Organic Skin Care Products – Look and Feel Beautiful the Natural Way

Do you know the ingredients of commercial skin care products you are using? If not, then it is time for you to be aware of the unnatural chemicals that might be in your favorite beauty products. These chemicals have carcinogens which are harmful to our skin and body. The millions of pores of our skin absorb almost 60% of products you’re using, causing toxins to get into your body when you use non-organic products.

Why use organic products for your skin?

The best ingredients can be found in organic products. Ingredients derived form plants are rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants help promote healthy cell growth, preventing fast aging and increasing skin resistance from free radicals. Antioxidants can also help fight off skin cancer.

Fresh fruits and vegetables from your kitchen can be used as face cleanser or toner. These include strawberries, apples, cucumbers, avocados, bananas, lemon and papaya. Below are examples of skin care recipe made from organic ingredients.

Lemon Cleanser (for all skin types)

Lemons contain antioxidants and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) needed for exfoliating and toning skin naturally.

Ingredients:
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 cup ground almonds (A coffee grinder works well)
2 tbsp milk or cream

Procedure:
Combine all ingredients and use as cleanser. Wash face gently with the mixture and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

PAPAYA & APRICOT FACE SCRUB

Papaya is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. It clears face form dirt and dark spots and can moisturize skin. Apricots are known to help reduce skin problems because of its high beta-carotene content. It leaves skin soft and glowing.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp apricot pulp
3 tbsp ripe papaya pulp
1 tsp apricot kernel powder (finely grated) or oatmeal/almond powder

Procedure:
Combine all ingredients and apply the mixture to face and neck. Leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off while gently scrubbing your face with it.

CARROT FACIAL MASK

Carrots are rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium and folacin. When you drink carrot juice regularly, your skin will be protected from sun damage, toned and moisturized.

Ingredients:
2-3 large carrots
4 1/2 tbsp honey

Procedure:
Cook the carrots first and mash them until smooth. Combine the mashed carrots with honey, apply to face and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse off with cool water.

If you really care for your skin, why not use organic skin care products? Look and feel beautiful the natural way! In the end, it will not only be you who will benefit, but the environment as well.

Shiatsu Massage – Flourish Good Health

There are different kinds of body massage and each has its own health benefits. One of the most favorites of many including me is the Shiatsu massage.

Just like the Western massage, Shiatsu promotes health, relieves stress and focuses on the body of the person being treated. It is known as a Japanese style healing technique although it uses Ancient Chinese medicine and acupressure in relieving stress and eliminating toxins from the body in a natural way.

“Shi” stands for finger and “atsu” means pressure. Finger pressure is used instead of needles. The organs of our body are connected to the meridians (energy channels where concentrations of nerves are).

Shiatsu massage has been widely known and respected in many parts of the world. Many hospitals use it as therapy for patients who have experienced heart attack, stroke and other chronic disorders. Applying the right amount of pressure to the meridians reduces the risk of hypertension and heart attack by stimulating the associated organs. Energy circulation is believed by most Chinese to one of the best ways to having good health.

Before performing the acupressure method (patting, holding, shaking, pinching, vibrating, rolling, joint rotations, grasping, hooking and plucking), stretching must be done first. Palms of the hand and soles of the feet are the most common area applied with Shiatsu massage. In addition to fingers, the massage therapist also uses his or her thumbs, palms, hands or massage tools made of wood to apply pressure.

Let’s find out how Shiatsu massage is done….

1. Assessment of Conditions

It is a must for the therapist to assess the conditions of the person to be treated. Assessment is done by applying light pressure to the corresponding meridians. There is an energy imbalance if you feel pain at a certain area.

2. Undressing

The patient is asked to remove upper and lower clothes with underwear or a loose towel left. Then they are asked to lie down on a futon or Shiatsu mat on the floor. Undressing makes it more comfortable for the therapist to access areas of the body where acupressure is necessary.

3. Working on the 12 Meridian Points

The massage therapist will then work on your 12 meridian points. Areas wherein pressure is most needed, pressure is usually applied for more than 3-5 minutes. Typically, the session lasts from 45-60 minutes. It is normal to feel pain while pressure is applied to certain areas but it is “good pain” which is tolerable.

There are some normal side effects after the Shiatsu therapy session. These include stomach ache, diarrhea, headache and depression because of the release of body tensions and toxins from your body. These effects last only for 1-2 days.

In order to enjoy and experience the true benefits offered by Shiatsu massage, you must do it regularly and must be done by a master or expert therapist.

The Benefits Of Bentosa Massage Cupping Therapy

This massage therapy has been endorsed by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow. This massage is a method of placing small glass cups on specific accupoints on your back. A vacuum seal is created which lifts the skin this is then moved to other essential points of the back.

To create a vacuum, a flame from a burning cotton ball is placed in an upside down cup. When the oxygen in the cup burns out the cup is held in place by a strong suction. Do not worry about the potential risks of burns though. A flame is just an instrument used so that a vacuum seal can be initiated.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the flow of “qi” travels to the body through channels which are called Meridians. A blockage in one or two channels oftentimes results to illness. Bentosa Cupping opens these channels allowing a free flowing energy within.

Promotes Blood Circulation

Bentosa cupping enhances blood flow, making it easier for the body to deliver sufficient oxygen to the other organs of the body. When aided with a massage, it provides a more enhanced circulation and promotes the feeling of relaxation.

Drains Excess Body Toxins

The vacuum seal created by the cup sucks out the excess body toxins. This is noted by the circular bruises after the therapy. This is an indicator of the increased pressure as the cupping therapy tries to drain out excess toxins.

Relieves Bronchial Congestion

Bentosa cupping relieves bronchial congestion such as asthma and bronchitis. The cupping therapy dilates the bronchial muscles within the lungs, promoting better breathing and prevents any form of obstruction.

Regulates Blood Pressure

Bentosa cupping can regulate blood pressure and restore high blood pressure back to normal. This is because Bentosa cupping can cause vasodilation or the widening of the blood vessels which can be a contributing factor to lowering blood pressure.

Relieves Neuralgia

Neuralgia is the sensation of fatigue in the muscles. This can be very inconvenient when it comes to trying to achieve your daily activities. Bentosa cupping not only removes toxins from the body but it also helps relieve muscle tension and pain as well. This makes it an ideal use for people who suffer from neuralgia and fibromyalgia.

Provides Relief For Migraines

Bentosa cupping provides relief for migraines and other forms of headaches because it promotes relaxation of muscles and lessens the body’s perception for pain. This is also helpful for adjunct therapy for other illnesses that make migraine an underlying cause for other illnesses.

Serves As A Digestive Aid

Most people who have undergone Bentosa have experienced the benefits of reduced incidence of heartburn and indigestion. This therapy promotes the peristalsis of the intestines thus promoting a better digestive function.

Relieves Anxiety And Promotes Relaxation

Bentosa cupping therapy relieves anxiety and promotes inner relaxation. This helps you get in touch with your inner self as all the negative elements in your body are flushed away. Relaxation is enhanced to an optimum.

Four Health Benefits of Hot Stone Massage

Are you a fan of massage therapy?
If yes, chances are you have heard about the concept of hot stone massage and its amazing benefits to the body and health. If not, you will learn more about the reason behind this craze and how you will get to enjoy these benefits as well. But in order to understand what a hot stone massage can do for you, it is important to learn more about how it works.

A hot stone massage utilizes warmed stones that are placed on various parts of the human body. The goal here is to exploit the therapeutic benefits offered by the heated stones, which are made from basalt. This kind of therapy has been used for treating various health conditions including high blood pressure and other conditions that go with pregnancy. However, there are four generic health benefits that you can enjoy, of which you will know more of below.

1.It provides relief from pain.
The effects of hot stone massage is similar to other kinds of massage therapy wherein tensed muscles or stiff joints are relieved of any pain due to the intensity of this massage and the warmth coming from the stone. The stones and the heat allow the physical effects of the massage to penetrate deeper into the skin tissues instead of just the skin surface.

2. It relaxes the muscle.
As mentioned above, hot stone massage can cure any stiffness or tightness in the muscle that is causing you to feel easily fatigued or drained out. The heat also allows the muscles to release tension, which is why this form of therapy is recommended for those with sore muscles.

3. It improves blood circulation.
The hot stones are placed on trigger points of the body to encourage circulation that happens as an effect of the heat penetrating deep into the tissues and blood vessels. Facilitating better circulation of the blood helps to introduce more oxygen to the rest of the body that naturally relieves pain and eases the body of fatigue.

4. It brings forth several mental benefits.
The biggest benefit of undergoing hot stone massage extends beyond the physical benefits. In fact, the mental benefits of this massage therapy are more integral. It eliminates mental stress and feeling of tension, which often results to tightening and stiffening of the key muscles in the body.

Any of the physiological benefits mentioned above contribute to simply feeling good about yourself. Hence, it comes as no surprise that this kind of therapy is incorporated into treatment plans for depression or anxiety disorders.

Get a great massage here

Facial Massage Techniques for Enhanced Beauty

According to popular belief, a smile can make you beautiful. This statement holds true not just in terms of enhancing your confidence and the way you project yourself to others, but also in the physiological aspect. Smiling can workout your facial muscles and that helps to fight the signs of wrinkles and other facial imperfections that make you look older than you really are.

The benefits of massage to your health are supported by ancient and modern medicine. The same benefits can also be experienced when performing facial massage. In fact, a lot of women these days undergo facial massage in order to keep looking fresh and vibrant, whatever their age may be.

When you are looking to get a facial massage to enhance your beauty, or improve your aura:

Tired-Eyes-Relieving Massage
This kind of massage is ideal before going to bed at night. Here are the steps for doing this massage on your own:

• Remove your glasses or lenses if you are wearing one. Make sure you’re relaxed before you get started.
• Rub your palms together until it gets warm. Once your palm is warm enough, promptly use the center of your palm and rest it onto your arms. Repeat this several times.
• Slow your breathing. Allow the heat to transfer from your palm to your eyes. This will help to relieve your tired eyes. Keep doing this until you feel relaxed. Ideally, repeat 3 times or as often as desired.

Facial-Skin-Relaxing Massage
This is a more in-depth kind of massage whereas the one above is a basic one. This one is recommended for those who want to relax their facial skin and achieve a better skin complexion. Here are the steps:

• The same process as above – heat your palms by rubbing them together, back and forth.
• Once warm, press your palm against your whole face until the heat begins to fade. Repeat the process for 3 times or more. This is a relaxing sensation to feel the warmth against your facial skin.
• After you have done the step above, use your hands to gently massage your face. There is no need to rub your palms at this point. Just perform a clockwise and counter-clockwise motion as you massage your face using your fingers.

The Bottomline
The above massage techniques are very easy to do on your own, or when you hire a professional massage therapist to do it. According to studies, regularly undergoing facial massage can help eliminate wrinkles, acne, freckles, and other skin impurities on the face.
This will also help your skin to become rosy and bright, which naturally makes you look younger than your age. Think of these benefits the next time you intend to get a facial massage, or before buying expensive creams that promise to achieve the same results.

The Good Things from Deep Tissue Massage

An advance type of massage is used when there is a need to focus on the deeper layers of muscles and tissues in the body. And this is the deep tissue massage. This type of massage is used primarily to treat several physical problems brought about by damaged tissues. An example of such cases are the injuries that athletes receive when playing their sports.

Doctors highly recommend deep tissue massage to help these injured athletes recover and bring them back to top shape and form. Go here to get a great massage

But it is not just the professional athletes who can benefit from deep tissue massage. Anyone can benefit as well. To prove it to you here is a list of the good things that you can get from this type of massage.

Reduction of Chronic Pain

Recent medical research had proven that deep tissue massage is very effective in dealing with chronic pain compared to other medical treatments. This is due to the increase in the flow of blood throughout the body promoted by slow and firm strokes in the deep tissues. The result is fast reduction of inflammation, the main cause of pain in the muscles and tendons.

Muscle tension is also alleviated by deep tissue massage further relieving the patient of discomfort.

Improvement of Blood Pressure

Since deep tissue massage eases tension, it also has a great effect on our blood pressure. Medical studies have shown that deep tissue massage causes an average systolic pressure drop of 10 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure drop of 5 mm Hg.

Massage also relieves stress and increases the body’s production of serotonin, the substance in the body that makes us feel happy and make us feel more positive.

Breaks Up Scar Tissue

Deep tissue massage can get rid of our body’s scar tissue over time. It can even reach a point when not a single trace of scar tissue will remain. This is the main reason why athletes who got injured are given deep tissue massage all throughout their rehabilitation program.

The deep strokes to the tissue improves the drainage in the lymphatic circulation which restores the flexibility of the affected muscle area. This is also the reason why deep tissue massage is given to individuals who had surgery.

Rehabilitates Injured Muscles

Injured muscles can be restored to full health with deep tissue massage. Athletes such as boxers, football players, soccer players and basketball players all benefit from this type of massage when they suffer injuries.With deep tissue massage, the toxins are removed from the muscles which aids in their regeneration.

It also relaxes the muscles which reduces swelling and pain restoring significant levels of motion and flexibility in the affected area better in a short period of time.

These are all the great benefits you and anyone else can get from deep tissue massage. If you got injured in your thigh muscles or just finished a surgery, deep tissue massage can help you get healed fast without the need to take too much medications.

Remedial Massage - What is it about?

There are times when a person strains himself so much that he ends up impairing his muscles and tendons. You usually experience this when you are injured during athletic activities like sports and running. When this happens the body will be in severe pain especially when moving. This is where remedial massage comes into play.

Remedial massage is a type of deep massage that is done to help restore impaired muscles and tendons to their normal state. This is done by systematically targeting deeper areas on the tissues of the muscle and tendons to promote the natural regeneration process.
Remedial massage achieves this since it removes blockages on blood vessels due to damage, removes adhesions and damaged cells.

Remedial massage is not applied until the patient reveals all necessary information about the affected area to the massage therapist or physical therapist. This way the therapist will know where to focus the deep massage treatment. Applying such a massage on a healthy muscle or tendon can lead to injury which is why the information must be accurate.

To verify the massage therapist will do light massages on the area being pointed by the patient. The patient will feel pain after the light massage is applied if the area is the one that needs the remedial massage.

The healing process takes time, but after the application of remedial massage the patient will experience the following results instantly:

• Less pain on the affected area
• Better movement, especially on the joints
• Better mobility and improve flexibility of the muscles
• The patient feels more relaxed all throughout the body
• The patient feels a whole lot better on his/her entire body

Remedial massage also helps in the flushing out of toxins by unclogging blood vessels and promote proper blood circulation. In turn, it also aids in the circulation of nutrients that will help in restoring impaired muscles and tendons.


Lymphatic circulation is also improved through remedial massage. This aids in the reduction of scar tissues since a good lymphatic circulation aids in the development of new tissue cells.

Remedial massage is commonly given to athletes due to them being prone to injury when they play their sports. However, people who do not play any sport can still get injured in their tendons and muscles due to overstrain and accidents. And only with the help of deep tissue massages like the remedial massage can these injuries be dealt with and return you to your normal state.

Before you consider getting yourself into remedial massage treatment you must first consult a doctor. They are the ones who can verify if you really need the massage. If you do not need it the treatment could make your injuries more severe than it is now.

These are all the important things that you need to know about remedial massage. Remember, this is a high level massage that is used to treat injuries. So do not take it casually as you do with relaxing massages that you normally get from spas.

At Total Essence you can get an amazing remedial massage on the Gold Coast

6 Tips For A Better Beauty Sleep

Sleep is important to keep both the mind and the body healthy. If you’re up for a big day, the best way to prepare is to get a good sleep and get your body revitalized and ready for the big day. Here are some tips you can do to get a better beauty sleep.

Listen to natural noise or play relaxing music

Playing relaxing music during bedtime is one of the most popular ways to calm the mind and relax the body for sleep. Some people enjoy the sound of nature, such as the leaves of tall trees dancing with the wind, the ocean breeze, etc.

Avoid listening to upbeat and loud music, especially those with lyrics or someone singing. These songs will activate your brain and make it harder for you to fall asleep.

Avoid eating before bedtime

Snacking before bedtime, particularly sugary foods and grains, will raise your blood sugar, which may inhibit sleep. Also, when you take sweets and your blood sugar drops too low, you may wake up in the middle of the night and find it difficult to fall back asleep.

Snacking before sleep also activates your digestive system, and having a full stomach few minutes before sleeping makes the digestive system work harder, making it also harder for the body to relax and fall asleep.

Sleep in pitch black darkness or as close as possible

Sleeping in a dark room, or as close as possible, can help you get in your ‘sleeping mode’ and keep you in it even when you wake up at the middle of the night.

No TV before bedtime

To make things better, there should be no TV in your bedroom. Late-night TV shows shows and news can be very stimulating, activating your brain in the mood to pay attention and think, making it harder for you to fall asleep when you need it. Also, because it stimulates the brain, it can be disruptive for the pineal gland, the organ in the body that produces melatonin, which is responsible for the body’s biorhythms.

Wear socks to bed

Our feet usually have the poorest circulation when we sleep, making it feel cold first before the rest of our body. Socks can help warm the feet and reduce the chances of night wakings from feeling cold.

Avoid using too-loud alarm clocks

As much as you want to wake up on time and be ready for the big day, it is not healthy for the body to be awoken suddenly. If you really want an alarm clock, opt for a lighter one.