Hello and welcome to the Amara Spa Blog.
Myself and my team were discussing last week what we would be prepared to spend to have good skin. Pretty much all of us agreed we would pay anything. That would be the answer of most of you too, I would think.
For those of us who work in the skincare industry, we know the first step to good skin is to use good products that do not contain ingredients that will aggravate and upset our skin’s natural balance. But I understand that most of you don’t work in this industry and when you read the long list of ingredients on the back of products, it can be a little daunting.
Back in 2003 when I did my research into what products we would have at Amara Spa, I wanted to be bring in lines that my clients would see real results with. I looked at about 8 different lines. I finally whittled that down to Dermalogica and Environ because I truly believed that they could back up the claims they made about making a difference to the health of the skin. And over the years, we have seen some amazing results with some of our clients that have definitely backed up those claims.
But occasionally some of you express concerns that some of these professional lines are expensive in comparison to some of the high street brands.
Now, going back to my opening statement at the beginning of this blog about what we would be prepared to pay for good skin, myself and the team decided to work out exactly what was the price for good skin. And frankly, even we were surprised!
We worked out that three months worth of good products works out to approximately 0.73p per day! Used correctly, that is 90 days worth of skin care that has been professionally prescribed for you - for a cleanser and moisturiser. That is 3 times less than a take-away cup of coffee! Now you can add in other things such as a toner and exfoliator which will improve your skin further, but for those of you just starting out, keeping it simple to begin with is better than buying everything all at once and getting confused. Extras can be introduced later when you have got to grips with the basics.
So next time you feel you can’t justify buying that cleanser, think of that cup of coffee you had that day. Taking care of YOU is important – especially when it only costs 0.73p per day. And your skin is definitely worth more than a cup of coffee.
See you in the Spa soon.
Jackie x
Monday, 23 February 2009
Saturday, 14 February 2009
Happy Valentines Day!
AMARA SPA BLOG
14TH FEB 2009
Well, it's Valentine’s Day and we have certainly had an eventful start to February. London literally froze in the grip of the snow, with shops and businesses closed, buses non-existent and trains going nowhere.
And you know, I think it was exactly what we all needed! With all the doom and gloom constantly on the news, it was so lovely to see communities and families coming to together and having FUN! I have never seen the streets, parks and coffee shops SO busy and people looking SO happy!! Again the media reported how much money was lost in business that day, but to be honest, anything that brings people together in the way it did is priceless. We probably won’t see another day like that for maybe 20 years, so we will certainly not forget it in a hurry, but personally, I will remember it as the day we all got together to build snowmen and forget our troubles!
The downside to the cold weather is what it does to our skin. It can become dry and dehydrated with not only the effects of the weather, but with the added problem of central heating causing even more problems. This is the time we need to up our water intake and perhaps look at whether our moisturiser is giving us enough hydration. Your normal moisturiser may not be enough for you at this time, so if you feel you may need a little extra help, drop in to the Spa for some advice. That way we can see what you’re using and how we can improve your routine. Many of you don’t know that we can give you samples to try before you buy. That way you haven’t wasted money buying products that don’t suit your skin that then sit on your bathroom shelf gathering dust, along with all the other products you have bought along the way!
Talking of buying products that don’t work, I would like to tell you my experiences as a teenager (many, many years ago now!) and the journey I had with my skin. The reason I want to share this with you is because I believe it is a very common problem which is completely avoidable – most people just don’t know what to do to fix it.
At 12 years old, my skin went nuts. It started producing huge amounts of oil, which in turn blocked my pores and erupted into the most painful huge spots. Now at 12, I had no clue about why this was happening and even less idea about what to do about it. So, embarrassed and ashamed, I thought it must dirty and needed cleaning and that’s what I set out to do – to get it as clean as possible. I discovered the best way to do this was to clean with a well known face wash for spots and the toner that went with it. No moisturiser for me as my skin was teeming with oil, so of course I didn’t need it! But instead of improving, it got worse and worse. I couldn’t keep up with the oil, so started cleaning more and more – up to four times a day! As I stripped away each layer of my skin’s natural barriers, it got really sensitised resulting in my skin feeling really itchy, sore and tight. It looked really awful so I starting putting thicker and thicker make-up to cover it all up, which in turn blocked everything – and still it got worse.
I was so embarrassed about it that I hated going out during the day (bit like a vampire!) and couldn’t bear to look directly at anyone as they would be able to see what a mess my skin was. But I had no idea what to do to help it or who to talk to.
Then at 16, I went fruit picking for 3 months and had no choice but to stop the crazy routine I had adopted and guess what? My skin started to improve. It certainly was far from perfect, but the itchiness and tightness disappeared and it got less oily and much less spotty. That was when I learnt less is more.
The reason I am telling you this story is because there are still some of you suffering with problem skin conditions that can be greatly improved upon with the right advice and the right products. It may not be a quick overnight fix – nothing ever is. But there will be definitely be something we can do to help you. After all, that is what we do!
The best advice I can give you is – if you do nothing else, use the right products for your skin. A facial one every six weeks is going to give you a fantastic deep cleanse, but if you then go off and use products which are stripping your skin and sensitising it, you will not see the results you were expecting. If you cannot have both and have to choose one, choose the right products rather than the facials because once your skin is sensitised, it is one of the most difficult problems to fix.
If you are nodding your head as you are reading this because you recognise the things I am describing, give us a ring, book in a free skin consultation, bring in the products you are using for us to look at and we can have a chat with you to find out what is going on and give you some samples to try before you buy. You should begin to see and feel a difference in about four days. We may not get it exactly right first time, but we will keep going until we do – that is our job. So many people suffer unnecessarily, like I did, and there is a solution for you. Please, please don’t suffer in silence!
Wellbeing is our business at Amara Spa and skin is part of that, so let us help you. Problems always have solutions – let us help you with yours.
Look forward to seeing you in the Spa soon.
Jackie
14TH FEB 2009
Well, it's Valentine’s Day and we have certainly had an eventful start to February. London literally froze in the grip of the snow, with shops and businesses closed, buses non-existent and trains going nowhere.
And you know, I think it was exactly what we all needed! With all the doom and gloom constantly on the news, it was so lovely to see communities and families coming to together and having FUN! I have never seen the streets, parks and coffee shops SO busy and people looking SO happy!! Again the media reported how much money was lost in business that day, but to be honest, anything that brings people together in the way it did is priceless. We probably won’t see another day like that for maybe 20 years, so we will certainly not forget it in a hurry, but personally, I will remember it as the day we all got together to build snowmen and forget our troubles!
The downside to the cold weather is what it does to our skin. It can become dry and dehydrated with not only the effects of the weather, but with the added problem of central heating causing even more problems. This is the time we need to up our water intake and perhaps look at whether our moisturiser is giving us enough hydration. Your normal moisturiser may not be enough for you at this time, so if you feel you may need a little extra help, drop in to the Spa for some advice. That way we can see what you’re using and how we can improve your routine. Many of you don’t know that we can give you samples to try before you buy. That way you haven’t wasted money buying products that don’t suit your skin that then sit on your bathroom shelf gathering dust, along with all the other products you have bought along the way!
Talking of buying products that don’t work, I would like to tell you my experiences as a teenager (many, many years ago now!) and the journey I had with my skin. The reason I want to share this with you is because I believe it is a very common problem which is completely avoidable – most people just don’t know what to do to fix it.
At 12 years old, my skin went nuts. It started producing huge amounts of oil, which in turn blocked my pores and erupted into the most painful huge spots. Now at 12, I had no clue about why this was happening and even less idea about what to do about it. So, embarrassed and ashamed, I thought it must dirty and needed cleaning and that’s what I set out to do – to get it as clean as possible. I discovered the best way to do this was to clean with a well known face wash for spots and the toner that went with it. No moisturiser for me as my skin was teeming with oil, so of course I didn’t need it! But instead of improving, it got worse and worse. I couldn’t keep up with the oil, so started cleaning more and more – up to four times a day! As I stripped away each layer of my skin’s natural barriers, it got really sensitised resulting in my skin feeling really itchy, sore and tight. It looked really awful so I starting putting thicker and thicker make-up to cover it all up, which in turn blocked everything – and still it got worse.
I was so embarrassed about it that I hated going out during the day (bit like a vampire!) and couldn’t bear to look directly at anyone as they would be able to see what a mess my skin was. But I had no idea what to do to help it or who to talk to.
Then at 16, I went fruit picking for 3 months and had no choice but to stop the crazy routine I had adopted and guess what? My skin started to improve. It certainly was far from perfect, but the itchiness and tightness disappeared and it got less oily and much less spotty. That was when I learnt less is more.
The reason I am telling you this story is because there are still some of you suffering with problem skin conditions that can be greatly improved upon with the right advice and the right products. It may not be a quick overnight fix – nothing ever is. But there will be definitely be something we can do to help you. After all, that is what we do!
The best advice I can give you is – if you do nothing else, use the right products for your skin. A facial one every six weeks is going to give you a fantastic deep cleanse, but if you then go off and use products which are stripping your skin and sensitising it, you will not see the results you were expecting. If you cannot have both and have to choose one, choose the right products rather than the facials because once your skin is sensitised, it is one of the most difficult problems to fix.
If you are nodding your head as you are reading this because you recognise the things I am describing, give us a ring, book in a free skin consultation, bring in the products you are using for us to look at and we can have a chat with you to find out what is going on and give you some samples to try before you buy. You should begin to see and feel a difference in about four days. We may not get it exactly right first time, but we will keep going until we do – that is our job. So many people suffer unnecessarily, like I did, and there is a solution for you. Please, please don’t suffer in silence!
Wellbeing is our business at Amara Spa and skin is part of that, so let us help you. Problems always have solutions – let us help you with yours.
Look forward to seeing you in the Spa soon.
Jackie
Thursday, 12 February 2009
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