Archive for September, 2009

Make Your Skin Happy With The Food You Eat

Olive Oil 1Your skin is the largest organ of your body, the question is, why do we treat it so badly at times. We expose it to harsh conditions without protecting it. We don’t take the time to exfoliate it so new cells can come forward and we don’t nourish it properly, yet we expect it to be healthy, soft, clear and without issues. It’s easy to rub lotions and potions on our skin to make it appear softer and younger but why not nourish it from the inside.

Extra virgin olive oil contains essential fatty acids that help to keep our skin moistened from the inside. Olive oil and other seed based oils help to prevent flakey skin. It also helps reduce wrinkles. If you want to do your body a favor, remove the butter and switch to olive oil whenever possible. Olive oil is wonderful on bread instead of butter.

Dark leafy greens have long been known for their antioxidant properties and they generally also contain zinc. Zinc helps with the renewal of collagen and helps clear up acne problems.

Water is the least touted ingredient to good healthy skin, most people are dehydrated to some extent, they have dull, ashen skin. Be consistant with your water intake and be sure you are taking in enough for your body weight, location and exercise level.

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Ingredients Your Skin Cream Should Skip

Three CreamsNew skin care products are constantly showing up on the market touting all sorts of different qualities and benefits. This makes deciding on what skin care product to use a very difficult and mind boggling one.

There are many different ingredients that you need to avoid, one such ingredient is parabens. Parabens are used to give products longevity but they may actually have links to cancer. Choose a product that has a shelf life and just buy them in containers you can use within that period of time. Fragrances are also common ingredients; it makes your cream smell nice but can cause irritation or allergic reactions. They aren’t necessary so why subject your skin to them.

Amazingly enough, many moisturizers contain alcohol, alcohol in any form dries out the skin which means that it is working contrary to the purpose of the moisturizer. Mineral oil can indeed soften your skin and make it feel smoother; however, it can clog your pores. This can cause all sorts of skin issues that may require even more substances be applied to your skin.

It pays to read ingredient labels well and understand what is in the product before purchasing it and applying it to your skin. It has been proven that skin is very good at absorbing what has been put on it meaning that any non-desirable ingredients not only sit upon your skin, it infiltrates it and gets into the inner part of your skin surface.

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5 Ingredients Your Skin Cream Should Include

Face CreamThere are many ingredients that can be found in a multitude of skin care creams however there are five that should be present no matter what the other ingredients are. Vitamin C is currently one of the most powerful anti-aging substances available on the market. It is proven to protect the collagen within skin and keep free radicals from producing aging signs.

Salicylic acid is a keratolytic beta hydroxyl acid and has the ability to smooth the skin without causing irritation. It is also able to reduce such things as acne causing bacteria while reducing oil. It is exceptional at penetrating pores and cleaning out impurities.

Peptides are generally used in anti aging products and have actually been proven to out perform such things as Retinol. This substance smoothes wrinkles and reduces the visual effects of aging.

Hyaluronic Acid is a bioactive type hydrating ingredient. It has the capability of binding a thousand times its weight in moisture to the skin and is often found in such things as toners, moisturizers and eye creams. This substance has been in use for years and is one of the most common hydrating ingredients. It has the capability of constantly increasing the skin’s water content which reduces wrinkling. No matter what your skin care routines, this particular ingredient should be a part.

Beta Glucans helps the body to heal itself, when applied to skin issues, it has been shown to help correct a variety of concerns.

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Can Acai Berries Really Reduce Signs Of Aging?

Cold Drink 4The acai berry is becoming more and more common, especially in anti-aging products. It’s available in such things as frozen pulp, juice, powders and many other capacities. This berry from a species of Amazonian Palm is being considered as a miracle, a wonder in the health field.

These palm trees are native to wet, tropical conditions and grow well in floodplains and marshes. The people native to those areas have been using the berry for a very long time in numerous ways including making ice cream and all sorts of other food products. This little berry has been shown to have the highest antioxidant concentration of any food studied to date.

This powerful little berry is believed to contain enough antioxidant power as to be ten times more powerful than the antioxidants in red grapes. They have been attributed with the reduction of aging of the skin, promotion of digestion, lowering of cholesterol and elevating cardiovascular health. It may also help to reverse the effects of diabetes.

The berry is available in a multitude of forms; however, clinical studies show that they are best when consumed in juice or frozen form. The most attractive part of this berry is the way it helps to rejuvenate the skin. It appears the combination of nutrients within these berries make them very effective against the things that tend to cause signs of aging of the skin.

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What You Need To Know About Eczema

TexturesEczema covers a whole multitude of skin problems that cause the skin to become inflamed or irritated. The most common form of eczema is known as atopic dermatitis/eczema. Atopic eczema occurrences are on the rise in within the U.S. population, especially in young children and infants. Commonly, infants who develop the condition will outgrow it by their second birthday but many continue having that problem, requiring treatment throughout their lives.

Eczema commonly causes itching and often with that itching comes a rash, the rash normally appears on the face, knees, hands or feet but also affects other areas. The affected areas may appear dry and thickened, it may also have a scaly appearance. Fair skinned people may have reddish or brownish rashes while darker skinned people may have lighter or darker patches. Although there is no cure for eczema, it can be well managed by treatments as well as avoiding triggers.

In treating eczema, the main goal is to relieve and then prevent itching. Because the disease creates dryness that leads to itchiness, lotions and creams are recommended to keep the skin moist. Usually these are applied after showers or baths while the skin is still moist. If itching is already an issue, cold compresses may relieve it. Hydrocortisone and other prescription creams and ointments that contain corticosteroids are commonly prescribed. Even oral corticosteroids are prescribed in harsh cases.

In order to prevent outbreaks skin should be moisturized often, avoid sweating or overheating, avoid scratchy materials, avoid harsh soaps, detergents and solvents. Also avoid any allergy triggers.

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Easy Ways To Reduce Split Ends

Rayograph of My HairIf you have hair that is longer than just a few inches, you probably have had to deal with split ends. If you are using a good quality hydrating shampoo and conditioner, this will go a long ways towards helping you defeat split ends. There are also deep hydrating treatments that stay on your hair for about three minutes before washing out. They tend to protect your hair from heat damage and sun damage, if you use one of these treatments once a month you will reduce the chances of split ends even more.

Brand loyalty is nice but you don’t have to have it, there are actually many brands out there that have very good quality hydrating shampoos and conditioner, switching back and forth between them will actually benefit your hair, reduce the chance of build up and also reduce the chance of dandruff.

Be careful in combing your hair, if you have to tug on it, you’re likely to be damaging it. Wet hair stretches more than dry hair and is easier to damage but some products make combing out wet hair easier than dry. There are all sorts of theories regarding what combs or brushes to use on your hair. Your type of hair will have an effect on which type of comb or brush you use with the greatest success so in this area, try different options and use the one that works for you.

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Stop Hair Loss Today Before It Is Too Late

HeadIf you’re losing your hair, there may be many reasons other than the ‘natural’ ones. Stress in a multitude of forms can cause hair loss. Stress hits everyone at some time or another through finances, pregnancies, child birth, the death of someone close, disease, job problems, divorce, argumentative situations, etc. The good thing is that stress related hair loss often reverses itself when the stress has been gone for a time. Surgery is a type of stress also and in being such it can be responsible for hair loss, it too will restore after a period of time. A way to speed up the restoration process is upping your amount of exercise, this will help relieve symptoms of stress and help you recover quicker. Massage will often help in that area in addition to relaxing muscles and increasing blood flow to all organs including your hair follicles.

Drugs can also have an effect on your possibility of hair loss, many acne drugs are very good at promoting hair loss while performing their other activities. Viagra may make you happy in other areas but your hair on top of your head may not be as appreciative. Drugs that actively affect such things as moods and emotions are apt to cause hair loss as are acid reducers, cholesterol reducers, heart pills, anti-inflammatory drugs and a whole host of others.

Many of these drugs and situations you cannot help or stop so the best way to reduce their effect is to get plenty of exercise, but also relax, or get a massage. Look for hair treatments that contain Saw Palmetto (which isn’t hard to find) or stinging nettle. Stinging nettle is packed full of vitamins and it shares the ability to block production of DHT with Saw Palmetto.

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