Color is Your #1 Accessory

Your hair color is your number one accessory. It is one of the first things people notice. Make use of it. Have some fun.

Blonde:
Blonde hair says I am cool. I am glamorous. I am sexy. Forget the Blonde Jokes, as
Dolly Parton says, I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde.
Dolly Parton

Brunette:
If you are a brunette you are considered the stable one of the bunch. The girl next door is always a brunette. You are flirty and fun. You are the “kool-aid” mom. Ms Reliable to her boss and yes you probably are the boss.

Black:
Bohemian is the word for the woman with raven black hair. She is dark and mysterious. She has many secrets. She can also cook up a pot of the best spaghetti sauce you’ve ever tasted and her lap is always available when a little one needs a hug.

Red:
The feisty red-head says fire and fun. Is her temper really as volatile as her hair color? She makes the men look twice and leaves them with a wink. Some famous red heads include Queen Elizabeth the 1st, Clara Bow,Bette Davis and Kirsten Dunst.

Gray:
The woman with gray hair is considered stable. You can trust her. Gray can be beautiful. Gray is cool and welcoming. Gray says I have lived and I am proud of it.
There you have it, hair colors and how the person with the color is perceived. Choose who you want to be and then choose your hair color. Hey like that scarf, if you get tired of it you can always change it.

Remember Just Love Yourself and Dream…Beautyqueen.

Lean and Green

Slim down naturally with green coffee beans

 By now we’ve all learned to be wary of every ad promising that a “magic pill” will transform our body and melt off pounds before we can say “Aw, poor Robert Pattinson.” But there’s a new supplement on the market that gives even the biggest skeptics a reason to raise their eyebrows.
Green coffee bean extract, an all-natural supplement, is being touted by the media and scientific community as a safe and easy way to lose weight without changing diet or exercise.

How does green coffee bean work against weight gain? 
The key is not caffeine, but chlorogenic acid. Chlorogenic acid inhibits the release of glucose while at the same time boosting the metabolism of fat in the liver. These two mechanisms work together to inhibit the absorption of fat and eliminate weight gain.
Then can’t we just up our coffee intake to two Ventis to drop the pounds?
Sadly, no. When you roast coffee beans…you are also removing the chlorogenic acid, which is the key to healthy weight loss. Green coffee beans, in contrast, are unroasted, have little aroma, are bitter, and contain over 50% chlorogenic acid.
Is the green coffee bean supplement safe? 
Yes! Green coffee bean is not a stimulant and it doesn’t make you jittery and nervous and raise your heart rate like roasted coffee or ephedra. In fact, the green coffee bean has actually shown in some studies to lower blood pressure – while still boosting metabolism!
How much and how often should we be taking? 
The most important thing is to look for a pure green coffee bean capsule supplement. Read the label carefully, look under “other ingredients” and make sure it does not contain cellulose, stearates, silica or any additional fillers. To achieve the best results, you should take a minimum of 800mg at least 30 minutes before each meal at least two times per day. Because green coffee is a food and no harmful side effects were reported in the study, take two capsules before every meal!

A client of mine gave the green coffee bean a test drive for four weeks and only lost a pound. 
If you already don’t consume a lot of sugar or carbs (like our staffer), this supplement may not make a difference in your diet. Because these supplements block the absorption of sugar and therefore its ability to be turned into fat, those who tend to eat more carbs or sugars will notice a bigger difference.
Even if you don’t want to take this supplement daily, taking it before or after a “splurge” meal or a meal that involves a lot of sugar, carbs, or alcohol as a way to ensure your body doesn’t turn all that excess sugar into fat!
And while I'm not throwing in the towel to our daily sweat sesh nor gorging ourselves on buckets of chocolate, this is definitely some new food caffeine for thought!

Meatless Monday: Body Balancing Veggie Burgers

Keep your bod in balance with this alkaline dish

If your body feels more off-balance than a weightlifter trying to compete on the balance beam at the Olympics, it’s time to look at your pH levels! Yep, I old you how levels of acidity in your body can totally throw you out of whack, and luckily, today’s Meatless Monday pick helps you combat the nasty little chemical!
This alkaline veggie burger is sure to keep your bod in peak condition with a millet-based grain that is high in protein, gluten-free, and packed with nutrients. Once ready, toss the veggie patty in a salad or wrap it in collard greens for a healthy dose of those dark green leafy vegetables.
Alkaline-Grain Veggie Burgers
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry millet
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 large onion, finely minced
3 cups spinach, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, finely minced
2 small carrots, peeled and minced
High quality sea salt (optional)
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup amaranth flour
1 tablespoon coconut oil, for pan cooking
Directions:
1. Thoroughly rinse and soak the millet in water overnight before preparing the burgers. The next day, begin by boiling your water in a saucepan. Reduce the heat, then add the soaked millet and simmer until the millet has cooked to a softer texture, around 15 to 20 minutes. Then, strain the millet and set it aside to cool.
2. Sauté the garlic in the vegetable broth until gently cooked, then add the onions and stir until they become translucent. Add the spinach, celery, and carrots and cook gently for a few minutes, then mix in the sea salt and other seasonings. Add the cooked millet and stir until well combined. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Turn off the heat and add the amaranth flour to the mixture. Continue mixing until everything starts to bind together and the mixture cools.
3. Place the mixture in the fridge for at least 45 minutes to help cool and bind. When the mixture has cooled, use your hands to form 3-inch round patties. Place them on a large plate.
4. Heat a large pan to a fairly high temperature and coat with one tablespoon of coconut oil. Sauté each patty on both sides until firm and browned. Enjoy them in a salad or slice and wrap them in collard greens.

DIY Natural Beauty: Perfect Skin

I was recently reading an article about the practical uses of the things we find in our gardens, especially in regards to beauty products. While I love using natural and organic products, it is rare that I will get down to the nitty gritty and make my own version of something I can find on a shelf. Feeling inspired, I thought I would test out a little concoction (below) and was wowed by the results. It may well be psychosomatic, but I feel I haven’t done a face scrub routine with such nourished, non-irritated, and moisturised results in all my life!

A cheap home-made skin routine: face scrub and moisturiser

Ingredients used:
Lavender Sugar
Mint
Natural honey
Grapeseed oil

Why mint?
Mint leaves, especially when squeezed and rubbed around like they are in a facial scrub, are a powerful tool. Acting as an astringent, they have wonderful purifying properties and can dramatically reduce pore size due to their natural content of salicylic acid (you’ll find the chemical-laden version in almost every skin cleanser on the market).

Why honey?
Honey is an unbelievable skincare ingredient, come rain or shine. It has the ability to absorb and retain moisture, has anti-microbial properties, and acts as a natural antioxidant. Because it draws in impurities, honey is even a great treatment for those suffering with mild acne.

Why lavender and sugar?
Lavender is not only great for its soothing scent – it has also been proven as a strong antioxidant, especially in regards to protective against sun damage, toxic exposure, and bacterial infection. When mixed with sugar, we have a very nurturing exfoliant on our hands. Because sugar contains glycolic acid (an alpha-hydroxy acid that is crucial for maintaining healthy skin), skin is protected from toxins as well as being charged to draw in moisture.

Rinse with warm water.

Moisturise with grapeseed oil!

After the face scrub, this is the perfect cherry on top. Skin and hair oils are no newfangled beauty trend but there is a distinct lack of celebration over this moisturiser. Grapseed oil is full of nutrients, rich in antioxidants and OPCs (anti-ageing and tone-correcting!), and has a very faint smell.

*Floral & Hardy specialise in contemporary garden design on an individualized basis, whether that is for entertaining, relaxing, playing sports, growing vegetables, flowers and herbs – or a combination of all of these things. Total experts – I advise you check them out!

BETTER THAN A BLOWOUT

Outside of the pageant circuit, hot rollers aren't on most women's radars. (Really, when's the last time you "set" your hair?) But a new take on the retro stylers has us as giddy as beauty queens: T3 Voluminous Hot Rollers, $99, are a set of eight sleek black curlers that create bouncy, natural-looking body. Once you get the knack of putting them in--easy, seriously--they're speedier than a blow-dry. The rollers heat up fast and stay hot for 20 minutes, though 10 is all you need. They're perfect for revamping unwashed hair, or adding lush volume to clean, dry hair: Just unravel, run your fingers through, and... hey, isn't it date night?

Read more: Best Hot Roller For Hair - T3 Voluminous Hot Rollers Review - Redbook 

HOW TO BLOWDRY YOUR HAIR THE RIGHT WAY

Why Blow Drying Is Bad For Your Hair?

Blow-drying is the quickest and most common way to dry your own hair. 


However, over drying can cause hair strands to dry out and break. The heat from the blow dryer can remove too much moisture from the hair, causing it to become dry and brittle. 


In addition, powerful and excessive heat application can actually damage the hair cuticles themselves.

Hair cuticles are the outermost layers of hair strands formed by proteins and their function is to protect the hair from damage. But overutilization of heat can make the cuticles become weak. Consequently, your hair will become dull, dry, weak, brittle and prone to be breakage when manipulating with combs or brushes.

In order to avoid heat damage, experts recommend, blow-drying your hair 80 percent dry and letting the rest dry naturally. Or you can allow you hair to air dry until 80% dry and blow-drying it for that final touch. A better option would be to let you hair dry naturally until about 50% dry and then finish with the blow-dryer. It is always better to not use any heat on your hair. However, many women cannot commit to firing the blow dryer all together. In that case, applying heat to your hair in moderation is the best option. 

**Have you ever suffered heat damage to your hair?

If so, come see Hair by Megan B for a free consultation about Hair Health and Heat Damage!

Salon Heaven & Spa

1505 s Michigan ave

Chicago, Il 60605

773-683-8635

BEST SUMMER HAIR PRODUCTS

Summer is here, and we have the scorching heat and suffocating humidity to prove it. Many of you spent months perfecting your routine only to find that everything you just perfected doesn’t help you handle your hair for summer. To prevent you from spending another few months working your summer routine only to have winter roll up on you, here are some tips to help you get your hair routine summer ready so you can spend more time out and about instead of in front of the mirror.

Hair Products for Summer

Here are some must have ingredients and products to help your hair thrive this summer.

Glycerin: Some curlies avoid glycerin during the summer since it is a humectant that can suck moisture out of the atmosphere and into your hair making it sticky. However, I say go for it. Super moisturized hair equals happy hair that thrives and grows. As long as you aren’t piling on the glycerin or it isn’t too high in the ingredients list, you should be able to avoid sticky hair. You can also purchase vegetable glycerin at your grocery store and create a spritz with it to keep your hair moisturized throughout the day, or add fragrance oil to it to create a hair perfume.

Fun scarves and hair accessories:Also another must have for the summer are decorative scarves and accessories. Winter is so cold that many of you have had to hide your hair away from the elements under hats and scarves or been stuck wearing protective styles for much of the year. Summer is the time to break this mundane routine and get some life back into your strands. Make an effort to place at least one accessory in your hair daily to brighten up your entire outfit or make your average hairstyle go from everyday to fabulous. This summer large flowers and printed scarves are definitely in.

Use gel to fight humidity:It’s hard enough to fight the halo of frizz most of us naturals have, but summer sends those strands on our crown into overdrive, and that sleek do you left the house with can so easily become a full on ‘fro. To help combat this, invest in a good gel with a harder hold than the gel you use in the winter. Also, ensure that glycerin is low down on the ingredients list or not there at all, since it will draw moisture to your hair and cause your hair to puff up.

Wash and go:Summer is the season for wash and gos as they are so easy to do and unlike in winter you have a better chance of your hair actually drying before bedtime. A good rule of thumb for picking a gel for wash and gos is to find one that works well with your leave-ins and moisturizers and is moisturizing. Usually moisturizing gels have glycerin in them so scan the ingredients list before purchasing.

A good deep conditioner:The general rule to prevent summer time frizz is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. The theory behind this is that if your strands have been moisturized sufficiently, then they won’t suck up any more moisture from the atmosphere and swell and create frizz. To start moisturizing from the cleansing stage, invest in a good deep conditioner that is moisturizing and will fix any underlying hair issues and damage that can prevent your hair from being as healthy it can be.

Lots of cheap conditioner:As the temperature increases, we tend to go out and sweat a lot more which can cause our hair to need cleansing sooner than in the winter. Plus, since our hair dries faster, we may find it easier to wash and restyle our hair rather than fight the swelling and frizz the humidity brings. Shampooing too often is a curly crime of the highest degree which is where conditioners come in. Conditioner washing allows most of the dirt and product that is in our hair to be washed away without the drying effect that shampoo causes. The more hair we have, the more conditioner we go through, so save the expensive stuff for winter and special wash days and look out for a sale or stock up on really inexpensive conditioner for co-washing.

Hair Products to Ditch

Following are all the products you need to shelf and hairstyles you should take a break from for the summer months.

Heavy oils and butters: In the winter, it’s often necessary to layer on thick products to fight the harsh dry weather. During the summer, however, the temperature is much milder, and there is a lot more moisture in the atmosphere. Applying the same amount of heavy oils and butters to your hair as you did during the winter may cause your hair to become dull, limp and greasy.

Protective styles: While some women may wish to do protective styles during the winter to reach hair goals, summer is the perfect time to give your hair a break. It is the time to break free from the mundane routine of twist and buns and try the plethora of styles out there that you really wanted to. Wear it big, wild and free now then when winter comes around you can get right back on the protective styling train.

I hope that this helps to take some of the guesswork out of transitioning your hair care routine from winter to summer.