Help Us Shake A Tail Feather!

We hope this post finds all our friends and neighbors in New York and New Jersey safe, sound and dry with nary a broken branch in their driveway...

Now that Hurricane Irene has finally headed out to sea, we at Believe would like to give you the next thing to get excited about...Hillside Food Outreach's 2011 Dancing With The Stars Benefit. This year, something new has been added..Lisa, the owner of Believe will be dancing as one of the “stars”!

The event will be held October 15th, 2011 at 6 pm at the Matrix Center in Danbury, Connecticut and the $65 ticket price includes a full catered dinner, plus free beer and wine.

Both a Judges Choice and People's Choice winner will be chosen (it costs $10 to cast a People's Choice vote for your favorite dancers.) Judges this year include Gina Bombero of “So You Think You Can Dance,” and former winner himself, Vincent M. Tamagna, Chairman of the Putnam County Legislature, who will be joined by other judges yet to be named.

“Stars” (besides our own Lisa) include Lillian Melchior of Mahopac Marina, cosmetic company owner Donna Berry, financial planner Jesus Lopez, Anthony Mirdita, CFO of Putnam Community Hospital, Allison Stockel, executive director of the Ridgefield Playhouse and Dr. Evan Powderly, principal of Armonk's Byram Hills Middle School. Jeweler David Yurmin is donating a gift of fabulous jewelry for the winner, who also gets a gorgeous trophy.

Since the stars aren't professional dancers, local dance studios donate studio time and three months of lessons to get the dancers in shape. Lisa also promises to give frequent updates on the Believe Facebook page about how training is going. Be sure to go “like” Believe's page here.

Last year's benefit raised $20,000 and Hillside Outreach is hoping to double that this year. The money goes to provide food assistance to families with children, frail, elderly, disabled and housebound individuals. Today, Hillside has brought together over 350 volunteers to home deliver to over 1650 Westchester and Putnam County residents in need and they continue to grow every day, but they need to fund that growth.

“I've been a great supporter of KathyPurdy and the work the staff and volunteers at Hillside Food Outreach do for those in need in our community. Looking out for each other, particularly in these tough times, is what makes living and doing business in this area so rewarding,” says Lisa. “True, I'm no professional dancer, but I will give it my best shot—and have a lot of fun doing it—because it's one more way I can help Hillside meet its goal. I hope to see lots of you come out to support me and this great cause.”

Tickets to the Hillside Food Outreach's Dancing With The Stars Benefit can be purchased on the website at www.hillsidefoodoutreach.org or by calling Westchester 914-747-0095, Putnam 845-225-3393 or Fairfield 203-702-4881or we have tickets here at Believe. Stop on in or give us a call at 914-747-0778.

Say Goodbye to Summer Hair & Skin

Whoosh! Hear that sound? That is summer flying by (does it get shorter every year or just seem that way?) The start of classes is right around the corner, parents are rushing everywhere to get their kids off to school (or—gasp--college) and the lazy days of beach-going and sun-tanning are soon to be behind us...But, even in the midst of this seasonal insanity, you can start getting your hair and skin ready for autumn.

Here's a few hints and tips to try until you can get in to see us at Believe for a good cut, a deep conditioning treatment, some new (not bleached out) color and some fabulous products to hydrate your skin:

Remove the buildup: Between sweat, salt and all the conditioning creams gels, pastes and waxes you've been using to keep your hair from turning into summer straw, your hair cuticle is filled to the brim with products—making it less receptive to even welcome additions. Use this quick at-home recipe to clear out the buildup and get your hair ready for some much-needed moisture: Mix ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar with a quart of distilled water and one tablespoon of nettles or comfrey root (grab it from your garden or a health food store.) Boil the herbs and water together and let them steep for 20 minutes. Cool, strain out the herbs, and mix in the vinegar. Pour it through your hair, let it work for a couple of minutes and then rinse it out. (By the way, if you use this same infusion—in larger quantities—in your bath, you can take the sting out of late-season sunburn and make it turn brown by the next day.)  Then schedule a deep conditioning treatment with us and get our recommendations of what to use to start replacing some of your hair's vital moisture with products like  AESTELANCE PROTEIN & MUD OR AGADIR MOISTURE MASK (smells delicious) and SHINE TREATMENT VIALS that we carry at Believe.

Exfoliate summer scales: Your skin has its own summer version of scaly skin (tanning and peeling create a million little flakes you can't see, but certainly feel in the form of constantly itchy skin.) Use a natural loofah to scrub your skin down every shower and when you have a moment to yourself, put a handful of leftover nuts or seeds (pumpkin or sunflower) along with fresh herbs (like lavender or rosemary) into a clean coffee grinder. Grind till they are a coarse meal. Pour ¼ cup of the meal into a bowl, mix with enough yogurt to make a paste, and rub all over your body. Dry skin left from the summer sun will scrub right off. Once you are smooth as silk, keep it that way with GOAT'S MILK AND ESSENTIAL OILS ZUM BODY LOTION, a fabulous product we have here at Believe. 

(Btw, Goat's milk is very similar to our own skin's PH, so it works awesomely with our bodies.)

Emergency hair conditioner: If you cram in that last-minute day at the beach and your hair tells the tale, use this emergency conditioner until you can get in to see us at Believe for that deep conditioning treatment your hair really needs: Pour a shot of vodka and a few drops of any essential oil, a half of a ripe avocado and some mayonnaise into a blender. Mix it together, slather on your hair, wait 20 minutes and rinse. Voila! Shiny, healthier hair (but this is only a stop-gap measure. Your scalp and hair cuticle need a serious assessment and long-lasting products. We've got both at Believe.)

Way too soon the cool winds of autumn will come along, ready to play havoc with your hair and skin (followed closely by that time when we cover all exposed part with mufflers and scarves and hide our much-abused hair under scratchy hats, compounding the damage.) Call us for an appointment at Believe, now! Make the time to give your hair and skin the deep conditioning, moisturizing, cut and color you need to face the changing seasons looking and feeling your best. 

Enjoy the last days of summer and we hope to see you soon at Believe.

You Deserve To Be Treated Like Royalty

Legend has it that thousands of years ago an emperor named Shen Nung was traveling through his empire, when he grew thirsty and a servant was dispatched to find water. What the servant brought back was brackish and foul—not fit to pass the lips of the ruler, but it was the only liquid available. 

So Shen Nung, being a resourceful leader, ordered the water to be boiled. When it was sufficiently boiled, the water was again presented to the Emperor. At that moment, a leaf blew into the Emperor's cup, who took it as a sign, so he left the leaf in until it had steeped and tea--as a drink for royals --was born.

Some teas were just for the royal court and White Tea was given as tribute to the Emperor himself. It was the tea used for the original (and now famous) Japaneses Tea Ceremony. Love of this particular tea grew and by 1885, tea plants were cultivated (and grafted) to specifically develop White Tea.

But the Chinese couldn't keep this wonder plant to themselves forever. Recently the benefits of White Tea have become known in the West, where it was discovered that the tea not only offered health benefits when drunk (it is full of antioxidants and may lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and even prevent cancer) but was an amazing addition to beauty products as well.

At Believe, we carry a line from Scruples called the White Tea Luxury Collection including:

Sulfate Free | Restorative Shampoo

Sulfate free, fade resistant formula

Restores and nourishes hair leaving it silky, shiny and soft

Gently cleanses while preserving salon hair color and texture services

Protects and tames hair

Use as a body wash for luxuriously soft skin

and...

Soothing Daily Conditioner

Tames, detangles, smoothes, seals and improves hair's integrity

Extends the life of your hair color and texture investment

Weightless formula for daily use

Enriched with nourishing botanicals and vitamins

Leaves hair unbelievably silky and shiny

We are happy to order the other fabulous products in the White Tea Luxury Collection like Restorative Conditioner, Magical Serum, Medium Hold Gel, Leave-In Miracle Foam Conditioner,
Satin Paste, Velvet Molding Gloss and Embrace Luxury Hold Hair Spray if you absolutlely fall in love with the line (and we think you just might.)

What is so special about the White Tea line from Scruples?

• Acts as a moisturizing lotion for hair, adding radiance, shine and condition.
• Contains sunscreen to help prevent hair color from fading.
• Provides thermal protection from heated styling tools.
• Creates unbelievable body and manageability.
• Makes a great styling cocktail when combined with any Scruples styling product for added conditioning.
• Remarkable perm pre-wrap to protect and condition.
• Add to hair color and lighteners for extra moisture and scalp protection.
• For a porosity equalizer, apply to hair prior to refreshing the ends with hair color.

So don't the salt and sun of Summer wreck havoc with your hair. Treat yourself like royalty with Scruples White Tea Luxury Collection. Come in and try this fabulous line of products at Believe.

(Psssst: Hurry in. The Scruples products are on-sale right now!)

Light Up Your Face--Highlights and Lowlights

Have you ever seen a really bad hair-coloring job? You know the type that looks like a bottle of ink got spilled on someone's head? (This is often seen on men who grab a box of Just for Men and dye their own grey away. Guys: Step away from the dye bottle!)

At Believe, we've seen (and fixed) quite a few.

The reason bad dye jobs look so ...well, bad, is that nature didn't give us one color hair, but multiple colors that blend into the rich tapestry making our color shine. Whether its the gorgeous copper tones in brunette hair, shiny platinum in blonde hair, or that hint of lovely dark blue that shimmers for those of you lucky enough to possess jet black hair.

So what to do if your base color is fading or grey hairs are showing up to make you look older than your years? Come into Believe to get your hair colored but consider adding highlights or lowlights to bring out the depth and beauty of your hair.

We all grew up with home highlighting kits and probably spent at least one Saturday afternoon having our friend paint on highlights for us (this was probably not the same friend we let iron our hair on our mother's ironing boards--since we stopped speaking to her after that scorching incident.) As we should have learned then, but bears repeating now: Do not try highlighting at home. This really is a job for professionals (like us here at Believe.)

Highlights and lowlights are spot hair color processes. Depending on what look you wish to achieve, they can be used separately.

Highlights are when thin or thick strands of hair are lightened (at least two shades lighter than the rest of your hair and this doesn't have to mean you make your highlights shades of blonde only. Got dark brown hair? Consider caramel highlights or brown highlights with black hair.) Try not to go more than three shades lighter than your hair color (unless you are opting for rock-star highlights like lavender, electric blue or crayon yellow. In that case, throw the rule book out the window and let's rock!)

The object of highlights is to brighten up your color and draw attention to your face (that's why highlights are applied to frame your features.) Add as many or few as you like—we can always add more—and remember, the thinner the highlight, the more natural the look. If you want them to stand-out, go for chunky highlights. Also, you don't have to refresh your highlights every time you come get your hair colored (unless you want to change out the tone for another.) Every other time will do.

Lowlights can also pump up the drama in your hair—but in a more subtle way. For these, think or thick strands are made two or three shades darker than your natural color. (Because they are less noticeable, lowlights have to be refreshed only every third time or so you visit Believe to have your color done.)

Of course, you don't have to stick to either high or lowlights alone. You can mix it up by asking for tri-colors! Highlights are added near the top of your hair (to make you shine like the star you are) and lowlights near the bottom (to give the illusion of more volume and dimension.) Tri-colors are tricky things. It takes a little artistry to get the right look (good thing Lisa, the owner of Believe is one of the few Master Colorists in Westchester, eh?)

Call at Believe and make an appointment to come in for a consultation. We'll be happy to show you how highlight, lowlights and tri-colors can add some va-voom to your color. You'll be turning heads in no time!

Baby Skin

There is little on earth smoother than a baby's skin and keeping it that way just takes a little know-how. So, whether you've just had a baby or have the joy of caring for a new grandchild, here's a little refresher on how to keep that bundle of joy's skin healthy, soft and sweet-smelling.

Some Problems You Might See

• Diaper Rash: This is the rash most often seen on a baby's skin. It can be caused by diapers that are too tight, wet diapers left on too long or even an allergy to diapers, detergents or baby wipes. Make sure you do baby's laundry in mild detergent (fragrance-free and hypoallergenic) and avoid fabric softener. Use wipes with no chemicals, change the baby often, and let the little one go diaper-less (on a towel) if he or she does develop diaper rash. Air is the best cure.
• Prickly Heat: Small pinkish red bumps appear on babies (usually during the summer or in an overheated house in the winter) around their neck, armpits, diaper area or skin folds. They are caused by a baby sweating. Dress the baby in layers and unwrap them one-by- one when they start heating up. They really won't get a chill.

Acne: Yes, even newborns get acne! It starts in the womb, when babies are exposed to their mother's hormones, which boosts oil production in the skin. Clogged oil glands lead to pimples. Don't do anything to them―they will clear up by themselves in a few weeks.

• White Bumps or Milia: 50% of newborns get these little white bumps on their nose and face. These are caused by dry baby skin that blocks oil glands. These, too, will go away in a few weeks.
  
  

How to Care For Baby's Skin

• Ditch The Powder: Remember the old days when we all powdered babies' bottoms? No more. Experts are worried that babies can inhale fine particles of talcum powder, causing them lung trouble. Corn starch-based powders are safer, but yeast, which causes diaper rash, feeds on cornstarch, so you may want to do away with it, too.

Watch For Sunburn: Avoid direct sun if the baby is under 6 months old (they burn and dehydrate much too quickly). After 6 months, buy a cute baby hat (that covers their forehead and the back of the neck), take an umbrella, and use strong sunscreen developed especially for babies. You can even put zinc oxide on baby's ears, lips and nose. Sunglasses are good, too, to protect the little person from the sun's bright rays. But, if you took every precaution and the baby still gets mild sunburn, apply a cool cloth to the area for 10-15 minutes a few times a day. For more severe sunburn, get the baby to the pediatrician.

Make Bath-Time Relaxing: Temperature is the thing babies complain about most when it comes to the bath. Test the temperature of the water with your wrist or elbow. It should be around 90 degrees. Keep a warm, wet washcloth on the baby's tummy for the duration of the bath, which, for infants, should last about 5 minutes. Wash the baby with a hair and bath product like Indigo Wild's Wee Bar Soap from their Lavender Lullaby Collection. The gorgeous scent will calm the baby down, while making him/her smell great, too. Pat, rather than rub, the baby dry afterwards.

Try Baby Massage: Put the baby on his/her back. Use a mild lotion like Indigo Wild's Wee Body Lotion. Warm it in your hand and rub gently around baby's face and temples, then down the tummy, using a circular motion. Rub each little finger and then down to the legs and feet, gently rotating the ankles and remembering to rub each toe. Turn the baby over and do the neck, shoulders and back. (Easy does it on the pressure.) Having listened to your soft voice and followed by being wrapped in a snuggly nightgown, the baby is ready for a great night's sleep (which, if you are watching a baby, you can certainly use, too).

At Diaper Changing Time: Indigo Wild also makes a lavender-scented Wee Rub for use on baby's bottom (instead of those medicinal smelling ointments) and even makes Lavender Lullaby Wee Mist to spritz the general area of the aromatic diaper pail (it works great on stinky summer dogs, too!)

We carry all of Indigo Wild's Lavender Lullaby products for babies (we always send them out as gifts to our friends who are expecting or have just welcomed a baby!). All are hand-made with totally organic ingredients like goat's milk, meadow foam seed oil, shea butter and sunflower oil. They smell so good, you'll never go back to Johnson & Johnson products again. Stop by Believe and see the whole line and congratulations on your new addition!