Healing Dry Sensitive Skin

It seems that this product is quite controversial as many people believe it will cause dryness and irritation, but there is actually one thing you should know: not all toners have alcohol as an ingredient and can be beneficial for any skin type. Toners help remove all traces of dirt, give a firmer feel as well as restores the skin’s pH. Use toners which cointain active ingredients such as aloe vera or hyaluronic acid (hyaluronan).

Toners can really help with a host of skin conditions. I’ve seen acne clear up just with the right toner. For people with dry skin, it’s really important to use a toner that contains no alcohol. Sometimes, even organic toners can contain alcohol. It is widely used as a preservative. Some witch hazel distillates contain 14% alcohol, for instance.

It is used traditionally to soften the skin and keep it from harm. Salt-gatherers, for instance, use it during the hours they spend every day in super-saline water. It keeps their skin from drying out and cracking in their harsh work environment.

Shea butter is an ideal natural remedy for dry winter skin. It is so healing and soothing. Unrefined shea butter is best. It will be a creamy yellow color, with a rich earthy smell (that is neutralized as soon as it makes contact with your skin). Look for soap that contains shea butter. The moisturizing elments of shea butter are preserved through the soap making process.

Eating fish is good for your skin, especially wild salmon. Wild Salmon is loaded with nutrients such as fatty acids, vitamin D, and selenium. Selenium helps protect your skin from the sun. For those who are allergic to seafood, fish oil supplements work great on the skin.

Salmon is a great choice for the skin. I have it twice a week. Other basics to consider, bu way of oils are coconut oil and olive oil, two top beauty foods, and perfect fats for regular use.

If you’re thinking of trying the various cellulite wraps, compressors etc., save your hard earned money. Based on the fact that cellulite resides so close to the surface of the skin, it can temporarily be compressed. If you try a cellulite reduction compressor and you see it working for a day, all it means is that you compressed the fat temporarily – it will be back to the way it looked very soon.

Here’s a good article about getting rid of cellulite. My experience was that when I switched to eating only good fats, my cellulite went away. Nowadays, II cook only with coconut oil or ghee, and I have extra virgin olive oil in salad dressings every day.

The treatment options for scars are varied. Early on, scars should be vigorously massaged with a moisturizer one or two times a day for about a minute. The active massage helps reorganize the immature collagen bundles forming during the repair of the injury. The moisturizer decreases the friction on the tender new scar while massaging and also moistens the region, as moisturizing glands are not yet functioning in a new scar.

Here’s a good post by a plastic surgeon about scars, and what to do about them, especially when they are new, to minimize their effects. People have used shea butter as a healing moisturizer for scars. I’d head in that direction before going for pharmaceuticals.

When you skin starts to become dry or break out, you most likely run to the pharmacy and grab the latest moisturizer or anti-aging cream.  Seldom do we stop and think that our diet may be contributing to our skin issues.  While there is no magic cure for perfect skin, the following foods do promote healthy skin, especially now during wintertime when cold weather can wreak havoc on our hands and face.

I agree that before going to the pharmacy, we should make sure we have a great diet that includes the best beauty foods. That’s the basis for our health, and our skin is a reflection of it. There’s a good list of beauty foods in the post, including avocados, almonds and, my favorite, green tea. Check the post for the rest of the recommendations.

You can use Epsom salt or sea salt. Sea salt is known to have a ton of trace minerals in it. Epsom salt is the same kind of salt recommended by doctors to disinfect and treat skin issues.  It’s loaded with magnesium which is a natural muscle relaxant. Many people swear by Epsom salt to remove toxic chemicals from the skin. Can’t make up your mind? Mix them together.

Good bath salt tips in this post. I use Epsom Salts in my bath about once a week, more if I feel like I’m coming down with something. Generally, I add a dash of Creme Superieure to some jojoba oil, and luxuriate in a warm bath.

A landmark 20-year study conducted by the University of London concluded that unmanaged reactions to stress were a more dangerous risk factor for cancer and heart disease than either cigarette smoking or high cholesterol foods.

This one is pause for thought! My number one stress-buster is mindfulness meditation. There are extensive, peer-reviewed clinical studies demonstrating its effectiveness in improving mood, quality of life, and physiological function, even years after people have learned it, and then not done much more. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

For centuries, in ancient medical traditions the world over, healing practitioners have known the importance of detoxification — drawing out, neutralizing and eliminating accumulated toxins — for maintaining optimum health. Today, we have even more of a need for detoxification than the ancients. Every minute, our body’s cells produce the energy needed to sustain life and, in the process, produce wastes that must be eliminated such as carbon dioxide, uric acid and free radical molecules.

Good article about detoxifying. My understanding is that there are 4 steps to it: 1) open the organs of elimination (colon, kidneys, liver, lungs, skin) so there is a viable exit route from the body for toxins; 2) get the lymph moving, so you have a transport system to move the toxins; 3) detoxify the cells by hydrating and juicing; 4) support the body with good nutrition. I’ve seen the results, both in glowing, healthy skin, and even in recovery from so-called terminal illnesses.

In order to make a salt scrub you can mix together 1 cup of table salt with olive oil so as to make a thick paste. To this prepared salt scrub, you can add an essential oil of your choice in order to make the salt scrub fragrant.

The trick here is to chose salt that is the right texture. Personally, I would not use table salt. It’s too coarse. I use a fine, powdery salt from France and add more oils and emollients to the base, so that it cleans out the pores and at the same time moisturizes the skin. I’ve found salt to be the very best exfoliating factor, provided it is very fine and free of processing (table salt can have added chemicals to help it to pour easier). If the salt is fine enough, it makes an ideal exfoliant for the face, also. The trick with exfoliating, of course, is to go gently!