Healing Dry Sensitive Skin

Green tea is a natural astringent and it works the best to control those over-active sweat glands. Summers are the best times to use tea for its astringent properties. Pour green tea liquor in to ice-tray and freeze it. Use these beauty cubes to rub all over the skin for that instant glow.

Haven’t tried this, but I will, once it warms up a bit here. I just love green tea. I use it in my toner, for the astringent properties. People find it helps to reduce the size of their pores.

I think all of us have heard about the Mediterranean diet, right? This diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating used by countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. There are also studies that showed following this diet was associated with a reduced risk incidence of cancer and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

Excellent article about olive oil, both for beauty and health. Make sure you use extra virgin olive oil (much higher in antioxidants than other grades of olive oil) and my recommendation is to not heat it. I use olive oil in salads, and coconut oil for cooking.

In recent months, there has been a small contingent of people who have sworn off shampoo or soap. Earlier this year, the website boingboing – which specializes in news of the quirky, nerdy and interesting – ran a story about Bonner, who wrote of successfully going 18 months bathing without the aid of shampoos or soaps.

Interesting story. If you have extra dry skin, it’s especially important to chose your soap wisely – one of the reasons I began making my own soap.

Valentine’s Day may be over ( and I hope you had great fun on that day) but our hearts continue to beat within us! How much do we care to keep our hearts healthy?

Often heart disease starts in women in their teens, many years before the symptoms actually start to appear. Due to our present hectic lifestyles and the increased intake of junk or packaged foods, high in saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, added sugars and cholesterol, women are now equally prone to heart risks as men. Since 1963, the month of February has been deemed American Heart Month by the American Heart Association.

Terrific post on the MakeUpAndBeauty blog. Check it out for more information about how these foods can be incorporated into your diet, for your heart’s sake: oatmeal, salmon, spinach, avocado, flaxseed, nuts, legumes and olive oil. They are all great foods for the skin, too.

The researchers found that tomatoes are the biggest source of dietary lycopene; a powerful antioxidant that, unlike nutrients in most fresh fruits and vegetables, has even greater bioavailability after cooking and processing. Tomatoes also contain other protective mechanisms, such as antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory functions. Research has additionally found a relationship between eating tomatoes and a lower risk of certain cancers as well as other conditions, including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, ultraviolet light–induced skin damage, and cognitive dysfunction.

Tomatoes are unusual in that some of their key health benefits can actually increase with cooking and processing. This applies to one of the most important antioxidants in tomatoes, lycopene, which becomes easier for us to absorb when tomatoes are cooked.

It’s all the buzz…coconut oil. One of the latest “superfoods” which fans claim can do it all, from lowering your cholesterol to boosting your immune system.

I hadn’t realized that it was all the buzz, but it doesn’t surprise me at all. Coconut oil’s benefits, for both health and beauty, are extensive. It is good to see people catching on to the value of this terrific oil. I use it in my products, and I cook with it exclusively.

Here is the bad news, or depending on your perspective, the good news.  Stretch marks are ultimately genetic.  Yes, rapid weight loss and gain along with pregnancy are contributing factors for stretch mark formation but even if you are thin you can get stretch marks if you have a genetic predisposition for them. 

AskAnEsthetician is a blog containing well-researched information; it’s not about selling you their product line, and so forth, so I’d pay it particular mind. Check out the post to see what you can do to minimize the effect of stretch marks.

Our study shows that the tendency to positively recommend the use of a drug depends on the source of a journal’s funding,” writes Dr. Annette Becker, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany,

Lame “science” is everywhere. Even medical journals slant their drug recommendations based on who is paying their bills. (Who would have thought?)

Women have long struggled in front of the mirror with the predicament of large pores. It’s challenging to achieve a flawless look when skin looks like and orange peel. Enlarged pores not only seem to swallow makeup, but allow skin oils to surface throughout the day ruining whatever is left. The good news is that making pores smaller is doable.

Ideas in this post for making the pores smaller. I find a good hydrosol toner is the best way to go. Look for one with witch hazel, rose water, and apple cider vinegar. It’s important to avoid toners that contain alcohol – some witch hazel extract is 14% alcohol – it’s drying to the skin. Not so bad if you have oily skin, but I’d avoid it anyway.

By invoking the precautionary principle, Health Canada has both the power and responsibility to restrict human exposure to bisphenol A; in taking the action to label bisphenol A a toxic chemical, Health Canada now must follow through with strong legislation that will protect the people of Canada from continued exposure

It’s a very common chemical, found in the water bottles most of us use, for instance. Canadians have lower levels of exposure than Americans to BPA, about half as much. It may be accounted for by differences in food packaging and thermal receipt labels. If you work in a store with thermal receipt printers, it would be wise to wear gloves!