Samina Ghafoor is one of three resident beauty therapists at Relax and she has worked there for the last year, but has been in the beauty business for the last three years.
I caught up with her to find out what she recommends and what she thinks will be a success for summer 2012!
"Henna art is very close to me and it is an important part of my background. It's something my Aunty taught me from Pakistan and as I don't have a lot of family here, it's something I treasure," said Samina.She started doing henna art when she was 14 years old and nowadays it is a seasonal treatment that a lot of people opt for.
Samina says, "There's a lot of controversy about henna art but as long as you use the right equipment, and it is powdered down in it's natural state, it won't scar."
People have found that it leaves terrible scars on their skin when the henna art has flaked away.
It is effectively a temporary tattoo as a semi-permanent dye is applied to the skin. When the powder is left in it's natural consistency, there are very few limitations to the treatment (it's just like grinding down any other plant like parsley), but a lot of places add chemicals into the balance and that can have irreversible effects on the skin.
Samina does all her henna artwork freehand and says it is quite a popular treatment in Carlisle.
"It's not a treatment that I just do for a client, there is a lot of meaning behind each piece. We create a design that is unique to you and that process is memorable," explains Samina.
She also explained to me that the dye works best when it is mixed with sweat which is why it is often seen on the palms of the hands. Samina told me that in her culture, the darker your henna turns, the more love your mother-in-law has for you.
Henna artwork starts from as little as £5 but obviously a consultation is required for the treatment.
Alongside the henna artwork that Samina specialises in, she also does threading.
Threading is a treatment that shapes the eyebrows and it can also be used for the removal of unwanted facial hair. This is all done through twisting a single piece of thread.
This is a popular alternative to waxing as a lot of people have reactions to the heated wax used in certain treatments.
"Threading is a new and exciting treatment that actually works! It is a really good alternative to wax and I can see it being a treatment that we will have around for quite a while," explains Samina.
She told me of some horror stories of people she has seen who had been to an inexperienced person doing threading which is why it is so important to go to someone you know can do the treatment well.
Threading starts at just £3!
A further treatment that Samina believes to be big this season is microdermabrasion.
"Microdermabrasion is either for you or not. It suits people with really dry skin or really oily skin," said Samina.
Microdermabrasion is the process of exfoliating a layer of skin off the face to lighten your complexion and illuminate your appearance.
Samina added: "The best way to look at microdermabrasion is that in the morning, if you look in the mirror and your skin is dull, the rest of your day will be dull. Something like that can set you off to a bad start so microdermabrasion could be for you!"
With that I left Samina to her next client, and I contemplated the idea of a temporary tattoo.
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