Is your mattress affecting your health?

This post is an advertorial in collaboration with Avocado: Green Mattress*

Photo courtesy of Avocado

Is your mattress toxic?

It's easy to find luxurious, green alternatives to conventional beauty products, but cleaning up your home can seem like a daunting task. The impact that building materials and furniture have on people's health is often overlooked, not least of all because they are often expensive or infeasible to replace.

However, when you consider that you spend approximately one third of your lifespan sleeping, it's time to evaluate what it is that you've been sleeping on. Hidden in a traditional mattress, you will commonly find several materials that are linked to reproductive damage, thyroid problems, endocrine disruption, brain damage, and cancer.

A quick search for the toxins found in a standard mattress and you will come up with a list that includes:

• Antimony (a heavy metal similar to arsenic) 
• Formaldehyde 
• Pesticides 
• Plastics (including polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride) 
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other chemical flame retardants 
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) 

You're not eating your mattress and you're not slathering it all over your body, so what's the big deal??

Photo courtesy of Avocado

Perhaps the most troublesome issue with mattresses made from volatilve organic compounds (VOCs) and other cheap, harmful materials is that they tend to off-gas. This release of gases that were trapped, dissolved, absorbed, or frozen into a material can have a serious impact on your health as they increase the chemical burden on your body. For instance, as you sleep, your body repairs itself via processes that eliminate free radicals that have accumulated throughout the day. These healing processes can be negatively influenced by excess chemicals in the body. Not to mention, for babies and young children who are still developing, inhaling these toxic chemicals can have even greater consequences.

As with all healthy lifestyle decisions, it's important to look for the least harmful options whenever possible.

Photo courtesy of Avocado

Avocado: Green Mattresses

The next time that you are ready to buy a mattress, consider purchasing one that is made from natural and organic materials. Avocado makes green and eco-friendly mattresses, using 100% natural Dunlop latex harvested from sustainable tree-tapped sources, natural Joma New Zealand wool, and certified organic cotton. 

In terms of comfort, Avocado's green mattresses ensure proper spinal alignment and balance from an 8-inch support layer of 700-1300 individually tuned coils made from 100% recycled steel. Encased in their own fabric pockets in 3 distinct zones, these coils float independently to reduce motion transfer. They also provide optimal ergonomic and joint support by allowing your body shape to better contour to the mattress. Most importantly, they provide better edge support to ensure that Avocado mattresses are more durable.

Did I mention that Avocado products are handcrafted in the USA and that the company offers a 100-night sleep trial, 10-year warranty, easy financing with Affirm, as well as free shipping or in-home delivery/setup options?

What if it's not the right time to buy a new mattress?

You really can't go wrong with a purchase from Avocado! However, if a nontoxic mattress isn’t in the cards right now, don’t stress! There are a few things you can do to prevent off-gassing and reduce your exposure to the dangeious chemicals that may be hiding in your current mattress.

For example, wrapping your mattress in food-grade polyethylene (a form of plastic that does not contain harmful dioxins or phthalates) will significantly reduce off-gassing.

Additionally, if you recently bought a new mattress, allowing it simply to air out in a well-ventilated area before you sleep on it will prevent you from being exposed to VOCs when they are at their peak.

You can also start small by swapping out your sheets and pillows with less toxic alternatives. I recommend checking out Avocado's pillows made from certified organic latex and natural Kapok fill. Additionally, each pillow is wrapped in a certified organic cotton cover that has a luxuriously high thread count!

Photos courtesy of Avocado

Whether or not you choose to purchase your next mattress from Avocado, do your research and find a brand that is transparent about their materials and certifications.

Through the month of February, promo code BBM100 will save you $100 off any standard or pillow top mattress!!

Photo courtesy of Avocado

*The links provided in this post are affiliate links. As always, however, I have presented my 100% honest opinion. I cannot, nor will I ever, accept compensation in exchange for a positive review.

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The Science of Exfoliation

We have all heard that it is important to exfoliate, but why is that? I briefly mentioned a few key points about exfoliation in my DIY Coffee Scrub post and with this post I am going to get into the science behind it all. Get ready to fall in love with your silky, radiant skin!

Keratinocytes

• Primary cell type found within the epidermis (outermost layer of the skin)

• These cells reside at the bottom of the epidermis in an area termed the stratum basale

• Keratinocytes go through several transformations as they travel to the surface of the skin to act as barrier cells

• During their ~14 day migration to the stratum corneum (the outermost layer of the epidermis), each keratinocyte loses its nucleus and other cellular machinery, rendering it biologically dead

• Keratinocytes are referred to as corneocytes once they reach the stratum corneum and will ultimately be shed

Stratum Corneum

• Thickness varies throughout body, but generally composed of 15-20 layers of corneocytes

• There are three key lipid elements to the stratum corneum: cholesterol, ceramides, and fatty acids

• Forms a barrier that protects the body from invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, and prevents excessive water loss

• The lifespan of corneocytes in the stratum corneum is 2-3 weeks

Desquamation

• The shedding of corneocytes from the stratum corneum

• The attachments that hold keratinocytes in place become weaker as they move upward through the epidermis 

• Enzymes found only in skin and hair follicles accelerate this weakening, causing the cellular attachments to break and ulimately free the corneocytes from the surface of the skin

• Desquamation occurs at a balanced rate with the formation of new cells

• Age, dehydration, excess oil, and sun damage are just a few conditions that can slow this natural shedding process 

Exfoliation

Exfoliating removes the dead corneocytes from the surface of the skin. This process encourages the cells that are generated down in the dermis to replace the cells that have been sloughed off. As a result, the skin’s appearance is refreshed as its natural clarity and balance is restored. Exfoliation can be performed mechanically by using abrasive scrubs or chemically with specific enzymes and acids.

Benefits

• Your lotions and potions will penetrate deeper into the skin
• Improved texture and smoothness
• Clearer pores
• Greater balance that will lead to fewer breakouts over time 
• Radiance and clarity

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Now that you know the basics of exfoliation, you will hopefully be more in tune with the specific needs of your skin and how to take care of it.

For more information about exfoliation, check out my references: Gray's Anatomy, Dermascope (My drawing is based off of an image in this article)

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Healthier Hair in 5 Easy Steps

Because hair is made up of keratin, a fibrous protein, it is prone to a process called denaturation. In this process, the bonds that hold proteins together are disrupted by chemicals, heat, or the application of an external stress. This ends up altering the overall structure of the proteins and adversely affecting their ability to function properly. While it is denaturation that allows us to curl and straighten our hair through heat styling and chemical processes, it can also be quite damaging.

Here are 5 easy steps to keep those proteins happy and your hair looking healthy and beautifully shiny! 

Nourish from Within

Gorgeous hair begins with nourishment from within. Your body needs to be fueled with the proper nutrients in order to carry out the physiological processes necessary for hair growth and maintenance. Therefore, a healthy, well-balanced diet filled with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and lots of water is key to commercial-worthy hair.

Chill Out

It is well known that heat styling can be damaging to hair. However, we often forget to consider the impact that other heat sources, such as the sun and hot showers, have on our hair. 

To protect your hair from sun damage, try wearing a hat or camping out under an umbrella when you know that you will be in direct sunlight for a prolonged period of time. 

While I love the luxury of a hot shower, one of the easiest and most natural ways to maintain healthy skin and hair is to take cold showers. Hot water opens up pores and reduces the viscosity of sebum, making it easier to inadvertently strip the skin and hair of this moisturizing oil (to learn more about sebum, click here). Over time, a reduction in sebum will lead to dry hair that is prone to breakage. Additionally, similar to pores, hot water “opens up” the hair cuticle (those shingle-like cells raise up and no longer lay smoothly). While this is beneficial for cleaning the hair, finishing your shower with cold water will smooth out the cuticles and help seal in moisture. Smooth cuticles also reflect more light, which will make your hair appear extra shiny.

Be Gentle

When brushing or styling your hair, try to be as gentle as possible to avoid breakage. Wide-tooth combs and brushes with rounded, slippery bristles tend to move through hair with the most ease. Also, beware of hair clips and ties that tug or crush your tresses.

Be especially gentle when your hair is wet. Water temporarily breaks down the hydrogen bonds that help hold keratin together, leaving hair quite weak and malleable. These bonds are restored as hair dries, reestablishing its strength.

Give Your Hair a Deep Clean

Build up from hair products and the minerals found in water can weigh down our tresses, causing them to be lifeless and brittle. A good clarifying shampoo, apple cider vinegar rinse, or other clarifying treatment will help remove this residue and restore your hair’s volume and shine. How frequently you should use a clarifying treatment depends on that rate at which gunk accumulates in your hair. In general, clarifying once a month will keep your hair clean and luxuriously soft. 

Amp Up the Moisture

To nourish your hair and restore moisture, try a hair mask. Unlike conditioners that tend to simply coat the surface of the hair, the right mask can actually penetrate the cuticle. Coconut oil-based masks are particularly good at this, but there are several options to choose from. Leaving a hair mask on for 20-30 minutes once a week will keep your locks nicely hydrated. Be sure to evenly coat your hair with the mask and fully cover your ends to help smooth out any damage to the cuticle.

These tricks have really helped improve the overall health of my hair and I hope that they do the same for you!

For more information about hair, check out my All About Hair post and my

References: Gray's Anatomy, About Health

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All About Hair

There is a lot more going on with your hair than meets the eye. There are approximately 100,000 hairs on the average scalp. Each of these hairs has its own life cycle and grows at a rate of about half of an inch (1.27 cm) per month. It actively grows for approximately 2 to 6 years, then begins to detach from its blood supply. The hair is then released and the follicle takes a much needed vacation before the next growth cycle starts up again. By understanding the basic components of hair and how it grows, you will have a better sense of how to care for your gorgeous tresses!

Hair Follicle

The hair follicle is a narrow, tubular cavity that extends from the surface of the skin into the dermis and basically anchors the root of a hair. When viewed in cross-section, the hair root is organized in concentric layers with the dermal root sheath surrounding the outside of the follicle, followed by the external root sheath and the internal root sheath. These structures protect and form the growing hair shaft.

The follicle is nourished at its base by small blood vessels called capillaries. Although hair itself is essentially dead, cellular activity occurs around the base of the follicle at the bulb. These cells divide rapidly, about every 23-72 hours, to accommodate hair growth.

Cross-section

Hair Shaft

The hair shaft is made of a hard protein called keratin and consists of three layers: the cuticle, cortex, and medulla. The cuticle is a hard, shingle-like layer of overlapping cells and acts as a protective barrier for the cortex and medulla. The cortex makes up the majority of the hair shaft and contains most of hair's pigment.

Hair Growth Cycle

Hair on the scalp grows at a rate of approximately 6 inches (15.24 cm) per year. Unlike other mammals, humans do not shed seasonally. Rather, at any given time an unknown number of hairs will be in one of three stages.

Anagen

Anagen is the hair's active phase of growth. During this time, rapid cell division at the hair bulb adds length to the hair shaft. As new hair is formed, hairs that have stopped growing are pushed up the follicle and ultimately fall out. Scalp hair stays in this active phase for approximately two to six years.

If you have always wondered why you can't get your hair to grow past a certain length, it may be because you have a short growth phase. Childbirth, stress, or other traumas can also temporarily shorten the anagen phase. If you can grow your hair out like a champion, you likely have a long active phase of growth. Thankfully, the hairs on our arms, legs, eyelashes, and eyebrows are kept short due to an abbreviated anagen phase of about 30-45 days.

Catagen

At any given time, about 3% of all hairs are in the catagen phase. During this transitional phase, growth stops and the hair detaches from its blood supply as the outer root sheath shrinks and attaches to the root of the hair. This process leads to the formation of what is referred to as a club hair. The catagen phase of scalp hair usually lasts 2-3 weeks.

Telogen

6% to 8% of all hairs are in telogen, the hair follicle's resting phase. During this phase, the club hair is shed and the follicle then remains dormant. This phase lasts for approximately 3 months and accounts for the 25-100 hairs that we loose on a daily basis.

Hair Color

Hair color is determined by follicular cells called melanocytes that contain the pigment melanin. During anagen, these cells inject melanin into cells that contain keratin, providing hair with its hue. As we age, however, melanin production decreases and our hair eventually looses its color.

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Now that you know the basics of hair, keep an eye out for additional posts about hair care!

For more information about hair, check out my references: Gray's Anatomy, About Health

Also, check out my previous post about sebum and how it relates to hair!

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Color Theory + Makeup

If you have always wanted to experiment with color but are afraid of looking like a complete clown, keep reading! A basic knowledge of the color wheel will allow you to select the color combinations that will enhance your unique coloring. Familiarizing yourself with a bit of color theory will also help you pick out the perfect foundation color; fake great lighting through contouring; and color correct like a pro!

The Basics

The color wheel consists of 12 hues: red; red-violet; violet; blue-violet; blue; blue-green; green; yellow-green; yellow; yellow-orange; orange; and red-orange

Hue: The purest form of a color (red, green, blue, orange, etc.)

Saturation: The intensity of a color

Primary Colors: Red, blue, yellow

Secondary Colors: Two primary colors mixed together (green, orange, violet)

Tertiary Colors: A primary color mixed with a secondary color (red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet)

Neutral Colors: Brown can be created by blending two complementary colors or all three primary colors. Black and white blended together will produce gray.

Complementary Colors: Opposites on the color wheel (Example: red+green, blue+orange, yellow+violet)

• If you really want to emphasize a specific color, try using its complement to create contrast.

Split-Complementary Colors: A base color and the two colors adjacent to its complement (Example: red+blue-green+yellow-green)

• Split-Complementary colors are also visually contrasting. 

Triadic Colors: Three colors equally spaced around the color wheel (Example: green+orange+violet)

• Triadic colors are known for being vibrant and bold.

Analogous Colors: Three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (Example: blue-green+green+yellow-green)

• Analogous colors are generally considered pleasing to they eye and can often be found in nature.

Value refers to the brightness of any given hue in terms of the amount of light reflected. The term tint refers to a hue that is high in value due to the addition of white. On the other hand, the term shade is used to describe a hue that is low in value due to the addition of black. When gray is added to a hue, each gradation results in a different tone.

• Tints tend to stand out to the eye and catch our attention more quickly than shades. For instance, cherry red lipstick is more striking than burgundy lipstick and light colors are used to highlight because they advance toward the eye. Keep in mind, however, that this also makes the features that you highlight appear larger. 
• Shades tend to recede from the eye and make features appear smaller. Dark colors are used to contour because they create a sense of depth.

In general, warm colors, such as red, orange, and yellow are also thought to advance toward the eye. Cool colors, such as blue, green, and violet, are said to recede.

Color Theory in Practice

Foundation

Regardless of you skin color, its undertones will generally fall into one of three categories: warm, cool, or neutral. To determine your undertone, try the vein test. In natural lighting, take a look at the veins on the underside of your wrist. If your veins look blue/purple, you have a cool undertone and your skin likely appears pinkish. Are your veins green/olive? Your undertone is warm and your skin likely appears slightly yellowish. If you seem to have a mixture of these vein colors, then you have a neutral undertone. 

Now that you know your undertone, the next time that you shop for foundation you can quickly eliminate the colors that won't match your undertone. Some brands use a lettering scheme (C, W, or N) to designate the undertones of their foundations. Even when brands don’t make it that easy, the name of the foundation will often gives you a clue about the undertone. Shades like golden tan and beige often have warm undertones; porcelain, rose, and cocoa generally have cool undertones; while ivory, buff, and nude are usually neutral.

Concealer

Just as you should select a foundation that matches your skin’s undertone, the same strategy should be put to use with concealer. However, if you are really looking to amp up your concealing power, try out the color correcting trend. Correcting entails using a complementary color, opposites on the color wheel, to cancel out the unwanted color. For instance, to make my blueish-purple undereye circles vanish, I would apply an orangey-yellow corrector. For a red blemish, try a green corrector underneath your concealer.

Blush

To achieve a natural flush, stick to blush colors that have the same undertone as your skin. If you’re cool toned, blueish pinks will look wonderful on you. If have a warm undertone, you will look stunning in peach or coral shades. Neutral? Choose whatever your heart desires!

Bronzer/Contour

As the goal of bronzer is to fake a natural tan, stick to warm-toned shades. On the other hand, contouring is about creating depth by mimicking natural shadows. Therefore, cool-toned colors are best.

Eyes

Complementary colors that contrast with your eye color will make them pop! A rich, coppery bronze looks breathtaking against blue eyes. Purples and rose hues make a statement against green and hazel eyes. Because brown is a neutral color, the possibilities are endless for brown-eyed beauties. However, by taking a close look at the flecks of color dispersed throughout the iris, you can pinpoint the perfect complement: for golden flecks, try a purple; for amber flecks, try a turquoise; and for garnet flecks, go for a green.

Lip Color

In general, wearing a lip color that has the same undertone as your skin will be the most flattering. If you have a cool undertone, try blue-based pinks and reds. Warmer skin tones will look great in corals and peaches. If you have a neutral undertone, again, your options are endless!

Keep an eye out for upcoming posts that put color theory to use!

Have fun experimenting with color!

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Sebum—Your Skin's Natural Moisturizer

When you look in the mirror and think, "Eeks! Why does my skin look so greasy?" You can thank sebum for that. As you may have guessed, sebum gets a bad rap for providing us with that greasy glow, as well as for contributing to acne. So why discuss this oily nuisance? Well, sebum is actually pretty awesome! It is your skin's natural moisturizer! Not to mention, learning about sebum will help you understand the wants and needs of your skin so that you can keep it happy, healthy, and balanced for years to come.

What is it?

Sebum is a lipid mixture of triglycerides, wax monoesters, free fatty acids, squalene, and cellular debris that is secreted by the sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands occur in high numbers on your face and scalp, but can be found all over your body except for the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. These glands, which are usually connected to hair follicles, deposit sebum onto hair for it to be brought to the skin's surface along the hair shaft.

Why is it important?

Sebum helps protect and moisturize the skin essentially by waterproofing it. The acids secreted by sebaceous glands form a film on the surface of the skin (often referred to as the acid mantle) that act as a barrier to contaminants that could penetrate the skin. Nutrient delivery and temperature regulation are also associated with sebum. Did I mention that sebum is also critical to the maintenance of skin's elasticity and youthful bounce? Unfortunately, the downside to this wonder oil is that blockages in the hair follicle caused by dead cells (or that makeup that you were too lazy to take off last night), clog the skin's pores, leading to inflammation and acne.

Too Little Sebum

Age, gender, and pore size are just a few factors that can affect sebum levels. In general, mature skin produces less sebum than young skin; women produce less sebum than men; and people with smaller pores produce less sebum than people with larger pores. It is also possible to inadvertently strip our skin of sebum through the use of our most coveted beauty products.

Too little sebum manifests itself as dry, dehydrated skin. The stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis, is composed almost entirely of biologically dead cells called corneocytes. When there is not enough sebum to keep your corneocytes happy, they start to flake off at an accelerated rate. This ultimately results in wrinkly, cracked skin.

Lack of sebum can be treated cosmetically with moisturizers. Certain lipids will fill in the cracks left by having too little sebum and smooth out the stratum corneum. Because of that, rich creams are effective at reducing the signs of aging because they simply take the place of sebum to appease those corneocytes and give the appearance  of plump, youthful skin.

Too Much Sebum

Sebum production is controlled by sex hormones. Output of these hormones is heightened during puberty, before menstruation, during menopause, and as a result of certain medications and pathologies.

When the skin produces too much sebum, the dead skin cells that your body is trying to shed get mixed in with excess oil and end up clogging your pores. If bacteria then invade your congested pores, this can lead to inflammation and acne.

To remove extra sebum, try a gentle cleanser that will break down your surplus of oil without aggravating your corneocytes.

So there you have it! The basics of sebum, the key to hydrated, well-balanced skin.

For more information about sebum, check out my references: Gray's Anatomy, How Stuff Works, XO Vain

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Natural Doesn't Always Mean Safe

There seems to be a dangerous misconception that products deemed as natural, green, or organic are automatically healthy and safe. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Cyanide is natural, but I don’t plan on adding a big spoonful to my daily cup of tea. The truth is that there are so many new ingredients introduced to the market each year, usage and interaction data is sparse. I chose to say ingredients and not chemicals because somehow chemical has become a dirty word. This is also a confused notion. Everything is made up of chemicals and whether they are naturally occurring or man-made does not inherently speak to their safety. To quote a basic principle of toxicology, “The dose makes the poison.” Even products that are generally accepted as harmless, such as vitamins, can lose their safety and effectiveness when used in the wrong amounts or in combination with the wrong things. There are also regulatory shortcomings that make it nearly impossible to decipher the standards, or lack thereof, that need to be upheld for a product to be labeled as natural. In fact, the FDA recently reached out to the public for aid in defining the term natural on food labeling (Follow this link to send the FDA your thoughts on the matter – Comments will be accepted until May 10, 2016).

If there are research gaps regarding the type, amount, and duration of exposure that make products harmful, how are consumers supposed to discern what’s actually safe to use? In the current state of affairs, I think that we each are responsible for doing our own due diligence. Sadly, no one should accept that a product is safe just because it says natural or organic all over the packaging.  Do your research, ask questions, and make some noise when something doesn’t seem right. Personally, I try stay away from overly processed products and limit my use of any one specific item because today’s miracle ingredient could very well be on tomorrow’s warning lists. It is critical to remember that this is your health on the line; it is precious and should never be taken for granted.

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