10.12.2008

Natural Skin Care - Just Open Your Kitchen Cabinet


Safer, less expensive, and easy-to-use natural skin care can be as easy as opening your kitchen cabinet, coupled with a few minutes of preparation.

Healthy, radiant, glowing skin is something every person wants. Yet, few of us even think to use what's really the best for out skin: natural skin care products.

Each year, millions of dollars are spent chasing after perfectly healthy, ageless skin. The environment, stress, and less than healthy eating habits, all play a major role in the quality of your skin.

The answers to achieving radiant, glowing complexion are within arm's reach. Many of the items in your kitchen right now can provide natural skin care that's even better thank those expensive, chemical filled products that cost an arm and a leg.

Skin Care Throughout Life

From the day we are born, our skin requires much care to remain smooth and healthy. It begins with soap to keep us clean. Then, there are creams, powders, and ointments to keep diaper rash from our bottoms. During the first few years of our lives, our skin will do well with soap for cleaning and the occasional lotion or cream for moisture. Then come the teen years. Our raging hormones bring out the oily skin, the pimples, and a host of other conditions.

It's important to understand that everything that comes in contact with our body affects our health and the condition of our skin. That's why choosing natural skin care products and ingredients is important. The liver filters the toxins and poisons from the food we eat, but whatever we place on our skin is directly absorbed. This includes deodorant, lotions, gels, cleansers, toners, make-up, perfumes, and more.

As we age, our skin becomes more sensitive, and we need to be even more careful with the beauty treatments we use.

Simple Solutions for Better Skin

Here are a just a few natural skin care solutions for you to try. You'll be very pleased with the results:

-once a week, rub your skin with baking soda while in the shower, for a smooth, silky feeling. You can also do this on your face to remove black heads.

-fresh tomatoes are great for the oily areas of your face. ( Please make sure to try the tomato juice on your arm first, as your skin may be sensitive to it). Rinse thoroughly immediately after using the tomato juice.

-for a great moisturizer try olive oil: this healthy fat is good for you, and is great for your skin. You can also use it to soothe sunburned skin.

-vinegar can work wonders for smelly feet and armpits. Mix water and vinegar 50/50, and use in place of deodorant: it will keep the unpleasant sweat smell away, without any irritation. As for your feet, if you suffer with athlete's foot, a week of vinegar foot bath will help a lot, sometimes completely getting rid of your condition.

-egg yolk mixed with honey makes for a really great mask: put on your skin, leave it on for 20 minutes, and rinse off. Excellent for sensitive skin. Honey gives a tingling/ticklish sensation, so if you are sensitive to that, use the egg yolk alone.

-another use for egg yolk: for those with eczema, use it instead of soap. It doesn't smell great, but it will heal your damaged skin.

-a great treatment for dry skin is avocados: mash it, smooth it onto your face, and rinse off after 20 minutes.

Lastly, make sure you drink 8 glasses of water every day to keep your skin cared from the inside out.

John Edwards Find more beauty tips at: http://www.beauty-makeup-tips-online.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com


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10.11.2008

Skin Care For Men- Top Tips


Men can seldom relate to a skin care regime for themselves dismissing it as a women thing altogether. Men's skin is inherently different from that of women and not as delicate too. However, that cannot be a reason to negate the necessity of a good skin care regimen.

A good skin care regimen is essential to maintain a healthy skin and prevent undue skin diseases, irrespective of gender based differences. And because of this, men are as prone to skin adversities as the women. Moreover, with age the skin tends to loose its elasticity as collagen fibers break down thus resulting in the formation of wrinkles and fine lines. Therefore it is as important for men as well to take good and proper care of their skin.

A skin care regimen does not involve any complications. Rather it is a simple process to follow and takes only few minutes a day. Here are some great tips for men to care about their skin more efficiently:

Face washing
Use a face-wash or a mild soap to wash your face instead of regular body soaps that are relatively stronger on the skin. Harsh chemicals in the soap can damage the skin and disrupt its natural texture Avoid using hot water on your face no matter how tempting it might be in cooler times. Always stick to cold or at the most lukewarm water to rinse your face.

Exfoliates
Make sure you exfoliate your skin regularly, ideally twice a week. Exfoliation scrapes off the dead cells from the skin surface and promotes new and smooth layer from within. Regular exfoliation smoothens the skin texture and lends it a natural glow.

Shaving
To keep the skin healthy, it is very important that you shave correctly and don't end up damaging your skin. Before you start shaving wet your face with a layer of streaming hot water so that your skin absorbs steam and gets moisturized beforehand. After that apply shaving cream on your face and shave it off very carefully taking care to avoid any cuts and wounds.

Moisturizers
For people with dry skin types, moisturizers are the sole recluse. Dry skin lacks moisture and has low hydration levels. This makes them appear flaky and acts as a good ground for premature wrinkles and fine lines to appear. Moisturizers maintain the water level in the skin and prevent facial lines from showing. Do make sure to apply a good moisturizer after each time you shave so as to close down any open pores and reduce any signs of dryness. Also try and avoid products with heavy fragrances as they tend to contain drying agents.

Sunscreens
Avoid excessive exposure of your face to direct sunlight. The sun emits harmful ultraviolet radiations that penetrate the skin layers and damage the cells within and disrupts the skin texture. Use a good quality sunscreen that contains an SPF of about 15 or more. Make sure you apply it before 15 to 20 minutes before going outdoors and reapply after every two to three hours.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Dr. Marilynn Syrett is a graduate from Western University of Health Sciences and has a keen interest in the skin care and cosmetic products. Her experience of the skin care industry has gained her in depth knowledge about natural skin care and men skin careand other skin care problems.


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Natural Anti-Aging Skin Care


Our skin is of vital importance to our health. Our skin is responsible for providing protection from environment, providing us with an emotional sense of boundary, creating sensual awareness to communication with the "outside" world e.g. feeling pleasure or pain signals that are vital to our survival and well being.. How our skin feels physically often determines the way we feel emotionally.

Our skin is one way that we communicate information about ourselves to others. We blush, turn pale, signal "worry" or "stress"with wrinkles in our forehead or around our eyes and mouth. Our skin often is used by others to form an impression of our age, how much we are indoors or outdoors and our activity, through scars, wrinkles, colors, and texture of our skin. Our skin is a signal to ourselves and others about our overall health internally, externally, physically and emotionally. "How do I look?" i.e. "What are others seeing and, perhaps, thinking about me?", is a question about the appearance of our skin. This information comes from the tone, texture, firmness, and aroma of our skin.

Our skin is one of the largest "organs" of our body composing about 10% of our body weight. Our skin entirely replaces it's surface about every 60 to 90 days. Our skin eliminates waste, toxins, sends signals to our internal bodies, and actually breathes. Disturbances in our skin, e.g. eruptions, dryness, oil, rash, "age spots" wrinkles, blotches, etc are often an indication of our internal health..

Many of us have used synthetic prescription drugs, lotions, or creams, to care for our skin. Often these synthetic substances are accompanied by undesired and sometimes harmful "side effects". Our bodies are designed by nature to absorb and use substances that are natural. When an "unnatural", i.e. synthetic substance, is introduced into or on our body, it "interprets" that synthetic, unnatural substance as "foreign"or as an "invader".Our body protects itself either through the production of antibodies from our immune system or does not absorb these synthetic substances.

In contrast, our body readily recognizes, absorbs and uses natural substances as the appropriate material to use to build, repair and sustain itself. Our skin operates in the same way as the rest of our body in terms of what it will or will not absorb and use. Natural substances are recognized by our skin, internally and externally, as "welcome" ingredients for use in building, repairing, and sustaining itself.

There are many natural anti-aging skin care products we can use topically on the outer surface of our skin. All natural anti-aging skin care products contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and aromas from nature that our skin readily recognizes as appropriate for use. All natural lotions and ointments, help our skin to maintain it's healthy tone, texture, elasticity, aroma and to repair injury, discard waste, breathe properly, sense appropriately, release used skin cells, build new skin cells, protect us, and improve our appearance.. These all natural products contain amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, herbs, enzymes, aromatherapy oils, and other natural substances that support our skin health.

Remember that the most important factor in the health of our skin is our internal physical health. An important aspect of anti-aging skin care is healthy digestion and elimination. Our intestinal system is responsible for absorbing food, nutrients, and water and for eliminating waste and toxins from our bodies. When our intestinal digestive system is overwhelmed, it places an extra burden on our skin to increase it's waste disposal function. When our skin's waste disposal function becomes overwhelmed, we develop skin disorders. This is particularly true when we are tying to digest processed foods, dairy products, or other foods lacking fiber. Food becomes putrefied and toxic because it cannot be processed or eliminated properly. Our skin then attempts to remove these toxins. Pores may become clogged, inflamed, discolored, dry, or oily. If we want healthy anti-aging skin, we need to keep our intestinal digestive system functioning properly. We can help our digestive system with all natural enzymes, essential fatty acids, probiotics and fiber.

Digestive enzymes reduce large food particles so that the body can absorb nutrients and the entire body, skin included, benefits. Discolored skin, wrinkles, or blemishes, can be signs of enzyme deficiency and the loss of collagen that accompanies it. Digestive enzymes reduce free radical damage, help us remove toxins and maintain a healthy balance of beneficial intestinal microflora. Probiotics provide and maintain a healthy balance of intestinal flora, vital to our intestinal digestive health and, in turn, the health of our skin. Beneficial flora promotes the health bacteria we need and destroys harmful bacteria that can lead to illness and infection. Unfortunately, synthetic prescription antibiotics destroy the good bacteria along with the harmful bacteria. Probiotics help restore the healthy microflora and bacteria after synthetic antibiotic use. Probiotics also help the skin to have healthy bacteria it needs and eliminate the growth of harmful bacteria.

All natural vitamins such as Vitamins A, C, and E are essential for anti-aging skin care. Vitamin A is needed for skin cell growth and renewal. Vitamin A is an antioxidant that fights free radicals, provides nourishment for the fat layer under the skin. Vitamin A deficiency results in dry, rough skin, eruptions, wrinkles, poor texture and tone. Vitamin C helps repair skin by building collagen and fighting infection. Vitamin C deficiency is connected to aging and ultra violet ray damage. Vitamin E also protects our skin from UV damage, reduces free radicals on our skin surface, and helps prevent the peroxidation of fats which results in skin cell damage.

All natural herbs improve complexion, help remove heat, toxins and swelling from our skin. Herbs can help lighten skin and maintain natural skin moisture..Herbs help prevent scar formation and facilitate new healthy skin growth.

Amino Acids fight harmful bacteria and viruses. Amino acids help carry vital oxygen throughout the body helping our skin breathe. Amino acids are part of facilitating enzyme efficiency and hormonal balance which is a major aspect of anti-aging skin care. Amino acids help stimulate collagen production. Collagen is the tissue that determines skin firmness. By increasing the production of collagen, amino acids can help our skin retain it's firmness, therefore reducing lines and wrinkles.

Essential fatty acids, EFAs, help our skin to become softer, smoother, and retain proper moisture content. Essential fatty acids have a very beneficial effect an the synthesis of prostaglandin hormones in our skin cells. Omega 3, an essential fatty acid, greatly benefits skin texture and may also help prevent the development of skin cancer and aging of our skin.

Our bodies produce Hyaluronic acid which is found to be abundant in young skin. The affects of aging and environment gradually reduces the amount of hyaluronic acid our bodies produce and maintain. Hyaluronic acid is important for our body's connective tissue, especially in our skin. Hyaluronic acid also helps to cushion, lubricate and provide needed flexibility for our skin.

Alpha Lipoic Acid is becoming well known for it's anti-aging effects and is a potent antioxidant that combats skin damage and helps repair past skin damage. Alpha lipoic acid provides great free radical defense especially when combined with other anti-aging antioxidants.Alpha lipoic acid is soluble in both oil and water. Alpha lipoic acid enhances the benefits of vitamins C and E and Coenzyme Q 10.

Coenzyme Q 10 helps decrease cellular oxidation in skin that accompanies aging. CoQ10 enters the layers of the epidermis and reduces the level of oxidation.. CoQ10 helps protect against UV light. CoQ10 activates phosphotyrosine kinases which prevents oxidation damage. CoQ10 is a very important natural nutrient for anti-aging skin care.

Our natural skin requires natural anti-aging skin care. Many all natural anti-aging skin care nutrients are available for us. They include amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, anti-aging antioxidants and anti-aging skin care formulas. We can help our skin externally through the use of topical all natural lotions, ointments, creams and solutions. We can keep our skin healthy internally through the use of all natural supplements, vitamins and formulas. Our skin keeps our internal system in place and protects our internal structure. Our skin provides valuable information about our overall health. Our skin is important not only for our appearance, but more vitally, for our complete well being.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Jennifer Kays has over twenty years experience with all natural health care products. Jennifer's mission is to share these all natural health care products through http://www.sweetmedicineessentials.com


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