Archive for August, 2010

Lively Up Your Face With Qi Gong

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Want to enhance your youthful glow naturally? Need a complexion pick me up? We’ve got a simple technique that will keep that summer glow a few weeks longer-Facial Qi Gong.

If it’s good enough for the empresses of China then surely it is worth a try. Qi Gong, an ancient healing system dating back 5000 years ago, literally means Qi cultivation. Qi(pronounced chee) is our vital energy that we use daily. So, learning how to cultivate it is a great way to promote health and longevity. The secret to looking younger may be tapped into with this simple breathing technique. It not only boosts Qi, but it guides it to the face leaving you in a calm state with a beautiful glow.

She Essential Beauty’s Facial Qi Gong

1. Sit in a comfortable position with your hands resting on your thighs, palms face up, thumb and index finger together. Breathing should be relaxed and even. Spend a few minutes clearing your mind.

2. Place both hands below your navel in the area known as the “dan tian” (about 1 and ½ inches below the navel). Focus your mind on this point until the area begins to feel warm.

3. In your mind, create a vision of a beautiful ball of energy or light (any color you choose to focus on is fine).

4. Send the energy ball up your midline to the top of your head, and then down the back midline, returning it to the dan tian area where you started.

5. Focusing on your face, inhale and exhale, imaging your pores are opening on each inhale as you take in healthy Qi. On each exhale imagine the skin releasing toxins. Inhale and exhale for 5-10 breaths.

6. Now, send the energy ball up the midline again. When it reaches your chin, let it break in half to the size of two small balls that could fit into your palm.

7. Imagine you are massaging your forehead, temples and cheeks with these balls, visually massaging away wrinkles.

8. Go back to your chin with both energy balls and make one ball travel back down your midline to the dan tian. Hold the energy there and visualize it entering your body, sending healing energy everywhere.

9. Take a few deep breaths to end your practice.

Enjoy!

Laura Kauffmann and Beth Hooper are organic skin care entrepreneurs, co-founders of She Essential Beauty and licensed Acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists.

Posted in Organic skin care | 18 Comments »

Product of the Month-Organic Peppermint Foot Serum

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

As part of our Organic Skin Care 101 series, this week we are focusing on one of our favorite end of summer products.

So, if summer has left your feet a little fried, then we have a great product for you. Our organic peppermint foot serum is formulated with a soothing blend of certified organic ingredients that include peppermint essential oil, jojoba oil, rosehip oil, and green tea extract. Peppermint has been long hailed as a strong anti-inflammatory that is great for calming and healing injuries that are worse in the hot weather.

What makes the feet so important that we would formulate a serum dedicated to them? Well, according to ancient Chinese healers, the foot is a micro-system to the body. Treat the feet, and the whole body benefits. Foot reflexology was introduced to the Chinese culture about 5000 years ago. It has since been used all around the globe as a popular and useful healing system for various ailments. Benefits include, but are not limited to relaxation and stress release, pain reduction, reduction of blood pressure, promoting labor, allergy and sinus relief, reduction of PMS, headaches and back pain.

Whether treating specific reflex points or massaging the foot serum into your legs and feet, the benefits are real. Reflexology charts can be downloaded from the Reflexology Research Project. For more information on Traditional Chinese Medicine and organic skin care visit our home page.

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Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

Essential Oil of the Month-Peppermint

Monday, August 16th, 2010

As part of our Organic Skin Care 101 series, we will be providing useful information about our favorite ingredients, including therapeutic essential oils, Chinese herbs and specialty oils.

As we languish in the end of summer heat, it seems only appropriate to consider one of our all time favorite cooling essential oils-Peppermint (Bo he). Used by traditional healers in China, this herb most notably treats respiratory infections that have a hot presentation (fever, sore throat, yellow nasal discharge). As an essential oil, peppermint can be applied to the forehead by diluting in alcohol (15-20% dilution), or added to baths (2-3 drops) to treat fevers. It can be inhaled to open the sinuses (2-3 drops in a cup of hot water), and directly applied (1 drop) to acupuncture points to calm pms symptoms and relieve cold symptoms. It’s minty fresh aroma combines well with with essential oils like eucalyptus, citrus scents, lavender and tea tree oil.

Emotional Healing

Peppermint is a useful oil to calm irritability, improve mental focus and uplift emotions. It blends well with lemongrass, lavender and bergamot for these effects. You can find these ingredients combined together in our Calm and Rejuvenate Room and Body Sprays and our Lemongrass/Mint Sugar Scrub.

Physical Healing

By itself, or paired with oils like eucalyptus, frankincense and myrrh, peppermint can improve fatigue, relieve stomach pain, calm itching from bug bites, alleviate pain, lower a fever and calm a sore throat.


Mini-Treatments

PMS

Mix 5-8 drops of peppermint essential oil in a a teaspoon of base oil (olive oil, jojoba, sweet almond, etc). Apply 1-2 drops to the following acupuncture points. Hold for one minute on each point for best results.

Pericardium 6: On the palmar aspect of the forearm, about 2 inches above the transverse crease of the wrist, between the two tendons in the center of your arm. These tendons are more visible when you make a fist.

Liver 3: On the dorsum of the foot, in the depression between the 1st two toes.

Cold-Ease

Peppermint can be especially useful when you are experiencing the following cold symptoms: fever, sore throat, stuffy nose with slight yellow discharge.

At the onset of these symptoms apply the above mixture to the following acupuncture points. Hold for one minute for best results. You may also add a few drops to a hot bath, or inhale a steam made with a few drops of peppermint oil and hot water.


Large Intestine 11: With the elbow flexed, the point is on the lateral end of the transverse cubital crease.

Large Intestine 4: On the dorsal side of the hand, between the 1st and 2nd metacarpal bones,in the depression between the thumb and 1st finger.

Laura Kauffmann and Beth Hooper are licensed acupuncturists and Chinese medicine specialists practicing in New York City and co-founders of She Essential Beauty, an organic skin care line formulated to enhance your beauty from within.

Disclaimer: In no way is the information provided here intended to replace or be taken as medical advice. Whenever investigating alternative treatments we recommend you consult your doctor and speak with a trained medical professional.

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Posted in Beauty Ingredients | 17 Comments »

Zucchini Calms the Heart

Monday, August 9th, 2010

Summer is here to stay, it seems. So as we settle in for six more weeks of high temperatures, it is nice to take advantage of the body’s natural ability to easily digest raw, cooling foods. Early August marks the time when our natural circadian rhythm is in full yang mode. As our appetite continues to wane and our energy rises, the body becomes more efficient at utilizing what is being eaten.

Summer foods are notorious for being easily digestible, light and refreshing. During this cleansing time in the seasonal dietary cycle, it is best to stick with simple dishes that can be easily prepared. What comes to mind is that beautiful green summer squash: the zucchini. Loaded with manganese, vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin A and fiber, zucchini ends up being a very important heart-smart vegetable.

Traditional Chinese Medicine theory links summer to the energy of the heart, so there is no better time to prepare and eat veggies that have a calming and strengthening effect on the heart.

Enjoy this vegetable with a balance of flavors, served over toasted bread or rice crackers.

Zucchini Bruschetta

3 medium zucchini
1-teaspoon salt
¼ cup shredded basil
½ cup almonds, chopped
½ cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
1 loaf of ciabatta or favorite toasting bread, use rice crackers for a gluten free option

1. Using a box grater or food processor, coarsely grate zucchini. Place shredded zucchini in the middle of a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, and then squeeze the towel to remove the excess moisture. Repeat until as much liquid as possible has been released. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add garlic, basil, almonds, cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste with extra salt and pepper and lemon juice. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Just before serving, drizzle the remaining olive oil over bread and broil or grill until toasted.

4. Top each slice of bread/cracker with the zucchini and serve.

Laura Kauffmann and Beth Hooper are licensed acupuncturists and Chinese medicine specialists practicing in New York City, and co-founders of She Essential Beauty, an organic skin care line formulated to enhance your beauty from within.

Posted in Beauty and Diet, Seasonal Beauty | 2 Comments »