Organic & Natural Skin Care to Prevent Premature Aging

Aging is a normal process of life and the evidence of aging shows on our skin. As we age skin begins to thin, dry and dull due to slow cell turn over. New skin cells do not grow as quickly, resulting in thinning skin. As a result, dead skin cells shed less quickly making the appearance of the skin dull and dry. Collagen and elastin-the system of fibers that make skin firm and elastic-begin to break down, resulting in sagging and wrinkles. Pigmentation is more prominent as we age when melanocytes, (which produce skin pigment) begin to produce irregularly. Research has shown there are two different factors in aging; intrinsic or internal and extrinsic or external.

Intrinsic aging, the natural course of aging, has to do with genes and inheritance. Natural aging begins at birth; however, signs of aging begin to appear on the skin in our mid 20’s. Intrinsic aging includes slower cell turn over, and less collagen production. Elastin begins to break down which acts like a rubber band enabling our skin to stretch and snap back. Visible signs of intrinsic skin aging include fine lines, loss of suppleness, dry and thin skin.

Extrinsic aging are the external factors that age the skin. These include sun exposure, health, diet, gravity, sleeping positions, smoking, drinking and even facial expressions. External factors cause premature aging to the skin and can become visible rather quickly.

While intrinsic factors are mostly uncontrollable, fortunately, extrinsic aging is controllable. Skin aging is a normal process however, premature aging of the skin can be prevented. A healthy lifestyle, yearly physical exams and topical care of the skin can prevent premature aging. A healthy, active life style will create healthy, strong skin from the outside in, preventing premature aging. Physical exams may catch early signs of skin damage that then can be treated. Topical skin care allows the skin to absorb ingredients through natural topical products that aid in building the epidermis and dermal layers of skin, the skin that is and will become visible. The best topical skin care includes organic or natural skin care products such as cleansers, moisturizers, serums and sunscreens.

To prevent premature aging is to treat your skin as one of a kind. There are many different skin types, meaning what one person is doing to take care of their skin is not necessarily what you need to be doing to treat your skin. However, the most important products to aid in preventing premature aging are natural cleansers, exfoliates, natural intense moisturizers with hydrators and organic sunscreens. Cleansers will cleanse the skin clearing excess oil, dirt and debris. Exfoliates will slough off dead skin, deep clean pores and result in smoother more even skin tone. Natural and organic Moisturizers with hydrators will keep the skin supple and moist, while sunscreen will help to protect the skin from sun damage. It is also important to consider skin care products that include natural essential oils and antioxidants to help fight off free radicals that can further damage skin cells. Zinc is a great natural, organic sun screen that blocks the sun rays rather than absorb them like a chemical treatment. Always consult a dermatologist before starting any skin care routine.

By Tiffany Oney

Tiffany Oney is a licensed esthetician, professional makeup artist and natural skincare authority. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies California State University, Long Beach and interning with Vivoderm Natural Skincare in Los Angeles, California.

Five Natural Skin Care Tips to Prevent Facial Aging

The biological make-up of our skin begins to show signs of aging as early as our 20s. Age shows not only on our face, neck and chest but all over. There are many ways to care for your skin and prevent premature aging. Following are five ways that you can age gracefully. These are natural, organic things you can do in your daily life that will dramatically reduce signs of aging and improve your skin.

• Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, quit. We all know that smoking is bad for us and affects our body negatively. Smoking
  

  smoking causes wrinkles

  contributes to premature aging and many other health problems. The many chemicals in cigarettes influence the skin’s structure and dehydrate the cells, resulting in increased aging.

• Get some sleep. Research has shown that people who sleep regularly seven to eight hours a night are healthier than those who lack sleep or over sleep. Sleeping allows the body to repair cellular damage and recharge. To prevent signs of aging on the face, try sleeping on your back. Sleeping on your stomach or side can damage skin by slowing down circulation and weakening the skin’s elasticity, resulting in wrinkles.
• Sunscreen, use it, wear it, and love it. Wear sunscreen everyday-even on cloudy or rainy days, and even if you are just going to be outside a short time. We all know that the sun has harmful affects to the skin. Sun tanning and burning damage the skin, leading to premature aging. Sun exposure over time leads to wrinkles and ugly pigmentation spots. There is no excuse to not wear sunscreen, it comes in all forms and is formulated now to be lightweight and beneficial to the skin as well as giving sun protection.
• Hydrate and Moisturize the skin from the inside and outside. Hydrated skin is healthy and plump, looks moist and shows few wrinkles and lines. As we age our skin loses elasticity; using moisturizers with ingredients such as vitamins and minerals that help repair the skin is the best way to restore elasticity and prevent its break down. Drink lots of water to hydrate the skin internally and use a good moisturizer. Try intense facial moisturizer or zinc repair cream by Vivoderm.
• A healthy lifestyle and healthy diet can dramatically strengthen the skin and prevent premature aging. Fruits, vegetables,
  

  healthy diet and skin care

  nuts and other nutrient- rich produce give the body strength to fight and repair damage. If you are good to your body from the inside out, you will have less external maintenance. Part of a healthy life style is getting exercise, so get up and get moving. Fit people also tend have less heath problems. Health problems can lead to premature aging of the skin by showing wrinkles and damage earlier than those people who choose to be healthy.

There is no way to prevent aging - it is inevitable, however there are ways to slow it down. Today there is plastic surgery and amazing skin care products to improve the look and feel of skin. But it’s never too late to prevent further damage so you don’t have to take the drastic measures of plastic surgery or spend tons of money on skin care later in life.

By Tiffany Oney

Tiffany Oney is a licensed esthetician, professional makeup artist and natural skincare authority.  She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Communications Studies California State University, Long Beach and interning with Vivoderm Natural Skincare in Los Angeles, California.

Popular Herbs Used in Skin Care and Their Benefits

Popular Herbs Used in Skin Care and Their Benefits: Chamomile, Aloe Vera, Lavender and Rosemary

Today skin care and cosmetics are increasingly going natural. You may have heard that herbs and oils are commonly used in skin care and cosmetics; but, you may not know why or what purpose they serve. why, and what do the do? Four very common and popular herbs that are used in the form of oil or gels are chamomile, Aloe Vera, lavender, and rosemary. All provide unique benefits for the skin and body.

The benefits of chamomile for the skin and body range from calming effects to healing. Recent and on-going research has identified chamomile’s specific benefits as

anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-allergenic. Chamomile is most often recognized as an herbal tea; however, chamomile is present in many skin care products. Chamomile’s active ingredients extracted from the flower are essential oils and flavonoids. Essential oils help to calm and relax irritated skin. Essential oils have also been found to be beneficial to treat and sooth acne prone skin. Flavonoids – or plant metabolites- are rich in anti oxidants that help the body repair and heal damaged skin, as well as fight free radicals, which create damage to bodily cells. Chamomile has few side effects and is effective and beneficial to the skin topically or if ingested.

Aloe Vera contains numerous, minerals, vitamin, enzymes, and natural sugars that help with inflammation. Aloe Vera is commonly known for its healing properties, which explains its popular use in skin care. Aloe Vera aids in the healing of skin burns and cuts and moisturizes and softens skin. Aloe Vera is used in skin care products to help with dry sensitive skin as the plant has unique healing and soothing properties. Taken internally, Aloe Vera has been found to regulate digestion, which in turn builds healthy skin from the inside out. Aloe Vera is available as a gel, spray, lotion, juice, cream and in the form of a capsule. Aloe Vera is most commonly found in soaps, cleansers, facial masks, skin care gels or creams.

Lavender has many uses in skin care that include aiding skin repair, stimulating cell growth, reducing inflammation, preventing scarring and pigmentation, regulating oil production, and reducing pain. Lavender also works as antiseptic or antibacterial agent and is considered an essential oil. Due to its extensive benefits to the skin, lavender is often found in soaps, cleaners, or facial masks formulated to treat acne prone skin.

Rosemary can be used as an essential oil just like chamomile and lavender. Rosemary and lavender are actually found in the same herbal family. Rosemary tones

the skin, helping to even out skin tone and texture, while reliving dryness. Rosemary strengthens capillaries and is good to use on aging skin. Rosemary is found in skin care cleansers, soaps, face masks, toners and creams.

There are many other herbs used in skin care and cosmetics today-most in the form of essential oils or extracts- and all can have different or positive effects on the skin and body. Herbs and oils have been used to heal for many centuries and now are being utilized for safe, natural ways to treat skin conditions and maintain a healthy complexion.

by Tiffany Oney

Natural Facial Treatments and Seven Tips for Dry Skin

A contributing factor to dry, flaky, skin in winter is a drop in temperature. Although winter sometimes feels damp, there is usually less water in the air than on your skin and that creates a moisture vapour loss from the skin. As skin becomes drier, its surface layer stops producing the natural lipids which prevent moisture loss, and water cannot be retained so easily. Dry skin will also show wrinkles more easlit and contribute to an aging appearance.

Herbalist Greta Breedlove came up with this natural homemade skin care recipes face utilizing the seed of the avocado. It makes a moisturizing face scrub, especially for dry skin.

AVOCADO FACE SCRUB

Let an avocado dry a few days until you can remove the skin easily. Chop, then pulverize in a blender or food mill. Moisten with a little milk and smooth over your face, throat.

AVOCADO FACIAL CLEANSER

One egg yolk, beaten until light and frothy
1/2 cup milk
1/2 avacado, peeled and mashed

Beat the mixture with a fork until you have a thin cream or lotion consistency. Apply with cotton balls as you would a cleanser.

As a result of all these factors, sometimes skin on the face and body tends to be in worse condition in the winter months than at other times of the year. In extreme cases, a constant drying effect can even lead to cracking, flaking and redness.

These four tips for helping to keep dry skin at bay during the colder months come from Dr. Kucy Pon, Olay dermatologist.

1. A moisturizer is essential - A moisturizer performs several important functions, including replacing lost water. Water-binding ingredients, such as glycerin, help keep it in the skin.

2. Create an oasis - Put some moisture back into the air by using a humidifier in your home or office. It will counteract the drying effects of indoor heat.

3. Drink lots of water - Increase your body’s natural moisture level by staying hydrated throughout the day.

4. Keep wrapped up - Dress for the season and try to limit your skin’s exposure to harsh temperatures and damaging winds.

If you have dry skin, then you probably already know it can be really difficult to care for. When you don’t look after it properly, it can become flaky, and if it gets really bad, may even become irritated and red. Although it’s possible to find plenty of products that claim to be able to solve dry skin problems, unfortunately most of their claims are sales hype.

Although most over the counter products don’t do much to combat dry skin, there are a number of things you can do to improve the condition of your skin. It’s mostly a question of making some basic changes to your daily skincare routine. It won’t take long for your skin to appear more healthy and vibrant.

With dry skin, you have completely the opposite problem to someone with oily skin. Basically, your skin is suffering from a lack of sebum, the oil that helps to keep the skin moist and supple. People with oily skin produce far too much sebum. Sebum is actually made from skin cells, and is an essential ingredient in healthy, supple skin. Because dry skin has insufficient oil, you need to replace it from both inside and outside.

5.  Moisturize

One of the best things you can do for your skin is to use a good quality moisturizer. Choose a cream that is rich, but not heavy. Consider choosing a natural cream with aloe vera and chamomile. Both these ingredients are very soothing, as well as helping to reduce dryness and improve the skin’s healing abilities.

6. Choose Healthy Foods

You also need to look at the type of foods you eat. It’s important to choose healthy foods, because the healthier your body, the healthier your skin will be. You may not realize this, but your skin is actually the largest organ of your body. So it needs to be nourished just like all the other organs in your body.

7.  Supplement

Depending on the types of food you already eat, you might need to consider taking a supplement, such as Vitamin E, Omega-3 oils and B-Complex vitamins. Making sure you get enough of these important nutrients is a great way to improve the condition of your skin.

By nourishing your skin in all these ways, you should soon a marked reduction in the level of dryness. Helping your skin to be more supple and moist also helps to slow down the process of aging, so you’re the winner in two ways.

By Tom Turner

Understanding Hormones and Your Skin

“How to achieve beautiful, supple and young-looking skin”. You almost can’t avoid it - splashed on magazine covers, reported in newspapers and marketed on television and radio, the message to improve our skin would appear paramount to how we and others view our looks.
How does our skin age?  Skin aging is influenced by:

* Genetic differences
* Hormonal changes, e.g. estrogen and thyroxin
* Chronic sun exposure
* Wind, pollution

Blame it on hormones

Hormones are mostly to blame for skin changes as we age. Hormones are chemical messengers produced in organs such as the ovaries, adrenal glands, and thyroid glands, and all have an effect on other tissues.

Much of the reason why our skin begins to suffer is primarily due to hormones — and there is a massive industry manufacturing products to try to alleviate the results of these hormonal changes, notably as women reach menopause in their 40s and 50s.

As menopause occurs, estrogen is reduced and while it has a direct effect on thinning bones, it also creates significant changes in the skin. Women find:

* their skin becomes drier with increased wrinkles
* skin becomes more fragile, loses some of its elasticity, and is looser because the production of collagen is reduced
* older skin appears paler as the lack of estrogen reduces the number of blood vessels in the skin
* menopause also causes a reduction in the level of testosterone but not as significant a drop as in estrogen

Hormones and dry skin

Another hormone we have is thyroxin, produced by the thyroid gland, which influences skin appearance. Too much thyroxin shows a warm, smooth, sweaty, flushed skin. Under-activity of thyroxin produces a dry, coarse thickening of skin with reduced ability to sweat.

Hormones affect acne

The oil glands of the skin are in part controlled by the level and activity of the hormone testosterone in the skin. Testosterone is required to produce acne. This outcome can be seen in conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, which produce some elevation in testosterone, which in turn causes increased facial hair, irregular periods and acne. It has also been found that some birth control pills can block testosterone skin reactors to improve some of the consequences of increasing hormone levels. (See Acne Guide for more acne information)
Thinning hair

Hair will thin after menopause. In some women, genetic factors produce significant thinning. Abnormalities in the level of a thyroid hormone, in addition to the amount of iron stored in the body, can influence the volume of hair.

Estrogen encourages hair to stay in its growing phase (Anagen hair). This is seen in the significant thickening of hair towards the end of pregnancy. After menopause, however, the lower estrogen amount allows the scalp hair to grow towards the falling out stage (Telogen hair).
HRT and skin

Post menopausal women will notice that unlike their scalp, facial hairs increase. This is thought to be because estrogen — which opposes the effect of testosterone — drops relatively more after menopause than testosterone.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been used over the last 20 years to combat the signs of aging. HRT can promote a fuller-looking skin because the skin then becomes thicker with less loss of subcutaneous fat. Thinning and drying of vaginal surfaces is also minimized. This can also be achieved by using topical estrogen. The use of estrogen creams has been shown to maintain the elasticity and fullness of skin after menopause, although at this time it is not used extensively because of concerns about side effects and the variability of absorption into the body.

See your doctor or dermatologist to determine which solutions best suits your experience with aging skin.
By Richard Thomas, MD

Understanding Anti-Oxidants and Free Radicals

If you want to protect your skin, think antioxidants. These have gained a great deal of attention in recent years, and for good reason.
They work to combat the ‘free radical cells’ that damage your skin.

What are free radicals?

Created when oxygen produces by-products during normal cellular metabolism. More accurately, this reactive oxygen ‘steals’ electrons from proteins, DNA and cell membranes, damaging tissue. If left unchecked, free radicals may cause heart damage, cancer, cataracts, and a weak immune system. Free radicals may be involved with aging of tissue; and coupled with sun damage, could promote skin cancers.

While free radicals are produced by normal human metabolism, they can be increased by smoking, alcohol, exposure to heavy metals, and radiation. Antioxidants counteract this process by binding to the free radicals, transforming them into non-damaging compounds, or repairing cellular damage. It would seem logical, then, to include antioxidants in your daily regime.

To the rescue

Antioxidants are the antidote to free radicals. They can be taken orally or applied directly to the skin. What are antioxidants?
In order for antioxidants to have any benefit they have to be in sufficient quantities in the tissue. Common antioxidants that are taken orally, or eaten, are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium and the carotenoids, (fruits and vegetables having the most deeply or brightly-colored fruits and vegetables, i.e.: spinach, carrots, red bell peppers, tomatoes).

What are topical antioxidants?

Topical antioxidants may reduce UVA damage. UVA is the wavelength that mostly produces visible signs of sun damage and has some
carcinogenic effect. Topical antioxidants that have been studied in creams or ointments are Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Glutathione, Lipoic Acid, Coenzyme Q10, Soy- isoflavanone. It has been shown that combining some of these have additional benefit.  Others such as selenium, zinc and silymarin have not been studied for their effects.

Which are the antioxidants?

Antioxidants can be divided into those that are fat soluble and those that are water soluble.  Fat soluble is:

* Vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 and lipoic acid

Water soluble is:

* Glutathione and Vitamin C

Vitamin E:

* The antioxidant effect can be more effective if combined with other antioxidants i.e.: coenzyme Q10 and Vitamin C
* Is found in fresh vegetables, oils, seeds, nuts, cumin, and soy. Animal studies have shown that Vitamin E protects against UVB
damage, although this effect has not been proved in humans. (UVB is much more carcinogenic than UVA, and causes sunburns).
* Commonly used to help wound healing. However, studies in human burns did not show Vitamin E helping and about a 1/5 of
patients reacted to vitamin E with a contact dermatitis).
* Topical Vitamin E is commonly used by pregnant women in the belief that it prevents stretch marks. There is no evidence for this,
and sometimes an acute allergic dermatitis is produced causing an inflamed uncomfortable rash.

Coenzyme Q10 (also known as Ubiquinone)

* Found in fish and shell fish
* It penetrates well into skin, and is claimed to reduce the breakdown of collagen after exposure to UVA light
* It may reduce the depth of wrinkles but this has not been confirmed in studies

Lipoic Acid

* This is well absorbed into the skin, and converted quickly into dihydrolipoic acid in the cells. It has an anti-inflammatory effect. A
three per cent application of Lipoid Acid has been shown to reduce redness in the skin after UVB exposure.

Glutathione

* This antioxidant is produced by amino acids, eysteine, glycine and glutamic acid

Vitamin C

* Also known as Ascorbic Acid
* Oral Vitamin C improves wound healing and may enhance the immune system
* The lack of vitamin C produces scurvy, which produces fragile skin and bleeding gums

Topical Vitamin C

* reduces sun damage, fine wrinkles, and may lighten dark skin pigmentation
Green Tea (Tea polyphenols)
When used topically as a cream

* Has shown to reduce the carcinogenic effect of certain chemicals and ultraviolet rays on the skin of animals. We are still awaiting
good evidence for benefit in humans

* Produces anti-inflammatory effects
* Reduces the redness caused by UV light

DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone)

* Occurs naturally in our bodies
* When taken orally, DHEA is a powerful antioxidant that may have an anti-aging effect and help thicken skin and reduce
pigmentation
* It is not know if there are any long-term negative effects from oral injection
Soy-isoflavones

* When used topically it may increase collagen and decrease redness and damage from ultraviolet rays
* For more information about caring for your skin, visit the rest of this site.
By Dr. Richard Thomas

What is Organic and Natural Skincare?

Today’s busy lifestyle means that our skin takes a battering from the elements and from all the chemical contaminants that we unavoidably come across at home and in the workplace. Recent research showed just how many unwanted chemicals we now have in our bodies. Some of these undoubtedly have been absorbed through the skin and most of these chemicals did not even exist 50 years ago. Unfortunately our quest for ever more cost effective cleaning, beauty and garden products has meant the introduction of new chemical concoctions, some of which are now being identified as potentially carcinogenic and dangerous and others as toxic. Our grandparents lived lives where natural skincare was the norm and undoubtedly skincare is more complicated today. But if we take time out to study the ingredients in our skincare products and chose them carefully we can chose the best natural skin care products.

Skin care is important, not only to keep you young looking, but also to assist in warding such dangers as skin cancer. With a major abundance of skin products on the market today, it is difficult to know which are most beneficial to your skin. All of them say they are good for your skin, but naturally that is part of the marketing strategy. One way to narrow down you choices for skin products is to choose organic natural skin care products.

The term “organic” refers to items that are not modified genetically, are not grown with the use of pesticides and involve no use of growth hormones. Many may wonder how organic can be used in terms of skin care. Simply put, the ingredients contained within the specific skin product are organic. This basically indicates that there are less chemicals and preservatives and more ingredients from nature. Something being natural refers to it as not being artificial. Therefore, when you combine the terms organic and natural you see that they both basically entail not using anything artificial. They are basically of the same meaning when placed in the context of organic skin care.

When you look at what makes a skin product organic and/or natural, you can see that often you can make your own home remedies for skin care. For example, a facial steam consisting of herbal tea such as green tea or chamomile opens pores and cleanses them of impurities. A mix of the same type of herbal tea combined with olive oil slathered on the face and body soothes and not only moisturizes, nourishes, but also cleanses and restores the skin. This is just a very small example of organic items that can be utilized to create your own skin care regime at home.

Another organic item of nature that you can use to treat your skin is raw honey. Raw honey has a natural antibiotic contained within that is useful for ridding the skin of some types of acne. Even if you don’t want to do a lot of research to find out how to create your own homemade skincare items, there are ways to ensure when buying products already made and marketed at stores are truly organic and truly appropriate.

First of all an item cannot be labeled as organic unless 95% of the ingredients contained in the product are organically grown. You must be careful when reading labels; however, because there are those that state that the product is made with organic ingredients. With this only 70% of the ingredients contained within the product are organically grown.

Skin care is important, not only to keep you young looking, but consider also that your skin is the largest organ of your body. Most people do not think of their skin that manner, but considering that it helps protect, detoxify, enables entrance of important nutrients into the body to keep you healthy and protects the body from environmental changes it is a vital part of one’s body that should be well taken care of.

Best Organic Natural Skincare Tips

Treating your skin with pure natural skin care products is not just a new fad or a trend, but a true and effective response to a world overloaded with chemicals, toxins, and pollution. There is  only so much a body can do to purge itself from the unhealthy balance we have all been guilty of contributing to. Natural skincare products have been uniquely designed to restore the skin as well as protect the skin and also make it feel smooth, moist and fantastic. The skin is the body’s largest organ and is the first line of defense against toxins and other harmful substances. It is responsible for fighting infections, keeps your temperature regulated as well as fights off dehydration. Why treat it like a chemical garbage dump?

Using natural skin care products is one of the most popular and easy ways to maintain your healthy glow. Some may prefer surgical procedures to augment the natural look of their skin, but in the end using natural skincare is the most effective form of preventative and anti aging skin care regimes. This is because it is easily affordable and there are no ethical issues to consider that many face when considering plastic or augmentative surgery such as Botox injections or face lifts.

Many people are looking for instant solutions to their skin care issues or want to physically augment their appearance because of a sense of dissatisfaction with their appearance. Most physicians will prefer to prescribe natural skincare solutions and offer a variety of choices in terms of how to moderately treat your skincare issue before suggesting you go in for radical and invasive surgeries. Get proper professional advise before you head off to seek a surgical, “instant” option. The likelihood is small that a skincare procedure that involves a any form of anesthesia or an injection of skin bacteria may be the healthier choice.

Next time you consider trying to plump up your lips with a Botox injection or try to puff up your cheeks with some sort of skin bacterial injection, consider doing it the natural way. This can usually be in the form of a cream or lotion that will be significantly less severe than actually adding chemicals to the facial structure and bloodstream. The potential side effects of a chemical addition to your blood or bady can cause unknown allergic problems for many people and are not recommended above natural skincare solutions.

Instead, seek the opinion of a natural skincare expert and allow them to map your facial structure for the skin type and other factors. This will help in administering the best natural skincare product for your face and body, helping the product to work better with your skin type and color. This all comes at a fraction of the risk and at a much lower cost than the surgical procedure.

Administering natural products into your skin is a much better way to maintain a proper skin type and also a better way to improve the look of your skin.

Pure, natural skin care products do not contain the numerous synthetic additives that can cause the human skin’s defense to weaken as well as the unseemly and ugly skin irritations. In addition, the chemical based skin care products may also cause rashes to break out as well as the debilitating allergies. Some, if not all of the chemical additives are by products of motor oil (that’s right), petroleum products and insecticides or even worse.

One hundred percent organic and natural skin care products will help nourish and restore your skin, as well as strengthen the skin and keep it healthy. By using natural skin care treatments, they will work in harmony with the body so you can be assured of having healthy skin which, in turn, will help keep the whole body healthy by asking it to do less internal cleansing and detoxing.

Healthy skin will excrete an important protective covering called the “acid mantle.” This helps to protect the skin from environmental effects as well as harmful organisms. To keep the skin in good health as well as to keep your acid mantle functioning properly you need to have a healthy lifestyle along with a natural or organic skin care regimen.

This can be achieved by not only just eating healthy foods consisting of a whole food diet, but also constantly getting essential fatty acids through consumption of unrefined, expeller pressed plant oils or fish oils. In addition, one should drink plenty of water as well as exercise regularly. Using natural moisturizers and natural sun protectors like zinc and zinc oxide will help in lubricating your skin and protecting you from harmful UVA / UVB rays.

Natural face creams, containing shea butter, coco butter and organic oils as well as organic hand and body lotions will help keep the skin naturally free of blemishes. The best organic and natural skin care products are made from high quality botanical oils and ingredients, which are typically produced in small, carefully packed packages so that one can be assured of purchasing only fresh stocks. So, be sure to give your body and your skin a break…feed it well with nourshing natural foods and organic skin treatments.

Treating and Preventing Sunburn

Playing in the sun is not fun if you have to deal with sunburn afterward.  On long, hot summer days, we are all tempted to spend the day relaxing
poolside or at the beach, and most of us have suffered the consequences of too much sun exposure.  The desire for the perfect golden tan can sometimes lead to sunburns, which is very harmful for the skin.  If you suffer from acne, a sunburn can further damage your skin and cause permanent scarring.

Sunburn is a delayed inflammatory reaction when the skin is exposed to excessive ultraviolet radiation.  Symptoms of mild sunburn, including redness, tenderness and pain, often occur a few hours after exposure, and can last for several days.  The pain, itching and peeling is the skin’s reaction to excessive UVA and UVB ray exposure.  Although the skin needs time to heal, there are some remedies and treatments available to help the skin repair itself.

Get out of the sun

It may sound simple enough, but we often do not realize we are sunburned until it is too late. Since it is a delayed reaction, the full extent and severity of the burn may not appear until up to 12 hours after exposure.   Stop your sun exposure by seeking shade from trees, umbrellas, hats, etc.  Drink lots  of water, since sunburn causes dehydration.  Get some immediate relief for the pain by adding baking soda to a cool bath, and wear loose clothing that does not stick to the body.

Reduce the pain

Anti-inflammatory medicine such as Advil or Ibuprofen can help relieve the redness and pain associated with sunburn.  Aloe vera is a popular treatment for sunburn thanks to its ability to moisturize and repair the skin.  Apply a moisturizing cream containing Aloe vera, and if possible, apply the gel from the actual plant to the affected areas.  Once the burn heals, the skin will begin to peel and may become itchy.  Fight the temptation to pick and scratch, which can irritate the skin a slow the healing process.  Instead, keep the skin moisturized by applying a moisturizing lotion, which can reduce itching.

Prevent sunburn

The best way to deal with sunburn is to not get one.   Sunburn may only seem harmless and temporary, but can have lasting effects on the skin and overall health.  Serious sunburn can cause blisters, shock, lead to cancer and even death if left untreated.  Protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays by applying sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside.  Wear loose, protective clothing and avoid staying outside for too long during peak hours (10am to 4pm), when sunrays are harsh.  Choose a sunscreen with SPF of at least 30, and use sun-protection products that contain zinc oxide, an inorganic ingredient that can deflect UVA rays.  Try Vivoderm’s zinc cream, a natural product that can be used as a nontoxic sunscreen.

Van Le is a staff writer for the CSU Daily Titan and writing intern for Vivoderm Laboratories in Los Angeles, California. She is currently pursuing a Journalism degree at California State University, Fullerton.

For the latest findings on natural skincare, you can also link to http://herbalfacialskincare.com

Select the Right Anti Aging Skin Care Products

Most of us are very concerned about our aging skin. This shows in our willingness to spend large amounts of money on anti aging skin care products. Not only do we purchase large quantities of anti aging skin care treatments, we spend billions on cosmetic surgery to look younger as well. None of us want to look older than we are; we would rather look much younger.

The fact that we spend millions on anti aging skin care products and treatments every year actually shows that the majority of the treatments do not work as they say they will. If they did, we would not have to keep trying different kinds of products for our aging skin. Read more

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