So, we’ve covered fitness trends and cookbooks for the new year. But, we haven’t quite focused on the overall picture. Getting a better body involves a lot more than simply jumping on a fitness bandwagon. You have to feel good inside and out. We broadened our net and scooped up the best trends spanning from beauty to diet.

1. Laser Hair Removal: The lasers use pulsed light to break down and eliminate the dark pigment or “melanin” in hair. Some treatments even alternate between laser and radio frequencies to target the hair in its growth phase. According to various beauty sites and about.com, there are some definite questions to ask before you decide to use this treatment. Laser treatments can cause discoloration for dark skin (Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD in the July 2004 issue of InStyle magazine).
2. Beauty bars: Niche spas or “beauty bars” are popping up around NYC and other hot cities. They are devoted to one specialized service from makeup to blowouts. Many are walk-in friendly. Harper’s BAZAAR noted, Clear Clinic “a full service, walk-n acne treatment center”. Read more from the BAZAARhere.
3. Anti-aging hair care products: Wrinkles aren’t the only thing a women worries reveals her age. Grey hairs are traumatizing for many. Haircare companies such as Pantene are continuing to work on anti-aging hair treatments that utilize argon oil and Vitamin E to restore your roots. Good Housekeeping tested 73 products on 579 volunteers and took more than 2,700 lab measurements, and tallied 1,055 questionnaires to find the 17 top performers that truly delivered their promise of younger looking hair. Read their results here.
4. Argan oil: Morrocan Argan oil is all the rage as more studies are conducted on it’s health benefits. What we for sure know is that it contains tons of Omega-3s and fatty acids as well as Vitamin E. Early studies have revealed there are some connections with argan oil and heart health. But, it’s still fairly early to call this a miracle oil–as oils hardly reach deeper than surface skin (WSJ, 2012).
5. Non-invasive surgery: Elizabeth Logan, founder and CEO of Myo Technologies believes that microcurrent treatments will be chosen over more invasive procedures this year. Here’s what she said toMSN Living, “Microcurrent treatment systematically reduces the signs of aging and wrinkles by maintaining and increasing muscle tone in three ways: circulation, microcontraction and cerebral effect. The result is what everyone is now looking for – healthier, younger, more toned and refreshed skin without Botox, surgery or other invasive treatments.”
6. Elimination diets: So, the gluten free movement has only picked up speed as more celebs try it. Eliminating one kind of processed chemical or food group appears to be the trend in diets. From the Meditteranean diet to the Paleo diet, people are simply trying to eat cleaner.
7. Slow cooker meals…year round: The crockpot is back my friends and it isn’t even Superbowl season. Check out our Skinny Crock Pot recipes for the healthiest, easiest meals. Click here for the recipe index.
8. Going local: This term no longer means just buying local groceries or going to a farmer’s market every once in a while. Mom and Pop shops are seeing major benefits from this trend. People are zeroing in on one trade and opening up more microbreweries now than ever before.
9. Juice Up: Well+Good NYC reported that, “Juices are a $5 billion business in the US and are expected to grow by 4 to 8 percent a year, according to Barron’s.” Look for boutique juice shops and high-end urban cafes cold-pressing produce–like TotalJuiceCincy!