LENA BLOG

Here are a few advanced techniques for those of you who want to go the extra mile. These are not necessary to do in order to get the full benefits from an at-home facial. They are simply additional steps for the person who wants to take the extra time. 1. Use moisturizer underneath your clay mask. With the mask lying on top, it will help to infuse the cream deep into your skin, giving you an extra dose of hydration. Cleanse your skin, exfoliate, and then before applying the clay mask put on a medium to thick layer of your favorite moisturizing cream. Apply your clay mask, spraying it with water intermittently to keep it moist. Leave it on for 15 minutes, then remove the mask by splash-rinsing with tepid water. Use your toner and moisturizer. 2. Place soothing eye pads over your eyes and relax to treat the eye area during your at-home facial. One way to do this is to steep chamomile tea (or any other relaxing, soothing herb) for several hours. Place the concentrated tea i...

From Yonka headquarters: “ P HYTO 52 is a fast-absorbing night cream with a powerful rosemary base that restores firmness and oxygenates to tone the skin, shape the face, invigorate the complexion, and share its phyto-aromatic benefits to the whole body. Toned skin, firmer, cleared complexion, tighter pores.” Yonka uses words like firm and tighte r pores to describe Phyto 52. I love this cream! And I don’t believe in creams firming nor tightening pores as in “Toned skin, firmer, cleared complexion, tighter pores.” However, please read on because Phyto 52 has wonderful attributes, even if I don’t believe truly firming the skin is one of them. The information I have to offer is from 30+ years of experience with Yonka products and thousands of clients throughout those years using and falling in love with Phyto 52. I will say that this cream does feel like it is firming and lifting the skin. Chock it up to its rosemary content in large part. Phyto 52 has the highest con...

How do I know if I’m having an allergic reaction to a new product? And what should I do if I’m having a reaction? If your skin changes for the worse after starting a new product, you may be having an allergic reaction. Or you could just be intolerant to one or more ingredients in one or more of the new products. Contrary to what you might have heard, a product should not cause breakouts when you first start using it. One client said she was told to give a new product three weeks for her skin to adapt. Even though she was breaking out from using this product, that was acceptable as far as the salesperson was concerned. If your skin reacts adversely upon first using a new product, stop using it! If, however, you develop a skin condition such as eczema (a dermatitis or skin inflammation) or some other intolerance to a product you have successfully used in the past and just now are reacting to, try The 72- Hour Test . This test is helpful in narrowing down possib...

Seborrheic keratoses, sometimes called seborrheic warts or even barnacles (I’ve heard a few dermatologists use this term) are simply skin growths that show up due to age or sometimes for no reason at all. They come in the form of darkened skin , occasionally flesh-colored or brown or black , that resemble small, raised moles or are flat like a wart. They can also feel scaly , although not always. I have several of these “barnacles,” mostly concentrated around my lower jawline and one above my eyebrow. They all have a scaly texture, and because of this I went to have them checked out by my dermatologist. I just didn’t know if they could be trouble (cancerous) in the future, and I wanted to find out for sure. They turned out to be seborrheic keratoses. Seborrheic keratoses are noncancerous skin growths. In other words, they aren’t a problem, they just aren’t very attractive. They can be burned off at your dermatologist, or liquid nitrogen might be used. But please know, ...

JUVENIL is a calendula, ichthiol, and bleu chamomile-based brown liquid that is a wonderful tool to help calm and heal your problem skin. U sed for widespread breakout , it can also be used on individual problem spots . Apply Juvenil to entire face or wherever breakout is occurring. Juvenil ’ s ingredients are different than Emulsion Pure (another Yonka product for problem skin) , although the action on blemishes is similar. Calendula is soothing and anti-inflammatory, and chamomile (azulene) helps to heal and calm, while ichthammol is antiseptic and antibacterial. The medicinal aromatic reassures you that action is being taken against your blemishes. This healing concentrate can also be mixed into your cremes. (Juvenil can stain clothing—so be careful!) Breakouts disappear, and inflammations are soothed. The skin is purified and healed. A very effective acne treatment with a unique approach from other standard acne products. Juvenil is non-stinging and doesn’t dr...

No No No No NO!!!!! I had a facial back in early October. The lady who was working on me used some kind of tool to squeeze out blackheads and pimples. I asked her if [the red marks left from the extraction] would clear up right away because I had a singing competition in 2 weeks. She had said they would clear up fast. My face did not clear up for my show, in fact there were still some rough areas at Christmas! Now, however, my skin has finally healed, but I have all these little dents in my face where she worked. They are purple in color and look like little pot holes that you see down dirt roads. I am somewhat depressed over this as my skin was always so nice and clear before, no scars from pimples like I’ve seen on other people’s faces. Now unfortunately I have these places on my own face. Here is my question for you: Is there any way at all to get rid of the pot holes? I’m so sorry you had this experience. The aesthetician probably used a metal tool called a comedo...

The following is taken from a post on my blogsite for professionals: Help for Aestheticians: Starting a Business . This article , Client Information Charts —Part II , has some good information in it that I thought you’d enjoy reading . P erhaps some of you have wondered why I asked so many questions on your initial visit with me, and now you ’ ll find out why. This article goes over the many questions that I ask a first-time client during the intake phase of the treatment before I give the hands-on facial. As you will see, these questions help me better understand a new client’s skin—even before I have seen it up close. Here is the article from Help for Aestheticians to explain why I ask so many questions: The following was written back in 1990, before I had published my first book, Timeless Skin . I was gathering information to write a book for aestheticians that never made it into book form. Much of the content I have prepared for this blog [ Help for Aesthetic...

What are antioxidants and free radicals? And should I take them for my skin? Anything you swallow (pills included) will get into your bloodstream and affect your entire body. Although antioxidants can help your skin look its best, they are important and beneficial to much more than just your skin. I mention this because the mindset of taking supplements to affect one thing is akin to exercising to spot reduce a certain body part. It just can’t be done. Exercise will affect your whole body; antioxidants will too. Before explaining what antioxidants are, it’s important to understand a bit about their nemesis: free radicals. What is a free radical? Normally functioning molecules have two or three electrons; free radicals are missing one electron, making that molecule unstable. So they hunt for an electron they can take from a neighboring molecule. Free radicals aren’t particular—they attack the nearest stable molecule in order to create stability for itself. Free radical...

My intent with my writing is not to tear down other product lines, but in this case I can’t help myself! Clinique is thought to be a great product for problem (especially teenage) skin, and as you’ll read below I even used it as my first skin care product line as a teen. I have found professionally that these products usually cause problems with clients I have seen. Here is what one emailer sent me: I have used Clinique but am not very happy with it. I am a new mom, and I think it ’s time for a new me and a new skin care regimen. I am 39 years old. My skin is oily in the T-zone but dry everywhere else. Thirty minutes after I wash, it still looks like an oil slick, yet my skin feels taut and dehydrated. I have lines around my eyes from previous sun damage. My skin breaks out a lot, which I think is unusual for my age. These comments are very common, so I will breakdown this email and explain what she could do. Well, not happy actually I have used Clinique but...

I can’t say enough about this miraculous herb. I have used aloe in many different circumstances, and each time it came through with flying colors. Aloe vera is my #1 sunburn remedy . Whenever you’re going someplace where you’ll be exposed to the sun, I strongly recommend taking a bottle of aloe vera gel with you. It is easy to use and does a great job of healing and soothing the skin. Don’t leave home without it. You can find 100% aloe vera gel at most health food stores. You don’t want to use a gel that has less than 95% aloe in it. Otherwise, you may get too many unwanted ingredients along with the aloe. Simply apply the gel to sunburned areas Because it’s a gel, it will dry fairly quickly Depending on the severity of the burn, I would apply it liberally and frequently It works on any kind of burn, not just sunburn Keep it on hand for vacations or whenever you know you’ll get extended sun exposure. Aloe vera gel is also good for dehydrated skin . If your skin h...