I recently became a distributor for Nu Skin and one of their main products is the Galvanic Spa with accompanying gels. In my usual quest for information, I needed to find out what galvanic current is and how it works…so here it.

First of all using galvanic current in applications is not a new practice and based on what I’ve found, its been used for various skin care applications for about 70 years.

Galvanic current and its associated polarized gels work like a magnet. When you try to touch a magnet together, the opposite polarities attract and the same polarities repel. Galvanic current can be set to have a positive or negative charge and the gels can also be ionized to have a positive or negative charge.

For the Galvanic Spa, the negatively charged current and gels are used first. Since negative repels negative, the active ingredients in the gels are driven deep into the skin, much deeper than what would be possible with a manual facial massage. The active ingredients in the negatively charged gel are formulated to bind to impurities within the skin.

After the negatively charged application, the positively charged application begins. Using the  positive current, the active ingredient in the positively charged gel is driven into the skin. At the same time, the negatively charged ingredients, which have bonded to impurities in the skin, are drawn out towards the positive charge and there’s an exchange of active ingredients.

In the case for treating cellulite with the Galvanic Spa, only the negative charge and the negatively charged Body Contouring Gel is used. The active ingredient is driven into the skin and stays there to do its work. According to the Nu Skin site:

Every body deserves spa treatments. Galvanic Spa™ II Body Shaping Gel works exclusively with the Galvanic Spa™ II instrument to minimize and smooth the appearance of cellulite.

This at-home spa treatment concentrates cellular energy to target pockets of fat and toxins for a more toned, firm appearance. Featuring theobromine and golden chamomile, this advanced treatment helps decrease fat storage and activate fat breakdown, promoting a firmer, more toned appearance.**

**For an extension of benefits, use Dermatic Effects® Body Contouring Lotion between Galvanic Spa™ II Body Shaping Gel treatments.

I’ve just started using the Galvanic Spa with the Body Contouring Gel on my cellulite this past week. As I’m doing it and immediately afterwards, I can definitily see the difference. I’m going to do this for 8 weeks, which is how long they say it will take to see maximum results, and then report back my results.

For the link to the clinical study write-up see the following link:

http://www.spabeautyathome.com/global/library/flash/spabeauty/media/galvanic2_clinical_Body.pdf

To find out more about the Galvanic Spa and also how to order, please click the following link:

www.lookbetter.nsedreams.com

Good luck and thanks for reading!

http://mycellulitewar.com/2009/06/06/cellulite_reduction_lotion/bodysolution-free-trial-review/

I finally got my RMA number after asking several times for the rep to repeat themselves and then I packaged it up and sent it back.

Of course though, since I’m doing research on what works and what doesn’t, I copied all of the ingredients down before sending it back. So I’ll delve into a few in the BodySolution  – Cellulite Toning Crème. Here’s what they say about it on the product label:

Body Solution Cellulite Toning Crème: Now with Hyreculon TM and encapsulated caffeine for faster, sustained delivery, to help reduce dimples and tighten the tush!

 Features:

• Patented Hyreculon delivery system
• Encapsulated caffeine for improved circulation & toxin removal

 Benefits:

• Skin is immediately smoother
• Less dimpled appearance
• Skin is more hydrated, supple
• Skin feels and looks firmer

To Use: Apply all over targeted areas twice daily. Avoid contact with eyes. Keep out of reach of children.

I’m curious about the Patented Hyreculon delivery system.

Some Ingredients:

• Prunus amygdalus dulcis (Sweet Almond Oil): Acts as a lubricant, making the skin soft and smooth
• Ethoxylated Diesters (HypeceneTM): From what I can find, Hypecene is found in acne medication to relieve irritation and redness. But when I do a search on Ethoxylated Diesters I find a lot of very scientific explantions of what it is and does, but nothing that is comprehensible to me!
• Hydroxylated Lecithin (Hyreculon TM Liposomes): I also find that this is in acne medication, but I can’t find what its purpose is, other than the promotional material I find on BodySolution. Also a lot of scientific info that doesn’t make sense to me.

Whew. Enough of the ingredient research. Whatever is in it the creme, it didn’t work for me.

Does anyone have additional info on the above ingredients? If so, please post a comment. I would love to hear what these ingredients really are and what they do. Chemist anyone?

Thanks for reading!

http://www.purezing.com/living/toxins/living_toxins_dangerousingredients.html

On another website, http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/ingredient.php?ingred06=701520, which seems a little more scientific, I find the following:

• “Known human immune system toxicant” 
• “Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations – Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications”
• “May contain harmful impurities”
• “An agent that can induce an allergic reaction in skin or lungs:Yes”

What I gather from this, is that it’s safe to use in cosmetics, but it’s concentration needs to be limited. And if you’re allergic to it, you probably want to stay away from it altogether.

As I look into this site a little more, they list products which contain this ingredient and the degree of hazard. Interesting, some products that you would think are safe, are actually categorized with a high degree of hazard. I couldn’t find BodySolution though…

Let’s go to some other ingredients: Camelia oleifera (green tea) Leaf extract and Camlia sinensis (while tea) leaf extract.

This link, http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FKA/is_8_64/ai_89379600/,  brings up the following for green tea:

Caffeine. Although drinking caffeine seems to increase cellulite–probably by impairing circulation and lymph flow–topical application can reduce fat content in cells by blocking phosphodiesterase, an enzyme that inhibits fat breakdown. Caffeine may be listed on ingredient labels as caffeine, kola nut, tea or green tea.

Hmmm…so all of that coffee that I drink during the day, 2-4 cups per day, could be contributing to my cellulite. I’ve had two cups so far today, and I could still go for more. Ugh!

From the Murad site, http://www.murad.com/cellulite-treatment.jsp, is the following:

Tea (Red, White, Black, Green)
Tea comes from leaves and leaf buds of plants cultivated principally in China, Japan, Ceylon and other Asian countries. Tea is a mild stimulant, and its tonic properties are due to the caffeine content. Topically, it is used to reduce puffiness in areas affected by cellulite. Green tea also contains polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that function primarily in the skin. It is thought that these antioxidants may be able to inhibit cancer in some cases. For example, the topical administration of green tea has been shown to result in a reduction of tumors that occurred following UVB radiation.

There’s some other ingredients too, but I’m not going to go through each one. Unfortunately, despite my using the scrub and the other products to the letter, I still haven’t seen any results yet. Maybe I need to give it more time.

That’s it for today. Thanks for reading!

I fell for it, but decided it was worth the try. I signed-up for the ‘free’ trial of BodySolution. Before I even ordered, I already felt scammed.

First of all they have several sites to direct you to the BodySolution page. One is a ‘product review’ page that reviews a few products and of course BodySolution is the highest rated product. Here’s that link:

http://www.cellulitetreatmentwarning.com/

Then they have two sites with ‘success stories’. They show two different women who claim to have used BodySolution withsuccess. The problem with the advertising is that while the women’s faces are different, the pics of their legs are the same picture. How can one pair of legs belong to two different women?!! I think not!! Here are those links:

http://www.rachelcellulitesecret.com/

http://www.mycellulitesuccessblog.com/blog/?s=P3149648

Despite all of those red flags, I decided to order anyway. BodySolution offers a free* trial and you only pay for shipping and handling of $6.95. 

So, I entered my info despite the deception and wondering what the ‘*’ meant. Before I finalized my order, I got two pop-ups wanting to sign me up for other offers. The first was the following, to which I said “No thanks”:

With this purchase, you have an opportunity to buy a 3 months supply of BodySolution™ for the low price of $99.95 and get your first month free!

You’re also enrolled in the BodySolution™ Fit and Firm program. Every 4 months, you’ll receive a new kit of BodySolution™ at the locked in low price of only $99.95 (plus $12.95 S/H) for as long as you are a member. Cancel anytime.

The next pop-up was for anti-wrinkle cream, to which I declined.

Lastly, when my order was finalized, I was surprised to learn that I had signed-up for the following:

With your RISK-FREEtrial, you’re also receiving free membership into the BodySolution program. You’ll automatically receive a new supply of BodySolution every 60 days at the low wholesale price of only $79.90(plus s/h) for as long as you are a member (BodySolution normally sells for $179.00 in retail stores). And best of all, you can cancel your membership at any time. No questions asked! 

When I received my receipt, another surprise.

Your 14-Day risk-free trial ends on 06-09-2009 and you will be billed the low price of $39.95

$39.95?? Where did that come from? Oh well, “Caveat Emptor, Let the buyer beware.”

 When I received my shipment, there were only 6 days left to the 14-day free trial, so I called up customer service to try to extend it and avoid having the $39.95 charged to my credit card. More red flags. First the phone connection was impossibly bad. Then I waited for what seemed like a long time for someone to answer – it was probably 10-15mins. Then the final straw. When a customer service rep finally answered, they had such a thick accent and combined with the bad phone connection, I couldn’t understand what they were saying. So they hung up on me. I couldn’t believe it.

So, then I sent an email to the email address on the BodySolution site, explaining my plight. I sent it on June 4th and haven’t received a reply yet. By the way, after going to their website again, I found a Terms&Conditions link where the ‘*’ after the word ‘free’ was explained and all of the surprises that I encountered along the way were explained. Here it is:

Terms and Conditions
Start your RISK-FREE Trial now to receive a full 30 days supply of BodySolution 3pc System (retail price of $134.00). You have 14 days from the day you receive your product, – until 06-27-2009 to evaluate the product and see the results for yourself. If you enjoy BodySolution 3pc System, simply do nothing. You will be billed the super low price of $39.95 at the end of your 14 day trial period … and still enjoy a significant savings! If, for ANY reason, you decide that BodySolution 3pc System is not for you, simply call 888-478-4792 by 06-27-2009 for an RMA number and return instructions. Then, return the unused portion of the product within 30 days of receiving your RMA number. Plus, when you accept this RISK-FREE Trial, you will also receive a FREE membership in the BodySolution 3pc System VIP Program. That means you will continue to get a fresh supply of BodySolution 3pc System every 30 days for the low price of $79.90, plus shipping & handling of $6.95. No commitments, no hassles. Cancel anytime. Your complete satisfaction is our primary goal!

Fortunately, I tried the customer service phone number again, and this time I didn’t have to wait that long, maybe 3-5 minutes; I got a good phone connection, and someone that I was able to understand and who was actually very pleasant. They extended my 14-day free trial until June 23 rather than June 9, since I explained that when I received the products there were only 6 days left. So that was all positive

So, I opened the box and found the following: a shower scrub, a lotion, a serum and a receipt. The instructions are on the backs of the bottles. The scrub of course you use in the shower and the lotion and serum are supposed to be applied twice a day, but it doesn’t say whether the lotion or serum should go first.

So I tried the scrub first. Smells nice – like lily of the valley I think. But it doesn’t seem like it gives me enough of a scrub. After the shower, I applied the lotion first and then the serum. Both have the same scent as the scrub. The lotion is in a 8oz tube and the serum is 4oz. After applying, my legs felt cool and dewy, as though the products never really dried, even though they did. I didn’t mind it though. I haven’t seen any results yet, but its still early.

I’ll keep you posted on my findings.

Thanks for reading!

A few posts ago, I was researching ingredients that are supposed to reduce the appearance of cellulite and found a few homemade recipes. Some of the ingredients are not readily available in ‘your corner store’ and I’ve been wanting to figure out where to source them all and also cost out how much it would be to make my own lotion compared with buying something pre-made. So, here is the result of my research…

First here’s the original post and below it, one of the recipes that I found:

http://mycellulitewar.com/2009/04/26/cellulite_reduction_lotion/cellulite-cream-and-cellulite-wrap-ingredients-with-homemade-cellulite-cream-recipe/

My Cellulite Treatment Cream Recipe

• 8 oz. Unscented lotion
• 3 TBSP Witch Hazel Lotion
• 10 drops Juniper Oil
• 10 drops Rosemary
• 30 drops Cypress oil
• 30 drops Grapefruit oil.

Directions:Add all of the essential oils together with the witch hazel lotion and mix together.  When completed, add unscented lotion and shake well.

Application: Apply daily to the area you want to treat.  Use a circular motion and massage gently into the skin.  The best time to apply the cellulite treatment cream is in the morning after a shower, and at night before bedtime.

In addition to the above ingredients, I’ve also learned from the professional spa wrap world that ivy extract and seaweed (bladderwrack and kelp) are almost always components of the cellulite wrap.

First, the juniper, rosemary, cypress and grapefruit oils.

For these, my first search was at the Atlantic Spice Company, which is a great site for making your own teas and potpourri. Here’s the link:

http://www.atlanticspice.com/

On their site, I found grapefruit oil at $4.30 and rosemary oil at $2.95. Also, they have a minimum order of $30, so unless you have some other things to get from there, it’s probably not worth stocking up on $30 of rosemary and grapefruit oils. They didn’t have the juniper or cypress oils. So, add in shipping charges, which they didn’t itemize, so I’m estimating they would be about $5, I’m already up to $35 and I don’t have all of the ingredients.

Next, I found another cool site Herb Pharm which looks promising:

http://herb-pharm.com/

They have:

• Juniper extract: $11.70/oz
• Rosemary extract: $11.70/oz

but no grapefruit or cypress extracts. But, as an added bonus, they do have bladderwrack extract @ $11.30/oz.  Add shipping (they use UPS, so charges would vary based on where you live) and I still don’t have all of the ingredients and I’m up to about $40.

Since I’m getting a little frustrated with my search, my last stop is going to be Amazon.com. It probably should have been my first stop. Let’s see what I find there…

On Amazon.com, I found a company WFMED, that seems to have all of the oils. So, I went to their site, maybe I can buy it more cheaply from them rather than from Amazon…No, good, they have a kluge website and I can’t tell what price I’m going to get, so back to Amazon.com…

I found Cypress Oil and Juniper Oil both at $4.50 at Amazon from a company called Pretty Like Me and I’m adding  them to my cart.

I found Grapefruit Oil on Amazon from a company named Veria for $3.95 and added it to my cart. Rosemary oil from Eko @ $1.18  – in the cart.

So, I found all four oils at Amazon.com with little effort and my product costs are up to $14.13. Clicking through the ordering process, I find out my shipping charges for Standard shipping are $16.03 so I’m up to $30.16, unless I trial Amazon Prime and get free shipping. Whew!! Lot’s of research and I’m ready to do something else.

Ok, so not as costly as a Revitol, Murad or Cellulean,  but a whole lot more effort.

So, is it worth it?

Thanks for reading!