Dish-Houston

DISHIES are writing in asking for suggestions on natural ways to moisturize their skin and we have the best solution options!! First, Jojoba oil is a fantastic oil that you shouldn't live without. It's greatness isin it's molecules! They have a similar structure to our own skin and hair sebum. More so than any other oil! It doesn't remain oily to the touch and leaves behind silky, smooth, pretty skin!

Here are DISH-Houston.com's top 10 ways to use this awesome oil! 


1. Facial cleanser and moisturizer - The oil absorbs into skin quickly so you're not feeling greasy. It also cleanses clogged pores.  KEEP IN MIND: This is not an acne cure but a healthy diet is one of the most important factors for stopping acne from forming. Using jojoba oil is a way to fight existing acne, but not the solution to the problem. It's just a piece of the puzzle. 

2. Makeup remover - Jojoba is a wonderful makeup remover! It is so gentle and gets rid of everything; including stubborn products like eyeliner and mascara. It doesn't burn or sting like other makeup removers do (because of the chemicals). Just take a little on a cotton ball and watch it do it's magic. Then, BONUS, you get moisturized eye area and stay young looking longer!

3. Foot and hand softener - Applied just like lotion, use when you get out off the shower/bath as a moisturizer. For the feet, it's great to put on a pair of cozy socks straightaway to lock in the moisturizer. Then you can run around the house without worrying about oil getting on everything while it soaks in and does it's magic!

4. Massage oil - There are some really bad oils on the market that smell amazing but are absolutely useless in the massage room. The secondary problem to those products is fragrance is known to break the skin out, jojoba will not do that. PLUS, it smell delicious. Have fun! 

5. Lip conditioner - Use your fingers to apply the oil as if it were using a lip balm. Jojoba has incredible soothing properties and puts moisture back into dry lips.

6. Leave-in hair conditioner - Take a small amount in the palm of your hand and work it gently through the tips of your hair. This with help keep dry hair moisturized. It can also be smoothed over frizzies when hair is damp to combat flyaways. *BONUS NOTE: put a good amount in wet hair and massage the scalp. Put a towel on your hair and sit in the steam shower, bathtub or outside for a relaxing moment in the sun. When you wash your hair it will be softer than you've ever felt and your scalp will be healthier as well!

7. Aftershave - Use a tiny bit and pat (don't rub) it onto the freshly shaved area. This leaves the skin soft and helps prevent razor burn.

8. Cuticle oil - This oil helps recondition dry cuticles. Feel free to use it on the entire nail surface to prevent chipping and peeling which can be caused by dehydration, drastic outdoor temperatures, or hot water drying out the nails, either from daily hand washing or over showering. The outgrowth of hair and nails is actually dead cells, so they needed to be cared for to prevent future damage. Split or chipped nails cannot be mended, just like split ends on your hair. Just cut them off and care for them better next time.

9. For the bath - Add a few drops of oil to a bath. This moisturizes the skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth.

10. Excessive dry skin treatment - Perfect for alleviate eczema. Eczema is excessively over-dry skin, skin that needs major moisturizing and love. A little TLC, eating good foods, taking quicker warm showers (not long, hot ones), and a jojoba oil treatment after every shower and before going to bed at night, eczema can disappear.

Remember, everything in life plays a huge role in healthy skin! It all builds you up, or breaks you down. 
Feel free to email DISH your beauty questions! 

By DISH Contributor Nick Brines, Owner, Azur Salon and Azur West

6.  Humidity-Proof Your Hair! Try a demi-permanent treatment, such as the Brazilian Blowout or a Keratin treatment, to keep your hair from getting frizzy or unmanageable in the humidity or when you sweat. There are also great shampoos, conditioners and styling products that have anti-humectant properties to get you through those swampy days. 

Going on a great beach vacation? Planning on spending a lot of time at the pool? Need help keeping your hair healthy looking as the weather heats up? Come see us at Azur Salon or Azur West! We'll show you the correct products for your hair type, and help you find the perfect color, shape and style to keep you cool and looking fantastic.

By DISH Contributor Greg Decker, Azur West Creative Director

At Azur West, we are in L-O-V-E with Shu Uemura Art of Hair’s latest product. It’s called “Volume Maker” and it’s the first precision hair powder brush that gives instant root lift, texture and body. It also helps to refresh any blow-dry for long lasting hairstyles. Since it is an invisible powder, it works on all hair colors.

It comes out as a clear powder with no scent. It’s a sleekly packaged product in a very easy-to-use canister. The red and black design is ultra-cool, and it is the perfect size for your purse! The product gives your hair instant volume, just like its name suggests.

The product is also a fantastic dry shampoo; it works wonders on second (and even third!) day hair, absorbing oil on the scalp while making it feel cleaner.

Stop by the salon and let us demonstrate it for you! We know you will want one, and you’ll be the envy of all your friends.

by Jennifer Stepp, Senior Colorist, Azur West

Zoey has been working on her craft for almost 10 years so sitting with her and talking about her passion - skin care - was an educational process that I wasn't expecting. I have been playing in beauty for many MANY years so to learn new things is very refreshing. Here is what Zoey at the Rice Village location of True Beauty had to say about Winterizing your skin care regime.

She starts with what seems basic but has to much wisdom to it. Regardless of how long you've been playing in skin care, preparing skin for winter is something you should see your specialist about first. Get analyzed for any climate change you encounter because you will need different skin care, even when you're just traveling because the climate will be different.  

Some folks who are in busy and needone stop shop product she suggests SPF. The Sun's rays are still very active during the winter months and you can still get burned, sun damage and wrinkles and skin cancer.

Zoey prefers separate moisturizer and SPF because the SPF product alone is usually more effective and a combo product. You won't use enough of the moisturizer to get the amount of SPF that your skin will need to be effective. Glow therapeutics has a great one that is 40 SPF and not heavy. Ultra Tint from Dermologica that is a 30 SPF if you like the combo product. It matches most skin shades but it isan SPF first so it is effective but you will still have to use a moisturizer during the colder months.

Remember, there is a huge difference between oil and water. Whentalking hydration they're talking water for the skin. Here in Houston we have humidity so a hydrating serum is prob best if you are, in fact, dehydrated which is the case for most people. If you are not drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water a day then you will be dehydrated and it will show up in your skin. If you are on certain kinds medications or hormones they will make your skin dry. IF you are truly DRY then you can add an oil to your skin that translates into a heavier moisturizer. If you are dehydrated from not drinking enough water and add a heavier moisturizer then you will break out more. You're simply confusing your skin. Water is self binding to it takes water from you to attract water to itself and hydrate your skin.

Again, before you decide what you need for yourself, treat yourself to a FREE consultation with Zoey so you don't cause breakouts or waste money on products that aren't right for your skin. You can have beautiful skin while being budget conscious.

It boils down to this, yes, you will have to move to a slightly heavier moisturizer for the winter months, just like changing your wardrobe but which one is something you should discuss with Zoey!

Another tip for younger, more beautiful and radiant skin: Don't over exfoliate!!                                        If you exfoliate too much you will end up with either thicker skin or thinner skin which leads to more pigment damage, capillary damage and environmental damage. So a chemical peel or lasers treatment would be better for you rather than a microderm for instance.  A professional won't necessarily give you what you ask for, they will educate you and guide you to what is best for your skin over all so be ready for that when you make your appointment.

Zoey has been a skin share specialist since 2005 and has her international accreditation meaning she can work in 34 countries. She had to learn more advanced physiology and deeper knowledge of the skin to receive this accreditation. Making people feelgood about themselves is her motivation. She has always loved skin care and had a deep love for skin care products since she was a little girl. She knew there was something special going on when she realised she was cconstantly buying the latest and greatest and like all of us, the gift with purchase was the best part! BUT rarely was it what was best for her skin so the free product and waste of money became tiresome. It took her a while to realize that if wasn't the product that made you beautiful it was the skin under it so she started researching and learning.

The thing about great skin care is there is the process of elimination. Even the best skin care specialist may recommend something that isn't quite right for your skin so it is trial and error. Just like working out or finding the right diet for yourself.

ZOEY'S FAVS:

* Hydrodynamic from Murad is gives moisturizer without being too heavy or causing out break for folks who still have oil. Great for the Houston climate.

* Ahava extreme day cream with Dead Sea salts so your body only absorbs what it needs. It creates the balance. It will leach and return moisture to skin as it needs it. And the product smells soooooooo good!

* Glow serum or the Deremologica Cyto Lluxe or Multi Vitamin Power (DISH Endorsed) 
The serum is like your vitamin so you will still need a moisturizer.

* Eye Cream: Dermologica Age Reversal has caffiene and light defuses! Plus it was Retinol so it exfoliates, the peptides and cermamides hydrate from the inside out.

*Glow Cyto Luxe Eye Cream is recommended but if you're a bit oily that is not the one for you.

Zoey would love to guide you and help you with your skin. She feels education is the best she can do for anyone. Make your appointment for a FREE 15 minute consultation and bring the bag of products you use! Together, you can decide if it needs tweaking or not. 713-526-2553

by Katie Sullivan, Stylist, Azur West

Want a quick, easy and beautiful way to add tons of beautiful volume to your head of hair? Looking to add instant length? Have you considered hair extensions?

I personally avoided hair extensions for a long time. And probably for the same reason you and many of our salon's clients had. The application process can be very damaging to your existing hair, and the hair quality was chemically over processed or unrealistic. My salon, Azur West, did tons of trials and research over several years and made a conscious decision to not offer this service until they found a solution that matched the luxury and high performance of the other services and products for which our salon is known. I am very happy to report that we have now found the perfect hair extensions!  Ron King Invisi-Tab hair extensions are a new brand on the market, with the very best in hair quality and application system. Don't believe me? Come by my salon and let me show you myself.

Austin, Texas-based hair guru Ron King is a national educator for hair color and cutting with several celebrity clients on his roster. He developed these extensions after sourcing a fantastic collection and resource for 100% European hair. The hair is virgin, unprocessed hair that most closely matches the majority of our clients' hair texture. It is incredibly soft and is heat-friendly for styling tools such as flat irons, blow dryers or curling rods. The hair can be styled, highlighted or colored just like your own hair.

Ron King was able to secure an exclusive arrangement, so this type of hair is hard to come by, and distribution is extremely limited. Because of this, he has hand selected just a few salons across the country to partner that will have access to this hair. I'm very excited that my salon, Azur West, was chosen to be the first (and only!) hair salon in Houston to feature these extensions.  

Other than the hair itself, the application process is revolutionary. Ron King worked with a friend in the medical industry to create the "Invisi-Tab" system, using medical grade adhesive that appears seamless, offers great flexibility and does not require excessive amounts of care. You won't even feel them in your head. Trust me, I wear them myself.

I personally have found clients who are growing their hair out love these extensions to help with that awkward “in between” stage as their hair is growing. Even better, I prefer to use them to add tons of body and volume for a gorgeous head of hair.  Even just adding as few as two to four extensions makes a big difference in the volume of your hair, and makes the cost affordable compared to other solutions on the market. I have even used the extensions to add highlights or lowlights to a client's current hair so they could avoid doing a chemical process to their own "real" hair. There are so many great ways to use these extensions.

Call Azur West at 713.400.2987 for a complimentary hair extensions consultation. I would love to show you how these extensions can make you look like the supermodel you deserve to be!

Celebrities are wearing it. You can’t be a Victoria’s Secret model without it. And now, women in Houston are asking for it by name. What is it? Balayage! The Balayage (pronounced bah-lee-AHZGE) technique of highlighting hair has been around since the 1980's, but it went underground for quite awhile. But as the old saying goes, “what goes around comes around” and Balayage is back as strong as ever. 

Supermodel Gisele shows how Balayage Highlights Balayage is a hair coloring technique designed to create natural-looking highlights with a soft grow out. A French word meaning "to sweep", Balayage involves custom hand-painting the highlights to your hair by individually selecting each strand and then softly "sweeping" with a special hair color brush to give a perfectly natural sun-kissed look. The highlights are concentrated primarily on the mid-section and ends of the hair. However, unlike the Ombré technique, the color is also swept up to the roots in a soft, dissipated fashion. This creates a darker root area, but a very beautiful and natural grow out. Balayage is certainly an art form and takes a lot of practice. Unless you are with the right stylist, it can be a very difficult look to achieve.

BY DISH CONTRIBUTOR LORI FREESE:

True Beauty is so much more than a one stop shop for all of your favorite beauty lines…and so much more you had no clue you wanted or needed….but it is also a really great salon! YES SALON!! I was taken aback when I walked through the store while awaiting my facial with Erika Rodriguez. The salon is so beautiful, clean, well run and a bonus: everyone smiles and says hello! It was a peaceful Saturday morning, people were milling about smelling shampoos and lotions, a few clients were getting their hair done and the manicurist was giggling away while performing her magic. It is such a peaceful and fun environment. I’d like to think this is a little bit of what Heaven will be like because I LOVE being pampered and playing in beauty products.

When Erica came out to greet me she handed me a very well thought out skin questionnaire with details you never thought would matter when just going for a facial. That was the first sign I was in for something great! The room is quaint with a curved ceiling painted with clouds that take your imagination away as you lay on the warm bed with a large plastic, oil covered water bottle…I admit it made me wonder. Once she got to the massage it all made wonderful and blissful sense.

While Erika worked on my skin I took the time to get to know her. I don’t know about you but it is one thing when someone is recommended to you but I still want to know about their education and history! Turns out she is very well educated! I grilled her, believe me! She takes every possible continuing education class she can get herself to and is in the process of learning how lasers work! She is on the cutting edge of everything skin care that she can be. Ms. Rodriguez has been a skincare therapist for 8 yrs and been in skincare and make up for 14 yrs. She started as a make-up artist but was having trouble helping people look their absolute best on their big occasions because they didn’t have a good skin care regime. Having a good canvas helps the paint go on better. That is what made her go back to school. She truly cares about helping people look their best thus feel their best.

In my treatment she used the Precleanse by Dermalogica which is an oil based cleanser. I like this for the evening after the day of make-up and skin oils all caked up. Oil attaches to oil and gives you a cleaner clean without stripping your skin. This is available for purchase $35. Next was Skin Resurfacing Cleanser which has little exfoliates in it and is also available for purchase at $38. Keep in mind; you only need a little bit of each product at a time. These may sound a little expensive but they will last for at least 3 months and the improvement you will see in your skin will be priceless! Erika followed that with a back bar product, which means it is not available for purchase, the skin exfoliating system, a scaling fluid with calming botanical mixer then post extraction solution and a soothing additive because my skin had been worked over, which I asked her to do!! She followed that with an environmental serum topped with the Ultra Calming Masque that felt so good, cool and calming $43. The Age Smart Toner which retails at $38 followed by the Ultra Calming Complex (back bar), The Ultra Calming Serum Concentrate $53, and finished with The Hydrating Serum by Cellex C and of course…Lippy Stuff!

As previously mentioned my skin had been worked over meaning I had a derma-blading treatment a week before my treatment with Erika so it was VERY sensitive. She used the ultra calming line to help reduce redness and inflammation.

When I asked Erika what the main message she wanted to get across to people was she had this to say,

“The main thing I want people to know is that I provide services to help you feel good, look good, as well as address your specific skin care needs. I use my years of education and experience to assess your skin as well as the questionnaire you fill out before you even come into my room so I can give you the best service for your needs. My services include facials, acne treatments, and varying strengths of chemical peels, microdermabrasion, waxing, tinting, and make-up services.”

The massage that comes with the facial as you are waiting for your mask to set is probably the best kept secret in Houston…until now…remember the oil covered plastic water bottle type thing I mentioned you lay on?? Wow, whoever came up with that should be knighted.

Ms. Rodriguez in all of her brilliance suggested two take home products. The first was the Aveda Lip Saver.

The packaging says:

Nurture your lips with our soothing, moisturizing, botanical balm containing nature's anti-oxidants and natural waxes that help seal in moisture.

• Delivers lasting moisture relief to dry lips
• Refreshes with cinnamon leaf, clove and anise oils

In the nature of full disclosure I have to say I am a lippy stuff fanatic. It is my very favorite thing in the world and no matter what purse I am carrying you will find no less than 5 lippy products in said bag at any given time. Buying this was a no brainer but I actually like it. I can eat and drink and my lips are still moisturized afterwards so there is less application and the product lasts longer. For only $8.50 it is practically a steal.

The next take home was from Dermalogica. This is a skin care line that I have used on and off since I was a teenager so there was familiarity with the history of the brand. The product itself is brand new to the line however and I was able to take it home and use it well before it officially hit the market thanks to the local Dermalogica rep, Jackie Casteneda who made sure it was in my hot little hands and on my face for a couple of weeks before it was available to the public just so I could write this story!

It’s the new Multivitamin Power Serum. Here is how it works, microencapsulated vitamins A, C and E penetrates deep into skin- where they can do their best work. Over time, this helps to decrease fine lines and hyper-pigmentation (age spots) while stimulating collagen formation to decrease sun-induced aging in skin. According to the literature, it also boosts elasticity levels with a skin-strengthening protein peptide that overrides biochemical triggers that lead to skin aging. Don;t you love science-y talk?

Now, the truth of the matter is I did see a difference while using this product. My skin is softer, the wrinkles around my eyes are lesser and there is an overall healthier look to my skin’s appearance. AND, this is the best part, I am actually getting compliments! If you have the beginnings of age signs creeping up on you I do suggest you run to True Beauty ASAP and snag some before there is a wait list for it.  $65

Call True Beauty today for your appointment and tell them DISH sent you!

Avocados are Mother Nature's skin moisturizer. With their healthy fats and phytonutrients, they offer remarkable benefits to human skin -- both when eaten and when used topically.

For an excellent skin complexion, rub one or more of the following items against the skin two to four times a week: papaya pulp, avocado, or cucumber. For dry skin, rub hempseed oil, jojoba oil and MSM lotion directly into the skin. This will alleviate dryness quickly. Or use avocado on the skin directly. Avocado oil is similar to our skin's oil.

Treat yourself to an avocado facial. Beauty, they say, is only skin deep. Luckily, avocado has moisturizing power to help make your skin more beautiful. For years, people have used avocado as a natural facial treatment, especially for dry skin. It's easy to do in your own home. Just remove your makeup and wash your face with warm water and soap or your favorite cleanser. Mash some avocado and mix it with a little milk or oatmeal and apply it to your face. Leave it there for 10 minutes, then rinse it off with lots of water.

Sherry Eichberger, owner of One Green Street and Houston's foremost GREEN Guru shared this other Avocado mask!

Avocado Body Mask Recipe
2 Very ripe avocados
1/2 cup fine sea salt
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice

Mix avocado, olive oil and lemon juice together in a bowl. Once evenly mixed, cover entire body, including hair and let sit for 15 minutes. As you rinse off the mask in the sower, use the sea salt as an allover light exfoliator.

Can't wait to try it! See you in the produce isle!

Most Houstonians have heard of True Beauty Salon and Spas. There are two locations, one at Woodway and Voss and the other in Rice Village. What most folks don't know is that they are not affiliated with the national chain, they are locally owned! The same husband and wife team have owned True Beauty for 21 years! Of course, in the past they were affiliated with a national brand but just this year have gone out on their own. Isn't Houston so lucky to have such a great locally owned company? True Beauty offers a wide array of salon and spa services as well as top products such as Aveda, Eminence, Dermalogica, Pureology, Morrocan Oil, Phyto, and Bumble and Bumble.

Since taking full ownership Monique has really participated in giving back to the community! She participated in Fashion's Night Out with Carrie Ann Boutique in Uptown Park AND Rotary Skyline and Pepperdine Houston Chapter's Step Forward Day. Look for them later this year also participating as a sponsor for Tour de Pink and the cancer card!

There will be a lot more coming up about True Beauty here on DISH so keep checking back! We're looking forward to the holidays because we have new and unique gifts coming into the stores!

It's a beauty Christmas!

Have you ever had one of “those” nights? Sure, we all have. But who wants to look like they did the next morning? None of us! Enter Hard Night, Good Morning!

The history of the product is important because it’s rare that you find something locally made with such an organic and inspirational story…that’s actually GOOD!

When Texan D’Andra Simmons was a teenager her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. That experience started the family on the quest for better living through holistic endeavors.  Dee Simmons, D’Andra’s mother, after traveling the world seeking the best in holistic, natural living started Ultimate Living International. ULI is a natural; organic Dallas based Supplement Company that makes pharmaceutical grade supplements. Consequently, Dee has now been cancer free for 22 years.

D'Andra Simmons

After working with her mother for 15 years and creating the all natural skin care and make-up line for Ultimate Living International, D’Andra felt the calling to start a line on her own.  Inspired by her mother and her own busy lifestyle, D’Andra studied and traveled the world, seeking the most organic, sustainable, holistic products and even lived in Africa for three months learning all about natural ways to live, eat and treat your skin.

The name may be tongue in cheek but the product is as serious as they come. Hard Night, Good Morning is one of the ONLY all natural skin care lines on the market today that actually does what it says it will do and every ounce of it is GOOD for your skin. It is free of parabins, sulphates, phthalates, and phosphates.  It is pharmaceutical grade and aloe vera-based, plus the eye cream has a bio-available form of vitamin C that reduces puffiness, fine lines, wrinkles and age spots.  The Facial “Cocktail” Serum is the best out of all of the products! About 30 seconds after applying you can actually feel it invigorating and tightening your skin.

Knowing that not all skin types have success with one line in particular, we sent the samples of Hard Night, Good Morning around the group. One gal has dry skin, one is acne oriented, one is oily but dehydrated. After a week with the full line all of the reports back were in unison, “We saw a beautiful difference.”

The acne prone gal noticed a more even skin tone and fewer flare ups. The oily but dehydrated gal noticed lesser oil production and fewer dry lines in her cheeks, around the eye are and on her forehead. The dry skinned gal was blown away at the increased moisture content of her skin after even one use. The bottom line is, all skin types can and have benefitted from this line and we've seen the proof! That’s never happened in our skin care girls group before!

If you’re the CEO that just got off the red eye and have to step into a board room, a mother of three who's not getting any sleep of if you just had a fun night of events and parties, this product does exactly what it says it will do AND it’s Texas based!

To read more about Hard Night, Good Morning, CLICK HERE

Available at Whole Foods, Central Market and online near you!

P.S. Not sure if we made it clear but if you only purchase ONE item in this line...make it the Facial Cocktail!

For the past 15 years this amazing and innovative skin care line has been all natural...well before the trend because big. From the beginning, they formulated their products with a maximum of Natural ingredients in order to preserve the environment and the skin. But it gets better! In 2006, Caudalie made an innovative move by removing parabens from all its products. From that point on, their formulas have contained preservatives used by organic brands only!

The news gets even better! Caudalie Founder, Bertrand Thomas will be here in The Woodlands to meet and greet with YOU, my fair DISHIES!! Bertrand Thomas has asked DISH to invite YOU to meet, talk about and try their most innovative and best selling products!

1pm - 4pm

Sephora The Woodlands

1201 Lake Woodlands Drive, Suite 700 The Woodlands, TX 77380

281.298.8882

You will get to meet Caudalie founder Bertrand Thomas and experience the latest breakthrough innovation from Caudalie, Vinexpert Regimen, an anti-ageing powerhouse regimen, packed with Resveratrol for exceptional immediate and long term clinical results. Experience one on one consultation with the founder and exclusive gifts with purchase.

GIFTS TOO??? Well you know that's DISH'S favorite thing in the world!

Put it in your schedule now and make an evening out of it since you'll be all the way up in the Woodlands...make reservations at America's or Hubble & Hudson! Have a beauty and a date!