By Guest Blogger Mandi McGee
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder right? What is your definition of beauty? Maybe it is the uniqueness that makes all of us different. It could be that beauty is found only in our outer appearance and physical body, or it’s a state of mind, or a combination of all three.
Working as a hairstylist and make up artist for the past decade has taught me many things about the average woman’s standard of beauty and it’s this:
We want clear, unwrinkled, glowing, soft skin. Strong, shiny, un-frizzy, hydrated, perfectly voluminous, easy to maintain hair. Glossy, un-brittle, trimmed and polished toes and fingernails. We want a tight jawline and high cheek bones, along with a slender, pore-less, perfectly oval face shape. And the last but certainly not least, is an outgoing positive ,on top of the world, self-confidence that effortlessly lights up a radiant smile that’s contagious to everyone she’s around.
Often times during a hair or makeup consultation, my clients never fail to point out very common issues. The dryness in their hair, it’s brittle, breaking, dull and doesn’t grow! The skin on their face and even scalp is either flaky or overly oily. Chapped lips and crusty cuticles along with never ending episodes of pimples , blackheads and uneven skin texture. For the most part , all of these common beauty downers can be alleviated in one day at the salon and spa. We can give you a deep conditioning treatment along with a coat of fresh hair color, snip off the dry ends then send you over to the nail tech to trim, hydrate and apply some nail strengthener and lastly checking in with the aesthetician to get a facial that will clean out your clogged pores, apply a hydrating mask then slap on some anti wrinkle cream, load up on your products for home and voila! You’re good to go! For 6 weeks… When my clients ask me in the salon about their dry skin or flaky scalp, the first thing I always ask is “ Are you drinking enough water?” This question always seems to turn up eyebrows and usually throws people off. Our beauty products that promise hydration and shine are only HALF of what we need to actually see the results. The other half is what we fuel our bodies with on the inside!
Here are 5 more Beauty Secrets that go far beyond the mirror:
1.) Work up a sweat– Working out does more than just getting us swim suit ready, its a powerful component to our mindset and all around beauty! Regular exercise (3-5 days a week for 30 mins) has been proven by numerous studies reduce stress, cure anxiety and depression, improve your sleep and boost self esteem. One major benefit of an intense sweat session is sweating detoxes your body and skin. Each time you workout, sweat literally pushes junk out of clogged pores, releasing toxins that cause pimples and blemishes. Always remember to wash off those toxins after your sweat session . Exercise also boosts oxygen to the cells in our skin and scalp, creating a radiant glow and healthy hair follicles.
2.) Eat the Rainbow- “ You are what you eat “ is a concept that everybody has know for decades. Consuming fresh fruits , vegetables and water is where beauty begins. Incorporating more of these foods into your diet and less of the crappy foods (you know what they are.. fast food, soda, fried foods, chips, candy, blah, blah, blah..) You will slowly start to decrease the harmful effects these foods do to your body and the healthy, nutrient rich foods with actually have a chance to take over and beautify from within, leaving you with plump, glowing, collagen rich skin and new, strong protein and mineral rich hair and nails. Look for all different colors of fruits and veggies. The different colors leave different clues as to what vitamins, nutrients and minerals they’re made up of!
3.) Meditate- The beauty benefits of meditation are astounding! As we know, stress is a burden do our body and our cells, which can either make us age faster or make us age with grace. Deep breathing allows your facial muscles to relax while at the same time increases the oxygen in your blood , allowing your beauty nutrients to flourish throughout your body. Teaching your mind to work with you and not against you is the key to self love, confidence and all around beauty! If you’re new to meditation, you can always listen to a guided meditation to walk you through the basics. 4.) SleepA third of our life is spent sleeping, and for all good reasons! When we hit the pillow our bodies turn into mini health and beauty factories. During sleep, all of our natural anti-agers kick into overdrive boosting our cell activity to promote collagen in our skin, reverse skin damage and repair our body just in time to wake up refreshed and rejuvenated! Your sleep is important to your overall health , happiness, beauty and wellbeing. You can’t cheat your way through sleep and money sure won’t buy it! Just as you set an alarm to wake up in the morning, set an alarm on your phone that tells you to go to bed at night! This will ensure you’re getting to bed early enough to get the beauty sleep you deserve!
4.) Sleep- A third of our life is spent sleeping, and for all good reasons! When we hit the pillow our bodies turn into mini health and beauty factories. During sleep, all of our natural anti-agers kick into overdrive boosting our cell activity to promote collagen in our skin, reverse skin damage and repair our body just in time to wake up refreshed and rejuvenated! Your sleep is important to your overall health, happiness, beauty and wellbeing. You can’t cheat your way through sleep and money sure won’t buy it! Just as you set an alarm to wake up in the morning, set an alarm on your phone that tells you to go to bed at night! This will ensure you’re getting to bed early enough to get the beauty sleep you deserve!
5.) Think on the bright side- Having a positive mindset give you the ability to control all the thousands thoughts that pass through in minds in a day. Life is spontaneous, filled with unexpected situations and we all have the choice to react two different ways. We can either let a problem dig at us all day, or we can choose to brush it off our shoulders and move on. How does this have to do with beauty again? When we plant positive thoughts into our minds, they reap incredible powers that portray in our appearance. A smile is the most beautiful thing on anybody, and you can be assured that there is always a positive thought behind that grin. Being able to see the bright side of any situation will leave you happy and confident. And confidence is what makes everyone look beautiful!
So the next time you visit your beauty professional, let he or she know just how much you appreciate that they are there to take care of the other HALF of your beauty. Your Hairstylist, Aesthetician, and Nail Tech are all there to provide you with all of the knowledge, skills and expertise to supply you with everything you need to improve your outer beauty, so they will be thrilled to know you’re taking the effort to meet them half way when you take action to beautify from within!
Mandi McGee
Beauty Life Expert, Hairstylist and Health Coach.
If you would like to learn more about how to look, live and feel beautiful inside and out, visit mandimcgee.com and sign up for email updates!