Healthy Natural Skin

Tuesday February 14th
Paraben Free Lotions – Why They Are Recommended
Just imagine of there were no parabens at all. These are used to stop nasty fungi growing in many cosmetics and personal care products. If they were NOT there, the shelf life of these products would be very short indeed.

The American Academy of Dermatology says that they perform a very useful function in stopping us getting some nasty infections. So, why is there all this talk about paraben free lotions?

The first problem is that they may well cause some skin irritations although everybody reacts differently, there might also be an allergic reaction.

But the main concerns are those about cancer. Although these parabens have been in use since the 1920s, we now know so much more so it is worth bearing in mind modern research rather than saying if it was alright for our grandmothers, then it should be safe for us!

As I said, the biggest problem is that these parabens (methylparaben, propylparaben and ethylparaben) can actually mimic oestrogen which is a major cause of cancer, especially breast cancer in women. Research at the University of Reading in the UK actually showed the presence of these parabens in the breast tissue of all the women they examined who had contracted cancer.

That is a very alarming statistic but of course it does not mean that parabens can cause cancer. But given their mimic estrogen capacity I would much prefer to play safe on this one and avoid them at all costs.

We should also keep in mind that the skin can actually absorb a large quantity of what we apply to it. There is also the question that these chemicals and nasties will not be necessarily excreted either. Which may account for the fact that they were found in the women’s breast tissue. They seem to be a time bomb there and I would much prefer to be free of them.

These parabens are in facial washes, body lotions and also fragrances. So, what can we substitute them with so that we are not running these risksso that they are truly paraben free lotions? What are the natural ingredients that can stop mould forming? Is there such a thing?

Yes, natural preservatives are used and when these are combined with other powerful skin friendly organic ingredients, we really do have a winning formula.
Tuesday February 14th
Chemical Free Face Wash – Are You Taking The Right Precautions?
I do not want to be alarmist but the fact is that unless you are using a chemical free face wash, you are exposing yourself to unnecessary risks. Why? Well, the increase in cancer may be due to many factors but we cannot exclude the fact that chemical exposure is one of the major causes.

At the beginning of the last century, only about one in 8,000 people had cancer. Fast forward to the new millennium in which the American Cancer Society has calculated that one in three people may have cancer. We do not know which ones are causing the disease or indeed what the other multiple causes are.

What we do know though is that there are at least 800 variations of chemical compounds which are lurking in personal care products and these of course will include perfumes, face washes and cosmetics of various kinds.

What sort of chemicals are in a typical face wash? What should we do to avoid any contact with these? These are relevant and important questions, I can assure you. We may not know who the culprits are but we know that we have to safeguard our health. It is as simple as that. We always lock our homes in case of a threat from burglars. The same holds true for health issues. Prevention will always be better than cure.

So, the next time you are looking for a chemical free face wash, make sure that NONE of the following ingredients are included in the mix. Give the DEA and MEA ingredients a wide berth. Then reject anything with SLS (sodium lauryl sulphate), the chemical that gives a nice smooth foam to soap and shampoos. This actually had been implicated in kids’ urinary infections because it is still contained in children’s shampoos and bubble baths.

Did you know that the main ingredient in your car’s anti-freeze is propylene glycol That same ingredient is in lots of face washes and hand lotions. It is actually listed by the FDA as a known carcinogen. It can also damage delicate cell membranes causing some skin problems.

What are the ingredients that we should look for in a chemical free face wash? Ideally these ingredients should nourish, hydrate and also restore your natural pH levels. The best possible ingredients to do that are those skin friendly ones.

Let me mention some of the ones that I am using. The first is actually derived from honey because that is such a great healing agent. That prevents breakouts and acne. Then there is the kiwi fruit extract which holds in the moisture and also keeps ph levels perfectly balanced.

As you can imagine, this type of product has been extensively researched but the total absence of nasty chemicals makes this a no-brainer.
Wednesday January 18th
Extreme Dry Skin – Rapid And Natural Solutions
There is one basic fact of life about skin care and it concerns extreme dry skin. As we age, our skin loses its inbuilt capacity to retain moisture and absorb the nutrients it needs. Then we have the problem that we tend to produce less sebum (skin oil) as we get older. Add to that the fact that it cannot produce enough hyaluronic acid and collagen which leads to sagging skin and we have a formula for aging skin.

Is there anything we can do to stop this process or at least to delay it? One solution which we can implement on a daily basis has been suggested by the Mayo Clinic when they discuss the topic on their website.

They recommend that any hot baths should be changed to warm baths. The reason is that hot water really strips away the protective essential oils which are also helping to keep our epidermis properly hydrated. Then we should also use tepid water for face washing and also avoid soaps as much as possible.

Weather conditions can also play a part and we should try to avoid wind, cold, too much sun and also dry conditions in the home.

Did you know that the clothes you wear may actually aggravate extreme dry skin? The reason is that fabrics like wool and rayon especially if worn near the skin, can actually trap the sweat. Dry skin friendly fabrics are cotton and linen.

When we do wash our skin we can avoid harsh soaps, keep the amount to a bare minimum and also opt for non-soap cleansers.

There is another problem associated with extreme dry skin and that is when we apply toner with cotton pads. Very often these are produced from cotton which has been treated with pesticides so we are applying another layer of toxins such as chlorine and dioxin! The only way to avoid this is to make sure that any cotton wool or pads we use are certified 100% organic.

The solution to extreme dry skin is to find a skincare regime where you can use a facial cleanser which actually puts all the moisture and nutrients back again. If this sounds too good to be true, why not try a formula which is rich in vitamins, and proteins all from natural plant sources.

Manuka honey is one such ingredient as it also a great antibacterial agent. Then you need some high antioxidant ingredients which will help regenerate new skin cells but also help you to keep the skin hydrated so that dry chapped skin is no longer an embarrassment.
Monday January 16th
Look Ten Years Younger – Stop Putting Petrol On Your Face!
If you want to look ten years younger, you might have to consider something more than exercise and diet. It is a fight against time too as the skin gets drier, fewer skin cells are renewed and also there is a fall in the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid. This, in spite of all our efforts at cleansing, toning and moisturizing.

It seems that everything is against us and that is why we always seek out a solution which will help us to give a boost and will play a vital part in how to look ten years younger.

But what are the pitfalls to avoid? The main thing is to avoid harmful and harsh ingredients which may give an impression of refreshing and toning the skin but in the long run are doing a lot of damage to our health. Let me give you a few examples.

There is ammonia in many facial moisturizers. This has a corrosive action on the skin so do not expect glowing soft skin after using one of these products.

Then we have the all too familiar mineral oil which is just the waste left after refining gasoline. Now that is why I have used a provocative title to this post because many of us are using this type of moisturizer.

Then there is formaldehyde which is used in tons of products from personal care ones to detergents. It is normally very effective in embalming copses. Hardly the way to a healthy glowing skin

Not to mention the SLS(sodium lauryl sulphate) which is used extensively in cleansers and moisturizers. This actually can irritate the epidermis and even dry it up. That is the very opposite of what we want.

There is however some good news in that certain skin friendly ingredients derived from natural sources can actually help us in our quest on how to look ten years younger. Some of these are a specially designed nano form of CoQ10 called Nano Lipobelle HEQ10 which can really penetrate the various layers of the skin.

Imagine other special natural ingredients which can help to iron out wrinkles, reduce the number of fine lines and also actually get the skin repaired.

Then there are special antioxidants which can boost your own growth of collagen, hyaluronic acid and promote skin cell growth. Now these will really help if you want to look ten years younger.
Friday January 13th
Chemical Peel Burn - Finding Softer, Gentler Ways To Treat Your Age Spots.
Did you know that in ancient civilisations, women used things like mature wine and sour milk as the chief ingredients for a peel? Cleopatra was famous for her milk baths. Basically they were using totally natural ingredients. It is possible that they suffered a chemical peel burn after exfoliating with a particularly heavy dose of lactic acid.

This is a fairly typical reaction and should be borne in mind before you decide to do this sort of treatment. Of course, today there are many different variations but they are all using milder or stronger acids. These are usually derived from citrus fruits and milk. The main acids used are glycolic acid, salicylic acid and lactic acid.

Once the first layer of dirty skin is peeled off, the second and fresher layer of skin, the dermis, is revealed and this apparently starts a reaction where cell renewal recommences.

But sometimes chemical peel burn happens and the results can be very nasty indeed. If you look at the skincare forums, you will read some distressing stories. I read about one of these the other day.

This person opted for a glycolic acid peel. She was told by the beautician that it was a light treatment but after three weeks she was still suffering as her face was swollen and was also scabbing in some areas.

This patient was extremely worried that the marks left by the peels might become permanent. She was advised to try aquaphor ointment which is supposed to heal the sensitive skin. She was also advised to try Vitamin E. At the end of the day, she would have to apply other creams to help the healing process and of course there was no guarantee that the results would be perfectly unblemished skin.

Needless to say, you have to be very careful after the chemical peel burn happens. You have to be very careful not to expose yourself to the sun at all. Basically you have to stay inside if you live in a sunshine state.

As well as the chemical peel burn, you should be aware that there are other possible side effects and reactions. These may happen in a few cases but it better to be warned about these.

Sometimes, there is a lot of pain and painkillers are administered. Some patients will scar and there have been a few cases of outbreaks of herpes in a very small percentage of patients.

Also, if you tend to have a darker complexion, the risk of discoloration is higher- there may also be some unevenness in the tone of the skin.

As we have pointed out, the risks are there and even if they are a small percentage, you may not want to take the risk.

Actually, there is a much simpler, safer and gentler solution. A skin lightening cream which contains extrapone nutgrass can lighten and freshen the complexion without any risk of a chemical peel burn and can work wonders. Why not try this instead? .
Friday January 13th
Best Selling Wrinkle Cream – Is It Worth The Price?
What do you expect in a best selling wrinkle cream? Maybe you will think it is a famous brand, has glowing and stunning testimonials from the VIPs and the price tag is pretty high? Well it could have all these things but unless it has some essential ingredients inside, you are wasting your money!

First. let us look at the wrinkle problem itself. Basically this happens because our skin starts to dry up and sag. We are losing those oil glands and fat cells which keep our skin plump and firm. If we add in the effects of gravity, then sagging lifeless skin is the result. Of course, this is all a natural effect of aging but we can reverse the process if we get the right mix in our best selling wrinkle cream.

As these creams are outside the FDA’s jurisdiction, there is no guarantee that the ingredients are safe. It is estimated that 99% of all these strange chemicals have not been tested for safety. The majority of the creams are not even tested in labs and that is why non profit bodies like the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics have sprung up. Their mission is to raise awareness about the nasties in all these creams and to educate consumers on what might be a much more effective and altogether safer solution.

So, we have to do some homework.. Did you know that the majority of these wrinkle creams contain a mix of vegetable oil and water. This offers a short term solution in that the skin feels great and even smoother. The water acts as a sort of inflator of the tissues. But this does not last any length of time at all and the skin soon shrinks back to its original state and you have to start all over again!

It is even more depressing to learn that if the oil is oxidized, then it can actually encourage the free radicals to multiply. These stop cell renewal in its infancy. That is exactly the opposite of what we want. We want something that will stop the free radicals in their tracks so the only effective agents are those antioxidants which are totally skin friendly.

So, the best selling wrinkle cream has to have all natural and organic ingredients. Easier said than done as most companies are lying in that they may include these in miniscule quantities and not in active doses. That would make a real difference if they did.

Not to mention all the mineral oils, petrol derivatives and preservatives which are in the mix so that the shelf life is longer.

Fortunately one company has decided to throw all these cheap ingredients out and has spent a fortune on research. Their products, as a result, are second to none and they have gained a reputation for providing the best possible skin friendly products on the market to-day.
Friday January 13th
The Secret To Good Skin
In a recent interview with Elle, Lady Gaga said that the secret to good skin was lots of orgasms! The fact that she was sipping a vegetable drink when she said that was probably a more likely reason. On the other hand, the fact that orgasms can improve the circulation of blood to the skin causing some flushing , may have something to do with it.

But let us get serious for a while. Once you start visiting the forums online, there will be a wealth of suggestions as to what the secret to good skin is. Take your pick!

There are those advocates who say that you must always sleep on your back and that your face should have no contact with the pillow as this encourages creases and wrinkles to form.

There are the lemon, honey, almond and coconut oil fans who say that various combinations of these ingredients are great for keeping the skin hydrated and should be massaged gently into the epidermis.

Pure vitamin E oil derived from natural sources is also very popular.

As regards tightening the skin and keeping it firm, soft and supple, it seems that turmeric is the most popular. But milk, honey and clay masks are all popular too in using as a mask to cleanse the skin on a regular basis of all the dirt and grime that it gets.

But whatever home remedies will help us to discover the secret to good skin, we cannot beat having exercise, drinking plenty of water and having a really nutritious food which favours fruit and vegetables above all. The latter are great antioxidants and will be great at helping the body fight the free radicals which can cause a lot of cell damage.

The other secret to good skin is to minimise sun exposure and to make sure that we have an adequate sunscreen which does NOT contain oxybenzone. This latter ingredient is believed to cause various endocrine disturbances.

The safest option is to go for a sunscreen with zinc and titanium as they are regarded as being much safer. Even sunscreen sprays may force you to inhale some unwanted chemicals which could be harmful which is one reason why a cream is generally safer and also probably much better for the environment too.