Do you use creams and lotions that just do not seem to relieve you of your dry skin? Chances are, the products you are not using do not contain natural skin care oils. Most creams and lotions contain oils, just not the right type.
Many large cosmetic companies use mineral oil in their products. Mineral oil will make your skin feel soft; however, it will clog your pores. This will lead to acne breakouts and other skin conditions. Mineral oil is a cheap additive that far too many companies use.
In addition, it is not a natural product, but it does save money for these companies and just adds to their bottom line. It is advisable to avoid using products that contain this additive. However, the choice is up to you. I can just provide information on what you should avoid and what natural skin care oils work the best at moisturizing your skin.
Avocado oil is one of the top natural skin care oils used in moisturizing creams and lotions. It is very effective at reducing age spots due to the high count of sterolins in the oil. In addition, it softens the skin and helps to increase the amount of collagen in the skin. Collagen is a fiber like protein that gives our skin its structure.
Babassu oil is an extract of the Amazonian Babassu palm. It helps to soothe the skin and helps to relieve dry itchy skin. It also does not leave an oily residue.
Jojoba oil is an extract of the Jojoba seed. This is another of the amazing natural skin care oils that helps to moisturize and heal the skin. Again, this oil does not leave an oily residue on the skin.
Grapeseed oil is extracted from the seeds of grapes. This natural oil is also an excellent moisturizer for the skin. It also features healing properties that help to repair damaged skin cells. It also contains Vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that helps with the repairing of damaged cells.
When looking for an effective moisturizer, choose a product that contains these effective natural skin care oils. In addition, avoid using products that contain mineral oil. If you would like more information on the best natural ingredients used in skin care products then please visit my website today.
About the Author:
Tara Mathews is an advocate for using organic skin care products. Her plan is to educate people on how to find the best anti aging skin care products. Visit our site for more information today! http://www.thefacewrinkle.com/
By Tara Mathews
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
How You Could Be Causing Your Ingrown Toenail by Ava Plumb
Unless you are trimming your toenail straight across and no shorter than the end of the nail crease, chances are you may be causing your ingrown toenails. Rounding the edges of your nail or "cutting out" ingrown nails improperly can also lead to recurring ingrown toenails.
When you trim your nails, they may end up looking as perfect as a professional pedicure but the problem doesn't come from what you can see. In many cases, the nail is either curved down into the toe or the skin at the edge of the nail protrudes slightly over the nail. In these cases, the part of the nail hidden by the skin often is not trimmed flush with the rest of the nail and creates what is known as a nail spicule. This tiny part of the nail is often pointed and becomes ingrown as the nail grows out, pushing the spicule into the skin in front of the nail. A good clue that you are creating a nail spicule is if you cut the edge of the nail and then have to pull the piece off.
Trimming your toenails seems like one of those no-brainer activities, yet surprisingly few people understand how to do it without risking an ingrown nail. The following steps cover the proper way to trim your nails.
When you trim your nails, they may end up looking as perfect as a professional pedicure but the problem doesn't come from what you can see. In many cases, the nail is either curved down into the toe or the skin at the edge of the nail protrudes slightly over the nail. In these cases, the part of the nail hidden by the skin often is not trimmed flush with the rest of the nail and creates what is known as a nail spicule. This tiny part of the nail is often pointed and becomes ingrown as the nail grows out, pushing the spicule into the skin in front of the nail. A good clue that you are creating a nail spicule is if you cut the edge of the nail and then have to pull the piece off.
Trimming your toenails seems like one of those no-brainer activities, yet surprisingly few people understand how to do it without risking an ingrown nail. The following steps cover the proper way to trim your nails.
- If possible, use only toenail trimmers with a straight blade. Most nail clippers have a curve blade which will create a curved end to the nail. Additionally, make sure that the clippers are sharp and strong so that the nail can be cut in one try.
- Soak feet in warm water for 5-10 minutes prior to trimming to soften nails. This will make trimming easier and give you more control over the cuts that you are making.
- Trim nails straight across and no shorter than the end of the nail crease.
- If the nail inadvertently gets cut shorter than intended, run a nail file underneath the nail from the front around to the side and ensure that the very edge of the nail is even with the rest of the nail.
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
The Laser Acne Treatment: Is It The Best Alternative For Your Skin? by Jennifer Carlson
Many long term acne sufferers are turning to new treatments in an attempt to clear up their skin for good. One such treatment is the laser acne treatment, which comes in various forms depending upon the skin type and severity of acne suffered, as well as the presence or absence of scarring on the face as a result of previous acne lesions.
One form of laser acne treatment uses ablative lasers, and works by actually burning off the outer layer of the person's skin. Other laser acne treatments which are less invasive and painful work instead by stimulating the growth of collagen in the skin, and by helping to tighten the skin. These are non-ablative laser treatments.
As a long term acne sufferer (I had acne for over fifteen years), I tried both forms of laser treatment. The first, using a carbon dioxide layer, was much more painful and left my skin sore and reddened for some time after the treatment. However, it was able to diminish the appearance of existing acne scars from my face, and my existing acne did seem to heal as a result of the treatment. Unfortunately, in time the acne returned. However, as the scarring was significantly diminished, I didn't consider the treatment to have been a waste of money!
The other type of laser treatment (using an erbium laser) I tried about eighteen months later. This time, the results were not as significant; although for a time afterwards my skin did appear to improve. However, as with the other treatment the improvement was not permanent.
So, would I recommend a laser acne treatment? Well, for people with bad acne scarring, an ablative laser acne treatment will really help improve the appearance of the scarring. However, overall I wouldn't recommend the laser acne treatment for other acne sufferers. For a start, it's a costly procedure, and there's nothing worse than spending good money on temporary results.
In my case, a few months after my last laser acne treatment, a friend told me about a book he'd purchased called: Acne Cured the eBook. Now, this friend's skin had really improved over a period of several weeks, but I was naturally very skeptical that a book would be able to give me the answers to my skin problem that dermatologists seemingly could not. However, I bought the book (much less costly than a laser acne treatment) and committed to following the advice in it. One thing that I particularly liked about the book was that it explained the root cause behind the acne I was getting. Once I understood that, I knew why all the other acne treatments I'd tried in the past had ultimately failed me. They'd worked solely on the skin, which although it's the place where acne presents itself, isn't the place where acne begins!
My laser acne treatment helped clear acne scars from my skin, and that's something that I'm truly grateful for, but it was Acne Cured the eBook that showed me how I could get rid of my acne once and for all. If I had to do it all over again, I'd follow the advice in the book first and then have my acne laser treatment, which worked really only against the ugly acne scars on my face.
About The Author:
If you want to cure your acne for good, click over to Acne Cured the eBook and find out how Jennifer Carlson finally cured the acne she'd suffered from for over 15 years. Learn more about acne and acne treatments by visiting her website Acne Medication and Treatment.
One form of laser acne treatment uses ablative lasers, and works by actually burning off the outer layer of the person's skin. Other laser acne treatments which are less invasive and painful work instead by stimulating the growth of collagen in the skin, and by helping to tighten the skin. These are non-ablative laser treatments.
As a long term acne sufferer (I had acne for over fifteen years), I tried both forms of laser treatment. The first, using a carbon dioxide layer, was much more painful and left my skin sore and reddened for some time after the treatment. However, it was able to diminish the appearance of existing acne scars from my face, and my existing acne did seem to heal as a result of the treatment. Unfortunately, in time the acne returned. However, as the scarring was significantly diminished, I didn't consider the treatment to have been a waste of money!
The other type of laser treatment (using an erbium laser) I tried about eighteen months later. This time, the results were not as significant; although for a time afterwards my skin did appear to improve. However, as with the other treatment the improvement was not permanent.
So, would I recommend a laser acne treatment? Well, for people with bad acne scarring, an ablative laser acne treatment will really help improve the appearance of the scarring. However, overall I wouldn't recommend the laser acne treatment for other acne sufferers. For a start, it's a costly procedure, and there's nothing worse than spending good money on temporary results.
In my case, a few months after my last laser acne treatment, a friend told me about a book he'd purchased called: Acne Cured the eBook. Now, this friend's skin had really improved over a period of several weeks, but I was naturally very skeptical that a book would be able to give me the answers to my skin problem that dermatologists seemingly could not. However, I bought the book (much less costly than a laser acne treatment) and committed to following the advice in it. One thing that I particularly liked about the book was that it explained the root cause behind the acne I was getting. Once I understood that, I knew why all the other acne treatments I'd tried in the past had ultimately failed me. They'd worked solely on the skin, which although it's the place where acne presents itself, isn't the place where acne begins!
My laser acne treatment helped clear acne scars from my skin, and that's something that I'm truly grateful for, but it was Acne Cured the eBook that showed me how I could get rid of my acne once and for all. If I had to do it all over again, I'd follow the advice in the book first and then have my acne laser treatment, which worked really only against the ugly acne scars on my face.
About The Author:
If you want to cure your acne for good, click over to Acne Cured the eBook and find out how Jennifer Carlson finally cured the acne she'd suffered from for over 15 years. Learn more about acne and acne treatments by visiting her website Acne Medication and Treatment.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
The Balancing Act of Omega Fatty Acids by Greg Post
Generally it can be said that most of us do not get a good balance of essential fatty acids in our diet. Perhaps this does not sound like late breaking news. However most of what we consider news does not directly impact our lives. An earthquake half way around the world will make the headlines. But in reality most of us are insulated from its effects. Essential fatty acids on the other hand will never make a reporter's career. However, many of us are affected by these little buggers more than we may suspect.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are called essential because we need them to survive and our bodies cannot manufacture them. Deficiency and imbalance of EFAs are blamed for an impressive list of chronic health conditions. But, unlike the distant earthquake, EFA deficiency is unlikely to make the headlines.
Two very notable essential fatty acids that are worth our attention are omega-3 and omega-6. They get their names because of the placement of the first of multiple double carbon bonds in the molecule. Though the chemistry is important it is not the focus of this essay. What is important to us now is the potential health impact of these two fats. Let's take a closer look at each of these essential fatty acids separately and then consider their relation to each other.
Omega-6
In reverse order we will consider omega-6 first. Perhaps we do not hear as much about omega-6 as we do its counterpart. But consider this impressive resume. Omega-6 has been useful in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, ADHD, osteoporosis, diabetes, eye disease, certain skin conditions, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis and even cancer. Not bad for an unsung hero. Go over that list again. These are all serious conditions that have been tied to omega-6 deficiencies. So why do we hear so little about this little gem? Perhaps it is because health issues only become exciting once there is an obvious problem. Then we usually look for a pill to take. But if this is a reason for our ignorance it is not the biggest reason.
The plain truth is most of us are getting plenty of omega-6 in our diets. In fact most of us get way too much. Over ten times too much. That's a switch isn't it? Too much of a good thing. The reason we get so much of it is because many of the foods we buy are processed with some type of linoleic acid which is a popular form of omega-6. In addition many oils we use are high in omega-6 such as sunflower, safflower, soybean, corn and cottonseed oils.
So what's the rub? Why worry about too much omega-6? Our bodies have the ability to convert linoleic acid into longer chain fatty acids which lead to the production of eicosanoids. Eicosanoids depending, on their source, can have positive and negative influences on our bodies. They can slow intravascular clotting which helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes. They suppress inflammation preventing us from overreacting to allergens. They dilate blood vessels reducing hypertension and increasing good blood delivery. They can also control cell growth slowing the rapid growth of cancer cells.
On the other hand they might increase blood clotting which leads to heart attack and stroke. They suppress the immune system leaving us more open to infection. They increase cellular growth thereby promoting the growth of cancer cells. And they create new blood vessels which can feed cancer cells. Unfortunately eicosanoids produced by an overabundance of omega-6 in the system cause many of the negative factors mentioned above.
Omega-3
Omega-3 has the opposite story. Like omega-6 it is essential to proper health and is useful in the treatment of many chronic diseases. Among these conditions are heart attacks, cancer, lupus, schizophrenia, accelerated aging, stroke, insulin resistance, asthma, postpartum depression, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, ADHD, and Alzheimer's disease.
But unlike omega-6 most diets are deplorably deficient in omega-3. Most of us get only a small amount of what we need for optimal health. Though it can manifest itself in many ways this deficiency may be most noticeable in chronic heart disease. Entire cultures are known to have very low incidence of heart disease because of diets high in omega-3 rich foods. Most notorious among these are Eskimos. Danish researchers first learned this secret from the Eskimos. Of course the Eskimos did not realize they had a secret. They were just eating large amounts of the fatty foods that were available to them. That's right, fatty foods. Foods like salmon which are high in omega-3.
Once the secret was out researchers rolled up their sleeves and produced a flurry of studies and trials to test the hypothesis that omega-3 reduces heart disease. The studies continue to go on. But the overwhelming conclusion is consistent with the original observations. That is: omega-3 reduces incidence of heart disease. In fact the conclusions are so certain the even the American Heart Association now recommends fish oil supplements for any one with documented coronary heart disease or high triglycerides. That was no small concession for the AMA.
Balance
Of course we all understand that the key to everything is balance. Perhaps this familiar sentiment is nowhere more important than it is to the topic at hand. Both omega-6 and omega-3 are essential to health. But the ratio at which we ingest these fatty acids is key. Scientists differ on the optimal ratio. One recommended ratio is 5 parts omega-6 compared to 1 part omega-3. Some would stretch that to a 10:1 ratio. The more conservative estimates place the optimal ratio somewhere between 1:1 and 4:1. Unfortunately the average American diet includes an omega-6/omega-3 ratio between 14:1 and 20:1. This imbalance contributes to many of the chronic health problems mentioned above.
So what do we do? Assuming you are a reader who takes this seriously there are some steps you can take to assure better health for you and your family. You can begin by avoiding foods prepared with linoleic acid and some of the linoleic acid rich oils mentioned above. Buy less prepared foods and do more home cooking. Then make every effort to increase omega-3 consumption. Cold water fish like salmon and tuna (not the canned varieties) are very high in omega-3. But you need to eat these fish more than once per week. I have met people who eat salmon every day for breakfast. If you are not a fish lover or are concerned with marine pollutants try fish oil supplements. The good ones are completely free from contaminants. Our diets have contributed to the increase of chronic conditions like heart disease. Our diets can go a long way toward resolving the problems.
For more information on the omega fatty acids and heart health please see the links below.
Omega-6 and Omega-3
Make a website... That works!
Triglycerides
About the Author:
Greg has degrees in science, divinity and philosophy and is currently an I.T. developer.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are called essential because we need them to survive and our bodies cannot manufacture them. Deficiency and imbalance of EFAs are blamed for an impressive list of chronic health conditions. But, unlike the distant earthquake, EFA deficiency is unlikely to make the headlines.
Two very notable essential fatty acids that are worth our attention are omega-3 and omega-6. They get their names because of the placement of the first of multiple double carbon bonds in the molecule. Though the chemistry is important it is not the focus of this essay. What is important to us now is the potential health impact of these two fats. Let's take a closer look at each of these essential fatty acids separately and then consider their relation to each other.
Omega-6
In reverse order we will consider omega-6 first. Perhaps we do not hear as much about omega-6 as we do its counterpart. But consider this impressive resume. Omega-6 has been useful in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, ADHD, osteoporosis, diabetes, eye disease, certain skin conditions, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis and even cancer. Not bad for an unsung hero. Go over that list again. These are all serious conditions that have been tied to omega-6 deficiencies. So why do we hear so little about this little gem? Perhaps it is because health issues only become exciting once there is an obvious problem. Then we usually look for a pill to take. But if this is a reason for our ignorance it is not the biggest reason.
The plain truth is most of us are getting plenty of omega-6 in our diets. In fact most of us get way too much. Over ten times too much. That's a switch isn't it? Too much of a good thing. The reason we get so much of it is because many of the foods we buy are processed with some type of linoleic acid which is a popular form of omega-6. In addition many oils we use are high in omega-6 such as sunflower, safflower, soybean, corn and cottonseed oils.
So what's the rub? Why worry about too much omega-6? Our bodies have the ability to convert linoleic acid into longer chain fatty acids which lead to the production of eicosanoids. Eicosanoids depending, on their source, can have positive and negative influences on our bodies. They can slow intravascular clotting which helps to prevent heart attacks and strokes. They suppress inflammation preventing us from overreacting to allergens. They dilate blood vessels reducing hypertension and increasing good blood delivery. They can also control cell growth slowing the rapid growth of cancer cells.
On the other hand they might increase blood clotting which leads to heart attack and stroke. They suppress the immune system leaving us more open to infection. They increase cellular growth thereby promoting the growth of cancer cells. And they create new blood vessels which can feed cancer cells. Unfortunately eicosanoids produced by an overabundance of omega-6 in the system cause many of the negative factors mentioned above.
Omega-3
Omega-3 has the opposite story. Like omega-6 it is essential to proper health and is useful in the treatment of many chronic diseases. Among these conditions are heart attacks, cancer, lupus, schizophrenia, accelerated aging, stroke, insulin resistance, asthma, postpartum depression, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, ADHD, and Alzheimer's disease.
But unlike omega-6 most diets are deplorably deficient in omega-3. Most of us get only a small amount of what we need for optimal health. Though it can manifest itself in many ways this deficiency may be most noticeable in chronic heart disease. Entire cultures are known to have very low incidence of heart disease because of diets high in omega-3 rich foods. Most notorious among these are Eskimos. Danish researchers first learned this secret from the Eskimos. Of course the Eskimos did not realize they had a secret. They were just eating large amounts of the fatty foods that were available to them. That's right, fatty foods. Foods like salmon which are high in omega-3.
Once the secret was out researchers rolled up their sleeves and produced a flurry of studies and trials to test the hypothesis that omega-3 reduces heart disease. The studies continue to go on. But the overwhelming conclusion is consistent with the original observations. That is: omega-3 reduces incidence of heart disease. In fact the conclusions are so certain the even the American Heart Association now recommends fish oil supplements for any one with documented coronary heart disease or high triglycerides. That was no small concession for the AMA.
Balance
Of course we all understand that the key to everything is balance. Perhaps this familiar sentiment is nowhere more important than it is to the topic at hand. Both omega-6 and omega-3 are essential to health. But the ratio at which we ingest these fatty acids is key. Scientists differ on the optimal ratio. One recommended ratio is 5 parts omega-6 compared to 1 part omega-3. Some would stretch that to a 10:1 ratio. The more conservative estimates place the optimal ratio somewhere between 1:1 and 4:1. Unfortunately the average American diet includes an omega-6/omega-3 ratio between 14:1 and 20:1. This imbalance contributes to many of the chronic health problems mentioned above.
So what do we do? Assuming you are a reader who takes this seriously there are some steps you can take to assure better health for you and your family. You can begin by avoiding foods prepared with linoleic acid and some of the linoleic acid rich oils mentioned above. Buy less prepared foods and do more home cooking. Then make every effort to increase omega-3 consumption. Cold water fish like salmon and tuna (not the canned varieties) are very high in omega-3. But you need to eat these fish more than once per week. I have met people who eat salmon every day for breakfast. If you are not a fish lover or are concerned with marine pollutants try fish oil supplements. The good ones are completely free from contaminants. Our diets have contributed to the increase of chronic conditions like heart disease. Our diets can go a long way toward resolving the problems.
For more information on the omega fatty acids and heart health please see the links below.
Omega-6 and Omega-3
Make a website... That works!
Triglycerides
About the Author:
Greg has degrees in science, divinity and philosophy and is currently an I.T. developer.
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