Body, Bath & Beauty Blog

Stop Post-Shower Sweating

ryanny — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:46:52 +0000

It’s summer, it’s hot, and we start to wonder why we were so anxious for this all winter. Well, it IS a lot better than the cold, but there are undeniably things about the heat that are frustrating. For me, one of the most frustrating things about heat is sweating. This is especially irritating when you just get out of the shower you took to cool off and immediately start sweating. Here are some tips for preventing this problem:

Gradually reduce the water temperature in your shower. This will help you cool off and won’t be as shocking as a cold shower. Focus on your hair as it gets cold. Hot water can get trapped in your hair and continue keeping you hot even after your shower. This is also a way of preventing dry skin in the winter, so you might as well make it a year-round routine.

Pat yourself dry, rather than rubbing. Rubbing causes friction between you and your towel, which creates heat as a result. It probably doesn’t seem like it would do that much, but using each of these little steps to stay cool adds up to a lot of difference in the long run. Patting dry also pushes air against your body which is helping cool your body too. Again, this is another way to prevent dry skin in the winter. Patting dry keeps the moisture your skin needs IN your skin. So once again, make it part of your routine year-round.

If the air is hot your clothes are hot too. Find a way to cool them off while you shower. The least you can do is lay them out on your bathroom floor, which is especially effective if you have a tiled floor. The floor will be the coolest place possible, and any heat in the clothing will rise and leave the clothes. If you seriously need to cool off though, try putting your clothes in the freezer while you’re in the shower! It may sound extreme, but there’s no shame if it stops the sweats after your shower.

Ventilate the hot humid air from the shower. Humidity harbors heat. Basically, the more humid the air is the faster it can rise in temperature. Obviously you want to turn a vent on if you have one in your bathroom. That’s the whole concept of bathroom fans (besides the obvious stinky reason). Do as much as you can to get that hot, humid air out though. Open windows as much as you can (unless you have AC). Also, put a regular fan in the bathroom to blow air on you while you pat dry. In the winter this would dry your skin too much, but in the summer you can afford to do it. The air blowing past your skin with help keep you cool and prevent sweating.

Tips On Tweezer Tips

ryanny — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:36:44 +0000

Ever wonder what all those different types of tweezer tips are for? Here’s a quick breakdown of when and why you’d want to use each one:

Slant Tip: Preferred tip for eyebrow shaping and general tweezing. The flat edge of the slant quickly tweezes large surfaces; flip the tweezers to use the pointed edge for precision tweezing (see our 4860).

Rounded Tip: Great for sensitive skin and people new to tweezing. The rounded tip eliminates sharp edges that can pinch or cut the skin while still allowing for close contact and a clean tweeze (see our 4861).

Pointed Tip: Ideal for ingrown hair and splinters. The pointed tip allows the user to isolate single hair more easily for maximum precision. It can also slide gently under the skin’s surface to grasp and remove ingrowns or splinters (see our 4862).

Square Tip: Is most useful for tweezing large, flat surfaces like the chin. Can also be used after body waxing to remove any hair that was left behind (see our 4816).

Claw Tip: Like the square tip, it is used for large flat surfaces and after body waxing. The tip angle can help to improve visibility and make grasping hair easier. The tips also tend to “lock” together more tightly to help grasp the hair and minimize slipping (see our 4887).

Men’s Grooming Tips

ryanny — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:47:44 +0000

I caught this great slideshow in GQ, Put Your Best Face Forward, offering tips on how guys can keep up with appearance without too much trouble. They’re right guys, there’s nothing wrong with taming those brows if they’re starting to get a little bushy, or you suffer from a unibrow. GQ’s tips are spot on, but I thought I’d share what I keep in my grooming kit. First start with a cool toiletry bag, just to man up that stuff. I have this awesome leather bag Kiehl’s made with West Coast Choppers’ Jesse James. It’s no longer available, but a good example of where you can go with this. The important part though is having some quality tools in there that, as they mention in the GQ article, you keep just for certain tasks like your brows and nose hairs. I use Denco tools of course. They are professional quality and cost less than what GQ is suggesting (ie. Rubis, WÜSTHOF). The round tip scissors, as they mention, are excellent because your face is the last place you want to accidentally stab with a pair of pointy scissors! I like these round tipped Denco 4110 scissors. They’re made in Italy and feature a curved blade so you can keep that tip pointed away from your skin. A lot of guys are going with the full beard these days, yours truly included. For that I suggest Denco 4104, 4½” Beard & Barber Scissors for quick, effective beard trimming. The sharp blades and smooth action will make it a pleasure for you to keep your facial hair well groomed. For the mustache, Denco’s 4102 Mustache Scissors & Comb Set is a convenient combination of our 4101 Mustache Scissors and a fine-tooth comb. The comb is made in France and features sturdy, rounded teeth that will not scratch your skin or get tangled in your facial hair. The Italian hand-ground scissors cleanly and smoothly trim any stray hair for a polished, perfectly groomed look. The last, but definitely not least, important component you’re going to need in the kit is some top notch tweezers! Denco has a lot of great tweezer choices, but for guys I recommend Denco’s 4863 Big Gripper Tweezer. They’re made in Italy of high quality stainless steel and feature precision slant tips. The reason I suggest these for guys though, is the oversized handle design. The cushioned rubber insert makes this tweezer comfortable to use and secure to hold with your big man fingers. Remember to clean your tools when you’re finished though. The best way to clean your scissors and tweezers is basically to wipe them down with a dry towel. That’s it! Throw all that stuff in your manly man grooming bag and you’re good to go.

Treating and Preventing Dry Skin

ryanny — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 20:46:39 +0000

In the winter, when environmental humidity is low, it’s easy for many of us to get dry itchy skin. It can happen to anyone regardless of other skin conditions. Fine lines can be more apparent, and your skin feels rough and looks dull or flaky, and you may have a rough texture. Arms and legs are the most common parts of the body for dry skin, but the whole body can be affected by the itching and irritation of dry skin.

To understand skin we must consider that it is made of many layers, and the outer most layer works like plastic wrap does to keep food fresh. This layer, called stratum corneum, is made of dead skin cells and oils (lipids specifically) that are produced by the underlying, living layers of skin. These oils keep water from escaping our skin into the air, and also keep irritants and germs out. The oils and dead skin cells together hold water in the stratum giving skin its healthy texture. When that water escapes, we get dry skin. This can happen when the oils are lost somehow. The stratum shrinks as it dries out and that makes those small cracks.

When treating dry skin it is important to to address the factors that may be causing your skin to be dry. Water itself, especially when hot, can actually removes those oils you need and worsen the condition, even though you need it. Throw soap in there and you have the greatest thief of natural skin oils. So what do you do, stop bathing? No, no, no… the best thing you can do for dry skin is to act fast when you get your skin wet, like after taking a shower. Applying a moisturizer after bathing will contain the water in the stratum. If you can get some minerals in there during the process you’re really golden! Most importantly though is the oil in the moisturizer. Ointments and greasy moisturizers do work, but are not the most pleasant of choices. Lotion moisturizers are the least greasy of dry skin treatments, and therefore usually considered the most pleasant to use.

Bathing Tips for Preventing & Treating Dry Skin:

For adults, take a shower rather than a bath
Shower with warm, not hot, water and use soap only when and where needed (ie. underarms, groin, feet and face)
Pat dry with a towel, do not rub
Apply moisturizer within three minutes of showering. Don’t let the water evaporate!
Reapply moisturizer liberally throughout the day. Focus on problem areas. If it’s itchy, it need moisturizer.

Make Your Own Foaming Hand Soap

ryanny — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:56:33 +0000

Do you love foaming hand soap as much as I do? Well it’s really quite easy to make, and you can use the many scents of our Bath Therapy washes to create your own creative options at the sink! Plus, refilling a soap dispenser saves you money and helps to reduce waste in our crowded landfills.

OK, here’s how you make your own foaming soap. Just make sure you have a foaming dispenser, yes… they are different. Either reuse a foaming soap dispenser
you have, or get one that’s intended for reuse (like these). Take any liquid soap and dilute it with warm water 3:7. In other words, fill it 30% with liquid soap and the rest with water. This ratio may vary depending on the thickness of the soap you’re starting with. Warm water is going to mix with the soap better than cold water. Put the top back on and shake it. In the end it should look fluid and splash around as much as water would. If it’s still thick and flowing slowly, try adding more water. That’s all there is to it! So easy!

Bath Therapy body washes are great for making your own foaming hand soap because you have so many scent options, they’re not just for the bath. Just imagine
the possibilities! You could have a soothing Mint & Rosemary in the kitchen, or one of our new floral scents like Passion Flower in the bathroom! Halloween is coming, imagine having Pink Sugar foaming hand soap to go with all that candy! Use an extra dispenser just for the kids with something like our popular Groovy Grape to get them excited about washing their hands! Maybe you prefer something NPA
certified like our Bath Therapy Naturals line. Imagine how excited your friends would be to see what you’ve done next if you change your hand soap everytime they come over! There are so many more possibilities than just what’s offered
on the supermarket shelf, allowing you to be creative and have some fun with everyday things in your house!

Bath Therapy Naturals Now NPA Certified

ryanny — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:34:01 +0000

Belcam is very proud to announce that our new Bath Therapy Naturals line is now certified by the Natural Products Association! Personal care products carrying the Natural Products Association’s Natural Seal have achieved a high benchmark, meeting and being certified under the association’s standard for personal care products, a strict set of guidelines that define what natural is and what it isn’t.

Without a federal regulation of the commonly used word natural, we wanted to find a way to communicate clearly what we mean by natural. So we set our sights on certification from the NPA, an independent organization that regulates the use of word natural in personal care products. Over the course of the last year we worked directly with the NPA to create body wash & shampoo formulas that were efficacious and without potentially harmful chemicals. The result was Bath Therapy Naturals. The line provides something for the whole family, including two washes specially formulated for children, and two specially formulated for babies. Now with the Natural Products Association’s Natural Seal you can rest assured these are quality products and that we at Belcam have the health of you and your family in our best interest.

Bath Therapy 96.8% Natural Body Wash & Shampoo:

Invigorating Mint & Rosemary
The scent of peppermint, orange, spearmint, and rosemary natural essential oils make this Body Wash & Shampoo fresh and invigorating. The formula is 96.8% Natural. It was created to cleanse and moisturize skin and hair without harsh chemical additives.

Relaxing Lavender Spa
The scent of lavender, bergamot, balsam and coriander natural essential oils make this Body Wash & Shampoo calming and relaxing. The formula is 96.8% Natural. It was created to cleanse and moisturize skin and hair without harsh chemical additives.

Calming Smooth Lavender
Specially formulated for children, this formula is 96.8% Natural and Tear Free. It was created to cleanse and moisturize skin and hair without harsh chemical additives. The soft scent is a blend of calming natural lavender and clary sage. It is perfect for the bedtime bath.

Refreshing Orange & Mint
Specially formulated for children, this formula is 96.8% Natural and Tear Free. It was created to cleanse and moisturize skin and hair without harsh chemical additives. The soft scent is a refreshing blend of citrus and mint essential oils. The scent of this Body Wash & Shampoo is perfect to help distract a cranky child.

Soothing Sweet Davana
For baby’s delicate skin, hair and eyes we have made this formula 96.8% Natural and Tear Free. It was created to cleanse and moisturize baby’s delicate skin and hair without harsh chemical additives. The soft scent is a blend of soothing natural essential oils. It is perfect for the bedtime bath.

Fragrance Free
For baby’s delicate skin, hair and eyes, this Body Wash & Shampoo contains no fragrance. The formula is 96.8% Natural, Tear Free and Hypoallergenic. It was created to cleanse and moisturize baby’s delicate skin and hair without harsh chemical additives.

As always all of Bath Therapy Naturals are available on our website www.belcamshop.com.

For more information on the Natural Products Association and the Natural Products Association’s Natural Seal visit the NPA’s website www.npainfo.org.

New Bath Therapy Body Wash/Shampoo Floral Scents

ryanny — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:24:41 +0000

Belcam is pleased to announce an exciting new line of floral scented washes! These four popular floral scents from Bath Therapy are a rich formula that is efficacious for both body and hair. They are a healthy choice since they do NOT contain parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, petroleum, artificial color, or gluten. The biodegradable formula is friendly for the environment, and pH compatible for the skin.

These four floral scents will be available on our website, www.BelcamShop.com, in a 16.9 fl Oz. (500 mL) container for $5.50, starting next week.

Want to hear an advanced review of the floral scents? We sent some samples to Karen Francis of Associated Content to get her opinion and she just loved them!
Check out Karen’s video review: “Belcam Inc.’s New Floral Body Wash Line, Luxury from head to toe”

Kids and Baby Bath Toys, Not So Fun

ryanny — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:10:33 +0000

They was a good report on the Today show on NBC this morning as part of a series called Secret Filth Exposed. The report, Rubber Yuckies: Bath Toy Germs, addressed the issue of germs and bacteria that are often overlooked with bath toys. You probably wouldn’t think toys floating in soapy water as being dirty or unsafe. The bath water, as they say, actually becomes a “bacteria soup” though! The toys are the landing ground for this bacteria, especially toys with holes. Don’t just take my word for it though. Check out the video from Today and see how you feel about those bath toys after!

Video: Rubber ‘yuckies’ harbor filth

-RyanNY

Lavender Naturals Bath & Body Care

ryanny — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:23:22 +0000

Lavender Naturals is a line of bath and body care products that we have formulated without parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol, phthalates, artificial fragrance nor color to provide a healthy choice. Since the skin absorbs up to 60% of any substance applied, we have chosen to eliminate these unnecessary ingredients in order to decrease the toxic load on the body.

Lavender Naturals formulas are vegan and gluten-free. The natural products contain no animal byproducts. They are also gluten-free making them safe for those sensitive to gluten.

Lavender Naturals products are calming, refreshing, soothing and purifying. Their formulas contain a blend of 10 natural essential oils that provide aromatherapy and skin care benefits. The essential oil blend used includes lavender, lavandin, bergamot, benzoin, coriander, germanium, labdanum, patchouli, vetiver and frankincense.

Lavender Naturals Bath Salts

Lavender Naturals Bath Salts contain salts from the Dead Sea to help purify the skin and relax tired muscles. The scent is a blend of 10 natural essential oils that provide aromatherapy and skin care benefits. The essential oil blend includes lavender, lavandin, bergamot, coriander , geranium, labdanum, patchouli, vetivert, benzoin and frankincense. For a relaxing bath add a handful of salts under the running water, soak and enjoy. Formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, Artificial Fragrance nor Color to provide a healthy choice.

Lavender Naturals Body Cream

Lavender Naturals Body Cream is a light and effective moisturiser for use after the shower or bath. After bathing, massage cream gently into damp skin for a healthy glow. The scent is a blend of 10 natural essential oils that provide aromatherapy and skin care benefits. The essential oil blend includes lavender, lavandin, bergamot, coriander , geranium, labdanum, patchouli, vetivert, benzoin and frankincense. Formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, Artificial Fragrance nor Color to provide a healthy choice.

Lavender Naturals Body Mist

Lavender Naturals Body Mist is a gentle mist that can be used anytime of the day to refresh. The scent is a blend of 10 natural essential oils that provide aromatherapy and skin care benefits. The essential oil blend includes lavender, lavandin, bergamot, coriander , geranium, labdanum, patchouli, vetivert, benzoin and frankincense. Spray all over your body after bathing or anytime of the day to refresh. Formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, Artificial Fragrance nor Color to provide a healthy choice.

Lavender Naturals Salt Body Scrub

Lavender Naturals Salt Body Scrub contains Dead Sea salts and canola oil to gently exfoliate and polish the skin. The scent is a blend of 10 natural essential oils that provide aromatherapy and skin care benefits. The essential oil blend includes lavender, lavandin, bergamot, coriander , geranium, labdanum, patchouli, vetivert, benzoin and frankincense. It contains no Parabens, Sulfates, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, Artificial Fragrance nor Color. It is also Vegan, Gluten free and biodegradable. In the shower or bath, massage a small amount of scrub all-over your body and rinse well. Excercise caution as the bottom of the tub or shower will become slippery.

Lavender Naturals Shower Gel

Lavender Naturals Shower Gel is a gentle gel with a pH that is skin compatible. It is refreshing and soothing in the shower or bath. The scent is a blend of 10 natural essential oils that provide aromatherapy and skin care benefits. The essential oil blend includes lavender, lavandin, bergamot, coriander , geranium, labdanum, patchouli, vetivert, benzoin and frankincense. The formula contains no Parabens, Sulfates, Propylene Glycol, Phthalates, Artificial Fragrance nor Color. It is also Vegan, Gluten free and biodegradable.

Right now, the any Lavender Naturals product for 25% off the regular price at BelcamShop.com (for a limited time only).

-RyanNY

Move Over, Ed Hardy

kitty17 — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:15:20 +0000

Hi Everybody! Ryan has agreed to let me post (a short post!) today because I’m in a shout-it-from-the-rooftops kind of mood about an exciting new product launch here at Belcam. You guys might remember me as the Beauty Tools Brand Manager (or the gal who pesters Ryan until he lets me post). :) ANYWAY…..

Here’s my exciting news! We all know how hot tattoo art is and we can find it on just about any product these days. But our 4 NEW Slant Tip Tweezers are the first metal grooming tools to feature this kind of art.

We are so, so lucky to have a very talented artist on our staff and when I told her our idea for putting some original tattoo art on tweezers, she came through with the most amazing designs. Of course, we decided that we’d use high quality stainless steel tweezers from Italy as a base for the art. They feature extra fine tips – the kind that grab the hair every time, not cut it off at the base. They’re great for shaping eyebrows and for general tweezing, but best of all, they’re just SO COOL to look at. I pulled one out in front of my friends the other day and they totally freaked out – and these girls aren’t hard core tattoo fans or anything. Well, one might be. ;)

I promised this would be short ,so I’ll stop myself and just say that we’re all REALLY excited here and hope you all like the tweezers too. Check them out below and if you want to buy some, you can get them at our online shop BelcamShop.com.

PS My boss is letting me give a dollar off these tweezers when you use promo code “KIMROCKS” at checkout. No, just kidding, you don’t need a promo code – we’re automatically giving everyone $1.00 Off. But if you really want to type Kim Rocks! you can leave a comment to that effect below! :)

-Kim

NEW Denco Tattoo Tweezers!