as well as having to constantly clean my little fruit juicer.

So I came up with a great idea (I am sure I’m not the first): putting fresh squeezed lemon juice into ice trays, then freezing for future use. That I am not the inventor of this was evidenced by the amount of photos of lemon juice in ice cube trays when I went searching for a photo for this article, along with countless blog posts. For me, it’s new—and I love it, even if I didn’t invent the thing!

Nevertheless, it has worked wonders for me and my ability to have lemon juice at the ready—always. I now put fresh squeezed lemon juice in an ice tray and make lemon ice! Each cube measures out to be a little over two tablespoons of juice, which is perfect. I can pop one in my water and the juice eventually melts as I’m drinking. The lemon cube easily melts in the hot water of tea. It may be a silly thing, but this has been a revelation for me! 

The greatest aspect about juicing for ice trays is I can juice many lemons all at once, therefore not having the endless clean up day after day that I had before. Plus no lemon goes unjuiced right after it’s sliced in half. So I must be getting more nutrients from all the lemons since none are sitting on my counter waiting for their turn to be juiced.

This photo is of a fruit juicer similar to the machine I use. Mine is so old, I’m sure they don’t make the exact model anymore. But most of the fruit juicers I looked at online were around $20 or so, and worth every penny. So get out your ice trays and start juicing some lemons—for your health!

A little extra tip: If I have other citrus fruit in my kitchen, I will juice some of those along with the lemons. The other day I juiced 3 lemons, a lime, and 1/2 of a grapefruit. So now I have mostly lemon cubes with a little extra flavor!

For more information, see:

• Hot water and lemon to the rescue to understand more about the importance of lemon juice
• Tips to help you Drink More Water!
• Water—It’s Important!: all links so far

UPDATE: I have found getting the individual lemon ice cubes out of the tray a bit difficult. I’m sure it is due to the sticky nature of the lemon juice. Now, after the cubes have solidified, I transfer them into a little plastic leftovers container. The amazing thing is the cubes, once in the container, don’t stick together. It makes it infinitely easier to put one cube into a glass of water.

Get every last drop of your creams with a tube wringer!

Are you cutting the tubes of your skin care products so you can get every bit of your creams? I have a better solution:

• Use a tube wringer!

What is one, you ask? A tube wringer wrings tubes, squeezing the remaining product to the top of the tube so you can use just about every drop of cream—without the messy action of cutting your tubes.

Traditionally, tube wringers have been used by painters. They, too, utilize tubes for their art work and they, too, want to get every last drop of those expensive paints. I have used a tube wringer in my facial room since I began using Yonka products almost 30 years ago—and still do.

You can find tube wringers at most art supply stores and some hardware stores. I have tried several brands throughout the years, but always come back to Gill Mechanical’s tube wringers. They seem to hold up the best and don’t break or come undone during the wringing process. I have found so many of my clients are cutting their tubes of Yonka to get the last bits, I wanted to make purchase information available here in case you want to stop cutting and start tube wringing!

If you go to Gill Mechanical’s website (CLICK HERE), it is the “light duty” tube wringer that you’ll want to purchase. You don’t need anything “heavy duty”—you’re just wringing tubes of facial products after all! This is certainly not the only company that sells tube wringers, but back in the day (the 1980s) this was pretty much the only place I could find them. I’ve been a loyal customer ever since!

Whether you buy from Gill or find a tube wringer somewhere else, do use one! It will make a world of difference in how much extra cream you’re able to get out of your skin care product tubes. Since these creams are somewhat expensive, getting every last drop is a savings in the long run. I also use the tube wringer on my toothpaste and just about any other tube in use in my home—you will too!

For some of my favorite Yonka products (in tubes that could benefit from a tube wringer), see:

• Yonka moves to airless jars for their skin care creams
• Why are Yonka products in plastic? (they aren’t tho) (upcoming)
• Yonka’s Masque 103—Detoxifying Clay Mask

Bathroom = Sanctuary—really!

Recently I had a client in for a facial who was living a very stressful life. She was so excited to be in my treatment room experiencing some relaxation and “down-time.” In the confines of my facial room your kids, phone, and any other distractions simply can’t find you. And although there is something wonderfully relaxing about a facial treatment, there are things you can do in your own home that can help you find a bit of peace and quiet. It’s as simple as...going to the bathroom.

I recommended to this client that she use her bathroom as a sort of secret sanctuary room. While in the bathroom with the door closed rarely does anyone come knocking; usually you are left alone to do what you need to do. I suggested she use this truth as an opportunity to get some relaxation time—even if only for a minute or two.

Although we were laughing through this, what I said I really meant. Go into the bathroom, preferably the one that is used the least (less traffic) and shut the door. Put the toilet seat down and sit. I suggested having a lavender scented candle there she could lite (something that wouldn’t even be unusual in a bathroom) as well as an iPod with earphones in a nearby drawer. Simply turn out the lights, lite the candle, put the earphones on and tune into some relaxing music, like the kind I play in my facials.

Five minutes in the bathroom could be like an hour of relaxation to your body. Don’t or really can’t take 5 whole minutes? Then start with one. Taking just sixty seconds, literally, to sit on the closed toilet seat, drop your shoulders, take some healthy deep breathes, and R-E-L-A-X can make a world of difference to your psyche. Peace and quiet—even if it’s only for 60 seconds—means a lot. And one or two minutes away from your family and responsibilities is nothing!

Knowing you have this secret, accessible place to go into will help to ease any stress you may be going through in the household. Just tell whoever you have to go to the bathroom. No one will question this—really! Then take a minute or two to decompress and relax, and you’ll leave your sanctuary room/bathroom in a more peaceful and balanced place, ready to take on the goings on with your family life. Try it—what have you got to lose?

For more ideas, see:

• Bathtime Quick Tips (plus Do Not Disturb Me sign ideas)
• Solutions for Stressed Skin
• Taking Time Out—Less IS More

Ha Ha—If only!!!

Let Bed Bath & Beyond save your skin!

Yes, you read it right: Bed Bath & Beyond can save your skin from sun damage! Let me explain:

I am sure you get those over-sized 20% off postcards from Bed Bath & Beyond. I get at least one per month. I keep them in the glove compartment of my car so I always have them with me in case I need to pop into that store. But now I have an even better use for them, or at least for one postcard.

Whenever you drive, your skin is subject to the sun’s UV light and radiation. Even with tinted car windows, some UV rays penetrate and go right to your skin. Sadly, visors on most cars do a poor job of shielding your skin from the sun. And rightfully so, really. If they were bigger and longer, it would impede your vision and you might get into an accident. But holding up one of the discount postcards is an easy way to get sun protection; you can move it around as needed, or simply drop it if you all of the sudden need both hands on the steering wheel.

Sometimes I fold one in half, sometimes I use it full length. But I always have one available for those times when the sun is hitting my face and the visor doesn’t do the trick. Using one of these postcards, and keeping it in your car, is an easy way to avoid more sun exposure while driving.

If you wonder how much sun you are getting sitting in your car, look in the rearview mirror at the driver behind you. You can see first-hand where the sun is hitting his or her face, and that means you are getting the same exposure.

I hope you will use this tip next time you see a Bed Bath & Beyond postcard in your mailbox. It can really save your skin!

Here are a few articles on sun protection:

• The Truth About SPF
• A Small Sunscreen Lecture
• Hats, Hats, Hats! Protect your skin in the sun

Puffy Eyes? Turn a negative into a positive!

Who among us likes waking up to puffy eyes? I don’t, and I’m sure you don’t either! The puffiness I experience isn’t severe nor does it happen all the time, but on a morning when I wake up and see the puff there—I tweeze my eyebrows! It’s the best time to do this. Why? Because the skin is—well—puffed out, which makes grabbing those stray hairs much easier. And if you are one of those women who tend to over-tweeze, removing the hair on a morning when you have some edema (puffiness) is a good solution to end incessant tweezing.

 

You always want to treat the area you just tweezed. For those of you who are Yonka-Paris skin care product users, Juvenile is a great product to apply where you’ve been tweezing. It takes away the redness and soothes the skin, and it has antibacterial capabilities as well. If you don’t own Juvenile, use your toner (hopefully you have Yonka’s). Just apply some of the liquid where you’ve tweezed. If you don’t have either of the above, take a small piece of cotton or tissue and saturate it in cold water, then apply to the area. I wouldn’t use ice—it’s too intense for that delicate skin. But using something to calm the post-tweezed skin is a step not to skip.

Try this technique and see if you have an easier time with your tweezing rituals.

For more information, see: 

• Will my puffy eyes ever go away? Help! 
• Eyebrows: Should you wax or tweeze?
• Ice & Skin?—Don’t do it!
• Yonka’s JUVENIL—purifying concentrate and spot treatment 

Hot water and lemon to the rescue

I went on a 3 ½ hour hike today up to Green Mountain in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. I ran into a few hikers who were feeling the effects of the night before. In other words, they were hungover. I wondered if they took any “hangover helpers” before they went to bed last night or if they did anything this morning to help their bodies—specifically their livers—recover from too much alcohol.

If you’ve had a night of drinking (too much) or even if you’ve just had one or two, the next day is a good time to treat your liver to a little pick-me-up. It’s simple and you can get it anywhere: Hot water and lemon. The lemon juice is a good liver tonic and can help it recover from alcohol consumed the night before. Water is obviously hydrating, and since alcohol acts as a diuretic, leaching water from your body, it is essential during and after drinking alcohol.

This lemon-water drink really tastes good too—if you like lemons! Simply squeeze ¼ to ½ of a lemon in a cup of hot water. Not only will you receive detoxifying benefits, but lemons are high in vitamin C.

If you can, drink one or two glasses of water in between each glass of wine, beer, or liquor. Also, taking evening primrose oil before you go to bed will help with the inflammation and dehydration caused by alcohol, helping to allay a hangover the next day. And do try to drink hot water with lemon juice to give your liver a pick-me-up the morning after.

For more ideas to help you after a night of overindulgence, see 

• A Quick Tip to have fresh lemon water at the ready—always
• Holiday Hangover Helpers
• The Many Uses for Evening Primrose Oil 
• Emergen-C—a little effervescence for your health

Summit marker with the names of the 12’ers, 13’ers, and 14’ers to the west of Green Mountain in Boulder CO.