Free Moroccan Oil Event

Virginie Delplanque, Manager

Free Moroccan Oil Event: Tuesday, August 14 from 3p to 6p

My co-worker was chiding me because I wanted to draw an association between MoroccanOil products and summer. "You're just writing that because it's an obvious way to advertise the event", he claimed.

Actually, that's not true. The smell of MoroccanOil does remind me of summers in the South of France. I'm not sure what products my mom used back then, but the smell of MoroccanOil evokes long summer days for me. And trips to Morocco (and North of Africa) are an easy summer getaway for French people: it's sunny, exotic, affordable and easy to get to, when you live in France! 

When I say "evokes," this is NOT what I mean...

Now, it's worth mentioning that MoroccanOil is first and foremost a moisturizing treatment line that acts as a powerful antioxidant and UV protector — so it is ideal for summer when, your hair is exposed to more environmental factors like sun, sea salt, bleach and wind. It will go a long way towards taking care of any damage your summer activities might have caused your hair.

"If you're hair is getting a little damaged, our MoroccanOil event is for you"

On Tuesday, August 14, from 3p to 6p, our stylists will offer complimentary Moroccan Oil services and a you will have a chance to win a beautiful Moroccan Oil give away basket.

The services will include restorative or hydrating treatment masks, that penetrate deep into the hair to restore elasticity and rebuild strength. A perfect cocktail of vegetable proteins that will hydrate your hair and leave it moisturized and shiny.

We will also introduce you to Moroccan Oil scalp treatments. These treatments have been developed by Moroccan Oil for about a year, but few clients actually know them. Two specific treatments have been formulated by MoroccanOil: one for oily and the other for dry scalp.

It is simple and free: you just need to show up and we will take care of you!

RSVP Recommended - Please call 415.362.8063 or send an email to ae.appointments@gmail.com and our receptionists will add your name to our attendee list.

To find out more about MoroccanOil, check out these previous articles:
Moroccan Oil Tidbits
MoroccanOil Travel Kits

IBS Las Vegas 2012

by Nell Hayes

Beauty Industry Mecca in the Desert
With over 300 booths, 160 workshops and on-going demonstrations on multiple stages,  International Beauty Show  Las Vegas was quite stupendous. One of the fastest growing beauty events in the country, it boasts over 19,000 attendees. New tools, products, technology and education: It's heaven for a stylist — as long as you don't get overwhelmed.

So. Where to begin?

DAY 1
I started at the main stage, where Michael O'Rourke was holding a presentation. He was demonstrating some very avant-garde hair cutting techniques, I was enthralled. Michael is an amazing presenter, full of life, with an amazing story; as my first experience at the show, it motivated me to soak up as much as I could in the two days I would be here.



This is a clip of Michael O'Rourke at another show.  My shots didn't turn out well, unfortunately, as you can see below...

After Michael O'Rourke's presentation, I weaved through all the booths and made my way to the workshops. It's great to shop around and see all the products and gizmos, but workshops are the bread and butter of trade shows.

My first workshop was called "Booked Solid". Booked Solid focused on how to increase and retain clients. The speaker, Paul Digrigoli is a hair stylist/entrepreneur, who shares his rags to riches process, which centers on forming a long term plan of action. This class was interesting though I learned that I'm implementing most of his techniques already—nice to know I'm on the right track!

After lunch, I attended "Red Carpet Radiance," a demonstration on updo's and elegant hair styling. I LOVED IT! They demonstrated five extremely elegant hair styles that could effortlessly be done in less than an hour. I learned a bunch of new tips and I'm very excited to implement them. By the end of Red Carpet Radiance the show was over for the day. I headed out to people watch on the Strip.

Day 2
For day 2, I wanted to attend one more workshop before I headed out to the main floor to get lost in those hundreds of booths.

I picked "The Art of Highlighting - Go Fresco". This workshop was very interesting to me as I love hair color and I will not pass up an opportunity to learn new techniques. The class didn't disappoint: I learned new placements to achieve soft natural color and highlights and some new tips on how to utilize hair color. They were good at offering suggestions on how to save time while still creating smooth flowing color transitions.

(Yes, these are very interesting, when you are a colorist!)

Next, the showroom floor!

The showroom at the Las Vegas Convention Center is huge and a bit daunting, but all you can do is jump in. There were rows and rows of booths selling everything beauty related from make-up, nail adornments, hair products, blinged out accessories, self-tanning booths, to miracle diet products. The truth is that a lot of it is...  kitschy. A lot of people are peddling products that don't fit an upscale, professional style. But it's still fun to window shop. I tried to go through the aisles in an organized fashion but the buzz at some booths would suck me in.

One of my favorite booths was the Nick Arrojo booth. I actually got see Nick Arrojo demonstrate a hair cut, He had a mellow, approachable presence. For this demo he used no scissors, only a razor. I have to say I enjoyed that very much. You can hear him talking about razor cutting here to get a sense of his work.

Another booth that was really popular was the Dinair booth, where they were demonstrating their airbrush makeup system, really cool! For the rest of the day I milled around the booths testing sheers, trying to avoid overly ambitious sales people, learning about new products. I have to say this trade show was very worth my time and I wish I had attended all three days and next year I will!


Nell started her career as a hair stylist in Honolulu and relocated to San Francisco in early 2012, joining Atelier Emmanuel at its new location. She enjoys working on a variety of hair textures and types and creating new looks through color and cutting. Nell has a fashion forward style: her work ranges from funky hip to chic and sophisticated.

Understanding Tissue Memory & Emotional Release

By Margarita Camarena, CMT

What is an emotional release?
While getting a massage, you might experience an unexpected welling up of emotion. It may be a sense of sadness or happiness, or some other emotion. It might be like a flashback, tied to a memory, or just the feeling. It might be linked to a part of the body, but it might also be the result of a certain posture. It can occur as much from a gentle touch as because of intense work on a trigger point. An accumulated emotion resurfaces after being unconscious and stored in some part of the body. This is an emotional release. It comes up without prodding, and often leads to a change in the quality of the tissue that is deeper than what just the bodywork would have achieved. What was chronically tight, relaxes. In massage parlance, we say that a "repatterning" happening. You could also say that a de-patterning has happened.

It is a not uncommon phenomenon in bodywork. Common enough, in fact, that inevitably most bodyworkers learn some way of working with it. If you get massage regularly, it’s very possible that you have already experienced an emotional release. 

"An emotional release can lead to a reduction of chronic tension in the body" 

Tissue Memory
An emotional release occurs because an emotion was stored in the first place. Tissues have memory. In fact, our bodies are incredible recording devices. You often hear of “muscle memory” in relation to athletics and the movement arts. We are accustomed to the idea that the body remembers actions; we might be less familiar with the idea that it also remembers feelings. A held emotion can lead to a holding in the body. The opposite is true, too: a tension in the body can lead to holding onto an emotion. It follows from this that releasing tension in the body might release an emotion, and that this emotional release can lead to greater openness in the body—as well as preventing a return to a state of tension.

Emotional stress creates physical tension, and vise versa. Just recall the last time you were nervous about an upcoming event to see how emotions affect the body. To experience the converse—how physical tensions affects emotion—put a small rock in your shoe, walk around with it all day, and see how hard it becomes to stay good humored as you go about a busy day! Usually this cross-traffic between emotions and the body are transient. Below we look at more at those cases when they become lasting.

Fascia
The main mechanism of tissue memory seems to occur in fascia.

Like an interconnecting web, fascia is a continuous sheet that wraps around all the parts of our body — our muscles, bones, organs, nerves, arteries, spine... Fascia moves with the body, and indeed makes the symphony of all our movements possible. Consequently restriction introduced into fascia by trauma will lead to a decrease in function in the tissues. To learn more about fascia, you can read a nice summary by my teacher John Barnes here. 

As Barnes notes, our common concepts of the body and the way it handles emotions and memory are sorely out-dated. There is a gap between common expressions like “heartbreak” and “butterflies in the tummy” and the fact that there actually is an emotion happening “there." Not making that connection, we don't realize that it can become stuck and show up as chronic physical tension. That's why emotional releases so often seem to come out of the blue.

Normally our emotions and body are in an ongoing exchange. This is natural as long as it remains fluid. The problem starts when there is a sufficient shock to either our emotional experience or our bodies. At that point, that traumatic experience can become locked in our tissues. It becomes a kink, interrupting that natural back and forth communication.

Such trauma doesn't just come from blunt force to the body. It also happens when the body seizes up due to a strong emotional experience, and then never quite relaxes back down. Chronic postures can also create a tension in the fascia that becomes associated with a certain state of being. The classic example of this is the slouched posture of a depressed person. The posture itself exacerbates depression (for example by limiting a full breath) and can maintain that depressed state even when the person doesn't 'feel' depressed.

Fascia stores our experiences, our movement, and the interruption of our movement. I leave it to someone else to provide more details about how this happens. The truth is that we don't fully understand how that relationship between mind, body, and emotions works. But as I mentioned above, as a bodyworker, I witness it all the time and have learned how to work with it.

This is what I will get into next!

"An emotional release cannot be planned" 

Experiencing an emotional release
Nicole Cutler writes that “Bodyworkers can utilize massage therapy techniques to unlock and free trauma, but only if the body is prepared for its release." There are many massage modalities that can help release trauma. I have found myofascial release to be particularly effective.

It is important to emphasize that you can't force an emotional release. It can only happen of its own accord, when the body, mind and the heart are ready. If one does occur, it should not be stopped or discouraged. On the contrary, what an amazing healing opportunity, to be able to go that deep and find the root cause of a chronic issue and finally work THROUGH it, not around it, and release it once and for all. It can be a powerful experience, but I never see become one that a client can't manage.

So how might an emotional release show up?

Take someone who has been in a car accident. The sounds and the impact are very intense. The crash of metal, the disorientation, the fear... all that stimulation puts the person into a heightened state of arousal. The moment is recorded like a snapshot. It might be recorded in the posture this person was in during the accident. Or it might be in the right hip, say, which suffered injury. Forward to years later. This person is getting a massage and out of the blue she is recalling the scents, sounds, temperature, and tastes of that accident. She feels that intense confusion and fear from back then and asks herself “What just happened? I haven't felt any of that in years!" 

“You can think of body memory as ‘long term memory,’" writes Paul Ingraham. "If you have a fierce, passing craving for a chocolate bar or a wave of sadness as you’re watching the news, it probably doesn’t get stored in your muscles. The stuff that gets stored tends to be either chronic or intense.” 

Here are some possible reasons this client's body stored the experience of the car accident:

• the intensity of the accident overwhelmed her capacity to digest it at the time
• the physical trauma was never fully resolved
• she was unable to fully digest some aspect at the time — for example her sense of fear had to be pushed aside to deal with the insurance company logistics 
• the experience became associated with a body part

She probably didn't realize this had happened. However ever since there might have been some chronic tension that never seemed to go away, even with a great massage.  

I should be clear that it gets more nuanced than this. But those nuances would turn a simple post into a much longer paper! After working with a lot of people having emotional releases, I can say that these experiences are profound and healing. This is the main thing I would like to convey. Emotional releases happen, there's no need to fear them and, in fact, they should be welcomed. As a therapist I continue to develop the skill to guide people through the process as deeply as they are comfortable going. “At the subconscious level, Fred Krazeise explains, "this [pain and sensations] is what your body has been feeling all along. In order to fully heal, these sensations must be fully felt so that they can be released.” 

So what do you do if you unexpectedly find an emotion come up while receiving a massage?

Encourage your body to go through it, feeling the emotion and following it to the area of the body that it connects to. Communicate with your massage therapist so they can guide you accordingly. Do not try to overanalyze the emotion. As one of my teachers says, “Don’t beat the puppy, it will not learn to sit that way.” Don’t beat yourself up if you start crying, screaming, getting angry, or simply start laughing like crazy. That is a great sign that some good healing is about to happen. Be gentle, let it happen at its own pace. During and afterwards, do not try to make a story of it.

"Don't analyze, experience." 

Be with the sensations of the experience as much as you are comfortable doing.And don't worry: you are more in control of the release than you might think. If it gets overwhelming, a good deep breath or a shift in posture will be enough to come out of it. It's okay to ask the massage therapist to pause. I usually switch gears into a different type of massage; this quickly brings things under control if needed. I also like to integrate Reiki into the session to help the physical and the subtle body integrate the emotional release. 

Don’t get in the way of your own healing. Allow yourself to go “there.”
I will be walking next to you.

Margarita Camarena offers Swedish, Trigger Point Therapy, Deep Tissue, Craniosacral, Stretching, Mobilization Work and Reiki at Atelier Emmanuel. She uses multiple modalities to reach the goals desired by her clients. 

Keratin Treatments Part I: Telling the options apart

Keratin Treatments continue to be in-demand, controversial and confusing. In-demand because they work, doing anything from making hair more manageable and healthier, to completely transforming the look of hair. Controversial, because one of the key ingredients used by many brands, formaldehyde, is believed to be harmful. Confusing, because — well, first because no one is sure how much of a controversy there is, and second because there are so many similar sounding treatments that it's confusing to know if they are talking about the same service or not!

We are going to explore Keratin Treatments in two posts. In this post, below, we will work at distinguishing the different treatments from one another. In a second post we will cover the formaldehyde controversy.

The differences between Brazilian, Keratin, Straightening and Smoothing Treatments

“Brazilian Treatment” is actually generic terminology that refers to the country where the technology  originated. Brazilian Treatment mustn’t be confused with the brand Brazilian Blowout. Brazilian Blowout has been under scrutiny for its misleading labeling about formaldehyde. Because the two sound alike, many people assume that all Brazilian Treatments are under review, which is not the case.

"A Brazilian Treatment is not the same as a Brazilian Blowout"

You may also have heard the terminology “Keratin Treatment”. This is the same as Brazilian Treatment. This second name comes from the fact that the treatment contains and releases a protein called keratin. Keratin is the substance which hair (as well as nails) is made of. Frequent styling, heating and chemical applications causes hair to lose keratin. As a result the hair shaft becomes spliced, uneven, and gains a dull, unmanageable appearance.

Scientists have devised a way to extract keratin from other sources, like animal wool, and turn it into a mixture that acts like liquid hair. Applying this product to human hair fills the hair cortex with keratin again, turning it soft and shiny. It can even make frizzy or curly hair much easier to straighten. The keratin reinfusion helps hair resist the impact of the sun, wind, or extreme changes in temperature, helping to break the damaging cycle of already compromised hair.

"Keratin does not directly straighten hair"

Since the salon treatment is often called Keratin Straightening Treatment, clients assume that it’s the keratin that straightens the hair, but this is not correct.

When a Keratin Treatment is performed, a salon professional applies a solution that instantly infuses the hair with keratin, repairing damage and flaws due to loss of keratin. This increases shine and reduces frizz, but does not directly straighten the hair.

A cocktail of chemicals creates the straightening effect. Formaldehyde is one of these cocktails. Formaldehyde actually does double duty: it's a big player in straightening the hair, and it also aids the infusion of keratin into the hair cortex.

Straightening vs Smoothing Treatments
A Straightening Treatment is a treatment that is going to make your hair straight. It’ll do this to curly, wavy, frizzy, coarse, fine, virgin, color or processed hair. A straightening treatment usually uses stronger ingredients (or a higher quantity of specific ingredients) than smoothing treatments.

A Smoothing Treatment will make your hair smooth, soft, shiny and generally more manageable. Do not expect to have straight hair at the end of a smoothing treatment. However, you can expect your hair to feel much softer and silky than it was before. Most Smoothing Treatments should be seen as a surface treatment: they do something to the outside of the hair shaft that makes the hair look better, but don't alter it the way a straightening treatment would.

Some smoothing treatments do not contain keratin, as is the case with Bumble and bumble’s Blow Out. The reason is that keratin is animal-sourced and some companies like Bumble and bumble do not use any animal ingredients. 

Both types of treatments last about three months.

Major steps of a Straightening or Smoothing Treatment
While the results are different, both treatments are applied more or less the same way. Each company’s product has a unique procedure, but these are the major steps that you can expect when receiving a Straightening or Smoothing Treatment:
1. Consultation
2. Clarifying shampoo
3. Blow dry(optional)
4. Application of the product on either dry or damp sectioned hair
5. Product processing (usually for about 30 minutes)
6. Rinse and Shampoo
7. Flat Iron
8. Trim (optional)
The application of the treatment lasts from two to three hours.


Smoothing services offered at Atelier Emmanuel

In part II we talk about the role of formaldehyde. For now it is worth mentioning that the outcome of the OSHA investigations (still ongoing for some brands) convinced Atelier Emmanuel not to offer Brazilian Blowout and Brasil Cacau Cadiveu in its menu. We continue to explore possible alternatives that can give similar results.

Currently, the smoothing service we offer is 

Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy by Coppola

In May 2012, Keratin Complex was the first company and brand to receive formal OSHA compliancy:
http://www.ronwilson.com/keratin-complex.html
http://behindthechair.com/displayarticle.aspx?ID=2442&ITID=7
Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy is a smoothing, revitalizing and rejuvenating treatment for the hair formulated to eliminate up to 95% of frizz and curls. It restores and restructures the hair from within, infusing  natural Keratin deep into the hair cuticle. The keratin is bonded into the cuticle by using a flat iron to relax the hair’s sub-cuticle layer and seal in the cuticle.

Of the brands we've tried so far, our team voted this one as the best combination of safety and effectiveness. All Atelier Emmanuel stylists who wish to offer the service are properly educated on its application protocol and received a certification from Coppola.

We also plan to add other smoothing treatments to our menu that do not use keratin, comply with all guidelines and requirements specified by the FDA and OSHA and offer efficient results.

We have shortlisted three additional brands that have gotten positive reviews and feedback:
• “Blow Out” by Bumble and bumble (no keratin)
• “F450 Amino Fusion Smoothing Treatment” by Thermafuse
• “Hapuna” by Paul Brown

We are currently scheduling demo/trial classes to assess these. We will report back to you on our results!

In the meantime, to clients who are interested in smoothing treatment, we recommend scheduling a free consultation with one of our stylists. Call us at 415.362.8063 to make an appointment. 

Read Part II: The Formaldehyde Controversy

Should you have any questions or comments about this article, please feel free to comment below!

A weekend with Yon-Ka

by Alisa Goldberg

As you know, Atelier Emmanuel added skin care to its menu last month and is making Yon-Ka its flagship skin care line. I’ve used Yon-Ka in the past, but this seemed like a good time to get a refresher on the products. So in early June I went down to Los Angeles to attend a comprehensive 3 day training. I had an amazing experience with all the hands-on experience. Because we got to receive facials, I really got a reminder of how soothing, relaxing and beneficial Yon-Ka products are!

“Yon-Ka gives life to skin.” 

A little information about Yon-Ka
One of the taglines of their company is that “Yon-Ka gives life to skin.” As a premier skin care brand, Yon-Ka focuses on Safety, Quality, Efficacy, Authenticity and Passion. The basis for all their products are non-synthetic, natural essential oils, plant extracts and marine extracts. The products are vitamin intensive and free of both preservatives and artificial colorants. Their products are almost all paraben-free (and always have been). The few products that have paraben have much lower quantities than is standard to other products. Even these will be paraben-free by 2013. The only colorants used are food grade.

Yon-Ka is a funny name when you first see it. The first part of the name, “Yon”, refers to a river in China that was a symbol of rejuvenation. Yon also phonetically sounds like “ion” particles, which are thought to enliven us. “Ka” in Egyptian mythology was “the part of eternity contained in each person”. Together as Yon-Ka they symbolize continual rejuvenation, harmony and balance of body and spirit.

Yon-Ka is a French family based company started in 1954. Two sisters, Francoise and Catherine Muhlethaler, have been running the company for more than 40 years, since 1968. Based in Paris, France, Yon-Ka is distributed in over 40 countries.

The foundation of Yon-Ka Skin care products is plants. The heart of most of their products, what they call the “quintessence”, consist of 5 essential oils which work synergistically:

Lavender: calms, soothes
Geranium: helps to balance the skin oils
Rosemary: heals, stimulates, increases oxygenation, detoxifies, firms, antiseptic
Cypress: strengthens the skin, creates good circulation
Thyme: works as an antiseptic and astringent

My training in LA
We were taught two facials during the training, the Intermezzo and Le Grand Classique. The Intermezzo is a mini-facial. In my opinion, it is not in-depth enough, especially because there are no extractions involved. Our version of a mini-facial is the Soiree Facial, designed for those who want to freshen their appearance before going to an event. It’s a more in-depth and includes some extractions, but you won’t come out with any redness.

Le Grand Classique, however, is a very nice and effective facial — and it should be, since it is Yon-ka’s signature treatment! From start to finish it is filled scents and sensations building on one another so that, in the best of ways, the whole experience feels longer than an hour and a half.

3 Standout Yon-Ka Products To Try

Along with the history of Yon-Ka and the facials, they presented the entire product line. That was a lot of information! And of course in these classes the way that instructors present the products, everything sounds like magic and you want to try them all. Yon-Ka is good about only offering products that have a real purpose and real effectiveness; so each one has its place.

However, I am going to mention 3 standout products that are really worth trying. These are the ones that I was probably most excited about during the training. They are suitable to a wide range of skin types.

Phyto-Contour
A lot of eye crèmes don’t do the magic. This one actually works. It has an invigorating scent and you can see help with puffiness within 1/2h. Repeated use will diminish dark circles as well.

Masque no. 1
They say that it is really hydrating, moisturizing and refreshing, and it’s true! When you rinse it off, your skin has better color and no longer feels tight or tired. It’s clear, penetrating, but light enough for everyone. It’s multi-purpose too: you can leave it on as an overnight treatment for extra hydration and it won’t stain sheets or pillows.

Crème 11
Crème 11 treats redness from such things as broken capillaries, waxing, shaving, and acne. It’s supposed to prevent ingrown hairs, too. It’s anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. It’s great for clients going back to work that want to get extractions. Using it along with a masque after extractions takes care of all the redness. I’ve had a colleague try this product for some chronic redness on her cheeks, and she has seen an improvement.

Have you had any experience with Yon-Ka products? Let us know what you think in the comments below. Never had a facial and wondering what all the fuss is about? Come in and get one! They are great for men just as much as women.

Alisa has been an aesthetician since 2000. Her approach to skin care is influenced by the Russian approach where the skill of your aesthetician is paramount and the use of product is focused on their effectiveness. For Alisa, the key to proper skin care is, foremost, diet and lifestyle. The ingredients for a good facial are the right diagnosis, the right selection and use of products, and the massage techniques used to help products penetrate efficiently.

A pedicure can offer you more than just a coat of polish!

by April Nguyen.

A pedicure can offer you more than just a coat of polish!

Whether or not you get the color, the heath benefits of pedicures are not imagined and are a part of proper foot care. And it’s not luxury just for women! Everyone deserves to get good foot care.

A good pedicure can be very relaxing and if you have foot problems, it can be very therapeutic.

By the end of a typical day, feet have endured several hundred tons of force. The average person walks approximately four miles every day or even more miles for an active person. A proper pedicure protects the ends of your toes from trauma. For example the impact of improperly cut nails and calluses is compounded by the repetition of all that walking. By making sure the nails are properly trimmed and calluses are removed, walking is more comfortable.

The Benefits of a Pedicure
1. A pedicure includes cutting, clipping and cleaning the toenails to prevent them from growing inward and causing infection. This is the first step in helping you walk pain free. Proper nail cutting along with gently pushing back the cuticle allows nails to grow better. Consequently they will look smoother and grow straighter.

2. Exfoliation of dead skin cells encourages newer skin cell growth on the legs and feet. Dead Skin = Unhealthy Skin. Dead skin prevents your feet from breathing. Skin is an elimination organ and it’s important to have it functioning at an optimal level.

The feet offer the perfect conditions to harbor bacteria —warm, moist, and confined to socks and shoes. Cleaning the cuticle and under the nails inhibits the growth of microorganisms. The elimination of dirt and bacteria from your feet prevents nail diseases and disorders and helps eliminate foot odor. Exfoliation, can prevent the early stages of skin accumulation that would lead to painful bunions or corns. It also encourages newer skin cell growth creating a smoother, more appealing foot. 

Fungal nail infections are easy to deal with if they are spotted early and your pedicurist will be able to advise you on treatment if you appear to be susceptible. (Because some nail diseases are highly infectious, you may have to seek medical treatment before you can have a manicure and pedicure. Some diseases will need professional medical advice and medicine).

3. Foot massages on newly exfoliated skin increases blood circulation and relaxes muscles. Many pedicurists also use foot reflexology while giving pedicures. This helps stimulate the blood flow to the feet and legs. And of course it also helps you feel relaxed. But reflexology points in the feet are said to help the vitality of the whole body, so that is a nice bonus! Depending on the amount of pressure, the area being worked on, and the ailment of concern, you might see results elsewhere in the body, like the stomach, the back, the shoulders, even the eyes.

4. Eliminates cracked heels and softens calluses. Again, removing or softening calluses helps your feet breathe. It also helps you walk more freely. Calluses can cause an imbalance in how you distribute weight on your feet, leading to painful and tired feet after a full day’s use. An uneven walk will also make things worse for your knees, hips and all the leg muscles.

5. Aromatherapy: In the case of spa pedicures with various scents there are additional benefits above and beyond the physical. Studies keep finding ways that certain scents and oils can help circulation, focus, memory and mood. Pedicures that incorporate scents often have several of these benefits included with them. The smell of lime invigorates the mind, sugar excites, vanilla relaxes. All of these may seem like simple scents but they help make a pedicure great, instead of just good. Other oils uplift, stimulate immunity, energize, relax, relieve congestion, detoxifyies, and much more!

6. Emotional Benefits: You get to relax, having your feet up promotes good circulation. In the case of ingrown nails, corns and thick calluses, a pedicure will help you get pain free. The massage lets other parts of your body know to distress.

7. Aesthetic Benefits. Your feet look great, and if you got a nail polish, they’ve got a fresh look!

Things to look for at your nail salon
All instruments should be new or sterilized to prevent the spread of fungus or disease. A pedicurist should be licensed and accredited and make you feel comfortable. If you are not at ease with your pedicurist, you should not proceed with the pedicure.

Tell your pedicurist what you want before they begin and if they do something you don't like, tell them.

Avoid acrylics on your toenails. "Toenails need to be able to breath and applying acrylic to them suffocates them and can lead to numerous problems," reports Dr. Jason LeVitre, DPM podiatrist at Evanston Family Foot Care.

With normal wear and tear, you can expect a pedicure to last up to 5 weeks. Neat, well-cared for nails add immeasurably to the appearance of your feet, so I hope to see you come in soon!

April has been in the beauty business since the mid 80's. Over the years she's touched on every aspect of beauty maintenance, all of which contributes to her deft touch with manicures, pedicures and waxing. April has been with Atelier Emmanuel from the very start, grounding the rest of us. A pedicure with April will draw you out of your head and worries, and back into the world.


Further Reading
http://www.footcaredirect.com
http://voices.yahoo.com/foot-care-tips-benefits-pedicure-finding-39693.html?cat=69

Keratin Treatments Part II: the formaldehyde controversy

Moving away from straightening and smoothing treatments with harmful levels of formaldehyde.
For clients with wavy, curly, frizzy or dull hair who want it straight or smooth, Keratin treatments have been miracle services. With these treatments, unruly hair becomes manageable. As side perks,  hair also becomes shinier and softer, and the results generally last about 3 months.

"Before and After" from Brazilian Blowout's site

However, one of the ingredients which drives the success of these treatments has also been a source of controversial debate. That ingredient is formaldehyde.

According to the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), “formaldehyde presents a health hazard if stylists are exposed. It can irritate the eyes and nose, cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes and lungs; and is linked to nose and lung cancer.”

What is formaldehyde? How is it released during some of the straightening/smoothing treatment? If it affects stylists, what are the effects on clients? If it’s found in so many other products, why is it a big deal here? Are there good alternatives to the treatments that release formaldehyde?

That’s what we are going to explore in this article.

"Formaldehyde is everywhere"

The first thing we have to establish, is that formaldehyde is found in many more places than just some hair straightening systems. If you are ever near cars, particleboards, glue or industrial cleansers, you are encountering formaldehyde. Those are just a few examples! In fact if you've ever been around yourself, you been exposed to formaldehyde: it is produced in small amounts during normal metabolic processes. This doesn't necessarily make it safe. But it does give us a context for addressing its use in hair straightening systems.

There are 3 issues to consider: 

1. How transparent are companies about their use of formaldehyde, and in the amounts their products contain. 

2. The amount of formaldehyde that it is safe to be exposed to

3. What type of exposure is unsafe 

As we mentioned in Part I, it isn't keratin which straightens hair. This common misunderstanding happens because straightening treatments are so often called "Keratin Straightening Treatments".

It is another step in the treatment that creates the straightening effect. A cocktail of chemicals is added to hair, which semi-permanently alters the hair’s structure making it straighter.

When formaldehyde is an ingredient, it does double duty: It helps with the keratin infusion, and it is part of the straightening cocktail. Not only does it have a dual purpose, but it is really good at both of them! Studies and tests show that of all the ingredients that have the property of opening the cuticle (to allow keratin into the hair shaft), formaldehyde gives the best results. 

Lack of information

A few years ago Brazilian Blowout was the lead keratin straightening system. High profile usage by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston pushed its popularity, and the straightening trend took over the styling world. In some salons, stylists began complaining of odd health concerns such as nosebleeds and upper respiratory infections. Some stylists were doing 3 or 4 treatments a day with little to no ventilation, and a poor understanding of proper application. 

Responding to complaints, OSHA Oregon investigated. It was soon revealed that (a) these products contained formaldehyde, (b) with heat application the formaldehyde was being released as toxic fumes, and (c) some products contained 10 or more times the legally permitted amounts of formaldehyde.

The presence of formaldehyde in itself might not be a problem. As we mentioned above, we are commonly exposed to it in our daily lives. Most of the time this happens through passive diffusion, so that the quantities inhaled are relatively mild. It is further thought to be relatively harmless in liquid form. This is open to debate. 

But straightening systems seemed to offer a perfect storm for formaldehyde related health risks. The quantities in the products were high; exposed to high heat flat-ironing, the products was released as toxic fumes; stylists and clients were not informed about the risks involved, and did not know to take precautions to limit exposure (poor ventilation; over-saturation with product; offering multiple treatments in one day).

In August 22, 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to the importer and distributor of Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution (GIB LLC dba Brazilian Blowout). You can read it here. OSHA identifies Brazilian Blowout products as adulterated and misbranded, because it contains methylene glycol, which can release formaldehyde during the normal conditions of use, and because the label makes misleading statements ("Formaldehyde Free" or "No Formaldehyde").

Federal OSHA and State OSHA programs have been investigating complaints from stylists and hair salon owners about exposure to formaldehyde while using products such as:
• Brazilian Blowout
• Brasil Cacau Cadiveu
• Keratin Complex Smoothing Therapy
• Marcia Teixeira

During Federal OSHA investigations, air tests showed formaldehyde at levels above OSHA's limits in salons using:
• Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Solution, labeled "formaldehyde free,"
• Brasil Cacau Cadiveu. 

Misleading Stylists and Clients

Some treatments do not list formaldehyde. Some have had levels much higher than is permissible by law. This was the case with the Brazilian Blowout at the beginning of the controversy. Other “formaldehyde-free” products actually contain formaldehyde derivatives with the same set of risks.

"Just because formaldehyde is not listed, doesn't mean it's really formaldehyde-free!"

Many keratin-based hair smoothing products contain formaldehyde dissolved (and chemically reacted) in water and other ingredients in the product. Because of the way formaldehyde reacts in these products, some manufacturers, importers, or distributors might list other names for formaldehyde on product information or might claim that the product is "formaldehyde-free” when in fact it really is not.

Formaldehyde might be listed as:

• methylene glycol,
• formalin,
• methylene oxide,
• paraform,
• formic aldehyde,
• methanal,
• oxomethane,
• oxymethylene,
• CAS Number 50-00-0.

All of these are names for formaldehyde under OSHA's Formaldehyde standard. There are also chemicals, such as timonacic acid (also called thiazolidinecarboxylic acid) that can release formaldehyde under certain conditions, such as those present during a hair straightening treatment process.

Formaldehyde is released in the form of a gas, when the sections of hair, onto which the product was applied, are flat ironed. Formaldehyde is colorless, but has a characteristic pungent, irritating odor. Until the flat-ironing step, it might technically not be present as an ingredient in the product.

OSHA requires manufacturers of products that contain or release formaldehyde to include information about formaldehyde and its hazards on the label and in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Formaldehyde must be listed if it is in the product at 0.1% or more (as a gas or in solution) or if the product releases formaldehyde above 0.1 parts of formaldehyde per million parts (ppm) of air.

The formaldehyde risks are exclusive to the keratin-based treatments. That is not to say that other types of treatments don’t carry other risks. Different chemicals are used in other hair-straightening methods such as Thermal Reconditioning (also called Japanese Straightening) and the more traditional relaxers.

Meanwhile, some brands like Brazilian Blowout have contested OSHA findings. But we won't get into that. As a team, we simply decided to avoid the most contentious brands and look for alternatives.

A Difficult Balance: Managing conflicting client desires
The fact is that, to get perfectly straight hair, there is currently no real alternative to the products using formaldehyde. Something has to be sacrificed. Either the product doesn’t straighten as much, or it doesn’t last as long, or you have to wait 3 days before washing your hair after the treatment, or it contains ingredients that causes damage to hair. 

"There are no current alternatives that are as effective"

Keratin treatments have set a benchmark of results, and not many are willing to give it up. It might be easy for a client to choose to use something that has formaldehyde because they want the effect and don't mind the risk because really they will only be minimally exposed. Or they can choose not to have the treatment done. It is not so easy for the salon or the stylist. Do we take the health risk? Do we lose the appointment and the client? Do we risk the health or ire of other clients in the salon that day? How do we teach people to accept something safer, but less effective? Choices have to be made, and there are no easy answers.

What we can do is:
• Continue to explore the best, safest treatments with the most effectiveness
• Properly use the product to minimize fumes (many salons don’t!)
• Minimize exposure to fumes with good ventilation and using an isolated station. As of July we are also using a purification station which greatly if not in fact completely eliminates fumes.
• Encourage clients to use safer alternatives and educate them on best practices to extend the effects of those treatments.

As we mentioned in Part I, we currently offer Keratin Complex by Coppola, which was the first company and brand to receive formal OSHA compliancy. In addition we are continually trying smoothing treatments to find ones with the most similar results. 

Finally, to again bring some perspective to this, we'd like to note that the greatest concern is for stylists who inhale the brunt of fumes (if there are any) and potentially face multiple exposures throughout the work week. This is the focus of organizations like OSHA. Given proper application and proper ventilation, clients should not experience any discomfort. However, if you have any misgivings, we encourage to ask to be seated away from someone getting a keratin treatment. If you are especially concerned, ask to be scheduled an appointment when no treatment is scheduled in the salon.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/formaldehyde

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/formaldehyde/hazard_alert.html
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-beauty/features/keratin-hair-straightening-treatments?page=2
http://www.keratintreatmentforhair.com/how-does-keratin-hair-treatment-work
http://www.keratintreatmentforhair.com/faqs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w81Kn0vmcjY
http://ms-info.hubpages.com/hub/Keratin-Hair-Treatment
http://www.beautystat.com/site/hair/how-do-keratin-treatments-work-a-review-of-safe-salon-hair-straightening-options-and-formaldehyde-free-at-home-alternatives/