Author: Chris C Burrows
Source: ezinearticles.com

In an era where women are bombarded with revolutionary beauty products, many are going back to the basics and more natural skincare. Nature provided us with its own products to keep our skin supple, glowing and youthful. Great skincare doesn’t have to come out of a jar. It can happen by taking care of your body as a whole. Here some simple things you can do to take care of your body’s largest organ, starting today.

Stop eating sugar

Beautiful skin can start from the inside – by eliminating sugar, one of the main causes of premature aging. This happens when glucose attacks protein at the molecular level resulting in a loss of skin elasticity. Then, wrinkles begin to form and skin begins to sag. It may be difficult, but start decreasing the amount of sugar you consume today.

Add essential fats to your diet

There are good fats that your body absolutely needs to function well. These healthy fats are responsible for making cells membranes and creating hormones. If cells are healthy, skin is healthy. Those with inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and acne, as well as those who suffer from dry skin should add flaxseed or walnut oil to their diet, cold water fish such as sardines and salmon or fish oil supplements.

Good digestion shows in healthy skin

Great skin is a reflection of how well you’re feeding your body, and how well you’re body is processing food. Two ways to boost your digestion is to drink plenty of water and plenty of fiber. Women require 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day. Men need as much as 38 grams of fiber. What is fiber? It’s roughage, which can be whole grains, veggies and legumes such as beans. In combination, water and fiber prevents constipation, which in turn can help those who suffer from psoriasis, rosacea and even acne.

Get moving for great skin

Sluggish circulation? Get up from your desk and move around! Skin cells need oxygen, which is supplied via the blood which is pumped through your body by the heart. Inactivity contributes to bloating and cellulite, so get plenty of exercise and watch your face glow.

Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate

One of the best methods of sloughing off dead skin cells is to give yourself a dry brush exfoliation. Use a soft, dry skin brush with real bristles. Stand in the shower, and before you turn on the water, take the brush and start at your feet brushing in small circles. Work upwards towards your heart, and don’t brush too briskly over your thighs or your face where the skin is thin. This will improve the circulation of blood with a slight detoxification effect. The gentle pressure is very soothing and calming, helping ease stress.

Gentle, chemical free products

Your local organic food store will carry top quality products which contain no chemicals, preservatives or toxic ingredients. However, they do carry a steep price tag. There are ingredients right in your kitchen that will give you excellent results. They include facial scrubs made of regular oatmeal and honey. Egg whites, beaten and applied to the skin for ten minutes before cleansing, act as an astringent. Lemon juice makes a refreshing cleanser. And every day, ordinary olive oil, in small amounts so it doesn’t clog pores, is one of nature’s best moisturizers.

Comprehensive online guide to inexpensive, yet effective beauty and health tips including natural skincare, now available on http://beauty-and-health-site.com

Author: James A Pennbr
Source: isnare.combr
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Using a cleanser and toner for your skin is great, and surely mascara and blush will help. But, to really look radiant, you need to intake essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFAs directly control a huge number of cellular processes in the body that match up with the health of your skin, hair, and nails. For absolutely gorgeous skin, hair, and nails supplement your daily diet with fish oil, flax oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, and black currant oil.

Without the right amount of vitamins, minerals, and EFAs (healthy fats), your skin will eventually become dull, dry, inflamed with eczema, and you will be more prone to premature aging. Your body cannot manufacture the EFAs that produce supple skin and shiny hair so you do need to supplement to receive an adequate amount.

EFAs increase the absorption of vitamins and minerals into your skin cells while reducing inflammation and promoting proper nerve function. Supplementing with EFAs helps your body deal with the pollution it is exposed to. Essential fatty acids strengthen and increase the fluidity of the delicate membranes that surround each cell.

According to Lipid Research (2005, 46:1712-1720), researchers found that Omega-3 inhibited the production of enzymes that cause connective tissue damage that leads to wrinkled, aging skin.

In a 2000 report in Arch Gerontol Geriatrics,/i, twenty-nine elderly people were given a daily dose of Omega-6 from borage oil for 2 months to evaluate skin function. Skin water loss was decreased and itchiness reduced from 34% to zero. Less skin dryness was reported and it was concluded that consumption of borage oil led to improved skin function.

Recommended Dosages

Renowned naturopath, Mark Stengler,ND recommends taking 2,000 milligrams of a daily Omega-3 fish oil supplement if your health is good. Omega-3 also combats arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease, attention deficit disorder, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, Chrons disease, and depression. To look good, you have to feel good.

Stengler recommends 1 to 2 tablespoons daily of Omega-3 rich flax seed oil for adults. Children should start at 1 teaspoon. If you have gallbladder problems, start with 1 teaspoon and build up gradually to avoid any difficulties with digestion due to a decreased amount of bile being present. Flax is also great for reducing acne and relieving arthritis, digestive disorders, and memory problems.

Omega-6 which helps relieve dry skin and reduce hair loss is found in borage and evening primrose oil. Stengler recommends 500 to 1,500 milligrams daily of evening primrose oil along with an Omega-3 supplement to maintain a proper EFA balance in the body. Omega-6 is the unsung hero when it comes to beautifying your skin and keeping it free of lines and wrinkles. Applying borage oil daily to your face is a perfect way to fight the signs of aging and prevent premature aging of your skin.

Always consult your physician if you plan to start a new supplement to make sure it does not interfere with any medication you are currently taking. There is no doubt that EFAs lead to radiant, healthy, and youthful skin.br
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Author: Jay Gaulardbr
Source: isnare.combr
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Since the days of Cleopatra, women have sought ways to make themselves more appealing and alluring. This is the primary impetus behind the sale of cosmetics today.

Although current battles wage on regarding the virtues of natural beauty, no one will argue against tastefully applied cosmetics that look natural.

But before one can experiment with make up, one must first locate the appropriate tools and related accessories to create that one of kind look.

Finding the hottest trends

Every season the cosmetic industry offers new colors that coincide with the fashions of the times. For instance, a popular brand may have 2009 summer, fall and/or winter color collections to match patterns and styles that will be prevalent within those months.
Make up can also be sectioned into areas of consideration that take into account skin type and bone structure.

An Internet investigation should be your first step in finding exactly what you need. It would be best to locate how-to articles that focus on assisting young ladies in shade choices that will enhance facial structure, skin type and compliment basic lifestyle.
Why lifestyle?

A woman who works as a bartender may be able to wear significantly more glamorous hues than say, a school teacher or pharmacist.

Once you feel a bit more confident about the types of cosmetics you will need to achieve your desired look, turn your online search towards products and places to buy them.

Best places to buy makeup

Although you can enter into any drug store to find cosmetics, store overhead often makes them a bit pricey. You can also locate higher end cosmetics at the malls, but once again, there is a huge mark up due to having to pay for rental space, employees and other business incidentals.

This is why purchasing online is best. Not only can you comparison shop to locate incredible discounts; you can save time and money. The products are delivered right to your door and you save a ton of money as well as gas and mileage!

The basics of quality make up selection

The color and shades of cosmetic items are not as important as how these items interact with your skin. Some women have very little problem wearing make up products while others may break out instantly because of harsh ingredients.

There are several different types of cosmetics available that take skin reaction into consideration. To find which one works best for you can take a bit of trial and error, but there is no shortage of make up that caters to a variety of skin types, all one need do is look.

Hypoallergenic

Make up that is hypoallergenic has been made with materials that reduce the likelihood of an allergic reaction. This is an especially important factor to consider for women with extremely sensitive, break out prone skin. However, not all hypoallergenic cosmetic lines are alike and some even have animal products in them. Read the ingredients list and make sure that the product can do what it claims and is cruelty free. When in doubt, organic cosmetics may be a viable option and can also be located online.

Non-comedogenic

Ladies who suffer from acne breakouts may shy away from make up since most cosmetics tend to clog pores and aggravate this condition. The sad thing about this fact is that women who have this condition could benefit the most from the use of concealers, and foundations as they take steps towards treating their skin problems.

Manufacturers came up with a great solution to this dilemma with the creation of non-comedogenic cosmetics. Also called non-occlusive, these items do not clog pores effectively combating one of the primary reasons why blemishes occur.

Again, the proof is in the pudding, so do your homework before purchasing any non-comedogenic beauty product to ensure it will perform as promised.

Mineral make up

Mineral make up is the most gentle of all cosmetics because it largely consists of beneficial compounds that are made into a power and applied with various brushes for a desired effect. These power make ups are broken down into eye shadow, blush, foundation, bronzers and even lipstick.

The components in this type of make up, make it an extremely healthy choice for ladies of all skin types, especially since it is said that this beauty product can actually improve your skin with repeated use.
Companies that manufacturer mineral make up claim that it is so gentle you can sleep in it – while this may be true it is never a good idea to do that.
What next?

Once youve located the cosmetics that work best for you, youll have to hunt down the accessories necessary to apply or remove makeup.

Make Up application tools

There are numerous tools available that will help you get started in expertly putting on your make up. Below are a few of the accessories that one may need in order to provide a flawless, professional look, namely:

- Make up squares
- Eye lash curlers
- Foundation, lip stick or eye shadow brushes
- Make up bag
- Tweezers and
- A make up mirror or compact

This list is far from comprehensive, and what you purchase to apply your make up with will depend on what you buy. Once again, doing your homework will aid you in finding what is best for you and your situation.

Gentle cleansers

It is imperative to find a specialized cleanser to remove make up. Dont rely on using your regular facial cleanser alone as you will not thoroughly clean your face.

Alongside make up and cosmetics, these tools and/or cleaners can also be located at various websites that cater to health and beauty products.

In depth research will uncover popular brands at bargain basement prices. Once you locate the appropriate Internet store, be sure to search the page for an SSL certificate – this certificate indicates that the site is hacker safe.

Once you have followed the above steps you ca rest assured that you have located the best beauty aids at the lowest prices imaginable!br
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This article was written on behalf of UpMyAlley, a popular online a href=http://www.upmyalley.us rel=nofollowonline shopping/a website.br
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Author: Deborah Carraro -br
Source: articledashboard.combr
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At the tender age of thirteen, my mother sent me to Finishing School (a.k.a. modelling college). It was the custom in her family that all the girls got beauty and etiquette lessons rather than learning the basics from mothers, friends or magazine articles. I hated it, at the time. But now that Im older, and hopefully wiser, I look back on the time fondly. My favorite class was Busting Beauty Mistakes. The following are the top seven biggest beauty mistakes women make today and what to do to correct them.

1. Scrubbing your face with harsh cleansers. My mom caught me using an Apricot Facial scrub on my acne prone skin when I was a teen and quickly banished the product from the house. Heres why: Using abrasive face cleansers strips the face of essential moisture and exacerbates oily skin. If heavy cleansing is required (for example to remove heavy makeup) use a makeup remover before you wash your face. Oily skin types should stick with an oil-free and alcohol-free cleanser.

2. Not wearing a moisturizer with SPF during the day. I am gloriously afflicted with Nicole Kidman-type fair skin. So for any time spent outdoors, even if Im travelling in the car, I need to be wearing sunscreen. My tan-prone friends think that all the sunscreen I slather on my skin is a waste of money. Just because youre not sun-bathing doesnt mean the suns damaging rays arent affecting your skin. Use SPF 15 everyday. Most moisturizers come with added SPF protection so it should be easy to incorporate this tip into your beauty routine. If you are exposed to the sun frequently, bump it up to SPF 30 and wear a hat.

3. Wearing the wrong foundation color. You foundation should match your skin tone exactly. If your skin tone changes throughout the year, make sure you change your foundation too. If you love that sun-kissed look, dust a bronzer on top. Youll get better results than using a foundation thats a shade darker than your natural color.

4. Wearing only one makeup product. A polished look is all about balance. So if youre guilty of only wearing eyeliner and nothing else, add a little lip color to balance it out. Not sure what looks best, pick up any magazine and look closely at the women and try to follow what the makeup artist has done.

5. At-home hair color. The products on the market today allow you to inexpensively cover up a few grays or touch up your roots, from the comfort of your home. If youre planning a more drastic makeover (going from brunette to blond), head to the salon. You can always maintain the color yourself at home once changed but drastic changes require a professional.

6. Ignoring your brows. Untamed or overgrown eyebrows can mean the difference between looking polished and looking like our gorilla ancestors. For first-timers, visit a waxer or threader who can clean up and shape your brows. Pluck stray hairs yourself in between treatments with a good set of tweezers.

7. Neglecting your nails. Like it or not, your nails get noticed. Maybe regular manicures arent to your liking. At minimum, you should apply a coat of clear polish, which will protect nails and give them a healthy shine.

With these tips, youll be able to maximizing your features and assets, but dont forget its your own uniqueness that makes you beautiful, not what you put on your skin./pbr
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Author: Janice Weebr
Source: articledashboard.combr
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In the past, washing your face simply meant taking a wash cloth and scrubbing your face with soap and water and rinsing it off.

These days, washing your face means applying a cleanser, massaging it in, tissuing it off or rinsing it off with water.
Then you soak a cotton ball with a toner to remove all traces of the cleanser and tone your skin.
At least once a week, a facial scrub might be applied before the toner, in which a grainy cream or wash is massaged onto skin to get rid of dirt and slough off dead skin cells to keep skin clear.

Is all that necessary?

Do you really need facial scrubs?

Actually, the old fashioned way of using a wash cloth to scrub your skin is akin to what the facial scrubs do. If you simply cleanse and rinse your skin without sloughing off the dead skin cells, chances are, the skin might get flaky leading to dry looking skin that is dehydrated beneath.

Another possibilitiy is that the debris left behind might clog the pores, giving bacteria the perfect breeding ground which can well lead to acne.

Hence regular scrubs are necessary.

So why buy a scrub when a wash cloth will do?

Personally, Id rather not use a wash cloth. The thought of bacteria or mould breeding on that wash cloth is enough for me to turn to the first off-the-shelf facial scrub I can find. Sure, use a wash cloth if you intend to send it to the laundry every day and use a fresh wash cloth each day.

Imagine scrubbing your face with the wash cloth. The bacteria and dirt from the skin gets left behind on the cloth. Rinsing it with water wouldnt get rid of all the bacteria and soap. As you leave the washcloth in the bathroom, which I assume, doubles up as the toilet, the bacteria from doing business floats in the air. Bacteria from the air happily breeds on the moist washcloth which you then use to scrub your face at night.

Okay, I sound like a germ phobe and if your skin is fine with that, a wash cloth should do.

Alternatively, you could make your own scrub. I tried that. A tiny jar of powdered almonds makes a good scrub. Dip your fingers into it, add water, mix and you have got a scrub. The problem is the almond powder left in the damp bathroom, mould and bacteria thrive. If you do not take care, the moisture in the scrub introduced by wet fingers encourage mould and bacteria to thrive which can lead to disastrous results if you use it on your skin, since that home made scrub does not contain anything that would kill the mould or bacteria.

Another popular facial scrub is plain old sugar. My skin didnt like it as it was rough. Akin to rubbing sandpaper on your face. Thats not all. Ants decided to colonize the bathroom, or rather, my sugar scrub./pbr
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Author: Ryan Cotebr
Source: isnare.combr
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To coin an old phrase in an updated way, nobody wants a new wrinkle when it comes to their skin.

Aging skin and wrinkles occur because of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors are internal, hereditary and passed on through your genes. Further, once you turn thirty, your skins connective fibers, elastin and collagen, begin to breakdown and signs of aging occur naturally. Extrinsic factors are external, environmental elements that can affect the condition of your skin. Examples of extrinsic factors that can cause wrinkles include pollution, smoking, sun exposure, poor diet and tanning.

There are several ways to control extrinsic factors to improve the appearance of your skin, cure wrinkles and slow the aging process:

- Use a sunscreen and avoid staying out in the sun too long. Also, remember to use a sunscreen during all four seasons.

- Avoid tanning salons because the UV rays are detrimental to your skin.

- Make sure to user a cleanser and toner twice a day to remove all traces of pollution and makeup.

- Using a mask once a week deep cleans pores to remove excess dirt and oils, revealing a healthier complexion.

- Use warm water, not hot, when cleansing your skin. Hot water can rob your skin of essential natural oils.

- Apply a moisturizer after cleansing your skin twice a day. Select a moisturizer that is suitable for your skin type. A moisturizer with antioxidant ingredients, such as aloe, helps to keep your skin even more youthful.

- Try using a humidifier to keep your skin hydrated all day long.

- Quit smoking because is is terrible for your skin and your health.

- Drink six to eight glasses of water each day to hydrate yourself from the inside out.

- Exercise for at least a half hour three times a week to improve circulation. Increasing the blood flow to your tissues will improve the elasticity of your skin.

- Eat well-balanced meals and take a multivitamin supplement to ensure your body is getting all the nutrients needed for maximum health.

A few simple lifestyle changes can prevent and cure wrinkles and improve your skin along with your everyday health.br
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Author: Dave Owen
Source: articledashboard.com

When he was 15, was traumatized by acne. I tried all kinds of acne cleansers and other topical treatments, and even some internal junk, but nothing seemed to work. It was a terrible time in my life. I was beginning to try to talk to girls, and looking for a girlfriend, but my skin until I was terribly afraid to approach them. Maybe it was my imagination or not, looking back, but none of them seemed to all concerned, and nobody wanted to talk. It might have been adolescent insecurity, but nonetheless, my self-esteem is still choppy. Finally I realized that clearing acne never would handle the problem, and that should take a more proactive approach. My father told me when I was a teenager who had the same problem. He shared with me his crippling insecurity, fighting to clear his face, and the potions and treatments he used. Then, he finally found something that worked. It was not cleaning or medication – it was a matter of realizing that it was good enough like him. Personally, I thought this was a bunch of nonsense, when I first heard it, and decided to continue treating acne cleansing. Indeed, I finally found one that worked quite well and it helps, but not enough to really cure all of my acne. That's when I realized that, cleaning the acne alone were not really sufficient. My dad was right about that part! The diet he needed something more. The answer for me was right. Once I started exercising regularly and eating less fat, my acne really started to clear. I can not say completely disappeared immediately. But they keep getting better, until it's really not that bad. And guess what, my self-esteem is great, my skin is good and now I have a physically virile.