Save the Landfills

In this month's Green Scene ("A Higher Purpose"), we talk about a multitude of ways in which you can recycle and reuse all of those product containers you go through any given day. One suggestion came from SpaRitual, which for a time was packaging its new Handprint Hydrating Hand Salve in salvaged yarn containers—which are just cylinders of colorful, thick card stock with plastic caps on both ends.

Accompanying new tubes of Handprint were instructions on how to transform the yarn container and give it yet another life—as a bud vase. All you had to do was take the product out of the yarn container and remove the plastic from both ends. Then, fill a plastic water bottle—yet another item that's easily recycled—with water and insert it into the tube. Add fresh flowers, and voilá!

What products do you use—both in the spa and at home—that could find a second life in ways similar to this? Send us your ideas at arost@creativeage.com!

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Industry News

New & Notable

Pro-Beauty Buzz

The Professional Beauty Association (PBA) and the National Cosmetology Association (NCA) have merged to create one of the largest organizations within the industry. The new joint venture will represent manufacturers, distributors, and salon and spa owners. The goal of the merger is unity, according to Steve Sleeper, executive director of PBA. "By forming this strategic alliance, all facets of the beauty industry will now be represented by a more efficient trade association," he says.

"This merger will allow salon professionals to have access to more advanced education and opportunies to build their careers with integrity," adds NCA president Mark Goodman.

All PBA/NCA members will continue to enjoy existing benefits, such as education and training, access to in-depth industry studies and polls, networking opportunities, and free admission to major trade shows and events, such as the International Salon & Spa Expo (ISSE) beginning in 2011 and the International Beauty Shows.

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Web Exclusive:
Peptides Glossary:
Wrinkle Erasers

These protein powerhouses are the hottest things in antiaging technology. This guide helps you tell them apart.

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What’s New: Product Premiere
Help clients ring in 2010 with these irresistible items.

1. KohGenDo Oriental Plants Essence. A serum intended to balance and hydrate the skin, this formulation includes hyaluronic acid, apricot kernel extract and silver birch sap. 800.533.6276, kohgendocosmetics.com

2. Matis Paris Radiance Revealing Serum. Papain, an enzyme of the papaya, exfoliates the skin and helps promote turnover in this new formulation. 877.7KGD.USA, c3spadistribution.com

3. Plantogen Manuka Honey Mask. Various vitamins, minerals and enzymes team up with honey to provide an antibacterial treatment that smoothes the skin's texture. 888.851.6533, plantogen.com

4. Skin Blends Lashes LTD. LTD stands for Longer Thicker Darker, which this mixture provides to eyelashes with daily applications. 877.754.6253, skinblends.com

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Seen & Heard

Business Bits

Poll

Video

Extreme Spa Makeover—See how DAYSPA Top Design winner Pineapple Day Spa in Pine Bush, New York, transformed a country salon into an urban spa oasis.

Star Treatment:
Champagne Wishes

Sipping a bit of bubbly is a classic way to celebrate new arrivals and beginnings. Champagne also does wonders for the skin. The Huntington Spa at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California, offers clients The Champagne Facial (50 min./$150), an exotic treatment rich in antioxidants and skin-firming peptides.

"This treatment contains the precious extract of yeast from the fine wines grown in the heart of France," says spa supervisor Lisa Marie Potts. "It’s packed with glutathione, an active ingredient that plays a key role in the skin's regeneration process. Not only will clients see a sparkling glow, but this facial is also luxurious and relaxing."

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Quotables

"Aiding the rosacea sufferer through coaching, treatment and symptom management—perhaps alongside that of a medical professional team—can be incredibly rewarding work for a skincare professional," says Annet King, director of global education for Dermalogica and the International Dermal Institute.

"When I was a kid in Brooklyn, there was a clothing store that had a sign that read: 'The sweetness of low price is soon forgotten when the bitterness of poor quality remains.' I always remembered that and took it to heart," says Bruce Schoenberg, co-owner of Oasis Day Spa in New York City and Dobbs Ferry, New York.

"When clients get a manicure, we clean their rings. Plus, when they get their hair done, they receive a scalp, head, neck and shoulder massage. Guests know we go the extra mile for them." says Sam Lane, co-owner of Shapes Salon & Day Spa in Fairfax Station, Virginia, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

"Salmon is a rich source of omega-3. It lubricates the skin and is responsible for healthy cell membranes, helping the dermis maintain its proper moisture for a soft, smooth feel," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., LDN, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.