Category Beautiful Skin
Review of Noa’s Choice Maximum Hair Growth Formula
I’m a natural skeptic. Part of that skepticism comes from my innate need to gather facts, investigate their source, and determine what is legitimate and what isn’t. As a result, I have always been interested in the sciences, so much so that I ended up immersing myself in fact-checking by becoming a physician. So when I partnered up with a company called Maximum Slim to promote their Noa’s Choice Organic Maximum Hair Growth Healing Ayurveda Formula, I thought, fine, I’ll do it, but I am going to be very honest about my personal experience with the product.
Since I have very thick, healthy, Eurasian hair which grows rather quickly and which cascades all the way down my back, I figured that I wouldn’t use this formula to promote hair growth or treat split ends. Instead, I chose to treat the angry, persistent, dry, itchy scalp condition which has been plaguing me for the last 7 or 8 weeks. This condition has been so severe and resistant to treatments like Nizoral, hair masks, pyrithione zinc, and salicylic acid. So I decided to use the Organic Maximum Hair Growth Healing Ayurveda Formula on my scalp to see if I might get even a bit of relief.
I placed about 22 drops into a dish and heated it, then massaged the oil into my scalp. I then waited for two hours, and washed my hair with a gentle shampoo. Well, goodness gracious, this magical elixir eliminated the flaky scalp condition COMPLETELY. I honestly didn’t expect that dramatic a response, but that’s what I got.
Noa’s Choice Organic Maximum Hair Growth Healing Ayurveda Formula contains all natural ingredients which are proven to promote healthy scalp, and stimulate hair growth. Brahmi leaves, amla fruit, black castor oil, hemp, fenugreek, and coconut oil are combined in a very potent elixir indeed.
There are two notes which I would like to make on this product:
1. It has a food-like smell, probably from the fenugreek seeds, which reminded me very much of cumin. I felt like I should be making meatballs, since I use cumin in most of my ground beef dishes. I don’t think this will be an issue for anyone though, because in all likelihood, you will be at home when you use that product.
2. The directions on the label state to use 4 or 5 drops on the scalp, but if you are treating your entire scalp, I would recommend a greater quantity. I used 22 drops on my scalp, and even then, I concentrated on my hairline, which was where the condition was the most severe. I think if you treat your entire scalp, you should be using about 40 to 50 drops. Make sure to massage into scalp for several minutes to allow the elixir to penetrate fully.
3. I think this product would be an excellent split end treatment, but I always tell people who have a lot of split ends that unless they just get those ends trimmed, they will constantly be chasing the problem. I would almost rather advise people to cut those split ends, and if the ends are DRY but not SPLIT, to use this oil as a preventative treatment.
Though I am part of a paid partnership with Maximum Slim, I am honestly so pleased with the results from the treatment I did that I will happily promote this product to others.
To order this amazing product, go to:
http://www.maximumslim.com/noas-choice-organic-ayurvedic-maximum-hair-growth-oil-elixir
Fifty-Two
This was me last summer at the age of 51…
Yesterday I turned 52. It just blows my mind that I have been around for more than a half-century now, because I simply don’t feel that old. I know when my mother hit 50, I thought she was ancient. And yet, here I am, over 50 and feeling like someone in her early 30’s.
Let’s be real though. My fingers, elbows, and neck ache from arthritis which has crept upon me over the past few years. My skin sags in places it never did before. My neck is beginning to resemble a Shar-pei (you can even see the folds in the headshot here). And though I am the same weight I was when I was competing, and still hitting the gym six days a week, my body proportions are shifting in such a way that clothing items I have had for a while fit differently.
Before you tell me to quit my whining, please understand that everything is relative, and because I still participate in very image-driven industries (modeling and fitness), I hold myself to a certain standard which is beginning to elude my grasp. I have had to change my angles while shooting to accommodate the changes in my physique. Modeling had forced me to come to terms with my ever-aging physical form, and it’s been pretty brutal.
I experienced a major wake-up call last month, when I was going through items in my wardrobe for a four day photo shoot. As I tried on bikinis and dresses, I realized that several items either didn’t sit well on my body, or just flat out didn’t look good on me. It was incredibly frustrating, especially since some of the pieces I tried on had never been worn before and were purchased specifically for photo shoots. I just assumed that my body wouldn’t make the micro techtonic shifts it had. My waistline is ever so slightly larger, my hips wider, and my glutes are slowly deflating, just enough to make a bikini which once looked all right look like a high school hand-me-down.
As a 52 year old woman, I am more concerned than ever about the progression of my medical career, and have thrown new challenges at myself to make me a better practitioner. I’ve been thinking more about what will happen when I reach retirement age, and how I will manage financially. And though I have always been in excellent health, I am often struck with thoughts of “What if something happens to me?”, and “How will I die?”, both of which may sound like morbid thoughts, but I regard them as necessary.
My parents are in their 80’s and of course they will eventually pass on. Both of them mention how disappointed they are in me for not giving them grandchildren, as if it was my filial duty to do so. It irks me to no end, but I also feel pangs of guilt whenever I am berated by them. It’s not like I was trying to defy them by remaining childless. And now that the window of opportunity is forever closed for me, I wonder why I wasn’t meant to have children.
Although 50 may be the new 30, it still marks 50-plus years of life experience. And since there is more societal pressure to be more dynamic and more successful, hitting one’s 50’s can be downright depressing. For all of you over 50, HANG IN THERE!
Check Out My Video Diary For The Perfect Derma Peel
If you are suffering from enlarged pores, fine lines and wrinkles, or brown discoloration on your skin from sun exposure, you may want to consider having a chemical peel. Medical grade peels are more robust than self-application kits, and produce more significant results. My favorite medium strength peel is the Perfect Derma Peel by Bella Medical Products. The Perfect Derma Peel is suitable for most skin types and consists of a powerful mixture of ingredients:
TCA
Kojic Acid
Retinoic Acid
Salicylic Acid
Phenol
Vitamin C
Glutathione
Please check out my video diary which details my personal experience using the Perfect Derma Peel. The results I achieved were fantastic! I experienced such a dramatic improvement in the brown sun spots I had, that the concealer I had been using for fifteen years was too dark for me, forcing me to switch to a lighter shade. I enthusiastically endorse the Perfect Derma Peel. If you are in the Los Angeles area, you can book a peel with me: http://www.drstaceynaito.com/#!chemical-peels/comt
Fiery Image From Utah Shootout, September 2017
This image was captured by the incredibly talented and sweet Mark Mozzier of IMAGEZZ right at sunset last September. Dress by Hot Miami Styles.
15 Of The Hottest Doctors On Instagram
https://www.therichest.com/world-entertainment/15-of-the-hottest-doctors-on-instagram/
I am so flattered and honored to be on this list! Thank you Devon Jefferson for including me here.
Check out the hottest doctors on Instagram by clicking on the link above.
How I Stay In Shape These Days
Image shot by Tim Sevard in October of this year.
Since many people have been asking me about how I have been keeping in shape these days, I decided to devote a blog post to the subject. Though I am retired from competing, and am no longer bodybuilding stage-ready, I model frequently, and I also hold myself to very high standards when it comes to body conditioning. The most important factor in staying lean year round is FOOD, so I make sure to eat clean about 95% of the time. I consume about 100 to 120 grams of protein daily, all from whole foods rather than protein powders, and I drink plenty of water throughout the day. I limit my consumption of sugar and avoid processed foods.
Supplements are also an important part of my daily life. Most of the supplements I take have been in my daily regimen for many years, and I rarely miss a day’s dose. They are what I rely on to keep my body healthy at the cellular level. My goal is to maintain my health without ingesting prescription medications. In fact, the only prescription substance in my regimen is bioidentical progesterone cream.
I continue to challenge my body with frequent exercise, and still rely mostly on weight training for the bulk of my exercise. However, I incorporated aerial classes into my regular routine a couple of years ago for an extra challenge. At one point, I had been taking aerial classes 3 to 4 days per week, but my body was screaming out in agony. After a visit with my orthopedist, we discovered that I had arthritis in both elbows and my neck, and numerous issues in my shoulders, so I decided to back off from the intense aerial schedule I was following. These days, I only take a lyra class once every couple of weeks.
I have also been attending kundalini yoga classes on average of one day per week, and I love the unique physical, mental, and spiritual challenges which they present. Though kundalini yoga is a highly meditative form of yoga, the movements (called kriyas) are INTENSE, and I must often take breaks during these movements. I highly recommend this form of yoga for anyone who wants an intensely spiritual experience.
As for weight training, I train an average of six days per week when I am in town. I have adjusted my weight training to support aerial arts movements like straddle mounts, single knee hangs, pullovers and splits, and work my posterior chain (back, glutes, hams) more vigorously than my anterior chain. I usually follow a split consisting of three leg days and three upper body days which are further split (eg, back/arms, delts, chest/abs). I have also been changing the exercises, rep ranges, and lifting styles on a weekly basis to keep myself challenged. It’s definitely worked, because I am getting delayed onset muscle soreness from almost every workout.
The Bikini Box
It may be considered strange by some people, but I perform scheduled purges of my belongings on a regular basis. Why? Because they enable me to stay organized, and they also force me to get rid of items I don’t need. Recently, I decided that as part of a household purge, I would go through every single bikini in my bikini box.
The bikini box I am referring to is an underbed storage box which holds all of my bikinis. I established this system several years ago when I began to accumulate bikinis and would use them in photo shoots. After struggling to sort through my collection when I packed for a slew of photo shoots over the summer, I realized that there were suits I had never worn, suits which had been shot too many times, suits which no longer fit, and suits which had never fit.
I tried on every single suit, assessed fit, and determined whether to keep it or give it away. If I decided to keep a suit, I then made sure the top was tied securely at the neck, and also secured the side ties on bottoms, to make it easier to put it on when at a shoot. I also cut off tags so that they wouldn’t poke at me or stick out and create extra editing work for photographers. I also labeled the bags I stored the bikinis in so that the styles could be easily identified without me having to remove the suit from the bag.
It took me five hours to go through that bikini box, which means I averaged about 20 suits per hour. I gave away close to 20 suits and kept the rest, making sure that each suit was in a slide lock sandwich size storage bag. The suits are organized by color, making it easier for me to select suits for a shoot.
Now I am ready to shoot!
The Challenges Of Modeling
If you’ve never balanced on a craggy boulder, while freezing your ass off and also managing to muster a facial expression which makes everyone believe that you are having the time of your life, then you have no idea what models often have to endure in order to get “the shot”.
Shot by the late Weiferd Watts in 2010
Modeling often is hard work. Those of you who are snickering need to hear me out. Those elegant or sexy poses which you will often see models in are often incredibly uncomfortable, especially when there are boulders, creepy crawly things, nasty wind gusts, and weather extremes to negotiate as well. Outdoor locations can be teeming with insects, or they may have shards of broken glass everywhere which makes it quite treacherous for a model to strike a pose. Models often have to “cheat” a shoulder or limb, meaning that they have to turn a body part in a certain way to create an angle which looks right in the camera lens, but which feels completely unnatural and often sparks muscle cramps which linger for days after the shoot wraps. I still remember holding a pretzel pose for a full ten minutes while the photographer happily shot away (see blog image at top of this post), but because I put myself into a bit of a meditative state, I was able to hold the pose without much discomfort. Alas, as I have gotten older, my joints are far less forgiving, and I must take a brief break after several frames are shot.
Another major challenge which models constantly face is that they have to evoke certain moods and looks at the drop of a hat, even if they feel ill, tired, bloated, or otherwise uninspired to shoot. If a model can’t convince the photographer, and more importantly, the camera lens, that she is indeed the vision which is called for in a campaign, she can forget about lining up much work as time goes on.
Over the decades in which I have been modeling, I have learned so many tricks which increase efficiency and reduce the risk of injury while on the job. I know what essentials to pack in my bag, even if I end up not using them at all. When shooting on location, I always bring a large black robe, which I refer to as my changing robe, and which gets so much flak from the photographers because it makes me look like a transient when I wear it. If I have to put my bikini-clad ass on a felled tree stump which threatens to deposit some splinters into my flesh, I grab a small towel or scarf to protect my skin. I have also adopted the habit of wearing aqua shoes when on location so that my feet don’t get scorched by hot sand or torn up by rough terrain.
Believe me when I say that being a model isn’t just about standing in front of a camera and looking pretty. Good models WORK HARD, and they maintain a positive, cooperative attitude. Even when the ocean water is freezing cold, or the weather is so blazing hot that makeup is literally melting off, models who know how to be professional will honestly grin and bear it unless it is actually causing frank injury.
Chemical-Free Laundry
NOTE: This is an UNPAID, UNBIASED review of the Magnetic Laundry System.
Back in July, one of my roommates sent me a link to a revolutionary magnetic laundry system which would eliminate the need for harsh detergents.
Here is the description of the system which I have copied and pasted below:
About Magnetic Laundry System
These blue balls, patented technology, are proven to be a durable, healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to laundry detergent, completely eliminating your reliance on harsh chemical detergents forever.The truth is water is a powerful element and a universal solvent. Detergent simply enhances water’s already existing powerful cleaning potential. How? By changing the surface tension of the water. This helps water molecules become more spaced out and slippery to pull out the dirt trapped in dirty clothes.
Product Features
With multiple permanent magnets arranged in a unique configuration, the MLS generates a powerful magnetic field to do just that, to change the surface tension of the water, – just like detergent does, only without all the toxic chemicals.
No more wasting money on harsh chemical detergents many of which are made of synthetic, hazardous, petroleum based chemicals – which are linked to health problems: headaches, skin sensitivities, allergies, respiratory irritations, asthma and even cancer.
These chemicals don’t rinse out; they hang around as residue and get absorbed through your skin over time, build up in the body and can wreak havoc on your health.When they do rinse out they go on to polluting our water supply, aquatic life, and environment.Just imagine how much chemicals have ended up in your body, how much money you have spent on detergent, and how much energy you have wasted battling with skin sensitivities and allergies. Make the switch today!
Instructions
Simply put the MLS in your washer. You can leave the magnets in there and never think about them again. It is a reusable, onetime buy, with a 50 years manufacturer’s warranty.
Basically, detergents are designed to change the surface tension of the water which is inside the washing machine. Strong magnets do the exact same thing. Since this was a one-time purchase, and my curiosity got the best of me, I purchased the system. Weeks went by, and the company didn’t respond to my email inquiry regarding the whereabouts of the shipment. But I was excited about trying the system and kept my fingers crossed that I would receive the package, and that the concept would in fact work. It took almost six weeks to receive the order, but I definitely did get it.
I was in such a rush when it was time to do my next load of laundry, that I promptly forgot about the magnets and used detergent, so I resolved to use the magnets the next chance I got. I made sure I had a full load of laundry, consisting of towels and clothing, for the first go-round with the magnets. I filled the washer with water, loaded the clothes, and threw the magnets in. 27 minutes later, I opened the lid, and found that my laundry was completely clean. In an effort to keep my first load of laundry washed with the magnets completely chemical-free, I tossed several wool dryer balls, each enhanced with a drop of peppermint oil, into the dryer with the load. Though the dryer balls slowed the drying process, they were quite effective in reducing static cling and imparting a clean, natural scent to my laundry.
Since that time, I have used the magnet system a couple of times, and I am thrilled with the results. I certainly hope that the magnet system continues to work well, since I prefer to omit, or at least reduce, the use of chemicals while doing laundry. I’m still on the fence about heavily soiled and stinky laundry, but there are people using the magnet system who wash items like soiled diapers, and they say the results are great. I think if I have a very heavily soiled laundry load and there is extra time to experiment, I may use the magnets for one wash to see how well they clean. However, the clean freak in me is leaning towards using bleach and detergent to clean those loads.
dr. stacey naito's blog 