Olive Oil : Skin and Hair Care

The health properties of Olive oil is widely accepted and has made it a by word with health nuts. Originally it came from the Mediterranean Region, but its immense popularity made it much sought after and as a result, it can now be obtained any where in the world. You will find it as an active ingredient in your hair oil. You can also find it in your salad dressing. The multi functionality of Olive oil has made it very popular and it has been tagged as one of the top nutrient giver because of its popularity with health conscious people. Olive oil is essentially cholesterol free and is used to make food tastier and healthier. But, many of the skin care properties of Olive oil has come to light only recently and has made it an essential ingredient in soaps and skin care products. The soaps that are produced by using Olive oil are very gentle on the skin and will help in moisturizing and nourishing the skin. There are various homemade recipes that make use of olive oil for skin care. Some of them are listed below for your ready reference.

• Submerge your hands in Olive oil for half an hour to get extra fine nails.
• Olive oil can do wonders for chapped and dry lips.
• Olive oil is a great moisturizer. You can apply it liberally on your hands to get smoother and softer skin. You can also apply it on your feet for softer skin on your feet.
• A few tablespoons of Olive oil mixed with a few drops of an essential oil can give you a good bathing solution.
• A night cream that lightens the skin and kills bacteria can be obtained by mixing half a cup of Olive oil with quarter cups each of vinegar and water. This night cream will leave you with clearer and smoother skin in the morning.
• Olive oil can give you lustrous and dandruff free hair. Smear a good dollop of Olive oil on your hair and gently massage it into your scalp. You can cover your hair with a shower cap for 30 min and then shampoo your hair.
• You can do a simple facial by first applying Olive oil on your face and then scrubbing suger on your face. You can wipe off the oil and sugar with a wet towel afterwards.
• Olive oil can be used as an excellent cleaning cream for people with dry skin. They can also use mask made by mixing one egg, one teaspoon honey, half a teaspoon of Olive oil and a few drops of rose water.

Avocado for Skin Care

Avocado has become very popular due to its various skin care properties. The humble Avocado has it’s origin in the southern part of Mexico and is also known by the name Alligator Pear. The high content of mono saturated fats and vitamin E makes it very beneficial for our heart. It is also a very good source of folic acid, vitamin B6 and various minerals like iron, copper, potassium (60% more than in banana) and magnesium.

The vitamin rich Avocado is a very good moisturizer and can help in relieving various skin conditions. It is a natural exfoliator and the oil from the seed can remove sun damage and even age spots. The anti oxidizing properties of vitamins A, D and E make the Avocado very beneficial to our skin and helps in neutralizing the action of free radicals which can cause wrinkles and premature aging.

Let us see some recipes which uses Avocado for skin care. These are very simple recipes and can be done at home.

• Place Avocado slices on your eyes for half an hour to reduce puffed eyes.
• An effective skin cream can be made by blending five drops of almond oil with 2 or 3 slices of ripe Avocado. The resulting cream can be applied around the eyes for a few minutes before washing it off. Another eye cream preparation uses a mixture containing a quarter cup of avocado oil with the same quantity of aloe vera. Alternately you can also use the oil from apricot kernel, grape seeds or sesame.
• Avocado is very effective for dry skin. Here are two preparations for dry skin. An Avocado can be mashed and applied on the face as an effective dry skin mask. You can rinse it off after leaving it on for about15-20 minutes
• Another good face mask can be prepared by blending half an Avocado with a teaspoon of vegetable oil. The resulting paste can be applied on your face and can be left on for about 15 minutes before it is washed off with lukewarm water.
• You can get an effective facial scrub by using an Avocado peel to scoop up a mixture, containing flex seeds(2tbs) and mashed banana(half a banana), and massaging it on your face. The massaging should commence in a gentle circular motion. Afterwards you can wash it off with warm water.
• Take an egg(only the white is required), 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 tbs of oatmeal and a quarter measure of peeled and mashes Avocado and mix them together to get a paste that you can regularly use to coat your hands for more softer skin.

Oily skin care

The oil in our skin is produced by the sebaceous glands in our skin. People with oily skin have these glands working on overtime. The amount of oil secreted by these glands will also depend on the age of the person and on the climatic conditions. Hot and humid climates make the secretions go up while cold and dry climates make it go down. The sebaceous glands can work overtime during the teenage years, due to the surging hormones, and as people get older the operation of the glands lessen.

When there is excessive sebum, it mixes with the dirt particles on our skin and leads to the clogging of our pores. These clogged pores can get infected by bacteria and this leads to acne or pimples. This effect is mostly seen in teenagers and in hot and humid climates.

The basic aim of oily skin care is to remove this excess sebum without harming the skin using cleansers. You should take care not to remove all the oil because this could lead to the drying up of the skin. You need to cleanse the skin twice a day using a cleanser having salicylic acid as the active ingredient. Salicylic acid is really effective because it retards the growth of sebum.

After cleansing your skin, you need to tone it. Skin toning or exfoliation is the process of removing the layers of dead cells on your skin so as to promote the growth of newer and fresher cells underneath. The resulting skin will be younger and healthier. You will need to use an alcohol based toner if your skin is really oily. When you select the skin care products, make sure that you choose oil free products. If necessary, check out the ingredients to make sure of this fact. You should refrain from buying products that are marked “suitable for all skin types” because they will not be suitable for your oily skin. Search for products that say “suitable for oily skin” and buy those.

The next step after toning is to nourish your skin. You can use moisturizers to nourish your skin by maintaining healthy levels of hydrations on your skin. If your skin gets dehydrated, it can cause wrinkles and cause it to lose its elasticity. When you choose your moisturizer make sure that it is oil and lipid free. You can also drink plenty of water to maintain good levels of moisture on your skin. If you do this in tandem with using a good moisturizer, you can’t go wrong. You can also use a weekly clay mask for improved effect.

You may end up trying a lot of different skin care products and routines before you get a fix on what is actually suitable for you.

Makeup Tips for Dark Skin

Makeup has become part and parcel of every woman’s morning routine. It has become a habit with women to have a last check of their makeup before they go out and to powder their noses in the middle of dinner. So with the different builds and different skin colors, how can people choose the right makeup? The main factor that should influence your selection is skin color and body type. These two criterions will end up choosing your makeup for you.

Here are a few tips for those dark beauties out there. From Indian to negroid, there are many varieties and shades of dark skin. These different shades will need different treatments. So here are some tips that will enable you to choose the right makeup.

• Since dark skin absorbs the photons, they will appear oilier even when they are not. Because of this you mustn’t use cream based foundations. Use water based foundations and blend the foundation well. Add a drop of water to get the right mix. The shade of the mix should be close to your skin color. After you apply the foundation, put on some baby powder. Dust off the excess baby powder because black skin will reveal the layers of makeup more prominently.
• When you choose the blush color, make sure that you go for the reddish colors of rose, deep orange and coral. Avoid the browns and peachy shades because they are not suitable for you. For day time makeup, you can choose rose or pink color which will be perfect for you if you have dark skin. For the nights you can opt for shades of bronze and plum. You can add some luster to your skin by judicious use of the blush over the cheek bones. Golden colors will go well with you and will make you look glamorous. Apply some at the corners of your eyebrows.
• Go for brown tinted eyeshades especially soft brown on the upper lid and dark brown on the lower lids. When you do your eyes, you can add depth by dragging the eyeshade slightly outwards. Light colored shades are a strict no-no. You can have a change of color by using dark blue or purple shades to line your eyes close too the lashes and eyelids. You can also soften eh lines with a sponge headed applicator. You can outline the eyes with kaajal and use mascara to thicken your eyelashes
• For lipsticks, you can either use red or brown shades or you could blend two shades to suit your skin better. Use the lipstick sparingly and choose the lipstick color to match your nail polish. Also try to find a balance between the eye and lip shades. You can use different colors like copper, bronze, redwine etc if you want to spread out within the color spectrum.

A good color co-ordination and balance is essential for looking good and when you choose your outfit, make sure that it does not clash with your makeup.

Use Watermelon for Skin Care

Watermelon along with being a juicy and succulent fruit can also be used as an effective skin care treatment. Watermelon has many roles to play as an eatable. It is used in fresh juices and smoothies. The protein and fat content has even made it a favorite snack and some people even use them as pickles.

The high water content and cooling effects of the fruit has made it a favorite of many people especially in dry and hot areas. The euphemism goes, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but this could be true for watermelon as well because of its medicinal properties that help in fighting chronic conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis and diabetes. It has also proved effective against colon cancer and even arthritis. Watermelon is filled with antioxidants that help in fighting free radicals. These free radicals are one of the primary causes of aging and other skin related conditions and the antioxidants in the watermelons help neutralize them.

Watermelon seeds are also beneficial as they are repositories of omega six and nine essential fatty acids. These fatty acids are good for our skin. The oil from the watermelon seeds can be used to dissolve the oil build up in the pores. The fruit has useful blemish removing properties owing to the exfoliation action of some of the acids contained in the juice. The fruit is rich in vitamins A, B and C. These vitamins can help us to maintain the freshness and radiance of our skin. The water rich pulp can also help us in keeping good levels of hydration in our skin. The watermelon seed oil is essentially non-greasy oil. This property has made it popular in its use as massage oil and as an ingredient in baby oils and face creams. The watermelon seed oil also has useful moisturizing and helps us to maintain the elasticity of our skin. Nowadays, watermelon extracts are widely used as an ingredient in facials, salt scrubs as well as in hair oils.

Here are some popular Recipes that use watermelon for skin care.

• You can make a simple mixture, using watermelon, water and witch hazel, which is rich in vitamins and sugar that will give you a fresh looking face. Simply add the witch hazel and water to a blended preparation of the watermelon, where the fluid has been strained off. Apply the resulting mixture on your face and leave it on for a few moments before you wash it off.
• As mentioned the acid content of watermelon helps in exfoliation. All you have to do is apply the watermelon (Paste) to your face and leave it on for a few minutes. This exfoliation helps in cleaning and tightening the skin and is much safer and cheaper than going in for a chemical peel.
• Add some pieces of banana, which acts as an adhesive, to a cup of watermelon. Mash up the contents of the cup.
• Effective exfoliation can be achieved by the combined action of Yogurt and watermelon. The lactic acid in the yogurt and the essential fatty acids and vitamins in the watermelon can really help oily skin.

The reader should follow the tips in this article at his own discretion. The writer or the site will not be responsible for any reactions allergic or other wise.

Finding Quality Skin Care Products

Before you begin your search for anti aging skin products, it is important for you to understand the process of aging of the skin. Almost all aging effects like sagging skin and wrinkles are caused by the damage caused by free radicals at the cellular level.

These free radicals are caused as a by product of oxidation. Oxidation is the process by which oxygen initiates a chemical process on another element to produce an oxide. During this oxidation process, the oxygen molecules are in a very unstable state and cause a chain reaction. The free radicals are a product of this chain reaction where the oxygen molecules are rushing about trying to steal electrons.

For instance, when iron is exposed to the atmosphere, the water vapor, which contains oxygen, settles on the iron and causes the formation of rust. Rust is the oxide that is the result of the oxidation process or free radical damage.

Lucky for us our skin is very resilient and has great regenerative abilities when we are young. We may have problems later on as we age and lose this regenerative property of our skin.

The solution is antioxidants. We can fight them by increasing the amount of anti oxidants in our system. Vitamin A and E are excellent anti oxidants and we can choose a diet which is rich in these vitamins. Colorful fruits and vegetables also contain good quantities of these antioxidants. Prevention is better than cure so you can reduce free radicals by reducing your exposure to pollutants and carcinogens.

Unprotected exposure to direct sunlight is the number one cause of premature aging. Over the years, sunlight can cause irreversible changes to your skin. Many makeup companies offer products that come with sun protection. You can wear these outside. You can reduce the exposure to sunlight by wearing a hat or an umbrella when you go outside during the day. Here are a few steps to stop sun damage.

• Use SPF creams for ultra violet screening.
• You should remember to moisturizing you skin when ever necessary.
• Make sure that you are taking enough antioxidants.
• Exfoliation

You can make lifestyle changes to get a younger looking skin. You can take up stress relieving techniques like yoga and meditation to have a younger skin. They can even balance out your life so that you can look and feel younger. It’s a fact that you can’t die from wrinkles but then again you should not have to live with them either. Modern science has made great progress in this area and the result is that we can think of reversing the aging of our skin, in the near future.

This article is purely for information and does not qualify as medical advice. Seek the help of a qualified medical practitioner before you follow any tip mentioned here. The author is not responsible and will not entertain any claims due to negligent use of information published here.

Effective Use of Herbal Medicines

Herbal medicines have become the latest fad. They are cheaper and have fewer side effects than their pharmaceutically-made counterparts. People should exercise caution when they use these herbal alternates because even the herbal medicines contain chemicals and not all chemicals are good for you. Poison ivy is naturally occurring but it certainly is not good for you. So, you should be more careful when you use herbal remedies

I have listed out a few points that may be in your best interest to consider.

1. Self medication is a strict no-no. You should consult with a trained and licensed herbal medical practitioner before you do any thing bad.
2. The chemicals in some herbal medicines can clash with some other medications that you may be taking. They can also aggravate some diseases like high BP, diabetes and cancer. They can also impede the treatments for chronic problems like epilepsy, thyroid, prostate and heart diseases.
3. If you are planning to have a surgery, you should disclose the herbal medicines that you are currently taking to your surgeon. And the surgeon can then recommend you to discontinue them till the surgery if they can have any adverse effects on the surgery or the ensuing recuperation.
4. You should make sure that you consume the medicine as per the directions. With herbs and such, the different parts of the plant have varying properties. So if the flower has some particular medicinal properties that do not mean that the stem has them. Some people think that since herbal remedies have no chemicals, they can increase the dosage to improve the effect because these herbal remedies take time to be effective. People should desist from following such practices as they can end up doing more harm. For instance, a high dosage of Valerian can cause unconsciousness. The recommended dosage takes into consideration your age and your health condition; you should not deviate from this dosage or the tenure of the treatment.
5. Some herbal remedies could hinder the efficient working of other essential drugs. St. John’s wort is an example of such an herbal alternative that is not compatible and resists the absorption of certain drugs.
6. There is still no strict regulation when it comes to the manufacturing of these herbal medicines. The ingredients are not always mentioned on the packing or on the label. This causes a difference in dosage and ingredients and as a result, the drugs are not uniform across the companies. The emergence of a standardized system will go a long way towards legitimizing herbal remedies as a viable alternate to other pharmaceutical drugs.
7. Pregnant women should always consult their obstetrician before taking any herbal medicines because they can cause harm to the unborn child. For instance, aginamoto and papaya seeds are bad for fetuses.
8. If you are already under treatment for some other disorder, ask you physician about following a herbal regime because there might some clash with your old medicine.
9. Always do research in the various herbal supplements and remember that they are not without side effects. Look into your herbal medication and see if there could be a chance of harmful effects.

Moles and Dermatitis - Skin Care Tips

Moles and dermatitis are two very common skin conditions that occur in people. Dermatitis can cause skin irritation but moles can develop in to something more sever and has larger implications.

Moles are formed when the cells, which give the pigment to the skin, cluster in one particular area. These cells are called melanocytes and they occur uniformly all over our body. But if they cluster in a particular area, they can give rise to moles that are mostly benign. But in some cases these moles can become malignant and become melanomas. Most of the moles will from before the age of 25 years. You should check the size, shape and color of your moles frequently and report any drastic changes to your dermatologist.

Some of the things that you should keep in mind when examining moles are,

• Oozing and painful moles have to be checked out by a doctor.
• Moles that appear after the age of twenty five and which grow rapidly needs to be examined by your dermatologist.
• Asymmetrical or irregular moles should also be examined by the dermatologist.
• Moles that are larger than a quarter inch need to be brought to the attention of your doctor.
• Multicolored moles and especially red or blue moles could be dangerous and needs to be treated immediately.

The removal of moles is a very easy and straight forward process. They are usually chemically frozen and as it dries, it falls off on their own. Some moles have to be cut off from the skin. If a biopsy is required, get it done and if the results are positive for melanoma, the doctor will cut off a much larger area of the skin and close the wound.

Make sure that you keep tabs on all your moles. Look for changes in size, shape and color. Whether for aesthetic or medical reasons, moles can be easily removed.

Natural Techniques for Anti-Aging

Aging might be a natural and irreversible process but, we can use newly discovered skin care techniques to slow down the aging of the skin. If you are determined to slow down this aging, you can be successful by following the tips included in this article. Some of the leading causes and how they can be overcome are shown below.

• Sun damage

Unprotected exposure to direct sunlight is the number one cause of premature aging. Over the years, sunlight can cause irreversible changes to your skin. You should protect yourself from sun damage by the judicious use of sunscreen on the exposed areas. Many makeup companies offer products that come with sun protection. You can wear these outside. You can reduce the exposure to sunlight by wearing a hat or an umbrella when you go outside during the day.

• Free radicals

These tiny molecules cause even more damage than sunlight because they work from the inside out. They are created in our bodies due to the pollution around us and due to bad diet. A high fat diet or junk foods can increase your free radicals. These free radicals are one of the major causes of premature aging. We can fight them by increasing the amount of anti oxidants in our system. Vitamin A and E are excellent anti oxidants and we can choose a diet which is rich in these vitamins. Colorful fruits and vegetables also contain good quantities of these antioxidants. Prevention is better than cure so you can reduce free radicals by reducing your exposure to pollutants and carcinogens.

• Chemical buildup

You should try and cut back on the artificially made makeup and skin care products. These chemicals are not good for you and prolonged exposure to these chemicals can accelerate premature aging. These chemicals can get deposited in our organs and can cause problems later on in life. You can stick to all-natural skin care products and makeup. Instead of deodorants use essential oils and naturally scented creams. You should also shower daily to wash away the chemicals that are sticking to your skin.

• Dead cells

You can remove the layers of dead cells and promote the growth of newer and much fresher skin by a process called exfoliation. The commonly used exfoliation techniques improve the circulation in your skin and helps leech out the chemicals form your lymph nodes. Most of these techniques can be carried out during our bath or shower. Using a weekly body scrub once a, drying yourself with a scratchy towel, using a skin brush with rough bristles before shower, using a lloofah while you are in the bath are all good way to exfoliate yourselves.

• Low hydration levels

You should drink enough water to maintain good hydration levels during the day. Doctors suggest six glasses of water for an adult. Of course, the actual amount depends on your living and work conditions and your specific body type. You should also avoid alcohols as they are natural dehydrating agents. Doctors suggest a rule of thumb to calculate the amount of water that you should drink daily. The number of glasses (250 ml) that you need to drink can be obtained by dividing your weight by 8.

If you try and follow the tips mentioned in this article, you can significantly slow down the process of aging of your skin. And with a healthy and youthful appearance, you will look and feel years younger.

Chemical Peeling for Ageing Skin

Chemical peeling is used by the doctors to exfoliate the layers of dead or old skin using chemical solutions of varying strengths. The idea here is to remove the old skin or peel it away to pave the way for fresher skin to form. This process can certainly rejuvenate your skin but this is only an external effect and has nothing to do with the internal process of aging. As the new skin gets exposed to sunlight and gets weather beaten, it will loose its luster, until you come in for the next procedure.

This procedure is ideal for removing surface aberrations like sun damage and pigmentation which can be easily treated. You can even use chemical peels for skin conditions like wrinkles or acne. A deeper peel is called for if you are looking to combat facial scars.

The strength and type of the chemical solution depends on the skin condition that is being treated and on the benefits that are expected from the procedure. If you are talking about small external problems a mild peel would suffice. But for deeper scars and wrinkles, a deeper peel is called for. The decision will rest with your doctor. He will decide, after considering the extent of the skin condition and the benefits expected, on the type of peel that is required.

Alpha hydroxyl acids are used for mild peels while Trichloroacetic acids are used for the medium peels but for deeper peels you may have go up in strength and use phenol. These are some of the common reagents that are used. This list is not exhaustive by any means.

Usually when you peel away the layer of skin, the patient will suffer from redness and scaling until the new skin forms. The degree and duration of these conditions or side effects will depend on the strength of the peel that was used. Doctors will warn you that deeper peels can cause increased discomfort while producing better results. The choice is yours to make.

This article does not provide or substitute for professional medical advice. If you plan to follow the tips given in this article, you should consult your doctor and ask him his opinion. No claim of liability will be entertained by the author in the event of damage being caused due to the misinterpretation of facts contained in this article.