Sunscreen is a must during the hot summer days at the beach, pool, and outside activities. Sunscreen is great for skin protection from burns, blisters, and skin cancers. Sunscreen is just as important to care for your hair during the harsh summer conditions.
Sunscreen is important for your scalp, this is covered by skin. Your hair needs this same protections as well. Wearing hats is always a good option in the summer for protection of your scalp and hair. Purchasing hats with a wide brim and sun protection is an exceptional protection.
Hair sunscreen is very important to protect hair. The wind, sun, chlorine, loss of moisture, and heat damage hair. This damage causes brittle, dry, and lackluster hair. There are many products and remedies you can use to protect your hair during your summer fun.
Mix ingredients to a paste. Massage into hair and wrap in plastic shower cap, sack, or wrap. Leave on hair 15-20 min. Wash with warm water and gentle shampoo. Style as usual.
Maily O’Neil, owner at Mai Salon in Palm Desert CA, states at Style Fashion Week, “Remember the sunscreen for you hair. Lots of love for your hair.” Share your favorite summer beauty tips in the comment section. Have a great summer.
Japanese tea ceremony is a formal presentation. The service is the winter presentation. This ceremony is preparing and presenting the matcha. This ceremony is centuries old and is about purification, harmony, respect, and tranquility.
Matcha Tea Leaves Preparation
This matcha is the highest grade of matcha specifically used for ceremonies. The flavor is a stronger umami. This blend of tea leaves specifically grown for the ceremony. The farmer covers the leaves shortly before harvest. This stimulates an increase in chlorophyll (increases the dark leaves) and amino acid (producing theanine). The handpicked leaves, only the highest grades of matcha are handpicked. The leaves steaming prevents oxidation. The leaves are gently rolled, shaped, and dried (laying them flat to dry causes the leaves to crumble). The leaves sorted by grade and slowly stone ground, watching the temperature of the stones hot stones causing a taste in the aroma. The Japanese matcha is a strong grassy flavor.
Matcha
Sensei (先生), at the Japan House in Urbana, Illinois, discusses how the matcha is fabulous for the skin. She says, “it is high in vitamin C. When you wake up tomorrow your skin will feel renewed.” There are many benefits of matcha tea the include:
Burning calories (high concentration of catechins)
Decrease cholesterol
Increase energy
Improves immune system
Boosts memory
This is great for a wonderful set of health and wellness benefits, but the ceremony is a connection to the person.
Japan House
Matcha Tea Ceremony
The Japan House motto is, “the Way of Tea,” representing nature, heaven, and earth. This service was a winter presentation. The mats are laid in the pattern that each guest sits and the hearth is low to bring more warmth to the room. The hostess and guests bow to each other. The ceremony develops for westerners who find the traditional floor sitting difficult. A chabana, a beautiful flower arrangement sitting to the side. The seasonal arrangement represents winter This connects the room to nature. There is a connection to water, earth, wood, fire, and metal with the utensils used for preparation. This ceremony and ritual date back centuries with details being the key to the ceremony.
Japan House
The ceremony is a stand and bow. This takes place at the beginning and end of the ceremony. The hostess presents each guest with a sweet. These handcrafted sweets are eaten just before the service. The sweet enhances the matcha flavor.
The matcha tea preparation is meticulous and precise movements. The master prepares each chawan (茶碗), bowl, of tea with as if conducting a beautiful symphony. The hostess delicately scoops the tea powder into a ceramic cup, pours hot water from a hot iron kettle into the cup with a long-handled ladle, and then mixes the powder and water together with a bamboo whisk to create a thick tea. The chawan are bowls that have one side that is more beautiful than the other. The hostess presents the tea with the prettiest side facing the guest. Prior to drinking the tea, the guest turns the bowl 90 degrees to face the prettiest side back to the hostess. The bowl presented during the ceremony is a painted flower blossom.
The ceremony is one of purification even down to the socks worn. Hakama, they are white and clean representative of purity. The cleansing of the equipment in front of the guests is not to clean, but to show purity. Respect as the guest receiving bowl with the hostess and when the tea bowls presented to them bow to the person seated next to them. This as if to say this is for you, and the guest replies with a bow as if saying no please you go ahead.
The tea is a beautiful vibrant green with a strong earthy flavor. This is a time for the guest to focus and stay in the moment. Each step of the ceremony requires a focus and concentration to the ritual. The ceremony ends with the utensils being cleaned and placed back as when the ceremony started.
Things all returned the way they were except us. The ceremony brings a deeper sense of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility changing us while all else remains the same.
Winter time always brings a new set of challenges for your hands and feet care. The air is dryer and many times your hands and feet become dry. Heels often crack during the winter months. This is the time to take care of your hands and feet to prevent infections and dry skin.
There are many ways to keep your hands and feet luxurious and beautiful. The following are a few steps to keep your skin protected (this is your body’s largest organ):
Cleaning chores wear gloves to protect your skin from chemicals. This prevents drying and burns.
Surgical gloves work well and are disposable to protect against germs with reuse
Wash hands well after cleaning
When completed with chores take a few moments to rub a good lotion into your hands, fingers, and cuticle. We recommend Heaven to Earth (H2E) Spa Collection Coconut Lime Verbena. It is an office favorite.
Bath time at bath time use olive oil before your bath. This will seal moisture in your hands and feet. Right after your bath make sure to the moisturizer with a good lotion to seal in moisture. Coconut oil has essential vitamin oils leaving your radiant silky skin creating harmony and replenishment to the body.
Gloves wearing gloves prevent the need for using sanitizer when in public as well as keeping the cold dry air from your hands. Use cotton gloves at night. Moisture your hands with Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Hand Cream and wear with gloves during the night.
Scrub using a nice sugar scrub with coconut oil will help exfoliate the top layer of skin and opens the pores. Gently rub the sugar scrub in a circular motion and rinse with lukewarm water.
Manicure and Pedicure keeping up on your manicure and pedicures during the winter months. This will keep your heels and cuticle healthy. Always a fun nail color for the holidays is fabulous. We recommend LV Day Spa in the Phoenix area. Their locations are recommended by local physicians and physical therapist for patients with diabetes and other health conditions. Their salons are kept sterile and clean.
Humidifier adding a humidifier in your rooms will bring moisture back in the room. You can also add a nice rose or lavender aromatherapy for a nice calming effect.
Pedicure
Foot Soaking winter time is hard on our feet. A great way to relax tired feet care from winter walking or long days is a foot soak with Epsom salt. Then follow-up with the Burt’s Bees Tips and Toes Kit.
Socks wearing socks daily keep your feet warm and dry. Before putting your socks on clean your feet with a mild soap, and use a good lotion (we recommend Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Cream).
Winter is a beautiful time of year when family, friends, and neighbors gather to celebrate, party, and enjoy life. You will have the best hands and feet (for the time you need to remove your muddy shoes at the door) at any event.
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