Monthly Archives: July 2017

10 Traits That Help Kill a Potential Sale by Diane Shawe

Posted on July 26, 2017 | Leave a comment

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves about the things we read, wrote or learned about increasing your client/customer base.

Detoxing with Beetroot for a healthy liver

Posted on July 20, 2017 | Leave a comment

A friend of over thirty years has just been told that she needs a liver transplant! She does not smoke or drink and use to be a aerobics teacher!

So I started to look up some advice about ways to maintain our liver health especially as most of our food and water has synthetic products added to them.

Article by Diane Shawe M.ED

Well it would seem that Beetroot support liver health (one of our main detox organs) and are full of nutrients and antioxidants. Beet roots are an incredible food and if you can use the leaves also, even better.

According to Jo Robinson, author of Eating on the Wild Side, beets are some of the highest antioxidant foods and have nine times more antioxidants than tomatoes and fifty times more antioxidants than carrots! Beets’ unique combination of phytonutrients and antioxidants have been shown to be especially helpful in reducing chronic inflammation.

Beets have a special pigment, betalin, which strongly supports the body’s phase 2 detoxification process.

Phase 2 detoxification is when the body neutralises and removes potentially harmful substances from the body by making them water soluble.

Beets can also spice up your love life! They are high in boron, an element that has shown to increase testosterone levels and therefore sex drive in both sexes.

Beets have also been shown to widen blood vessels. This increased blood flow throughout the body also supports sexual health. What about beet greens?

Beet greens are some of the healthiest greens available at your supermarket and have a similar nutrient profile to kale. If you buy beets with the greens attached you’ll know you are buying recently harvested beets, which can also have greater nutrient levels.

I know you can get jars of beetroot soaked in vinegar, but if you can get the freshly grown from the market I believe this will be better for you.

So what else?

Pepper It’s easy to dismiss pepper as a common spice. Its commonality almost makes it boring. What’s fascinating about peppers that it accounts for 1/5 of the total spice trade in the world! Besides adding a pleasant taste to our food, black pepper is a warming stimulant that promotes good digestion.

I think the most amazing thing I found out about black pepper is its ability to increase the bioavailability of our herbs and foods. Adding a bit of black pepper to herbal formulas or to our dinner plate means that we have increased the qualities and nutrients available to us.

So here’s a couple of delicious recipes to help you detox your liver.

Beetroot salmorejo

Check out our super easy recipe to make a fresh and delicious Spanish ‘Beetroot Salmorejo’

Time: 15 mins

Yield: 4 people

Ingredients include:

400 g Beetroot (- Boiled)
600 g Tomato
8 units Strawberries (- Medium size)
100 g Breadcrumbs
2 cloves Garlic

Put everything in a blender, add two cups of water and blend until smooth. Pour out into small saucepan bring to boil and then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes.

Peppery Borscht

Peppery Borscht Today’s beet borscht recipe is a beloved and traditional soup from Russia. Borscht soup is a fantastic way to support your body’s natural detox abilities while enjoying a delicious soup. There are lots of different borscht recipes out there.

In this version that I found it includes those incredibly nutritious beet greens and added extra pepper for zing and increased nutrient absorption.

What you’ll need…

1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes

2 cups cubed beets

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves minced

1 cup chopped beet greens

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

1 celery stalk,

chopped 1 large carrot,

sliced 3 cups coarsely chopped purple cabbage

2-3 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves a couple

handfuls of shitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup tomato puree sour cream (optional) green onions for garnish

Heat the butter in a large pot. Sauté the onions until they are translucent. Add the garlic, caraway seeds, salt, pepper, bay leaves. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the celery, carrots, cabbage, beets, potatoes, mushrooms and stock. Simmer until all the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in the balsamic vinegar, beet greens, honey and tomato puree. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream (optional) and green onions for garnish.

Source of info and recipe

Rosalee de la Forêt Rosalee is the Education Director of Learning Herbs and author of Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal. She is passionate about helping people discover the world of herbalism and natural health. Rosalee teaches at international herbal conferences and runs a popular herbal mentoring program. Read more about Rosalee https://learningherbs.com/remedies-recipes/beet-borscht-recipe/

Why it is important to use gloves when dying hair or hair extensions

Posted on July 2, 2017 | 1 comment

What is paraphenylenediamine and where is it found?

How can paraphenylenediamine cause skin irritation when dying hair or hair extensions and where is it found?

Article by Diane Shawe M.Ed

Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) is a chemical substance that is widely used as a permanent hair dye. It may also been found in textile or fur dyes, dark coloured cosmetics, temporary tattoos, photographic developer and lithography plates, photocopying and printing inks, black rubber, oils, greases and gasoline.

People working with PPD such as hairdressers or hair extensions technicians may develop dermatitis on their hands; patch testing usually reveals hypersensitivity to PPD. Occupational allergy to PPD has been found in a milk tester whom through laboratory work was in frequent contact with PPD solution. Dermatitis on the hands and occasional spreading to the arms and upper chest occurred.

YouTube is the undisputed champion in free visual knowledge transfer. I have seen lots of hair technicians demonstrating how to dye hair and often they are not using gloves.

Unprocess virgin Hair Extensions

In 2015/6 alone nearly £15m worth of treated human hair – has been washed and sometimes dyed – was imported into the UK, according to Customs and Excise.

It comes mainly from India, China and Europe. On top of that almost £10m worth of wigs, false beards, eyebrows and eyelashes made from the stuff were also imported.

Those in the trade estimate the hair extension industry alone is worth £60m in this country, although there are no official figures.

When it comes to our tresses, the rarest and most expensive is natural blonde hair, Des Tobin a professor of cell biology at Bradford University, who has studied hair and the trade.

“About 90% of the world’s population has dark brown hair,” he says. “It’s actually really hard to get natural, adult hair that is blonde. The rarity of hair colour will dictate the price. Blonde hair can cost up to three times as much as dark hair.”

Recently we have seen a flood of natural Virgin remy hair which is unprocessed enter the market place. It is a lot cheaper so an increase in home and salon hair bleaching and toning is on the rise.

PPD in Hair Dye and the importance of gloves

Millions are spent annually on home hair dyes, salon balayage and multi colour ombre colours. The use of PPD as a hair dye is popular because it is a permanent dye that gives a natural look. Hair can also be shampooed without becoming decoloured and perming to achieve waves or curls can be done without difficulty.

PPD hair dyes usually come packaged as 2 bottles, one containing the PPD dye preparation and the other containing the developer or oxidizer. PPD is a colourless substance that requires oxygen for it to become coloured. It is this intermediate, partially oxidised state that may cause allergy in sensitive individuals. Fully oxidized PPD is not a sensitiser thus individuals with PPD allergy can wear wigs or fur coats dyed with PPD safely.

What are the reactions to PPD allergy?

Reaction caused by the use of hair dye in mild cases usually only involves dermatitis to the upper eyelids or the rims of the ears. In more severe cases, there may be marked reddening and swelling of the scalp and the face. The eyelids may completely close and the allergic contact dermatitis reaction may become widespread.

Severe allergy to PPD can result in contact urticaria and rarely, anaphylaxis. PPD has also been suspected of precipitating contact leukodermaand vitiligo in genetically predisposed individuals.

What should you do to avoid PPD allergy?

For the Technician

If you are a hairdresser or hair extensions technician, rule one when working with any chemical that could cause dermatitis is to wear gloves. I have seen many youtube demo videos were the technician is not wearing any gloves.

For the Client

If your client have an allergy to PPD you should avoid the use of all oxidation type hair dyes. These are usually recognised by coming in a 2-bottle preparation. If you have been informed by your client or you should have completed a client consultation form checking for allergy history (most clients won’t know what PPD is) to be safe perform a patch test or suggest a semi-permanent hair dyes which may be a suitable alternative but approximately 10% of individuals who are allergic to PPD also react to these;

Patch testing

Patch testing to confirm sensitivity should be performed prior to their use. Metallic hair dyes and vegetable rinse hair dyes may be used but these do not provide permanent colouring. Some newer permanent and semipermanent hair dyes use para-toluenediamine sulfate (PTDS) instead of PPD. This is likely to be tolerated by about 50% of people who are allergic to PPD. Patch testing is recommended prior to use.

Related substances to PPD which may also cause an allergic reaction

Azo dyes: used in semi-permanent and temporary hair dyes, ballpoint pen inks, gasoline and diesel oil, and as colouring agent in foods and medications
Benzocaine and procaine: these are local anaesthetics used by doctors and dentists

Sulfonamides, sulfones, sulfa drugs:

PPD allergy may make you sensitive to the use of these drugs also, discuss with your doctor before changing or stopping your medication
Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA): this is used in sunscreens and creams that are readily available in over-the-counter preparations. You should only used sunscreens that are labeled ‘PABA-free’. Ask your pharmacist for suitable alternatives.

Para-aminosalicylic acid: used for tuberculosis

Alternative names for paraphenylenediaminePPD or PPDAPhenylenediamine basep

-Phenylenediamine4
-Phenylenediamine1,4
-Phenylenediamine4
-Benzenediamine1,4
-Benzenediaminepara
-Diaminobenzene (p-Diaminobenzene)para
-Aminoaniline (p-Aminoaniline)Orsin™Rodol™Ursol™

Please seek professional advice from you GPS or Chemist if unsure.