Mother Knows Best: The 10 Secrets of Naturally Beautiful Skin

In honor of Mothers Day, I’ve distilled my mother’s and grandmother’s beauty advice and my own 30 years of research and hands-on experience into the10 fundamentals of organic anti-aging skin care listed here

1. Commit to a disciplined routine of daily and weekly skin care A lifetime of youthful-looking skin requires life-long dedication to nurturing skin health.

2. Use only pure, 100% natural skin-care ingredients Make sure that every product that touches your skin is 100% free of petrochemicals, parabens, and other harsh synthetic ingredients. Skin treatments made from certified organic and natural plant-derived ingredients are not only safer but more effective.

3. Nourish your skin from the inside and the outside Maximize the rejuvenating effects of antioxidants, vitamins, and other phytonutrients with topical application of products made from the same plant-based health foods you eat.

4. Protect against sun damage Guard against the #1 cause of skin cancer and wrinkles by avoiding prolonged sun exposure between 10 am and 3 pm and using sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15, every day, all year round.

5. Synchronize your skin care routine with the rhythms of nature Shift the focus of your skin-care regimen as the seasons change: Concentrate on exfoliation and hydration in the cold weather and on nutrition and sun protection as the days get warmer.  

6. Exfoliate—gently, safely, and effectively To brighten and revitalize your complexion, add gentle natural exfoliants such as finely ground nuts, white willow bark, and food enzymes to your skin care regimen. (To learn more about the do’s and don’ts of exfoliation, read FAQ…) 

7. Optimize microcirculation Maintain healthy blood flow with a regular exercise program and skin-care products that contain natural circulation boosters, such as paprika, caffeine, and cinnamon.

8. De-stress your mind and body Minimize the destructive effects of stress hormones on the skin with yoga, meditation, massage, and other holistic relaxation techniques. The serene expression that accompanies a calm spirit also helps slow the development of crows feet, lip lines, and other facial creases.

9. Increase your quotient of restorative sleep Do whatever it takes to get in the mood for plenty of deep, restful sleep every night. Your skin cells need at least 7-10 hours every night to cleanse themselves of waste and toxins and repair free radical damage.

10. Become an educated consumer Check out the fine print on product labels, get the facts behind advertising claims, and understand the effects of various cosmetic ingredients on skin function. Skin-care knowledge is the key to gaining power over aging—and over the physical and economic risks posed by inferior products.

PS to Daughters: Sharing goes both ways. Mothers and grandmothers are never too old to learn something new from the younger generation. Give them some uplifting words of wisdom this Mothers Day!

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Green Sugar Part 1: Are All Sweeteners Created Equal?

Physicians, diet experts, and beauty gurus agree: refined sugar is the enemy of graceful aging. If you want to stave off wrinkles, weight gain, fatigue, and age-related diseases, then start by replacing all those empty calories you consume with real nutrition.

A Sweet Life After “White Death”

While this anti-aging prescription might sound like a bitter pill to swallow, a spoonful of nutritional awareness—and a trip to your local Asian market or health food store—can make it a lot easier to take.
Today’s expanding green marketplace offers a number of naturally delicious plant-derived sweeteners that ancient holistic traditions and emerging scientific research suggest are not only far less toxic to our bodies than refined sugar, but even beneficial to our health.

The Beauty of Whole-Food Sugar

As for the old saw that sugar is sugar regardless of what you call it, there’s a good deal of evidence that throws that nutritional wisdom into question. Although the jury is still out on claims that honey, molasses, and their more exotic counterparts release energy into the bloodstream more gradually than refined sucrose and high-fructose corn, scientific research does suggest the effect of minimally processed sugars on blood glucose levels is balanced by their green bonuses.

Not only do the simple cooking methods used to produce these more complex sugars leave most of their nutritional content intact—heat derivation is a far safer than chemical extraction. Obviously, the phosphoric acid, sulfur dioxide, and bleaches used to manufacture those sparkling white granules and crystal-clear syrups are anything but pure and innocent.

Why Less Isn’t Always More
But what about no- or reduced-calorie sugar substitutes like aspartame? Confirmed waist-watchers who think artificial sweeteners are the best way to avoid empty calories should consider the other negatives of sugar’s synthetic cousins. From headaches and other side effects to increased risk of cancer and neurological damage, the numerous health hazards of nonnutritive sweeteners are hardly a positive alternative to white sugar’s potentially deadly effects.

And while these chemical concoctions only remind of us of sugar, the traditional Asian sweeteners I’ll discuss in my upcoming spots add a deep, rich flavor that may even surpass it.

The European Difference

Today’s growing trend toward on-the-go day spa services says a lot about the current American approach to beauty. Exposed to a continuous media hype about lunchtime face lifts, instant makeovers, and overnight results, people here have become conditioned to believe that faster is always better. While an express manicure or 10-minute waxing certainly comes in handy in a pinch, some things—like anti-aging skin care—just can’t be rushed.  

In Europe, where the pace of life is slower, skin care is considered a lifetime discipline. This mindset is reflected in the European spa experience as well as in the time and effort European women dedicate to maintaining a beautiful, youthful-looking complexion.

A Time-Honored Tradition

My education as an aesthetician in Romania was grounded in the traditions of my country’s renowned health resorts. Travelers from all over Europe have been flocking to Romania’s health spas to bathe in its fabled hot springs and mineral-rich black sea mud, breathe fresh mountain air, and relax and restore themselves to optimal health since ancient times.

Over the centuries, as the custom of “taking the waters” became increasingly popular among Europe’s leisure classes, the spa experience continued to evolve. As the lavish hotels and resorts built to cater to wealthy patrons began integrating emerging medical technologies, new wellness philosophies, and elegant cultural and social activities into their treatment routines, the spa experience came to be regarded as the ultimate holistic cure: a combination of a highly personalized rehabilitation program, spiritual retreat, and luxury vacation.

Relax, Refresh, Restore

This tradition of providing a restorative experience for the body, mind, and soul lives on in today’s luxurious European day spas. Their serene and elegant interiors, like the customized organic skin care and complementary health and fitness services they offer, recall the glory days of Old World health spas. 

In 1993, three years after coming to the U.S., I opened Lavinia Borcau Skin Care to provide my new clients with an authentic European day spa experience. Since then I’ve remained dedicated to educating clients about the holistic approach to wellness that I learned in my native country and to helping them integrate European-style skin-care regimes into their busy lifestyles. 

Like my menu of spa services, the all-natural products in my complete Lavie Organique ™skin-care system are designed to nourish and pamper the skin, refresh the spirit, and delight the senses. As I see it, our skin is precious gift. Throughout our lives, it serves as an exquisitely sensitive interface between our inner being and the world around us. Surely, this essential part of ourselves deserves more than the potentially risky quick-and-dirty skin-care remedies that continue to flood the market. In return for all it does for you, why not give your skin what it needs to stay healthy and beautiful?  The gift of time. 

Antioxidants and What They Do For You

Many of the ingredients chosen for LaVie Organique products are known to have antioxidant properties.  Antioxidants scavenge free radicals, which are damaging compounds that naturally occur in the body.  Free radicals can alter cells, tamper with DNA and can cause cell death.  Environmental toxins (including ultraviolet rays from the sun, radiation, cigarette smoke, and air pollution) also give rise to these damaging particles. Scientists believe that free radicals contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of health problems including cancer and heart disease.

Antioxidants such as polyphenols in the LaVie Organique Proprietary Blend (Organic Extracts of White Tea Leaf, Soap Bark and Sea Buckthorn Seed) can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.  Since free radicals not only affect the skin but the whole body as well, in recent years you may have noticed a lot of buzz about antioxidants in the news and at your local grocer.  A summer diet is especially full of antioxidants, so don't feel guilty enjoying big helpings of these: cherries, strawberries, pineapple, kale, peppers, and fresh beans.

Welcome!

Welcome to LaVie Organique's blog! Here, you'll find information and updates about LaVie Organique products, Lavinia Borcau Skin Care, and general tips on improving your skin's health and beauty.

Read on for the story behind the LaVie Organique line:

Lavinia Borcau believes that skin care is a lifetime discipline, and that an effective skin care routine achieves and maintains balance, supporting the health and beauty of your skin.

With over 20 years in the business, a successful salon, and her desire to increase the effectiveness of daily personal skin care and overall wellness, she has spent the last 4 years perfecting a line which brings together the natural wisdom of our grandmothers’ heritage with the secrets of European skin care and modern scientific technology.

Lavinia Borcau has done what few skin care professionals have done: she has launched a product line that has its roots in time-tested approach from her native Romania, a region renowned for centuries for its spas, treatments, and skin care.

Lavinia Borcau’s new LaVie Organique product line is the expression of a lifetime’s experience of hands-on professional skin care, and of Lavinia’s sophisticated knowledge of what wonderful skin care products can achieve for her clients.

Lavinia Borcau obtained the CIDESCO International Diploma in 1994 – the highest earned professional skin care title in the world. She has dedicated more than 20 years of experience to the field, and is passionately committed to providing the highest quality of skin care. She owns and operates Lavinia Borcau Skin Care in Boston.

Lavinia can be contacted at info@lavie-organique.com.

Days before the launch of LaVie Organique, the web site, www.lavie-organique.com went live. The creation of the LaVie Organique web page has been a project in itself, as Lavinia’s desire for full disclosure of all the ingredients in her proprietary formula led to the creation of a “Science Library,” the section of the site where all the herbal, mineral, and other natural ingredients are discussed.

On Wednesday, February 11, the launch of LaVie Organique was celebrated with a party at Lavinia Borcau Skin Care, 29 Harvard St. in Brookline. We enjoyed seeing all our friends gathered to celebrate the occasion with wine and hors d’oeuvres, and even live musical accompaniment. While our estheticians gave free mini-facials using the new LaVie Organique products, Lavinia shared with guests her long path leading to the creation of LaVie Organique, driven by her desire not to compromise the efficacy of her products while also maintaining the highest standards of natural skin care, without the use of parabens or synthetic preservatives.

Please visit the LaVie Organique blog often - we're excited to share our products and knowledge with you!