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What’s the right time in our lives to change our hair style?  What styles age us vs. what looks say, ” No way! You’re not possibly that age!”

Having just turned 50 and having long-time clients who are aging with me, has made this issue a hot topic of concern.  Remember, we want Father Time to be very, very kind!

Here are 3 tips that I share with my clients:

1. Your hair cut should reflect your lifestyle.  Are you a retired, empty nester who is expanding her yogic training, pruning the Community Garden or volunteering at the local shelter?  A former polished Corporate ‘do’ will no longer work for new found endeavors on the mat, pulling weeds or walking the pups. Switch out the polished put-together style with something more textured and less structured. Most times, long locks, though easy to throw in a pony tail, signify youth and everything that goes with it!

2. Calm down your color.  If you were a ‘dye’ hard highlighter, try softening your look with an all over softer blonde adding just a few highlights. Dark raven locks are too harsh and it makes it very hard to go too long between root touch-ups.  The skunk stripe down your part is not an ageless look.  Start transitioning to a medium or lighter brown and switching to a demi-permanant dye which will add dimension. Bold reds will now look fake and take on a garish tone.  Redheads should consider adding a touch of golden brown to achieve a much more realistic look.

3. Show off your gray. There are a few lucky ladies with the perfect, enviable silver.  Talk to your stylist about how you can show off your gray with panache.  Silver glosses, adding ‘pepper’ lowlights, wearing a cut that accentuates the grey will move you into the Silver Fox category.

 

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I cannot tell you how many At-Home Color Mistakes we fix and tweak at the salon.  Though there’s a few that can get it right at home, most clients’ results are undermined by lack of knowing the in’s and out’s of color selection and application.

Here are 5 Common Mistakes When Coloring Your Hair At Home:

If anything on this list resonates with you, talk to us!  Everyone is cost conscious, we get it.  However, the average client who colors his or her hair professionally spends no more than $1.75 to $2.25 a day! That’s less than your morning take-out latte.  (Yes, I did the math!)

Having your hair professionally dyed assures that your hair and hair color will be beautiful, radiant and healthy!

1. Thinking that  ‘semi-permanent’ hair dye is ‘non-permanent’. For the most part, all hair dyes are permanent. Even though the color may fade with this color and the gray may become translucent, the color itself continues to coat the shaft of the hair. This effects the outcome of the next color application because the residual color is literally still ‘on’ the hair.

2. Dying all of the hair with every application. Many women think that in
addition to dying their gray roots, they need to ‘pull’ the color through
to the hair’s ends. Over time, the hair gets darker and darker with each
layer of application making the overall effect uneven: light and bright at
the roots and dark and ‘fake’ looking from mid-shaft to ends.

3. Selecting the wrong tone. So many of the advertised tones in boxed dyes
are extreme. Women select ‘gold’ and end up with orange casts; ‘ash’ makes
the color too dark; ‘neutral’ just doesn’t exist. Professional colorists
know that the desired end-result tone is usually a combination of tones and
colors. To achieve this at home, one would have to buy a few boxes and
know just how to mix correctly.

4. Missing spots. Applying color to your own hair with a bottle
practically guarantees uneven coverage. This usually occurs at the crown
an below the occipital bone. This is most noticeable on women who are trying to go lighter
in shade and/or blonde.

5. Choosing boxed color that contains ammonia or worse. The ingredients in over-the-counter are questionable and harsh, and leave the hair in a compromised condition. Most contain ammonia, resorcinol, PPD’s and produce noxious fumes.  Salons like ours only offer color services with dyes that contain none of these toxic ingredients.  Have you visited our fume-free salon? 

Really think about it before you buy the box.  It’s a mess, it’s a hassle and most likely, it won’t make you look your best!

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SUNWARRIOR, A HAND’S DOWN, PROTEIN SHAKE WINNER!

A few weeks ago, Sunwarrior sent me a collection of its raw, all natural, vegan protein shakes and ‘boosters*” to try out.  Here’s what I found.

I am a seasoned veteran of protein shakes, smoothies and juicing.  My considerations when putting together the perfect shake in order of importance are: taste, ingredients and performance.  No, scratch that, it’s nutrition, low carb and quick prep time.  Or is it low-carb, quick prep time and high protein?

Equally important is the need for a shake that can fuel a workout, a packed work schedule and a very, very long day.  When I’m crunched for time, protein smoothies are a boon.

I exercise 5 days a week, I’m Vegan, and I’m over scheduled: kids, own a business, and manage a  busy household.  I’m also creeping toward 50 with a slowed-down metabolism and a penchant for insulin resistance.  After some recent blood work, my doctor recommended lower carb meals. Meals with high protein and low-carbs can be tricky for Vegans.

The protein in Sunwarrior’s Warrior Blend is derived from peas, raw cranberry and raw hemp and with a low carb count of 2g’s and 19g’s of protein per serving. Sunwarrior has a system of products that can be used alone or can be added to one another to create your perfect nutritional cocktail*. Their full line of offerings are also gluten free, non GMO and soy free.  Worth noting, raw cranberry is known to reduce cellulite.  Just saying!

I started this morning, post-workout, with a Vanilla Warrior Blend shake with unsweetened almond milk, chia seeds, frozen blackberries and a hit of the Activated Sprouted Bio-Fermented Barley Powder Booster.  I was staring down a 7 hour stretch of back to back clients and knew that lunch may or may not be on the horizon.  I wanted to see if Sunwarrior’s Barley powder was in fact, “The Ultimate Slow Burning Carb.”

 

Happy to say, my energy and mood remained high, and I didn’t feel hungry, even though I wasn’t able to stop for lunch until a good 6 hours later.

I’m giving it a high mark for taste: not chalky but smooth, like an actual milk-shake.  It’s quite yummy AND my 2 girls loved the chocolate shake even though it’s ‘healthy,’ God forbid!

* Sunwarrior’s Boosters include: Liquid Light – Pulvic Acid; Immune Shield; Activated Barley and Vitamin Mineral Rush

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So many of our clients at juju are vexed by the frizz. The key to de-frizzing is two-fold, nourishing and re-hydrating the hair coupled with the right products.

HERE ARE MY GO-TO PRODUCTS THAT REALLY WORK!

Start with a DRY SHAMPOO. Over shampooing will dry out the hair, and dry hair, especially on curly girls, will cause The Dreaded Frizz.

I recommend shampooing no more than 3 times a week and using a dry shampoo on off days.  Just sprinkle if it’s in powder form or spray for liquid form, a small amount at the hairline and crown, and work through from roots to ends.  Cocoa Tinted Dry Shampoo by Sevi is a best seller at my salon.

 


LEAVE-IN CONDITIONERS are great for long lasting frizz and fly-away control and can also act as a styling product. Apply leave-in conditioner on towel dried hair, mid-shaft to ends. My clients and I love Hamadi’s Shea Leave-in Conditioner. It’s perfect for those who like to air-dry their hair.

Note: watch out for de-frizzing curl cremes that contain petroleum derived silicones for shine.  After time, this ingredient will dry out the hair and make your frizz worse!

ALOE BASED STYLING GELS

Aloe not only moisturizes the hair, reducing frizz potential, it provides hold and style.  Apply to towel dried hair, midshaft to ends. Try mixing it with your leave-in conditioner for extra thick or frizz-prone hair. I like MGA’s Styling Gel because of its lightness and versatility.

Pure Aloe helps the hair retain water and moisture, re-balances pH levels in the hair and scalp and promotes hair growth!

FINISHING POMADE  Dab a very small amount of a finishing paste or pomade on dried and styled hair to reduce frizz’s ‘Halo effect.’ John Masters Organics’ Pomade with olive and castor oils, really fights frizz and can be used on all hair types.

Make sure you look for the USDA Certified Organic Label and show your support for organic farms and processors.

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20120213_juju_0276I for one am tired of the hard-line, all or nothing approach to losing weight.  It can be so restrictive and painful.  It’s easy to give up when all you’re hearing about is another fruit you should never eat, or a new superfood you must eat, or calorie restriction, or insulin resistance, etc.  The maxims of this regime suck!

Try these easy, simple and unique things that may just give you a gentle nudge in your weight loss journey:

 Peppermint Essential Oil

Peppermint Oil has been shown to suppress cravings and reduce appetite.  Before a meal, drink a tall glass of water with a few drops of peppermint oil.  My pick is peppermint oil infused seltzer water with a meal to help me feel full and avoid the temptation to overeat.

 Meditate

Meditation can positively affect your body’s basal metabolic rate (BMR), can help with hormonal re-balancing and can create a healthy awareness of your food intake,  food choices and food habits.  Sattva is a great app that helps you get and stay on track with a daily meditation practice.

 Morning Sunlight 

A study reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that three-quarters of Americans are vitamin-D deficient. D deficiency can cause weight gain. It’s nearly impossible to get enough of this vitamin from food alone.  Sunshine and Supplements are in order!  Enjoy the sun with a quick paced 10 minute early morning walk.  UV rays are lowest when the sun is rising, so this may be the safest time of the day for your ‘sun bath.’  But remember that aside from these few minutes a day, sunscreen should be worn whenever you’re going to be in the sun.   I use Thorne FX’s Vitamin D Supplement for additional protection.

 

 

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I guarantee that you’ve had dandruff at least once in your life.  Sadly, many of us have had it more that once and seem to battle it on and off. Get to the root of the problem and stop dandruff from ever coming back again!

Seborrheic dermatitis, or dandruff is a very common affliction.  The brunt of the blame lies squarely on the harsh synthetic ingredients found in most conventional hair care products AND our obsession with over-shampooing our hair.

An overly-dry or oily scalp provides the perfect environment for dandruff to thrive. This is often caused by over-shampooing with cleansers containing Sodium Laural/Laureth Sulphates, PEGs, artificial fragrances and parabens.  These synthetic, cheap and potentially harmful ingredients* contribute to inflammatory and compromised skin conditions which in turn can lead to dandruff.

Poor diet and hygiene can also cause dandruff by encouraging fungal and bacteria growth on our scalp.

Fight off the flakes with these 4 easy and natural steps:

Shampoo less.  Our obsession with squeaky clean hair has become a bad habit for many of us.  Try using a dry shampoo between washings or ‘shampoo’ your hair with only conditioner.  Make sure to rinse thoroughly with this practice.
Only use natural and organic shampoos and hair care products.  Look for shampoos that contains tea tree oil, lavender oil, zinc, sage and aloe. DIY: add a few drops of lavender or tea tree oil to your favorite organic shampoo .  And remember, steer clear of synthetic, chemically laden ingredients will only worsen the problem.
Try a natural pre-shampoo treatment.  Massage your scalp with coconut oil for 5 minutes before you shampoo your hair.  Coconut oil contains naturally occurring antimicrobials and fungicides that help quash fungal and yeast growth.
Rinse your hair with Apple Cider Vinegar.  ACV naturally balances your scalp and hair’s pH.  Shampoos and soaps make the skin and scalp more alkaline which can compromise its ability to fight off fungus, a leading cause of dandruff.  ACV’s pH of 2.5-3 can rebalance the scalp.  Mix one part ACV with 2 parts distilled water.  In the shower, pour the mixture all over  wet hair and massage in for a few minutes.  Rinse well and condition  Added Bonus: ACV removes excess oil, water contaminants and product build-up leaving your hair soft and silky.

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It’s spring, soon to be summer, and that means we’re outdoors again with fresh air and sunshine!  Though we should be wearing sunscreen all year long (ahem), many of us only think about it when the sun is out and the weather is warm.

Before you slather and go, consider this: many members of the medical community believe that  ingredients found in conventional sunscreens are causing hormonal disruption, thyroid alteration, endometiosis in women and may in fact contribute to cancerous tumor growth.*  There is an active debate among researchers as to whether or not these ingredients, specifically Oxybenzone and Octinoxat, are highly toxic or innocuous.  Why wait for the results?  There over 100 effective sunscreens out there that do not contain these ingredients.

And remember, your skin is your largest organ and capable of absorbing a percentage of what we put on it.  Follow these tips and you’ll be able to make the healthy choice when it comes to skin protection:

DO choose a natural, mineral based sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide because they provide strong sun protection with few health concerns.

DO use a sunscreen that gives both UVB and UVA protection. Did you know that the term SPF only refers to protection from UVB rays, the rays that cause sunburns? Make sure your sunscreen also protects you from the harmful UVA rays that penetrate deep into our skin causing all sorts of mischief!

DO apply sunscreen liberally and repeatedly during sun exposure to achieve the product’s SPF rating.

DO add tinted UV-protective film to your car’s side and rear windows since UVA penetrates glass.

DON’T buy or use any sunscreen containing Oxybenzone, Octinoxate or artificial fragrances.  Stay clear of retinyl palmitate too, a form of Vitamin A, which may speed up the growth of skin tumors and lesions, according to FDA studies.

DON’T rely solely on sunscreen.  DO wear a hat, UV blocking sunglasses and a ‘Rashguard.’ Sun Protection clothes provide greater total UVA/UVB sun protection than typical summer clothing or a typical 30 SPF sunscreen.

DON’T use sunscreen powders or wipes.  These delivery methods have been proven to be ineffective.

DON’T use a sunscreen with an SPF higher than 50.  Sky-high SPFs give a false sense of greater sun protection and can tempt you to stay in the sun too long.

My Picks for Best and Safest Sunscreens: All Terrain TerraSport SPF 30, Badger Sunscreen SPF 30, Kiss My Face Kids’ Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30, Juice Beauty SPF 30 and Supergoop Everyday SPF 30.

* See The Environmental Working Group’s The Trouble with Sunscreens, 2014, www.ewg.org

 

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One of our favorite guests proves that feeling good and looking good go hand in hand:

“Born a brunette, I had gone all gray.  Coloring my hair for years was the norm, until I became dangerously allergic to hair dye. [Terri is allergic to the PPDs found in most professional and over the counter hair dyes.]  My head, feet and hands would swell up after my salon visits.  My dermatologist put me on steroids.  It was frightening.  No more hair dye for me, so I thought.

Then I found juju salon & organics and stylist/owner Julie Featherman.  I was confident that if there was a solution to my problem, she’d find it.  And she did!  She was able to find a non-toxic hair dye that did not cause a single reaction! I  look and feel better than ever before.

p.s.  She gives a great haircut too!”

Thank you Terri for sharing your happy experience at juju.

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You’ve heard about it, maybe you’ve even tried it:  Dry Shampoo.  Many of my clients give me a vague and noncomittal response when I ask them if they’ve tried dry shampoo yet.  Surprisingly, not many have.  What’s more, they don’t have a clear understanding of how versatile Dry Shampoo can be! This product has been trending for the past few years.  Here’s the lowdown:

shampooB1. Quick & Easy Hair Cleanser  No time for shampooing, drying and styling, but you really need to do something to your hair? Shake it on your roots and finger or brush it through your hair.  Neutralizes oily roots and leaves hair smelling fresh.

2. Too Much Shampooing Has Left Your Hair Dry, Frizzy and Jacked Up  Cut back on your wet shampooing to once or twice a week and use Dry Shampoo on off days. Taking a break is transformative.

3. Dry Shampoo Speaks Volumes  Get fullness in 5 seconds flat! I like to carry Sevi’s mini-sized dry shampoo with me so I can refresh my style on the go.   Not to worry, this stuff is light and won’t weigh down your hair.

4. Pets, Children & Other Stinky Creatures will love you for not tossing them in the bathtub! Enough said.

5. This One is the Best – Mask Your Grey Roots Between Color Touch-Ups  A sprinkle of Tinted Dry Shampoo at your part and hair line can fool the eye.  Try Sevi’s Coffee or Cocoa formula for best results.

 

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Hand Made in Philly!
Hand Made in Philly!

Yes, right here in my row home in the heart of Philadelphia, I have the sweetest backyard garden.  Not too big, not too small, just green and lush, with flora and fauna changing with every season.

My hardy Boxwoods and Evergreens are making way for the Tulips and budding Japanese Wisteria.  The bulbs and bushes are always there, but never dominate.  They are nonetheless, an irreplaceable part of mon jardin beau!

juju is my work garden so to speak.  It dawned on me that the products I stock for the salon and the way I procure them reminds me a lot of my sweet home garden.  Oh, and both gardens smell terrific!

This spring, I’ve ‘planted’ some Locally Made in Philly Products from 2 great companies in my work garden: Stinky Girl Beauty Co. and gracefullyNoted.   In common: these small businesses make beautiful home-made goodies.  Yes, hand crafted, natural deodorants and hand-cut greeting cards need to live side by side!

Locally made, means I get to know the artists and artisans who make their goods.  Meghan H.  designs, cuts, and assembles her stationery, prints and other paper products in Olde City.  She is as sweet as her designs that spread love and joy.

Carly D., from Stinky Girl discovered that she could make a deodorant that was safe, natural and the clincher……actually works!  Yes, it does.  period.  Oh, and her Sauerkraut rocks too!  West Philly, be proud of this little gem of a company.

Come see my work garden, and pick some locally made ‘flowers.’ There’s so many good reasons to support our local artists, businesses and garden!

Hand Made in Philly!

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I have a brain ‘hiccup’ every time I’m asked when I opened  juju salon & organics.  2005.  What?  How is it possible?

I remember preparing the space for its opening, with my youngest daughter toddling around in diapers and getting into every last dangerous-looking pile of unpacked supplies. She’s now 10, but just as mischievous and adorable as she was then.  And juju is almost 9.

In all of the tim20120213_juju_0276e that has passed, my goals and juju’s Mission remains exactly the same: non-toxic beauty is attainable.  juju’s growing up.  And like my daughter Frances, with her never-changing cuteness and wily-will, I hope it never loses the ethos, goals, warmth & style that it was born with.

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Once upon a time, there were two gals who loved to go thrifting and to make something new from something old. They also liked to make natural healthy candles to burn and enjoy in their homes with their families. This was the birth of Melo Studios, located here in Philadelphia.

 

 

Olivia Lotz and Jess Lee are the sustainability mavens behind Melo Studios who enjoy the challenge of applying their eco-friendly philosophy to their products. They buy domestic soy wax from a local distributor – soy wax is a renewable resource and burns clean without those gross chemicals found in paraffin wax.

 

 

In keeping with Melo’s all-natural spirit, they use essential oils and cotton wicks, and hand-pour all of their candles into reclaimed vintage containers and reusable Mason jars.

 

 

We hope you’ll try one of Melo candles as we just started carrying them and are in love with the scents, style and story. Shop Melo candles now!

 

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