Commercial Tanning Beds: An Overview
February 28, 2009
Commercial tanning beds come in two basic formats. Horizontal tanning beds are the tanning beds you most often see in both residential and commercial settings. These capsule or clamshell tanning beds consist of a lid lined with tubular ultraviolet lamps, and a glass or plastic "bench" contoured for optimal relaxation. Simply lie down, close the lid, and allow the UV light to penetrate your skin. Turn your body over one time halfway through your session for even tanning.
Vertical tanning beds are also known as tanning booths or stand-ups. The interior is lined with ultraviolet light bulbs in a 360 pattern. Just step inside and close the door. Since your body is exposed to UV light on all sides, there is no need to turn your body over halfway through your session; therefore a tanning booth tans twice as fast as a clamshell tanning bed.
High-pressure tanning beds blast you with more tanning rays (UVA) and fewer burning rays (UVB). The lamps are made of quartz, which allows their internal air pressure to be higher than conventional ultraviolet lamps, thus filtering out more unwanted UVB rays. High-pressure tanning beds sport a sleek, "open cage" construction with no doors. They are suited to intermediate and dark skin tones. Most commercial tanning beds include high-pressure lamps at least in the face area.
Home Tanning Beds
February 28, 2009
More and more people are opting to buy their own tanning beds rather than frequent a tanning salon. The main reason for this is that over a period of months or years, frequenting a salon can cost you thousands of dollars. That’s money you could have spent on your own machine. And then there’s the matter of time spent traveling to and from the salon. If you tan often, why not invest in a home tanning bed?
Indoor Tanning Beds
Very recently the World Health Organization issued a statement, backed up by the National Institutes of Health, recommending that no one under the age of eighteen should use an indoor tanning bed, citing tanning bed popularity among youth, high ultraviolet radiation levels in the beds, and a general increase in skin cancer cases.
Whether minors should be prohibited from using indoor tanning beds is a question of politics, but the point on safety is well taken by the majority of the tanning bed industry, as the warnings on their websites can attest. Indoor tanning beds must be used in moderation. A good rule of thumb is this: If you think your tan looks good, take a break from your tanning schedule.
Tanning Bed Lotion
February 27, 2009
Apply a tanning bed lotion an hour before and immediately after every tanning session. Tanning bed lotions protect your skin and help to accelerate the tanning process.
Tanning bed lotions contain tyrosine, an amino acid that stimulates production of the skin pigment melanin. Tyrosine assists the UVB rays in stimulating melanin production. UVA rays oxidize the melanin, producing color.
Many tanning bed lotions contain Vitamin E. The anti-oxidant effects of Vitamin E, as well as those of tyrosine, work to prevent wrinkles and fine lines, especially on your face.
Copper, another common tanning bed lotion ingredient, works to reduce the visibility of scars and other minor blemishes. (Incidentally, copper also assists tyrosine in the production of important brain chemicals. This could help explain the mild euphoria experienced by regular tanners. Research into the possible anti-depressive applications of the tanning industry continues to this day.)
All tanning bed lotions have a moisturizing element, which magnifies the tanning effects of UVA rays, while counteracting the drying and peeling effects of UVB rays.
As if all this weren’t enough, many tanning bed lotions contain hempseed oil, aloe vera, or any of a number of other nutrients to guard your skin from the relentless ravages of the natural environment.
Top 5 Most Often Carried Handbags
February 26, 2009
Handbags have become the most popular accessory on the market and there’s no reason to wonder why. There are so many styles and trends to choose from that it’s hard for a woman to choose just one handbag. Each outfit calls for a different type of handbag so it’s hard to distinguish which types are most popular. In order to help you determine which types of handbags are in style right now, I have compiled a list of the top five most often carried handbags. You do not have to choose one of these as the type of handbag you’re going to carry but use this as a guideline illustrating which are in fashion at the moment:
Tanning Beds: History and Advice
February 25, 2009
Tanning beds were brought to North America by German scientist Friedrich Wolff in 1978 and rose to popularity in the mid-1980s. Since then, tanning beds have been a common way to tan without having to spend hours and hours in the sun’s unpredictable radiation.
Make no mistake: the ultraviolet light used in tanning beds is almost exactly the same kind of ultraviolet light that comes from the sun, and therefore comes with the same risks. But if you understand how tanning beds work and how to use them without abusing them, tanning beds can be a great way to get that perfect olive or bronze hue you’ve been yearning for.
All conventional tanning beds have lamps that produce ultraviolet radiation ? both UVB and UVA rays. The UVB rays are accountable for stimulating production of the naturally occurring skin pigment melanin. However, minor overexposure to UVB rays causes burn, while major overexposure is linked to skin cancers. The UVA rays are the ones that oxidize the melanin, producing the golden brown color. The UVA rays account for the majority of rays originating in the lamps or bulbs in a tanning bed.
Where to Find Wholesale Hair Extensions
February 24, 2009
Many people turn to hair extensions to change their looks and, in turn, to change their lives. This makes for big business for cosmetologists trained in hair extension application. Unfortunately, hair extensions can be expensive. Retail prices of hair extensions make them cost-prohibitive for most salons and hairdressers. Luckily, wholesale hair extensions are available for professional hairdressers. The following is a partial list of companies offering hair extensions and supplies at wholesale prices.
Sexy Hair Extensions
Sells wholesale supplies and extensions to hairdressers. For example, they sell pre-bonded 14- or 18-inch extensions in bundles of 100 strands for $147.
Roman Hair
Offers 100-percent Remy Indian hair extensions. They offer wholesale hair extensions to resellers and salons.
Hairpiece
This site offers a large variety of hair extension products, such as synthetic hair, extension kits, tubing, clip-ons, wefts, and fusion equipment. To qualify for their wholesale pricing, you must fill out a resale registration form, available on their website. The first order must be at least $2,000 to qualify for discounts.
Hair Replacement Centers
Have a Cause? Wear a Rubber Wristband!
February 23, 2009
They are the hottest wearable right now, despite the fashion gurus adding the adjective ‘once trendy’ while referring to them. Yes we’re talking about rubber wristbands. You can’t escape them anymore. Be it evacuees at Gaza or NBA football stars, all are wearing these bands. Passing fad? Don’t know, but they are still selling like hot cakes.
If you have just stepped out of a time machine and can’t distinguish a rubber wristband from a tennis wristband, read this: Rubber wristbands were popularised by famous cycling champion Lance Armstrong who fought and survived multiple cancers. Armstrong wore a signature yellow rubber wristband during his record sixth straight victory at the Tour de France in July.
Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain when he was 25. He won the 1999 Tour de France and has won it six years in a row. The ‘Livestrong’ rubber wristbands from the Lance Armstrong Foundation are a means to show support for those battling cancer. The sales of these wristbands shot up when Oprah Winfrey encouraged her viewers to order a bracelet when she had Armstrong as a guest on her show.
The Cost of Hair Extensions
February 23, 2009
Hair extensions can be added to your own natural hair to add length, volume, and body. They can also be an easy, non-chemical way to add highlights or lowlights. Hair extensions can be a one-night change or one that lasts six months.
How much do hair extensions cost? The price can vary widely, depending on type of hair and method used. Synthetic hair costs much less than human hair. Raw or virgin (untreated) human hair costs more than other types of human hair. For now, though, we will focus on hair extension prices for different methods.
Clip-Ons
Clip-on hair extensions are a temporary solution, and their price reflects that. Hair Replacement Centers offer clip-ons from $19.50 to $269 for a kit.
Hot Fusion or Bonding
In this method, extensions are hot glued to your natural hair. This is the traditional method, and it costs around $300.
Cold Fusion
This is a new technology that is meant to be gentle on the hair. It costs from $1,500 to $3,500.
Weave
In this method, hair extensions are braided into the natural hair. This method costs around $1,200.
What are Fusion Hair Extensions?
February 22, 2009
Hair extensions can be attached to your head in many different ways, including gluing, tubing, sewing, and clipping on. Different methods have different advantages. The method you choose will depend on many factors: your hair, your lifestyle, your budget, and your needs, for starters. If you are looking for a long-lasting, natural-looking hair extension, though, consider one of the fusion methods.
Fusion is generally the preferred method as fused hair extensions can last up to three to six months with skilled application and proper care. With fusion hair extensions, the extensions should be indistinguishable from your natural hair. If properly applied, the attachment site should be virtually invisible.
Fusion hair extensions can be applied in different ways: hot or cold fusion. Hot fusion or bonding uses hot glue to attach extensions to your hair. This is the more traditional method. While it does have many happy followers, others say that the glue causes the extensions to feel stiff and unnatural. These extensions can last up to 4 months.
The Benefits of Clip-on Hair Extensions
February 21, 2009
We all need a change every now and then. From our clothes to the music we listen to, a little bit of variety is great sometimes. So, why should we have the same hairstyle day in and day out? With hair extensions, we can look and feel like a new person — any time we want to.
Regular hair extensions must be weaved, braided, sewed, or glued — that’s more of a commitment than some people are willing to make. What’s more, it can be quite expensive. If you want a little hair variety without the time or financial commitment, consider a clip-on hair extension.
Clip-on hair extensions are a temporary way to change your look, either for fun and style or as a test drive for "real" hair extensions. Some clip-on hair extensions are small sections of hair attached to metal clips, much like barrettes. This type of clip-on hair extension is not meant to be used alone and you will need at least three or four of them. You simply clip the extension wherever you need added volume or body. Then the hair can be styled as usual. These hair extensions can be either synthetic or natural.
