Yoga For Your Looks & Remembering To Take Care Of Yourself.

                   You know those women who wear yoga pants like its their job and their skin is glowing and their hair is shiny and silky and you can't help but try and find a million reasons not to like them out of envy, but you can't because they are so f***ing friendly and sweet? Well, turns out those women are onto to something pretty great. Yoga has always been known for it's whole body benefits. However, most women turn to yoga when they simply want to increase flexibility or go down a dress size or two. Seldom does anyone ever thinks of yoga as a way to enhance the look of your hair, skin and nails. When was the last time you looked at your dandruff and were like, "Oh man, I gotta do some yoga stat!"? Probably never. Well it's time to start!

               Really, any exercise that gets your heart pumping and you blood flowing is great for your looks, but Yoga works more extensively to stimulate and massage certain organs that help your body eliminate toxins. In addition to that, yoga relaxes you. We live in such a frantic world. We are constantly in multiple places at once. The world doesn't grant breaks. Most of the time, unless tragedy strikes (knock on wood), we are all running around in a way that makes the energizer bunny look pathetic. We have to take time for ourselves. We have to demand it. In contrast to the aforementioned yoga-fairies, have you ever met a person who made you think to yourself, "Wow! They have gone their entire life without ever smiling once?" The kind of person that yells at the cashier for 20min. for accidentally wringing up celery instead of carrots.

             Vanity is one of those great motivators that I find to be a necessary evil. If we truly didn't care about the way we looked, we'd never get out of bed, we wouldn't get new clothes, we might not shower. If you begin to take better care of yourself because you are motivated to look better, it hardly matters because regardless you will feel better.

So here's to you, and your looks, and remembering to smile, and to give the poor cashiers a break.

This article below was pretty neat and the inspiration for this post:

Stylecraze.com wrote about 8 poses that can ward of hair loss (I copied it below, but you can view it at their site here:

Souce: gettyimages

Hair is a woman’s pride. It is something to flaunt! But when the thickness of your ponytail starts decreasing it is time to pay some serious attention. It is heart breaking and stressful to comb your hair and find a whole clump of your hair sticking to the comb. This is where yoga can come in handy! Yoga helps immensely to grow back your lost hair. Adopting asanas in yoga to prevent hair loss is one of the most effective solutions in the long run.

Reasons for hair loss:

• Too much stress
• Ageing
• Unhealthy eating habits
• Medication
• Hormonal problems
• Using too many hair products
• Heat treatments on hair
• Genetics

It is good to know that hair loss due hereditary is curable. If you can control your unhealthy lifestyle habits and practice pranayama and meditation, you can deal with hair loss issues a lot more easily. Here are some exercises from the ancient books of yoga for hair loss prevention.

Asanas of Yoga for Hair Loss

As far as yoga poses for hair loss control go, a few are exceptionally effective! They are listed below.1. Balayam Yoga (Rubbing nails):

This yoga asana was made famous by Baba Ramdev. It is simple and highly affective.

• You can do this asana either sitting or standing.
• Curl the fingers of both hands inwards towards your palm.
• Bring the nails of both your hands in contact with each other and start rubbing them vigorously ensure leaving out the thumbnails.
• Keep rubbing your nails continuously for 5-7 minutes at a stretch.

Besides hair loss, Balayam yoga can also cure dandruff and premature graying of hair.
By doing this, the roots of the hair follicles connected to the fingernails pump energy to the scalp needed for hair growth.

[ Read: 5 Baba Ramdev Yoga Asanas for Better Hair ]

2. Uttanasana (Stand forward bend pose): 

Image: shutterstock

• Stand straight with your legs close to one another touching your knees, heels, feet and toes.
• Inhale deeply.
• Now while exhaling, lift up your hands and bend forward, until your fingers and then your hands touch the floor.
• If possible, you can also bring your hands behind your heels.
• Hold on this position with some normal breathing.
• When you want to come out of this pose, inhale in deeply and stand back straight.
• For beginners, if you are not able to touch the ground with your hands, then fold your hands and hold your right elbow with left hand and left elbow with right hand.

This asana it helps better hair growth because of two reasons:

• If you have noticed, your head is hanging below your heart allowing allows blood to circulate properly in your scalp leading to proper hair growth.
• Another reason is that Uttanasana de-stresses you and relieves you of all anxiety and tensions which is a primary reason for hair loss.

3. Sasangasana (Rabbit pose):

Image: shutterstock

• Sit with your knees on the floor, hips on your heels in Balasana pose (child pose).
• Now put both your hands at the back and hold your heels.
• Place the crown of your head on the floor and slowly inhale and lift up your hips.
• Hold this position until five breaths.
• Exhale as you slowly unroll yourself back to child pose.
• Relax and repeat again.

This asana is again beneficial because while the crown is on the ground, the blood flows to the head. Proper circulation of blood to scalp means good and healthy hair growth.

4. Ustrasana (Camel Pose):

Image: shutterstock

• Sit straight on the floor with your knees in a way that the calves of your knees form right angle.
• Keep hands on your waist, fingers in the front and thumb behind.
• Now bend your spine backward and hold the heels of your feet with your hands or you may also touch the soles of your feet.
• As you bend your spine, also move your face upwards and try looking at the ceiling.
• Hold on this pose for a few seconds and keep your breathing normal.
• Exhale while exiting from this pose.
• Sit in baby pose or Balasana and relax.

Follow some precautions while doing this yoga for good hair:

• For beginners, do not bend backwards too much as it may cause injury to your lower back.
• You need Flexibility for this asana, if your body is stiff, you’ll never be able to complete this asana until the end.

[ Read: Top 10 Yoga Poses For Faster Hair Growth ]

5. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog pose):

Image: shutterstock

• Place yourself with your knees and hands on the ground. Your hands perpendicular to your shoulders and your knees perpendicular with your hips.
• Next push your hips up and alongside straighten your legs too, standing on your toes.
• Pressing your palms to the ground, straighten your spine more.
• To exit from this pose, pull down your hips gently and come back to the first step.

6. Vajrasana (Diamond pose):

Image: shutterstock

• Sit on the floor keeping your spine erect and with stretched legs. Your heels should be together.
• Place your hands by your side palms facing the ground.
• Now you have to fold both your legs, keeping them under your thighs; first the left leg and then the right.
• Place your hands on your upper thighs.
• Sit in a relaxed position and breathe in and out deeply.
• When done, return back to your original posture of sitting with stretched legs.

7. Matsyasana (Fish pose):

Image: shutterstock

• Lie down straight on the floor with your legs together, both your hands should go at the back of your thighs with palms facing downwards.
• Now with pressure on your elbows, pull the mid portion of your upper torso dropping your head a bit more backwards such that the crown of your head touches the ground.
• Your body position will be such that an arch will be formed between your hips and crown. Breathe in deeply and try filling in as much oxygen possible to your respiratory organs.

8. Uttanpadasana (Raised feet pose):

Image: Shutterstock

• Lie on the yoga mat with arms by your side and palms facing the floor.
• Stretch your body and slowly raise your legs at a 45-60 degrees angle from the ground.
• Keep your legs raised for a minute or even more if you can hold it.

This asana allows blood circulation to the scalp and thereby hair follicles allowing it to regrow.

Some other poses that help growth of long and beautiful hair are Sarvangasana (Shoulder stand pose) and Sirshasana (headstand pose). Beginners may have a problem doing these two poses. But as your body becomes flexible with yoga, you’ll find the difficulties fading away gradually. Other than these yoga asana, also practice Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril breathing) and kapalbhati. They help you become stress-free which mean less hair loss.

Yoga is a natural treatment preventing hair loss and help growth of new hair. Practice yoga for long hair every day in the morning with an empty stomach for best results.

Fire Cider: Our Immune System's Secret Weapon

Spring is a tricky season. We have a false sense of safety and separation from cold and flu season, but if the winter taught us anything, it's that the weather is wacky and we must be prepared. The most beautiful person is a healthy person and it's important to find fun and easy ways to battle colds and keep our immune systems up. We were hit pretty hard at Adorn with the cold and flu season and are DETERMINED not to get sick EVER AGAIN!

Here is a little immune system secret weapon I'd like to share:

Fire cider is a traditional mixture used to build up the immune system. Rosemary Gladstar has a great YouTube video on how to make it:

She is the cutest (look at those bangs!) and this video is great! However, I will also break it down for you.

Fire Cider

• Mix equal parts of chopped: garlic, onion, horseradish, and ginger
• Pour Applecider Vinegar over in a bell jar (organic vinegar 'with mother' is best)
• Add 1/4 Tablespoon Cayenne, but you can add more if you like more heat
• Put on top, but make sure you separate the solution from the metal top because vinegar will cause the lid to rust. An easy way to separate is to put a little plastic wrap on top of the jar and then screw the lid on top of that. Leave for 4-6 weeks
• After 4-6 weeks, add honey to taste

A neat little trick with the honey is to use local honey, preferably raw, this will help with allergies which hit pretty hard around these parts in the springtime. 

Lastly, all of this stuff is cleansing to the blood which help with keeping your skin, hair and nails looking great!

Viola!

This can be used in salad dressing by mixing it with a little oil, etc. or taken by the shot. Enjoy!

Remember Horst Rechelbacher (1941-2014)

                Horst Rechelbacher is most well-known for founding the Aveda corporation. He died February 15th from pancreatic cancer. Horst dedicated most of his life to transforming the way we view the things we put on our bodies. He argued that everything we use on our skin should be safe enough to eat. The philosophy of his most recent line Intelligent Nutrients is, "If it’s good enough to go on your body, it should be good enough to go into your mouth." This philosophy is stated clearly on the Intelligent Nutrients website. Horst was an active environmentalist and incorporated a lot of Ayurvedic principles, aromatherapy, and his knowledge of plant-based medicine into his products. He spent time studying these practices in India and went on to collaborate with other members of the integrative medicine community in the U.S. (read more here).

Horst was born in Austria and first learned about plant medicine through his mother who was an herbalist. He started apprenticing at a barbor shop when he was 14 and by the 1960s he was touring Europe and the U.S. talking about styling. It was on one of these tours that Horst was in a car accident near the Twin Cities, Horst stayed to work off his hospital bills and never left (read full article here). 

Horst was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer around a decade ago, and it's vague as to how much energy he put towards going to the doctor or for checkups, but it is clear that he devoted himself to his healthy lifestyle. 

We will remember Horst for all the amazing ways he has transformed the beauty industry into a more conscientious place to be nourished. Instead of the old "beauty is pain" ideology, he turned it into a healing process that served the whole body. 

Introducing Adorn's New Salon Manager: Sara Brooks!

Adorn salon has hired a brand new salon manager and we are so excited to introduce her! Sara Brooks has quickly adapted to the challenges of the job and brought her own creative flair to the table! We wanted to get to know her better and we knew you would too!

You say on your website that you started bookbinding in a nook between your kitchen 
and your living room. Was this something you did on a whim or had you been thinking of 
bookbinding for a while?

In high school, I made and sold a ‘zine for several years. Then in college, I took a bookmaking
class geared towards photographers. I was totally hooked. The process of cutting, pasting,
sewing, folding was very rewarding. I was combining my love of photography, writing, and
layout design all into one art form. When I was in school and teaching, I was making artist books and growing more interested in the book as an artistic medium. I had taken a few classes and workshops over the years, but never pursued it while in school. After I left academia and relocated to Asheville, I found myself without access to photography facilities. I needed a way to express my creativity that didn’t rely on studio equipment or a bundle of cash. To make a book, all I need is some paper, needle and thread.

What drew you most to upcycling books?

(Technically, I am not upcycling books, but making upcycled books. I take materials such as
paper and fabric that have been discarded or purchased from second-hand stores and build a
book. I don’t make a new book from an old book.)
I love the thrill of the hunt for a good bargain! Buying materials for my books is an excuse to go to thrifting. I can find interesting paper and cool vintage fabrics for super cheap. Using recycled materials not only make my books very unique (often one-of-a-kind) but also affordable for my customers. I feel good knowing that I am conserving resources and often saving materials bound for the landfill. For instance, I found a box of wedding invitations that were very tacky and of no real use anymore, but was able to salvage part of the paper and create about eight new books. I love the challenge of looking at a material and figuring out a creative re-use for it.

You have your MFA in photography, but follow a different path, why is that?

When I started photography, digital photography was still in its early stages. People were debating if digital images should be considered art or not! I was shooting film and loved being in the darkroom. The tactile nature of handling the film and touching the paper was deeply satisfying to me. With the rapid shift to digital photography, I found myself more in front of a computer. When I was in grad school, the art world was really into “hyper-real” photography and I was not. I guess you could say I become disenchanted with the art form. Also, photography is inherently expensive and wasteful. I am neither interested in keeping up with the latest technology, nor investing thousands of dollars into something that becomes obsolete within a few years. I am more interested in reusing and recycling materials and making something new from something old.

I also love the versatility of a book. Books in general have such a rich history and I think its important to continue a very old tradition. Original Brooks is my business name for books I create for everyday use, such as journals and sketchbooks. These books that are for sale allow me to develop my craftsmanship and skills as a bookbinder. I also create artist books that contain text and images which satisfy my creative artistic drive.

What is the hardest part about running your own business?

The hardest part for me is, well, the business part of it. Understanding taxes, marketing, and all the non-creative stuff! But I am learning and Asheville is full of resources to help me along the way.

What made you seek out Adorn?

While I love working in my studio at home, I need to get out and talk to people. I was looking for a place where I would be working with creative individuals and meet local people. Before Adorn, I worked in food and beverage at a hotel, so I rarely interacted with anyone from Asheville or who had similar creative pursuits.

What do you like most about working at Adorn so far?

Everyone has been so nice and welcoming. The environment is professional, yet relaxed. It fits me perfectly. I also love being in the heart of downtown where there is so much great energy.

Do you have a memory from your childhood that you think influenced your pursuit of a 
career in the arts?

I was an only child until 13, so I learned to entertained myself. My mother was an interior designer and she taught me early on about design. I also spent a lot of time with my grandmother whose creativity was in cooking. She had this drawer full of family photographs that I would sit hours on end sifting through. I would say more than anything, my childhood has influenced the art itself. Several bodies of my artwork are based on my memories of my grandmother.

What is your favorite place in Asheville?

The Goodwill Outlet for shopping.

The Vault for drinking.


To see more Original Brooks check out the website here

(All photos courtesy of Original Brooks website!)

Heather Smith: Makeup and Nail Artist Extraodinare

Heather Smith is an aesthetic genius. She has a natural instinct of the color harmony. You will recognize her in Adorn Salon, always wearing heels and cracking clients up throughout the day. An Asheville native, she has a strong bond to the LGBTQ community and the mountains. Smith is a burst of energy and a ball to work with. We relish the opportunity to showcase how talented this woman is!


You used to help out a lot with drag shows, was that how you got interested in makeup artistry or had you been practicing before that?
I did help with backstage with drag shows but more in an assisting in dressing sense.  Drag queens are very much in ownership of their makeup and their makeup style so I really learned by observing.  Watching a man transform himself into a female stage figure teaches so much about dimension, texture, reflection, contouring and shape.  It's makeup from a theatrical approach.  My personal interest in makeup really happened from experimenting with my own makeup over the years.  My friends at Makeup at the Grove Arcade/ Serenity + Scott Beauty encouraged and supported me to move in the direction of bridal makeup.  Being an artist just sort of mushroomed from there.

What do you love most about photoshoots?

In terms of photoshoots, I enjoy the entire process from transforming the model to seeing the end result.  It's exhilarating to see what can come from each collaborative effort of artists. 

How do you judge where to place lines and what colors will look best with your models features? Is it something you were taught or something you intuitively feel?

Each face is a canvas for me.  Each is three dimensional and unique and presents new opportunities for the creative makeup process.  The individual details of the face, eyes, nose, mouth and complexion outline a formula for beauty and expression with color and contouring.  Understanding the lines of the face is an absolute key to being able to make each client look their absolute best.  There is a science to makeup artistry as there is with anything involving color.  That being said, some of the techniques are learned but I believe every makeup artist brings a unique approach to beauty with their own intuition and skill.

What was your favorite shoot?

It's difficult to choose my favorite shoot however I really enjoyed working with a young aspiring model recently to create her first portfolio and to follow up with shots that have since been published.  It was an involved process and to watch her evolve and move forward with her future career has been particularly rewarding.

What kinds of projects do you hope to work on in the future? 

I hope to work on more couture projects as well as a few styled wedding projects in the near future.  The brides I have worked with this year have been very generous in sharing images they were particularly proud of, however, I would love to work with local wedding dress designers and some of the hairstylists from Adorn to create some special works we can all be proud of.

Do you have any recommendations for other people interested in being a makeup artist?

For anyone hoping to become a makeup artist ... find products you are confident in working with and practice!  Practice in many different ways with a wide variety of products and faces.  Photograph the finished product in many different lights so you can personally learn what works and what does not.  It's a completely different challenge to work with looks for events or for special nights out than it is to work with makeup for photographic purposes.  The camera changes everything!  Learn what looks natural and what looks dramatic.  Work on lines and with which products create the best lines possible.  Build your brush collection and, by all means, keep them clean!!!  Last but not least, learn how to apply lashes and what lashes work best on which shape of eye and type of natural lash.

Do you have any advice on general skin care?

General skin care should always consist of cleansing, toning, moisturizing and protecting.  Wear sunscreen!!  And don't forget to hydrate from within.  Make a habit of facial treatments if especially if you need more education, a licensed esthetician can lend support to help with daily maintenance.  It's important to take care of the skin you are in ... after all ... it's the only [skin] we have.

Hair Extensions: From Indian Temple to Your Temples

        First, I must preface this by saying that Adorn does not offer hair extension services. Our aesthetic and hope is that we can deliver services that maintain and promote the natural beauty of the client. However, we are obsessed with all things hair and try to be as informed as posible, so today, we take a closer looker at the world of hair extensions.
         Hair extensions aren't often thought of as a controversial issue by the people that use them, only as a slight shock when you discover that your favorite movie star isn't just naturally blessed with 3 ft. of thick, shiny locks that bounce in that perfect way (Zooey Deschanel, I'm looking at you, girl). However, when was the last time you asked yourself where all this hair is coming from?

          The hair extension industry is not a small change business. Scott Carney wrote in Mother Jones in 2010  about "...celebs who might shell out $10,000 or more for a single wig or weave, the demand adds up to a $900 million global trade in human hair—not counting installation."Carney goes on to explain the origins of the hair. Although, much of the extensions we deal with come from China where people can sell their strands to feed their family, a greater amount of the hair we use for extensions comes from temples in India where people offer up their hair as a sacrifice to the Gods. The temple then takes that hair to the "gods of the marketplace" to be sold. This brings the temple an additional $10 to $15 million a year (you can read the full article here).

          One of the largest communities that wear hair that isn't their own are the Jewish communities in which the bride shave their heads and done a wig. An interesting side effect of the hair coming from Indian Temple, is that in some Jewish communities, hair from India is prohibited because the women who gave the hair were doing so as a result of "idol worship". In accordance with Jewish traditions, "The problem is that the Torah not only forbids idolatry itself, but also prohibits deriving benefit from any accessory, decoration or sacrifice to idol worship, (http://ohr.edu/1698)."When you think of how many women in some Jewish communities do wear wigs, you can start to see how avoiding hair from India altogether could prove challenging when the market is so flooded with it and the hair is reportedly thinner and a lot more similar to European hair that the hair from China which is thicker and a lot more coarse even after the processes it goes through to make it seem finer.

       
         A lot of people don't see an issue, arguing that the hair from the temples in India have been reported to go towards hospitals and other good causes, while others feel that the individual whose head the hair came from should be compensated monetarily. In an extremely impoverished society, they are giving their hair away for what Westerners view as "free" when they make a sacrifice of their locks. While a lot of people just see it as a win/win all around; one person feels good about making a spiritual sacrifice, the church earns a profit which it then feeds back into the community, and a wealthy lady gets to walk around with beautiful head of hair she could never have had otherwise.

       

Adorn Staff Photo 2014: We Specialize In Awesome

And if you don't know, now you know...

Serious Staff Meeting and Other Hard Times at Adorn

Adorn Salon had a staff meeting over the weekend, which is always such hard work.

First, we have to eat...

Then we had to listen to this woman Rebecca brought in to give us a free quote on our health care...

Ladies and gentlemen, the lovely and very informative, Marisa Blake:

(obviously, not the best picture, but it's hard to take photos and absorb healthcare information at the same time)

This is a photo of Marisa and Rebecca that I like...

you know, just being serious and stoic.

The Big Bosslady came in at one point during the meeting, which was very intimidating...

She quickly laid down the law...

Finally, we all just cried into our biscuits and gravy from Table, mimosas, and coffee from Izzy's all provided by Rebecca.

Yeah...It sure is hard to work at Adorn.