Detox With Dry Skin Brushing
Here is good advice about dry skin brushing from The Rejuvenation Lounge, a site that is “all about encouraging you to put yourself first more often – one breath and one small step at a time.”
What a lovely name for a web site – and its contents live up to the promise in the name. It is a site to follow.
Dry skin brushing is quite easy and very refreshing. You simply need a good quality brush, preferably one that’s made from natural fibres. So if you’ve started the year with detox on your mind, dry skin brushing might be something you’d like to try. After all your skin is the largest elimination organ of your body. The Rejuvenation Lounge
There are good instructions about dry skin brushing on the site, plus a daily tip to support your rejuvenation. Lovely.
I’ve also written about how to use a dry skin brush. If you’ve never done it before, it might be helpful to look at both pages before you start.
Are Nano Particles Safe?
Nanotechnology has become common in skincare products. It enables active ingredients to be transported through the outer layers of the skin to deeper layers where they can be more effective. However, there are concerns about whether nanotechnology is safe.
Scientists are not sure what happens to nanoparticles after they have done their job. Do they lodge in organs of the body? Will they cause trouble when enough of them accumulate?
Safety questions extend beyond the presence of nanoparticles in personal care products. How safe is it to work in a plant that processes them, for instance? Do they adversely affect the environment? How would we know if this was happening?
These are not easy questions to answer.
“Research into the safety of nanotechnology combines biology, chemistry, and physics with workplace hygiene, materials science, and engineering to create a truly interdisciplinary research field,” explain Krug and Wick. “There are several factors to take into account in the interaction of nano-objects with organisms,” they add. “The term nanotoxicology is fully justified.” Science Daily
These concerns have caused increased scrutiny and regulation in Europe. The US may follow suit. In the meantime, you might want to look out for “nano” or “fine” or “ultrafine” ingredients in the products you use. Those are indications that the product contains nanoparticles, for better or worse.
How To Tell If You Need A Moisturizer
There a good post today on the AskAnEsthetician’s Blog about what moisturizers can and cannot do for you – and this suggestion about how to tell if you even need a moisturizer…
What is a good way to tell if you need a moisturizer or not? Wash your face and then wait about 10 to 15 minutes. During those 10 to 15 minutes do not put anything on your face. After you’ve waited think about how your face feels – is it tight or dry feeling? Then you need a moisturizer. If you notice flakes on your face after the waiting period than you need to gently exfoliate and then use a moisturizer. AskAnEsthetician’sBlog
One of the other things to consider is whether the way you washed your face caused the dry, tight feeling. Many of the cleansers on the market can be very drying, and some are so harsh they can be damaging to dry skin.
But if you are using a mild cleanser, or if you wash your face in warm water alone, and your skin feels dry afterwards, then you would pass the test suggested on the blog..
Don’t Overcook Your Broccoli
A study at the University of Illinois found that the anti-cancer properties of broccoli can be compromised if you overcook it.
“Broccoli, prepared correctly, is an extremely potent cancer-fighting agent — three to five servings a week are enough to have an effect. To get broccoli’s benefits, though, the enzyme myrosinase has to be present; if it’s not there, sulforaphane, broccoli’s cancer-preventive and anti-inflammatory component, doesn’t form,” said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of nutrition.
It turns out myrosinase is destroyed by overcooked. So what’s the ideal way to cook your broccoli?
Steaming for 2 to 4 minutes seems to be ideal. Oh, and even better – eat broccoli sprouts. I get mine from the Farmers’ Market every week.
Home Remedies For Glowing Skin
I really enjoy the Indian Makeup and Beauty Blog. It is full of excellent ideas and advice. Today’s post has 10 tips on how to create glowing skin. They are all good!
Starting with almonds, Soak 5 almonds in water over night. Peel them in the morning and eat them. Don’t worry if you forgot to soak them, just eat them as it is. You will see a difference in a week’s time. Almonds are natural source of Vitamin E. They help in improving complexion by bringing a nice glow and natural shine to skin making it soft. It is a natural antioxidant too. It also helps in digestion and even reduces cholesterol. Being a good source of protein it helps in improving the texture of your hair.
You can read more at the Indian Makeup and Beauty Blog.
Managing Dry Winter Skin
The Sacramento Bee has an excellent article today about “Banishing winter’s dry skin woes.” It lists the standard recommendations:
- take shorter, cooler showers
- moisturize after bathing
- don’t over-heat your house or car
- use gentle skincare products that contain no fragrances or alcohol.
But it included practical ideas I had not seen before, such as…
Dr. Daniel Pham, a family physician at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine, Texas, and a dad of four, fills the bathroom sinks with hot water in the evening, adds a scent his family likes and lets the water stand overnight as natural humidifiers. He waters his many houseplants generously and puts wet towels out to dry overnight over bedroom furniture rather than putting them in the dryer, letting the air absorb the moisture.
You can read more at the Sacramaneto Bee.
Holistic Living
Here’s a wonderful web site filled with practical advice and insights derived from hard-won experience. It introduces itself like this…
Life challenges can be the one thing that shakes our world up enough to wake us up to the fact that life is truly a gift. And if we are smart and we listen carefully to the messages, it might just help guide us to our authentic self.
The site is devoted to promoting a more harmonious lifestyle, one based on connection and understanding, and an enlarged view of what it is that makes us healthy and happy. Check out Healthy-Holistic-Living.com.
Is It Time For A Cosmetics Tidy-Up?
If your cosmetics shelf is getting cluttered, here’s good advice from Suite 101…
When was the last time you completed a thorough cosmetic tidy-up? The pressed powder that felt like a clever purchase when you splashed out on it yet made you resemble a drag queen in the cold light of day? And what about those eye shadows compacts that you have barely got any use out of?!
I’m a huge fan of simple care. There is no need for lots of products. They just add clutter and waste time. For instance, to care for dry skin, all you need are 4 products and 3 minutes of daily simple care, even if you have extra dry skin.
Olive Oil Protects Against Depression, But Trans-fats Can Make You Blue
Who wants to be depressed? Turns out trans-fats can get you there. But olive oil moves us in the other direction.
Researchers from the universities of Navarra and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have demonstrated that the ingestion of trans-fats and saturated fats increase the risk of suffering depression, and that olive oil, on the other hand, protects against this mental illness. Science Daily
I’ve already written about the beauty and anti-aging benefits of olive oil. But how about some extra virgin olive oil to lift your mood?
You Can Get A Better-Looking Tan With Food, Study Shows
You can get a more attractive glow from the right foods than you can from sun bathing, according to a study by Dr. Ian Stephen at the University of Nottingham in the UK .
The study found that people who ate a lot of fruit and vegetables per day have a more golden skin tone, due to the carotenoids in the food. Carotenoids are antioxidants that are responsible for the red, orange, green, and yellow coloring in fruit and vegetables. “We found that, given the choice between skin colour caused by suntan and skin colour caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin colour, so if you want a healthier and more attractive skin colour, you are better off eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables than lying in the sun.” said Dr. Stephen.
Left: a natural suntan, Middle: natural pale color, Right: carotenoid tan color
This is reported in an excellent post in the Epic Beauty Guide that lists all the details you need about how to incorporate more carotinoids into your diet, including acne-safe options. Well worth checking out.
