Women Well-Being: beauty

How Long You Should Wait to Work Out After Getting a Wax, Pedi, and Other Beauty Services Don’t let exercise spoil your skin or hair.

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If you’re like most women, you probably keep a regular schedule of beauty appointments—and you’d never miss your monthly bikini wax, right? But when it comes to exercising, some of your favorite workouts—namely the sweat, dirt, and bacteria that can come along with them—could actually interfere with your beauty routine. So follow this advice for exercising post-wax, blow-out, and more.

Laser Hair Removal
Unlike shaving and waxing, laser hair treatments guarantee longer-lasting results. But after a session, your hair follicles become open, making your skin more susceptible to infection caused by dirt, sweat, and bacteria, says Adriana Martino, laser medical aesthetician and cofounder of Skinney Medspa in New York City. “I tell my clients to wait at least 24 hours before working out,” she says. "Although nothing usually happens after receiving such treatments, it’s best to give your skin a rest and keep it free from friction and heat.”

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Bikini Waxing
Especially popular during the summer months, bikini waxing ensures a hairless pubic line for up to five to six weeks. But after having your hair down there ripped out, you should definitely give your lady parts a break from physical activity, exercise or otherwise. “For bikini waxing, it’s best to wait at anywhere from 24 to 48 hours before you start working out” to avoid infection, says Holly Green, owner of Norabloom Botanicals & Beauty Lounge. Friction and sweat can irritate the skin, which is especially sensitive immediately after being waxed—and you’re more prone to bacteria getting in within the first 24 hours. “Brazilian treatments for example, can be hard on the skin, so it’s wise to give skin a break for a short period of time," says Green. "To help speed up the healing process, use cool stones, ice packs, and aloe gel, as they close up the open follicles and reduce swelling.”

Facials
These pricey treatments make your skin glow—but sweat caused by vigorous workouts can irritate your complexion. “After receiving a facial, it’s best to wait at least 24 hours before resuming your exercise routine,” says Green. “When you steam or receive extractions, it’s important to let the skin heal before working out.” Meanwhile, if you’ve had microdermabrasion or a peel, you should wait at least 48 hours before hitting the gym, says Green, since these types of treatments can cause superficial peeling due to the amount of exfoliation used, leaving you susceptible to irritation.

RELATED: 7 Skin-Care Secrets Aestheticians Swear By

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Blow-outs
You sat in the salon chair for an hour having your hair primped to perfection—and working up a major sweat too quickly afterward could leave your locks limp. “On the day of your blow-out, you might want to do light weights or low-intensity cardio,” says Jet Rhys, owner of Jet Rhys Salon in San Diego. “On the second day, you can do more intense workouts. To help preserve your blow-out, you can always wear super absorbent cotton headbands, as sweat is collected into the band and not your hair.” For a sweat-proof style, opt for a loose bun high off your face. “When working out, it’s important to keep your hair up,” says Rhys. “For a low-fuss style that volumizes your blow-out, simply pile the hair into a loose bun and secure with bobby bins. To avoid sweat from affecting your bun, make sure that your updo isn’t super tight.”

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Pedicures
Even the most basic of pedicures may require you to take a workout break since it can take quite a bit longer than you really think for your nails to dry completely, depending on the topcoat used. And all that moving around in your sneakers could cause smudges. “For a basic safety rule, I would wait for at least an hour before starting to work out again,” says Donna Perillo, owner of Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa in New York City.

Just How Safe Are the Beauty Products You Use Every Day? Turns out, we put more than 160 chemicals on our bodies each day.

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Happy National Women’s Health Week! The initiative, now in its 16th year, is led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health in an effort to empower women to make smart choices to improve their health. All week, prominent figures in the media and the government are blogging for WomensHealthMag.com about the importance of making healthy decisions. Today’s guest bloggers are Senator Dianne Feinstein of California and Senator Susan Collins of Maine.

From shampoo to lotion, makeup to deodorant, hair dye to shaving cream, millions of American women use dozens of personal care products every day. A recent study found that on average, a woman puts 168 chemicals on her body daily.

Many women would be shocked to learn that federal rules designed to make sure those products are safe haven’t been updated for more than 75 years. No other products are so widely used with so few safeguards. What's more, the chemicals in these products aren’t reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration and companies aren’t required to report what ingredients they use and at what concentrations. The Food and Drug Administration doesn't even have mandatory recall authority for products that may cause serious harm.

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That’s why we introduced a bill in the Senate called the Personal Care Products Safety Act, to address these gaps. Consumer advocates and large companies alike—including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Revlon, L’Oreal, Unilever, Estee Lauder, Personal Care Products Council, Environmental Working Group, Endocrine Society, Society for Women’s Health Research, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, National Psoriasis Foundation, and HealthyWomen—support the legislation. They recognize the need to protect women’s health and create a modern regulatory process for the companies that make the products we use every day.

A key component of our bill is a review process for ingredients found in these products, to be conducted by the FDA. Consumer and health advocates are rightly concerned that many of the chemicals and their concentrations in personal care products haven’t been reviewed in decades. For example, propyl paraben is used as a preservative in a wide range of products. This chemical mimics the female hormone estrogen, and concerns have been raised that it may be appropriate only in certain concentrations.

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Scientific studies have shown chemicals that mimic estrogen may disrupt the endocrine system and have been linked to a wide range of health effects, including reproductive system disorders. Similarly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, short-term exposure to formaldehyde, used in smoothing hair treatments, has been reported to cause a range of negative health effects.

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration already requires salon owners to provide workers with protective equipment, including masks and goggles, when using products that contain this chemical. Short-term exposure has been reported to cause headaches and shortness of breath in women and the professionals who apply the chemicals, and long-term exposure has been associated with increased risk of cancer.

The ingredient review process in our bill would address whether these and other chemicals can continue to be used in personal care products and if so, what the concentration levels should be and whether consumer warnings are needed. For example, a chemical may be deemed inappropriate for use in children’s products, or appropriate only for professional application in a salon.

RELATED: 7 Skin-Care Ingredients You Might Be Allergic To

Companies would also be required to report adverse health events, follow good manufacturing practices, and keep safety records. These common-sense proposals are long overdue—women deserve to know that the products they use every day are safe.

Dianne Feinstein represents California in the U.S. Senate. She is concerned about the prevalence of chemicals in commonly used products and is working to ensure their safety.

Susan Collins represents Maine in the U.S. Senate. With current federal regulations for personal care products that have not been updated in more than 75 years, Senator Collins wants to update these rules to empower consumers to make more informed decisions.

Stuck between spring and summer? Here's how to cure your skin woes

So it’s not quite hot enough for bikini season yet but we have slowly been reaching for our maxi dresses! We have put together our top tips for getting summer ready, including prepping for your nails, skin, hair and even perfume – let’s get started!

With hotter weather approaching, it is all about preparing your skin, and using products that prevent against sun damage should definitely be a part of your routine. Whether you use a moisturiser that has SPF protection included in the formula or just sun protection, it is always best to be ready for the sunshine!

Take time from work, chores and everyday life and spend 15 minutes with a face mask on! You will be surprised how beneficial this will work for your skin, the Casmara face mask range has a selection of different formulas that cater for each skin type, algae is a key ingredient throughout the range which is perfect for cooling your skin in warmer weather. The next step for TLC is using a body scrub that contains refreshing ingredients, Grace Cole have a new scrub which contains Tea Tree and Witch Hazel, this little gem is perfect for reviving skin! This will have your skin ready for when sun finally arrives!

If you don’t feel confident enough to skip your liquid foundation, start improving the quality of your skin and eventually you will feel ready to bare all – we love Beauty Lab’s Smart Defence Daily Moisturiser – providing 24 hours of hydration for your skin (hello, perfect for when the sun comes out!) and it is also infused with collagen stimulating peptides. This moisturiser is perfect for all skin types and will give your skin essential vitamins and minerals. For a travel sized, multipurpose moisturiser reach for the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré – you can use this little gem as a primer, make-up remover and everyday moisturiser, who says skin care needs to be complicated?!

Sadly we can’t all be blessed with long lashes but we are loving the new mascara from Silk Oil of Morroco – the two step system creates intense length and volume no matter how short your natural lashes are and the waterproof formula is always a plus - say goodbye to smudged mascara!

For your nails, we have two wonder products will tackle your toes and finger nails, BruzZ is the new superhero for nail cleaning, the bristles tackle any dirt and bacteria from underneath your nails, leaving them ready for nail polish! Before you reach for your nail polish though, give your nails a few coats of the Nail HQ Strengthener treatment – trust us, your nails will love you! The treatment is infused with protein which will stop your nails from breaking every five minutes, hallelujah! Don’t forget to pamper your hands, we are loving the new anatomicals Be Good With Your Hands in Bed Night time Hand Cream, this works overnight to leave your hands incredibly soft and smooth.

If you are tired of trying to create long lashes, reach for the falsies! Quick and easy to apply, the Invogue lash range are perfect for completing your look.

Hair will need extra care in warmer weather, especially if you are best friends with your hair straighteners – your locks will be getting exposed to a lot of heat so you need to make sure you are protecting your hair. Argan Secret Perfect Ends is ideal for damaged hair, particularly split ends! The brush you use can also have a big impact on your hair condition, brush bristles can tear and rip your hair shafts so look for brushes designed with hair loving technology! Wet Brush have Intelliflex Bristles® that gently brush your hair without any hair loss or ripping. If you feel like your hair needs more oomph, try the new hair thickening sprays from Bouffe – they create instant volume and can also colour your roots, simply spray under your roots!

Finally, spritz on the new CK One Summer unisex fragrance (your brother, dad and boyfriend can steal this too I’m afraid and voila! You are officially prepped for the summer – now all we need is a few cocktails and a pool...