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Author name: Cara B.

Cara B. Drescher is the owner and founder of Rooted in Bloom.

Discover the Best Gifts for First Time Moms

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Are you looking for a gift for a first time mom in your life but you’re not quite sure where to start?  As a first time mom, it can be extremely overwhelming and exhausting to do just about anything.  Read on to discover the best gifts for first time moms. New moms often know that they need something but don’t always know exactly what it is that they need.  Being able to read their mind would help so much!  Since we can’t do that, I’ve taken it upon myself to look back at my time as a new mom and think of all of the things that helped me, that I think every new mama should have in their life. So, I’ve compiled a list to help you discover the best gifts for first time moms in your life, and at an affordable price, that will make them say, “Thank you! This will be so helpful!” And so, without further ado… Don’t have time to read the whole post? Click the image above for clickable links to each item in the post below! Discover the Best Gifts for New Moms *Best for Organized Mamas The Hormonal Mama Planner for New Moms – $25 This 161 page planner was designed with new moms in mind!  It’s got everything from diaper changing trackers to daily schedules, naptime and bedtime routines to milk/formula intake trackers.  Blank monthly calendars, monthly food menus and so much more are also included in this planner.   This planner is guaranteed to make your life easier and less stressful when you’re navigating the world as a new mom. *Best for Alternative Health Mamas Plant Therapy Energy Synergy Roll On – $8.95 With essential oils of Blood Orange, Peppermint, Lemon, Ginger Root, Eucalyptus Globulus, and Egyptian Geranium, this energy boosting roll on oil (safely diluted in Fractionated Coconut Oil), will help give a boost of energy to the most tired of mamas! Roll on oils are easy to use.  Just remove the cap, then roll directly onto your wrists, (or other pulse points) and you’re all set! *Word of warning, because of the energy boosting nature of this roll on oil, it is best to stay away from it at nighttime, and the few hours preceding sleep. *Best for Tired Mamas Cara B. Skin Care: Cucumber Herbal Eye Gel – $35 For sleepy mamas, anything with caffeine is sure to help perk her up!  This Cucumber Herbal Eye Gel is no exception.  With caffeine as one of its main ingredients, this eye gel will help soothe puffy, tired eyes.  Hyaluronic acid, shea butter, and cucumber round out the main ingredients and will help reduce the appearance of dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles, and provide deep hydration to the delicate eye area. A tiny little bit goes a long way, so this eye gel makes a perfect gift, as it will last her a long time! 📌Pin me for later! *Best for Creative Mamas Brookside Baby Newborn Photos – Pricing Varies Susannah of Brookside Baby is the most talented newborn photographer around.  I  mean that!  She did my sweet kiddos’ newborn photos and they are among my favorite and most treasured items in the world.  When you go to her site, you’ll see that one of the shots from my kiddos’ photoshoot is the very first image that appears!  The dragonfly and the butterfly on the moss covered branch?  Those are my babies! Not only is Susannah an extraordinarily talented and creative photographer, she will work with you to give you the most exceptional, beautiful and perfectly tailored to your needs photos that you can possibly ask for.  She’s wonderful to work with.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! *Best for Breastfeeding Mamas Earth Mama Organics Nipple Butter – $12.99 You may be wondering if this gift is a little too personal, but I assure you, it’s not!  For those breastfeeding mamas, Earth Mama Organics Nipple Butter is a life saver.  But really, it’s a nipple saver!  I highly recommend this as a gift for any breastfeeding mama out there.  There are other wonderful nipple butters on the market, but this is the one I find to be the most soothing and it doesn’t hurt that it’s organic!  They also have a Vegan Option available. She’ll greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness of this nipple butter.  I promise. *Best for Working Mamas Every Plate Subscription – $4.99/serving Life as a new mama is very hard and stressful.  Trying to figure out what you’re going to have for dinner every night is complicated enough, and then going to the supermarket with a list and going down each aisle to figure it out?  It’s too much!  Especially if you’re a working mama and you just don’t have the time.  Every Plate makes it easy by giving you a choice of 11 different meals each week and then sending you a box with the ingredients and instructions included. Starting at $4.99 per serving, with your choice of 2-4 servings per meal and 3, 4, or 5 meals per week, you can’t go wrong!  I highly recommend getting the new mamas in your life a subscription to Every Plate.  It’s a unique and extremely practical gift! Now get to Gifting! I hope this list has helped you discover the best gifts for first time moms in your life.   Mamas need support, and first time mamas need even more support.  As a first time mom, it can be overwhelming to know what you need, and then trying to figure out how to get it when you’re dealing with a newborn (or 2, or 3, or more!) can just feel extremely chaotic. Treat your new mom friends and give them a thoughtful gift that will be sure to touch their heart.  

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The Corner of Beauty & Foodie: A Skincare Regimen Reimagined as a 9-Course Meal

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Today, we’re talking all about understanding how skincare products work with the skin!  In other words, how do these products interact with the skin, and what do they do for the skin? Understanding the exact purpose of skincare products can be tricky, however, put it in food terms & suddenly we’re all experts!  More on that in a few. If you read my last blog post or listened to Episode 11 of my podcast, then you should have a little bit clearer of an understanding of the anatomy of the skin.  If you haven’t, I recommend you read this post!  Now that you understand skin anatomy, let’s talk a bit about how skincare products work with the skin. First off, it’s good to have an idea of what skincare products are.  There is a wide variety of types of skincare products, and below is a relatively inclusive list. Skincare Product Types Cleansers Toners Exfoliants Masques Serums Moisturizers Sunblocks Eye Creams Chemical Peels Treatments Beauty = Foodie! So now that you have a general idea of the basic product categories, let’s talk about how skincare products work with the skin.  Obviously, this varies by product and what it’s purpose is.  For example, a cleanser and a moisturizer are not going to react the same way with the skin, because they have different purposes.  A cleanser’s job is to remove surface debris, where a moisturizer’s job is to attract and retain moisture in the skin.  So, in order to understand how the products work with the skin, we need to figure out what the product’s purpose is.  I’m not going to get into the chemistry behind it because, well… that’s too far above my head!  So, let’s go in a more abstract direction.   Pin for later! Skincare product ingredients are like recipe ingredients.  In a recipe for a meal, each ingredient adds flavor and/or nutrients and/or texture.  In skincare products, the ingredients add effect and/or scent and/or color.  For example:  Emollients smooth and soften the skin Emulsifiers stabilize the mixture Essential Oils add nutrients (or other effects) and add scent So essentially, a skincare product, like a cleanser or an exfoliant or a moisturizer, is a portion of a meal, and when you put them all together, it’s like a full 9 course meal!   Example 9 course Meal: Hors ‘d’oeuvre – Cleanser Amuse-bouche – Toner Appetizer – Exfoliant Salad – Chemical Peel Cheese Plate – Masque Main Course – Serum Palate Cleanser – Moisturizer Dessert – Eye Cream  Mignardise – Sunblock Now, this list just explains the order in which each product is used in comparison to the order in which each course is eaten.  In the table below, I’m going to compare each product to its most equal food course in terms of what the product does. Skincare Products vs. 9-Course Meal Cleanses the skin of surface dirt and debris and prepares the skin for further products. Removes dead skin cells with either a textured exfoliant  like ground walnut shells, jojoba beads, etc. or a chemical exfoliant such as an enzyme. Potent combination of ingredients that penetrate deeply into the pores to both deliver nutrients to the skin and also remove impurities. Emulsion of oil and water that attracts moisture to the skin and locks it in. Small finger foods to prepare your taste buds for more food to come. A platter of cheeses of varying textures and flavors with accompanying crackers, nuts, fruits, or even cured meats. Assortment of raw vegetables with a flavorful dressing.   A small dish of food or a drink eaten before a meal or the main course of a meal to stimulate one’s appetite. Helps remove remaining dirt and debris and give skin a boost of hydration. The “main event”.  A specific acid (glycolic, lactic, salicylic, etc) is applied to the skin which penetrates deeply and removes the outer layers of the skin. Designed to deliver high concentrations of active ingredients to the skin, but are very light and absorb quickly. Thicker formulation than moisturizer as it’s formulated for the delicate eye area. Neutral food or drink that removes any food residue (flavor) from your tongue, “resetting” your taste buds. Meat (or other protein), vegetables, and a grain to provide a hearty and filling course. Small, but flavorful taste of food that’s to come, translated to: “Amuse the mouth”. Delicate, bite sized dessert or pastry. The final step of the skincare regimen, that protects skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun. Sweet and Decadent course to close out the meal. How skincare products work with the skin Are you ready to eat now?  I know I am!  I hope this breakdown of skincare products told as a full 9-course meal was helpful for you!   Bonus points to WebstaurantStore for this awesome article on Full Course meals!  I knew a bunch about meal courses, but I certainly didn’t know all of this!  Score! If you haven’t yet, check out my podcast episode below, where I go through all of this in a little more detail. Related:

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What even IS an Esthetician? Hint: It’s not an Anesthesiologist

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If you’re like many people new to the beauty industry, you may have heard of an Esthetician and wondered, “well, what the heck is that?” Newsflash:  It’s not an Anesthesiologist!  This may seem extremely random to you, or you may be thinking, “I was so confused, because that’s what I thought an Esthetician was!”  Either way, I always have to emphasize that an Esthetician is not an Anesthesiologist.   I’ve been in the beauty industry as a licensed Esthetician for over 18 years and hundreds of times over the years when I’ve told someone that I’m an Esthetician, the response I’ve gotten is, “Like, you give people anesthesia?”  No.  I am not a doctor.  Anesthesiologists are doctors, I am not. Have you heard of a Facialist?  Or a Skin Care Specialist?  These are both alternative names for an Esthetician.  Let me break it down a little further for you. Estheticians focus on skin care, as a profession.  We are trained in various areas dealing with caring for the skin, such as:  Performing Facials Hair Removal (ie. waxing) Makeup Application (ie. Makup Artists) These are the 3 main areas that Estheticians are trained in, though depending on your school, and your state, the training may be more or less advanced. Estheticians complete a training program that is usually part of a Cosmetology school.  What is Cosmetology?  According to dictionary.com Cosmetology is: the professional skill or practice of beautifying the face, hair, and skin.  Cosmetology encompasses skincare, hair care, and nail care.  Esthetics is a sub specialty within the Cosmetology heading, and in most states is governed by the Cosmetology State Board, though each state has their own requirements for licensure. So, what exactly does an Esthetician do?  Well, like I listed above, we perform facials (check out this post to find out the exact steps in a basic facial!), we remove hair from people’s faces and bodies, and we apply makeup.  We are trained to perform these services in a sanitary, and educated manner so that it is as safe and healthy as possible. Now, when you hear facial, you might wonder why someone needs specialized training in this area, especially when you’re talking about a basic facial.  Not only are there universal precautions you must take to protect your clients skin and health, but there are also specialized tools that we use that require training, such as the galvanic and high frequency currents, microdermabrasion machines, and so on.  Maybe the most important part is understanding not only what skin care products do for the skin (read my next blog post!) but also what ingredients are in skincare products, and how they interact with the skin.  It is a SCIENCE. Hair removal is the same concept.  Most schools teaching waxing techniques, but some schools teaching sugaring instead or as well.  Why do you need training for this?  Easy!  Because you need to learn proper sanitization and sterilization precautions so as to keep your client safe and healthy.  It is very easy to cause any number of skin infections (or worse) by not being properly educated on how to use wax, how to prep the skin, what temperature is safe, etc.  Makeup Application is a little different in terms of Esthetics training.  Makeup Application is part of Cosmetology and Esthetics programs, but there are also training programs outside of Cosmetology schools that are focused simply on makeup application.  Every state is different about what they legally allow when it comes to Makeup application.  For example, in Pennsylvania, you are not allowed to apply makeup in a professional setting to people’s faces unless you are licensed under the Cosmetology state board to do so.  But, again, all states have different requirements. In terms of training in Esthetics and Cosmetology programs, all schools are different as well.  Some schools will spend 1 day teaching makeup application, where others will have a significantly longer makeup application portion of the program.  My school provided us with 3 days out of the 300 hours of Esthetic training.  So, like most things related to Esthetics, I learned most of what I know, on the job or through additional training and continuing education courses. So, to sum it all up, an Esthetician is a Skin Care Specialist with extensive training in caring for the skin.  We are not anesthesiologists, dermatologists, or any other doctor for that matter (unless we have separate medical training, of course). I hope this helps!  For more information, check out my YouTube video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWraVkpCO30&t=5s

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Let’s talk about skin bay-bee! AKA Skin Anatomy 101

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Pin for later! Understanding the skin is the first step to understanding how and why to take care of your skin.   If you’d prefer a slideshow, scroll to the bottom of the page to view. The first step in understanding the skin, is understanding the anatomy of the skin, so let’s dive right in! The skin is made up of 3 main layers: Epidermis (outermost layer) Dermis (middle layer) Hypodermis (deepest layer) Within each of these layers, are sublayers.  Let’s break it down layer by layer, shall we? Epidermis The Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin.  This is the layer that you can see when you look at your skin. The purpose of the Epidermis is to give our bodies a barrier and protect us against UV (ultraviolet) radiation, harmful chemicals and pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc.), and  even protects us from water! The Epidermis has 4-5 layers, depending on where on the body we’re talking about.  Most areas have 4 layers, but areas of thick skin, which include the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, contain a 5th layer.  Even though this layer of skin has the most sublayers, it is also the thinnest of the 3 main layers, at around 0.1mm in thickness. Layers of the Epidermis Stratum Corneum Stratum Lucidum Stratum Granulosum Stratum Spinosum Stratum Basale Each layer has a different composition and a different function.   Stratum Corneum The Stratum Corneum is the outermost layer of the Epidermis, made up of about 20-30 layers of mostly dead, flattened skin cells with no nuclei or cell organelles.   The Stratum Corneum functions as the body’s first line of defense.  The name, “corneum” is derived from cornification, also known as keratinization.  Cornification occurs in this layer and is  the process where living keratinocytes are transformed into dead corneocytes.   The main function of the Stratum Corneum is to help prevent the penetration of of external toxins and bacteria, and other harmful pathogens.  The Stratum Corneum also repels water, protects against mechanical stress, such as abrasions that would harm the more delicate, living lower layers of the Epidermis. Stratum Lucidum The Stratum Lucidum is only found in thicker skin on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. This layer is clear, and consists of 2-3 layers of dead, flattened skin cells, similar to the cells in the Stratum Corneum. The main function of Stratum Lucidum is to give the skin the capability to stretch. The cells in this layer are filled with a protein called eleiden which gives the cells their transparent appearance.  The presence of eleiden is what makes the skin waterproof. Stratum Granulosum The Stratum Granulosum is another relatively thin layer of the skin, with only 3-5 layers of skin cells.  The cells in this layer aren’t completely flattened, but have started the flattening process, and therefore have a diamond-like shape to them. This layer has a granular appearance, hence the name “granulosum”, due to the changes that the keratinocytes are going through. The main function of the Stratum Granulosum is to act as both a barrier for harmful substances from entering the body, and also a transitional layer where keratinocytes begin to die, causing their nuclei and other organelles to disintegrate, before pushing up to the Stratum Lucidum and eventually the Stratum Corneum. Stratum Spinosum The Stratum Spinosum is a thicker layer, at 8-10 layers of cells.  The cells in this layer have a polyhedral (3 dimensional) shape. Within the Stratum Spinosum is the beginning of the keratinization process.  Keratinization is a process during which epithelial cells (cells that line various structures inside and outside the body, including the skin) become filled with keratin protein filaments.  During this process, the cells die and become much tougher and resistant. The main function of this layer is to help with skin flexibility, and to help the epidermis to withstand the effects of friction and abrasion. Stratum Basale/Germinativum The Stratum Basale, also known as the Stratum Germinativum is the bottom layer of the Epidermis.  This deepest layer contains stem cells that create keratinocytes, and also contains melanocytes.  This layer is a single layer of cells that are either cuboidal or columnar. Melanocytes have 2 functions.  First, it produces melanin, which gives skin its color.  The second function is to protect the living cells in the skin from damage from UV radiation. Dermis The layer beneath the Epidermis is called the Dermis.  While the Dermis is only made up of 2 layers rather than the 5 that the Epidermis is made up of, it is much thicker.  Though it varies, it is between 1-4 mm. Within the Dermis are nerves, blood & lymph vessels, hair follicles, sweat glands, and other structures. Layers of the Dermis Papillary Dermis Reticular Dermis Papillary Dermis The Papillary Dermis is made up of loose connective tissue including Collagen & Elastin, as well as nerve fibers, touch receptors, phagocytes, and lymphatic capillaries.  The Collagen and Elastin fibers in this layer form a loose “mesh.”  The Papillary Layer is called this because it extends into the Stratum Basale creating finger like projections, known as Papillae. The Papillary Dermis has 2 main functions.   To support the epidermis, which is avascular (meaning it has no blood vessels), by providing vital nutrients. To regulate body temperature through a process known as thermoregulation. Reticular Dermis The reticular layer of the dermis sits below the Papillary Dermis and is thicker.  It consists of dense irregular connective tissue.  This layer also contains the hair roots, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and blood vessels. The main function of the Reticular Dermis is to give the skin strength, elasticity, and structure. Hypodermis Lastly, the Hypodermis is the bottom layer of the skin, sitting below the Dermis.  The Hypodermis is also known as the Subcutaneous Layer, Subcutaneous Tissue or the Subcutis. The Hypodermis consists of primarily Adiposde (fat) tissue.  It also contains fibroblasts, macrophages, loose areolar connective tissue, larger nerves, and blood cells. The Hypodermis serves 2 main functions: Insulation, conserving

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E1 Transcript: (My Fertility Journey: The long haul through fertility madness)

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Going through the complex journey of infertility is a curse I wouldn’t wish on anyone.  My journey took so many twists and turns and ended up with a total of 14 cycles of fertility treatments over 3 years.  It’s a journey that many people don’t share as the stigma of infertility is a painful one.  I chose to share my journey to show other women going through a similar experience that they are not alone! Read along as I share the ups and downs of my crazy fertility journey. My Fertility Journey: The Long Haul Through Fertility Madness Hi and welcome to Episode One of The Hormonal Mama. I am your host Cara Drescher. If you listened to my trailer or my Episode Zero, then you should have a good idea of what this podcast is about; discussion about infertility, pregnancy, and the postpartum period. While I like to focus primarily on skincare and wellness, I wanted to take some time to really break down my experiences personally, with each of these periods in time. I’ll talk later about my professional experience, but since I feel so connected to each of these particular areas personally; I wanted to take some time to talk about that. So in today’s episode I’m going to be talking about my experience with infertility. So my infertility journey began long before I knew that it began. So I got married when I was 32, and not long after getting married I realized that I was really ready to start a family. But I wasn’t as ready as I thought I was. So, financially I wasn’t ready and mentally, maybe I wasn’t ready. And there were a lot of other factors that went into it, but my biological clock was ticking very very very loudly in my ears, making me crazy every day. And every day it got harder because I was just feeling this insane urge to become a mother, and it got more and more difficult every day because the timing wasn’t right. And the timing wasn’t right for about three years. This went on and on and on, me being frustrated and ready to start my family with my husband but knowing that I couldn’t. My friends were getting pregnant and family was getting pregnant, and it, was getting difficult to just put on a happy face and be happy that someone else I knew was having a baby when that was all that I wanted. Things got even more dramatic for me and more intense when my older sister and my best friend (who’s also my cousin), so lots of relatives here, both announced pregnancies within a few weeks of each other. Both were very out of the blue, at least for me, and it really hit me. I wanted a baby so badly that I felt like the world was just going crazy around me and everybody around me was having babies. So, I call this my pre infertility journey, because these are the years leading up to my infertility diagnosis and dealing with true infertility after dealing with years of feeling, almost like I was dealing with infertility issues. It was hard. It was very, very frustrating. Every day I just felt like I was getting older and further away from the possibility of becoming a mother. You know, they tell you all the time that after age 35, it gets harder and your chances drop dramatically because of egg resereve and other complicated issues relating to fertility and age. So at this point I think I was 34, and approaching 35 and feeling very just out of touch with everything. I was really really depressed, I should say bordering on depression. I wasn’t quite there, but I was close. And then, miraculously, another relative announced a pregnancy and my husband and I both decided, “Okay, this is our turning point. I think that we are finally ready to get the ball rolling.” So my husband and I were finally ready to start our family. I was 35, my husband was 37, and we knew it might be a little bit harder because we were a little older. But, you know, we didn’t really have any reason to believe that it wouldn’t happen. So we started trying in November. A few months went by, getting lots of negative pregnancy tests and nothing was happening. So, it was very upsetting. But we also knew we needed to give it some time; at least six months. So, once – I want to say it was around July or August that we said, “Ok, it’s time to see a specialist.” So I was going to be getting a referral to a Reproductive Endocrinologist, also known as a Fertility Specialist. And while all this was going on business was going very well for me, I was working as a Massage Therapist, because as you know, that is my training, I’m a Massage Therapist & and Esthetician. I was specializing in prenatal massage. So I was doing all this work in prenatal care and it was great. I was feeling so confident that I knew so much about pregnancy, that there was no way that I wasn’t going to conceive as well. So I had a business meeting with a group of other wellness professionals who focused on pregnancy, and it was a great meeting. The only problem was that I was the only woman at the meeting who didn’t have children. And so every time the conversation came up, or someone said “Oh do you have any kids?” and I would say no it would get a little uncomfortable because it seemed like they all just wanted to talk about their kids. So, long story short, the meeting was great, but was getting very emotional for me. Every time that I mentioned to someone that you know, I had been trying for a while, and not getting pregnant they clearly got uncomfortable. And that

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The Hormonal Mama

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After much thought and consideration, I decided it was time to hang up my “Esthetician’s Day Off” apron and rebrand as The Hormonal Mama. But why? Over the past 2 years, my life has changed in (amazing) ways I still can’t quite comprehend. After a lengthy battle with infertility, I miraculously conceived triplets and went on to have a healthy pregnancy with twins. My babies were born 8 weeks premature and I suffered from preeclampsia in the final 4 weeks of my pregnancy. I had to have an unplanned csection due to complications (intrauterine growth restriction) with one of my babies. They spent the first 25 days of their lives in the NICU, while their mama struggled with pumping, breastfeeding, and an extremely painful and lengthy csection recovery. The first year of their lives brought a very complicated and difficult breastfeeding + bottle + formula feeding journey. They turned one and I finally realized I was a mom. When they turned one, I decided it was time for me to go back to work part time. Then the pandemic hit. As we all know, our world was turned upside down and inside out. Throughout the past 4 months, I’ve realized that as much as i miss my work, I’m treasuring my time at home with the loves of my life. So, I made the decision to be a stay at home mom, while converting my business entirely online… for now. I call myself the hormonal mama because I’ve been through the gamut, hormonally speaking. I went through the trauma of fertility treatments, I went through IVF, countless IUIs, fertility medication, endless blood draws, constant bad news. For 3 very long years, I suffered extraordinarily complicated emotions, partially due to the constant influx of hormones. I went through a healthy, though complicated, and high risk pregnancy. I lost one of my babies. I gave birth to 2 healthy, tiny, premature babies and… well… hormones. But here’s the interesting part. I’d laser focused my career around fertility, pregnancy and the postpartum period, far before I ever dealt with any of these things. I’m a certified fertility massage specialist. I specialize in prenatal and postpartum massage. I’m a nationally approved Continuing education provider, who specializes in teaching prenatal, postpartum and advanced prenatal massage courses. I’m a licensed esthetician, with a pregnancy focused product line. I have all of these qualifications, and now I’ve lived through it all. That’s why I’ve hung up my “Esthetician’s Day Off” apron, and am now proudly sporting my, “The Hormonal Mama” planner.

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Jill of all Trades?

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People often ask me why I choose to do such a broad variety of things in my professional life, and I find that I have no clear answer other than, I have a large variety of interests, and I choose to explore all of those interests instead of choosing one over the others. This may seem crazy, or confusing, but for me, it’s what keeps me motivated. Before I explain, let me first break down what exactly it is that I do in my business. Cara B. Design Studio is a subsidiary of Cara B. Design & Wellness. Cara B. Design Studio focuses on art, while Cara B. Design & Wellness focuses on wellness services and products. I started Cara B. Design & Wellness in 2008 as Cara B. Health & Beauty. Initially, my business was focused on bridal makeup, and occasionally out-call massage therapy. Over time, my business evolved, as did my business name and in 2012, I re-branded, renaming the business Cara B. Design & Wellness. There are 5 main areas of focus between Cara B. Design Studio and Cara B. Design & Wellness: Massage Therapy Esthetics (Skin Care & Makeup) Teaching (Part time Trade School Faculty & Continuing Education Provider) Textile Artist (Designing and Creating Handbags & Wallets) All Natural Handmade Bath & Body products The question I’m asked most frequently, is how I got into each area that I focus on. Each one has its own unique story, and most of them revolve around injuries that temporarily sidelined me from something else. For example, I started teaching massage therapy because I herniated a disc in my lumbar (lower) spine when I was 30, and was unable to work for an extended period of time. I had great difficulty walking and maneuvering around, so my mom suggested to me that I look into teaching since I couldn’t practice for a while. I had never considered teaching, because ultimately I felt that I wouldn’t have the patience to teach. At first, I was resistant to the idea, and then it occurred to me that the only reason I had never considered teaching, was simply because I was so focused on not wanting to teach kids, I never realized that there was an opportunity to teach adults. At that point, I had already been in the massage therapy industry for 8 years and was very comfortable with my knowledge and experience. Not long after that realization, I got in touch with a fellow massage therapist who was a massage instructor, and he helped get me on the path to teaching. After I had been teaching for awhile, I started missing the hands on work, and I made the decision to go back to a massage therapy center where I had worked on and off for a number of years. I got back into the swing of things, and over time, realized that while I really enjoyed being back in practice, I also missed teaching. Around that same time, I was promoted to manager at my job and my boss was interested in getting me certified to teach continuing education courses to the staff. So, I got myself certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a Nationally Approved Continuing Education Provider. I started by teaching the staff at my job, and then eventually started creating new courses and offering them to other massage therapists. It’s now been almost 5 years and I still love it every opportunity I get to teach. I also teach massage part time at a trade school in Delaware on an as needed basis, so I still get to maintain my private practice. Around the same time as my herniated disc (just prior to teaching), I found myself bored frequently as I wasn’t able to get around very easily. I’ve had an interest in 3 dimensional art my entire life and since I was a little girl, my mom always told me that she thought I’d enjoy sewing as much as she does. My mom is also an artist and she is also a master of the sewing machine! My closest friends bought me a gift certificate to Joann Fabrics for my 30th birthday and with the very generous gift certificate, I bought my first sewing machine (with my mom’s input of course!). For more details on my now collection of 4 sewing machines, click here! Long story short, I started sewing as a way to pass the time, and I fell in love. I started collecting antique and vintage fabrics and designing and creating all different types of handbags and wallets. It started as a hobby and then friends and family started inquiring about purchasing my creations and in 2010 I opened an Etsy shop. Speaking of Etsy shops, in 2017, I opened a second Etsy shop after suffering another traumatic injury. This time, I dislocated my right shoulder and tore my rotator cuff. The severity of this injury required surgery, which left me in a sling, 24/7, for 6 weeks. I then developed a severe case of frozen shoulder and was unable to use my right arm for the better part of a year. Due to my boredom and inability to go anywhere since I couldn’t drive for a while and relying on only the use of my left arm (my non-dominant arm), I started getting creative in my kitchen and making bath salts and melt and pour soap with the use of essential oils and other materials I already had around my kitchen. This started out as simply a way for me to make therapeutic bath salts for soaking my injured shoulder, and developed into a business where I make everything from muscle balms, to hand lotions, to my very own essential oil creations. But, what brought me to my original careers of Massage Therapy and Esthetics? Well, those are a bit easier to explain, and neither one has anything to do with any type of injury,

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Let’s Break This Down

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I’m frequently asked what exactly a facial is and how it’s different from regular, daily, skin cleansing. There are many steps to a professional facial, and the fun part is that each facial is a little bit different.  If you’ve seen more than one Esthetician in your life, you’ll probably notice that the process is slightly different from person to person, but the basic steps are the same.  While I offer a variety of facials, they all have the same basic components: cleanse, exfoliate, extract, massage, masque, tone, moisturize, SPF. Depending on your needs, we might skip the extractions or the massage, or we may change up the exfoliation process by adding a glycolic or lactic peel, or by using the dermafile as a form of manual microdermabrasion.  Regardless of the type of facial you choose (basic, signature, dermafile, etc.), each step has a specific function for your skin. STEP ONE:  Cleanse During the first step of all facials, we cleanse the skin using an appropriate cleanser for your skin type.  There are cleansers for all skin types, normal, combination, dry, oily, acneic, aging, sensitive, and so on. The purpose of the cleanser is to remove makeup, dead skin cells, oil, dirt, and other pollutants that may be sitting on the surface of the skin, clogging the pores. STEP TWO:  Exfoliate After cleansing, we move on to exfoliation.  During most facials at Cara B., your skin will be steamed during the exfoliation process, to open your pores for the next step, which I’ll get to in just a moment.  There are 2 forms of exfoliation, mechanical and chemical. During mechanical exfoliation, we use one of 2 scrubs. Both use jojoba beads to scrub and polish the skin.  One has the addition of retinol while the other includes blue cornmeal. For more advanced exfoliation, the dermafile can be used. For chemical exfoliation, we use enzymes and/or glycolic, salicylic, or lactic acid peels.  All of the enzymes used at Cara B. are fruit based enzymes which use actual fruit purees and extracts to exfoliate the skin. Sometimes the enzyme will feel tingly, which is the enzyme doing its job to dissolve and digest excess debris on the surface of the skin. STEP THREE:  Extractions After the exfoliation is complete and the skin has been gently steamed, it’s time for extractions. Extractions are simply clearing clogged pores, essentially removing blackheads. The steam opens and softens the pores, allowing the compacted dirt and debris to be lifted out.  Depending on the level of compaction, extractions can cause discomfort and occasional pain, though with the assistance of an ultrasonic skin scrubber when possible, this process can be less painful.   STEP FOUR:  Facial Massage Once the pores have been successfully extracted, a gentle cucumber or mint toner is applied through either a gentle mist or with cotton to help calm the skin from the extraction process.  From here, we proceed to the most relaxing portion of the facial, the massage. What’s the point of facial massage other than to relax you? Well, there are quite a few reasons! First off, facial massage can help relax the muscles of the face, which of course has a calming effect.  However, face massage can also help tone and tighten facial muscles as well as create greater circulation, giving the skin a natural glow. Most facial massages at Cara B. use a hydration mask which penetrates into the skin to help hydrate parched skin. Now, depending on the client’s needs, we may use a seaweed mask or fractionated coconut oil for this part. STEP FIVE:  Masque At the completion of the facial massage, we’ll once again tone with cucumber or mint toner and then apply a masque for 10-15 minutes.  Masques are formulated to penetrate the skin once it’s been thoroughly cleansed. Some masques are creamy and deeply hydrating while also providing important nutrients, other masques are clay or even charcoal based which can help clear clogged pores.  Yet still, other masques are gel based and have other benefits as well. STEP SIX:  Serum & Moisturizer Once the masque has penetrated the skin, the excess masque is removed.  An appropriate serum is applied prior to the moisturizer, though sometimes the serum is applied prior to the masque application.  Serums function as sort of a lightweight moisturizer that penetrates more deeply into the skin delivering active ingredients to the deeper layers of the skin.  Moisturizer is applied after the serum, because the serum functions minimally as a moisturizer, and more as an active ingredient delivery system. Moisturizer’s main function is to keep the skin hydrated by including ingredients like humectants, which draw moisture from the air to the skin, glycerin which acts as a lubricant to keep the skin soft and smooth, and a variety of natural ingredients like aloe among others. STEP SEVEN:  SPF After the application of moisturizer, the facial is closed out by applying SPF.  At Cara B., we use a powder sunblock called Brush on Block which you can learn about here and purchase here.  Why SPF after a facial? Well, after a facial, your skin will be more sensitive to the sun because the surface of the skin has been exfoliated/polished, leaving behind new skin that needs protection from the sun’s harmful rays.  Why do we use a powder SPF rather than a cream SPF? This is all personal preference. I don’t like the feel of cream or spray on sunblock, so I discovered that powder sunblock exists and once I tried it on myself, and had excellent results (I burn all the time, but not once in 2 years of using Brush on Block).  ​​And that’s it!  Most facials are about 60-75 minutes, though our express facial is shorter at 30 minutes (perfect for a lunchtime pick-me-up!), and our signature facial is longer and more involved at 90 minutes.  Dermafile is available as its own facial, or it can be added to any facial for an additional cost.

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