Hasta La Ideas The Adventures of Star Wars Figurines in Nature Archives

Jul 20

After Sun Skincare

Posted in: gels, healthy, hydration, lotions, Sun, vitamins

Eight ways to hydrate your skin for a year-round glow

The days of “hydrating” skin with deep tanning oil while baking in the sun are over. In today’s educated world, a high-powered sunscreen is only the foundation for maintaining healthy skin and avoiding damage. Anyone spending time outside in the summer months, whether relaxing on the beach or doing a little urban farming, should counterbalance exposure to UV rays even after the sun goes down. From gels to serums, here are eight ways to keep your skin glowing year round.

SMN Aloe Vera Face and Body Gel

The Santa Maria Novella Aloe Vera Face and Body Gel glides smoothly across skin and is easily absorbed, with a consistency more like a light lotion than a gel, and great for everyday use. Not surprisingly, the gel from this legendary Florentine perfumery packs a pleasant floral fragrance that you won’t mind applying to your face and body. The aloe vera gel sells online and in SMN stores for $40 per 250ml bottle.

Mario Badescu After Sun Cooling Gel

From one of NYC’s most loved spas is the Mario Badescu After Sun Cooling Gel, a water-based moisturizer that calms skin with ingredients like rose extract, aloe, sorbitol and menthol. While non-greasy, the toner-like consistency of the gel lays on the skin slightly before absorbing—perfect for when your body is need of some serious hydration. Store it in the fridge for optimal cooling effect. Pick up the gel online or in person at their New York location for $14 per 6-oz bottle.

Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gelly

With a traditional aloe vera gel texture, the Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera Gelly is like the kind you slathered on as a kid, but made with better ingredients. The organic topical really aids the skin’s healing process, cooling it down with aloe and soothing it with vitamins A, E and C. The gel sells in-store at Whole Foods, Life Thyme Market and other health markets or online from Amazonfor $9 per 8-oz tube.

Aesop Petitgrain Hydrating Body Gel

Aesop one-ups the classic aloe vera gel by adding petitgrain—an essential oil made from the leaves of orange trees—as well as Witch Hazel, grapefruit and lemon peel oils for the most in healing power. The mix, which feels best after time spent in the refrigerator, spreads easily on the skin and absorbs quickly. The hydrating body gel sells online or from Aesop stores around the world for $33 per 4.1oz tube or $95 for a large 16.9fl oz bottle.

Organix Body Wash Tea Tree Peppermint

Ideal for daily use, Organix’s Tea Tree Peppermint body wash is great for permanent beach bums or anyone with dry skin. The slightly tingly mint cools skin while the silica from the bamboo extract relieves irritation and helps the body absorb the essential teatree oils more easily. Pick it up from Amazon for $8 per 13-oz bottle.

REN Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk

REN’s Hydra-Calm Cleansing Milk reduces redness first and foremost, but like all REN products, the ultra-fortifying face and body wash contains a high amount of bioactive ingredients to really heal dehydrated skin. Omegas 3 and 7 reduce inflammation, calendula treats radiation burn with its anti-viral properties and fennel seed helps ward off impending environmental factors—from driving away mosquitos to eliminating the common cold. The cleansing milk sells from REN for $32 per 150ml bottle.

Glo Therapeutics 15% Vitamin C Serum

High in anti-oxidants, Glo Therapeutics’ 15% Vitamin C Serum is a lot like spreading orange juice all over your face. The somewhat sticky serum effectively works to strengthen skin cells and reduce the aging effects the sun and other free radicals impart. Pick up the serum online for $95 per 1 fl oz bottle.

Håkansson Vitamin Spray Passion Fruit

Witch Hazel, aloe vera juice, absorbic acid, tea tree oil and more make up Håkansson’s Passion Fruit vitamin spray, which not only helps heal irritated skin, but also feels fresh and light going on. The spray is a great way to keep your skin hydrated on the go, or keep it in your desk drawer for a quick revival when feeling the effects of dry office air. Buy it directly from Håkansson for $33 per 3.8-oz bottle.

Jul 03

Hydration Education

Posted in: drink, flightattendants, flights, hydration, sponsored

Tips and tricks to battle sky-high dehydration

Ask any frequent flier for their tips on how to land at your destination feeling refreshed, and proper hydration will surely rank at the top of the list. Because the level of humidity in most airplane cabins can dip as much as 55% lower than that in a typical room on the ground, passengers must work especially hard to make sure they compensate for the extra-dry air.

The key, says trainer and fitness expert Jennifer Cohen, lies in battling dehydration before you even get off the ground. “The bottom line is, people don’t drink enough water,” she says. “Dehydration causes other maladies, aches and pains, and can mask many other things including fluctuating hormone levels.” So, not only does Cohen recommend drinking at least 30-50% more than the sea-level recommendation of 64 ounces a day, but, she says, avoiding foods high in dehydrating sodium in favor of those with a high water content (lettuce, cucumber, jicama) is crucial as well. Besides water, which Cohen says goes down easier—read: quenches your cells more quickly—liquids like herbal tea and aloe water help the body stay hydrated.

Carolyn Paddock of In-Flight Insider, the lead flight attendant for a privately held Gulfstream IV corporate jet, has flown more than 10 million miles. “Dehydration in flight is no small matter,” she says. “For passengers, it ranges from discomfort to fatigue. For pilots and flight attendants, it’s critical that they keep their bodies, but more importantly, their brains, hydrated so that they can function at full capacity for a safe flight.”

During Paddock’s many years in the air she’s learned a few tricks to share with her fellow travelers. In addition to regular water she suggests drinking coconut water, which is rich in minerals and electrolytes, before and after flying. In some cases airlines have added coconut water to their beverage options, and brands like Purity Coconut Water have engineered the formula in single-serve powder packs that travelers can carry on through security and mix with fresh water during the flight.

Paddock also recommends packing a carry-on with pure saline eye drops and a non-medicated nose spray like Ocean to help keep nasal passages from drying out. Bioponic Phytoceuticals makes a nose spray with tumeric root and spearmint called Flight Spray that helps alleviate dryness and enhance the body’s ability to fight infection. It’s also important not to neglect one’s skin, which can dry out quickly while in the air. The sign of a seasoned jet setter—one-ounce moisturizer on-hand to apply frequently throughout the flight.

Veteran flight attendants reassure us that they’re always willing and ready to keep coming back with water during the flight, and self-proclaimed “travel insider” John DiScala (AKA Johnny Jet) offers up a helpful hint that goes beyond just skipping alcohol and caffeine, two more notorious dehydrators. “Choose an aisle seat,” he says, “because you’ll be getting up often, but you won’t get dehydrated.”

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