Reviews Aren’t Just for Restaurants

Many of us are well aware of review sites such as Trip Advisor, Yelp and Four Square. Not only are we aware of these sites, but many of us regularly check to see what is being said about particular hotels and restaurants before we decide whether to visit them.

It is becoming more and more common for people to rely on customer reviews to help them make an informed decision about where to eat or stay.

Amazon has used a 5 star review system for years now, and I have bought many a book solely on the recommendations of readers. I am quite sure that you have also relied on recommendations before clicking on the “Buy Now” button.

But the question is, what about ratings for local businesses other than restaurants and hotels? For instance, if you do a Google search for Beauty Salons [name of town/city], you will be presented with a list of relevant establishments in that locale.

But what if you are presented with a list of 20 such businesses within 2 miles of where you live? How do you decide which one to select? In today’s society, we have far too much choice in everything, and it would sure help if we could be nudged along so that we could make (in our minds, at least) the correct decision.

Just like books, restaurants and hotels, I wish that more and more brick and mortar businesses would adopt a strategy of gathering reviews. That would certainly make life simpler by allowing potential customers to make more informed choices.

According to the Local Consumer Survey conducted in 2015 by BrightLocal, 92% of consumers regularly or occasionally read online reviews. Not only that, but 97% of 18 – 34 year olds (known as “Millennials”) form an opinion about a business by reading online reviews. If the target market for your business is that demographic, then you seriously need to consider adopting an online review strategy.

And of course, as those “Millennials” become 40, 50 and 60 year olds, it will not be long before everybody will be forming opinions about all types of businesses online.

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The Most Popular High Arch Insoles For Flat Feet

Treating Flat Feet With Shoe Inserts

Flat feet or the condition also known as fallen arches is a painful condition which affects both young and old alike. It is also a condition which can lead to other serious complications affecting the patient’s feet and other areas of the body. The problem arises due to the pressure which is applied during walking being improperly being distributed to other parts of the foot.

Treatment of this disorder depends on the severity of the condition, level of discomfort and pain, and presence of other related complications. A podiatrist may begin treatment by suggesting some stretching exercises to better adjust the heel cord. Specially designed high arch insoles could also be used for this purpose. If properly chosen they would help the patient move more comfortably, alleviate pain, and also extend the lifespan of footwear.

Most Popular Shoe Inserts Currently Available

Dr Foot’s sports and work insoles

This is a very popular type of insole used to provide arch support to prevent and treat the condition of excess pronation. The type of support offered is extra longitudinal cushioning and support. They are mostly recommended for runners to prevent sports injuries from occurring due to lack of adequate arch support. If the right amount of stability and support are not offered they could lead to complicated injuries such as neuroma, over pronation and pain in the ball of the foot. These shoe insoles also have a special fabric covering which has a cooling effect reducing discomfort which often arises when wearing insoles. This also prevent slipping and absorbs moisture to keep feet dry and clean.

Sole Insoles DK Signature Edition

This is yet another popular brand offering high quality arch support insoles for flat feet. They are also designed to provide pain relief for those suffering from other medical conditions such as calluses, bunions, knee pain, plantar fasciitis and corns. They provide relief by properly aligning feet to gain the proper posture. What’s unique in this product is that it is constructed in three layers using heat moldable technology. The topmost layer acts as a protective layer imparting antimicrobial properties to help remove foot odor, and repelling moisture. The insoles also have dual density construction. The higher density are under the heel and arch areas give more support and stability, whereas the lower density area under the ball of the foot and toes provide cushioning.

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How To Find The Best Shoe Inserts For Your Work Boots

Many industrial work settings require wearing of special work boots as part of their safety requirements. Such footwear are designed to provide protection to the wearer from falling objects, sharp items that can pierce through the shoe and sole, and insulation from electrical leakages and static discharge. Therefore they are found to be very rigid, solid and sturdy structures to provide as much protection as required.

Although these features impart the best protection as possible, they are often not too comfortable to wear all day long. Due to this reason they tend to cause aches, pain and soreness in the foot region. With prolonged use they give rise to other complications such as corns and calluses, plantar fasciitis, inadequate arch support, and pain and inflammation of the foot. As the pain aggravates many users shy away from using such footwear or experience very harmful and detrimental disorders.

In order to minimize pain and prevent damage caused to your feet, it is recommended that you use appropriate types of insoles for your footwear which help you get the proper support for your feet. It should be noted that different types of insoles are designed to give different types of support. For instance high arch insoles focus more on supporting the foot arches and distribute weight in the correct way starting from the foot up the spinal column.

Selecting Insoles For Work Boots

Your selection should be based on your line of work and any existing foot related problems you already suffer from. Work boots are generally heavy by design due to the added layers of protection required. Hence, look for insoles which are lightweight and don’t more weight for your to carry along. It is also important to select the right size and shape of insole to fit your work boots.

Many insoles are now made with advanced technology to give additional features such as antimicrobial activity, shock absorption and moisture control. They are often made of soft materials such as glycerin, foam and rubber to get different levels of support. For example, high arch insoles would comprise of more stiff material to give adequate support. It is advisable to check the material composition of these insoles if you are prone to allergic reactions.

Some of the best shoe insoles for work boots available in the market include:

  • Superfeet Premium Insoles
  • Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Work Insoles
  • Footminders Arch Support Insoles for Sport Shoes and Work Boots
  • Spenco Polysorb Heavy Duty Men’s Insoles

Mitchel writes about shoe inserts, arch support insoles, high arch insoles etc based on his interest with footwear accessories.

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Why We’re Loving Leather Cable Wraps

Anyone who carries any form of technology around with them these days has dealt with the pain of cables and wires. Since almost everyone at the very least, has a smartphone you would have to be a complete luddite for this to be a nonissue for you. For us, with a smartphone, a laptop and an e-reader to carry around, our bags are constantly filled with a rat’s nest of wires and cables at the bottom. Even if you just want to travel light and carry just a smartphone with you, you’ve got at least two cables to deal with: the charger and the headphones. Stick these two in your pockets and you’ve got to do some untangling every time you want to actually listen to some music on your phone or charge it up. This is why we’re loving leather cable wraps and absolutely swearing by them.

Wireless is not the answer, yet.

Like many manufacturers and a large chunk of the tech industry, we tried to cut down on our dependence upon wires in the last year. We bought a bunch of different bluetooth headphones to use but ran into a number of issues immediately. Firstly and most importantly, the quality of audio was always rubbish or slightly better than rubbish. No matter how many models we tried, we came away disappointed and we soon realised the problem was not one of quality or of implementation but a basic constraint of the bluetooth audio specification. It was simply bot designed for high fidelity sound. We also tried wireless charging and decided to go with the Qi charging standard since it seems to be the most popular We purchased Qi charging compatible phone cases for our iPhone and bought the charging cradle but it didn’t solve the issues of cables. We still had to carry around the base along with its cable and plug it in whenever we needed to charge. Also, the changing was slower and our phones got too hot while charging. The last straw was that if we were carrying bluetooth headphones, we had to carry a phone charging cable for them anyway so it was back to the drawing board. We had tried a number of different cable wraps and wire organisers made of materials like plastic but when we discovered leather cable wraps, we knew we had the answer.

Why Leather Cable Wraps.

The reason is that leather being soft and pliable is extremely comfortable to carry in your pocket, not just at the bottom of a bag. Since it is soft and doesn’t scratch anything, you can even carry your headphones with a cable wrap on them in the same pocket as your phone; safe in the knowledge that your screen or the body of your phone is not going to get scratched or scuffed. The other reason is that leather is extremely durable and unlike plastic wraps, there is almost zero chance of ever breaking it in two or damaging your leather cable wraps. Short of actually taking a very sharp pair of scissors to them, they are practically indestructible. So, unless you deliberately try to ruin them, they will last forever. The next very compelling reason is that they look really good and also feel very good in your hands and in your pockets. This won’t matter as much to people who carry their cables only in bags but it still stands. So, while leather cable wraps may seem like a very low-tech and indeed stop gap solution to your cable woes, for us, they are the most practical solution right now.

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Finding the Best Cleansing Conditioner

Washing your hair with a cleansing conditioner can be defined as several things: conditioner washing, conditioner-only washing, co-washing, or “no-poo” washing. The difference between using a cleansing conditioner and a shampoo are their ingredients and their effects on the hair. Traditional shampoos can have harsh chemicals, such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate, which can dry and strip the hair of its natural oils and nutrients. Most cleansing conditioners or co-washes do not contain such chemicals and produce little to no bubbly suds like most shampoos do. Over time shampoos can cause dry, stripped, and damaged hair. Co-washes do the exact opposite. They nourish, moisturize, and bring your hair back to life.

Most people who are familiar with co-washing swear by WEN Cleansing Conditioner. This is the very first cleansing conditioner to come out on the market. It was created by celebrity hair stylist Chaz Dean and is endorsed by several celebrities. This product, by far, is amazing! The only downside to it, is its price. But now there are several co-washes out there that are just as effective and affordable. The hard part is finding the best cleansing conditioner that will work well for you. Bottom line, there is a cleansing conditioner out there for everyone. It is all about choosing a product that’s geared towards your hair type, learning the proper use of the product, and setting up an effective routine and strategy.

Some co-washes such as WEN or Purely Perfect Cleansing Creme are formulated for all hair types and are great to start out with if you are willing to pay a higher price. Then there are those that have several different cleansers, each geared towards a specific hair type. For example, Loreal’s Ever Cleansing Balms has 3 hair cleansing conditioners to choose from: dry and damaged hair, curly hair, and color treated hair. There are also products geared towards ethnic hair types, sush as As I Am Coconut CoWash or Mizani True Textures Cream Cleansing Conditioner. If you are new to the “no-poo” era and are used to bubbly suds, then Loreal’s EverCreme Cleansing Balm is a great first pick because it gives the illusion of that squeaky-clean feel but nourishes and moisturizes your hair. It is also quite affordable if you are on a budget.

There are those that may have given conditioner washing a try, but then decided to stop. They may have felt that because there are no suds, then their hair and scalp are not getting cleaned. They may even notice some build up and end up having to wash more often. This may have been because they did not use the product properly or just need to make some small adjustments to their routine and strategy. Usually you want to use a generous amount of the product and will have to massage the scalp and product in very well and rinse well. Some you may have to leave in for a few minutes and then rinse. You may find that using a shampoo once a week for clarifying might still be necessary. If you have really oily hair, you may want to still use a shampoo, but use a cleansing conditioner once or twice a week for deep conditioning. Some enable you to use it as a leave-in conditioner and others may not. Generally, hair cleansing conditioners can be used by everyone. It is all about choosing the right formula, its proper use, and figuring out how often to use it.

Finding the best cleansing conditioner for you does not have to be complicated. All it takes is a little research. Figure out your hair type and read the reviews before you decide to purchase the product. Make sure that the cleanser is sulfate, silicone, and paraben free. After you have purchased a product, make sure to read the directions carefully. After that, it may take a little trial and error or some re-adjustments. Regardless, there is a cleansing conditioner out there for you, so get ready to throw out your shampoo bottles and join the “no-poo” era.

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