Tag: Sun Exposure

Why You Should Try All Natural Skin Care Products

Wondering about all natural skin care products? There are a lot of choices on the market today and it can be confusing when you are trying to decide which products are best for you. Here are a few things to consider before shopping for a new skin care program.

Environmental pollution and sun exposure can increase production of free radicals in the body. The body already produces these skin-damaging free radicals on a continual basis during the process of metabolism. Free radicals can cause mutations in the skin cells that may lead to cancer or, at the very least, premature wrinkles. All good skin care programs should include some form of sun protection.

Most all natural skin care products do contain sunscreen, so check the label for the level of SPF protection. Be careful if you are using sunblock every time you are in the sun because this may cause a vitamin D deficiency. To be safe, supplement your nutritional intake with a daily multivitamin. Lack of vitamin D has been connected to osteoporosis, so older women should be extra careful to replace their vitamin intake.

There has been a recent trend toward more nutrition-related skin care products. Poor diet and bad physical health does affect the skin cells, as well as the rest of the body. Vitamin C is especially good for skin health and may even prevent some damage caused by sun exposure. Antioxidant vitamins remove free radicals, which can damage skin cells and lead to premature aging. Our body is always producing free radicals as a byproduct of metabolism, so a daily antioxidant vitamin supplement can be very helpful.

Honey is an excellent material for all natural skin care products because it can lock in moisture that is already present in the skin. Many spas used paraffin wax in the past for this purpose, but now it is recognized that honey is a much more useful natural alternative. Vegetable oil and natural waxes will also have this effect if you would rather not use honey or do not have any available.

Honey is not a very effective natural moisturizer because it does not contain any water. However, it does not dry out the skin the way alcohol and other common cosmetic ingredients might. Honey can also inhibit bacterial growth and other acne-causing organisms. There are specialized honeys available for use as all natural skin care products, which are significantly different than the honey you would find at the store.

Another kitchen item that can be found in the best all natural skin care products is olive oil. Olive oil has a variety of uses in natural cosmetics, including moisturizing the skin or hair. It can be used on the dry, parched skin found on the heels, elbows, or knees. Throw a little bit of olive oil into your next bath for added softness and luxury. Olive oil can even moisturize the hair and scalp if rubbed directly on the head.

Olive oil also makes a nice natural exfoliant for the skin. Simply mixing some oil with a quantity of brown sugar will create a thick exfoliant paste. The paste can then be used before a shower or bath as an exfoliating treatment. Olive oil is just one example of the great all natural skin care products that can be used to moisturize and protect your skin.

Proper Ways to Apply Essential Oils

Although essential oils are a mild, natural way to help fight off mental fatigue, stress, sore muscles, and other physical conditions, they are also very potent and need to be applied properly. After you have purchased the perfect essential oils for your condition, it is important to know how to apply them. If used without proper direction, they can have a negative effect which can frustrate you. They may even cause harm if not applied properly.

First, using undiluted essential oils directly on your skin can harm rather than help your condition. Used directly on the skin, essential oils can sometimes leave a rash or a burn. The essential oils are powerful solutions to many issues, but used improperly they can cause painful sores when directly applied to the skin. Diluting the essential oils in cream, or non-greasy oil will keep it from strongly affecting your skin.

Like many creams or lotions, spreading essential oils directly on the skin can cause an overdose. Essential oils are absorbed by your skin quickly. If the oil that you are applying isnt diluted, it can lead to an overdose that will cause a rash, irritation, or skin breakout. It is also important not to have overexposure to sun especially if youve accidentally applied too much. Essential oils and sun exposure can lead to adverse effects.

Even though essential oils are naturally occurring extracts from plants and trees, they are also powerful therapeutic agents. It is important to keep them out of the reach of children. Spreading essential oils undiluted onto a childs skin can be dangerous and leave a very painful breakout rash. If ingested, it can be lethal to a child and the caretaker should contact emergency medical personnel immediately.

When applying essential oils be sure to keep it away from your eyes, nose, or ears. The oils should never be ingested or allowed to enter the internal body. Keeping the essential oils away from openings on your body can ensure your overall health and remove the possibility of an overdose. You may even want to use latex gloves so that they are not improperly absorbed on your fingers.

Never ingest essential oils. They can be harmful or even lethal if swallowed.

Never go into a tanning booth or tan in the sun after using essential oils. Some oils are incredibly sensitive to sun exposure. Citrus oils especially fall into this category. Popular citrus oils to avoid the sun after using are bergamot oil and grapefruit oil.

Before fully using essential oils, make sure to test them on a very small part of your skin. This includes essential oils that you may use in aromatherapy. Apply a small dab to your arm and observe any reaction for twenty four hours. For essential oils that you will apply as a cream, dilute the oil into vegetable oil and apply to the skin. Observe for any reaction for twenty four hours to make sure they are safe for topical use.

Finally, overuse of essential oils can cause dizziness, headaches, or other side effects. If you believe you have accidentally overdosed on any essential oil, make sure to contact emergency response personnel immediately. Although essential oils are mostly therapeutic, using essential oils safely is important for your safety and good health.

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How Fish Oil Can Cure Inflammation

Inflammation occurs as our body’s natural protective response to fend off any outside aggressors and to begin the process of healing. Its effect on our tissues usually involves pain, heat and redness. However, there are some cases that this outward effect is not visible.

Inflammation is a double-edges sword; its effect can be helpful or harmful depending on the circumstances. When an inflammation is in chronic state, devastating consequences are likely to happen like arthritis, heart disease or stroke. It usually happens when the cause of inflammation is continually reintroduced or if the acute inflammatory response is not able to eliminate it. This situation is very likely to happen nowadays because of our exposure to implausible amounts of toxins.

Some of these toxins can be avoided like poor food choices, smoking, and prolonged sun exposure. While some things arise from things from things we dont have control like genetics, accidents and pollution. Inasmuch as there are factors you cant help being exposed to unnecessary and harmful factors detrimental to your good health, you can also take food supplements effective in strengthening your body against the sometimes lethal effect of inflammation. The most effective food supplement according to recent studies happens to be fish oil.

The prevalence of destructive or chronic inflammation among Western countries makes it imperative for many specialists to deal with preventive measures. The reason behind this is that the Western population is more exposed to stress, obesity and poor health in general. Many pharmacological anti-inflammatory drugs offer reduction of inflammation, however, long-term medication have potentially lethal side effects.

So what is your safest option if you have inflammation? Research on alternative medicines revealed that certain dietary supplements can help reduce levels of pro-inflammatory factors, with significantly lower side effects. One of these dietary supplements is the essential fatty acids or EFAs.

Essential fatty acids are necessary for various aspects of normal physiology like: mediating immune response, regulating bodily secretions and their viscosity, dilating and constricting blood vessels, regulating collateral circulation, directing endocrine hormones to their target cells, regulating smooth muscles and autonomic reflexes, being primary constituents of cell membranes, regulating the rate of cell division, maintaining the fluidity and rigidity of cellular membranes, regulating the flow of substances into and out from cells, transporting oxygen from red blood cells to the tissues, maintaining proper kidney function and fluid balance, keeping saturated fats mobile in the bloodstream, preventing blood clots, mediating the release of inflammatory eicosanoids that may trigger allergic conditions, and regulating nerve transmission and communication. (Source: Fish Oil: The Natural Anti-inflammatory by Joseph C. Maroon and Jeffrey Bost, 2006, page 39).

For this reason, it is very important for over-all health to have a regular intake of foods rich in omega-6 or omega-3 EFAs. The omega-3 pathway, activated by trauma, injury, or chemical stimulus, is the process of converting the omega-3 EFAs found in the cell membranes to various eicosanoids. If the omega-3 EFA components of the cell membranes become dominant, an anti-inflammatory state can result, with preventive health benefits.

Fish oil is the best source of the omega-3 essential fatty acids. But why fish oil, you might ask? The needed nutrients can also be found in green plants; algae (phytoplankton); leaves and seeds of the perilla plants; and linseed oil but fish oil is considered the most important dietary source of omega-3 EFAs because it contains concentrated amounts of the ALA derivatives with APA and DHA.

The two mentioned nutrients can almost exclusively found in seafood. Fish contains high amount of EPA and DHA because they are at the top of food chain based on algae, a single-marine organism that manufactures huge amount of EPA and DHA.

Suns Aging Effects-Everyone Wants To Look Their Best

Everyone wants to look their best all the time but if you tend to spend too much time outside in the summertime without protection the suns aging effects will eventually be quite noticeable.

I think we have all see pictures of the “Sun Tan Lady”, you know, the lady who was chastised in the news for tanning too much and taking her child in the tanning bed with her?

Well, personally, I think she looks terrible and I think a lot of other people do, too. She looks like she is made of leather. She should be made the poster woman for the suns aging effects and what not to do.

We all know that the sun puts out two types of harmful rays, UVA and UVB. The UVA rays are the ones that will eventually age your skin well beyond it’s years by increasing your chance for those deep creases, wrinkles, and brown spots (also called “age spots”).

UVB rays are the ones that cause more immediate damage like sunburn. Repeated overexposure to the suns harmful rays can eventually lead to some form of skin cancer.

So, what to do? Avoidance is the best policy when it comes to sun exposure but we all know that is virtually impossible. We need the sun, in moderation, so our bodies can produce the Vitamin D that so many of us are deficient in.

If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, in the winter time then you know what I am talking about. The sunlight also affects the serotonin levels in our brain and that’s why we get to feeling better and our moods lift when it is sunny out.

You best bet is to just limit your time in the sun and find some shade or use sunscreen with a high sun protection factor, at least 30 spf.

Read the label of your favorite sunscreen and see how often you should reapply it and follow the directions closely. Most people think they can put in on once when they first go out and then wonder why they got sunburned anyway.

They did not follow the directions, that’s why.

If you happen to be like me and tan easily under the sun, you still should wear sunscreen. Getting a tan is the body’s natural defense to skin damage but they say that a tan is still damage.

You possibly could get away with using a lower sun protection factor sunscreen but you should still reapply it as directed. And just because you tan easily doesn’t mean you can’t get sunburned if you spend too much time in the sun because you can.

A good skin care regimen is also essential to keeping your skin healthy as you age. Keeping your skin clean and using lotions or creams to give your skin some extra hydration are best. You do not need anything fancy or expensive to do this.

The suns aging effects do not have to be a big concern if you take care of your skin and use adequate protection when you venture out into the sunlight.