Five Tips for Organic Skin Care

Tip 1: Give Yourself a Dry Brush Exfoliation
A dry brush exfoliation can be done in the morning before you shower. It eliminates dead skin cells and allows the skin to detox (skin is the largest organ of elimination). Dry brush exfoliation also improves lymph and blood circulation and decreases puffiness. An added benefit is that the gentle pressure is calming to the nervous system. To give yourself a dry brush exfoliation, you’ll need a soft, natural bristle brush.

Tip 2: Rev Up Your Digestion
In alternative medicine, good skin is a reflection of a good digestive system. People with skin disorders such as acne, rosacea, and psoriasis often suffer from constipation, imbalanced “good” vs. “bad” bacteria, leaky gut, and other digestive conditions. The two most common sluggish digestion culprits are:

* Culprit #1: Not Enough Water Water bathes cells and eliminates waste products, preventing constipation.

* Culprit #2: Not Enough Fiber Most people lack fiber in their diets - the average person eats only 12 g of fiber a day. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board established recommended fiber intakes. For men aged 19-50 years, 38 g fiber is recommended, and for men over 50, 31 g fiber is recommended. For women aged 19 to 50 years, 25 g fiber is recommended, and for women over 50, 21 g fiber is recommended.

* Some suggestions:
1. Add Whole Grains - Choose whole grain products over refined. Have brown rice instead of white or make your own 50:50 combination.
2. An Apple a Day - Have an apple, skin on, as a snack.
3. Eat Cauliflower - Try this delicious Roasted Cauliflower recipe!
4. High-fiber snacks - Snack on nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, such as dates, figs, and prunes.
5. Try a “Prune Power” Smoothie - Prunes are a great source of fiber. Start your day with this tasty Prune Power smoothie.
6. Eat Beans and Legumes - Open a can of your favorite beans or legumes. Rinse them well and add them to your meal.
7. Ground Flaxseeds - For any easy fiber boost, sprinkle ground flaxseeds (available at health food stores) on rice, salads, oatmeal, or any other meal. Store flaxseeds in the fridge.

Tip 3: Invigorate Sluggish Circulation
Do you sit at your desk for hours, only getting up to go to the bathroom? One of the best things you can do for your skin, stress level, and overall health is to get moving! Inactivity may affect skin and promote bloating and puffiness, acne, cellulite, and loss of muscle tone.

* Take a quick break to go outside and walk around the block.
* Book a massage therapy appointment.
* Close your door and stretch.
* Go to the gym.
* Start each morning by stretching.
* Get a skipping rope - raise your heart rate and do some good cardio.

Tip #4: Avoid Excess Sugar
Most people do not realize this but excess sugar is considered one of the main causes of premature aging. The more sugar we eat, the more sugar we have entering our bloodstream. Over time, this can result in a process known as glycation, which is when a glucose (sugar) molecule damages a protein molecule by sticking to it. The new molecules formed are called advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs. AGEs damage collagen in skin, cartilage, and ligaments and promote a loss of elasticity. Wrinkles form and skin begins to sag.

* Try This - It may seem impossible to reduce your sugar intake, but it can be done! A gradual approach works best. In the next week, choose one thing you’re going to do to decrease the amount of sugar you consume. For example, start by cutting the amount of sugar in your daily coffee or tea by half. Every week, find another way you can decrease your sugar intake. Pretty soon, you’ll be surprised at how far you’ve come!

Tip #5: Eat Some Good Fats
Essential fatty acids are simply fats your body cannot live without. They are needed to make cell membranes, hormones, and other body chemicals. Essential fats are thought to keep your heart healthy, fight inflammation, and possibly prevent cancer. They are also particularly important to people with inflammatory conditions such as eczema and acne, and also for people with dry skin. People with essential fat deficiency sometimes notice bumps on the backs of their arms. Here are my suggestions on getting more essential fats:

* Flaxseed and walnut oil - Use flaxeed oil or walnut oil with balsamic vinegar as a salad dressing. Be sure to keep these oils refrigerated. They should not be heated or used for cooking.
* Cold water fish - Sardines are a good source of essential fats. Salmon is another good source, however these salmon accumulate toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (otherwise known as PCBs) in their body fat during the 95 percent of their lives they spend at sea.
* Supplements - Consider fish oil supplements.

Outdoor Skin Care Tips - Learn to Look After Your Skin

It’s Fall and we all know we need to take extra care of our skin in the summer due to an increase in sun exposure, but that should actually continue all year round. There are additional concerns that may affect your family’s skin in the great outdoors. You can read more tips on how to look after your skin on www.DermatologyCare.ca.

Don’t Let Your Year-End Gardening Ruin Your Hands

Gardening can be tough on hands! Grab some gardening gloves before you start trimming and pruning your yard - it’s the most effective way to protect your hands from calluses, blisters, cuts and scrapes. Don’t forget the sunscreen!

Let That Fabric Breathe

Beware of clothing that’s too tight. The fabric can rub and produce irritated skin and trapped sweat can start a breakout. Try fabrics that breathe like cotton or wool, use laundry detergent and fabric softener sheets that are unscented (e.g. Tide Free, Bounce Free) and shower after your workout to eliminate the sweat.

Careful Your Skin Tag’s Rubbing

Many people develop extra bits of skin, called skin tags, that range in size from one millimeter to one centimeter. These are completely benign, but they can be annoying if they rub on clothing or if you feel they affect your appearance. The good news is that removing them is a very simple procedure. Talk to your doctor for more information.

Sun Burnt Hair?

Did you know that your hair can get sunburned too? The sun’s rays affect the outer layer of the hair - the hair cuticle - causing hair to become dry and weak. Put on a hat when outside to keep your hair healthy!

Watch out for wool!

Cooler days bring warmer clothes out of the closet. Even people with normal skin often find that wool sweaters and scarves can irritate their skin. Cotton and particularly silk tend to be the least irritating fabrics for dry or sensitive skin.

Are You Sensitive To Insect Bites?

Take precautions before going outside by putting on insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants and a hat, and avoiding heavy perfumes or lotions that may actually attract insects. You may prefer to apply the insect repellant on the cuffs of your clothes and on the collars and not on your skin.

Natural Facial Masks for All Skin Types

You can actually make your own organic skin care products at home and get great results. So if you are into the more natural way of maintaining your hair and skin, you should try some of these recipes and enjoy not only making them, but also using them.

Yogurt
If you want a great cleanser that moisturizes as well, you should opt for plain yogurt. You can add a little honey to the mixture and spread it right onto your face. Avoid your eyes, just in case they are sensitive to the mixture. Leave it on your face for about ten minutes and then wash off with water. You will love the silky way your skin feels after using your yogurt cleanser. You can even use this several times a day. Be sure to store it in the refrigerator.

Eggs
Raw eggs are wonderful for fast face masks. Simply beat two eggs, a little water, and some honey into a bowl. Rub it onto your face and let it dry for fifteen minutes. After it dries, wash it off well. Be sure to keep it away from your eyes and mouth. Raw eggs can contain bacteria and you don’t want to eat them. This is a great way to lightly exfoliate your skin as well.

As you can see, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get great facial products. Just look in your kitchen and see what you can make with the ingredients you already have. You just might be shocked at how well these natural products work.

Facial Mask for All Skin Types

Ingredients:
almond-2 tsp
rose petals or powder-1tsp
fuller’s earth-4tsp
crushed nutmeg-1tsp
Mix all ingredients with rose water and keep them aside for 10 minutes.
Steam your face for about 5-10 minutes.Apply the above mixed face pack and leave it for about 20 minutes.
Do this twice a month to have a clear and beautiful skin.

Face Scrub

Just use a simple combination of Olive oil and Sugar. Cover you face and neck with olive oil. Then dapp your wet fingers onto the sugar and place over your face. Do the same all over your face. Then, begin massaging your face, importantly corner of nose, forehead. For 3 min. Then wash of with soap. Feel the difference.. Soft!!

Oatmeal Face Cleanser
Oatmeal is nourishing to the skin and is used in many parts of the world as a beauty aid.
3 tablespoons oatmeal
2 teaspoons witch hazel
And a few drops of water

You want to dampen the oatmeal first then add the witch hazel. Then add the water to make it moist. Apply to your face with an upward and outward circular motion. Rinse with lots of warm water. This recipe is good for all kinds of skin. If you have dry skin add a little oil. You can also add a mashed banana for more nourishment.

Lemon Face Mask
This lemon astringent and exfoliant properties, making it a natural choice for oily skin

4 tablespoons clay
2 teaspoons lemon pulp
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons water
2 drops of jojoba oil (optional)

Mix the ingredients thoroughly and apply to face. Leave on for 15 minutes and then rinse off with warm water. Then apply your moisturizer and do not forget the sunscreen.  If you are in a hurry just use lemon juice and water in equal parts and then let dry. Wash off with cool water.

Natural Eye Care and Eye Washes
Your eyes reflect your physical as well as your emotional health. If you are tired and run down they look dull and red; if your liver is upset they have a yellow look to them.

When making preparations for the eyes always sterilize your utensils. Use fresh decoctions of herbs, not infusions when making eye baths. The herbs should ideally be simmered for about 20 minutes.

Two great herbs for eyes are Fennel and Chamomile. Fennel is an ancient remedy for strengthening the sight, and used as an eyewash for soreness, tiredness, infections of the eyes. Chamomile also makes a good antiseptic eyewash. When it is allergy season, take the time to make up these washes.

Chamomile Key Ingredient in Organic Skin Care

Chamomile (or Camomile) is a common name for several daisy-like plants. The Greeks named them “earth-apple-on the ground” for their apple-like scent. There are several varieties of Chamomile - each one used for slightly different purposes or intensities of properties. German or blue chamomile and Roman (English) chamomile, or the “garden” chamomile are the most commonly used.

These two types of chamomile are used for health conditions and are most commonly found in skin care or beauty products. While the two kinds are thought to have similar effects on the body, the German variety is more commonly used in the United States. Chamomile, is one of the oldest of all herbs, dating back to ancient Egyptians. It’s both a pretty flower and an ancient healer. Chamomile has been widely used for children and adults for thousands of years for a variety of health conditions.

What It Is Used For

Chamomile is an essential addition to the herbal first aid kit. It is a useful herb in many situations. It can relieve anxiety and calm someone down in the event of stress. It can also relieve gastrointestinal upset - after a big meal, or when stress doesn’t mix well with your meal. Chamomile is even an excellent herb to use as compresses for eye problems. Warm two tea bags with chamomile flowers to ease itchy eyes, especially when traveling to different part of the country and you are not immune to the allergens in that area. It is also used topically for skin conditions and for mouth ulcers resulting from cancer treatment.

How It Is Used

The flowering tops of the chamomile plant are used to make teas, liquid extracts, capsules, or tablets.  The herb can also be applied to the skin as a cream or an ointment, or used as a mouth rinse.

Chamomile in Skin Care Products

This versatile herb is also recognized as a natural healing treatment that helps rejuvenate the skin. There are many wonderful natural facial treatments on the market today that incorporate Chamomile as a key ingredient.

To make a quick and easy tea facial, simply apply a paste made from one teaspoon of fine cornmeal mixed with cooled tea to the face, let dry, then gently rub off. This very gentle skin tonic is ideal to replenish and enrich dry or sensitive skin. Its bactericidal, anti-itching, and antiseptic properties help to refresh the skin and reduce swelling. Making paste with extra-strong brew and using it as an external wash or part of a hot compress can also help soothe burns, skin rashes, and sores.

Chamomile has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. Chamomile contains an anti-inflammatory compound called alpha bisabolol, which helps to soothe itchy, red skin. For this reason, Chamomile along with some other herbs and natural treatments has shown promise as skin treatments for eczema.

According to family physician Dr. Kristie Leong, “Chamomile has been used throughout history to treat various skin conditions and some studies have shown it works as effectively as low dose steroid creams without the side effects. Chamomile oil can be purchased at some health food stores. It needs to be diluted with a carrier oil such as almond oil or jojoba and can then be applied as a skin treatment for eczema. Bathing in warm water containing chamomile flowers may also help to soothe inflammation and itching. Simply make a bath bag using chamomile flowers and float it in a tub of warm bath water.”

For easing skin inflammations and acne, make a strong chamomile tea, and wipe the cooled liquid over your face each morning. This effective daily rinse tones and cleanses.

Essential Oil Usage

Both Roman and German chamomile have excellent calming properties, but Roman chamomile is more effective for irritation, impatience and feeling disagreeable, and has great value in treating PMS and other menstrual and menopausal problems, while German chamomile is superbly effective on the skin, not only to sooth and calm, but to heal and for tissue regeneration.

Side Effects and Cautions

* There are reports of rare allergic reactions in people who have eaten or come into contact with chamomile products. Reactions include skin rashes, throat swelling, shortness of breath, and anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction).

* People are more likely to experience allergic reactions to chamomile if they are allergic to related plants in the daisy family, which includes ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and daisies.

* Tell your health care providers about any complementary and alternative practices you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This helps to ensure coordinated and safe care.