Beautiful You by Suzanne Edmonds

Each week, beauty enthusiast Suzanne Edmonds explores the best ways to take care of ourselves so that we love the skin we're in.

Most of us will have heard of rushing woman's syndrome. It was made famous by Dr Libby Weaver who wrote a book with that very title in 2012.

Three years on and we're still rushing. Dr Weaver authored the book after feeling concerned about the toll that being busy all day long was having on a woman's health.

We get up, get the children ready and off to school, go to work, probably miss lunch to cram in more work, then dash to pick up the children before making dinner, helping with homework, followed by all the bedtime duties and house chores.

We forget to eat sometimes, we forget to take care of ourselves, and occasionally we even have to remind ourselves to breathe a little slower.

I meet so many women who feel that there are simply not enough hours in the day to do everything we need to, leave alone want to. But despite being aware that many of us are suffering from rushing woman's syndrome, we continue to rush.

The concept of mindfulness is also now in full swing. That's the idea of being aware of the moment, the present, and enjoying it for what it is. It's also being aware of your body, state of mind and current situation, which is increasingly difficult in this technology driven, busy world where it's difficult, even unacceptable, to be offline or unavailable.

So, carving out some time to be yourself and be focussed on your own mind and body is more important than ever.

When people think about beauty, they don't always think about health and relaxation benefits. A good salon can offer both in abundance.

Massages and facials are an ideal way to relax and let go of tensions and toxins. When it comes to massages, a professional can focus on particular areas of the body that need it most. You may suffer from restless leg syndrome or knots in your shoulders. You may benefit from a firmer massage or a softer one.

A good masseuse will talk to you about what you want to achieve with your massage and how you want to feel afterwards. Detoxing massages have been developed that employ body wrapping and sweeping movements intended to drain the toxins away.

Equally with facials, on face value, they can be a moment in time away from the world that is all about you. Allowing yourself to drift off during a facial is pure bliss. But sophisticated techniques and products have been developed to target tired eyes, blocked pores and even skin's firmness. Facials should also be proceeded with a questionnaire at your salon so that goals can be identified, as well as any skin problems.

Suzanne Edmonds is owner of De Lux salon in Cherrywood, Tauranga.

Giveaway!

For a $50 voucher giveaway for De Lux Beauty of Cherrywood, visit the Facebook page and like, share and tag the competition post: https://www.facebook.com/DeLuxBeauty?ref=settings

If there are any beauty areas of interest you'd like us to cover in this blog, be in touch delux.beauty@xtra.co.nz