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MY SCALP PEELING REGIMEN

by Vivian Moreno, Esthetician

I will be scalp peeling Today I have not peeled my scalp for some time. I will be using:

Microscrub Cream, Glycolic Acid 7% Cream, SkinWater Cream, Javier’s famous Scalp Serum, and a color brush (for the application process) .  This process will cleanse the scalp and pores, allowing optimum follicle health with resulting hair growth.

1.Apply Microscrub Cream directly to scalp with the color brush, as if you would be applying color.  With your fingers gently scrub your scalp for about 15 min.  At the very end of your gentle scrub session, your scalp may feel a little raw or sore,  that’s OK, because that is the sensation you are looking for.   Then rinse off.

2. Next, apply 7% Glycolic Acid Cream directly to scalp as if you would be applying color.  I’ve decided to try to leave this on for about an hour today.  The Glycolic can be left on from 15 minutes to a couple of hours.  I have even tried overnite. The longer you leave it on the flakier your scalp will become.  The flakes will look like dandruff.  It is a personal preference you will only be able to handle the sting for a while.  Today there is a definite sting happening on my scalp.  I will see how long I can handle it.  Last, rinse off ( If I only leave the Glycolic on a short time, sometime I will not rinse off.  I will just apply the SkinWater Cream.  The Skin Water Cream will neutralize the Glycolic Acid Cream).

3. Apply Javier’s Magic Scalp Serum, and let set for a couple of minutes DO NOT REMOVE.

4. Apply Skin Water,  AHHH this will cool everything down.  I will leave this on for an hour.  Then I will Wash and Condition my hair.

5. Then Style to perfection!!!  WOW ! AMAZING HAIR…

6. Now my husband will have to take me out…

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MY WINTER PEEL: THE HEALING

by Vivian Moreno, Esthetician

My forehead looks really dry and flaky today, almost blistery. Anything I put on at this time is going sting.  But I still need to clean and cover it.  I don’t want to wipe the residual skin off my face right away, because I rather the skin fall off on its own.  This is one of the biggest mistakes that women make, is that they pull or remove the peeling skin before its time.  This will just cause more irritation, because they will expose the new tender skin below and extend unnecessary healing time.  But at the same time, I still have to clean my face, but I don’t want to use the facial wash on my face.  Less wiping means less healing time.  So I will use my Skin Water Cream for cleaning and hydrating.

My Regimen:

  1. I will apply a heavy coat of Skin Water Cream, and let set for only about 3 minute because yes it does sting.
  2. Then remove gently with a wet cool towel, and I mean gently.
  3. Then apply a good coat of Waterscreen Ointment.  It will look goopy  and shiny. About a fifty cent size.

I’m finished, my skin does feel itchy today, but not to bad of an itch. But overall it really looks good and progessing beautifully.  I’m expecting four days of healing time based on what I see.  This is my photo Journal of Winter 2011 Chemical Peeling.  I peel my skin about 3 maybe 4 times in the winter because the cool weather is more comfortable.

by Vivian Moreno, Esthetician

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MY WINTER PEEL: THE TREATMENT

by Vivian Moreno, Esthetician

Its time to Peel! ..and Winter is the best time to do a peel.  My recomendation is for those of us 45 and older should Peel at least 2 times this season. Make sure you have a skin care coach, esthetician, or trainer, that can help and direct you. I will be posting my regimens daily. DO NOT PEEL unless you have Skinwater and Waterscreen.  This is my photo Journal of Winter 2011 Chemical Peeling.  I peel my skin about 3 maybe 4 times in the winter because the cool weather is more comfortable.

Today I am just going to peel my forehead I will be using Numbing gel (fresh mint gel toothpaste) because I hate the sting, 5% Glycolic Acid Cream, Skinwater, and Waterscreen. Make sure with any peeling that you figure in down time for healing. At least 3 to 4 days.

1.  I will apply the numbing on my forehead for about 3 minutes, then Rinse off with cool towel.

2.  I am going to start applying the glycolic at 15 min intervals. It should feel like a cool tingle at first. My goal is to get it to feel like a bad sunburn. I may need to layer this 3 to 4 times. I do not remove any cream during this process, I just keep layering. When it becomes to hot to handle! (This normally takes me about 3 hours with 5% glycolic acid cream or lotion.)

3.  I will layer a heavy coat of skinwater Let it set for 20 min. ( This time my skin absorbed so much Skinwater that I had to reapply a second coat).  Then rinse off with a cool towel gently.

4.  Apply a good coat of Waterscreen.

With this treatment I will experience a lot of flaking and it will really “ITCH.”   I will post my after care and explain why I do this.

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HAIR LOSS: THE FAMILY CURSE

By Vivian Moreno, Esthetician, My Hair loss Experience

     Reminiscing of my child hood from a very young age I remember my family as close, with an even closer extended family.  Growing up I remember listening to family members talk about the ‘family curse’, Hair Loss! Today 50 years later at our family gatherings 99.9% of all of my sisters and cousins have some form of hair loss, some more than others.  I have one cousin that is almost bald, and another with a full head of hair at 60 something, with everyone else in between. 

     I guess I was getting pretty close to bald, and would not even have notice if on one family occasion, my cousin greeted me and asked what was going on with my hair.  That’s when I became self conscious of my predicament, and began to increasingly take notice of this on more than one occasion.  There was one time I was having a conversation with someone, and notice their eyes moving up looking up at my blank scalp.  Well, it began to effect me so much that I would limit my exposure to normal living, and that wasn’t good.  I wouldn’t want to go anywhere or do much of anything, and would say to myself, “I had the worst hair on the planet”.

     Fifteen years ago my mother of all people, started wearing wigs religiously.  She told me that her hair loss started effecting her life, just as it had mine, and wigs were an option for her. She tried on Human hair, Synthetic Hair, Long hair and Short hair.  I tried to see the light in it when my mother would get complements on her hair, and my sister and I would just look at each other knowing it was the infamous #33, The Mona Lisa Wig at $39.95.  I had to hand it to her, you could not tell she was truly wearing a wig.  My Grand Children didn’t even know her secret, they never knew she wore a wig, and always knew my mom as having a lot of hair. Last Christmas my mom stayed with them for the holidays and when she came down the stairs one morning without her wig, they were traumatized by the sight of her with almost no hair. 

     I said to myself wigs were not going to be an option for me. I WANTED MY HAIR BACK! and I wanted all my hair back…

     I decided to conduct an experiment on my scalp and keep a photo journal. I knew enough about the skin and how it worked, so I started to apply those principles to the scalp, because after all, the scalp is skin, and my hair grows out of skin. My goal was to make my scalp as healthy as possible, because my theory was that if I made my scalp healthy my hair would grow back.  This I would do by removing all and any build up that would impede hair growth thru the follicle.  I went to my husband “the Pharmacist” to design and concoct a hair and scalp serum.  The final hair serum product was 3% Minoxidil, 60% Grapeseed Extract, Açaí Extract- produced in our lab, a Japanese extract with studies behind it- Eriobotrya Japonica (Loquat) Extract, Saw Palmetto Extract, Gingko Biloba Extract, Panthenol B-5, and some impressive French Extracts noted for hair growth-, Lupinus Albus Extract, Juglans Regia (SwissWalnut) Seed Extract-from a 400 year tree, Fractionated Soy Protein in Peptide Form.  All had some study to describe increasing follicle activity with of course, the end result, new hair growth.  This concoction would be an addition to the other products designed to  be incorporated into the planned hair regimen. This was my plan, and based on everything I believe to be true about Skin Care, it should work.

      I started taking pictures Bi Weekly, then monthly, then I got crazy and would photos daily  many photos daily. There were some days that I thought it was working and some days I thought It wasn’t working at all I stayed on course and I just let it happen. My hairdressers would let me know if they felt it was getting better or not. Only sometimes they felt it was getting better. I had highs and lows. Some days I believed and some days I didn’t. I started this experiment the beginning of August 2009 and here are the results as of December 2010.

With continuing the same treatment plan, here are the most current results as of March 2, 2011.

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IT’S THE SEASON! BIOKORIUM PUMPKIN & CRANBERRY LOTIONS

Don’t forget to order BioKorium’s Pumpkin and Cranberry Lotions for the Fall Season and Winter Season.  Our Pumpkin is made with pumpkin extract and natural moisturizing pumpkin oil in a delectable Holiday Pumpkin Scent. Our Fresh Cranberry Lotion is made with real Organic Cranberry Extract Fruit Juice produced in our lab and mixed with natural moisturizing Cranberry Oil in our own signature Holiday Cranberry Scent.  All holiday lotions will be reduced to $12.95

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POMEGRANATES: FRUIT OF THE GODS, I GET IT!

In ancient times, the Greeks and Egyptians used the fruit of the pomegranates to heal and revitalize the body.  Then, Pomegranate was also known as the fruit of the gods, because of the belief and myth that the fruit could transform and heal a person’s body and mind to be closer to that entity, and a secret to beknownst only to them.

     Until recently, scientific studies indicate that pomegranates have benefits far transcending ancient symbolism and leading them into the realm of true medical literature. Early on, a Reuters article dated  Oct 29, 2003, reported, “that compounds found in fruits such as Pomegranates and Grapes may help protect against the changes that can lead to skin cancer”, researchers told a conference of the American Association of Cancer Research. These were proven by test on mice which demonstrated that these extracts can slow down or prevent the damage done to skin by chemicals and sunlight.   

     Like all other antioxidants such as Green Tea, Grapeseed and the Açaí berry;  Pomegranate extract was found to help in mediating ultraviolet light damage.  In other words, this meant that your skin attained the ability to be more resistance to damaging ultraviolet rays.  By this, your skin may burn less or recover much more quickly than without it.   Interesting enough, this was a phenomenon we were seeing early on with our first antioxidant product of Grapeseed creams and serums.  Our clients were coming in after a day of sunning or going to areas such as Hawaii and telling us they weren’t getting burned as much with our product, compared to other times without it.    

     The reason for this protective factor, is that Pomegranate Extract is rich in polyphenols, a potent antioxidant also commonly found  in Green Tea and other antioxidants. One of the most powerful of the Pomegranate polyphenols is Ellagic Acid, which has been shown to be promising in a study for it’s anti-cancer and healing benefits.  

     One study confirmed that Ellagic Acid effectively protected cells from damaging free radicals of ultraviolet light.  In addition, it was found that other antioxidants in the fruit of the pomegranate combined synergistically with Ellagic Acid to greatly  increase pomegranate’s potency as an antioxidant.  In other words, it was found that this red fruit contained more than one antioxidant which worked together in a cascade effect to counteract the damage done to cells by chemicals, radiation and sunlight.  It did this by significantly lowering the swelling in damaged skin tissue and further, decreased the overgrowth of unnecessary skin cells, which could turn cancerous.

      In another study at the University of Wisconsin, a team tested pomegranate extract against a tumor causing chemical called TPA. In the skin of newborn mice.  In the TPA treated group, all the mice developed tumors at 16 weeks; whereas the mice treated with Pomegranate extract only 30%  exhibited tumors at the 16 week point.  BioKorium has been always been on the cutting edge of Antioxidant development since 1994, interpreting and understanding  what clinical studies reveal regarding the importance of certain fruit extracts and their relation to skin health. 

     At BioKorium we are proud to offer what we feel is the best handmade pomegranate fruit extract products in the form of facial creams and lotions formulated,developed and produced in small batches by Dr. Javier Moreno, PharmD, RPh , available since our conception 17 years ago.

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SKIN CARE CONCEPTS THAT DIDN’T SOUND RIGHT

I am not a traditional facialist to say the least, but I was taught that way.  Much of what I was taught just didn’t make any sense to me. Those electronic skin care devices such as galvanic currents, the pretty colored light therapy that ranged from blue, green, yellow and red, and of course the draconian steam.  I called this the “fluff facial”.  Its has all the bells and whistles that most clients expect in a facial.  Many customer and clientele came in expecting this treatment.  Was it helping, of course not, but it sure gave the impression it did, and it looked pretty impressive to the customer, and in their mind they were convinced by the technology and believed results were happening.  But I honestly had to tell them, “Sorry, that’s not what I do.”  This was when I began to think out of the box.  I would tell them, when you lay on my treatment bed, you will not hear music, or have steam thrown in your face, or me massaging your shoulders, or will I be inundating you with unique scents….When come to see me you will not have all that, you will hear me talking…and talking skin.  Teaching you and telling you what you need to do to take care of your skin.

What happened, was that I realized everything that I learned in school didn’t sound right.  Placing steam, pretty lights and electronic devices on clients skin; was it really making a difference and transforming their skin?  Were they getting the results they expected? Were they happy and satisfied? Or the question was, did they even care?  We reached out to a niche market of clients unsatisfied with traditional facials, and wanted rational answers and most of all, a rational treatment regimen that made sense and gave results.  This initiated my search and destroy method of the current status quo thought to skin care.  And to this day many listen, then cringed, then listened again, then cringed less, and the transformation of new skin care thought and perception began, of course, in so many words.  This is what made me get up every morning and continue to strive for new, simple and basic skin care concepts that make sense, and I know it is successful when our clients our reaching their goals, and telling me, “Vivian,  seeing is believing”.

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SWEATING: DOES IT COMPLEMENT MY SKIN?

What’s important to remember is that when you sweat, sweat complements your skin. Well you may ask, how can that be? Isn’t it considered dirty and attracts bacteria and odor? Well I have news for you. Not quite true. Your skin maintains a natural pH of 4.5-5.0 which is scientifically mildly acidic. The pH of Sweat is around 4.0-6.8. When skin is bathed with sweat it helps to maintain the natural acidic pH of skin. It doesn’t stop there, there is indeed a purpose. Sweat helps to maintain the natural healthy pH of the skin. It becomes an effective protective barrier to the elements. Are you still afraid to sweat? Well it also kills bacteria. This brings back the article I wrote regarding Skin and The French Connection, whereby overwashing the skin can create an unhealthy skin, this is because healthy skin is naturally acidic. It’s acidic for a purpose. Sweat; is a salty, watery solution produced by sweat glands, together with sebum, an oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands. The main role of sebum is to waterproof the skin and hair. When sebum mixes up with sweat on the skin surface, the combo forms a protective layer often referred to as the acid mantle. Acid Mantle, helps protect skin from “the elements” (such as wind or pollutants), acid mantle also inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi. If acid mantle is disrupted or loses its acidity, the skin becomes more prone to damage and infection. The loss of acid mantle is one of the side-effects of overwashing the skin with soaps or detergents of moderate or high strength, and we all know what happens then. Mainstream cosmetic companies are always trying to sell you the concept of toners, to re-acidify the skin after using their alkalizing facial wash. Therefore look for a neutral to low alkaline facial washs, you won’t have that problem. Now, does sweat complement my skin? Absolutely, it may not always be a vision of beauty, but it does make your skin healthy, and the result of healthy skin is beauty.

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SUNLIGHT: THE BODIES NATURAL ENERGY SOURCE

From fire and water came the spark of life of which emerged a complex biological system of what we know now as the human body. The purpose, the biological purpose of how are body was designed in order to survive the challenges of our environment is not only rudimentary, but primordial in origin. Sun exposure, temperature changes, food intake, immune strength; these our all elements that effect and challenge our bodies future level of survival. A lack of sunlight, for example, can have an effect on lowering Vitamin D levels which could result in larger health issues later. A lack of Vitamin D can also increase the risk of many types of cancer and lung diseases. This is the top reason for our need to be exposed to sunlight in order that our body receives and produces enough Vitamin D. The fact that electrons from the sun must pass through the skin to be processed in cells is example which demonstrates that ‘skin’ is a natural receiver or conduit of sunlight, in the form of electrons. These electrons are then processed within our skin to produce active levels of Vitamin D which maintain healthy processes within our body. This is another reason why we should not overlook the importance of maintaining healthy skin in relation to sun exposure. Ten minutes daily is sufficient. Sunlight also prevents many bacterial and viral infections. More importantly, sunlight strengthens our immune system by providing the platform to build our white blood cell count, and having a normal healthy level of White Blood Cells by which our body maintains a healthy immune system. The importance of maintaining our skin should not stop at our appearance, it now becomes a health issue pertinent to the very nature of our survival.

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WHITE TEA OR GREEN TEA FACIAL CREAM: WHO’S BIASED?

A question I’m often asked when a customer is choosing an anti-oxidant product, is which is best?  Many of the products, of course, are market driven.   In other words, it is whatever the trend for that moment that decides that products presence.  At the time , I was reading a study which found that green tea contained anti-oxidants called polyphenols that appeared to afford the protection against cancerous cells by starving growths, which was done by reducing the blood vessel growth near them, therefore stopping their supply line of nutrition and oxygen.   Pretty amazing stuff, I thought.  In  addition, this researcher, Dr. Santosh Katiyar who was studying the chemoprotective effects of green tea, found that green tea might also be effective against skin cancer if used topically in skin care creams. He was quick to point out that green tea was not a cure for skin cancer, but rather a preventive measure that needs further clinical testing and trials, but would have a profound impact on various skin disorders in the years to come. So what does a scientist do? Well he goes into his laboratory and attempts to create magic. To design a product that works; well, that’s what I did. 

Lets take a look at Green and White Tea.  First, Green Tea and White Tea are not fermented, in contrast to Black Tea, therefore, they contain much more active and intact polyphenol components.   The leaves of White Tea are picked and harvested before the leaves open fully, and at this time the leaves are covered by white fine hair, hence the name.  In comparison to the leaves of Green Tea, whereby they are allowed to grow to a fully form green leaf.  White Tea is also scarcer than the other traditional teas, and therefore quite expensive. In addition, White Tea Leaf also contains more concentrations of polyphenols than Green Tea Leaf. The results of studies with White Tea Leaf suggest a greater inhibitory potency in cancerous cells than Green Tea Leaf, because of increase polyphenol content. Our first anti-oxidant tea extract products were Green Tea Facial Wash and our Green Tea Facial Cream, which was later modified to the current White Tea Extract Facial Cream. 

So overall, what we did to our products was to increase the concentration levels of white and green tea extract actives.  This had been the cornerstone of our company from the beginning was to create cosmeceuticals products that worked due to containing optimal levels of active concentrates.

The thought behind creating our Green Tea Facial Wash, which is the second facial wash based on the formulation of our Original Facial Wash, was to create it with a lighter texture for two reasons: First, for ease of application to irritated skin. Secondly, when irritated skin is progressing through the healing and exfoliation process, the wash could be incorporated with our Oatmeal Herbal Masque for increase anti-inflammatory effects and for gentle removal of exfoliated skin debris.  The development behind this product was based on those people undergoing laser treatment or chemical peeling. We felt this was the ideal wash because it lightly cleansed tender skin while allowing the natural exfoliating of skin debris in the post-laser or post-peel healing stages. Further, we increased the extract levels over the maximum recommended for optimal effect. The Green Tea Facial Wash included active amounts of Green Tea Leaf Extract, noted for its soothing and anti-oxidant properties, and Chamomile Extract noted for its ant-inflammatory and calming properties. Originally, we started with Green Tea Extract Facial Cream which then evolved to the White Tea Extract Facial Cream, due to its increased levels of polyphenol. Our facial cream product had a whopping 20% concentrate of White Tea Actives.  What people didn’t know is that we could as very well place 0.1% white tea extract in our product and still said it contains white tea effectiveness as many in the cosmetic market place do.  But this was the nature of the cosmetic business we wanted to separate ourselves from.

So what was important, is when Green Tea and/or White Tea products were topically applied to the skin, it had the ability to modulate the biochemical pathways involved in skins natural inflammation process.  In other words, if you were in the sun at the beach all day, and incurred a sunburn, your skin would be inflamed and red. This inflammation and redness is directly due to the suns UV rays damaging skin cells.  How you’re body responds to this damage is the next question.  Will it heal up naturally or will it have damage some of your cells ability to replicate properly, possibly transforming some of those cells to skin cancer. That is the question.  The bottom line is that some current studies are suggesting the daily topical application of anti-oxidants such as white or green tea daily as a protective and preventive factor when outdoors and especially when spending lengthy recreational hours in the sun. Studies show that topical products that contain either Green Tea or White Tea polyphenols when applied to the skin interferes with the skins natural biochemical pathway by reducing the inflammatory responses.  So, I’m still asked which is best…. am I biased?  Really I’m Not, I still like both green and white equally.