Natural and holistic health practices are surging in popularity as we expand awareness of effective ways to heal the body. Ayurveda (meaning "science of life") is an ancient Indian natural healing practice based on three different Doshas that are categorized as a unique mix of the four elements (earth, water, fire, and air) in the body. These energies play a role in creating and maintaining physical and emotional balance to achieve a healthy lifestyle. This unique perspective can be beneficial in your skin and wellness regime when applied appropriately. Here's how you can integrate it into your routine or practice for ultimate overall health!
The Doshas
Vata: The qualities of this dosha reflect the elements of air and space. Vatas typically have a leaner build and a go-with-the-flow attitude, much like the wind. When balanced, they are creative and enthusiastic; but when out of whack, they can often have dry skin, anxiety, and digestive problems.
Pitta: This dosha reflects fire and water elements. Their energy is oriented around digestion and metabolism in the body and they generally have a fiery, upbeat, and courageous personality. In balance, Pittas are joyful, mentally sharp, and healthy, but their fire can become unruly resulting rashes, internal inflammation, and anger.
Kapha: The earth elements are present internally and physically with this dosha. They usually have a sturdier build and showcase qualities of patience, love, and grounded-ness when balanced. However, when imbalanced, Kaphas can experience oily skin, depression, and lethargy.
Not sure which one you are? Take the quiz to find out!
Diet.
Each dosha is both nourished and triggered by certain foods and diet styles. For example, since Pitta is so fiery, cooling foods such as melon, salads, and iced teas are most fueling for this type. Learning how to eat right for your dosha type will help achieve balance internally, increasing energy levels, mental clarity, and overall health.
Vatas: lean toward warm, nourishing foods like warm soups, freshly baked bread, and herbal tea.
Pittas: choose foods that are cool in nature with heavy textures like salads, cold cereal, and fruits.
Kaphas: anything spicy to help stimulate digestion is great for you such as Mexican, Indian, and Thai cuisine.
Activity.
Just as diet plays a role in your internal balance, the type of activity and exercise you choose to participate in can be crucial to your skin, body, and mental health as well. Learn your body's tendencies (easily stressed, overheated, etc.) and choose forms of physical activity that best serve you.
Vatas: gentle, fluid movements like walking, yoga or tai chi.
Pittas: moderately intensive exercise without too much heat such as swimming or hiking in cooler weather.
Kaphas: daily exercise that stimulates and energizes the body and mind like hot yoga or zumba.
In the Treatment Room.
Whether you're dry skin Vata or oily-prone Kapha, the first step is becoming aware of your skin triggers and tailoring your beauty routine to what your skin and body need so you can treat the skin accordingly.
Vatas: Typically need warming or stimulating treatments. Warm towels and Facial Oils that provide both nourishment and hydration.
Pittas: Usually prone to sensitivity and redness, Pittas need more of a calming and cooling treatment or homecare routine. Epidermal Repair products and soothing masks are great for healing inflammation and relieving irritation.
Kaphas: Can sometimes struggle with oily skin, so products that help to regulate that oil production and neutralize toxins are best. Steer clear of anything too heavy.
While Ayurveda is a great guideline and tool for discovering certain tendencies of the skin, body, and mind, everyone is unique and different and possesses balances and imbalances all their own that can be related to a variety of causes. Get to know yourself and your client and then take some time each day for self-care from the inside out!
Calling all night-cappers and Wine-Wednesday extraordinaires! We hear buzz on the internet all the time about how a glass of wine can offer the same benefits as going to the gym. Or that, lucky for us, red wine has tremendous health benefits for our brains and hearts. And we all know that nothing feels better after a long day than a salt bath paired with a big glass, so it's got to be good for stress, right? Well, we're cracking the code and busting myths about our vino habits. Will a glass a day really keep the doctor away? And what does it do for our beauty routine? Let's find out!
Red Wine & Your Skin
The Good News: Red wine contains high levels of antioxidants, including flavonoids (ingredients found in our Moisturizing Collection), which can help restore collagen and elastin while protecting against cell damage. It has also been found to provide acne-clearing benefits when applied topically with a cotton ball or spray bottle because of its anti-inflammatory properties, giving you a smooth complexion and alluring glow!
What you need to know: While wine does contain ingredients that are beneficial to the skin, it also contains natural sugars from the grape which, when consumed in excess, can have adverse effects on the skin resulting in a purging of toxins in the form of acne or rosacea. Moderation is key!
Red Wine & Your Weight
The Good News: The resveratrol in red wine does contain heart-healthy aspects that can reduce "bad cholesterol" while increasing the "good cholesterol" to help maintain healthy fat cells while lowering the risk of blood clots.
What you need to know: There was an article released recently revealing that "a glass of red wine is the equivalent to an hour at the gym", and if this seemed just a little too good to be true, that's because it was. Unfortunately, this is not true. The amount of resveratrol in wine is not nearly enough to deliver noticeable benefits. If you're looking for a boost of this "fat-burning" compound, reach for a handful of blueberries, grapes, or strawberries instead.
Red Wine & Your Health
The Good News: The health benefits of red wine typically outweigh most other alcoholic beverages such as beer, liquor, or even white wine. It does contain heart-healthy components from the polyphenols that reduce inflammation and protect your cardiovascular system. It can encourage a healthy blood pressure and even promote brain health to a certain degree. And, as well all know, it can significantly reduce stress levels.
What you need to know: All of the health benefits that wine offers, can easily be counteracted when consumed in excess (aka, more than a glass or two). Too much of it can harm the liver and increase blood pressure, as well as increase risk of various cancers and diabetes. Enjoy your glass and then call it good.
The bottom line? Yes, your bath time companion does contain health benefits, but only when consumed in moderation. Raise a (single) glass to those antioxidants, then cork your bottle until the next night. Check out more ways to promote beauty from within with these foods!
Peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, Batman and Robin. Some things are just better together! Here are some of our favorite dynamic duos that give you more to love and enhance your routine.
This classic pairing goes hand-in-hand and is a given in any makeup routine to create a flawless finish to last all day!
These two utilize the same powerful ingredient to repair damage and enhance immunity, one tackles the skin while the other does the job internally! For ultimate restoration inside and out, use them together in your routine!
Taking a weekend trip to the mountains? Harness the holistic powers of Altitude Water to harmonize cell function when you're way above sea level, then call on Protect to shield your skin from the harsh rays up there as well as deliver extra moisture when the dry air strikes.
Create your own Liquid Foundation by combining our organic, skin-plumping moisturizer with the luxury mineral Loose Base to create an irresistible, creamy formula with a customized texture just the way you like it!
Add a couple drops of Nourish to Tropical Mango Mask and apply as a sleep mask for intense moisture and barrier repair. These two compliment each other so well and will not only deliver a nourishing self-care treatment to your skin, but the light, refreshing aroma will serve as a sensory delight.
Let us know your favorite Osmosis product pairings in the comments below!
Environmental Toxins are just about everywhere - from the air we breathe to the food we eat, and even in your own home! Though this may sound pessimistic and daunting, the good news is, with subtle lifestyle adjustments and a holistic-wellness approach, it's easy to detox on the daily and provide your body with the tools it needs to ward them off on its own! The first step to decreasing impact from these toxins is by increasing your awareness, which will, in turn, help you know how to avoid overexposure and fuel your body in a way that will help combat its effects. Here are a few tips to maintaining your healthiest self in a world filled with toxins.
1. Do your research.
Harmful toxins can be found in places that you least expect. It's worth it to do your research to find out which toxins you are most exposed to on a daily basis based on the location of your home, the quality of the food you eat, and the activities you partake in.
2. Choose Your Food Wisely.
We all know we're supposed to eat healthy, but are we really aware of the impact of the food we eat and how it directly affects our body? Try to eat as organically as possible to reduce the amount of artificial additives you are consuming. Steer-clear of highly processed meals, low-quality fish (contaminated with high levels of mercury and PCBs), and artificial sweeteners.
Pst... eating fresh, organic food doesn't have to be expensive! We love this online grocery store that delivers wholesome, yummy food for a steal of a deal!
3. Go Green with Your Beauty Routine.
Many toxins hide in the names we can't pronounce on the labels of our cosmetics. Dodge these dangerous ingredients all together and choose clean beauty products that nourish your skin, hair, and body sans harmful chemicals. Osmosis offers a wide array of beauty products you can feel great about! Read about our philosophy of treating the whole body from the inside out
here.
4. Avoid harsh cleaning supplies.
Thankfully, we live in a generation where bleach and windex are not our only hope for effectively sanitizing the kitchen or bathroom. Such products are chock-full of extremely harmful chemicals that emit toxic fumes into your home and/or lungs if you breathe it in! Reach for the cleaning supplies that are environmentally friendly next time you're at the store.
5. Give your Body a Boost with Supplements.
Along with clean skincare and makeup, Osmosis offers all-natural, holistic supplements that help fuel your body and provide it with the tools needed to detox and heal. Some of our supplements that are all-stars when it comes to toxin removal are Environmental Detox to remove toxins from the gut and cells, Melt to detox fat cells, Pathway to detox the digestive tract and colon, and Elevate to detox the body while repairing DNA! Shop your super-supplements here.
We know we're supposed to get our beauty sleep every night. But we all live such busy lives and when we have to juggle sleep, a social life, a full-time job, and trying to balance a healthy, active lifestyle somewhere in there, more times than not it's our Zs that get the boot. In fact, the CDC proved that over a third of American's don't get adequate sleep for their health. How important is sleep, though? And how much is "enough"? We're diving into all things sleep-related and how it affects our health both physically and mentally.
Sleep is Vital.
Just as we need oxygen, food, and water, sleep is equally as crucial to our health and survival. The difference is, we would never claim to be "too busy" to breathe or drink water when we're thirsty. So, why is it that we take pride in being too busy to sleep as a status symbol when it is just as detrimental to our bodies as skipping meals or holding our breath? Society has created a very serious problem by demanding so much work, play, and general time-spent doing from us as humans, creating a stigma that "sleep is for the weak". More like sleep creates the weak. We are experiencing an awakening in this health and wellness movement and slowing realizing the impact of this mindset on our bodies and brains. It is our job to turn this around and encourage restfulness, not a busy schedule.
What happens when we don't get enough sleep?
From your immune system function to your appetite, to your heart, hormone, and mental health, the amount of rest your body gets has a direct impact. While you are sleeping, your body is able to perform a self-evaluation and ensure all systems get the restoration needed. During this time, it resets and restores muscles and cells, heals and repairs areas of the body that are in need, and "cleans house" by clearing away toxins (both physically and mentally) that may otherwise cause problems in the body's optimal function. Skipping out on this nightly reboot could be detrimental to your well-being and start to interfere with your body's ability to fight off illnesses, increase risk of more serious diseases, induce chronic brain fog, and promote weight gain and compromised skin. This is
just to name a few!
How to prioritize rest.
- Turn off your smartphone (or put it away) one hour before you go to bed giving your brain time to relax and shut down for the day. Try a caffeine-free herbal tea and reading a book in bed to slow your brain waves and energy level.
- Create a
sleep sanctuary out of your bedroom. This means putting a little extra effort into this room in your house. Try adding elements like plush, cozy bedding, essential oils, and plants!
- Eat dinner earlier. Eating a big, heavy dinner right before bed puts enormous strain on your digestive system, putting it to work when your whole body is trying to rest. This takes away from restful sleep and restoration because your energy is now focusing on digestion instead of healing and repair.
- Try incorporating
pre-bedtime yoga stretches into your nighttime routine to help wind-down the mind and body. This will help promote a deep, restful sleep all night long to get the most out of your shut-eye!
Help change the mindset of sleep, starting with YOU! Shop for
holistic solutions to assist your body's ability to achieve the most adequate sleep possible.
As each year comes to a close and we reflect back, we also want to start shifting our thoughts forward on the year to come. Set your sights and intentions on 2018 and all that you want to manifest. It's always great to have goals, but intentions speak deeper and help drive to those goals. Let's learn exactly how to set these intentions so that they may come to fruition, highlighting our highest, most authentic self!
1. Create a safe space to clear your mind.
Setting intentions should come from the heart space. It is important your mind and heart are surrounded by positivity and that you are in a safe place to uncover that which you wish to manifest. Turn on some music that inspires you or sparks the creative side of your brain. Positive vibes are key here! We want to set intentions of growth, positivity, and love, so be sure your space represents that when brainstorming.
TIP: It may help to hold some crystals, or place them in your room to stimulate your thoughts and set the tone.
2. Harness the power of writing.
Writing down your thoughts as they come to you is a great place to start to really channel your heart's deepest desires. Get out of your own way, no rules, just write. Don't worry about punctuation or if what you're writing makes sense. Let the words flow onto the page and discover what your heart feels and wants when you read it back to yourself! This practice is truly magical and will help you conquer the roadblocks your brain puts in the way when trying to set your intentions for the new year.
3. Look inward.
Setting intentions different from setting goals. Intentions cannot be forced and must come from a heartfelt place as a way of living and being, as opposed to an action you would like to take. Though goals are extremely important and we should all have them, they tend to overwhelm us especially when the pressure of a new year comes around. Look inward to align your intentions with your heart's purpose and how you can use these intentions to pave the course of your life and your relationships with yourself and others.
4. Let your truest authenticity flow.
Osmosis President Robin McGee says, "We have all we need to achieve our desires within our own self," we just have to awaken it! Dig deep to bring your intentions to life. There are many practices that help you get in tune with your intuition and develop a deeper understanding and relationship with yourself. Whether it be yoga, meditation, journaling, or any other form of
self-care, do some research to find a practice that resonates with you and start exercising your intuition muscles! This will play a large role in unveiling your hearts desires and intentions. Osmosis President, Robin McGee says, "It is empowering to know that your desires are under construction and it is the ultimate success to have them occur.".
We are so excited to begin the journey through a new year with you! Keep us posted with your intentions, progress, and practices to help you reach your goals and manifest those desires. Let your authentic self shine through!
