Enter for a chance to win a $100 gift package from PACT


If you were given the chance to live at the spa, you’d turn it down, right?

Of course not! We all covet that zen feeling you only get from a spa visit – but to have it on a daily basis seems practically impossible.

Ahhh, think again, grasshopper. Healing Lifestyles and Spas can deliver the zen to your inbox daily with amazing tips on mindful living designed to inspire, enlighten and educate. You’ll be given all the information you need about the spa lifestyle; mindful living, traveling, and the true joy of eating! Each day, be treated to natural remedies, at-home treatments, eco-living, safe skin care, detox advice, healthy recipes, fitness, and much more!

And to help you get your zen on even faster, check out this fabulous offer – through August 31, Healing Lifestyles and Spas is giving away 5 great packages from PACT, valued at over $100 each! PACT is your everyday underwear made with the highest quality soft, organic Turkish cotton, with 5% elastane for a perfect stretch. PACT's motto is CHANGE STARTS WITH YOUR UNDERWEAR! Want a chance to win? Of course you do! Sign up and Tell your friends about Healing Lifestyles, then leave a comment on this post (everyone deserves to live the spa life, right?).

With all they have to offer, we can’t think of one good reason not to sign up now (unless you like a stressed out life) so what are you waiting for?  Sign up today!

This post is proudly sponsored by Healing Lifestyles & Spas

An all natural alternative to the Brazilian blowout…

You’ve always wanted silky straight locks.
 
Remember how your Barbie doll mocked your plain ‘do with her flawless, synthetic tresses? When you were seven, it was okay to take a pair of pinking shears to Barbie’s hair to make yourself feel better. A couple of decades and a million different hair treatments later, you need a different solution.
 
Meet Keratin Enhance by ResVitále
 
Amid controversy over popular keratin hair smoothing treatments (see our recent “Brazilian Blow Up” post), ResVitále has launched Keratin Enhance, a safe and effective capsule formula that restores hair strength and shine.
 
How it Works

Keratin hair smoothing treatments work by coating hair cuticles with keratin protein while formaldehyde helps bind keratin to hair, straightening it. Formaldehyde is a dangerous chemical, identified as a human carcinogen by many countries and scientific institutions, causing such symptoms as allergic reactions, blisters, and hair loss. No thank you. 
 
Here’s how Keratin Enhance repairs your hair, formaldehyde not included:

• Keratin is the most abundant beautifying protein in your body, making up 97% of your hair and nails, and supplies the necessary amino acids to help revitalize dry and brittle areas. The actual keratin in this product is absorbed for the body to use immediately.
• Typical keratin treatments only smooth the cuticle of the hair, but do nothing for the follicle - plus most keratin treatments last only three to five months. The ingredient in Keratin Enhance changes the hair from the follicle outward so hair will be thicker and less prone to falling out.
• As far as nails go, it's the same concept: you can apply nail polish that claims to combat brittle nails and increase growth, but it is very temporary (nail polish chips off within days)! This keratin works from the inside out, providing sustainable results.

Give It a Whirl

Wanna give Keratin Enhance a try? Today through August 31, use coupon RV10 to get 10% off ResVitále’s Keratin Enhance at GNC.com.

What kind of hair day are you having?

This post is proudly sponsored by ResVitále

The causes of acne and natural ways to treat it

There’s nothing better than waking up with a huge zit on your face.
 
Hugh Jackman could be standing shirtless next to you in the coffee shop, and you’d still think everyone ordering a damn latte was staring at the crater kickin' it on your cheek.
 
Quit cursing at your mother for telling you that it would go away in your early twenties, and let’s get to it: what exactly causes acne and how do we fight it?
 
The Cause
 
Acne is what happens when your skin’s oil glands produce too much oil. Basically, the oil that was designed to lubricate your skin and hair follicles, thereby keeping your skin healthy and moisturized, gets trapped in blocked oil ducts. This triggers good bacteria that normally protects the skin from harmful bacteria to grow in the closed pore. The bacteria then produces chemicals that alter the composition of the oil, irritating the skin and causing inflammation as the body’s immune system attempts to rid itself of a foreign substance. The ‘foreigner’ at hand being the bacteria or irritating compounds they have produced.
 
What Your Body Is Telling You
 
Acne can be a slight indication that your body is begging for an internal spring cleaning. Or, you’re eating, drinking or ingesting way too much or too little of something (see below).
 
Natural Treatments
 
Before you turn to heavy-duty antibiotics or medical treatments, consider some of these natural treatments (or causes):
 
Milk does a body bad. Researchers claim to have found a correlation between milk intake and acne. It appears that milk drinkers develop more severe acne than well, say, non-milk drinkers. Milk also contains hormones that can cause breakouts.
 
Reduce intake of saturated fats and trans fats. A no-brainer, these icky additives can contribute to oily skin.
 
Reduce sodium intake. Ditch the excess sugar and carbonated drinks. It’s all about control, ladies.
 
Load up on zinc. Zinc boosts the immune system, reduces inflammation and heals damaged skin. Load up on zinc-rich foods like almonds and nuts, wheat bran cereal and chickpeas (or supplements).
 
Fall in love with omega-3 fatty acids. They promote healthy skin and prevent acne. Foods high in omega-3s include flax seed, walnuts, cereals, oregano, grape leaves and broccoli.
 
Stimulate the liver. Incorporate some garlic into your diet, sip on a glass of hot water with lemon in the morning, juice some beets, and munch on cruciferous veggies (Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli). All help detox and stimulate the liver.
 
Drink water. Water flushes out toxins. Got it? Carry a reusable water bottle with you and keep refilling throughout the day.
 
Avoid chemical-based cosmetics. Yet another reason to check the ingredients on the back of the box. Chemicals are harsh on the skin and can contribute to inflammation.

Cleanse the skin
 
Here are some savvy ways to wash your skin to be acne-free:
 
Tea tree and carrier oil. Mix two drops of tea tree oil with 30 ml of a carrier oil (i.e. vegetable oil). It acts as a natural antiseptic, is gentle on the skin and speeds the healing of blemishes.
 
Baking soda paste. Create a scrub of 1 tablespoon of baking soda with enough water to form a paste. Gently massage into skin with a soft bristle brush to remove dirt from the pores before infection sets in.
 
Jojoba oil. Rub some jojoba oil into the skin, which will help to unclog pores and eliminate dirt.
 
Steam facial. Take a load off with a steam facial. Heat up a large bowl of clean water, drape a towel over your head and the hot water to envoke a steamy environment. Make sure not to lean too close to avoid risk of scalding and leave an opening to breathe properly. Steam for five minutes.
 
Acne, take a hike.

Out of Africa Heals Skin and Helps Schools

Bathing suit season is upon us. (Unless you live in the Midwest and are still wearing a parka.)

While some will obsess over weight, the rest of us are itching at the thought of our skin exposed to anyone and anything other than our dog. Dry skin, eczema, psoriasis―even those red bumps every dermatologist claims to be incurable plague millions of women.
 

A Solution For Your Skin

Out of Africa, in partnership with a number of women's cooperatives in Benin, West Africa, harvests the finest shea butter each year by hand selecting shea nuts with the lowest acidity levels. Why? Well, this hand selection provides the best healing and nourishment for your flaky-ass skin. Compared to other natural butters or oils, shea butter contains far more of the vitamins and other valuable phytonutrients essential for healing.
 
These are just a few of the stellar qualities of our new friend Out of Africa:

• 100 percent natural, no parabens or sulfates
• Vegan and eco-friendly
• Absorbs quickly into skin without the greasy residue of beeswax or mineral oil-based products.
• Excellent for treating eczema and psoriasis

What's In It For Schools?

Out of Africa not only treats skin, but they also help School Children Unite by providing education through the revenues from shea butter sales. In fact, five to 30 cents from each product sold is contributed to help provide medical care and education to the children in West Africa. Plus, job opportunities are provided to the local women's cooperatives through Out of Africa’s factory in West Africa, allowing co-ops to provide income, health benefits and education to families in the community.

Bitchworthy: Shea butter should be a creamy color; shea that is pure white is highly refined and may no longer contain maximum healing properties. Shea butter should never be green, extremely hard or greasy.
 
So what's their latest mission?

Giving you a chance to win part of their skin care collection! The package includes Out of Africa's Lemon Verbena Hand Cream, Lemon Verbena Body Lotion, Grapefruit Body Wash, and Strawberry, Vanilla, and Peppermint lip balms. To enter for a chance to win, just leave a comment below telling us what your biggest skin care challenge is. Easy enough.

*UPDATE: We've chosen our winner! Congrats Reanna! *

10 Amazing and Not-So-Amazing Things You Can Do With Coconut Oil

It’s in our water, cooking oils, beauty products and Piña Coladas.

It’s official: Coconut is getting around like the high school prom queen. 

But there’s a good reason for that. Coconut oil is an amazing and cost-effective ingredient that has plenty of awesome qualities. It lends to good hair and skin care, stress relief, weight loss, a healthy immune system, proper digestion, dental care and stronger bones.

As if that doesn’t lock it up, it’s also cheap, versatile, antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, and delivers a solid amount of antioxidants. That is, as long as you’re spending the extra buck to buy raw, organic, virgin coconut oil in its purest form. After all, the food manufacturing industry has a knack for tainting nature’s best with additives, preservatives, and pesticides.

Now, without further ado, Alex and Siobhan of No More Dirty Looks, serve up the yay’s and nay’s for coconut oil.

Ten Do’s and Don’t’s for Coconut Oil

DO use to cook at high heats. Because some oils are not safe at high temperatures, try swapping in coconut for roasting and frying. It works great for potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussell sprout, carrots, asparagus, broccoli rabe, red onions and other veggies, too.

DO use to highlight cheekbones. Sweep a little on top of makeup (sounds weird, go with it) and leave it alone. It looks like your skin but glowier, which is why Rosemarie Swift, of RMS Beauty, uses it in her amazing Living Luminizer, “Un” Cover Up, and Lip-2-Cheek pots.

DO use to shave your legs. So good! You get a real close shave and don’t have to worry about moisturizing after.

DO use to deep condition wrecked split ends. There’s a reason lots of conditioners use coconut oil: According to this study, coconut oil is better able to penetrate hair than mineral oil. (Shocking!) If you don’t want to cut off the damage, coconut oil helps in conditioning the dead ends. Knowing full well there is no way to physically repair fried ends—I even confirmed this with a cosmetic scientist named Colin, who isn’t a clean guy, but he’s nice and smart—I’ve been loving this method:  Once a week, I sleep with a handful of coconut oil in my hair. I rub it in, comb it, pile it in a loose bun on the top of my head, and call it a night. In the morning, I shampoo and it seems to make a big difference in the look and feel of my ends.

DO use to take off your eye makeup. Put a little on a cotton ball or a piece of toilet paper, and sweep it over your eyes gently. It even works on waterproof mascara.

DO use as a personal lubricant. Saucy! Let’s be brief: It totally works by yourself or with a buddy, but it’s not compatible with condoms (oil + latex = babies).

DON’T use as a face moisturizer. I do not like this. I’ve read about acne-prone women who have used it to great effect because it’s naturally antibacterial, calming and moisturizing, but I won’t put coconut oil—or any product that contains it—anywhere near the part of my face that breaks out (hi, chin?!) I tried the oil-cleansing method when we were writing our book, and I got the absolute worst cystic acne ever. This might not have been the oil’s fault, but did I want to wait another month to find out? Hell to the no.

DO use as a body moisturizer. See above (shaving). I recently met my friend Jessica at yoga, and before class started she yanked up her pant leg and told me she’d been using coconut oil on her whole body. How’d they feel? S-o-s-o-f-t. And for the record, the smell doesn’t linger.

DON’t use as a daytime hair tamer. Awesome on your ends, but I wouldn’t put this on the top of your head—especially if you’re blonde. It makes your locks look really, really greasy.

DO use for gluten-free and vegan baking. It’s a staple. It tastes really good and is the only thing that can mask the chalky taste you get with most gluten-free baking. (Mmmmm … Babycakes )

What do you use coconut oil for at home? Leave a comment and tell us what works, and what doesn’t.

Alexandra Spunt and Siobhan O’Connor, Guest Beauty Bloggers
The authors of No More Dirty Looks, Siobhan and Alexandra are natural beauty experts and consultants who are passionate about safe and sustainable beauty. Siobhan is the senior editor at Prevention magazine, while Alexandra is a freelance journalist and marketing consultant in Los Angeles. Together, they have helped educate consumers on what’s in their personal care products with appearances on the Today Show, The Doctors, Treehugger and the Huffington Post; and features in New York Magazine and TIME magazine. Learn more at Nomoredirtylooks.com.

Natural balm for your lips, day and night

Hurraw! Balm is ready for summer.

Hurraw! Balm's new Sun and Moon balms have you covered for those lazy days at the beach and even those romantic moonlit walks you only read about in Danielle Steel novels.

The all-natural, vegan balms are packed full of amazing cold-pressed oils to 
moisturize, protect and heal your lips. Plus they’re extra thick, creamy and smooth for longer staying power.

Sun Balm

Non-nano zinc oxide lends a broad-spectrum, clear and completely
 natural SPF 15 sunscreen base to Sun balm.  Pomegranate seed and sea buckthorn oils act as antioxidant busters to protect and nourish your plumpers. Red raspberry seed oil provides an extra boost of protection, and the juicy tangerine scent and calming roman chamomile extract will lift your mood.

Moon Balm

Moon balm's pure vanilla and peru balsam scent will lull you to sleep while azulene packed blue chamomile extract soothes your lips. And with a rich avocado base, all that goodness won't rub off while you snooze. The formula is also chock-full of cold-pressed specialty oils such as rosehip seed, meadowfoam seed and argan for night time healing.

Win a Sun & Moon Balm Two-Pack!

Hurraw! is giving away FIVE two-packs of their new Sun and Moon balms. To enter to win, just leave a comment below telling us where you plan to wear your lip balm this summer!

*UPDATE: We've chosen our winners! Congrats Bobbie, Alice, Michelle, Jlog, and Hayley!    

This post is proudly sponsored by Hurraw! Balm

The newest straightening craze is filling us with formaldehyde

The celebs have raved about it. The fashion magazines haven’t shut up about it. Even your kid’s elementary school teacher is flaunting it.

And now, "Weeds" leading lady Mary Louise-Parker, is saying it made her hair fall out.

It seems the notorious Brazilian hair smoothing treatments have been giving us a lot more than straight, silky locks—they have been exposing us to lofty amounts of formaldehyde.

Alexandra Spunt and Siobhan O’Connor—the chicks behind one of our favorite crack-the-whip beauty reads, No More Dirty Looks —share the latest news on the industry health warnings.

Let’s just say that salons may soon require hazmat suits for stylists.

A Change In The Air

As Alexandra and Siobhan reported, The Department of Labor has now issued an official immediate safety warning about formaldehyde-containing hair-smoothing products like the Brazilian Blowout. This is big news—huge, actually—and speaks to how much things really are (slowly) changing when it comes to the wild west of chemicals used in cosmetics and cosmetic procedures.

The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) is recommending that salons that carry out the procedure follow these specific guidelines:

1. Give workers respirators (huh?)
2. Give employees appropriate gloves and other personal protective equipment (e.g., face shield, chemical splash goggles, chemical-resistant aprons)
3. Post signs at entryways to any area where formaldehyde is above OSHA’s limit*
4. Tell workers about the health effects of formaldehyde

And here’s what they had to say:

Recent reports from Oregon OSHA, California OSHA, and now Federal OSHA should alert salon owners and stylists to look closely at the hair smoothing products they are using to see if they contain methylene glycol, formalin, methylene oxide, paraform, formic aldehyde, methanal, oxomethane, oxymethylene, or CAS Number 50-00-0. All of these are names for, or treated as, formaldehyde under OSHA’s Formaldehyde standard. Products containing them can expose workers to formaldehyde; employers who manufacture, import, distribute, or use the products must follow OSHA’s formaldehyde standard.

The Environmental Working Group also has a new report out called Flat Out Risky  that is loaded with information to sift through. Of some of their findings, the EWG discovered that 15 of 16 companies that claimed their straightening products contained little to no traces of formaldehyde actually contained “substantial amounts;” salons were found laced with powerful formaldehyde fumes; and many tops salons across the country are denying the risks.

The OSHA hazard warning also cited new lab reports in which “formaldehyde-free” products proved to contain formaldehyde, after all.

So in case you were still wondering about whether or not you should go straighter than straight, or whether that “greener” Brazilian blowout is indeed “green,” consider this your answer.

*OSHA’s limit is 0.75 parts of formaldehyde per million parts (or ppm) of air during an 8-hour work shift or 2 ppm during any 15-minute period.

Stay tuned for more features from Alexandra and Siobhan, as they continue to get down and dirty with the beauty industry.

Alexandra Spunt and Siobhan O’Connor, Guest Beauty Bloggers
The authors of No More Dirty Looks, Siobhan and Alexandra are natural beauty experts and consultants who are passionate about safe and sustainable beauty. Siobhan is the senior editor at Prevention magazine, while Alexandra is a freelance journalist and marketing consultant in Los Angeles. Together, they have helped educate consumers on what’s in their personal care products with appearances on the Today Show, The Doctors, Treehugger and the Huffington Post; and features in New York Magazine and TIME magazine. Learn more at Nomoredirtylooks.com.

Say hello to healthy sleep
 
PILLO1 is on a mission to restore your nightly rest.
 
It’s the hot new thang in luxury sleep accessories. Designed by Dr. Raymond Hall to prevent chronic back and neck pain, stiffness, and headaches, PILLO1 pillows are not only light years ahead of their cotton-stuffed counterparts, they’re eco-friendly to boot.

Get The Lowdown

So you can learn all about it too, PILLO1 is holding a free webinar Thursday, April 21 from 6:30pm – 7:30 pm PST. During the webinar, Dr. Hall will discuss common sources of pain and injury with the cervical spine, ten tips on optimizing sleep, his recommendation on the right pillows and mattresses, and the need for healthy sleep using bedding materials made from natural and renewable resources. Sign up here to pepper Dr. Hall with your own questions, and have the chance to win a PILLO1 for yourself - Dr. Hall will be giving one away at the end of his webinar.

Win Your Own PILLO1

Oh and of course we wouldn’t leave ya hangin’ – PILLO1 is giving away another pillow to one lucky bitch right here on Healthy Bitch Daily. To enter to win, just comment below and tell us why you sleep so damn funny, then sign up for Dr. Hall’s webinar here. We’ll choose a winner at random!

*UPDATE: We've chosen our winner! Congrats Islandgrrl! If you didn't win, don't worry, you can still join the PILLO1 webinar starting at 6:30pm PST. Just go here to sign up!*

This post is proudly sponsored by PILLO1

Peel into Spring with Juice Beauty

Though spring is right around the corner, your skin hasn’t gotten the memo yet.
 
The winter winds have left your skin parched, and getting back to “dewy” is going to require some expertise. Luckily, Juice Beauty is here to rescue you from Dullsville.

Organic Awakening

You may have heard of Juice Beauty from its bestselling, patented Green Apple Peel , a multitasking elixir that works on both aging and blemished skin. Like the Green Apple Peel, all Juice Beauty products are 98 percent organic, USDA certified-organic and packed with natural antioxidants. Juice Beauty also works with local California farmers to source all of their ingredients. Sweet.
 
Start With Essential Oil

We’re not talking about the kind that shows up on your T-zone every afternoon. The organic oil treatment from Juice Beauty’s USDA Organic Collection refreshingly hydrates your face, neck, and decollete (tip: don't forget those elbows and heels!). Olive oil deeply moistures and polishes without clogging pores or causing any breakouts. It may seem counterintuitive, but oily skin actually needs healthy oils to heal.
 
Get Glowing
 
Juice Beauty is giving you a free, full size Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate with any and every purchase you make before Thursday, March 17. In case you're a numbers person, that’s a complimentary $36 gift with any Juice Beauty product you are already purchasing. We checked, and the last time they offered something like this was, well, never!
 
Just make sure to use the code HEALTHY before March 17 when you check out at Juicebeauty.com .

Juice Beauty proudly sponsors today's post.