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.

Hair: HydraCap Conditioning Caps

August 29, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Here at StyleChicks, we love long, flowing hair. Courtney’s hair is long past her waist, and mine (Lyn) is almost to my waist. My hair is porous, colored, and I use hot styling tools, so it takes a great deal of deep conditioning to keep my hair in good shape.

CONDITIONING LONG HAIR WITH TRADITIONAL CONDITIONING CAPS
One of the best ways to deep condition hair is using a conditioning cap with a hot oil treatment or a liquid consistency conditioning treatment. This keeps the wet conditioner from seeping down onto the forehead and neck, as well as allows the heat from your head to maximize the treatment factor of the conditioner. Most look like cheap one-time use shower caps like you might get with your complimentary toiletries in a hotel. The problem with these conditioning caps is they can’t accommodate very long, thick, full, curly or unruly hair. Sometimes we end up using multiple caps together to completely cover the hair, and this still leaves gaps that let the heat escape, and at times, they still get messy and soggy because conditioning product can leak out.

HYDRACAP CONDITIONING CAPS

HydraCap Conditioning Caps

When we heard about Hydracap hair conditioning caps, we were excited to try them. The premise is it is a larger plastic cap but not with an elastic band. After securing on your head with your hair tucked in, you heat the cap with your blowdryer, and it sort of shrink-wraps onto your head and completely ensconces your hair in about a minute. This cap is much more secure than a traditional conditioning cap. The heat from the blowdryer stays within the cap to maximize the conditioning treatment, and the hot air from the hair dryer creates moist, hydrating heat within the cap.

HOW TO USE HYDRACAP
First I apply my hair conditioner, either oil or a creamy conditioner. For oils, I like Jojoba, Safflower, Grapeseed, or a combination. When my hair is really dry or damaged, I apply an oil, leave it on for an hour or so, and then apply a cream conditioner. I also like using HydraCap when I apply Coconut Oil as a conditioning treatment, as the contained heat helps completely melt the Coconut Oil without allowing it to get runny.

Another way I use the Hydracaps is for creamy conditioning masques such as the Kerastase Hair Treatments and Oribe Hair Masques, which when combined with heat, are so extraordinarily effective to make hair soft and shiny.

When I use the cap after applying the Coconut Oil, I leave it on my hair for about an hour, and for hot oils and hair conditioning masques, generally about 30 minutes. Both the oils and the conditioners stay put in the cap and saturate better with the moist heat of the cap.

HydraCap Conditioning Caps

It helps if you have a friend assist you the first time, but you can do this by yourself with a little practice. To apply the HydraCap, wrap your hair around your head so it will fit under the cap and place the cap over your head. The cap will be too large, so wrap and tuck it around your head, shape it close to the head as you aim your hairdryer at the cap. To hold longer hair, I scoop it up from the back of the cap and pull the front of the cap up, grasping the excess and wrapping it around as it starts to take shape until the cap is securely fit to my head. Start blow-drying on the bottom of the cap, gathering extra as you go and wrapping it, and move towards the top of your head until it is secured. Wait about 20 minutes, and remove the cap. Wash hair as usual.

Size of Hydracap vs regular elastic conditioning cap

RESULTS: There was no dripping conditioner, and my hair stayed warm for the 20 minutes, keeping my conditioner warm enough to deeply condition my hair and make it especially soft and hydrated. I could sit and watch TV or walk around the house without worrying about dripping conditioner or oil. It is also a nice treat to have conditioning hair up in a secure cap while taking a bath.

What I also prefer about the HydraCap to plug-in conditioning caps is the HydraCap is lightweight on the head, and I am not tethered to sitting in one place while conditioning my hair. Plug-in caps also generally only produce dry heat, which is less effective and can even break down conditioners.

CONCLUSION: Since we got the HydraCaps, it is much easier to schedule time each week to deep condition my hair, because I don’t have to stay put worrying about hair conditioner dripping all over the place, and it only takes 20 minutes or less since the cap retains the heat. If you are using Coconut Oil to condition your hair, using the HydraCap helps the Coconut Oil completely melt and stay put on the hair while conditioning. The caps come in a pack of six and are a worthwhile low-cost investment, especially if you are conditioning your hair before or after coloring or other chemical treatments. If you are conditioning your hair regularly in preparation for a special event, such as a wedding or a big hair color transformation, using HydraCaps weekly maximizes for hydrating and conditioning efforts.

Find the HydraCap at Treasured Locks.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1JNJw6Q28[/embedyt]

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review and received compensation for my time and effort. However, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

Body: BodyHonee Wax Kit

August 26, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I have very pale skin. And I have very dark hair. This makes for a bad leg shaving combination. The sharpest razor, the best shave, it only results in still being able to see the hair under my translucent skin. So, pulling it from the root is the only option. I have tried using an epilator recently, but it doesn’t pick up all the hairs, so I end up touching up my legs with a razor. Which is the thing I was looking to avoid in the first place.

I’ve also tried home waxing in the past, and typically it has left me bruised, and my skin irritated. Not a great look, although the bruises did cover the stubble…

With those experiences behind me, I was excited to learn about the BodyHonee Kit System. There are different kits for different kinds of hair and the area you are looking to wax. Best of all, it works for sensitive skin. So I embarked on testing it out to try to get fuzz-free for the remainder of the warm weather clothing season.

I tried two of the BodyHonee Wax Kits, the Extra Strength Spa Wax Kit, and the Hard Wax Kit. Both are intended for thick, coarse hair.

BodyHonee Wax Kit

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax

First, let’s talk about the Extra Strength Spa Wax Kit. It is meant for anywhere on the body, but I tried it on my legs.

My leg hair was grown out about a half inch (seriously, sometimes I think all I accomplish in a week is grow hair and nails.) Of course, I typically attend to de-fuzzing way before my leg hair gets to half an inch, but for the edification of my faithful readers, I forewent shaving for a bit knowing that I had this review coming up. Prepping the wax is pretty easy – just pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it is set. Now here is a key part: mix the wax, using the included spatula to mix it from the bottom to the top to achieve an even consistency. Then, using the same spatula, apply a THIN layer (and I mean thin) to your leg (or where ever you are applying it), in the direction of the hair growth. In most cases, this means going down from your knee to your ankle, but there are sections that grow in different directions, so assess as you go. Place the strip over the wax, and rub firmly (again, in the direction of the growth) several times. And then the fun part – rip it off against the direction of the growth, and marvel at the hair that is left behind on the strip. Repeat the process until the whole area is covered.

This kit comes with cleansing oil wipes to take off any remaining wax and soothe the skin. It is pretty easy once you get the hang of it – which will be within your first session. And my legs were soooooo smoothe!

The second kit I tried was the Hard Wax Hair Remover. This kit is meant for the face, underarms, and bikini line. It is the same premise as the Spa Wax Kit, but it is meant for short, coarse hairs on sensitive areas. It is microwaved for about three minutes. Additionally, since the wax is harder than the Spa Kit, you don’t need a strip to go over it, because as it cools it hardens to the point that you can just rip the wax off, and it will act as a strip. This is nice if you are dealing in small areas like the upper lip.

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax Hard Wax

I tried it on my underarms. I previously had laser hair removal on my underarms, which did a great job at permanently removing a lot of my underarm hair. For about a year, I only had to touch up a few spots every month or so. However, this year it seems a few follicles regenerated, plus the laser hair removal didn’t affect the blonde underarm hairs I had, so I still had to shave every once in awhile. This is another advantage of wax: wax is colorblind. While laser hair removal is absolutely amazing, it is still hard to truly tackle blonde hair. So a good waxing every few months is a good idea even if you have had laser hair removal.

The difference between my legs and my underarms is that hair grows in every different direction on your armpits, not like how sections typically follow patterns of growth on your legs. So I ended up working in smaller sections on my underarms. This is one of the reasons why I like that the hard wax serves as its own strip – I can work on fairly small sections at a time to make sure to get all hairs. I had some mild pinkness on my underarms after that quickly went away. The trick is to pull the wax off quick – don’t stop half way through pulling it off.

The big question: did it hurt? Well, you are ripping hair out of the follicle. It isn’t the most pleasant feeling. But it isn’t nearly as bad as standard waxing, and without the bruising I experienced in the past. I think this is because the wax shrink wraps around the hair before you pull it off, so it was more honed in on the hair as opposed to hair getting pulled off when the wax adhered to the skin. At least that is what it felt like upon pulling the BodyHonee wax off versus previous waxing experiences. The redness dissipated fairly quickly, especially after I moisturized. For me, waxing my shins is always far more uncomfortable than my underarms, but of the two, I found the hard wax to be a little more comfortable. However, I have more practice with working with hard wax in the past, so that could be part of it.

I’m happy to have found a line of wax that effectively removes even the shortest of hairs, and keeps that growth cycle of hairs at bay for several weeks. While my hair hasn’t grown back at all yet, I am curious to see how long my skin stays smooth, and I’ll update when I know!

Find the BodyHonee Wax Kits at http://www.bodyhonee.com

Here is a video showing the way to mix the wax:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=998ioz4MZVw[/embedyt]

Skincare: Serum Ceuticals Glycolic AHA 50% Acid Serum Peel

August 25, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Serum Ceuticals Glycolic AHA 50% Acid Serum Peel

Serum Ceuticals AHA 50% is a medical-grade Alpha Hydroxy Acid peel that improves the rate of cell renewal and whisks away old dead skin cells that both clog pores and causes the look of dull, older, uneven skin. Very useful for stubborn acne scars, enlarge pores, deeper wrinkles and brown age spots that have proven resistant to lower strength peels.

ABOUT SERUM CEUTICALS AHA
Serum Ceuticals products do not contain water, so it an especially concentrated serum. As a 50% grade AHA, this is too potent to apply directly, it must be diluted. Serum Ceuticals recommends using it in tandem with their Beta Glucan cream. If you don’t have the Beta Glucan cream, the AHA can be diluted for use by mixing it with an oil such as Jojoba Oil or Safflower Oil. Although I highly recommend the Beta Glucan for use post-peel or whenever skin could use an intensive moisturizing treat, and I found it particularly useful with this AHA peel. I applied some AHA to my hands, and in one spot, I accidentally had the peel product on with no cream, and I could feel the AHA sting. This is strong stuff! But when mixed with the cream, I don’t feel it sting at all, even on sensitive skin areas such as my throat, cheeks, or decolletage. The one issue with mixing it with the cream, though, is I can’t figure out what the ratio of cream to AHA serum is, I added about 6-7 drops to two black scoopers full of cream.

If diluting the AHA with oil, a 1 to 4 drop ratio may be best to start, and a 1 to 3 or 1 to 2 ratio for future treatments is a good balance. With the Beta Glucan cream, I was able to leave the AHA for the full 30 minutes, when I tried it with the oils, I could do about 20 without my skin becoming red.

USE & RESULTS
I have a patch of acne scarring from when I was a teen; it left now-faded brown marks that other AHA products have been unable to lighten. So I was pretty excited to try this AHA on that darkened patch, as well as some brown age spots that are very stubborn. The AHA did not remove them in one use, but the area looks much better. I like the results on my hands and throat as well. While I always wear sunscreen on my face, over time I neglected my throat and hands, so aging shows more in these areas, so I am glad to have a more potent AHA in my beauty arsenal.

I really liked how my throat looked – the horizontal wrinkles in the middle of my throat became much softer, and my skin tone is more even. The small wrinkles on my forehead and hands diminished from one use, although it requires regular use of the AHA to keep them that way.

The AHA does not sting when mixed well, and while it says it can be used daily, I am inclined to do it twice a week to start and reduce to once a week over time.

ABOUT SERUM CEUTICAL
If you are not familiar with the Serum Ceutical line, it is a good one. They do not use artificial chemicals or preservatives, so there are no additives that can contribute towards irritating the skin. Rather, Serum Ceuticals uses an innovative Vitamin charge to keep it fresh. When opening the bottle, you will notice a frizz the first time, similar to opening a carbonated drink. A similar process is used to Keep the bottle out of direct sunlight and keep the cap on tight when not in use.

CONCLUSION:
A powerful AHA to use on brown spots, scars, wrinkles, and dry skin. Must be combined with a cream or oil, but once it is, it does not burn or sting the skin, and skin is not raw or red after use. Since just a few drops are used at a time, this is a very cost effective way to do AHA peels at home.

Find this great peel at Amazon.

At Home Spa: ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker

August 24, 2016 · Leave a Comment

ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker

My masseuse has this incredible sound system in the treatment rooms. I am no stranger to epic sound systems for my equally epic digital music collection, but the ones I have tried in my at-home spa are always a little tinny. So I am thrilled to find the ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker.

I have a dedicated (and always evolving) playlist for when I’m relaxing during an at-home spa treatment. So finding a speaker that has great sound and works with my iPhone, which is where I keep my playlist, has been my aim.

When I first took the ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker out of the box and saw the size of the unit, I didn’t have high expectations of a deep, robust sound, or a soothing light. But this small Nightlight and Speaker packs a lot of power into a small unit. The light is deep and saturated, and the sound is absolutely amazing.

ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker

When I think of a nightlight, I tend to think of a light that is just bright enough to orient yourself when you see it in the corner. The ZHOPPY Night Light produces just enough light to be able to very gently illuminate the room, but not as much as a bedside lamp. It isn’t enough to read by, but it is bright enough to provide a soothing glow. The color of the light is easy to change: simply tap on the top and side on the device at the same time. The color will change immediately to another soothing shade. Keep repeating the “double tap” motion to find the hue that suits you. To increase or decrease the brightness, tap the speaker grid on top. One of the options is to turn the light off completely. This is convenient if you like complete darkness during the night (as it does aid sleep), but would still like to have a nightstand option for light if needed, or a lower level of light closer to bed.

Changing the color of the ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker

The sound is incredible. The first time I tested it out was late at night when everyone else was asleep. I pressed play, and the loud, crisp, deep bass rang through the house as I quickly scrambled to turn it down. I did not expect such amazing audio from a small device! It is comparable to a speaker system I have with a pretty decent subwoofer.

The device is powered by a rechargeable battery that lasts impressively long between charges (I have only had to recharge it once in about two weeks) and it is easily charged via USB, which is convenient. I have mainly been using the Auxillary mode for audio, however, so the battery life might be shorter if used in Bluetooth mode, which I only used for a few hours.

I’m quite happy with this small but powerful device for its soothing light and its powerful speaker for my beauty treatment relaxation time!

ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker

Find the ZHOPPY 2-in-1 Night Light and Bluetooth Speaker at Amazon.com.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdfWeQdqIX0[/embedyt]

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

August 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

Here at StyleChicks, we consume lots of tea. And like clockwork, every six weeks we make a large loose leaf tea order. This order consists of our favorite greens; some whites and oolong, a matcha and a vanilla black. It would be easier to be on an auto-order to keep our favorites coming and try some new flavors, but to date, we haven’t found a tea of the month club that meets our needs. An issue we have experienced with monthly clubs is not having the option to select the kind of tea you want.

There is some potentially appealing Tea of The Month offers out there, but when it comes down to it, there are three factors we particularly value that are make or break for us choosing a tea club:

The quality of the tea itself
Being able to choose the type tea you like
Terms of service that are acceptable to live with and not a hassle to change, pause or even cancel.

With these three criteria in mind, we examined the Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club. You may know them from their quaint Cafe in Troy, New York, or the Ballston Spa that serves their teas. Or Whistling Kettle may be new to you. When we had a chance to taste many of The Whistling Kettle teas, we were so excited to try them all, because all the teas smell truly knock your socks off fantastic! It was hard to decide which tea to brew first!

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Endurance Flavor

THE QUALITY OF THE TEA

Whistling Kettle Teas are loose teas. The inclusions such as nuts, berries, dried fruit, or other petals are large or at times, even whole pieces. The tea leaves fresh are the full leaf or larger leaf pieces, not dust or remnants. The close up photos show the teas as they came out of the package: colorful, full and fresh quality. And as soon as you open the tea container, the first thing you notice it smells absolutely delicious. As we tried each flavor, one was better than the next. Even the black teas smelled delicious. For example, one black tea, the flavor “SnowFlake” had wonderful scents of cinnamon, vanilla, and almond. And the almonds pieces in the black tea were full almond slivers or larger chunks of almond, not ground up almond powder or just an almond flavoring. The color of the brewed tea as a lovely dark golden amber hue and the tea tasted delicious, even on a second brew. That is another nice feature of these teas, most of them can do a second brew as tasty as the first.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Snowflake Flavor

THE WHISTLING KETTLE TEA FLAVOR OVERVIEWS

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

In addition to the Snowflake black tea described above, we tried several varieties of The Whistling Kettle teas to assess the quality of their products. Some of these teas included:

BANANA DULCE: I am not a fan of the scent of banana, but the aroma of the Banana Dulce in the container reminded me of these tasty candied banana chips I ate as a child and the brewed tea both smells and tastes like fresh baked banana bread, with flavors of coconut and graham cracker. It is a testament to a tea product that even a not well-liked flavor can be tasty if done right. Whistling Kettle Banana Dulce is an organic decaf blend and brews to a lovely pale shade of gold.

VANILLA SILK OOLONG: I am particularly fond of Oolongs, sort of a bitter but sweet champagne kind of taste. This Oolong has a delicate orange cream scent and has a mild sweetness to it that is not too sticky or overpowering.

SCOTTISH CARAMEL TOFFEE PU-REB: This is unlike other teas I have had, it has a pleasant toffee aroma and good sized toffee chunks that balance out the earthy tones of the pu-erh. It is sweet, but not overpoweringly so. Pu-erh is an aged, fermented red tea that is sometimes mistaken for a black tea. This one smells like a bakery or candy store; the aroma is fantastic. It is an energizing tea and a good alternative to coffee or colas for an afternoon energy boost.

EAST FRISIAN BROKEN TEA: This is a breakfast tea, it is malty, not sweet or flavored. It brews to a wonderful, dark color.

ENDURANCE: As the name implies, this organic tea is energizing and is intended to increase stamina. It is also a Pu-Erh tea and has fruity inclusions such as Organic Cinnamon, Organic Goji Berries, Organic Schizandra Berries, and Organic Nettle Leaf. The berries are whole, and the tea blend makes for a lovely looking brewing process, especially if you brew them in a glass teapot. Medium caffeine content and it smells absolutely delicious.

GOLDEN STARFRUIT: This green tea was one of my favorite of the bunch, with a notable aroma that is worthy of serving guests when you want to spoil them a bit with a delightful treat. There are big chunks of starfruit, and it has a wonderful tropical taste without being sugary sweet. If you want the benefits of green tea but you dislike the taste of green tea, this is a delicious way to enjoy the benefits of green tea. Lovely light golden hue upon brewing smells delicious to the last drop.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club Golden Starfruit Flavor

LEMON SOUFFLE HONEYBUSH: A caffeine-free creamy Rooibos blend suitable for drinking at night and winding down and relaxing. A beautiful yellow-gold with a mildly tart lemon flavor that has lovely bright blue and yellow inclusions in the tea. If you are avoiding caffeine at night but want to drink tea, this is also tasty as a cold iced tea beverage.

I liked every tea I tried, and some of them such as Snowflake, Golden Starfruit, and Endurance I loved! These teas were amongst the best we have tasted, and after years of loyalty drinking the same brand, we were convinced to drinking The Whistling Tea Kettle teas.

The Whistling Kettle Tea of the Month Club

THE WHISTLING KETTLE TEA CLUB TERMS
While these teas and other flavors are sold individually on their website, there are 15 types of Tea of the Month Clubs available.

Something that sets this tea club apart from the others:

You select the types of tea you want, not a variety or mystery pack selections – unless you ask for a variety selection.
Amongst the 15 types of Tea Clubs, choose all green, all black, all chocolate, Endurance teas, Herbal teas, Discovery packs, amongst others. The Tea Tasting Club is a club for tea lovers who want to try as many types of tea as possible.
Get 2-4 oz of each of the Loose teas with big pieces of inclusions of nuts berries, and petals, not pre-bagged tea dust or remnants with artificial flavoring instead of the real thing.
FLEXIBLE TERMS:
Choose 3 or 6 months and your shipment dates.
You can cancel at any point
You can change the type of club whenever you wish. Drink Green Tea in the summer and switch to the endurance and stamina teas during the cold, dark winter months.
Free shipping
You won’t be billed on signup, rather just before shipment.
Reasonable prices without hidden fees

SUMMARY:
I enjoyed all The Whistling Kettle teas I tried, and The Whistling Kettle offers several rare, hard-to-find, and exotic teas within their subscriptions. It ‘s hard to locate an organic, fresh, tasty tea brand with lots of variety amongst their loose leaf teas. I also love seeing when a tea has a generous inclusion of berries, nuts, petals, and other flavorings. The teas look so attractive, smell divine and brew to beautiful golden hues. There was no “dust” or remaindered teas, everything was fresh, not an overstock. They have tea flavors I have never tried before, and the Endurance teas are surprisingly energizing. We would recommend giving them a try; the Tea Clubs offer a great way to drink your favorites or try some new teas!

Find the Tea of the Month Club at The Whistling Kettle.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-V43l8MJkc[/embedyt]

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