How to Keep Your Nails Strong and Healthy

Blue Hombre NailsOur hands and nails are exposed to the world on a daily basis, so it’s important to keep them healthy, strong, and attractive. Plus, nails can harbor bacteria, become brittle or get discolored if you don’t take steps to keep them in tip-top shape.

First, and most importantly, keep your whole body healthy. Doing cardio a few times a week will increase blood flow to your hands and feet, which will help your nails stay stronger and healthier.

When you file and buff your nails, make sure to do it in an up and down motion – never side to side. This will help remove ridges and yellowing in your nails. And, while you want to clean under your nails daily, you never want to file them right after you shower. Nails are weaker after the shower and more likely to break.

Another at home tip for treating your nails – combine a teaspoon of sugar, lemon juice and olive oil into a bowl and massage it into your nails and cuticles for 5 to 10 minutes. This not only increases circulation to your nails, but it will also moisturize and buff the nails.

Finally – make sure you wear gloves when you are doing the dishes or using harsh cleaners. Cleaning products can dry out your nails – which causes them to become brittle and dry. This can include your shampoo – some shampoos designed to keep hair from getting oily can strip the moisture from your nails.

Want more tips? Ask at your next manicure or pedicure – all of our staff members have great advice for keeping your nails looking fantastic!

7 Reasons to Book a Massage Today

Massages are more than just a great way to relax, they offer a variety of emotional and physical benefits. For more information on any of the massage benefits below, or to book a massage, call the salon anytime. Here are seven reasons that you should get a massage TODAY:

  • Stress Relief: The holidays were stressful! A single massage session can do wonders for lowering your heart rate and your cortisol and insulin levels, which will reduce your daily stress – and help make you healthier and happier!
  • Improve Your Immune System: Stress can affect your immune system, so this goes hand in hand with number one. Massage can also increase the immune system’s activity level and overall function.
  • Reduce Headaches: Regular massages can help the body maintain an optimal level of relaxation and stress relief. Proactive massage treatments can relax muscle spasms and trigger points, which reduces the chances of migraine attacks and tension headaches. Massage can also be used when you have a headache to release tension and try to relieve pain and pressure.
  • Improve Breathing: There are many muscles in the front and back of the body that help with respiration. When these muscles are chronically tight they can disrupt the body’s normal breathing patterns. By using massage to lengthen and relax those muscles, you will be able to breathe deeper and easier.
  • Improve Posture: Those same muscles that get tight and restrict your ability to breathe? They affect your posture, too. Poor posture is a major reason for all the neck and back pain that we experience. Your posture also affects digestion and circulation by stressing your internal organs when you hunch forward. Massages can loosen and relax your muscles, allowing your body to settle into a natural, pain-free position.
  • Promote Relaxation: The body can create an unhealthy build-up of the stress hormone cortisol during your daily activities. A build-up of cortisol can lead to sleeplessness, headaches, and digestive problems. A massage allows the body to enter into a relaxation mode –which triggers a variety of responses in the body that result in relaxation, lower stress, and improved mood. And the best part? This relaxation benefit lasts well after the massage is over.
  • Manage Chronic Conditions: Regular massage programs can help manage the symptoms from a variety of chronic conditions, including fibromyalgia, arthritis, depression, insomnia, migraines, and anxiety. If you are interested in trying to manage your condition or chronic pain through massage, please ask us about it next time you are in the salon.

4 Tips for Healthy Winter Hair

Now that winter has definitely arrived (and it arrived in a big way!), its time to start thinking about how to protect our hair from the damage winter weather can cause.  Winter brings much colder temperatures and much dryer air, which can cause hair troubles like dandruff, static, frizz and more!  Luckily, doing a few simple things for your hair can minimize the damage and help keep your bad hair days at bay.  As always, your mira stylist can give you more specific tips for the challenges your individual hair presents.

1) This tip an easy one – wear a hat!  Hats help protect your hair from the elements and have the added bonus of keeping you warm while outside in the cold.  Hats help heat your head, which can cause the dreaded “hat hair”.  To avoid that you can wrap your hair in a silk scarf before you put on your wool beanie (this has the added bonus of preventing static from the hat rubbing on your hair).  Or, if you have long hair, just twist it into a bun before pulling on your cozy, warm cap.

2) Dry your hair.  Its so easy to hit the snooze button and not dry your hair completely — especially when your bed is so warm and the world is so cold!  But, exposing the moisture in your hair to the cold can make your hair brittle and dry – leading to further damage to your tresses.

3) Deep condition.  During the winter months, its a really good idea to treat your hair to a deep conditioning treatment once a week.  Winter brings lots of dryness – from the heat running at home and the cold in the air – and deep conditioning will help replenish all the moisture you are losing.  There are lots of great products that can help with this – your stylist can help you figure out what the best one for your hair might be.

During the winter months, especially, its also helpful to keep your hair washing to a minimum.  This will help prevent your hair from drying out too much. When you do wash your hair, make sure you use lukewarm – not hot – water.  Hot water will further dry out your scalp.

4) Get regular trims.  Getting regular trims every 6-8 weeks are a great way to help maintain your hair’s health during the winter months.  This helps prevent dry, splitting ends and keeps your hair looking and feeling healthy.

Bonus tip: Invest in a humidifier.  Having the heat on can cause the air at home to become very dry.  Having a humidifier running can add must-needed moisture back into the air and your hair and skin will definitely appreciate it.

2019 robe demoiselle d’honneur violette à vous pour le mariage de votre meilleure amie? Votre voyage de bonheur va bientôt commencer!

 

Welcome Melissa!

Melissa HeadshotHave you noticed a new face walking around the salon?  We are beyond excited to welcome Melissa Crawford to the mira family!  Melissa is an Akron native and former Revere Minutemen. She loves music, laughing, cooking, and, most importantly, spending time with her family and friends.  And – fun fact alert! – Melissa has played tennis her whole life.  She’s also fabulous and very friendly, so make sure you say hi next time you are in the salon.

Melissa has extensive experience as a stylist and nail tech.  She specializes in fantastic color and cuts, keratin styling treatments, and nails…including some really gorgeous nail art.  You can see her work on our Pinterest page (click HERE) – or just call today for an appointment and experience it yourself!

Trick or Treat….for your hands!

Are you ready for Halloween…or, more importantly, are your hands ready for Halloween? Our nail stylists have been doing some extra spooky holiday manicures lately – you can check them out below, then call today to get your nails ready for the holiday weekend!

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Fall Special – Pumpkin Mask & Peel

Fall is in the air here in Northeast Ohio and with it comes all of our favorite fall treats – pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Since we think all things pumpkin are amazing, we designed our Fall Special to include it!

Here are the deets: for the months of October and November, you can get a Pumpkin Enzyme Mask & Peel for $55.00. This vegan certified peel contains more than 100 beneficial nutrients which can help reverse the signs of aging. The peel has high levels of vitamins A & C to help increase cell turnover and an added 4% glycolic acid for a youthful glow.

Call us today take advantage of this special pricing – spots are already filling up fast!

*If you have extremely sensitive skin, this facial might not be ideal for you….but we have a variety of other options that will be perfect! If you aren’t sure, just ask Allison what would be best for your skin.

Trends We Love: Nail Art

The meaning of manicure has changed in recent years and we couldn’t be happier!  Until recently, painted nails were a sign of grown-up elegance and the popularity of traditional shades reflected that belief.  Nails are more popular than ever in the fashion industry as younger generations use nail art and eye-popping colors to reflect their personality, creativity and fashion savvy.

Celebrities have also gotten in on the nail game.  Female fashion icons like Katy Perry and Rihanna have been photographed with eye-catching manicures.

More importantly, mira clients have been spotted with gorgeous nail art!  Here are some examples of the work of our own nail stylists.  For more ideas, you can always check out our Pinterest Page as well! Find us at www.pinterest.com/mirahairandbody

 

 

 

 

Product Spotlight: DevaCurl

Do you want fabulous curls?  We can help!  DevaCurl is a natural hair care line that can unleash your curls – and works for a variety of hair types.  Wavy and curly hair tends to get dry, which leads to frizz.  DevaCurl is designed to moisturize your hair in a way that results in fabulous frizz-free curls.

Sound too good to be true?  Its not, we promise!  DevaCurl offers a complete line of sulfate, silicon, and paraben-free cleansers, conditioners, and styling products that deliver healthy frizz free curls.  It works in three really simple steps: cleanse, hydrate, define.

Cleanse: DevaCurl’s shampoo, No-poo, is specially designed non-lathering shampoo (lather strips your curls of moisture) that is enhanced with moisturizing benefits.

Hydrate: DevaCurl’s conditioner offers maximum moisture and conditioning benefits for your hair.  Glide it downward through the curls for best results

Define: The defining gel dissolves instantly to help moisturize and enhance your curls….resulting in beautiful bouncing curls.

It really is that easy to transform your hair from frizzy waves to bouncing curls.  Ask your mira stylist how you can get started with the curls you have always wanted!

Put Your Best Face Forward: 5 Skincare Essentials

We all want to look our best right? And having good skin is a great way to feel confident and beautiful. Here are our top 5 skincare tips to help your face look gorgeous:
1) Sunscreen – We can’t stress enough how important it is to put on SPF everyday – 365 days a year. Sunscreen protects your skin from harmful UV rays that do permanent damage to your skin. Wearing sunscreen (ideally SPF 30 or higher) is the single best way to keep your skin looking youthful
2) Eat right – What you eat can have a big effect on all parts of your body. Leafy greens are loaded with antioxidants, which have major benefits for your skin. Nuts, salmon, tuna and halibut are all options that contain essential fatty acids, which can help squash inflammation that accelerates fine lines, sagging, and blotchiness
3) Don’t skimp on your bedtime routine – When you are tired at night and just want to go to bed, its easy to rationalize that washing your face isn’t that important. But the truth is, your skin undergoes major rejuvenation work at night. Washing and moisturizing your face not only gets rid of make-up, dirt and debris that can clog up your pores, it also allows your skin to maintain its nightly routine and keep your face looking younger and clearer.
4) Get regular facials – We could go on and on about the benefits of getting regular professional facials. Facials provide deeper cleansing and exfoliation than you can achieve at home, allowing for better penetration of products, reduced acne formation, and prevents pores from expanding and changing shape. As an added benefit, facials relax you – stress is bad for your skin, so taking a break just for you can help counteract the rest of the stress you deal with on a daily basis
5) Use the right products – Using the right products is essential for maintaining good skin. Everyone’s skin is unique and using products to work with the level of oiliness/dryness/inflammation in your skin can have a big impact. Your esthetician can council you on the best products for your individual skin.