|
Jimm Harrison
Holistic Skin Care and Beauty Inside & Out Expert • jimmharrison.com
Please share your thoughts about your “beauty-is-health” philosophy.
My concept and work in beauty-is-health was triggered while reading the book Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty by Nancy Etcoff. This book explains the biological connection between health and beauty. Once we recognize this connection it becomes very apparent and can be seen within all of nature. Beauty, in nature, is a visual representation of health and vitality. In the animal kingdom beauty displays a healthy mate, one with strong genes necessary for the reproduction of a stronger healthier species. We are biologically wired to respond to heath as beauty. It's unfortunate that we have lost this focus in our society, where beauty has become a detriment to health rather than a goal of health.
Very early in my career in beauty I began studying nutrition, herbs and aromatherapy. When I finally introduced this into my beauty practice it assisted me in helping people to find a truer beauty, one that did not need to be masked, rearranged, or beaten into submission. This form of beauty, what could be defined as natural beauty, was easier to sustain and was much more emotionally satisfying to my clients. The goal of beauty is a goal of health. This became my life's work and now has the name of Beauty Inside and Out.
What natural ingredients are currently being introduced in products, and what are the benefits?
There are many plants and their extracts available offering powerful healing potential. There are many being used already, the magic is already available, and the newest extracts are not necessarily something better. It is good to have variety and new, interesting choices available. My message here is don't get sold by marketing hype about the “next big thing.”
A few that I highly recommend are ones that I've had great success with in the skin care I co-developed 10 years ago. My favorites are cranberry and raspberry seed oils (their essential fatty acid content is extremely nourishing), sea buckthorn extract and the algae extract astaxanthin. The thing about astaxanthin though, is if the product isn't very orange (and likely to stain your white shirts) then there may not be enough in the product for the full effect. The full effect comes from the antioxidant, UV protection and anti-inflammatory properties of these, and most other extracts used on the skin. I also like the isolated extracts like resveratrol, again, a powerful antioxidant.
What techniques and treatments do you recommend for eliminating blemishes and hyper-pigmentation, strengthening over-polished nails, and hydrating the scalp and hair?
Blemishes:
- Use anti-inflammatory topicals and supplements. Breakouts are generally a result of inflammation that occurs well before the blemish and outward inflammation are seen. This is often caused by thought created (emotional) stress and environmental stress, such as pollutants, work environment or EMF (electromagnetic frequencies). Diet also plays into this. No, not the greasy food theory. Foods that cause inflammation are processed or high glycemic food, which could include greasy fast foods.
- Use a topical essential oil solution of cape chamomile for stress relief and anti-inflammatory, lavender (the do-it-all oil), the antimicrobial tea tree oil, and cedarwood for autonomic system balance (reversing the fight-or-flight stress response from a stressful environment).
- I also recommend an herbal formula that contains extracts of ginger, tumeric, holy basil (or tulsi), and green tea.
- Eat a the rainbow diet rich in brightly colored fruits and vegetables. This is a powerfully strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory diet and recommended for general care of beauty health and skin.
Hyperpigmentation:
- Go with the rainbow diet and the same anti-inflammatory and antioxidant herbal supplements already mentioned. The skin is protected from UV damage and hyperpigmentation through a diet and supplement program very rich in antioxidant foods and herbals. The interesting ingredients I mentioned are; Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) and MSM (methylsulfonylmethane, a natural sulfur containing compound), which are well researched for their effects in reducing hyperpigmentation.
- Use antioxidant herbs, when topically used, may prevent, if not reverse, hyperpigmentation. Look for astaxanthin, pomegranate, lycopine, berry seed oils, olive oil and ginger, among others, as powerful antioxidant skin care ingredients.
Nail Care:
- Use myrrh essential oil or resinoid. It's been used on camels for centuries and has a history on human nails as well. The other recommendation is internal supplementation with MSM. This compound helps to strengthen nails, skin and hair.
Hair Care:
- MSM helps to build a strong hair shaft and cuticle layer from the root.
- Shea butter, olive oil and jojoba oil are good conditioning agents. They will help protect the hair from sun and environmental
damage, but also leaves the hair heavy or greasy feeling. These naturals will help to hydrate and protect the scalp as well when used in scalp treatment or scalp massage.
- Intensive treatments using oils and cocoa butter that leave the hair manageable and feeling healthy. It's a very “hands-on” application and needs to be done in the salon.
- Taking EFA (essential fatty acid) supplements, especially an Omega-3 fatty acid, will help keep the scalp supple and hydrated. Cranberry seed, raspberry seed and fish or krill oils are good supplement choices.
Special Reader Question: What aromatherapy and essential oils treatments would you use for eczema and hay fever?
For eczema, I suggest highly stress reducing oils that also treat the skin such as lavender, neroli, cape chamomile, and clary sage. These can be used in a topical cream - shea butter base is a good choice or olive oil - and also inhaled periodically on a tissue or in a diffuser. Other topically beneficial essential oils for eczema include frankincense, myrrh and helichrysum italicum (everlasting).
Overall, it goes back to the same thing. The essential oils won't work unless the diet is also being used to support health. Also, I always have to add that most essential oils on the market are not very good quality for therapeutic use. Buy from originalswissaromatics.com
Final message and words of advice.
- Eat a variety of deeply colored whole organic foods. Organic is important because pesticides and fertilizers and GMO foods are anti-beauty and health.
- Take whole food type vitamins and antioxidant herbal supplements
- Use topical products that are made from whole natural ingredients (shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil, coconut oil, etc.) and contain the healing extracts from herbs and foods, such as ginger, astaxanthin, alpha lipoic acid, resveratrol, tocotrienol (a form of vitamin E) and many other antioxidant, cell regenerative, and anti-inflammatory compounds.
|
 |
 |
|
