I have extremely sensitive skin and Joanna is the only facialist who I feel comfortable going to. Her treatments are gentle, customized and highly effective. I love that I can leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated rather than re-faced and enflamed. In addition, she is a joy to be around.

Amanda Huber
Design Associate at DMD

By Elizabeth Hall

1. Drink eight glasses of water a day. The average adult is made up of about fifty or sixty percent water. Replenishing your body daily helps to distribute nutrients and keep skin healthy and clear.

2. Wear sunscreen. It is vital to protect the skin from the sun, which can prematurely age skin, and cause wrinkles and sun spots. Using a daily sunscreen for both face and body will keep your skin looking young. Still want golden, sun kissed looking skin? Try a sunless tan.

3. Wash your face every night. This does not mean simply splashing your face with water. Cleansing the skin every night with a foam or cream wash rids the face of dirt and excess oils that can clog pores and cause breakouts. Avoid bar soap, as it tends to be too harsh for the skin.

4. Moisturize the skin. Everyone should moisturize, even if your skin seems oily. Dehydrated skin looks dull and tired, and dehydration prevents the skin from repairing itself. This can lead to wrinkles and premature skin aging. Choose a moisturizer that fits your skin type to avoid clogged pores.

5. Feed your skin and body with lots of greens, the darker the greens, the better. Healthy rich green vegetables not only replenish nutrients to your body, they feed the skin as well. Vegetables such as spinach or kale contain vitamins and minerals and a high dose of antioxidants that help nourish the skin and prevent premature aging.

6. Exercise. Regular exercise plays a significant role in healthy and young looking skin. Physical activity aids in circulation, which helps to displace free radicals and control breakouts. It also aids in the production of collagen, which combats fine lines and wrinkles.

7. Exfoliate twice a week. Unfortunately, many people tend to skip this step in their weekly skin care regimen. A gentle face scrub exfoliates the skin and removes the top layer of dead cells, leaving the skin with a fresh healthy glow.

8. Drink a shot of pomegranate juice every morning. Pomegranate juice is packed full of powerful antioxidants which, among other things, help to fight cell damage and inflammation.

9. Take vitamins. Vitamin supplements, such as a daily multivitamin restore health to the skin by depositing essential nutrients into the circulatory system to be absorbed by the skin. These hydrating, rejuvenating nutrients help give dull, tired skin life from the inside out.

10. Last but not least…Rest! Get at least seven hours of sleep a night. We all live busy, hectic lives and it is easy to neglect your body’s need for sleep. Unfortunately, one of the first places fatigue shows is in the skin. A proper nights rest allows your entire body to recharge and heal itself.

By C.A. Vargas

SLIM DOWN NATURALLY

Losing weight can be a daunting task as many of us know and what works for your friend might not work for you. I always think there is an answer for everyone. Genetic disposition notwithstanding, ones weight can be highly influenced by ones lifestyle and nutrition. And consistency is the byword of achievement in any endeavor.

Pure Inventions Fit & Slender is a natural dietary herbal concentrate that curbs your appetite and increases your metabolism. It burns calories, helping you melt unwanted weight and dropping your dress size. All while boosting your energy levels without making you jittery as it does not contain caffeine. An added bonus is that it won’t make you crash like an energy drink.

The many benefits include: reduced cravings and appetite suppression, it speeds up and supports metabolism, blocks enzymes responsible for carbohydrate absorption.

Pure Inventions Fit & Slender should be used as recommended and in conjunction with a healthy food plan and exercise, significant improvements can result.

DETOXIFIER AND ANTIOXIDANT

Chlorophyll comes from the Greek term “khloros”, meaning green and “phyllon” meaning leaf, therefore green leaf. It is this substance that allows plants to use sunlight for energy, known as photosynthesis, and this is what gives plants their green color. All green plants and vegetables contain chlorophyll but one of the highest concentration of it can be found in spinach. To give you a relationship of how much we can compare it to olives, another of the world’s healthiest food, and spinach has about 1/1000 more.

This a supplement that can be easily found in Whole Foods and other health food stores. But why do we need chlorophyll? This substance is relatively unknown in the world of nutrition. To answer that question first we must understand what a free radical is.

Free radicals are organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage, and possibly some diseases. These molecules are very unstable, therefore they look to bond with other molecules, destroying their vigor and perpetuating their detrimental process.

Pollution in the environment, cigarette smoking, poisons found in cleaners and herbicides all account for the creation of free radicals in the body. So if you live in a big city or consume non-organic fruits and vegetables, chlorophyll is a must for you.

Chlorophyll is a powerful antioxidant that hunts down free radicals, reversing the signs of aging and tissue damage. And additionally, it acts as a powerful system detoxifier, eliminating harmful waste products from the body and therefore increasing health and vitality in the person.

LOOK YOUNGER

Vitamin C is a highly effective antioxidant that helps to protect indispensable molecules that would otherwise fall prey to free radicals thus causing skin damage on a cellular level. Eventually that damage manifest itself on the surface as aged looking skin. Vitamin C is anti-aging but perhaps what is less known among skin care technicians is that vitamin C is required for the production of collagen.

Collagen is essential and an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, bone and of course skin. Collagen is the buzz word of the skin care industry as we all know that its production will bring about healthy and glowing skin.

The body does not manufacture vitamin C on its own, nor does it store it, as it is water soluble. So it is therefore important to include plenty of vitamin C containing foods in your daily diet.

All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C but the fruit camu camu has an extraordinarily high quantity of vitamin C. The powder from the fruit pulp is beginning to be sold in the west as a health food in loose powder or capsule form. An additional benefit of Vitamin C is that it will improve the mood of the person taking it. The lack of it will cause the person to feel depressed and moody as documented by the storied English sea men suffering from scurvy.

Vitamin C is essential part of your diet and will manifest itself in more youthful and brighter looking skin.

As always consult a physician before starting any diet, supplement intake or exercise.

By Elizabeth Hall

Growing up, we were constantly reminded to eat our vegetables to grow healthy and strong. Little did we know how vital a role the components of these vegetables would play in our overall well-being as an adult. Green vegetables such as spinach contain a powerful mix of anti-oxidants and vitamins, but perhaps one of the most important things it contains is the very element that gives these vegetables their rich green hue. Chlorophyll, the green pigment common in green vegetables, plants, and algae is an essential ingredient in health and skin care remedies thanks to its anti-aging and anti-inflammatory qualities.

Chlorophyll is often recommended in liquid and tablet form due to its holistic healing properties for aliments found inside the body, but one must not discount its vital role in creating and maintaining radiant, youthful looking skin. It is an ideal ingredient in skin care products because it absorbs easily into the body, and deposits minerals to help balance and regulate impurities. The antibacterial and antimicrobial agents protect the skin and body against harmful bacteria and disease. These properties gently deep cleanse the skin without the risk and discomfort of harsh chemicals.

Chlorophyll is essential to photosynthesis, the process in which plants obtain energy from light. The benefits of the oxygenation and regeneration are transferred to the skin using topical skincare products containing Chlorophyll, such as the organic skincare line Phyt’s, available at Joanna Vargas all organic online store. The stimulating and antiseptic components of Chlorophyll are present in many of the organic products featured in the Phyt’s line, such as the Crème Reviderm, that help protect the skin against the harsh effects of pollution and free radicals by detoxifying and healing the complexion.

The result: hydrated and nourished skin, ready to face the world!

By C.A. Vargas

Many of the organic skin care products that we carry have as one of their main ingredients sunflower seed oil. The specific compounds of this oil are amazing and deserve to be highlighted as an essential of skin care and beautiful skin. The story of the sunflower, like any good story, has an amazing beginning and for that we have to time travel to 3000 BC North America. Where, in what is present day New Mexico and Arizona, American Indians cultivated the flower for a myriad of purposes.

Archaeologists agree that the domestication of the sunflower plant made the crop common amongst Native American Indians throughout North America. Evidence suggest that the sunflower was use for a wide variety of purposes: flour to make cake or bread or pressed for its oil for baking bread and medicinal ointments. And even the stalk was use as a building material. The oil’s many medicinal purposes included usage as an antiseptic and antibacterial to help reduce infections. And in fact the oil was more of a panacea that could include things as distinct as a snake bite or a treatment for the hair and nails.

By the 1500’s Spanish Conquistadors had brought the plant to Europe where it was mainly used as an ornament although some medicinal uses were developed. But it wasn’t until the 18th Century that the sunflower became very popular and most of the credit is given to Peter The Great. And it was here in Russia where the plant became greatly cultivated not just for decoration or as an ornament but for its oil and the consumption of it.

Sunflower oil today is considered one of the healthiest and most popular oils in the world. And much research has been done to validate the claims. Many consider that this is an all purpose oil although there is some controversy surrounding this last statement.
As some considered the oil to have a low heat threshold and thus losing all its health benefits once used for cooking. Therefore some experts only recommend it in its raw state with salads or as part of a vinaigrette. However this last statement could not be verified.

Sunflower oil is additionally rich in linoleic acid, an Omega 6 essential fatty acid, as well as oleic acid, an Omega 9 fatty acid. Linoleic acid is vital for healthy skin as it is the most abundant essential fatty acid in skin but it declines with age and can be stripped by harsh soaps and cleansers.

Essential fatty acids have a long tradition of providing a variety of therapeutic benefits as oils are easily absorbed by the cell wall membrane. In skin care products these essential fatty acids can have the added benefits of being an antiseptic and antimicrobial and delivering therapeutic nutrients that will sooth, heal and regenerate the skin.

Sunflower oil is a good moisturizer and it is easily absorbed by the skin. And because of its light texture wont leave the skin feeling greasy or oily. And it is gentle enough for all skin types making it ideal for skin care products, hair conditioners and bath oils.

Researchers have also discovered additional vital nutrients in sunflower oil which help to restore normal skin functions when applied topically. Nutrients like vitamins A, B complex, D, and E, as well as calcium, zinc, potassium, iron, and phosphorus.

The essential fatty acids and vital nutrients in the sunflower will nourish and condition the skin, making it more supple and radiant. And in combination with other organic ingredients in the skin care product you will reverse any signs of skin damage or better yet prevent it.

Visit our store and look for Phyt’s products as they generally have this ingredient in each product. This organically certified skin care line from France is a pure treasure that will restore and bring your skin to a whole new level of health and radiance.

By Joanna Vargas

Welcome to the Joanna Vargas Skin Care all organic products online store. I have spent the past several years researching and testing products to give you the very best in organic skincare. The pure ingredients found in these products translate into amazing and healthier results for you. By using organic skincare products we give the skin a break from the many key factors which result in premature aging and skin damage. The obvious culprits, the polluted environment in which we live as well as the many toxins found in your average skincare product. Add to that the stress of our over-booked lives and over exposure to the sun and its no wonder why our skin looks dull and lifeless.

The benefits of using organic skin care products are tremendous, not only to your health as studies show but also to the environment. It is very simple. Organic farmers don’t use synthetic chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides that pollute the environment and are generally concerned for the welfare of the people, the animals used and of course the environment.

The products sold here represent a deep respect for life and a genuine dedication to continuing it. We are all connected somehow and I rather like to believe that those choosing organic products are motivated not just by their own survival but by that of the many.

In the long run, using organic skincare products, instead of products that are using harmful synthetic chemicals, will be more beneficial and healthier for you. I know from experience, over ten years as an esthetician and not because I used them, but because I have see the results that come from long exposure to chemical based skincare products.

The skin become dull and lifeless, causing premature aging, wrinkles and ultimately damages on a cellular level thus making it hard and in the end impossible to repair the skin damage.

There is no question that natural, holistic and organic have become trendy and popular buzzwords for the skin care and beauty industry and that the market is being flooded by organic-labeled products and that the lines have become questionable and confused.

Then please, let me help you to differentiate between the good, the bad and the useless lines. Use my experience and you will find organic and natural products that are truly anti-aging, healthy and beneficial to your skin.

By C.A. Vargas

With the exception of water, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, green tea is consumed more than any other beverage worldwide. This ancient herb, according to Chinese folklore, was discovered by the emperor Shen Nong about 5000 years ago when he was boiling water and by accident some green tea leaves fell in his pot. The mixture was exuding a pleasant aroma and when he tasted it, described it to be agreeable.

Another legend accounts that Siddhartha Gautama, the Indian prince turned monk, discovered the wonder herb when he was meditating. The Buddha, meditating endlessly and without sleeping was about to be overcome by it when he reached for a bush that contained green tea leaves. Chewing on the leaves he became awake by the stimulant effect of it and when on to achieve enlightenment.

The near mythical character of green tea and its association to some of the most powerful and influential men of ancient history is perhaps no coincidence but an effort of historians or writers to capture the true greatness of this herb.

Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine have used green tea for a number of potential health benefits and the prevention of disease for thousands of years. And the people of these countries have used this gentle brew as part of a culinary experience or as part of a social gathering, to enjoy its pleasant aroma and lighter and gentle flavor.

Presently the West is recognizing the benefits of green tea and the scientific community is extensively doing research in order to isolate the full potential of this magical herb. And as of November 2004, the PubMed database contained more than 1,000 studies on green tea, with more than 400 published in 2004! Additional independent studies, over 1,800, have found that the active constituents in green tea are powerful antioxidants.

One of the most powerful antioxidants found in green tea is called called Epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG. Milligram for milligram, EGCG has 25 to 100 times the antioxidant power of vitamins C and E. A cup of green tea has more antioxidants than a serving of broccoli, spinach, carrots or strawberries.

This probably explains why the transition of green tea from a favorite brew to skin care ingredient came about. The good news about green tea cannot be ignored and even the National Cancer Institute and other prominent organizations have noted the many health and skin care benefits of green tea. And although independent studies question the effectiveness of skin care products that contain green tea, there are indications that suggest that in combination with other ingredients in skin care, it helps to repair sun damage, prevent premature skin aging, and enhance skin tone while stimulating new cell growth.

The following summarizes some of the high points of current research today, in both Asia and the West, providing hard evidence for the health benefits long associated with drinking green tea. Green tea drinkers appear to have lower risk for a wide range of diseases, from simple bacterial or viral infections to chronic degenerative conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, periodontal disease, and osteoporosis.

Furthermore, the benefits for the skin are immense due to the high concentration of antioxidants it prevents skin cell degeneration by free radicals and thus it is anti-aging. In studies green tea has been found to be an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory and because of its high antioxidant content it has been proven to prevent cellular damage cause by exposure to UV rays.

This is why Joanna Vargas serves green tea extract in her skin care salon, aside from being a tasty drink, it contains 100 mg of green tea, 80-90% polyphenols and 40-50% EGCG! This is twice the amount of these powerful antioxidants from a single serving in a regular green tea bag. Delivering twice the therapeutic value.

In addition you will find that Joanna Vargas uses a special serum that contains green tea in both her signature facial, The Triple Crown, and The Oxygen Purifying Facial. These two facials are known for changing the overall look and feel of your skin, bringing it back to life and giving it a radiant healthy shine.

By C.A. Vargas

Photo by Tara Darby/ Source NYTimes.com

Morocco, historically known as “The Western Kingdom”, has been inhabited since at least 8000 BC, as noted by historians of the Capsian culture. This ancient and exotic land is home to Tangier, Casablanca and Essaouira, which was a stop in the ‘60s and ‘70s for the hash-filled hippie trek and is now a popular windsurfing and kiteboarding spot.

Today, one of the most interesting finds is one of the most naturally produced ingredients in organic skin care, argan oil. Produced from the fruit of the Argan tree and because this tree almost exclusively grows in Morocco, the oil is considered to be one of the most rarest in the world. Called liquid gold, this oil is extracted according to centuries old tradition and by custom, only the women of this ancient land produce it. The process is lengthy and it takes as much as a day to make a liter of it.

Argan oil had been the cosmetic secret of the Berber women for centuries and more recently the well-healed Europeans that brought it back from their seaside vacations. The Berber women use it for their hair, skin and nails. But it is also a source of nutrition and used heavily as a culinary essential. And because of its high nutritional values and restorative powers it is used in their traditional medicines as well.

The composition of this oil is extremely interesting and studies show it to have very high concentration of vitamin E and other naturally occurring antioxidants, including essential fatty acids, Omega-6 and Omega-9. All the different elements in combination are age-defying and restorative for the skin. An additional benefit is that it naturally defends against UV rays, so it is perfect as a foundation before makeup, a typical use by Berber women.

This oil is the latest miracle ingredient being used in organic skin care and beauty products because of its restorative and age defying effects. It is extremely beneficial for skin care as it eliminates fine lines and wrinkles and feeds the skin all the proper nutrients for a healthy and radiant glow. And it even has passed the sustainability test which means it retains its integrity and can be used in skin care products without losing its potency.

This latest botanical wonder and anti-aging miracle works directly with cells and prevents cell degeneration, restoring balance to the epidermis. The benefits can include the proper hydration of the skin thus making it more supple, improved elasticity and firmness, making wrinkles disappear and also improving the overall texture of the skin.

This powerful antioxidants is used in one of the most superlatively crafted organic skin care products to date, ILA. Pronounced “EYE-LA”, this organic skin care line is used in my facials and treatment rooms for its efficacy and its products are highly recommended to my clients as part of their skin care regime. All of which have reported noticeable improvements to their skin in a very short time.

And one of the simplest things you can do to achieve radiant and glowing skin is by using a cleanser. ILA’s organic cleanser removes surfaces impurities and helps nourish and heal the ravages of the environment, without stripping the skin. Using a proper cleanser is a practical approach to beautiful skin and ILA’s cleanser will make you feel like you just had a facial and it even removes waterproof mascara!

By Joanna Vargas

I went to the beach this August for a family vacation. After the first day, my skin became dry and chapped from the saltwater, sun exposure and the sunscreen I was constantly applying. Then I remembered I had packed the Ila Body Balm for my son. After my shower, I started applying it all over. What a difference it made!

My skin was drinking in the moisture. What was amazing was the instant glow my skin had when I finished applying it.

This purely organic body balm is rich in fatty acids and antioxidants, it is the perfect remedy for that overexposed, sun damaged skin we all get by summers end. Before this trip, I was only using it on my sons eczema, but now I use it everyday!

Since my first oxygen facial I was hooked. I’ve visited spa after spa around the world and no facial compares to the facial I receive from Jen, at Joanna Vargas. It’s another level.

Not to mention the spray tan! I’m addicted. I never self tanned before but when I heard the A-list clients who go under this airbrush, I knew it was time. I can’t thank the spa enough for making my life more fabulous. Thank you Joanna Vargas Spa!

Kristen Rose