Samvid Beauty
I started Samvid Beauty more than a year ago, although I always liked to write it was my first experience writing a blog. My husband initially suggested I start it after he began to realize I spent at least 30 minutes reading shampoo labels every time I ran out; I couldn’t just buy a product without commenting on it.
“Why don’t you just start a blog?”
“ME?” I questioned. I had this weird little niche that no one would understand. I didn’t know if anyone would read about my ideas of beauty and life, but I decided I would just start. I wrote for me. I wrote, and still write, about all the things I cared about, that bugged me, that were interesting, or that I thought everybody should know about. I started because I was completely passionate about something and didn’t think about failing.
What started it all was an idea, a small suggestion, and me doing something about it. I find it incredibly beautiful that not only did my blog begin this way, but exceptional things like: Tammy’s tiny house, documentaries on Miss Representing women, campaigns for beauty, and amazing non-profit organizations like the Ike Box.
Everything starts with a small idea or suggestion. What matters is that you do something about it. Now, I look back and know that Samvid Beauty wasn’t in existence 2 years ago and I feel the accomplishment of my 134 plus articles. Starting something, anything, is a beautiful way to put yourself out in the world. Everything comes from a small start.
What can you “just start” today?
I have always been intrigued with the idea of hair dying and yes I have even tried it before. In high school I added some blonde and red highlights, and in college I semi-dyed my hair dark brown. Every time I did I felt like I wanted a change; I wanted something to be different about me. Maybe, not so ironically, these were all very transitional times in my life. Now, the thought of dying my hair seems silly, why would I want to change my hair color?
In the past when I worked for Aveda I had tons of hair stylists that wanted to dye my hair. “You would look so good with some golden highlights, or blonde!” This always confused me. What was so wrong with my hair color? Was my hair that bad that other women actually felt the need to ask if they could change it? I eventually told one stylist that I appreciated her suggestions, but I have decided I won’t be dying my hair, ever. She stopped after that.
I am especially unwilling to dye my hair because I have become increasingly aware of the long terms risks of the chemicals in dye. Now I have become aware that:
The chemicals in hair dye, which include peroxide and ammonia, may have adverse effects on health.
According to a University of Washington study published in the American Journal of Public Health, women who dye their hair have a 50 percent greater risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph tissue.
Another study by the Food and Drug Administration and the American Cancer Society hinted at an association between prolonged use—20 years or more—of darker hair dyes and cancer.
Despite these concerns, the reality is almost every woman I know colors her hair (men I won’t leave you out here, I have heard about beard dying too). Doesn’t anyone see that most old women in their 90s have little to no hair. Is this a correlation with hair dye, maybe? No women I know asks, why do I color my hair every other month? Why do I spend hundreds of dollars to change my hair color?
Psychologist Susan Quilliam provides some insight on one reason why women dye their hair, she comments :
“Hair dying is something you do when you want to either change your image or give yourself a confidence boost.”
“If you look at all the hair dye ads on TV, they’re about being confident enough to change your identity. Psychologically, when we hit a crisis, one of the ways to deal with it is to change who you are. “
Hair dye is an easy way to change something about yourself, without actually working on your feelings about a break up, an insecurity about your looks, or any emotional baggage you carry. Change your hair color and in an hour or so, without much effort, you can be someone else, emulate a celebrity, or copy someone elses version of beauty. All without asking your own self what is beautiful to you. Why not just cut your natural locks if you want a change?
The most interesting hair color change I see is women dying to platinum blonde. A tremendous amount of women decide to go to the platinum blonde color, while I don’t think this is anything new, I have started to ask, why blonde? Every girl seems to “go blonde” at least once even African American women, such as Beyonce, give in to the white girl’s idealistic hair color. The color itself is actually pretty unique and only a very small percentage of women have naturally platinum colored hair. It’s even more peculiar that so many women choose platinum blonde because typically only very young children have natural platinum blonde hair. In a sense it is emulating the look of unobtainable youth.
Me as a young girl, with natural platinum blonde hair. It is long gone since then.
Marilyn Monroe is the celebrity who made the hair dye what it is today. She busted out as a blonde bomb shell at times wearing not much, but her blonde hair. Although Marilyn Monroe was not the first blonde, she was actually inspired by Jean Harlow, Marilyn became and still is today the idol for bleached blonde hair. She took the hair color of a 5 year old and labeled it as sexy. Now, posters and images all over America typecast the hair color blonde as a sex symbol. Youth and sexuality, they go together, right?
Marilyn Monroe with the youthful platinum blonde hair.
It’s truly amazing that almost every popular movie/music star I can think of has or had blonde hair at one point. Marilyn Monroe, Britney Spears, Scarlett Johnson, Rihanna, Jessica Simpson, and Kim Kardashian have all been blondes at some moment in time. These are the women on front of our magazines, in the movies we watch, and are the ones at the front lines of what young girls will perceive as beauty. Try typing in “blonde celebrity” in Google, you will find every celeb on the market. When a girl goes blonde she wants to be seen as beautiful just like these women she sees with blonde, with highlights, and with the “unique” dye in their hair.
For each women deep down there resides some image, some role model, or some piece of culture that inspires her to look the way she does. It’s not just with blonde hair though. Women will highlight, low light, semi-dye, permanently color their hair in varying colors. Many will do anything to not go grey or to avoid their normal color at all costs. By doing this women completely defy the naturally unique and beautiful hair color they have. While some believe dying ones hair is an attempt to be an individual I will argue that it completely rejects the idea of individuality. Instead it caters to the companies, to the industries, and the magazines that tell us we need to be different then what we are.
Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do women want to be younger, blonder, darker haired, or anything but who they are? When was the last time you told yourself you don’t have to change anything about who you are? I believe women can be happy with the natural looks and hair color they were given. It is a matter of choosing to appreciate your own natural qualities. We should be inspired by our own beauty and become aware that we define what beauty really is.
Do you dye your hair? Are you choosing to define your own beauty?
If you are interested in reading more about hair dyes and cancer risks you can look here.
Are you planning on walking down the aisle anytime soon? I know on my wedding day I had a hard time figuring out what products to use and what ones to leave out. Now I know some things I would of done differently. Oregon Bride shares my ideas with an inspirational post for natural make up on a bride to be.
I include ideas about how a bouquet like lavender can inspire natural makeup and colors. I also make sure to give you some company names to check out.
I am an aunt of a beautiful little boy and soon to be beautiful girl. Naturally my interest has started to turn to the health of my little nephew and niece. In recent news the FDA has decided not to ban BPA, which is a common chemical found in baby bottles. While chemical companies might be rejoicing I am grimacing at the lack of responsibility the FDA takes on.
There are many concerns about the safety of the chemical BPA in our products. So much concern that countries are taking action to eliminate it from the market. China, Canada, Denmark, United Arab Emirates and the European Union have all acknowledged the health risks of BPA. Eleven states in the US, not including my state of Oregon, have banned BPA from baby bottles and many are pursing further attempts to restrict the chemical from other containers we use.
What is it?
Bisphenol A also known as BPA is a industrial synthetic chemical that behaves like estrogen in the body and has some serious side effects. Cancer is among one of the concerns. The National Toxicology Program has found evidence that BPA could effect the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.
If you think that BPA doesn’t doesn’t concern you, you might want to consider this:
The 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found detectable levels of BPA in 93% of 2517 urine samples from people six years and older.
That is a significant finding. 93% of people had BPA had in their system, that is no small number. With a common chemical like that we should all be aware that it does exist and we should know where to find it.
BPA is found is resins and plastics that make up food containers, beverage containers, like water and baby bottles, plastic toys, metal products like food cans, baby formula cans, baby bottle tops, water supply lines, some dental sealants, and some thermal papers such as cash register receipts.
How does it get into or systems?
Research has shown that BPA can seep into food or beverages from containers, like baby bottles, that are made with BPA or into your body when you handle products made with BPA such as cash register receipts.
In small children baby bottles, metal and plastic containers, plastic toys and pacifiers are sources. Five popular baby bottle brands: Avent, Dr. Brown’s, Evenflo, Gerber and Platex have been found to “leach enough of this developmental, neural and reproductive toxicant into the liquids that come into contact with them to cause harm in lab animals.”
Since BPA is still used in making baby products (and our products) the best thing you can know is how to limit your exposure to this chemical.
Here’s what you can do:
- Use glass or stainless steel bottles, especially baby bottles.
- If you have to use a baby pacifier use a BPA free one made of medical grade silicon.
- Opt for wooden toys without toxic paints or plastics.
- Avoid plastic recycle codes 3 and 7 (usually found at the bottom on a container). Some, but not all, plastics that are marked with recycle codes 3 or 7 may be made with BPA.
- Reduce your use of canned foods.
- When possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.
- Check out Mighty Nest for BPA free baby items.
Interested in reading more?
American Scientific-Consumer Alert
Green Home-Bottles and Sippy Cups
I am entranced by Samantha French’s art work. She captures the peaceful and tranquil memories of being in and out of the water, which are some of my most favorite moments. Most of the images are from her vague memories growing up. She describes her paintings as: “a link to my home and continual search for the feeling of the sun on my face and warm summer days at the lake. They are my escape, a subtle reprieve from the day-to-day.”
If you are drawn to water like I am am, then beware, you may not be able to look away.
Slow Rise by Samantha French
Somersalt by Samantha French
- Palm Springs by Samantha French
What I like most about her images is the sense of complete absorption in and around the water. There is nothing else in these moments she paints, but the soundless blue waves. Even above the water is a stillness that you, as the viewer, are able to soak in. There is something rejuvenating about her art with the soft blue waters illuminated by refracted sunlight, the peacefulness in the faces of her swimmers, and a lightness that comes with relaxing in these moments.
Samantha French is successful in sharing these blissful pieces in time and I am inspired to go find myself in a pool or lake. These moments seem so close when I view them, she has really given the world a piece of beauty to hang on the walls.
I have been practicing yoga on and off for about 6 years now. I am far from being any type of expert or head stand guru, but I do love it. It has encouraged me to challenge myself and more recently to set a goal to practice yoga for 9 weeks straight (which I am doing until June-ish).
Visit my article on MindBodyGreen to read about my experience with yoga and why you should never give up on it, even if you haven’t started.
yo·gi/ˈyōgē/: A person who is proficient in yoga.
Today I signed up for Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful competition and I decided that I will become a yogi. I am making my profile and declaring that I am a part of it on Samvid, so there is no backing out now.
Becoming a yogi has been something I have always joked about being, but never thought I could be. Well, I am here to prove myself wrong. I have been practicing yoga on and off for 6 years, but I have never really pushed myself or practiced more then a few times a week. I have never immersed myself into yoga as I will with Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful challenge.
This competition, more than anything, is for me to push myself to grow and become more advanced at something I have only dabbled in in the past. The beautiful thing about competition is that it will hold me accountable and encourage me to produce results.
Join me if you want to define the female athlete and do something you have always wanted to do.
How will I become a yogi? Here are a few ideas, add to this list if you can:
1) Work up to practicing yoga everyday.
2) Read a yoga book about the history, about how to be a yogi, etc.. Any suggestions that a true yoga must read? The Sutras?
3) Meditate.
4) Ask my yoga teacher for advice on how to be a yogi.
5) Master simple poses like downward dog, mountain pose and a warrior pose.
6) Be able to do a handful of advanced poses…I am still working on what ones I want to aim towards.
The competition goal date is June 26th. I will keep you updated!
Here are some lovely images for your weekend. Thank you design my heart out. for sharing them. I am completely enthralled with these creative pieces. Enjoy!
"Perhaps imagination is only intelligence having fun. "
George Scialabba
When I moved back to Salem a year or so ago I couldn't find a hair stylist who fit me and my thoughts about the salon world. That was until I stumbled into a 300-square-foot studio simply called Hair. It looked unique, and I could feel something working differently in this place.
I looked it up when I returned to a computer. There was no website, that I could find. I had never seen an advertisement for it either. As for the Facebook page, it is blank and I don't even think they created it. Astonishingly, the owner of the salon is not taking new clients, because she is completely booked. No advertisements or promotions or websites and the salon is completely booked out? How?
Here is the answer I found about Amanda Jensen's salon called Hair.
Her prices are incredibly low — $22 for a cut, blow-dry and style for women. Her customers often nag her about raising the prices, but that wouldn't fit with Amanda's outlook.
Three times a year, she adds up her expenses and figures out what she needs to make each hour. And that is what she charges.
"If you ask for more than you need — there's only so much balance in the world," she said, adding that she does not have cable, doesn't go out, usually walks to work.
"We live a humble life, and it's working."
It is in this studio that I found my hair stylist, Erika. There are only two people who make up Hair. The owner is named Amanda and when she became too booked to take on new clients she found Erika, stylist extraordinaire.
I am inspired by the simplicity and the thoughtfulness of the salon. It's small enough for a waiting area, a shampoo bowl, and one person to get their hair cut. No one ever tries to sell me an extra eyebrow wax, asks me to prebook, or convinces me to buy product I don't need. It's simply perfect for me.
There are many reasons I keep going back. One being that Erika is amazingly creative at cutting hair. Another is I believe in their business mission, only charging what is needed. It is an exceptional quality to find a shop that is thoughtful and purposeful about they way they run their business. I also return because I believe in what their salon stands for: balance, living simply, and being aware of the resources you need and can give.
What a gold mine I have found! I would be lucky to come across another business like Hair, it is truly a humble salon.
Have you encountered a business or person who lives life purposefully and thoughtfully?
In October I shared that I was growing out my hair in order to donate it. When looking for places to donate Locks of Love came up first, but since then I have decided to donate my hair to an Oregon non-profit organization called Angel Hair Foundation.
The time has come and my hair is ready to be cut!
What goes on in the mind of a woman going to cut off 2 years of hair? A few things.
These are the things I have been told or made to believe:
I look better with long hair, therefore I am not going to look my best.
Only pretty girls have long hair, so that means I won’t be pretty while my hair is short.
Long hair is the only way to be sexy, so I won’t be sexy either.
I have a long face so according to many women’s magazines I can only choose from a few hair cuts. I am pretty sure the one I chose is not suppose to fit my face.
What I think about all that?
I think it’s a bunch of lies.
Those thoughts are all “in the box thoughts” and they are a waste of time. Life is better when I am not conforming to someone elses’ ideas and standards.
Cutting my hair, changing my look, or doing something different is interesting. I want to do interesting things and as small as cutting my hair seems I still think it is valuable.
Besides all that, the most important part about cutting my hair is that it will benefit someone else and I am proud I get to do that. This will be my first time donating hair and I measured the donated amount be roughly 12 inches.
Here you go Angel Hair, live beautifully! If you are interested in donating yourself you can find the form here.
