Spa Economy

Spa Experience at Home

DIY Spa treatments light therapy, dermaplaning, chemical peels, hair masque, hair removal, massagers, acupressure, spa gadgets, and products. We tried a collection of hair, skin, and body pampering products and gadgets at home and report our experience.

I Max Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream

June 5, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I Max Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream

WHY USE A CERAMIDE CREAM AFTER A PEEL?
I find Glycolic peels to be very beneficial for the skin for shrinking pores, lightening dark spots and reducing the appearance of wrinkles while leaving skin smooth and fresh. AHA’s are often more effective for people with sensitive skin or aging skin because they break up the cement-like glue that holds the dead skin together, so dead skin just melts off, revealing fresher new skin underneath. The longer you can tolerate leaving the AHA on your skin, generally 15-30 minutes, the better.

The problem is that it is easy to over-do it and leave skin red and irritated and in need of some soothing barrier to moisturize and protect the skin. Skin can also require a protective ceramide moisture barrier due to eczema or psoriasis.

This I Max Ceramide Cream is for use after a chemical peel such as any Glycolic Acid AHA peels or other at-home peels that may cause irritation and redness on the skin. It helps skin quickly recover from a peel.

HOW TO USE THIS CREAM POST-PEEL
I use this cream immediately after I do an at home Glycolic Acid Peel because this cream is effective enough to allow me to leave the acid treatment on my skin for longer time spans and get maximum benefit from the peels. After use, the redness subsides within a few hours and the next day my skin is smooth with no indication of swelling, inflammation, dryness or redness. This cream is also useful if you get any chemical peel or too much sun resulting in dryness and redness.

Even if the skin has not been exposed to harsh chemicals or peels, I find this Ceramide cream can make for a soothing and hydrating facial mask for an at-home spa treat. I slather my face with the cream and give my face and neck and decolletage good gentle massage to help the cream soak in, and I leave the cream on for 30 minutes to an hour while I watch TV. I gently remove any remaining cream with a tissue and the next day my skin is soft and supple.

APPLICATION:
This is a very thick, rich cream without notable scent. It is emollient but not sticky or slick, and once it is massaged in it is not oily or greasy. It should be massaged in well for 2-3 minutes. I apply it and add more as needed because a small amount goes a long way. It comes with a small spatula which I like.

INGREDIENTS:
A key ingredient in this cream is Ceramide, which prevents loss of water and keeps skin moist and supple. The loss of Ceramide due to aging or exposure to harsh chemicals, such as those in peels, acne medicines, and some abrasive face soaps can disrupt this layer and result in dry, dull, irritated and sometimes blotchy red skin.

Additional ingredients include Vitamin A, B’s, and C, all of which nourish and improve the skin. Since they are paired with deep moisturizing ingredients within the cream, they are not too harsh even for very sensitive skin.

RESULTS:
As an at-home spa treat for dry, lackluster skin, as a treatment to restore Ceramide balance after a peel, or as a protective barrier for skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, this Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream provides the important protective layer to restore much-needed moisture balance to the skin. I find that after an AHA peel that this cream reduces my “downtime” due to skin redness and irritation and lets me get the most out of my at-home peel skin care treatments.

Good price, effective and recommended product for use after at-home peels and treatments.

I Max Ceramide-Post Chemical Peel-Soothing and Moisturizing Cream

Gear Ultimate Infused Water Pitcher

April 21, 2016 · 1 Comment

This is the second Gear Ultimate Infuser Iâ€™ve tried, the first being the Infused Water Bottle. The Gear Ultimate Infused Water Pitcher has many of the same excellent qualities as the bottle, in a larger 93oz size. If you are looking to drink more water for health or beauty purposes, then this is a great product for you.

First of all, the infuser is far better than other fruit infusers I have tried in the past. The infuser has small enough holes that seeds and leaves do not get into the water. It is a generous sized infuser in the pitcher, and a lot of fruit can go into the infuser, which is nice. It also allows for infusion â€œrecipesâ€ of ingredients: you can include more than one kind of fruit/vegetable/herb. I tried out Mint and Strawberry and the result was wonderful. No calories, no sugar or artificial sweeteners, and the water is so crisp and refreshing. The packaging comes with recipes that go beyond your standard one fruit infusion: adding something like strawberries or mint to the typical cucumber spa water really makes it enjoyable. I have a whole Pinterest board of spa waters, but the booklet had some mixtures that I hadnâ€™t seen before.

Once you have infused your water, you can take the infuser out and replace it with the freezable and reusable ice core to keep the liquid cold. This is great for outdoor gatherings or just keeping your beverage cold during the day. Itâ€™s great for keeping at your desk at work. I read an article recently that a top derm was saying that it takes two liters a day of water to hydrate your skin. This gives you a little extra, and may end up replacing some not great for you beverages like soft drinks or sugary drinks.

One thing I donâ€™t like is that the lid slips off easily when pouring, even when you hold it in place. I found this out the hard way. However, if you are mindful of that it isnâ€™t that big of a deal.

Gear Ultimate Water Infuser Pitcher

Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle

April 21, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Iâ€™ve been on a bit of a hydration kick lately. This is due to the fact that I have been feeling a bit dehydrated lately (the fact that it is allergy season doesnâ€™t help), and a renewed fascination with spa waters. So for on the go and at the gym, I really like the Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle.

It is made of BPA-free Tritan material, so no worries about chemicals leaking into your otherwise healthy water. The cap seals tightly so I donâ€™t have to worry about it leaking into my gym bag (I have had some disasters of the sort.)

The infuser is made of two parts: the generous sized infuser tube and a cap. The infuser cap allows you to pour the liquid out without the fruit getting loose. The holes in the infuser are relatively small but that is a good thing as it keeps seeds etc from getting into the water.

I decided to test it out with some strawberries we have in the house. I sliced each large berry into 4-6 pieces. I was surprised that it didnâ€™t take too many slices to fill the infuser â€“ maybe 1-2 berries worth. I then filled the bottle with tap water and put in the infuser.

This next part is important: be sure to shake the bottle a few times in order to get the full flavor to infuse into your water. Since you are using cold water, this isnâ€™t steeping the fruit like a tea in hot water. So the infusion needs a little movement to mix.

Since I planned on using it during the day, I left it in the refrigerator overnight. When I tasted the water this morning I was amazed: it was incredibly sweet. You would never guess that this was not artificially sweetened, just fruit sweetened. I drank it and then refilled it. Obviously the second batch wasnâ€™t as flavored, but it was still a good, crisp taste. In the future I will probably bring along some extra fruit during the day to make extra infusions and keep my hydration momentum going.

The package comes with a little booklet that gives some ideas for infusion recipes, which I found interesting. The spa water staple, cucumber, can be made more interesting by adding strawberries or mint. Iâ€™m looking forward to trying some different fruit mixes.

The pieces all wash out clean and donâ€™t retain taste, which is impressive since I infused it overnight.

Iâ€™m really excited to find a travel fruit infuser bottle that keeps the fruit and seeds out of the water and makes such tasty water!

Gear Ultimate Infuser Water Bottle

Valentia Skin Detoxifying Mask

April 17, 2016 · Leave a Comment

This product is intended for the face but I found it particularly useful for the skin on my shoulders and upper arms. Do you know those hard white bumps that sometimes occur on the back of the upper arms, they are sometimes called chicken skin (real name Keratosis Pilaris), and they don’t respond to acne medicines or dermabrasion? This worked pretty well for improving the appearance of those bumps.

INGREDIENTS:

Kaolin Clay an astringent effect that removes oils and impurities.
Hibiscus & Cranberry fibers are exfoliants with anti-aging properties, this is what you feel when you massage it off your face when you wash it off.

Spirulina has the antioxidant beta-carotene which helps neutralize free radicals and relieve acne and psoriasis. It is similar to algae and seaweed for skin benefits.

Astaxanthin is an antioxidant that protects cells from damage and improves the appearance of wrinkles by supporting moisture retention.

CoQ10 fights wrinkles

Vitamin C promotes collagen, fades dark spots such as acne scars, brown spots from aging and sun damage.

INDICATIONS FOR USE:
To remove toxins from pollution, cosmetics/makeup, hard water, and environmental gunk that gets into your skin and clogs pores, leaving skin congested looking and potentially causing breakouts and bumps on the skin.

Personally, I like to use this on my shoulder skin and on the back of my upper arms because my hair is long and probably exposes that skin to more oil and products, and I don’t take good care of that skin as I do my facial skin. The pores on my upper back and shoulders seem larger than on my face. Now that summer is coming, I am starting to use some scrubs and masks to improve that skin. This addresses impurities and areas of trapped sebum on my shoulders and upper back. I do notice less of those chicken skin sort of bumps on my upper arms after using this mask.

APPLICATION
The Valentia Mask is a creamy but thick consistency texture mask, more like a thick whipped mud treatment. When I hold it on my fingers upside down, it does not drip off. It spreads on skin evenly without pulling and does not sting or burn. Leave on for no more than 15-20 minutes then remove with a warm washcloth. I let the washcloth sit on my face for a minute or two to soften the mask and steam my pores a bit, then lightly massage my face in a circular motion as per the instructions, then rinse off the mask with warm water.

It feels and smells somewhat astringent-like and I do feel my pores are clean afterward, and my skin is a little tight so I like to moisturize extra well after use. It is not drying to my skin.

PACKAGING:
The packaging of the box and the product itself has a pretty gold trim and looks higher-end. It comes in a plastic jar, not a tube, so your fingers dip into the product. I would prefer this come in a tube to squeeze it out to keep it the most sanitary, so I scoop it out with a disposable spatula or plastic spoon.

Find it at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PJLKJ6

I received this item in exchange for my unbiased review. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below and Iâ€™ll do my best to answer it!