Young Women Getting Surgery/Botox Prematurely?

There was a great article that I recently read about how the age for “youth enhancing” types of procedures, surgery and things like Botox and peels is being pushed lower and lower. The incredible pressure that we feel as women to maintain a youthful, fresh appearance often weighs so heavily. 

I’ve found myself looking at my ever increasing wrinkles in the mirror, which I’ve largely been able to help reverse or at least keep at a standstill for a couple years by using the best anti aging and wrinkle products.  I often think about what they would look like if I had some radical procedure (NEVER would I get a facelift – EVER).

But of course my mind has gone the way of Botox. I’m still really leery of Botox though. I know that thousands of women and men get Botox every year without incident, and no side effects, it’s just that the long term safety of it is what scares me. I do think it’s a great way to freeze wrinkles where they are, but I have serious questions about the safety of injecting a toxin underneath the skin.

A toxin is a toxin.  Period.  And what kinds of other things are in the shot? No doubt preservatives and other delivery type of chemicals.  I just don’t know what all is being injected. Plus there have been studies that Botulism may migrate to the brain and stay there. What are the long term effects of getting this done a couple times a year, built up over the years?

We really don’t know yet. And Botox isn’t something that you just get done once and then you’re done. You don’t maintain your results if you don’t keep getting the injections 2-4 times per year.

The age for women who are getting Botox often now is starting in the twenties!  This is when your skin still looks its best naturally!  Yet some doctors are recommending it this young so that you can have a sort of “preventive” measure against wrinkles. 

In Hollywood, take the pressure that us normal women feel to look young and beautiful and multiply it by a hundred. Women in the entertainment industry are incredibly pressured to look young forever.  It’s unfair, but the media really crucifies women when they start to look old.

Fox News does a segment that’s particularly cruel where they compare two stars of the same age.  Obviously, one looks older and one looks younger. It’s this type of constant comparing that women need to get away from, and yet we’re faced with it, both self imposed and outside-imposed every day!

Frizz Fighting Tips

Last week I reviewed a new product that I found at Sally’s Beauty Supply called Brazilian Tech by One ‘n Only.  It’s a little known line of haircare products (only shampoo, conditioner and an intensive conditioner treatment that I know of), which helps to keep frizz tamed even in the frizziest of climates and environments.

I have really liked using the products so far, and have found that, in combination with flat ironing my hair with the Sedu flat iron to make it flatter, skinnier and overall more humidity resistant.

I can’t say for sure what the science is behind the Sedu flat iron making my hair so frizz resistant, but if I had to guess, I would say that it is because it helps to flatten the cuticle and seal the hair shaft against humidity.

Humidity does a few things to make your hair unruly. When it is able to get into the hair shaft and penetrate the cuticle, which is the protective layer on the outer part of the individual hairs, is expands the hair by absorbing into the porous parts of it.

To make this a lot less likely, the absolute first thing that you have to be concerned with is keeping your hair MOISTURIZED.  This means using intensive treatments at least once a week so that you can ensure your hair doesn’t get dried out.

The drier your hair is, the more the humidity is going to penetrate it and make it “big”.  When your hair is dry, or over processed by dying and other chemical process, it is very porous, which means it sucks everything up like a sponge.

If you saturate it in moisture as often as you can with intensive moisture treatments, you saturate the pores of the hair so that they have no room for humidity to make them way bigger. 

Sealing your hair with a flat iron as soon as you can after completely blowing it dry (make sure it is totally dry) will help ensure that you seal out that humidity.  When you step into the mugginess, it helps your hair repel the moisture better. 

A good moisturizing, smoothing hair creme will also help your hair to maintain a smooth, glossy finish for about two days before you even need to wash it again, unless you have an incredibly oily scalp and have to wash your hair every day.

One Minute Facelift by Former Model Jane Hitchcock

I received this information and thought it very interesting, about a former model (gorgeous at that), who has come out with a new ebook called the one minute facelift. The model’s name is Jane Hitchcock. I’ve put a recent photo of her below, you can see she still looks radiant, lifted and youthful, and she claims she has not had any surgery but instead has relied on a natural method of keeping her face young looking.  Facial exercises can be quite effective as an anti aging weapon.

Super Model  Jane Hitchcock at 57 Unveils Her E-Book…

Super Model Jane Hitchcock One Minute Facelift

‘The One Minute Facelift’  A remarkable program teaching how she maintains her face’s youthful contours.

READ ABOUT AND BUY ‘ The One Minute Facelift’ e-Book here http://www.janehitchcock.com/products/

Jane has not tried fillers, plumpers or Botox. ”I’m happy with the results I’m getting keeping it natural, exercising your face is as effective as exercising your body”.

Being concerned that things can go wrong with surgery  and the long-term health effects of injecting chemicals, Jane has chosen another route. She claims “Other benefits to facial exercising are increased blood flow, cell detoxification and rejuvenated skin”.

A World of Experience in Looking Good

PR Jane_Hitchcock_1970_Feb_Vogue_ItalyPR L Officiele copybazaar 1970

Jane has worked and lived in capitals like New York, LA, London, Paris, Rome and Milan being photographed by world renowned photographers such as Steven
Meisel, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, David Bailey, Barry Lategan, Bert Stern, Neal Barr, Sarah Moon, Irving Penn and Hiro.

Walking the runway for Calvin Klein, Jean Muir and Jasper Conran and appearing on multiple magazine covers, I think she may know a thing or two about aging gracefully. I have tried some facial exercises myself, and have found that they work well for me personally. I’ve gotten away from them a bit, but now I think this has inspired me to get back on the wagon and start working my facial muscles again.

I refuse to undergo surgery, get Botox, or alter my face in any way. But if there is a natural way I can lift my face and keep it youthful looking, you’d better bet I’ll try it!

Review : Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Conditioner

I’ve been quite a fan of the very reasonably priced, somewhat natural ingredients product line Organix, which can be found at most grocers, Target and I believe Wal-mart also (for sure Target though).  I’ve tried their Shea butter shampoo, their coconut milk shampoo, and their anti breakage serum with coconut in it as well. I’m a fan of all of them so far.

So, I decided to try their “Brazilian keratin” formula of conditioner for kicks. I figured, I knew it was all a gimmick in labeling because the Brazilian keratin treatment is a chemical treatment that is paid for at higher end salons.  However, I figured I liked a lot of their other hair care products, so why not.

I have naturally wavy, somewhat coarse hair.  All of the women in my family have hair that is on the coarser side, but we can definitely manage it with the right products, so it is in no way hopeless, although you might want to check with me on that statement again on a hot humid day.

The brazilian keratin conditioner advertised mostly natural ingredients like coconut oils, avocado oil, cocoa butter, nut oils and keratin proteins.  By the way, keratin proteins are generally not small enough to actually penetrate the cuticle of the hair, so they may be a useless ingredient. 

Although this product does have some very nice natural ingredients, it does also contain some of the common chemicals found in straightening and smoothing hair products like dimethicone.  I’m ok with that though, my hair products don’t need to be 100% natural, as I’ve found my hair actually doesn’t respond well to 100% natural hair care products anyways. 

Wish it did, but that’s just not a product that I’ve found works when it’s all natural for me. The Organix Brazilian Keratin conditioner has a lighter consistency. It’s not super thick, but it’s thick enough that it doesn’t drip off your fingers in the shower.

It has a brown color, but it is light brown, and beware because I have read that some blondes have had bad experiences with this product discoloring their hair, including the whole line of Brazilian Keratin stuff by Organix, so it may not be safe for blondes.

I liked the scent, and I liked the way my hair felt after I used it. My hair did come out straighter than usual, and it was shinier than usual as well. I wouldn’t say it looked well-moisturized though, as I felt I had to put some more moisturizing agents in it, but that is usually the price you pay with straightening products.

I do like this product though. I will use it in the summer on a humid day and see if it keeps my hair calmer throughout the day and prevents it from becoming “huge”.