Showing posts with label Utah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Utah. Show all posts

Friday, May 29, 2015

Hair Care Tips For A Dry Climate


Of the top beauty concerns for women, hair is in the top 5!

Everyone wants healthy-looking, shiny and strong hair. Regardless of whether you have long or short hair, straight or curly hair, there are definitely ways to give your hair an advantage, depending on the climate where you live.
For those of us who live in the dry states--Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas, North Dakota, and South Dakota--there are a whole different set of hair problems than those who live in wet states.If you live in one of these dry states, or if you live in a dry climate, keep reading!
 In dry climates, the air is depleted of moisture and your hair can't absorb it from the air, making it prone to dryness, frizziness, brittleness, dullness, and breakage. So what is the mode of operation for dry state gals? We dump all kinds of moisturizing products onto the hair! 


I use a lot of hair oil, leave-in conditioners,  deep conditioners, hair masks, along with moisturizing shampoos, pomades, and sun protectors. After awhile, however, the hair shaft becomes loaded up with all of this product as I discovered. It is then that your hair becomes dull, slow to grow, and limp. 

It is important to balance your routine with both moisturizing products and purifying products, to rid your hair of build-up. I found a great purifying product when I was given some products from the NAAT Garlic Magic Set from NuNAAT, a hair company researching and utilizing natural sources from around the globe.
Benefits Of Garlic - This naturally powerful antibiotic removes harmful toxins and offers relief to the dry, itchy scalp. It also releases an enzyme, called allinase. When crushed, allinase stimulates blood flow, which then strengthens the hair and prevents breakage. It is also known to increase body and shine. 


My experience - I tried the Naat Garlic Magic Shampoo, the Naat Garlic Magic Conditioner, and the Naat Garlic Magic Leave-In Conditioner.  Of course, seeing that garlic was one of the top ingredients in this shampoo, I, at first wondered if there might be a rather pungent, distinctive, smell. I was pleased to find that it was very fragrant and that no one would suspect that there was garlic in my shampoo! When I used the shampoo, I noticed that my hair actually squeaked after one use. I guess it had been awhile for me to feel my hair that clean because of all the moisturizing products I have been adding to my hair-care routine. The conditioner seemed light and refreshing, and not very heavy. And the same with the leave-in conditioner. I didn't feel like there was any build-up at all.


Results -  My hair seemed shinier and stronger, with more body. I was really pleased! I want to continue to use these products as part of my dry climate hair care arsenal, so that my hair will look its best.

NuNaat has hair products, however, for all types of climates and all types of hair! They believe that everyone can have great hair, regardless of the hair type or climate.


You can follow NuNaat on Twitter and Facebook! This blog received the products mentioned above for review purposes. All opinions are our own!
This naturally powerful antibiotic removes harmful toxins and offers relief to the dry, itchy scalp. When crushed, garlic releases an enzyme known as alliinase, which stimulates blood flow, strengthening hair and reducing breakage. It is also known to  increase body and shine - See more at: http://www.nunaat.com/ingredients/garlic/#sthash.I77jLyCe.dpuf
This naturally powerful antibiotic removes harmful toxins and offers relief to the dry, itchy scalp. When crushed, garlic releases an enzyme known as alliinase, which stimulates blood flow, strengthening hair and reducing breakage. It is also known to  increase body and shine - See more at: http://www.nunaat.com/ingredients/garlic/#sthash.I77jLyCe.dpuf
This naturally powerful antibiotic removes harmful toxins and offers relief to the dry, itchy scalp. When crushed, garlic releases an enzyme known as alliinase, which stimulates blood flow, strengthening hair and reducing breakage. It is also known to  increase body and shine - See more at: http://www.nunaat.com/ingredients/garlic/#sthash.I77jLyCe.dpuf
This naturally powerful antibiotic removes harmful toxins and offers relief to the dry, itchy scalp. When crushed, garlic releases an enzyme known as alliinase, which stimulates blood flow, strengthening hair and reducing breakage. It is also known to  increase body and shine - See more at: http://www.nunaat.com/ingredients/garlic/#sthash.I77jLyCe.dpuf
This naturally powerful antibiotic removes harmful toxins and offers relief to the dry, itchy scalp. When crushed, garlic releases an enzyme known as alliinase, which stimulates blood flow, strengthening hair and reducing breakage. It is also known to  increase body and shine - See more at: http://www.nunaat.com/ingredients/garlic/#sthash.I77jLyCe.dpuf
This naturally powerful antibiotic removes harmful toxins and offers relief to the dry, itchy scalp. When crushed, garlic releases an enzyme known as alliinase, which stimulates blood flow, strengthening hair and reducing breakage. It is also known to  increase body and shine - See more at: http://www.nunaat.com/ingredients/garlic/#sthash.I77jLyCe.dpuf

Monday, December 1, 2014

Guest Post - A Perfect Southern Utah Adventure


Hi, I'm Kendra from the blog The Things I Love Most!  I'm excited to be blogging here at A GAL NEEDS...! I am also really excited to be a part of this Blogging Roundup of 14 Utah Blogger sharing 14 Utah Adventures! I love Utah!  I was actually born and raised in Utah County, but moved to Southern Utah with my husband and children about 8 years ago!  We absolutely love it here, and are tempted, sometimes, to never move back. (Although we still really love Utah County). We have learned to love the heat and don't really like snow very much anymore, except for when we are visiting!

When we first visited Southern Utah to see if we wanted to live here, we fell in love with it right away! It's kind of the best of both worlds in my opinion.  We have amazing Red Rock, Beautiful Pine Valley Mountain not far out of town, and if you want snow in the winter you only need to drive a half hour north to Cedar City!  When most people think of Southern Utah they think of the big places like Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.  Both of which are amazing places and if you haven't ever been there, you totally need to go! Today I am going to share with you some great places to visit if you were going to go to St. George for a weekend and wanted some fun things to do as a family or even just as a couple!
  • Pioneer Park - (aka Dixie Rock) - This isn't a park with a playground, it's a big 52+ acre area with some great hikes, picnic tables, amazing views and more.  My favorite view is when you get on top of the Dixie Rock and you can see the whole valley, including the spectacular St. George Temple. There is a really cool slot canyon to climb through that's kind of hard to find but it is well worth the search.  Ask someone you see if they know where it is!  This area is free.

  • Snow Canyon State Park - This is a hidden gem in Southern Utah. You could camp here and spend days.  I've done most of the hikes in this park! Our favorite place to go here is the sand dunes! The kids have so much fun playing and rolling down the big hills of sand! They also have fun biking paths and some great hikes you can do with or without kids.  Make sure you find the caves, they are really cool, but not easy to do with children. This place is amazing because you see red, black and white rocks all blended together!  There is a fee to enter the park unless you have a state park pass.
  • Red Cliffs Recreation Area - This place is amazing, and only a couple miles away from my house! We love to go here and let the kids play!  It's a great place to camp, hike, rappel, and when there is water flowing, a fun place to play in the pools at the end of the hike!  There is a $5 fee for day use.
      • Oak Grove - If you need to get up in the mountains and enjoy a cool evening out of the St. George heat this is the place to go! It gorgeous and very peaceful! There is a $5 fee for day use.
      • Pine Valley Recreation Area - We love to camp, hike and go to the reservoir up in Pine Valley. We recently camped up there in October and the weather was great! The retirement town is nestled in the mountain of Pine Valley. If you go, make sure you visit the church there.  The architecture is amazing! There is a day use fee, and it is only open from May to October each year. 
      • Kanarraville Falls Hike - This hike can be done with children although you may not be able to go all the way to the top unless you have some tough people to carry the kids up the hard part, which is what my husband and our friends did. .  The hike is mostly in water, which was about shin deep on me.  At the top are some fun natural watersides and really amazing slot canyons that you walk through.  There is a parking fee of $10, but it is worth it!
      • Oak Grove - If you need to get up in the mountains and enjoy a cool evening out of the St. George heat this is the place to go! It gorgeous and very peaceful! There is a $5 fee for day use.

      • The Virgin River- We love to go down to the Virgin River and let the kids play. There are lots of place to enter the river.  It's free and fun!
      • Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site - We always take our friends that come visit to these awesome dinosaur tracks!  My kids love to sit in them and imagine what it was like when dinosaurs lived on the earth!  It is free and a very short hike to the tracks.

      If you aren't in the mood to hike all weekend, St. George has some great parks, and some amazing splash parks.  Here is a link to all of them!  Our favorite park, when it's not busy season, is the St. George Town Square with a fun man-made river, carousel, children's museum, library and fountain, also visits Judd's old country store and get some yummy soup and old fashion candy!

      There are also some great lakes to visit that don't cost too much that are both about 15 miles outside of St. George in the Hurricane area!
      • Quail Creek State Park - There is a place that you can walk down in the parking lot to avoid paying the state park fee. They don't mind.  Mostly the fee is for boaters and campers.  The beach here is more rocky, so if you don't want sand all over in your car, then this is the beach for you!
      • Sand Hollow Lake State Park - I love this lake, but my husband hates red sand all over inside our vehicles so we don't go here as often, but when we first moved down here we were there every weekend in the summer
      There are a lot of places to camp, but if you aren't very excited to camp our favorite hotel is the Holiday Inn Express in Washington.  They have very nice rooms, serve a great breakfast, and have a nice pool!

      I would advise that if you are planning a St. George weekend trip, check the St. George City Calendar to make sure it isn't a busy week. St. George holds a lot of big races, and the Senior Games each year The city is very packed during these week. There are plenty of weeks throughout the year that are perfect to come!





      Saturday, August 9, 2014

      What My Weekend Is Looking Like So Far!

      Friday morning was spent working on posts and doing some housework.  No biggie.  Then I got a text from one of the ladies I visit teach.  "Are you coming today?"   Each month I pay a short visit to 3 gal pals in my area that are assigned to me by my church.  It's called Visiting Teaching.  I'm LDS and it's part of how we keep track of each other and make sure that things are OK with them.  Sometimes they are just token visits, catching up and chatting, but other times they can really make a difference, especially if someone is ill or having difficulties meeting some kind of responsibility.  Sometimes it's just needing someone to talk with.  We usually go in twos.

      Anyway, I had been texting the women earlier this week, trying to juggle which days would work between me, my visting companion, and the 3 ladies.  I reached one first and she said Friday at 11:00.  OK, great.  Then it turns out that everyone else was busy this week but next Thursday was good for the rest of them and I forgot that I hadn't told the first lady that next week would be better.     I really blew it.  It's called, 'Thinking You Have Communicated Something and Realize  You're The Only One In Your Crazy Loop.'  I honestly thought I had told her.  I called and apologized profusely but she wasn't too happy with me. I hope she'll get over it by next month.

      Later on G. and I went to "The Hundred-Foot Journey" with Helen Mirren.  I was very excited about it because I saw her on Jimmy Fallon and she was so charming and funny and then she said something so interesting.  She said, "This is a great date movie. Don't eat before you go, because after the movie, you will score!"  We went to the movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it!  The scenery of France, the cuisine, the acting!  All wonderful.  There was a part in the movie that took the movie from good to excellent for me.  It was the part when she tasted "his food" for the first time.  That's all I'll say, but her reaction to it was so amazing and it actually brought tears to my eyes because of the raw emotion of it.  I'm now an even bigger Helen Mirren fan!  And can I just say that G. thinks she's  hot?  He says he would be so lucky if I was like her when I reach 60-something, like her.  Great!  Something to work towards...Here's the trailor, just in case you haven't seen it yet!  And, by the way, she was totally right. We scored afterwards. (With food of course, what were YOU thinking?)

       
      Just like Friday, my Saturday had some good and bad points to it.  G. decided to go play some disc golf with his friends up at Solitude.  They were gone for about 6 hours.  I went on a bike ride up the canyon, which is always great and then took some time to watch some t.v. afterward.  It was a show about Desert Runners, amateur runners who decide they want to run hundreds of kilometers in a desert and some decide to do all 4 desert runs in a year so they are called the Ultramarathon or Ultra runners.  How humans can run miles and miles in these extreme conditions is mind boggling.  It was a documentary that took us through the 4 races, chosen specifically for their harsh conditions.  The race organizers have strategically chosen these four deserts because they are (respectively) the driest, windiest, hottest and coldest places on Earth. It's not child's play, as I found out watching the show.  Some very extreme things happen and the thing is, it's all true.  I really enjoy watching documentaries.
        I decided to make something out of the abundance of zucchini we've accumulated this past week. I've had some great luck making zucchini bread with walnuts.  But I wanted to try out a recipe I'd found on Pinterest.  They were Baked Parmesan Zucchini Sticks.  I made them according to the directions, but they weren't a big hit at the house and heating the oven up to 425 degrees is something I still try to avoid.  So for us, it was just meh...
        Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a great day with great weather.  And I'm excited.  We will be going to the 7th Annual Alphorn Festival at Solitude.  The Alphorn is the national instrument of Switzerland.  It has been going since Wednesday, and tomorrow will be the culmination, with a live concert that is free to the public.  The best Alphornists(?) in the world will be playing!  I'll take pictures and put some on Instagram! Here is what Alphorns look like! Anything interesting going on for you this weekend?

      Monday, August 4, 2014

      Sinks, Faucets and Toilets - And Emergency #WaterStorage Tips

      Most of us living in the U.S. and UK and even around the world have water and toilets in the home.  It's something we really don't think about.  As long as the brown goes down, and the water comes out clean for drinking, we're fine!  I've seen a home built from start to finish when I was in Virginia.  I saw the toilets and sinks installed.  They were standard grade, purchased from a "big box" store like Home Depot or Lowe's.  I just took them for granted and remember having a few issues over the years with the flushing and the finish in the tubs and sinks. But that's par for the course, right?
         Last week I went to a blog invitational open house of MountainLand Supply Company Showroom.  Located in an Industrial Park in Orem, UT,  it is rather out of the way.  I know I had heard of the name before but had never really had a grasp on what they do there.
         I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they are a supplier to contractors, designers and upscale interior furnishers.  They have a showroom that showcases their high end faucets, basins, tubs and even toilets.  It was obviously much higher quality than your normal toilets and sinks...
         I learned that one of the better brands, lifetime guaranteed from fit, function to finish is the danze brand.  Instead of different kinds of plastics throughout the traps, drains and faucets like the big box brands,  these are made from brass and ceramic, with no plastic finishes!  And they were beautiful!

         The nice thing about MountainLands Supply is that you can actually go there, hand pick your high end-sink model and tell your builder which one you want.  They will sell it for a factory direct price and poof, you have amazing high-end sinks, tubs, faucets and toilets. 
         But all the nice fixtures in the world aren't sufficient if you don't have good, clean water coming out of them, safe for bathing and drinking.  It was quite a scare for the folks in Toledo over the weekend.  Because of the unsafe drinking water in Lake Erie, they had to drive for miles and wait in lines for hours just to get some drinking water.  Not cool!  But apparently Ohio is just a warning for the rest of us.  If there is no testing required on the water we drink, who is to say that water in another state won't come up toxic as well?  
         It may be wise to get your own supply of water so that you can have it when things go awry.  Here are some tips I think are helpful:

      STORE BOILED OR BOTTLED WATER:  The recommended storage amount is one gallon drinking water per person per day.  So if you have 5 people in your family and would like drinking water for 5 days, it's 5 gallons.  Don't forget your pets!  Remember to store more for cooking, toilet flushing and bathing.  Bottled water is the safest method.

      STORAGE METHOD:  Store water in lines rather than stacks.  Stacking could cause leaking.  Also, a cool dry place is best to store water.  You can buy water barrels for industrial purposes.  They come with spickets for output.  

      HAND WASHING:  Store some sanitary wipes for hand washing in place of the water used for that purpose.  It's also good to have some sprayers for water in case  the air-conditioning goes off.  You can spray water on the skin to lower body temperature by several degrees!

      Disclosure:  I didn't receive compensation for this post and all thoughts are my own! 


      Thursday, June 19, 2014

      A Great Dentist! Tips For Getting One!



      Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. However, the thoughts and opinions below are my own.

      I’ve been in the market for a new dentist for awhile now.  We moved some time ago and because it wasn’t THAT far away, I continued to see my old dentist, where I used to live.  But that proved to be time consuming and I found that it was too easy to put my dental visits off because, well, the dentist isn’t my most favorite place to spend my time!  I can rationalize not going to get my teeth worked on in favor of so many other things.  



       In my search for the perfect dentist, I found and used a few tips for finding a good dentist that I thought I’d share, so you won't put it off like I did for so long!  My teeth paid a price!
      Waiting for my exam and cleaning


       Tips For Finding A Great Dentist

      ·    First of all, As a new patient, you should receive an inspection of the teeth, gums, tongue, lips, inside of the cheek and palate at the minimum.  With adults, a periodontal probe should be inserted between the gums and teeth to detect abnormally large crevices. Good dentists also chart their findings in detail.

      ·        Be wary of flamboyant advertising-- it is likely to signify an emphasis on mass production rather than quality.

      ·        Friends and family members are a great resource. They can tell you about the personality of the dentist and office staff, and answer questions. Here are some things to consider with them:

      1.     How well does the dentist explain treatment options?

      2.     How long do you have to sit in the waiting room?

      3.     Do you feel comfortable asking questions?

      4.     What is the environment provided?

      5.     How does the office handle emergencies?

      6.     How long do you have to wait for an appointment?

      7.     How are bills handled?

      8.     What is the location of the office?

      9.     Charges for each treatment?



      ·        Other Places To Call:

      1.     Your dental insurance company — Your insurer will provide names and contact information for dentists in your area who take part in the company's dental plans. Usually you will have to pay a lower fee if you use these dentists. Your insurer also may have other information, such as whether the dentist accepts new patients.

      2.     Your state's dental association — Each state has a dental association that can provide names of dentists who are members of the American Dental Association (ADA). ADA membership is voluntary. Most dentists are members. However, ADA membership does not mean a higher quality of care.

      3.     Your local hospital – Some hospitals have their own dental clinics, or can recommend local dentists.

      4.     The nearest dental school —A dental school in your area can be a great resource. Most dental schools have clinics that accept new patients. The care given at these clinics is excellent. The cost is often lower than visiting a private-practice dentist. Usually, routine care at a dental school clinic is provided by dental students and residents (dentists who are completing advanced training). They are supervised by dentists who teach at the dental school. For complicated and newer procedures, these clinics offer state-of-the-art care. Check our list of dental schools in the United States and Canada to see if there's one near you.


      I think I’ve finally found a great dental group in my area!  It’s called Platinum Dental Care!  It's one of 5 dental offices with Platinum Care Dental Group around Utah Valley and Northern Utah! 

       I was referred to them through some other Utah Bloggers that are in the know and I decided to give them a try.  The time spent in the waiting room was very minimal, but the time I did spend there was spent looking back at some very beautiful smiles on the wall.  

       They gave me an initial exam along with a cleaning.  I found them to be very personable and friendly.  My dentist was very professional and answered all of my questions thoroughly.  
      My dentist and Cara, the hygienest

       I loved both of the hygienists.  I actually had two appointments, the first one was the exam and the second one was the cleaning.  So I got to be with two hygienists and really liked them both.  I found the exam to be informative and thorough ( I liked how Cara used the periodontal probe and explained the measurements they were taking on my gums) and I found the cleaning to be pleasant, with the latest technology.  Afterwards I was given a dental pack with a toothbrush, floss, mouthwash and toothpaste!  I plan on going back to get some more extensive dental work done, because my teeth shouldn't pay the price for my procrastination!

       
      My other cute hygienist
      My teeth are happy!


      Wednesday, June 11, 2014

      To Find These People!

      Have you ever found yourself inadvertently catching a glimpse inside a picture window and seeing a scene that gives you an idea of what the people inside are all about?  I have, but in this case, I got more than a glimpse inside some people's life, I now feel like I know them. 

      This may be a little late, but in my defense I really didn't know much about it until today.  About two years ago my dad was driving down a street about a mile away from his neighborhood in Sandy, UT when he saw something laying in the road.  And being the inquisitive person he is, he stopped and picked it up.  It was a camera.  So not knowing who it belonged to, seeing no one around, and not wanting it to get smashed by a car, he brought it home with him. 

      He showed it to me and I didn't know what to make of it.  We looked for a name on it, or anything that might put us in touch with the owner.  We looked through a couple of pictures on the viewer but didn't recognized anyone.  It looked like typical pictures, nothing special.  I told him he might try to put it up on the Classifieds to see if someone claimed it.  He said he might do that.  Well time passed, and I didn't really hear much more about the camera.  

      ....until today.  I saw it laying out and apparently my Dad wants to start using it, since no one has claimed it.  Well, I'm not sure of what kind of effort was made.  It's kind of hard to find the owner to a random camera left out in the road. 

      But today I actually took out the card reader and looked through the pictures, trying to get some kind of clue about the owners.  I was struck with how many pictures were actually on this camera.  A lot.   I didn't actually find who it belonged to, but I felt like I took a look into some collective lives, people who live together, who love, and who really really like to take pictures!  I felt like I got to know them a little bit.  Here's what I pieced together.

      One of the two girls below may be the owner of the camera.  They seem like they are inseparable.  They are either sisters, cousins, or extremely good friends because there are tons of pictures of these two.  It seems like where one is, the other one will most certainly show up sooner or later.  And they like to goof off a whole lot.   Their last name is either Ross or Rose.








       Next we have a lady who is, in my mind, the mom.  She seems to love all the subjects of the pictures a lot. 

      Then we have some children of various ages - and two in particular, a set of twins!


       Again, it seems like if one shows up,


       The other is not far behind!
      They have documented birthdays and other special occasions

       It was kind of fun peeking into the lives of these
      people.  I almost feel guilty, like a voyeur, but this is my effort to locate them and return a piece of their lives that cannot be captured again.  If you can piece together any kind of clue as to who these people might be, please shoot me an e-mail, a tweet, or a Facebook post.  I'll get it and we can work at returning something that is priceless.  Here are the last pictures taken on the camera in July of 2012.