Manicure – Get Healthy, Stylish & Sexy Nails

Looking after your nails via a manicure is something that will make you look good, feel good and something most men love.

You can be a stunner and be let down by your nails condition. So read on and get nails that will help you look stylish, classy and sexy.

A manicure is simply a beauty treatment for your fingernails and hands.

In its simplest form a manicure involves shaping and filing the nails then an application of a polish is added to the nails.

Manicures can also be done to achieve a softening of the hands and stimulating nail growth.

Your nails act as a window and tell you about your overall internal health.

Healthy nails indicate a healthy body.

Ridged; dented, unusually colored or shaped nails indicate the opposite i.e that you may have health or diet problems.

Manicures can make your hands and nails look great and keep them healthy so lets look at the different types and what they can do for you.

Manicures

During a manicure, nails are first shaped, cuticle remover or conditioner applied and then the fingertips and the hands are then placed in warm soapy water and left to soften for around 10minutes.

The hands are then removed, dried before the cuticles are gently pushed back with a stick.

Nails are buffed from cuticle to tip and then a lotion is applied to the entire hand.

Many manicurists will spend time massaging the lotion into the hands as well.

All traces of oils used will then be removed before polish is applied.

Polish includes one base coat followed by two – three more coats of a color of your choice. Finally a top coat if polish is applied.

French Manicure

With a French manicure, the tips of nail are painted white and when dry the entire nail is painted with translucent shell pink polish.

A French manicure is elegant, stylish and suitable for everyone. It’s understated and indicates a women who knows about class and style.

Paraffin Wax Manicure

Paraffin wax is warmed.

The hands are then dipped repeatedly in the warmed liquid until a coating is formed over the nail.

The hands are then wrapped in plastic film and covered with a towel to keep in the heat.

Hands need to remain wrapped for about 15 minutes.

When the towel, plastic and paraffin wax are removed the manicure continues.

A paraffin wax manicure has the advantage of moisturizing and conditioning the skin and is great if your hands are sore, or you just love the feeling of having your hands attended to and made soft and subtle.

Hot Oil Manicure

Hot oil is used to soften the cuticles before being cleaned and neatened.

This treatment is popular is recommended if you have extremely dry hands or nails and is also more popular with men than ever.

Manicure Basics

A manicure should be carried out in an area that is clean and all tools are properly sanitized.

New tools should also be used and these include:

Orange sticks, emery boards and clean fresh towels.

The use of un-sterilized tools can transmit infections and never have a manicure done with someone who does not have high hygienic standards.

Regular Manicure - Keeping Your Nails Healthy

Nails grow at the rate of about 0.05 to 1.1 mm pa week and a regular manicure can keep your nails in great condition.

A high protein diet can help your nails grow stronger and healthier, so get plenty in your diet lack of protein shows up in poor nail condition.

Between manicures do the following:

1. Keep nails clean and dry

This helps to keep bacteria and other infections from accumulating under the nail.

2. Don’t use to much remover

Keep the use of nail polish remover to a minimum so your nails and cuticles do not dry out.

Nails the final flourish of femininity.

If you have nails make them look their best and you can add the final flourish to your femininity if you want to look classy, stylish and individual; pay attention to your nails.

One final point - if you do; your partner will love them to!

Antiaging skin care

‘Antiaging skin care’ is a very poplar concept in today’s world.

Today everyone wants to hide their age using antiaging skin care procedures (and a number of people are successful too). However antiaging skin care is not achieved by any magic potion. ‘Antiaging skin care’ is about discipline. It is about being proactive. Antiaging skin care is retarding the ageing process. Here are a few tips for proactive antiaging skin care:


1. Maintain healthy eating habits: A well balanced diet is the key to maintaining a proper body metabolism. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (raw), they are the best source of fibre and have a very refreshing effect on your body. Avoid oily and fatty food; not only do they lack in essential nutrients but also cause obesity and other diseases which aid the aging process


2. Beat stress: This is probably the most important antiaging skin care measure. Stress disturbs the body metabolism and accelerates the aging process. Sleep, exercise and a relaxing bath, are all good ways of beating stress. Aroma-therapy is also known to bust stress.


3. Drink a lot of water: Antiaging skin care can’t be any simpler than this. Water helps in flushing out the toxins from the body, hence keeping it clean and making it less prone to disease. Around 8 glasses of water (per day) is recommended by all doctors.


4. Regular exercise is a wonderful antiaging skin care procedure. Besides toning your muscles, it also helps in cleaning the skin by flushing out the toxins in the form of sweat. Exercise should be followed by a warm shower in order to completely remove the toxins.


5. Avoid the use of strong, chemical based products on your skin. Natural skin care products are a good option. Use of organic skin care products (home made or commercial) can be a very effective antiaging skin care measure.


6. Do not overuse skin care products. Excessive and harsh application, both are harmful.


7. Do not ignore skin disorders; it can lead to permanent skin damage. Try over the counter medication and if that doesn’t help, immediately visit your dermatologist and seek his/her advice.


8. Vitamin C based skin care products are very popular means of antiaging skin care. However, these seem to oxidise very quickly (which makes them harmful for the skin). So store them properly. If the product turns Yellowish brown, it means that vitamin c has oxidised and the prodct is no longer suitable for use.


9. Protect your skin against UV radiation ; UV rays are known to speed up the aging process. So, a good sunscreen lotion should be a part of your antiaging skin care routine.

Beauty and Fitness

Health is wealth. By being physically fit, it can make a person look lean both inside and out.

There is a lot a person can do such jogging or walking in the morning, playing basketball or any other sport with friends but if a person wants to have muscles and look lean, the best thing to do will be to sign up and workout in a gym.

Just like taking any medicine, one should first consult the doctor before undergoing any form of exercise.

Physical exercise is beneficial because it helps maintain and improve ones health from a variety of diseases and premature death. It also makes a person feel happier and increases ones self esteem preventing one from falling into depression or anxiety. It has also shown to make a person with an active lifestyle live longer than a person who doesn’t.

The best exercise plan should have cardiovascular and weight training exercises. This helps burn calories and increase the muscle to fat ratio that will increase ones metabolism and make one either gain or lose weight.

A person who has never worked out before should do it gradually. Doing it too much for the first time can make one pull a muscle or have an injury making it worse. Endurance will never be built in a day and doing it repeatedly will surely be good to the person.

Focusing on certain portion in the body can help make it improve. A good example is going to the gym and doing a workout more often in a specific area such as the abs can give one a chest pack.

But beauty is not only about having muscles which is what people can see. It is also about enhancing the beauty within.

Here are some things one can do everyday to stay beautiful and healthy;

· Reading books and other reading material more often keeps the mind sharp just like working out keeps the body in shape.

· Work no matter what kind it is produces stress. One can reduce this by taking the time out to do something special like lying in a hot tub, shopping or watching a movie. Studies have shown it is reliever and helps one from looking haggardly.

· Pollution is something people cannot control given the size of the problem. When one goes out, it is best to put some form of protection such as beauty products that contain antioxidants that protect the skin from damage. There are also other beauty products available and choosing the right one with the help of a dermatologist can help the person.

· Another way to stay healthy is to give up some vices. Most people smoke and drink. Smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer and other diseases as well complications for women giving birth. Excessive drinking has also shown to do the same.

· For people who don’t smoke, it is best to stay away from people who do since studies have shown that nonsmokers are also at risk of developing cancer due to secondary smoke inhalation.

· Lastly, it is best to always start the day with a positive outlook. Just as studies have shown that exercise makes a person feel happier, smiling produces the same effect. A smile can do a lot and it is contagious in a positive sense. It brightens the day of not only one but others as well.

What's So Hot About Body Scrubs?

"Receive a salt glow treatment and start looking and feeling great today," declares the advertisement. "Enjoy silky soft skin from our body scrub," states another. So what is special about these spa treatments? Depending upon what you are trying to achieve - everything.

What is a Body Scrub?

A body scrub entails using a granular substance mixed with a specific liquid with essential oils which will cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate by removing dead skin cells and moisturizing the skin. The primary base of the body scrub is usually Dead Sea salt, Epson salt, sugar, or baking soda generally mixed with massage oil, essential oils, honey, milk or milk-like product. Some spas or massage therapists will call their version of a body scrub a "salt glow" since the primary base of the scrub is a type of granular salt or combination of salts.

This scrub is then used on the body to improve circulation, stimulate the metabolic system, increases the body's ability to carry waste products for elimination, and assist with skin care issues. It also gives the skin a very healthy, vibrant look and a silky softness that is divine!

Preparing for the Scrub

The same medical precautions for massage are applied to a body scrub as it will have a similar affect to the body. It is highly recommended that if you have high blood pressure, that you not receive a scrub that has salt in the product as it could raise your blood pressure, or if you are a diabetic, a honey and sugar scrub since it could raise your blood sugar.

Scrubbing product variations could be made so that you will still be able to experience a body scrub. If you are in doubt about the body scrub product used, ask the massage therapist or spa coordinator regarding their particular body scrub and if it will be accommodating for you.

In preparing for your treatment, you will not want to shave any areas, such as your legs, on the day of your treatment. Otherwise, you may experience a stinging sensation to these areas when the product is applied.

Getting Scrubbed

In general terms, a basic body scrub can either be done in a wet room where the table used is designed to get wet or in a dry room where you generally get your massage. The type of equipment will depend upon the spa or massage therapist.

You will need to completely undress for a body scrub. However, your personal dignity will be protected by either disposable undergarments or the therapist will use towels or sheet placement to cover the areas not worked. You may be lying either on a sheet, towel, or a thin piece of plastic.

After the scrub, the therapist will either gently remove the remaining, unabsorbed scrub from the areas treated or direct you to a shower where you will be able to rinse off. You will not want to actually shower with soap since it will remove the oil residue from the scrub and ruin the treatment. Then you will return to the treatment room that has been prepared by the therapist to begin the portion of the treatment designed to moisturize your skin with a cream.

Enjoying your Scrub

You will notice after your receive your body scrub the difference in your skin. To preserve the 'glow' for awhile, you will need to refrain from activities that affect your skin such as go swimming at the beach directly after the treatment since the sand and sunlight will change your skin's exfoliation and hydration effects.

Also check with the massage therapist or spa coordinator concerning the after affects (if any) of the essential oils used in the body scrubs; such as restricting your sun exposure after your treatment to reduce light sensitivity and/or sunburn.

There are literally hundreds of body scrub products that are used by spas and massage therapists providing body scrubs treatments. Experiment, if you will, by receiving a body scrub at different establishments and then decide on your favorite.

If you have never received a body scrub before, I hope that you try it. It is an experience in pampering that is hard to duplicate, especially if you follow your body scrub with a therapeutic massage.

Enjoy!

Massage & Weight Loss

There is no question that having a massage makes you feel great. Even having a deep-tissue, sports massage makes you feel wonderful afterwards. Massage can relieve stress, help you recover from hard physical activity or injury and even reduce anxiety, but can it help you to achieve your weight loss goals?

Research shows that massage can have a positive effect on your muscle-building capabilities and fitness levels, which in turn increases your capacity to control or loose weight.

Healthy strong muscles burn calories and give you the freedom to participate in all sorts of sports and activities that can help you burn excess calories and improve your overall fitness and wellbeing.

Massage has the following benefits that can directly influence your ability to control or loose weight:

1. Massage has been shown to improve circulation and the supply of nutrition to the muscles. Massage increases the interchange of vital substances between the blood and tissue cells, which increases tissue metabolism. After muscles are exercised, vital nutrients must be supplied to them so that they can recover and rebuild themselves. Massage maximizes the supply of these nutrients and oxygen though increased blood flow, which helps the muscles to grow and burn more calories as a result.

2. Massage improves your muscles’ range of motion and their flexibility. This allows them to maintain maximum power and performance while active, and burn the maximum number of calories in the process.

Improved range of motion and flexibility also reduces muscle soreness during periods of recovery and muscle repair.

Having a wide range of motion and maximum muscle flexibility also reduces the danger of experiencing injuries during exercise which can severely limit activity, exercise and weight loss progress.

3. Massage helps to shorten the recovery time needed between your workouts. Waste products such as lactic and carbonic acid build up in muscles during and after exercise. Increased circulation to these muscles helps to eliminate toxic debris buildup caused by these waste products and in doing so shorten recovery time.

Shortened recovery time means you can safely have more workouts over a given period of time, which in turn means that you have the opportunity to burn more total calories in your effort to achieve your individual weight loss goals.

4. Massage can also help reduce the chance of you over-training. Massage has a relaxing effect on the muscles and a sedative effect on the nervous system. By helping you to rest, which is a very important element of any exercise program, massage can reduce the likelihood of you experiencing over-training syndrome, which is known to limit your ability to build strong healthy muscles and therefore loose weight with maximum efficiency.

5. In addition to all of the above, massage may directly aid in fat loss. According to some research studies, massage is thought to be able to burst the fat capsule in subcutaneous tissue so that the fat exudes and becomes absorbed. In this way, combined with proper nutrition and exercise, massage may actually help in weight loss.

6. As we have already touched upon, massage helps prevent and heal injuries. By stretching connective tissue, massage improves circulation to help prevent or break down adhesions and scar tissue that result from muscle tears and other common muscle injuries. Massage also influences the excretion of certain fluids (nitrogen, phosphorous, sulfur) that aid in tissue repair. Fast and effective recovery from injuries means that you can begin exercising sooner after suffering an injury and getting your weight loss progress back on track.

So there you have it. Massage has a lot of benefits that can indirectly and possibly even directly aid you in achieving your weight loss goals.

Regular massage is just as important a component as regular workouts and correct nutrition in any comprehensive fitness and weight loss program, which is great news for those of us who thought that exercising and loosing weight was all hard work! Remember, weight loss is all about leading a balanced lifestyle and massage is an essential part of any balanced lifestyle.

If you haven’t had a massage lately, what are you waiting for? Get on the phone and make yourself a booking. If you haven’t had a massage before, just remember to have your massage done by a qualified massage therapist.

And remember, have fun!

Hair Loss Prevention

A thorough massage is necessary to improve the blood circulation of the scalp. By massaging the scalp the hair follicles are stimulated and the texture of the hair is also enhanced. Massaging activates the nerves and a sense of calmness in the mind ensues. This therapy is useful for people who have routine stress.

Everyday, spend about 5-10 minutes massaging your hair with your fingers. Move your fingers circularly all over the head starting from the temporal parts to the occipital area. Apply the necessary pressure to the areas. Even Yoga exercises such as the headstand are recommended for proper circulation to all the parts, especially the hair follicles to stimulate growth.

There are various types of massaging techniques, which can be followed. Indonesian style is best suited for relieving mental tension and improving the quality of the hair. The massaging steps are given below in detail:

1) Stand with your feet apart and start breathing in and out

2) Bend from the waist till the level of your head falls below the waist area.

3) Bring your feet close to each other and start rubbing your scalp with your knuckles all over your head for about half a minute.

4) Slowly start bringing your body to the normal level and continue rubbing on the scalp.

Be careful that when you are massaging your scalp, do not massage roughly. The hair fibers may split causing you pain and damage to the hair. So massage gently and thoroughly.

Stress Pain

Stress

Stress can have many triggers and many different effects on people. In our modern world, people are often under daily pressure to achieve increasing numbers of tasks in shorter periods of time.

Stress may contribute to lowered immunity and can be a significant factor in the development of symptoms of both physical and mental illness.

One common physical symptom of stress is muscle tension. This often results in pain such as headaches, backache and a sore neck.

Common psychological symptoms of stress are depression, anxiety, or general difficulty coping with everyday tasks

Stress can also increase the severity of existing health complaints such as problems with digestion, period pain, and asthma.

Often, the physical symptoms of stress themselves can lead to further feelings of stress, which can result in a vicious cycle. This cycle can put people at risk of serious health problems such as stomach ulcers or severe anxiety and depression.

By treating the physical symptoms of stress, your Massage Therapist can help reduce muscle tension and pain. This allows you to feel physically more comfortable and can help make things seem easier to cope with. Massage Therapy can also make sure that the systems of the body (eg: digestive/ respiratory/ circulatory), are all working efficiently and effectively to help reduce other symptoms that may be caused or aggravated by stress

Massage Therapy can also have a profound effect on the mind. It can help to improve the circulation of "feel good" hormones around the body, affecting the way you think and feel. This can help to promote a sense of calm and wellbeing.

Soothing touch encourages a natural and positive psychological response. A mother comforting a crying child by gently rubbing its head would be an example of this.

Massage Therapy can help to soothe your stress away.

Pain

Pain relief can be brought about by a reduction in muscle tension.

The following types of pain can be treated by your Massage Therapist by reducing muscle tension in muscle groups surrounding/ connected to the area of pain:

• Headache
• Backache
• Period Pain
• Muscle Strain
• Some types of Arthritis

Some other types of pain may also by reduced by massage therapy:

Cramps can be reduced by reducing the involuntary contraction of muscles.

Abdominal pain caused by digestive problems may be reduced by improving the efficiency of the digestive system.

Sinus pain can be reduced by encouraging the drainage of fluid from the face, thus reducing pressure build up.

In cases of severe pain and discomfort, the area may be too painful to allow your Massage Therapist to touch the affected area. In such cases, you must discuss this with your massage therapist, who may advise you to consult your doctor.

Breast Massage

Breast massage as a method of natural breast enlargement and breast health has actually been used for years as a means of stimulating healthy breast growth and promoting breast tone, pliability and firmness.

Breast massage is one of the best ways to help create a more beautiful bustline by helping to shape, tone and promote growth of the breast and the area surrounding the breast. Not only can moderate breast massage help to make your bustline more attractive and sometimes even grow larger, but it is also an excellent way to keep in tune to your breast health by creating awareness of any fibrous areas of possible indications of breast cancer and some have even claimed moderate breast massage can help to prevent cancer.

Breast massage has been used in beauty parlors and massage parlors, especially in Asia, as a means of healthy lymphatic drainage, breast growth promotion, and as a post operative therapy for women who have undergone mastectomies, breast surgery, or other trauma to the breast area, since it helps break down scar tissues as well as stimulate healing and tissue regeneration.

There has been much speculation that the practice of wearing a bra 12-15 hours per day by most women restricts lymph flow and healthy riddance of toxins, and apart from not wearing a bra, which is not an option for many women in today's societies, breast massage is the best way to help the lymphatic system drain these pent up toxins and help to prevent them from building up and contributing to cancer or other ailments.

By massaging the breasts on a regular basis, many women is Asia have claimed it has enhanced the shape, size and overall attractiveness of their breast, while also giving them a sense of oneness with their femininity, and promoting relaxation and peace of mind, as other methods of body massage do.

Many who practice breast massage for increased breast fullness and beauty also have utilized special herbal serums or creams formulated to further stimulate the breasts into "expanding", firming and toning, creating an overall larger look and correcting sagging, droopiness and other traits deemed unattractive by other individuals.

Believe it or not, the Thai government has recently reported it supports breast massage as a means for breast enlargement and breast health, so there really must be something to this phenomena.

Here are some guidelines for breast massage you may want to follow:

1.) Use a breast enhancing cream or lubricant - preferably a quality one with natural stimulating herbs and botanicals of your choice to help prevent friction and increase the enjoyment and relaxation of the massage for a more pleasurable and therapeutic experience. This can be an herbal mixture - there are some good ones out there that really do help to promote firmess and breast tone, while creating a larger and more rounded look.

2.) Light to moderate massaging using a gentle back and forth gentle “swishing” action is best. This can be in a counterclockwise circle around the breast to help promote maximum lymphatic drainage.

3.) To gain maximum benefit and therapeutic effects, breast massage should be practiced daily, as part of a routine - perhaps when fresh out of the shower, since the skin is still somewhat moist and the room may still be steamy, for a smoother massage which may be more easily lubricated since there will still be moisture in the air. If you prefer, even several times a day can be a great benefit. It depends on what fits into your schedule. A few minutes at a time should suffice.