Loving your Products!

I wake up with the light breaking through my curtains warming my face; I respond with a rebellious grunt and immediately grab my pillow and cover my eyes to prolong my much needed slumber. Tulip, my eccentric cat, sits across from my bed, on my vanity table and proceeds to knock my lipstick on to the floor, followed by my hairbrush, my compact bronzer, and anything else she deems appropriate. The faint sound of accordion from a busker on a nearby road, finds its way into my bedroom soon to be drowned out by hour-indicating chimes alerting me that I can no longer procrastinate the beginning of my daytime routine.

I walk over to my bathroom in a manner that is comparable to that of the walking dead. I open my shower door and close it behind me, the sound it makes seems amplified by my current state of exhaustion. I turn the dial and let the warm water wash over my face and rinse my skin as I rid my mind of the cumbersome thoughts of the night before.

I want you to be excited about your beauty products! Do you love your cleanser? What do you love about it? Is it the smell? The way it lathers? The way it makes your skin look and feel? If you don’t love it, why are you still using it?

Think of the way we experience wine and I use that word intentionally because I don’t drink wine, I experience it. The sommelier brings the bottle to the table. He displays it on his arm. He describes the notes and discusses the qualities of that specific year. He uncorks the bottle. He pours it slowly. I take the glass and smell the fragrant aromas of each note. I spin the wine in the glass and admire the colour. I take a sip and hold it on my palette for a moment before I swallow.

Why don’t we take that kind of care and enjoyment in our beauty products?

Here are my suggestions:

Ask an expert! It can be overwhelming looking at so many options, let us guide you through the cosmetic labyrinth.
Stop choosing whatever is cheapest! There is a reason professionals use the products they do. It isn’t about treating yourself to a luxury item, it’s about using a quality product.
Identify your main concerns and the results you hope to achieve. Buy products that address those concerns. Don’t just buy something because your friends like it, their skin is not your skin.
Sample the product. If you aren’t happy with it, exchange it!
Give away your collection of lipsticks that you wore one time and never liked.
Don’t feel bad about being drawn to cute packaging, its ok! I love the way my perfumes looks on my vanity table and I display them proudly.
Pick products that are sensorial. Enjoy the smells and textures.
Use your products as directed, trust me, there are reasons why you shouldn’t leave that hair mask in overnight.

Read beauty blogs, visit a cosmetic counter, go to the salon and start a conversation about beauty and let an expert’s enthusiasm influence you. Beauty is as much about how you feel as it is about how you look.
Visit York Street Spa and chat with our front line, they would love to guide you to the products you will love!

Healthy Hair Growth

I sit at the edge of my bathtub and wait patiently for the water to rise to a suitable height. The bubbles collide into each other, combusting and releasing the scent of rosemary into the air.

Pampering your scalp is one of the best things you can do for your hair, specifically in regards to hair growth. The best thing you can do to encourage hair growth is to give your scalp a healthy growing environment. To achieve this, I recommend investing in a hair growth system, and I say system with intention because these products really do work best together. Most systems consist of shampoo, conditioner, and scalp treatment and can be purchased through your salon or professional hair care retailer. These items can also be purchased at York Street Spa!

Shampoos for thinning hair exfoliate the scalp. The corresponding conditioners are thickening, which means they expand your hair cuticles for a more “plush” look. The scalp treatments stimulate the scalp and prevent the follicles from getting clogged again. Scalp treatments are applied after you get out of the shower and are not rinsed out after application.

The number one question I get is: DO THEY REALLY WORK? My answer is YES! But we need to be realistic. A hair growth system is going to give you the healthiest growing environment, does that mean all of you hair is going to grow back the way it looked 20 years ago? No. Results normally take about 4 weeks to take effect with best results after 12 weeks. You need to be patient.

Here is what you need to know:
Often clients will tell me “oh that’s too much work for me”, it’s time to get realistic! It’s only one additional step and if you want to see results you need to make the sacrifice. Massage the scalp treatment into the scalp when you apply is to stimulate circulation.

Many clients with fine hair are reluctant to use a conditioner because they fear it will make their hair oily or weigh it down. Hair growth conditioners are formulated to avoid these issues. Hair growth shampoos can be drying for the hair due to the clarifying ingredients so be sure you condition each time you cleanse.

You may see more hair fall the first few times you wash with a hair growth system, that’s normal. The excess hair that falls is the hair that was stuck in what was clogging you follicles being cleansed away. It’s a good thing. You may also experience a bit of redness around the scalp after use. This is rare but harmless. It is blood rushing the surface from the stimulation of the products; also a good thing.

So which hair growth system do I recommend? I like the Invati by Aveda. Invati can reduce hair loss by 33% and uses 97% natural ingredients. I enjoy the natural smell and I find the texture very lightweight. I have been using hair growth systems for many years now and Invati is by far my favorite. Try styling with the Aveda Thickening Tonic to add a fuller look. Learn more at: www.aveda.com/invati Here at York Street Spa our Stylists and Front Line team have all of the information you need about healthy hair growth! Visit us in store or call us at 613 562 2121 for more information!

Manicures + Pedicures

In this article we are going to focus on your next manicure/pedicure, specifically we will discuss the wonderful upgrade with shellac.

Here at York Street Spa, we use the CND Shellac brand.

Is shellac a gel?
Shellac is actually a form of permanent nail polish. Shellac has a unique eight-patent formula, is the only non-damaging, long-lasting polish that doesn't require soaking, filing or roughing of the natural nail. It also fast drying so after your manicure or pedicure, you won’t need to wait as long for the drying process.

Shellac typically lasts a good 2-3 weeks, this taking into consideration how rough you are with your hands, if you use your hands for hard labor, you can expect minor chipping after a week and a half. Luckily at YORK STREET SPA if in the event you damage a nail, we fix your nail free of charge!

Should I remove Shellac at home?
Though we usually remove our regular polish at home with normal polish removal, shellac’s removal process is a little more detailed than that.
When it comes to removal, CND Shellac should never be filed, peeled or scraped off. This damages your real nail.
The York Street Spa team are more than happy to remove the shellac for you, again free of charge. We use a nourishing remover that is acetone-based, but is infused with macadamia and vitamin E oils to condition the nail and avoid damaging it or the surrounding skin. This remover is applied and sits on the nails for about 5 to 8 minutes.

What should I do to get shellac?
Before you choose Shellac, it is recommended that your nails are healthy and well pampered before applying this type of polish, which of course calls for a manicure, pedicure or both!

So call us on 613-562-2121 or mail us at info@yorkstreetspa.com to book an appointment for your Shellac

AVEDA, The Green Future!

We Support a Green future with AVEDA!
As many of us are concerned about the health of our planet, we here at York Street Spa share the same concerns.
As a result we at York Street Spa have chosen as our partner AVEDA, who share the same concerns about our planet and humanity.

What is AVEDA?

AVEDA was founded by Horst Rechelbacher, he had a vision with determination to bring something different to the world of beauty.
The AVEDA brand itself, consists of hair care, lotions, essential oils and many other products. Using responsible packaging to ensure unnecessary waste is taken into strong consideration, using the art of science of pure flower and plant essences; AVEDA believes that nature is the best beauty artist of all. They continually strive to increase their use of naturally derived ingredients wherever possible. Derived ingredients consist more than 50% of the molecules from plant, non-petroleum mineral, water and other natural source which do not impact negatively on the eco systems sustaining them.
If you wish to read more regarding AVEDA products, you can visit their website www.aveda.com to look into further details on their story, in-depth product information and their mission for making their brand a positive impact on the environment.

Where can I get AVEDA products?

York Street Spa is a proud partner of AVEDA, giving an ease on your mind that in the process of providing you the best grooming products we are also ensuring about giving a positive impact to our planet. We have several of AVEDA’s products in our store, all members of our staff are educated to assist you on what product fits your needs, from soaking salts to men and women’s hair care and essential oils.
All walk-ins are welcome, stop by and ask any of our staff what your concerns are in terms of your hair, nails and skin. We are located in the Byward Market in downtown Ottawa, right beside the “OTTAWA” picture perfect monument with the large red doors!
Come on by and choose a product which will not only make you look great but you can go home feeling like you’ve made a difference to reducing waste and chemicals of our planet.

Here is our retails on the main floor of our spa!