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Give Yourself A Spa Facial At Home

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Lydia D

Give Yourself A Spa Facial At Home

Do you want to give yourself a spa facial at home? It’s easier than you think. Although regular days at the spa can be a wonderful way to treat yourself, it may not always be achievable. But you’re in luck. With a little time and effort, you can reap the benefits of a “spa day” without a day at the spa. Here are some tips:

Set aside at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Turn off the cell phone. Turn up the mood music. The end of a busy day or weekend are good times. Being relaxed is part of the experience.
Have all of your products on hand; 1) facial steamer; 2) gentle cleanser; 3) exfoliator; 4) pore-cleansing mask; 5) moisturizer; 6) headband, head wrap or cap; 7) facial brush, sponge or washcloth; 8) pitcher of lemon water.

Once you’ve assembled your products and you’re ready to go, here are the steps that we recommend for your DIY facial:

Pull your hair back and secure with the headband or wrap.
Open pores using your facial steamer. If you don’t have one, take a washcloth and run it under hot water. Place on your face briefly to increase circulation prior to cleansing. Alternatively, heat water in a saucepot. Turn it off and stand above it with a towel over your head and allow the steam to reach your face. (Be careful to avoid burning yourself.)
Pour a small amount of cleanser into your palm; wet and massage into your face with slow, upward motions. Be especially gentle around the eye area. Don’t rush this part; it’s important to get your skin really clean. If you prefer, use a clean washcloth, facial cleansing brush or Konjac sponge to work the cleanser in. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Use a sugar scrub or other exfoliator to gently slough off dead cells. Use the same upward motion to put it on. Avoid the eye area. Rinse thoroughly.
Now it’s time for your mask. Clay and mud masks are popular for clearing pores. Which one you use depends upon your skin’s needs and your personal preference. Or you may prefer a sheet mask. Avoid the eye area. Leave on for at least 10 minutes or until it fully dries. Peel or wash off gently. Pat dry.
By now your skin should be glowing! At this point you can use your favorite moisturizer to sooth and protect, as well as to restore moisture and achieve optimum pH (about 5.5). A night cream containing peptides or a daytime lotion with sunscreen would also be appropriate depending upon the time of day. Treat the eye area to a gel or cream specially made for the delicate skin around the eyes.

And that’s it! You can now face the world with a fresh face. It may take a little time, but it’s well worth the effort. Repeat once a month or as needed to restore that healthy glow. Your face will thank you.

Green Cleaning Products No Home Should Be Without

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Lydia D

The search for “Green” Cleaning Products

How many times have we seen TV commercials advertising cleaning products that promise to make our lives easier? The choices are almost endless. Add to that the challenge of finding “green” cleaning products that live up to what they promise. We may be looking for products that are naturally derived, free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and that don’t harm the environment. More and more manufacturers are claiming to provide these benefits and more, while still doing the job of cleaning your home.

Green Cleaning Products

But there’s another option for consumers looking for earth-friendly products. Most of the time, you need not look further than your kitchen cabinets to find products and ingredients that can clean while not harming the environment. Here are just a few examples:

- Baking Soda – It’s not just for baking anymore. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a fine white powder with a pH of 9 that is found in products like toothpaste and deodorant. But it also makes a great cleaning product when mixed with water to make a paste. It is just as effective as commercial cleaning powders, while saving money. In a pinch, you can even use your favorite whitening toothpaste to clean ceramic surfaces in the kitchen and bath. You can polish stainless steel appliances safely without scratching them. You can also add a few tablespoons to your wash cycle to sweeten clothing. You could say that baking soda has 101 uses.
- Lemon Juice – A great citrus fruit that’s popular in salad dressings, cocktails, and as an emulsifier in Hollandaise sauce, it contains about 5% citric acid. This gives it a very low pH (2-3). Its high Vitamin C content makes it a popular ingredient in brightening serums. But did you know that lemon juice can help kill germs? Add a few drops of lemon oil to castile soap or dishwashing liquid and clean as usual. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can create your own furniture polish. Just mix .2 oz lemon oil with 8 oz. of melted beeswax or candelilla wax. Cool and apply to furniture with a clean cloth in a circular motion.
- White Vinegar – This product, which contains acetic acid, should be bought by the gallon. It is great for everything from removing clothing stains (avoid with delicates) to cleaning product buildup from your hair. But did you know that white vinegar is great for cleaning the toilet? Just pour and let it sit for about 2 hours before brushing the bowl clean. It is also great for neutralizing stains and odors in your coffee maker. Of course, who hasn’t used it as a window cleaner? Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 cups of water in a spray bottle.
- Hydrogen Peroxide – Found in most medicine cabinets and hair color salons, hydrogen peroxide is another versatile product that cleans and disinfects. An active ingredient in the OxyClean family of products and many whitening toothpastes, it lifts stains from colored clothing without bleaching. Combined with baking soda, it is great for brightening sinks and tubs. Spray onto kitchen counters to disinfect. (Always check with the manufacturer before using on stone countertops or appliances. If skin is sensitive, use gloves.) The by-products of oxidation are oxygen and water. It doesn’t get any more earth-friendly than that.
The next time you’re tempted to run out and purchase the latest toilet bowl cleaner, remember that you just might have what you need at home right now. There’s no time like the present to begin living clean.

Why Is Vitamin C The Wonder Vitamin?

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Lydia D

Why Is Vitamin C The Wonder Vitamin?

Vitamin C, or Ascorbic acid, has been the subject of much conversation in the healthcare and beauty industries and is often touted as a “wonder” vitamin. Of the 13 essential vitamins that the human body needs (because it cannot manufacture them), Vitamin C has gotten more than its share of attention. How did a water-soluble micro-nutrient present in citrus fruits and other foods come to be found in our beauty products?

Vitamin C and your health

Citrus fruits were found to cure scurvy in sailors long before they understood why. Basically, Vitamin C is needed to make collagen, the most abundant protein in our bodies. It is found in everything from skin and bones to nails, hair and tendons. Without Vitamin C, sailors developed weakness, gum disease and skin ailments. Vitamin C was also studied for its possible benefits in treating infection. Some studies show that large doses of Vitamin C can shorten the severity and duration of the common cold. It has been found in high concentrations in certain immune cells, which need the vitamin in order to function properly. For this reason alone, many find Vitamin C supplementation an essential part of their daily diet. While supplements many have their place in cases of deficiency, they have been found to be less useful in normal, healthy individuals. Being water soluble, excess Vitamin C is excreted in our urine. Too much of the vitamin can, in fact, lead to kidney stones. Exercise caution and take it only when your body is under stress or in the case of a deficiency. Your physician can provide guidance on the proper dose to take in these cases.

Vitamin C and Your Skin

Perhaps the most interesting uses for Vitamin C have been in the beauty industry. As a potent antioxidant, the benefits of Vitamin C cannot be overstated. It is a potent free-radical scavenger that can help to treat damage from excessive sun exposure, which can make you look older. This makes it a desirable ingredient in skincare products. However, pure Ascorbic acid is unstable and oxidizes quickly, so it’s important to look for products that use stabilized or alternative forms of Vitamin C. For example, while L-Ascorbic acid is the purest form of Vitamin C, it is highly unstable (e.g. sensitive to light, heat and air) and requires a very low pH to work, making it more irritating than other forms of Vitamin C. This is often experienced as a “tingling” feeling.

Some forms of Vitamin C have been formulated in the lab to make them more stable and more effective at lower concentrations than L-Ascorbic acid. Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, for example (found in our Age-Defying Vitamin C Face Creme ), is water-soluble, more stable and gentler than L-Ascorbic acid. This is helpful for people with sensitive skin. When combined with other ingredients like Vitamin E and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Vitamin C can impart real benefits to skin ravaged by sun damage and environmental stressors. Combined with a diet consisting of whole foods rich in Vitamin C, your body will have what it needs to maintain healthy cell function and collagen formation. We truly believe it to be a “wonder” vitamin! So try a few products out for yourself and see if you don’t agree.

(Disclaimer: We are not health professionals. The views expressed here are our own and do not constitute medical advice. Please see a physician if you have questions regarding Vitamin C deficiency or any medical condition.)

References:
Healthline.com article about Vitamin C
National Institutes of Health article on Vitamin C deficiency
National Institutes of Health article on Vitamin C and immune function

Tips for Soft Healthy Lips

Posted on July 29, 2018July 29, 2018 by Lydia D

Tips for Soft Healthy Lips

In honor of National Lipstick Day, we’d like to provide some tips on maintaining soft, healthy, kissable lips. After all, they are a prominent form of expression and one of our erogenous zones. With a little extra care, they can remain softer, smoother and healthy for life. But first, let’s learn a little more about this important part of our anatomy.

Facts About Our Lips

The lips consist of three major components – the labius superium oris, the labius inferium oris, and the vermillion border (the outermost margins of the lips). The main muscle that moves the lips is the Obicularis oris muscle. The unique features of the lips include:

The skin is very thin compared with the rest of the body.
The lips do not have hair follicles or sweat glands. In this way they are similar to the soles of our feet and the palms of our hands.
The lips do not have oil glands, so they dry out more quickly than the rest of the body.
The lips are very sensitive to touch, warmth and cold.
Lips tend to have fewer malanocytes than the rest of the body, which allows blood vessels underneath to give them a pinkish hue.
Lips tend to get thinner as we age, due to the decreased production of collagen.

How To Care For Our Lips

Because of these unique properties, it is important to protect our lips from the effects of the environment, harsh chemicals, and sunlight. The same environmental forces that can cause our skin to age is magnified on our lips. Hear are a few ways that you can keep your lips soft and healthy:

Moisturize regularly. Without oil glands, our lips are especially prone to drying and cracking. A moisturizing shea butter lip balm or other barrier balm can go a long way towards trapping moisture to prevent cracking.
Avoid products that can dry lips out, like alcohol, camphor, phenols, menthol, perfumes, salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid (which in low humidity can pull moisture from your lips).
Rethink using products that don’t actually moisturize like 100% petroleum jelly (which is highly refined and may contain other contaminants) and mineral oil. Choose moisturizing, penetrating oils like shea, olive and coconut oil instead with a natural wax like candelilla instead.
Exfoliate lips gently, especially during the winter months. The skin on the lips sheds, too, and regular exfoliation with a gentle scrub or a washcloth can help maintain a smooth appearance and helps lip care products absorb better.
Wear a sunscreen on your lips! Of course, it’s wise to wear sunscreen on all exposed areas when we’re outdoors, but the lips are especially vulnerable. A barrier sunscreen containing zinc or titanium oxide is best.
If you smoke, stop. After sun exposure, nothing ages skin more than smoking. It accelerates the breakdown of collagen and causes our skin to age prematurely. For the same reason, avoid excess sugar in the diet.
Use products that are proven to enhance collagen production. The jury is still out on whether or not supplements and powders can improve the skin. However, ingredients like antioxidants, peptides and ingredients like niacinamide have been shown to help with collagen production. For example, our Age-Defying Vitamin C Face Creme contains both antioxidants and niacinamide without the high price tag of other Vitamin C creams.
Stay hydrated. The same thing that can dry your skin also dries out your lips. If you suffer from chronically dry skin, lips, hair and nails, then it’s time to drink more water.
Eat a healthy diet. Foods rich in collagen precursors like glycine and proline include foods like fish, dark leafy greens, beans, cabbage, bananas and many other foods. Eating foods rich in these amino acids help the body maintain healthy skin, hair and yes, lips too.
Don’t lick your lips! It’s tempting to do when lips are cracked, but it only speeds dehydration.
In addition to these tips, we also recommend that you read labels before applying any product to your lips. Many lipsticks, for example, contain synthetic dyes, lead, and other ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction or worse. After all, many of the products that we put on our lips can end up in our bodies. Let’s make certain that they are products that won’t do more harm than good. So pucker up and be smart about your lip health!

References:
Huffington Post article about lip facts
Wikipedia article on lip anatomy