Natural Skin Care

by: Sandra Alviar

There are a lot of good reasons to make your own skin care products. Many people are opting for a natural approach to lifestyle, from dietary choices to skin care products. By making your own treatments, you can be sure of exactly what goes into them. Some of you may have had an allergic reaction to many commercial products and seek natural skin care products out of necessity. Maybe you feel that commercial skin care products are too expensive and you just don't want to pay high prices.

A healthy diet is also essential to radiant skin. Eating fruits and vegetables everyday is very important. If you don't like fruits or vegetables, experiment with them until you find something you do like. Healthy skin is a result of many factors: a healthy diet, plenty of exercise, good skin care practices and a positive, relaxed mental attitude.

Water is also crucial for healthy skin, keeping it soft and supple. Many of the natural skin care recipes include water to cleanse the skin externally; but it is even more beneficial when consumed internally. Doctors recommend drinking 8-ounce glasses of water each day, and more when you are sick or out in the sun or heat. You will get much better results from your skin care treatments if you consume the recommended amounts of water.

Another way to help hydrate the skin and receive vitamins and minerals is by drinking herbal tea. They are easy to make and there are a number of different teas to choose from. Do some tea tasting to see which herbs you like best, and try combining several. Mixing herbal tea with fruit juice is a great way to get natural sweetness and the benefits of the herbs at the same time.

Some Herbs for the Skin and Hair:

Black alder (for skin eruptions)

Bergamot tea (cleanses the system)

Burdock

Dandelion

Horsetail

Nettles

Oat straw

Sarsaparilla

Stevia

Yellow dock

Regular exercise promotes good blood circulation, which in turn helps maintain healthy skin. Try to find a form of exercise that you enjoy and make it a part of your daily routine. Exercise also helps relieve stress and promotes a healthy mental attitude, another element in achieving healthy radiant skin. Relaxation is the key to getting the most these herbal treatments.

About The Author
Sandra Alviar is a writer for http://SkinCareCompany.net. She has written many articles and has worked in the skin care field for the last 5 years. To view more of her articles please visit http://www.skincarecompany.net.

Oily Skin Care Tips

by: Angela Myers

The sebaceous glands, located in the dermis (middle layer) produces oil which helps to keep the skin supple and moist. So oil production in the skin is completely natural With that said, however, the sebaceous glands can produce excessive oil which leads to oily skin. Oily skin is not only located on the face but the neck, arms, shoulders and back can be oily too.

How Do You Know If You Have Oily Skin?

Nearly all teenagers have oily skin because their hormone production is in full bloom. For those who are no longer teenagers, determining whether your skin is oily or not is easy to do. When you look in the mirror is there a sheen on your skin? Check your T-Zone which is located starting at the point between your eyes and goes vertically down your nose to your chin. (The T-Zone also goes horizontally across your nose, beginning and stopping at the center point below your eye.) Your sheen may be unnoticeable during the day, so you want to check again immediately after waking in the morning. If there is a sheen, you probably have oily skin.

Look at your hair while standing in front of the mirror. If it is oily, this is another sign that you most likely have oily skin. If your make up fades and wears off after only a couple of hours, this is also an indicator of oily skin. In addition, frequently patting your face with a handkerchief or powder is another indicator. Although sometimes caused by stress and other factors, the presence of blemishes is also a sign of oily skin.

Caring for Oily Skin You may feel that the best way to treat oily skin is to remove the oil that is clogging your pores. Removing all the oil is not the answer. The oils produced by your sebaceous glands are a natural moisturizer which helps to keep you skin supple and moist. So rather than removing the oil, you should try to keep it under control.

It’s important that you keep your skin clean so that your pores remain clear. If not, dead cells, dirt and bacteria will clog your pores and cause pimples to pop up. DO NOT use harsh soaps to strip away oil. Your glands will instinctively replenish lost oil and will increase their oil production. This could make your problem worse.

Your skin is delicate so you should use a gentle cleanser and warm water. Weekly exfoliation with a non-abrasive product will help to remove pore clogging material. Use a toner that does not contain alcohol and moisturize in moderation. Make sure your cosmetics and sun screen are oil free.

About The Author
Angela Myers is a staff writer at http://www.beautytipsdigest.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.acne-journal.com.

Nine Anti-Aging Tips To Stay Younger Longer

by: Barbara Morris, R.Ph.

Can’t figure out where to start to improve the quality of your lifestyle? Here are some simple things to help get started. If you can follow the suggestions for a month, you will be well on your way to reducing belly fat AND establishing an anti-aging lifestyle. It’s not difficult – if you really want to do it. Remember, these are baby steps, but you have to start some place.

1. Check your fridge. If you use butter, you can use less by diluting it half-and-half with olive oil. Let a bar of butter soften to room temperature. Beat it smooth and gradually beat in an equal amount of olive oil. It will be runny but will set up to a soft spread in the fridge.

2. Rethink the mayo. If you can’t live without it, make your own with olive oil. Then you will really have something worthwhile to spread on bread or to make a salad. 3. If you eat peanut butter, buy Smart Balance peanut butter for it’s omega-

3 content. If you are not taking an omega-3 supplement, you should.

4. Keep a gallon bottle of water on the kitchen counter or at work. Drink at least half of it every day. Having it in plain sight will help you drink more of it.

5. Check your pantry. Don’t restock chips, cookies, soda, toaster pastries, sugary breakfast “cereals” (a misnomer if ever there was one!) It’s just as quick and easy to scramble a couple of eggs for breakfast as it is to wait for a pastry to toast. I know how tough it is to get rid of the nutritionally bankrupt junk, so do it in small steps if you can’t do it cold turkey.

6. Substitute whole grain bread for white bread. Beware of “wheat” bread – it’s probably not whole wheat. If possible, go to a whole foods market and get some real whole wheat bread. In my area, I can buy incredibly good whole grain bread from Alvarado Street Bakery. You can buy it online, and if you do, put it in the freezer the minute it arrives. Because it’s “live” and preservative free, it will get moldy very quickly if you leave it out. I particularly enjoy the Alvarado sprouted whole grain bread.

7. Having a whole foods market nearby makes it easy to cut down on processed food. If you make a trip a couple of times a week you can get all the super-fresh veggies and fruit you will need to provide a healthier diet for your family. For protein, focus on chicken – preferably baked or roasted. I use a lot of ground turkey – you can prepare it so many ways. If you work and are pressed for time, many whole foods markets offer excellent take out. It may cost more but it's usually worth it. You will notice I did not mention fish. I rarely buy fish because it’s so difficult to get good fish. If I can’t get wild salmon or other fish that hasn’t been farm raised, I don’t bother. I would never eat shrimp because it causes too many intestinal problems. There is another way to get the benefits of eating fish – in fish oil capsules. True, you run the risk of contamination there as well. But I think I’d rather opt for the capsules than supermarket fish that looks like it’s seen better days, and probably has.

8. Skip fried anything as much as possible. And you certainly won’t need your deep fat fryer anymore, so throw it away. (Well okay, give it away. But you won’t be doing anyone a favor.)

9. If you are an emotional eater, eat unbuttered popcorn or dry roasted nuts, such as almonds or cashews. You can flavor popcorn with garlic salt or any seasoning of your choice. Or try spritzing on garlic flavored olive oil. Drink green tea to wash it down. Most commercial green teas are bitter or tasteless but I have found some very tasty teas at Clipper teas. This should be more than enough to help you start to live a healthier, anti-aging lifestyle. Start with at least one step and add others as you develop a system you will stick with.

About The Author
Barbara Morris is a pharmacist and author of Put Old on Hold. Visit her website at http://www.PutOldonHold.com and sign up for her content-rich newsletter and receive a complimentary copy of "Thirteen Diva Tested Tips for Fabulous Skin."

What's Your Emotional Type?

by: Kaia Van Zandt

For women, emotions are like water; they flow. When I first got into therapy, my therapist began to educate me about my emotions. I thought I was crazy. She said, “No, just colorful.” What she explained to me is that everyone feels their feelings differently. Some of us paint with pastels, while others go for richer hues. We have different palettes. My mother and I are very different emotionally. We have spent years coming to the place where we finally understand one another. Growing up she was the stable one, and I brought big emotional extremes and theatrical moods.

As I considered how emotions are like water, contemplating the ways that water flows, I came up with the four emotional types of women. Most of us have a primary, with a secondary:

River women:

River women are emotion in motion. Theirs is a subtle and constant stream of emotion that flows like a river from one feeling to the next, often seamlessly. They are remarkably even-tempered, with a great sense of playfulness. If they learn to channel their emotions into positive outlets, everything they touch takes on a certain shine. Though their emotions aren’t predictable, per say, they have patterns that are known to themselves and their loved ones, which are relatively decipherable. For example, a river woman might know that weddings always make her cry. She knows to never leave the house for a wedding without a purse full of tissue. River women laugh easily, and have great senses of humor, knowing innately how to cheer others and make them smile, just as rivers provide nourishment and sanctuary for all kinds of life.

Rain women:

Like the rain that comes and then departs, rain women have feelings that come from out of nowhere, and then dissolve and vanish back into the mystery. A rain woman can experience sudden emotional outbursts when logically she can’t make sense of why or where the feeling is coming from. I had a friend a few years ago who was certainly a rain woman. We would be in the middle of a conversation when suddenly out of nowhere she would begin to sob about something she was feeling. I would usually be very surprised by the suddenness and intensity of her feeling. Then, just as quickly, the rains would stop and the sun would come out and she would be laughing and carrying on again. It’s very important that rain women not judge themselves just because the emotion is so sudden. Rain refreshes and renews and restores. And then it departs to make way for the sunshine. Rain women can also tend to brood, like storm clouds on the horizon. Exercise helps them move emotions through. Rain women are often moved by the emotional victories and downfalls of other people. They will cry or laugh for someone else's win or loss, even total strangers, just as quickly as for themselves.

Lake women:

Still waters run deep. Lake women very rarely show their emotions on the surface. They feel so deeply and so privately, that their emotions usually remain contained. They are often referred to as calm or meditative individuals. They express their feelings with a simple warm smile, or a silence that indicates their sorrow. They are most comfortable showing their feelings when they are alone, or with someone they know intimately. They are not women who repress their feelings, but women who reveal very little of what they feel just naturally. Because they feel so deeply, they are often extremely connected to their environment, and prefer to be out in nature or in retreat centers. They also make great team players, and excel at sports like golf that require significant concentration and sensing beyond themselves. Lake women are also very empathic, picking up the feelings of others and mirroring them, or taking them on as their own. This is the same way a lake mirrors a flock of geese flying overhead. They receive impressions very easily. Lake women have to learn to build protective boundaries around themselves so they do not absorb the emotions of others.

Ocean women:

The ocean is a vast and deep body of water, always changing on the surface. This is the most complex and rich emotional temperament, and also the most challenging. Where a river or a rain woman might have one feeling at a time, ocean women can have emotional cocktails, feeling ten ways at once, with many layers of feeling spreading in all directions. There is a lot to sort through for ocean women. They are sometimes overwhelmed. On the surface, they are much like the sea. Every day is different. Some days are calm and tranquil. Other days are tempestuous and wild. An ocean woman can wake up in the morning from a night of dreams, and her whole day will carry the emotions from her sleep. Like the ocean these women are beautiful and deep and mysterious. Because their emotions can be so vast and unidentifiable, ocean women need music and dance and art to help them find and feel their feelings fully. Talking with close friends also helps to ground the shape-shifting ocean woman, and help her identify what she feels. Ocean women who become actors can lose themselves in their characters, completely embodying the role without a trace of themselves apparent. They have access to a great reservoir of feeling that informs their lives.

What emotional type are you?

What emotional type do you think your best girlfriend is?

What emotional type might your mother be, or your daughter?

Say 'No' To Aging - Anti Aging Secrets

by: Michael Douglas

We all have seen our grandparents and parents grow old and most of us protest against the idea of aging in the same ways they did. In fact, we look for safer, more convenient and medically sound way to live longer, empower ourselves, and remain healthy throughout life. We may refer to it as 'quality longevity.' The everyday choices that we make have a greater impact on us than genetics, which account for only one-third of what determines our health as we age. Hence, the quality of life is very much in our hands. Empowering ourselves for the future requires learning new skills as well as honing the ones we already have. Try some of these strategies to live longer, feel and look younger. Sharpen your mind: A sharp mind helps in staying fit.

We're more inclined to have good relationships, eat well and live a healthy lifestyle with a sharper mind. Doing mental aerobics can improve memory and lower your risk for Alzheimer's disease. A recent study found that when we keep our minds active, brain efficiency increases dramatically, even after just a few weeks. Try different approaches to expanding your mental horizons, whether it's travelling to new destinations, learning a musical instrument, or going back to school. Stay mentally active through puzzles, games, reading and other stimulating hobbies, but be sure to train and not strain your brain.

Cultivate healthy relationships: Socially connected people have longer life expectancies than isolated individuals. Cultivate intimacy with your partner since good sex makes for a longer life. Not only does it bring people closer together, it lowers blood pressure, reduces pain, promotes restful sleep and boosts the immune system so we are better able to fight off infections. Our ability to understand another person's emotional viewpoint and to express that understanding is the social glue that keeps us together.

Reduce stress: We can't completely eliminate stress from our lives, but we can learn healthier responses to it. We all can try to minimise stress to live longer and better. You can do it in many ways. Like control clutter in your home. Get more realistic about how much you take on each day. Try eliminating just a few items from your to-do list. Regular meditation reduces stress and also boosts the immune system. Empower yourself with the word 'no.' Think positive: Optimists have a greater life expectancy than pessimists. Make an effort to see the cup half-full. Recent studies show that we can learn optimism when we set our minds to it.

Discover your spiritual life. Attending a house of worship once a week is associated with a seven-year-longer survival compared with never attending. Take care of your needs. Satisfied people are twice as likely to survive compared with dissatisfied individuals. Manage your environment: Our environment has a big influence on how we feel and how long we live. Whether it's traffic, noise, or other aspects of the environment at large, or more personal environmental issues such as aesthetics or bedroom temperature, our 'quality longevity' requires that we not only adapt to these influences but learn to shape them to meet our individual tastes and needs. Bear in mind function and aesthetics when designing your home and workspace. Manage your technology to avoid information overload.

The Early Signs of Pregnancy

by: Shalene Chamings

One of the early signs of pregnancy is morning sickness. Sometimes nausea is made worse by fatigue, temperature fluxuations, certain smells and even the sight of food. Morning sickness may even be accompanied by vomiting. The truth is while nausea is one of the early signs of pregnancy and labeled "morning sickness" it may not strike a pregnant woman just in the mornings.

Morning sickness and all its discomfort can occur at any time . . . even in the middle of the night. While morning sickness is one of the early signs of pregnancy that generally goes away after the first trimester, there are women who experience morning sickness during their entire pregnancies.

Smells, certain foods and other things may cause nausea in a pregnant woman at any time during her pregnancy. Morning sickness is said to be brought on by changes in a pregnant woman's hormones. The human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) is a hormone that is relatively high during the first few months of pregnancy. HCG, changes in estrogen levels and even changes in blood glucose levels can bring about morning sickness. One way to combat a drop in blood glucose is for pregnant women to always keep food in their stomachs. While eating may be the last thing on a woman's mind if morning sickness is one of her early signs of pregnancy, an empty stomach can make nausea worse. Eating small snacks throughout the day can go far in helping a woman to combat nausea.

Pregnant women who suffer from nausea can usually tolerate eating small snacks. This is usually easier for a woman that trying to consume two or three large meals each day. Pregnant women are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids. This can help to prevent dehydration. Dehydration can occur if a woman is having a lot of vomiting with her morning sickness.

While nausea and morning sickness is one of the most common early signs of pregnancy, it can be very frightening. If a pregnant woman has many episodes of vomiting and it is causing her to lose weight she should notify her OB/GYN. There are occasions when a pregnant mother may have to be put on intravenous fluids or given medication. It is important to note that a doctor will be able to determine if a pregnant woman is experiencing normal morning sickness or if she has an underlying medical condition that is causing her to vomit and lose weight. Other causes of nausea and vomiting could include peptic ulcer disease, gall bladder disease, appendicitis, hepatitis, infections, kidney insufficiency and more.

If you are pregnant and you think you are experiencing more than just a dose of morning sickness that accompanies the early signs of pregnancy, you should consult your doctor immediately. In addition to nausea, other early signs of pregnancy can include changes in breast sensitivity. Many women report that their breasts become very tender and feel full and heavy. Spotting very early in the first few weeks of pregnancy is also fairly common.

However, this spotting should be reported to your doctor. Normal spotting will generally be accompanied with a yellow colored mucous. Lack of energy and fatigue is also one of the common early signs of pregnancy as well as frequent urination.

Energy levels generally return during the second trimester only to fall again during the third trimester. Many women report they feel the need to frequently urinate throughout their entire pregnancies, while others report this as just a problem during the first and third trimesters.

Negative Side to Conventional Cosmetics

by: Anastasia Ellison

Women and men spend millions of dollars every year attempting to improve the quality and health of their skin. They spend time and money on products and services to refinish the surface of their skin only to return to habits and routines that continue to damage both their skin and bodies.

Most cosmetic and beauty products contain additives, preservatives, and chemicals designed to improve appearances at the cost of health. Not only do conventional cosmetics clog pores and weigh down skin, they also contain harmful toxins that absorb into the blood stream and into the body. Companies create conventional cosmetics and beauty products using oils and fillers that weigh down skin and clog the pores. Although some of these products create the appearance of smooth, even skin, bacteria and dirt become trapped in the skin by the oils in conventional cosmetics and create pimples and blemishes.

Most men and women then resort to even more cosmetic use to cover up these skin problems, resulting in an even greater incidence of clogged pores. Skin absorbs the oils and fillers in conventional cosmetics resulting in makeup that literally weighs down the face. Not only does foundation and powder look heavy, it also feels heavy. This heavy feeling results from not just the skin’s absorption of the product, but also the inability of the skin to breath.

The heavy binders and fillers of conventional cosmetics also contain chemical additives that are harmful to the body. Conventional beauty products such as foundation, blush, eye shadow, and bronzer contain a myriad of binders, toxins and dyes that absorb into the blood stream. A build up of such chemicals can produce allergic reactions and increased sensitivity in some men and women. Some of these allergies and sensitivities can result in chronic conditions and sustained sensitivity to conventional dyes, cosmetics and perfumes.

Hypoallergenic products have risen as a result of consumers’ needs to use products less harmful on the body. Although most of these products still contain fillers that clog skin, the rise of products for sensitive skin proves that consumers have reacted poorly to conventional cosmetics. Naked Minerals contains no additives, dyes, colors, fillers, binders, waxes, or any other ingredient beyond natural minerals.

The Naked Minerals makeup is all-natural and uses only the finest minerals to create a cosmetic that improves skin appearance and quality without clogging pores. There are no oils in Naked Minerals that traditionally clog pores, and the weightless feel and function of Naked Minerals allows skin to breathe.

Naked Minerals is completely hypoallergenic with none of the toxins or chemicals traditionally found in conventional cosmetics. All of the colors are naturally derived from their mineral origin and none contain the heavy oils found in conventional cosmetics.