Why Natural Cosmetics are Kinder to your Skin

Next time you’re putting on your make up, turn one of those bottles around and take a look at the ingredients label. You’ll probably find a whole lot of words you not only can’t identify; you also probably can’t pronounce them. Most people think that ingredients have to be safe and helpful to be included in personal care and beauty products, but there is little to no regulation in this area. So how do you look great without endangering yourself and your skin? Try natural cosmetics for a safer way to look your best.

It is estimated that up to 60 percent of the products you put on your skin are absorbed and eventually reach the bloodstream. This becomes a scary statistic when you consider that most traditional beauty products contain chemicals that are not only toxic to humans, many are also carcinogens. With regular use, your body absorbs these artificial additives which can make you sick. When your body is sick, the appearance of your skin suffers; you look less healthy and radiant. By using natural products, you are reducing the risk of this occurring. Just remember that not all natural ingredients are safe, so there is still a risk, it is simply smaller.

Besides being bad for you, the unnatural chemicals in cosmetics and beauty products may also be bad for your skin. If you use the proper cosmetics, cosmetic use should not trigger a breakout of acne or any other skin problem. If this does occur, it is likely that you are reacting to an ingredient in the product. By using natural products, you reduce your risk or having this kind of reaction. Traditional products fill your skin cells with these chemicals, which prevents them from operating and their best and therefore prevents them from looking their best.

If you want a completely different kind of natural make-up, you should try mineral make-up. In addition to the other benefits, mineral make-up helps nourish and soothe your skin, hides fine lines, protects it from the sun, and allows your skin to breathe. These products are a great alternative to traditional cosmetics.

Just because a cosmetic product says it’s natural or organic, doesn’t mean it has all natural ingredients. Since there aren’t regulations on natural beauty products, many “natural” products will contain one or two natural ingredients and all the other dangerous chemicals that traditional products have. There are several organizations that certify organic body products, but a good way to be sure all the ingredients are natural is to look at the label. If you can’t pronounce something, it’s probably not natural.

In addition to being better for your skin, natural products are better for your health, for the environment, and don’t generally use animal testing. All natural products are just a better all around choice.

Tips for Natural Skin Care

There are thousands of products and treatments available to help improve the quality of your skin, but only a small percentage of these are natural. Most beauty products contain harsh, damaging chemicals. Treatments, like chemical peels and botox, can be scary. On top of it all, we really have no idea what most of these treatments and chemicals will do to our skin 20 years down the road. If you want to have great looking skin without dangerous chemicals or procedures, there is a way.

Here are some great tips to keep your skin looking fabulous the natural way:

* Drink more water. All cells need water to function properly. If your skin cells aren’t properly hydrated, waste products build up in your cells and keep them from working right and looking their best. Also, if you don’t drink enough water, your cells will retain as much as they can and you’ll end up looking puffy and bloated.
* Change your diet. You’ve probably heard the phrase “you are what you eat” a lot. If you think about it, this old saying is 100 percent true. Your body is made up of what you put into it. If you want it to work properly and look its best, you need to feed yourself the nutrients it needs and avoid foods that may damage it. For beautiful skin, you should try to get more fiber and “good fats” in your diet and avoid foods with a lot of sugar.
* Improve your circulation. To function properly, our cells need to get plenty of oxygen. If you spend your days sitting at a desk or remaining mostly immobile, your circulation probably isn’t as good as it could be. Increase your circulation by getting more exercise, stretching, or getting regular massages (they don’t need to be professional). You can also use a brush to exfoliate your skin which improves circulation while removing old, dead cells. Not only will this give your skin a better overall look, it can also reduce the appearance of unsightly cellulite.
* Avoid the sun. A little sun is good for you. It provides vitamin D and can help give you a sunny disposition, but too much sun can do terrible damage. Try to use hats, clothes, or sun block to protect yourself from damaging UV rays.
* Use certified natural skin products. Traditional beauty products contain all sorts of unnatural chemicals. Most are there as preservatives, or to give the product a certain scent, color or texture. These chemicals not only have no value to your skin, some may cause cancer and other dangerous problems. That’s why it’s beneficial to use natural products if you want to look your best and stay healthy. Just be sure to check labels, many products will claim they’re natural or organic and only contain one natural or organic ingredient. Be wary of ingredients you can’t pronounce and look for certification seals to be sure you’re getting what you pay for. Not only will these help normal skin, they’re also less likely to irritate sensitive skin.

With a little time, patience, and work, you can have fabulous looking skin in no time.

Great Skin Foods – Stay Younger and Feel Good

Everything you put into your body will be reflected in your skin. If you have a diet high in fat, processed foods and little fruit and vegetables your skin will surely reflect that. In our teens, and 20s we’re able to get away with a lot but once we hit 30 and beyond our skin isn’t so forgiving anymore.

Here are a few must have foods to incorporate into your daily diet.

Green tea – Not only is this drink loaded with health benefits, it will also help the look of your skin by reducing inflammation and fighting free radicals that cause skin damage. So drink up.

Water – You probably already know this one but we need approximately 8 glasses of clear water a day (no sodas, soups or other drinks are included in this quota). For maximum benefits clear water is best. It helps purify your body and eliminates toxins.

Selenium – This powerhouse nutrient is found in foods such as turkey, brazil nuts, tuna and whole grain breads. Include at least one of these foods in your daily diet.

Fatty Acids – These are found in oils such as walnut and flaxseed. Oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel are also rich in essential fatty acids.

Dairy – Low fat dairy products are high in Vitamin A which is beneficial to the skin. Low fat yogurt is also good for the digestive system which in turn helps skin health.

Fruits and Vegetables – A variety of fruits and vegetables are good for overall healthy skin but there are some foods in particular which are very high in powerful antioxidants and promote good skin health. Berries, such as blueberries, strawberries and blackberries are great for fighting against free radicals which can cause skin cell damage. Vegetables that are brightly colored such as red peppers, yellow peppers and sweet potatoes are also great skin foods.

Now that you know what to eat there are some things that should be left out altogether if you want to look young longer:

White Flour Foods – White bread, rice, pasta and sugar are less nutritious than the whole grain types and will cause inflammation in the skin which can lead to aging. Try cutting these items from your diet for two weeks and look in the mirror. Your skin should look less inflamed and fine lines will be less apparent.

Alcohol – dehydrates the skin and speeds the aging process, try to only have it in moderation. A little red wine may have some health benefits whereas beer does not.

Smoking – This will age you, cutback or better yet cut it out altogether. Your skin and lungs will thank you for it.

Processed Foods – Processed foods are loaded with sugar and additives, these wreck havoc on the skin and are best left out of your diet altogether. Sodas and other sugary drinks are not only bad for your health but can also rob your skin of essential nutrients. They’re also not good for your waistline and have been known to cause cellulite (even the diet variety).

For truly glowing, young skin a balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and essential oils is best.

Evening Primrose Oil for Healthier Skin

What is the first thing people see when they look at you? Is it your hair, your face, your eyes? Well, it’s probably your skin. While we may not realize it, the skin is the most important part of your body when it comes to looking young and healthy. If our skin looks old, tired, or if we have skin problems, it can seriously affect the way we look and feel. A great way to get healthy, young looking skin is to use Evening Primrose oil, or EPO. It can clear up problems and have you looking beautiful in no time.

Before I tell you what it does, I should probably tell you what it is. Evening primrose is an edible plant that grows naturally in North America and has been used by Native Americans for centuries. While they used various parts of the plant, EPO is made from the seeds. It can help improve skin and has also been suggested to help with a variety of other ailments from PMS to breast cancer.

So what’s so special about EPO? Well it is one of the best sources of GLA, an essential fatty acid. GLA is used to maintain normal cell structure. It is also used to produce a hormone that has many uses in the body, including reducing inflammation and helping with digestion.

While there hasn’t been extensive research done on EPO, there has been some scientific evidence to show its effect on skin. It can improve your skin’s health by improving problem skin and allowing your young fresh skin to shine through. Here are some of the benefits of EPO.

* Reduces inflammation. Most of us have had the problem of red puffy skin at one point or another. EPO can help ease swelling, making your skin look younger and healthier.
* Relieves skin allergies. Being an allergy sufferer myself, I tell you there’s nothing like having to hide my legs and neck because of rashes or hives. EPO can help get rid of these symptoms and have you back into the outfits you love.
* Relieves Eczema. Those who are afflicted with eczema know that skin can not only look bad, but feel bad too. EPO may ease eczema symptoms, sparing you some of the pain and embarrassment.
* Increases blood flow to the skin. Even if you don’t have skin problems, you can still be benefited by taking EPO. It can increase blood flow to your skin, leaving it healthy and nourished.
* Reduces bruising. While EPO is generally taken orally, it can also be applied directly to the skin to decrease the appearance of bruises.

Remember, as with any medication or supplement, you should talk to your doctor before taking EPO. Once you’ve gotten the okay, you can take this oil regularly for healthy, beautiful skin.

Water and Its Affect on Your Skin

What would you say is the most important thing you need to stay healthy? A healthy diet? Thirty minutes of exercise a day? Plenty of sleep? If you answered any of these things, you’re wrong. While these are all essential to saying healthy, the most important thing your body needs is plenty of water. The same thing goes for your skin. Your skin is what everyone around you sees, so you want to keep it looking healthy. In order to keep your skin looking and feeling great, you need to drink plenty of water.

Even when you’re not sweating, you’re losing water through your skin. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t smell even if you didn’t shower regularly. If you don’t replace the moisture you lose, your skin can’t be replenished and will get very dry. When skin cells are dry, they crack, peel and change colors. Dry skin can also be itchy and painful, as well as unsightly. Lotions and creams are just like putting a band-aid on a cut. It may help the problem in the short term, but the real healing comes from within. To properly hydrate your skin, you need to drink plenty of water.

In the body, water is what flushes all the waste products away. Without water, there’s nothing to get rid of all the harmful toxins that build up. This keeps yours cells from working properly and prevents them from being as healthy as they can be. Your skin cells are no different. And if your skin cells aren’t healthy, it shows.

Do you have problems with puffy bloated skin? You may be tempted to cut back on water so it doesn’t fill your skin cells, but the problem is actually lack of water, not too much. If you’re not getting enough water, your cells are aware of the lack. This triggers a response to hold on to as much water as they can in case they don’t get more water later; the result is puffy, unhealthy looking skin. If your cells are regularly hydrated, they’ll have no reason to hold on to excessive water, giving you smooth even skin.

So, if water is so good for your skin, shouldn’t you take a lot of baths and showers? Actually, taking baths, showers, and swimming in pools can remove moisture from your skin. Excessive contact with water, particularly if it’s hot or contains chemicals like chlorine, breaks down the lipid barriers on your skin and actually makes your skin look and feel drier. If you can’t avoid being in water, just remember to drink more water than you normally would. If necessary, water vapor does not have these affects and can be used to hydrate your skin.

If better looking skin isn’t enough of a benefit for you, remember that other cells in your body need water as well. Drinking enough water can help you look better, feel better, and even lose weight. So stay healthy and beautiful by getting your eight glasses a day (or more if you’re really active).