Hihigh

Archive for the ‘Body Care Products’ Category

We scoured the country and asked dermatologists and other licensed skin care professionals (plastic surgeons, estheticians, etc…) what over the counter products they recommended. The problem is that there are so many products available that it can make your head spin just trying to sort through it all and find what you need. So, we wanted to get advice right from the foremost sources – America’s dermatologists. These are their top recommended skincare products and many are actually used in their offices:

1. Non harsh soaps and cleansers: Harsh soaps like Dial will dry out your skin and can induce skin problems and early aging (something you definitely don’t want). There are numerous soaps and cleansers which will not dry out your skin. Cetaphil and its cheaper generic equivalents, like Walmart’s Equate brand, was recommended by almost every dermatologist. These cleaning products will clean your face, won’t leave dirt that can clog pores, and will not over dry your skin. They are also hypo-allergenic, so people with sensitive skin types won’t get rashes or similar.

2. Non-comodogenic face lotions with sun protection: The higher the SPF (Sun Protection Factor) the better the protection. Every dermatologist basically kept reemphasizing how important it is to stay out of the sun and to protect from sun damage to your skin. UV rays from intense sunlight will age your skin and cause premature wrinkling, sun spots, broken blood vessels and capillaries, and can cause the deadliest of all cancers – malignant melanoma. Some come with botanicals, vitamins and alpha-hydroxy acids (like glycolic and malic acids) which will nourish and strengthen your skin – they also smell nice.

3. Benzoyl peroxide and beta-hydroxy acids for oily prone skin: Some of the dermatologists were for benzoyl peroxide solutions, but most favored the beta-hydroxy solutions as the benzoyl peroxide tended to irritate and dry out the skin too much. The beta-hydroxy acid (salicylic) solutions were more effective at oil removal and fully cleaning out pores.

4. Neosporin: For wound repair and healing from cuts, scrapes, and burns (like chemical peels) nothing was recommended more than Neosporin or an equivalent anti- bacterial ointment. This is documented by many medical studies and numerous articles in medical journals. These antibiotic ointments seal out bacteria and infections and greatly increase healing and lessen any resultant scarring. Dr. Horace Brown in Detroit stated, ” The use of antibiotic cr

Why Honey works Best

You might be surprised to know that most of those expensive potions you love to use have honey as the main ingredient. Honey adds lustre to your skin because it enables it to absorb as well as retain moisture for a long time. Regular application of honey keeps your skin fresh and hydrated, and prevents it from drying. The blend of honey and milk has traditionally been used to keep women looking young and radiant. Honey has natural anti-microbial and antioxidant properties that protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. It is also known to reverse skin damage and rejuvenate dehydrated and aging skin, leaving it supple and baby soft.

One of the least known benefits of honey is that it helps in the treatment of mild acne. Honey absorbs the impurities present in your skin pores by acting as a cleansing agent. Honey is an important ingredient in a number of beauty products for your hair, skin, face and body. It is often added to sunscreens, lip balms, facial scrubs and baby care products. The following are some honey based home recipes for you:

Honey cucumber toner

Make a blend of cucumber puree and 2 tsp of honey and mix well. Apply this mix on your face and neck with a cotton pad. Let it dry and rinse off with cold water.

Honey apple toner

Make a blend of peeled apple slices and 1 tbsp of honey and mix well. Apply this mix on your face and neck with a cotton pad. Let it dry for about 15 minutes and rinse off with cold water.

Honey oats facial scrub

Blend 1 tbsp finely ground almonds, 1 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp dry oatmeal and some yogurt or lemon juice and mix well until it forms a smooth paste. Massage this exfoliating facial scrub gently on your face and wash it off with warm water after a while.

Honey cleanser

Blend 1 tbsp liquid soap, ¼ cup of honey and half a cup of glycerine and mix well. Use a face sponge to apply this mixture gently onto your face. Rinse it off with warm water after a while and pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Hot honey Bath

This is probably the easiest beauty recipe you must have tried – Run some hot water in the bath and add ¼ cup of honey for glowing luscious skin.

Honey hair conditioner

Blend ¼ cup of olive oil and half a cup of honey. Massage this conditioner into your scalp and wear a shower cap for half an hour. Rinse this conditioner off and shampoo your hair as usual.

I’m sure you’ve heard about the importance of keratin to your skin health and the look of your skin. Keratin is important to keep your skin looking good, so it must be good to find keratin in your skin care products right?

Maybe.

First though, lets have a look at what keratin actually is.

Keratin is a “structural protein”. It is tough and fibrous and helps hold your skin together firmly, and prevent sagging. As a structural component of our skin keratin has a major role in skin health. All good. This is found in a number of areas in our bodies, like our nails and teeth as well as our skin. As you can see keratin can be both hard and soft. It’s hard in nails, for instance, and is soft in skin.

Keratin in our skin forms below the surface, and gradually works it’s way up to the surface where it forms a protective layer. It is formed by what are known as keratinocytes, which are living cells which exist in our skin.

So isn’t it a good thing if we see keratin on the label of our skin care products and anti aging products?

That depends. You see not all keratin is created equal, and some keratin is better than other keratin. You need the right type in your skin care products, or it won’t do very much at all. I mentioned that keratin is found in various parts of the body, including the nails and skin. So most keratin that is used in anti aging skin care is derived from animal sources that contain keratin. In particular hooves, horns and feathers.

All these animal products are basically melted down and subjected to high temperatures, and extracted from these animal products for use in skin care products. However the problem is that the process used to extract the keratin, and specifically the heat to which it is subjected, changes it’s form by a process known as hydrolyzation.

Hydrolyzation basically means that the chemical properties of the ingredient are changed. And for keratin, the hydrolyzation means that it is changed to a form that is no longer useful to our skin.

So is keratin in our skin care products good? No, not if it’s been extracted by use of the traditional extraction process and it’s been hydrolyzed.

Wait a moment though, because that’s not the end of the story.

There is a small company in New Zealand that has found a way to extract keratin from the wool of New Zealand sheep in a way that does not lead to hydrolyzation. So the keratin is not degraded, and is still “bio available”.Ie it remains in it’s natural form. It’s called “Functional Keratin”.

So if you find this type of keratin in your skin care products then yes, that’s good. Very good.

Problem is, the major skin care manufacturers don’t use Functional Keratin because it’s more expensive. And they are in the business of keeping their product costs down to keep profits up. So as long as they can say there is keratin in there, that’s good enough.

So how do you go about getting your skin care products with keratin in them with the “bio available” form?

Can you get skin care products with keratin in them with the “bio available” form?

Yes you can. It’s in a skin care range manufactured by a small niche skincare company and it’s extremely effective. It’s been described as “liquid skin” and works, according to current scientific studies, to stimulate the production of new skin cells to replace the old ones. This helps improve elasticity and firmness in the skin, both extremely desirable outcomes.

So to answer the original question, is it good to find keratin in your skin care products? No, not if it’s traditionally extracted, it won’t do much. Yes if it’s Functional Keratin because it will do it’s job of firming your skin and making it look healthier and younger.

Ahhh, but where do you find this tiny niche skin care company?

It is now a well-established scientific fact that continued exposure to a wide range of synthetic chemicals leads to detectable accumulations in body tissue. These chemicals include hormones, preservatives, pesticides, artificial fertilizers and antibiotics – the list is extensive. Many of these chemicals enter our bodies from the foods that we eat, particularly if that food has been mass-produced.

If we accept the principle of trying to avoid synthetic chemicals in our lives, surely it makes sense for us to try and use organic body care products wherever possible.

Other chemicals enter our bodies either through the air that we breathe or through our skin. We all know of the health risks associated with tobacco smoking, but it is a good illustration of how potent chemicals, in this case nicotine, can pass from inhaled air into our blood steam and hence throughout the body.

It used to be thought that our skin was impervious and that no chemical substances could penetrate it and enter the body. This is now known not to be the case and skin patches containing nicotine and hormones are routinely used as an effective means of delivering these drugs into the body. It’s not just medicines that can be absorbed – it is estimated that up to 60% of any chemical that comes into contact with the skin may be absorbed into our bodies.

Since we now know that chemicals applied to the skin can be absorbed into the body, doesn’t it make sense to examine just what we are putting onto ourselves? To find out more, we need to understand some of the basics behind organic personal care products.

Herbs and herbal infusions

Depending on the formulation these can form a substantial part of a product. A key ingredient in many organic skin care products is organic Aloe Vera juice, well known for its soothing and calming properties. Herbs are chosen for their particular properties, whether they be soothing, cleansing, astringent or whatever. Ideally, they are either certified organically grown or are wild-crafted from ecologically maintained stable environments. However, on occasion, it is almost impossible to locate an organic or wild-crafted source and non-certified plants must be used – an example is Water Lily extract.

Oils and Waxes

Many different plant oils are used in organic body care products and, just as with the herbs, the vast majority should be certified organic. Examples include Palm Kernel oil, Olive oil, Almond oil, Sunflower oil and Hemp seed oil. Certified organic Bees Wax may also be used in products which need to be water resistant. Some oils are obtained from wild-crafted sources which are carefully monitored to ensure that plants are harvested in a manner that is sustainable and which does not harm the environment.

Fragrances and Scents

The fragrances found in most good organic body care products come from herbal infusions, floral waters and essential oils. Herbal infusions should be made using certified organic herbs and pure spring water – nothing else.

The floral waters used are ideally obtained through the distillation of certified organic flowers. These are true floral waters made using 1kg of herb to 1ltr of pure water, not weak infusions or fragrance added to water! Essential oils should normally be certified organic except where they are not available – an example is Myrrh.

Compare these ingredients with the anonymous scents listed by most manufacturers under the blanket name of ‘Parfum’.

Emulsifiers

Any personal care product that contains both water based and oil based ingredients must also contain an emulsifier. It is the emulsifier that enables these two normally repellent ingredients to mix together to form a cream or lotion. Without using an emulsifier, creams and lotions would separate into their different ingredients in much the same way as French Salad Dressing does when allowed to stand.

There are many different emulsifiers in use today. Some are very mild in action and also mild on the skin, whilst others are more powerful and may be more irritant. Some are extracted from natural plant sources whilst others are synthetically produced. The emulsifiers used by good organic skin care companies are all extracted from plant oils such as coconut, palm kernel and olive oil. These should be mild in action and have no record of causing skin irritation. They cost more to use than some of the more powerful, synthetic emulsifiers but we believe they are worth the extra cost.

At the time of writing, none of the emulsifiers available on the market is certified organic, but we are hopeful that this may change in the future with the introduction of new ingredients.

Surfactants

These are used to enable products to produce foam and to have a cleansing action. They are sometimes called ‘foaming agents’ and are found in all shampoos, shower gels, bubble baths, etc. As with emulsifiers, surfactants can be mild or strong, gentle or aggressive and from natural sources or synthetic.

Once again, organic body care companies should only use surfactants extracted from natural plant material, and choose those which are known to be mild and gentle. Examples of the surfactants we use are Cocamidopropyl betaine, extracted from Coconut oil, and Decyl glucoside, which is extracted from corn.

Unfortunately, at the present time no certified organic surfactants are available for use.

Preservatives

Any personal care product containing the range of ingredients described above has the potential to support the growth of bacteria, fungi and moulds, and can also deteriorate through the process of oxidation. Responsible manufacturers must therefore look for ways to ensure that such contamination and deterioration does not take place during the expected life of the product. Some High Street brands achieve this by using preservatives which have been linked to the formation of formaldehyde, a known irritant and carcinogen. Others use high levels of ethanol (alcohol) which has been shown to have a drying effect on the skin in long term use.

One UK organic body care company has found that by using a range of plant extracts taken from citrus seeds, rosemary and myrrh resin in combination with tiny amounts of a food grade preservatives such as Sodium benzoate and Potassium sorbate, it is able to achieve good product stability and safety whilst minimising exposure to synthetic chemicals.

Occasionally, in formulations with particularly high levels of organic ingredients, a stronger preservative may be required in which case a tiny amount of Phenoxyethanol may be used. Although this is a synthetic ingredient, it has an excellent safety record and is very well tolerated. It is also on the list of permitted preservatives for use in cosmetics certified as organic by the Soil Association, and is approved under the Nordic Swan mark scheme that measures the environmental and health impact of cosmetic ingredients.

Research is continuing into this area in the hope that one day it may be able to avoid the use of all non-plant sourced preservatives.

Many people use natural skin care products as herbal cosmetics promise glowing skin without side effects. All synthetic products available in the market can cause many side effects like dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis and even skin cancer. If you are planning to buy a new cosmetic for your skin then the first thing you need to know is type of your skin. Every person have different skin types as dry,oily,normal and sensitive. Natural skin care products should be bought according to the climatic conditions around you. A natural skin care product should be used in a proper way for best results. Some natural cosmetics can be made at home with the help of recipes available on the internet and in the books.Home made cosmetics are getting popular nowadays.

You should opt for a healthy and nutritious diet if you want to have a beautiful skin. Your diet should contain lot of fish and other sea foods as they contain essential oils. Some vitamin rich oils can also be applied on the skin for moisturizing effect. Regular exercise and drinking lot of water maintains the beauty of your skin. Three important steps which should be repeated every day for better skin complexion are cleansing, toning and moisturizing.

Most common components which are used in natural skin care products are lavender, German chamomile, frank incense, wheat germ,grape seed,aloe vera,jojoba, almond oil and olive oil. Natural skin care solutions may seem hard to find but are best treatment for your common skin problems.

Many women, as well as being interested in high quality facial skin care, are also interested in quality body care. In other words caring for the skin of the body as well as the face. And using a premium natural body lotion will achieve this. But how do you find one?

The reasons for using a natural body lotion rather than many of the body creams that you see on the shelves of your supermarket are twofold.

Firstly, though it may surprise you to hear this, many of the mainstream body care products, just like many of the mainstream facial creams, contain a range of chemical and petrochemical ingredients which may damage your skin, and even in some cases are considered to cause cancer.

One of the most common ingredients that you will find in these products is mineral oil. If you read a Material Safety Data Sheet on mineral oil it will warn you that mineral oil can irritate your skin. But it’s incredibly cheap.

Many of the body care products available on the market are produced down to a price rather than up to a standard, and for this reason cheap chemical ingredients that may damage your health or your skin are commonly used. Mineral oil is a fine example.

And whilst there are effective ingredients that can be found in body creams many of these are found in such small quantities that they are rendered ineffective. Again it’s all about cost.

A high quality natural body cream will not contain any chemical ingredients that may harm your skin or your health. It should contain only ingredients which are known to be safe, and which are also highly effective at producing optimum skin care.

Not only that but these ingredients should be present in sufficient quantities to work well.

One natural body lotion currently available fulfils these criteria. It does not use any harmful chemical ingredients, and it contains a wide range of active ingredients all of which work extremely well at producing good skin health.

But it’s more expensive than the creams and lotions you’ll find in the supermarket.

Would you rather spend less money on something that at best does nothing for your skin, and at worst can irritate your skin, or would you rather spend more on a product that works effectively?

Yes there is a natural body lotion that really works. Whilst it is more expensive than some of the supermarket alternatives there’s powerful reasons to use it.

To find out more about this natural body lotion visit my website.