Not many people are blessed with the good fortunes of having beautifully smooth and clear skin and many of us suffer from common problems such as excessively dry or oily skin. These problems have baffled scientists for years but in recent times scientists and industry experts have come together to solve the great mystery.

Most skin problems are in fact a result of imbalances in the skin and people not eating the right things. Luckily for us the clever guys at Skinceuticals have come up with some great skin care products to help people rejuvenate our skin. Skinceuticals have been around since 1997 and work on the ethos that all their products are back by science. So effectively they have tested and retested their products to ensure that they do work. This is particularly important within our industry as consumers have mistrust as to whether products actually work.

At Heaven Spa we have recently taken stock of the Skinceuticals range and are excited by the prospect of being able to share it with our consumers. The skinceuticals skin care products vary from body polish to body firming lotion. Like most of our products the Skinceuticals range is at the premium end of the market and you will often read about celebrities using the products.

To help keep your skin looking smooth and healthy we recommend you use some form of skincare on a daily basis. It is also important to look after your health and body on a day to day basis. Regular exercise and eating healthily can make a world of difference.

Over the last few years the number of gym memberships has risen significantly and more and more people are working to lose those pounds. This has been part of a national initiative and it has been interesting to see the diverse gym patterns that have occurred. Some people like to go to the gym before work while others like to go after. In fact many people will go from work to the gym and then straight out again. The problem with this is that people don’t want to go home to change but rather go out straight from the gym. The problem is people don’t feel fresh after a long shower at the gym.

This is where Solar Sport can help. They have a fantastic range of anti-perspirant, shaving oil and foot spa spray products. These are not only made with the gym enthusiast in mind but also come at very reasonable prices. At Heaven Spa we stock most the Solar Sport product range and can give you expert advice on any of the products.

We are also able to see these products in use first hand as one of our salons is in the famous Hilton building in Manchester which of course has a huge gym facility. We have had some great feedback on the product range.

Who thought it would ever be possible? We all want to do our part for the environment and at Heaven Spa we are no exception as we want to help you do your bit by providing you with alternative eco friendly skin care products. A while ago we came across a company called Pevonia Botanica who we thought had a particularly interesting ethos.

We liked Pevonia Botanica because they had some strong values which we think makes them different from other manufacturers. Firstly they are completely against animal testing and they believe in producing sustainable products. All Pevonia botanica skin care products contain natural marine and botanical elements and the packaging used is completely recyclable. So it’s not just the product but also the packaging and processes that make Pevonia Botanica an environmentally friendly company.

So you can really do your bit for the environment while making yourself look beautiful. We stock a great range of body and skin care products from Pevonia Botanica. If you would like any advice on these products then don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Well we could follow authors Cynthia Rowley & Ilene Rosenzweig’s guide to turning heads but for this blog post we are going to take our own approach. Incidentally their book ‘Swell Style – A Girls Guide To Turning Heads’ is a great read and definitely worth checking out. They give a more complete guide and we love the tone that they adopt throughout the book.

Fabulous, darlingness! It’s all about peplums and shoulder pads. Chartreuse is the new black this season. A bateau neck with a three-quarter sleeve on a five-eighths coat with a full-circle skirt? Forbidden! Leopard is my passion this spring. Fashion tortures us, yet it makes us weep…

Swell Style – A Girls Guide To Turning Heads - Cynthia Rowley & Ilene Rosenzweig

Anyway on our guide. We think one of the secrets to looking good is through the hair. A fabulous hair style can really make or break an outfit. Having the right hair style to complement the outfit is essential.

So what to do with your hair! Well there are so many options. Do we go straight, do we curl it, do we put it up in a fancy twist or do we go for the rough and ready look. Again it’s got to go with the outfit but what is essential is that you have the right tools to style your hair.

We recommend the T3 Tourmaline straighteners range. This is because the operate at good temperatures and give a great quality finish. The beauty is that you can do anything you want with your hair once you have straightened it.

So go on girls get your T3 Tourmaline straighteners out and give your hair that added edge. You will be guaranteed to turn heads.

Your current pair of straighteners has just died and you’re left with the life changing dilemma of which straighteners to buy next. This difficult decision would ruffle anyone’s feathers so at Heaven Spa we have decided to give you a little helping hand in making your decision. To gain an insight into what brand people love best and where people are getting the best experiences we ran a poll on Facebook. The poll asked 97 women what are your favourite hair straighteners?

The results in someway are fairly surprising. We expected the GHD’s to come up highly as they have an excellent product and the marketing for the product is quite staggering. Despite the early safety worries with GHD’s they have gone on to create high quality and reliable straighteners. The biggest surprise from the results is the performance of She. At Heaven Spa we see She Hair straighteners as an up and coming product and many of our customers have been asking about them. At our salons we like to let customers try out different straighteners.

The other surprise was how close Remington and Babyliss came together. We thought that people would either favour one or the other as they both offer quite similar products and at reasonable prices. It maybe the case that people test both brands and that the difference between the two is minimal.

Other things to consider include budget and usage. GHD’s for example are expensive but you are paying for the unrivalled quality. Whereas if you are on a budget then you may wish to consider Remington or Babyliss straighteners. From the poll we can see these products are popular with people and they are known for their sturdiness. If you are really flash then you may want to consider purchasing a pair of GHD straighteners for everyday use and then a secondary cheap pair of straighteners for travelling. This seems to be a popular option at the moment.

Whichever straighteners you decide to buy Heaven Spa can help. We sell a range of straighteners including GHD straighteners and She Hair straighteners.

With the credit crunch and a possible recession around the corner more and more people are staying at home this summer. However just because we are staying in the UK it doesn’t mean we can’t all enjoy a summer tan. Fake Bake has launched an excellent self tanning range which includes Fake Bake tanning kits and Fake Bake gold body polish. These fantastic products give you a more natural look compared to most self tanning products.

We have all read the horror stories about people turning orange from fake tan products but you can rest assured with Fake Bake products. This is because their products are made using a unique and advanced formula which again gives a more natural finish and tone to your skin. Fake Bake products are also at the premium end of the market so you are therefore paying for quality.

Early testing at our salons showed great results and we recommend this range over many other leading products. If you are serious about tanning then we reckon you should try out the Fake Bake range and read the great guides available for using the products.

Heaven Spa’s YouTube venture has so far been very successful. Not only did our videos attract the interest, we also received some very enlightening and encouraging comments from the viewers.

One of such comments came from Alex who was looking for advice on how to improve the condition of his hair, damaged by chemical straightening and blow-drying. “I have medium-length hair which has been chemically straightened, as it is naturally curly, then cut and layered”, he wrote, “but every time I wash my hair and go to blow-dry it, as I have always been suggested to do to make my hair go straight, then while a lot of my hair is healthy-looking and going straight and dry with the heat of the blow-dryer, some places are not, they go brittle and dry, and really dead-looking. I guess the problem is there even before I start blow-drying”.

In spite of using some repairing products (namely, Redken Extreme Shampoo and a few others), Alex was yet unable to solve his problem. His situation was aggravated by the fact that for a period of time prior to chemical straightening he did not take good care of his hair.

We forwarded Alex’s message to Josh Lowe who has spent over 20 years in hairdressing industry, is a platform artist for Redken and one of the UK’s Redken-certified colourists, and is our Creative Director. This is Josh’s response:

“The root cause of the problem has been the chemical relaxer. It has nearly the same PH and active ingredients as hair removal cream, so it needs some ER care. Firstly, if your conditioner is not the best for the problem you will not lock in all the benefits of the shampoo and protect the hair from further damage. Your best buy would be the Redken Extreme Conditioner. This product will maintain the strength of the hair.

The effect of the relaxer on your hair is that it has damaged the outer structure of the hair - the cuticle - which the Extreme will help reinforce and repair. The damaged cuticle is causing the hair a serious moisture loss, so the next step is to treat your hair every 2 to 3 wash with a moisture treatment. The best for this would be Redken All Soft Silk Fuel. Follow the instructions on the box, you may decrease the frequency of this treatment when you observe noticeable results. Finally, keep using your other redken products . When it comes to styling, you should use a heat protector - Redken Smooth Down Sleek Obedience - worked in to damp hair before styling, and reapply before straightening.
Best of luck and happy styling. Josh”

We hope that Alex and anyone of you who experience the same problem will find the above advice useful. You will notice the links in the post to our new shop where you can purchase the products. As we have recently redeveloped the site, there is a slim possibility that you may encounter problems using it. Please be patient and remember that you can always contact us by email or by phone on 0161 448 8786.

MY FAVOURITES:
1. Water Wax 03 + Glass 01 for high gloss finish and soft definition.
2. Align 12 + Outshine 01 for frizz control 3. Ringlet 07 + Rewind 06 for naturally curly hair, layer or twist curls into shape for defined look.

MY TIP:
Use Workforce 09 on wet hair for durable but soft end result.

MY LOOKS:
Definition/Movement
Forceful 23 and Rewind 06 on wet hair blow dry and finish with Workforce 09.

Straight/Smooth
Apply Workforce 09 throughout hair and blend Glass 01 with Align 12 in palms, then apply evenly. Blow-dry each section using a bristle brush and cool dry for the best results.

Volume
Use Workforce 09 and Satinwear 02 on fine/normal hair. Use Workforce 09 on wet and dry hair especially at the roots.