HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CHEMICAL PEEL?

Chemical peels are a great way to refine, smooth and brighten your skin. They penetrate deep into the layers of the skin, speed up the natural exfoliation process and stimulate new collagen and elastin production.
There are many different types of chemical peels, some are better for light skin and some are better for dark skin. I will be talking more about chemical peels in the future but today my focus will be on Mandelic Acid.

Mandelic Acid comes from bitter almonds and is one of my favorite AHA's. It's antibacterial, anti-fungal, and does an amazing job at reducing acne inflammation.  Like Lactic Acid, Mandelic is fabulous for all skin types but especially great for olive and darker skin. The molecular structure of this acid is much larger than a Glycolic Acid but it is actually stronger so it penetrates the skin slower, thus creating less damage to the skin. Darker skin types need to be handled very carefully because they will hyper-pigment in 2 seconds! Mandelic Acid is wonderful for anyone who is new to peels and wants to give them a try or anyone with a darker complexion looking to even out skin tone, brighten the surface and reduce photo-aged pigmentation. Followed up with the proper cleanser and at home treatments you skin is sure to look fabulous! 

Give us a call or text and come in to have your peel today! 

Have you ever had a peel? I'd love to hear from you, shoot me a comment and let me know :) 

Time for another Giveaway! I love all of you guys. Thank you so much for supporting Puresthetics all these years. Here's another giveaway just for you! 

Enter to WIN $75 Gift Card to Puresthetics!

Are you on the Coconut Oil band wagon?

Aside from Olive Oil, Coconut Oil is my favorite! The benefits internally and externally are just amazing. I use this oil everywhere on just about everything, every day. The health benefits from this oil are so good. It lowers bad cholesterol, improves diabetes, promotes weight loss, heals skin diseases (antibacterial) and the list goes on and on. If you haven't jumped on the Coconut Oil Train, what are you waiting for? 

Here are my 10 favorite uses for Coconut Oil. (although I could list a hundred!)

1. Slather all over skin after shower/bath. 
2. Deep condition my hair 2x a month. Also use as a Preshampoo treatment overnight
3. Add a tablespoon to my Green Tea every morning
4. Use as a delicious massage oil. I love to use this oil for massage during facials!
5. Use on my children for their dry skin, cuts, scrapes. My daughter has excezma, this works great
6. Mix with salt or sugar for a great body scrub
7. Add some to smoothies
8. Excellent lip balm
9. You can even polish the wood furniture with it!

The uses for this amazing oil are just endless.. The best for your skin would be an Unrefined Virgin Coconut Oil. The others are good for cooking, polishing etc.. If you haven't tried using this Oil you don't know what your missing. Right now I am using Whole Foods brand 365. It's organic and super smooth, tastes and smells delicious! Grab some Coconut Oil today and let me know how you like it. Do you have any interesting ways you are using this oil? I'd love to hear about it. 

Comment, Like, and Share below 

EL*  

Have you ever tried hair vitamins?

We all want long, thick, beautiful hair, right? Well in my quest to grow it I researched these hair vitamins called Hairfinity. All the celebs are (supposedly) using them and Keisha Knight Pulliam (Rudy from the Cosby Show) is the brands ambassador so I thought "What the heck, I'll give them a try". I bought 2 bottles because the more you buy the more you save. Each bottle comes with 60 capsules (a 2 month supply) so I figured I would try them for a couple of months and see if they worked. I read reviews and most everybody said they work great, one review I saw said that her skin broke out terribly but I decided to try them anyway. So I get the bottles in the mail and I couldn't wait to begin taking them immediately! The bottle says to take 2 pills a day so that's what I did. I had to take them with food because they are not the easiest on the stomach. I took the vitamins for 2 weeks and began to notice my hair was starting to look shiner and thicker, I thought OMG! Have I just found the Holy Grail for hair! Then another week went by and I began to notice a couple of breakouts on the right side of my face. I brushed it off as (that time of the month) breakouts and I kept it moving. Sure enough my skin continued to break out, and not little blackheads or whiteheads that I can extract and treat quickly, these were big sore long lasting pimples that left hyperpigmentation behind after the inflammation went down. NOOOOO! I was so depressed! I finally found something that really had my hair looking and feeling great and they cause my skin to break out. Such a tragedy.. Needless to say, I discontinued use of the vitamins and it has taken about 8 days for my skin to start to look better. I had to cut out all sugar and drink tons of water. Now I am dealing with the hyperpigmentation left behind, but I've got an excellent product for that (thank God). Maybe you will have better luck than I did with the vitamins. Give them a try and let me know how it turned out for you..

Here's the link to purchase

 www.hairfinity.com 

If you have issues with hyperpigmentation like I do this amazing bleaching serum works wonders! 

http://purshop.biz/product/bleaching-serum-forte-level-2-2/

Like, Share, or Comment. I'd love to hear from you! 

EL*

A few HOT looks for the holidays!

Good Day Lovelies!

I can not believe the holidays are already here! Where has the year gone? Is it just me or do the years seem to fly by faster and faster as time goes on.. It is just a constant reminder that we must make the best out of each and every day. Time waits for No One. 

With all of our special family gatherings and holiday parties to attend one must look the part. Here are a few of my favorite looks for the holidays. 

wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season, 

with Love and Peace. EL*

I Love these dresses, don't be afraid of color. Just because it's cold outside does not mean we have to wear all black, grey and brown. Spice it up with color this holiday season!

If you want to keep it casual, this is my favorite look for hanging around on a chilly day. Just makes you want to cozy up by a fire and sip hot cocoa ..

Don't forget about your make-up! Even if you keep it low-key for the holidays you want to look put together. Takes just a little bit of effort but you will look like a million bucks! 

And one last touch... NAILS! 

I want you all to enjoy these wonderful times with all of your families and friends. For some, the holidays are a very stressful time. Remember to always stay present in the very given moment, breath and let energy flow through you (up and out)..  

The next time something happens to you, remember, things don't just happen. They happen the way they should, at just the right time, to the right people. Our job is to know we are equipped to handle it. 

(Iyanla Vanzant)

Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation is the production of excess melanin causing dark spots on the skin. Age spots, liver spots, freckles, sun spots, pregnancy mask are all types of hyperpigmentation.

Hyperpigmentation refers to areas of skin where an excess of melanin has been produced and formed deposits, causing skin patches that appear darker than the surrounding skin.

 Common causes of skin hyperpigmentation include:

• Sun exposure
• Hormonal changes
• Heredity
• Acne
• Botched skin treatments

In situations where hyperpigmentation is caused by acne, botched skin treatment, or some other cause of skin inflammation, it is known as PIH, or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

The darker your skin, the more susceptible it is to hyperpigmentation. Darker skins have more melanin and when there is any type of trauma the skin will create extra melanin in the area affected. AHA acids help to (break up) the melanin to create a more even skin tone.
AHA's include: Glycolic, Lactic, Salicylic etc... The molecular structure of these AHA's are all different so   depending on the level of color in your skin will determine which AHA is right for you. Consult your skin care professional.   

 Typically, hyperpigmentation is a harmless skin condition, however if moles or other possible signs of skin cancer appear, they should be checked by a dermatologist.

 

Latest trip to NY! I'm about that Tea..

New York! Concrete Jungle where dreams are made of.. 

I always have a wonderful time when I travel to NY. As soon as I get off the plane I can feel the energy in the air. I begin to walk a little faster, I'm excited, I'm on a mission! I find inspiration from talking to strangers, family and friends, from what  I see and how I feel. I love the fashion that comes with the change of seasons. People seem to have their own sense of style and there is a hustlers spirit in the people. Only the strong survive here, after all if you can make it here you can make it anywhere! 

During this trip I was in the market for some new Teas to try. I absolutely love tea! I drink it every morning along with a glass of water. Usually Green Tea is my preference in the morning, it tastes delicious and it gets my metabolism going right away. While in my favorite tea shop near Chinatown, I met a man from Trinidad and Tobago. He was sitting having a pot of tea himself and said that I should try Pu-erh Tea. He said it's a very old tea and has many medicinal properties. The man behind the counter grabbed a big glass container and opened it for me to have a smell. It smelled like dirt, old dirt, and cost $8/oz (loose leaf). I bought 1oz to give it a try. I also bought one of my staples (Jazmine Pearls) another of the Green Tea varieties, Dragonwell Green Tea and 2oz of Lavender Flowers (great for relaxation) 

When I got back to Brooklyn I immediately put a pot of water on to boil, I wanted to try this ancient tea right away! I also looked online to see what kind of information I could find on Pu-erh Tea,

 and I found a lot. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu-erh_tea

 http://www.teabenefits.com/pu-erh-tea-benefits.html

The way I drink tea is just to grab a pinch of the leaves and throw them in my favorite mug or pot, then pour boiling water over them and steep. I don't ever remove the leaves I just drink as they sink to the bottom. Whole tea leaves can be reused 2-3 times, so I refill a couple times with the same leaves. It's rare that I sweeten my tea (but if I do) it's with a little Agave Nectar, Honey or even Pure Maple Syrup.

Dragon Well Green Tea

 Jazmine Pearls (Green)




Pu-erh Tea