Archive for the ‘Techniques’ Category

Help With Large Or Clogged Pores

If you have large or clogged pores, you already know the problems they cause.
These 3 practices will clear your pores and restore your skin’s natural beauty.

1. Steam Your Pores

Whenever your pores become clogged, steam them by leaning over a bowl of boiling water. Let the steam rise up to your face and flush your pores. When you finish steaming, let your face cool and dab on a facial toner with a cotton ball, letting it dry on your skin.

2. Use A Facial Toner

Toner Superieure

Every day after cleansing, minimize your pores with a facial toner made from astringent botanical extracts. The astringents will cause your skin to tighten and your pores to contract.

Many botanical extracts contain powerful antioxidants and antimicrobials that will help to prevent breakouts.

The best ones for minimizing pores are witch hazel, apple cider vinegar, rose water, aloe vera juice and  green tea. The extracts of cucumber, calendula, elderflower and mint have a calming influence. You can learn more about these ingredients by clicking here.

Alcohol-free toners are best, especially if you have dry skin or sensitive skin.

Toner Supérieure is a pore refiner for all skin types made from nine botanicals that reduce large pores and prevent them from becoming clogged.You can learn more about using facial toners by clicking here.

3. Exfoliate Regularly

Exfoliant SuperieureLarge pores benefit from exfoliation. Exfoliate twice a week for 30 seconds. It will remove dead skin cells and deeply clean the pores.

Your skin will glow after you exfoliate.

Exfoliant Supérieure uses finely-milled sea salt to exfoliate and clean the pores. Its willow bark extract  provides the same skin cell renewal benefits as salicylic acid, but without the irritation and sun sensitivity drawbacks. 

You can learn more about exfoliating by clicking here.

These 3 routines will clear clogged pores, minimize large pores, and give you smoother, healthier skin with reduced breakouts. Your skin will love it!

 


Sex Appeal Boosters

Turns out we are more attracted to faces that glow naturally from eating fruits and vegetables than we are to sun-tanned faces. This is according to 3 scientific studies published in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology.

Sex Appeal

This reinforces an earlier study we wrote about that found people who eat plenty of fresh produce have a more attractive complexion, due to the carotinoids in their diet – carotinoids are what give fruits and vegetables their vivid colors.

So if you are thinking of using a sun-bed this winter, think again! You’d be better off in every way if you ate more fruits and vegetables. 


Meditation and Anti-Aging: Exciting New Science

There’s a lot of research been done about meditation and its psychological benefits; the same for its health and wellness effects. Now, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Elizabeth Blackburn, is investigated how meditation actually slows down the core aging process of the body.

Meditators

 

You can read about Professor Blackburn’s work in this article – Can meditation really slow aging?

I’ve long advocated meditation for beauty. and if anti-aging is an interest of yours, here’s another good reason to start meditating!


The Best Skin Care Is Simple

This flower is very intricate

Yet all its parts use the same water

Day and night

And just like this flower

Your skin is very intricate

Yet it needs only one moisturizer

Day and night

Beautiful skin is simple when you align with Nature

Take These Four Simple Steps To Beautiful Skin


Warm Baths, Such A Joy

So often we hear “don’t soak in the bath if you have dry skin.” Kind of a kill-joy message, if you ask me. I love taking baths with sweet smelling oils. Sometimes I put a cup of Epsom Salt into my bath (when I feel I might be coming down with something.) Always, there are rich oils to use. I’m particularly fond of Jojoba oil. I mix some of my organic moisturizer into it and use it in the bath and afterwards as a body oil. So I was happy to see this on the Natural Body Care Blog

There are many varied benefits to those warm, luxurious soaks many of us love to indulge in. Warm baths aid in dilating your blood vessels and boosting circulation as well as provide relief for those who suffer from back pain, headaches and arthritis. Baths can also aid in detoxifying your body.

One of the sections in the post is headed “What’s The Deal With Salt?” and gets into the therapeutic benefits of bath salts, not to be confused with commercial table salt. Amen to that also.


The Beauty Benefits Of Probiotics

Probiotics are bacterial microorganisms that are well-known for their ability to alleviate certain internal issues, such as diarrhea, IBS and lactose intolerance. However, dermatologists and other skin experts have found that their benefits go beyond digestive health. Daily Beauty

This article speaks to the many benefits of ingesting probiotics. It describes how improved intestinal bacteria can reflect in better skin by improving eczema, acne and other conditions, and delivering anti-aging protection. You can read more about the beauty benefits of probiotics at the Daily Beauty site.

It’s also worth noting that bacteria play a crucial role on the skin as well as inside the body. They break down the natural oil we secrete (sebum) and convert it into antiseptic fatty acids that  protect us from troublesome microbes. On its own, our sebum has no antiseptic properties.

Here’s a review of a new skincare line devoted to bringing a better class of bugs onto you face. Not a bad idea, actually.


Getting Rid Of Cellulite

Women often ask me about getting rid of cellulite. There was a time when I was troubled by cellulite, and I sure didn’t like it. The things that got rid of it for me were, first of all, dry skin brushing, and then changing the fats that I eat.

Dry skin brushing worked right away to reduce the amount of cellulite that I could see, but it didn’t stop cellulite from coming back. However, after I stopped eating fats that were bad for me, my cellulite went away, and didn’t come back.

Trans-fats are out of the question, of course, but even organic vegetable oils can turn into trouble when they are heated. So I cook only with coconut oil. And I use olive oil in my salad dressing every day. That’s it for oils that I eat. These two oils work wonders both on the body and inside it.

beauty benefits of olive oilI use a whole range of organic oils in my moisturizer, but I do not believe they make any difference to cellulite when applied topically, even though they do amazing things for my complexion. But, when I totally changed my approach to the oils I let into my body, that’s what made the difference in my experience with cellulite. And the funny thing is, I didn’t make the change with cellulite in mind. I did it because the overall health benefits of cooking with coconut oil are so compelling, as are the benefits of eating unheated organic olive oil. Since I made the change, I’ve never felt better, and, happily, I no longer have cellulite.

Most web sites that address cellulite are focused on a particular cream or therapy, and I am not sure there is a magic bullet for cellulite reduction – something you can just put onto your skin and make it go away. The best information I found online is from a site called The Cellulite Investigation.  It is not about any particular cream or treatment and it provides an unbiased, in-depth look at all of the options, including a lot of real-world case studies and reports from readers. Here is a quote from them…

The anti-cellulite industry is by nature only interested in finding a solution to cellulite that can be bottled and sold.  What if the real answer is more complicated than that? The Cellulite Investigation

It could be that the answer is both more complicated (you cannot buy it in a bottle) and more simple (changes to your diet may solve the problem). I’m a big fan of natural solutions. They make beautiful skin simple.

Read more…

Beauty Benefits Of Coconut Oil

Beauty Benefits Of Olive Oil


Are You Distracted?

It causes us to be unhappy and to age faster. It’s no secret. It shows on our faces. We often look like we are driven to distraction. What to do?

One of the more embarrassing and self-indulgent challenges of our time is the task of relearning how to concentrate. The past decade has seen an unparalleled assault on our capacity to fix our minds steadily on anything. To sit still and think, without succumbing to an anxious reach for a machine, has become almost impossible. Alain De Botton

The trick is to concentrate by relaxing, not by burdening ourselves with another job called “concentrating.” The results can be spectacular, for our beauty and peace of mind (as if they are different).

If you wanted to go into a more relaxed state right now, you could drop into the breathing room for five minutes. You don’t even need to leave your computer. Mindfulness meditation is easy to learn, too.

Not to add to your distraction, but Alain de Botton is a terrific read. Here he is at TED talking about a kinder, gentler philosophy of success. Who wouldn’t benefit from a little relaxation around that topic?


Lavender Oil Has Potent Antifunfgal Effect, Study Finds

Scalp and nail infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat as new strains develop that are resistant to anti-fungal drugs. Annoying as they are on the skin and scalp, fungi can cause serious problems if they enter the blood stream. And, even as anti-fungal drugs lose their effect, they still come with side effects and expense. Fortunately, lavender oil appears to work better at getting rid of fungi, and at a fraction the cost.

According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology and reported in Science Daily, lavender oil could be used to combat the increasing incidence of antifungal-resistant infections.

The researchers found that lavender oil killed the fungi that give rise to ringworm, Athlete’s foot and common nail and scalp infections, as well as various strains of candida – with minimal side effects.


Removing Makeup With Coconut Oil

Coconut oil for removing makeupCoconut oil is ideal for removing makeup. It  will dissolve your makeup and moisturize your skin at the same time, plus it delivers anti-aging benefits that your skin will just love. Quite a difference from the way soaps and detergents work! Plus it costs a fraction of their price.

Skin care can be really simple. It is just a matter of using the right products. Natural products are packed with complex chemistry that will nurture and beautify your skin. Yet they are so simple to use. Coconut oil is a prime example:  you can use it to remove your makeup and while, you do so, it will help to clear your complexion, fight off wrinkles, and keep infections at bayall in one easy step.

Here is how to use coconut oil for removing makeup…

Coconut oil makes an excellent natural makeup and mascara remover. No need to use petroleum-based mineral oils or expensive makeup removers. Just dab a little coconut oil on your hands and rub it onto your face. Wipe off the excess oil and makeup with a paper tissue and wash your face with bath soap. Your face will look fresh and clean. You may want to apply a thin layer of coconut oil after washing with soap and water to moisturize and soften the skin.  Makeup Tips & Tutorials

using coconut oil for removing makeupCoconut oil is one of the very best things you can put onto your skin.  It is packed with easy-to-absorb, anti-aging compounds that reduce wrinkles and sagging, clear blemishes and liver spots, and restore the pH balance of your skin so you become less prone to breakouts.  Removing makeup with coconut oil makes a lot of sense..

If you read more about the beauty benefits of coconut oil, you will see why at Gaelle Organic we include it in all of our products for rejuvenating dry skin.



Simple Care, Luminous Skin