Waxing 101

Waxing:What you Need to Know

Many people have questions about waxing care, what are we supposed to do before we wax? What are you supposed to do after you wax? What do you use to do the waxing? Etc... Etc...

This will help those of you who are curious about how waxing works and what you need to do before and after to care for your skin.

Before Waxing

• Most important part of waxing is making sure that you exfoliate the day before you go to get waxed. And make sure that you've been moisturizing. You skin will thank you and the wax will be able to cling to the hairs of your leg better without all the extra dry skin clinging to it.
• Make sure that your hair is at least a 1/4 of an inch long (or the length of a grain of rice). However if your hair gets much longer than that it will become slightly more painful.

After waxing

• Do not go tanning for at least 12 hours after you get a wax, the skin will be very sensitive (no one wants a sunburn on their underarms etc...).
• Stay out of the pools, hot tubs and saunas for 24hrs; Sweating, soaking and chlorine can cause quite a bit of irritation which can cause folliculitis.
• Do not apply topical lotions as it can trap bacteria in your open pores and cause infection.
• Tea Tree oil and Lavender oil products can be very helpful at keeping away bacteria and avoiding infection however.

A Few Days Later

• Make sure to exfoliate the area with either a washcloth, loofa, dry brush or body scrub.

When should you come back?

Waxing should be maintained every 3-6 weeks depending on hair growth. Hairs must be at least the length of a grain of salt before waxing can be done again. However if you wait too long in-between you will have more hairs to remove, which can be more painful. 

Hoping this helps you with all your waxing questions :)

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics

Get Burning: Metabolism Boosters

How to spike your metabolism

We all want to have that perfect body, but we don't know how to get it. Lots of people try fad diets and/or cut down their food intake drastically.

Here's what we agree on at Renu U Aesthetics: 

Diet is Key!

However when we say diet we don't mean cut down till you get to your goal, we mean change your lifestyle. Gradually and for the better for good. That means instead of having potato chips while you're watching television, eat a pepper. Better yet instead of watching television go for a nature walk. Start small and work your way to your ultimate goal.

But we are talking about how to get your metabolism going.

#1. Get a head start on the day

Don't hit that snooze button, just get up. It helps! Your sleep cycles every 90mins, so if you are hitting snooze every ten minutes you are cutting it off and just making yourself that much more tired.

#2. Drink some warm water

It's said that drinking a glass of warm water within the first 30mins of waking gets things going inside your body and helps tremendously with digestive issues that can bog you down during the day.

#3. Drink water through out the day

Don't skip hydration, it's really important the better hydrated that you are the more you burn. Keep a bottle of water next to you at all times, most people mistake thirst for hunger in a world where food is everywhere. But keep that H20 close and you might find yourself reaching for it more often then you'd think through out the day.

#4. RELAX

It's been proven that stress shuts your body down. You don't function properly when you leave no time to unwind. Maybe try some yoga or meditation. It will help you combat the stress of our busy lives and keep the "fight and flight" symptoms at bay.

#5. Heat! Get sweating!

From hot yoga and saunas to strength training and cardio, warming up your body has a great deal to offer you when it comes to burning away those extra pounds. Not only that but spicy food ALSO helps. Burn it off in all sorts of ways. (Everything in moderation though you don't wanna add chili powder to everything you eat ;) )

#6. More meals, only smaller.

 When you plan out how you are going to eat for the day, try to plan it out to have six small meals a day. And always include proteins. So an apple and almond butter, a salad with some chicken or cheese.

DON'T skip meals! One of the biggest mistakes that people make is not eating. It's important to remember that eating once a day is not good for you. Your body will not be able to repair itself properly! It will effect your immune system and wreck havoc with your insides. You will also find yourself craving foods that aren't great for you, because you are hungry all the time.

If done over a long period of time, you run the risk of severe eating disorders as well. Eating is important for your metabolism.

# 7. Gain muscle

The more muscles you have the better your metabolism will be. Your body will burn through fat faster and you'll need to eat more often to keep up with your growing appetite.Which will go straight to your muscles instead of your hips.

#8. Fat is your Friend

Healthy fats from nuts, seed and other raw foods like avocado are actually good for you. Your body needs Fats as well as carbohydrates and proteins.Carbohydrates are your first source of energy

#9. Carbs first Protein next.

When you go to the gym it has been proven that having carbohydrates you work out it helps to keep your energy levels consistent. This means you'll get a better work out that you would without it.

Ex. Bananas (nature's energy bar), oats, fruit. Make sure its 30-45 mins before you work out.

When you are done at the gym it's good to have protein as it helps to repair your body after a work out. This means you'll be able to do the gym again tomorrow.

Ex. Hard boiled eggs, raw mixed nuts, or some yogurt.

#10. SLEEP

Get those Zzzs... The body goes through it's repair faze while you're sleeping. Which makes it the most important time of the day. A good night's rest could mean the difference between getting up and feeling your best, and wanting to hit that snooze button 800x the next morning.


Make your changes one at a time! Make each one a new habit over time and make changes slowly. It's very important have patience and persistence, as with everything your goals will come to you in time if you have the strength to be patient and work hard.

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics.

The Secret Ritual for a Beautiful Face

Facials: Your Beauty Secret

A lot of use take pride in the way that our face looks when we leave the house for the day, whether it's to cover redness, under eye circles, wrinkles or even for self expression however only a few of us take into consideration what we are doing to our faces. We don't go for regular facials, and often some of us only wash our faces with soap and water! On the other hand we have many people that own every product under the sun for a certain skin condition they feel that they have and may or may not be correct about.

Regular facials can keep you up to date on your skin type as it changes and the seasons go by, helping you to keep your home care routine up to date and working for you as best as it possibly can. The best skin care plans are the ones that are well thought out and consider your specific needs. Educated aestheticians will look at your skin very carefully and make recommendations for home care products at the end of a service, or ask you how you current face care plan is working for you.

Each skin type has specific needs that can be addressed at your regular facials, and just like a visit to the dentist (we know no one really likes those) your aesthetician will make sure that your skin is responding well to your products, and that every thing is working out for you.

When it comes to skin types these are the ways your facials will be addressing your skin, and how regular facials are going to help improve the texture and over all look of your skin.

Oily Skin:

An oily skin facial will consist of a balancing cleanser, pH balancing toner, manual exfoliation, around 10min steaming, extractions, massage, balancing serums and balancing masks, with matte moisturizers and eye creams.

Machines:

Microdermabrasion can be used to deeply exfoliate the skin, which helps to free the blockages from the skin during the extraction phase and helps to penetrate the oil balancing products.

Violet high frequency for disinfecting purposes. It helps to heal acne and fight the bacteria that causes it through sanitizing the skin.

Dry Skin:

A facial for a dryer skin type facial will consist of gentle cleansing, gentle balancing toner (often with aloe or hydrating algae), light steaming, exfoliation, extractions (IF needed), massage, hydrating serums, moisturizing masks, hydrating moisturizers and eye creams.

Machines:

Orange High frequency for stimulation, cell turn over and blood flow.

Microdermabrasion for the exfoliation and also stimulation of oils and cell turn over can be used on clients with dryer skin.

Aging Skin:

We all want to stay young and beautiful for as long as we possibly can, so anti aging facials are very important as we age and lose oil and elasticity.
It starts with gentle cleanser, none "medicated" toner simply for re-balancing your pH, gentle manual exfoliation and a little steaming.  Too much steaming can cause your skin to feel tight and lose moisture, an aging skin needs all the moisture it can get. As you won't have much oil you won't need a lot of extractions unless there is a lot of old build up that hasn't been very cleared out. This would all follow with massage, anti aging serums, anti aging moisturizers and collagen eye creams (sometime with caffeine for a lifting effect)

Machines:

Microdermabrasion on aging clients helps to increase blood flow, cell turn over and collagen and elastin boosting through intense exfoliation. It can also reduce the look of scaring and age spots and freckles

Orange light High Frequency is excellent for the stimulating cell turn over and blood flow to the face. This means more new skin! 

Sensitive Skin:

Facials of this variety are almost always tricky because the skin is VERY reactive, so it's hard to treat any acne a sensitive client might have, so we'd start with a gentle routine till the skin begins to come around. Gentle cleansers and gentle toners would be used, very limited steaming (warm/hot towels would probably be used instead) and minimal exfoliation, and if any extractions are needed they may be taken care of. All this would be followed by massage and then calming serums and/or masks.

Machines:

Orange high frequency would be use to increase circulation and create stimulation. If any blemishes are present Violet high frequency would be used to kill the bacteria inside.

Microdermabrasion would generally be left alone and if it was going to be done it would probably only be one pass.

Home care Routines:

Home care routines generally consist of the appropriate cleanser, toner and moisturizer for your skin type and perhaps even a manual exfoliator that would be used between 1 and 3 times a week at maximum. This keeps your skin gently cared for in-between deeper treatments at the spa, so that you will get to enjoy more of the massage and relaxation aspect of the facials. :)

We hope this helps you with your choice to have facials.

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics.

Body care: How to get soft skin

This is the way! Trust me!

So we've all experienced the trouble of keeping our skin soft and radiant. There are always those stubborn rough patches that we can't get to go away. It can be frustrating and sometimes even stressful. We are gonna tell you the ways that can drastically improve your overall skin health from the outside. Now you must always remember that it's very important to care for your skin from the inside as well  i.e: having a well balanced diet, getting enough sleep and drinking enough water. These can be difficult for the average person on the run but will help immensely when it comes to soft supple skin.

Now to the from the outside method:
 
#1. Dry brushing

 

 This is something that once seemed foreign to me, probably many others BUT is actually very useful. I would recommend that if you take morning showers that you dry brush your body all over. You should always brush from the extremities towards the heart. It can be very invigorating and sometimes makes me feel like I have way too much energy afterwards. So make sure not to dry brush at night or it could keep you up.

Benefits of dry brushing are exfoliation, increased circulation, stimulated lymphatic drainage, reduce cellulite, improved digestion and kidney function, increase in elasticity of the skin. Most importantly it can aid in stress relief.

What do you need to know about dry brushing? 

 You need to know that dry brushing should be done once a day for best results. Finding a good dry brush is very important! It should be made of all natural materials, and stiff but not so much that you scratch your skin off using it. Three different types of natural materials to look for are jute (soft), sisal (medium) and coconut (course). And if you get one with a handle you can make sure that you can dry brush your back more easily.

#2. Avoid high sulfate body washes!

High sulfate soaps can leave the skin feeling squeaky clean BUT can also dry the skin out very quickly, especially for those people who already have very dry skin. Just imagine what your dish soap is doing to your hands after repeated use. This is from the sulfate content. It is best to use a more gentle soap on your skin.

#3. Shower temperature

The water temperature of the water you use during your showers should not be too terribly warm. You should not turn bright red, if you really enjoy warm showers you should try to reduce your time under the hot water. Hot water can strip your skin of the moisture that you are trying so hard to keep. BUT warm water will open your pores to accept the moisture that you will be applying later.

#4. Moisturizing

When you get out of the shower you should always apply a moisturizer, this is VERY important. Once your skin has warmed up you should apply a moisturizer of your choice as the skin will absorb the product very well. For overly dry skin you can use oils such as avocado or olive oil. For a more oily skin type you may apply a coconut oil as it's a lot lighter and absorbs faster as it's close to our natural oil's composition. When choosing a moisturizer it's good to choose one based on your skin type, and no matter what the skin type moisturizing is important. So for oilier skin types it would be better to choose a moisturizer that absorbs quickly, and is water based. If you are drier you may want to choose a richer cream, it may leave a thick "greasier" feel BUT it will eventually absorb into the skin and help to revitalize your skin from the outside.

#5. Relax and soak

There are so many products that you can enjoy on your days off, or if you are looking to have some added moisture or relaxation to your skin routine. Many of these products are used in the bath tub, such as bath bombs which soften your water and also softens your skin through oils. Another excellent bath additive is Herbal Bath from L'Moor. The water-soluble nutrients in the Moor create a soothing and purifying effect for the whole body. Take a Moor bath for a relaxing, reinvigorating bathing experience. 


Our habits will determine the condition of our skin as we age.  So remember that your choices will either leave you with dull, rough, aged looking skin OR protect your skin, allowing you to be smooth, youthful and age gracefully. 

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics

www.renuuaesthetics.com

Foot care: Necessity or Hoax

Are you taking care of your feet?

We know that a lot of people feel like manicures and pedicures are just cosmetic!  But is that true? Do you really need to get pedicures regularly? Or is it really just for the pretty colours we all put on your toes when you come in?

To be very blunt... No it isn't!

Foot care is very very important, your hands and feet need your diligent care. We know it sounds like a lot of work and a lot of money, but as you walk and age your feet will truly thank you for taking care of them. Taking care of your feet can help you to avoid things like fungal infections, bacterial infections and even more serious foot disorders that are related to the way you walk and callus build up etc...

First things first when it comes to foot care you need to find yourself a very well educated aesthetician. You should always make sure that you find someone who has taken (and passed) an aesthetics course. Whether it be someone who has gone to a private educational facility or a provincially accredited college. Someone who understands disease prevention and spread, here in Ontario aesthetics aren't regulated. Right now anyone can set up shop and give people pedicures, manicures, waxing and facial services. There are many associations that are trying to make it so that you must have a licence to perform any aesthetics service, but until that day comes it's important to know what you are looking for!

Having taken into consideration this very important first step, the second thing you need to know is that if your feet are in poor health or condition that you are putting yourself at risk for infections. Some of the reasons are:

Cracked heels: 

These are essentially open wounds on your feet. Some cracks can become so deep that they bleed, this put you at risk for infection. Bacteria can become trapped in the cracks of the sole of your feet, where they will multiply and can cause infections. Sometime these infections can become very severe and require antibiotics.

Treating these cracks can be very difficult if you are unsure of how to deal with them, or if you have an uneducated aesthetician caring for your feet. It's important that you get the proper recommendations for home care and that the person who cares for your feet knows which direction to file cracks, as if they don't they can open the cracks wider causing you to be in more pain and that much more susceptible to infections.

Overly callused feet:

Build up of callus can be a sign of improper footwear or that your feet are rubbing in a strange way. However sometimes it can cause you to walk in a strange and painful manner. So taking good care to remove any excess of callus is very important. It's very good aesthetic practice to recommend that clients come back for multiple visits some times even twice a month, to slowly remove large callus build ups. If you take off too much callus at once you can cause your immune system to feel that your feet are under attack and will cause more callus to form.

A good aesthetician will recommend that you take care of your feet at home and suggest the appropriate tools for your specific callus situation. Usually that you file your feet lightly in the shower once a week, after you have done all your regular shower routine. This will ensure that your feet are just soft enough to file. 

Long toe nails:

When you do not trim your nails on a regular basis they can rub inside your shoes. This can cause lifting, lifting leaves you susceptible to fungal infections. Once your toe nails have lifted and bacteria has had a chance to enter under the surface of your nail plate, it becomes trapped in the dark and humid environment of our toes. That can quickly become a fungal infection that can spread to the rest of your toes, it can become quite painful if left untreated.

It's very important to keep your nails trimmed to a couple millimetres of white left, and a square shape. This will ensure that you aren't hurting yourself but you don't cause any lifting.

Ingrown toe nails:

Sometimes you can have pain in your big toes, going to get a regular pedicure can make sure that you catch any potential ingrown nails before they cause you too much pain. 

Sometimes it can be from cutting your nails too short at home and the nail is having to grow over the skin again. However sometimes the nail can curve inward very deeply and will need the corner cut off. Having someone like your pedicurist look at your feet from a better angle can help a LOT, and they can decide whether or not it's a big deal. If your aesthetician thinks that it's a big deal they will suggest you go see your family doctor and let them take a look. That goes for all foot disorders.

Fungal infections:

To expand on the subject of fungal infections, it's important to go to an educated aesthetician, because we know how to disinfect our tools properly. This prevents the spread of bacteria, fungus and viruses. We will also be able to tell you when we think you should head to the doctors. We also have professional pedicure products that are generally for sale, some of which are targeted to treating fungal infections. 

So when it comes to your feet whether you have dry skin, are unable to reach your feet, or even diabetic it's very important to visit a trained aesthetician. Don't be afraid that you might have ugly feet! We've certainly seen worse! We recommend that everyone keep a steady monthly appointment to care for their feet, if that isn't possible bi-monthly with a good home care routine can help tremendously. We want you to come in and let us help you stay healthy and strong.

Live well and be healthy,

Renu U Aesthetics

Germs Yuck! Home sanitation and your beauty routine

It's wednesday again and we are going to talk about bacteria and germs in your personal care products.

Germs in my personal care products you say? Well yeah! The thing is, we all use our hands to dispense our care products and facial creams because it's the most convenient thing we have at our disposal. What if that's giving us pimples?! 

Sometimes we forget to wash our hands before using our personal care products, maybe we are in a hurry or we're just really tired. Never the less they aren't always the cleanest no matter how hard we try to keep them clean it's just a fact. Now we aren't saying that a little bit of bacteria is going to be the end of the world but using the appropriate tools to dispense our care products can sometimes be the difference between an acne break out and clear skin.

What am I supposed to use you ask? Well a lot of the time you probably don't need to use anything because the product has a pump or is a squeeze dispenser. However it's very important to clean your hands with warm water and regular soap before you touch your skin. For things like creams or anything with a cream like consistency that you need to scoop out, we suggest purchasing a makeup spatula. These are easily cleaned with soap and water, and sprayed with alcohol after every use. It's very important to keep all you tools in a clean safe place to avoid cross contamination.

For those of us that wear a lot of makeup we tend not to clean our makeup brushes often enough, which should be after every use. It seems like such a tedious thing to do just think about it! You use your makeup brushes on your face and whatever bacteria that transfers on to the brushes builds up. Those evil little germies start to multiply and if you don't wash your brushes you just add to it with every application, not to mention the BRUSH puts all those germs back on your nice clean face! It's like asking for pimples!

Now I'm sure you are wondering where to find a nice brush cleaner for your tools. There are several that you can purchase. Sephora sells some spray brush cleaners that can be used everyday to freshen up your brushes after every use. Just spray them a little and swirl it gently around on a paper towel to remove the makeup and they are ready to go! If you want to do a particularly good clean you can buy some brush cleaners that are more like shampoo. You need to wet and lather the brushes up with the soap and rinse them. Then you have to leave them bristles down to dry, and depending on how dense the brush it could take up to 24hrs to dry.

Once they are dry you are good to go! Your face will be clean and all the product and tools that you've used on your face will be squeaky clean.

We hope you Live well and be healthy.

Renu U Aesthetics