Natural Skin Care Products for all Skin Types

You can actually make your own organic skin care products at home and get great results. So if you are into the more natural way of maintaining your hair and skin, you should try some of these recipes and enjoy not only making them, but also using them.

Yogurt
If you want a great cleanser that moisturizes as well, you should opt for plain yogurt. You can add a little honey to the mixture and spread it right onto your face. Avoid your eyes, just in case they are sensitive to the mixture. Leave it on your face for about ten minutes and then wash off with water. You will love the silky way your skin feels after using your yogurt cleanser. You can even use this several times a day. Be sure to store it in the refrigerator.

Eggs
Raw eggs are wonderful for fast face masks. Simply beat two eggs, a little water, and some honey into a bowl. Rub it onto your face and let it dry for fifteen minutes. After it dries, wash it off well. Be sure to keep it away from your eyes and mouth. Raw eggs can contain bacteria and you don’t want to eat them. This is a great way to lightly exfoliate your skin as well.

As you can see, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get great facial products. Just look in your kitchen and see what you can make with the ingredients you already have. You just might be shocked at how well these natural products work.

Facial Mask for All Skin Types

Ingredients:
almond-2 tsp
rose petals or powder-1tsp
fuller’s earth-4tsp
crushed nutmeg-1tsp
Mix all ingredients with rose water and keep them aside for 10 minutes.
Steam your face for about 5-10 minutes.Apply the above mixed face pack and leave it for about 20 minutes.
Do this twice a month to have a clear and beautiful skin.

Face Scrub

Just use a simple combination of Olive oil and Sugar. Cover you face and neck with olive oil. Then dapp your wet fingers onto the sugar and place over your face. Do the same all over your face. Then, begin massaging your face, importantly corner of nose, forehead. For 3 min. Then wash of with soap. Feel the difference.. Soft!!

Oatmeal Face Cleanser
Oatmeal is nourishing to the skin and is used in many parts of the world as a beauty aid.
3 tablespoons oatmeal
2 teaspoons witch hazel
And a few drops of water

You want to dampen the oatmeal first then add the witch hazel. Then add the water to make it moist. Apply to your face with an upward and outward circular motion. Rinse with lots of warm water. This recipe is good for all kinds of skin. If you have dry skin add a little oil. You can also add a mashed banana for more nourishment.

Lemon Face Mask
This lemon astringent and exfoliant properties, making it a natural choice for oily skin

4 tablespoons clay
2 teaspoons lemon pulp
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons water
2 drops of jojoba oil (optional)

Mix the ingredients thoroughly and apply to face. Leave on for 15 minutes and then rinse off with warm water. Then apply your moisturizer and do not forget the sunscreen.  If you are in a hurry just use lemon juice and water in equal parts and then let dry. Wash off with cool water.

Natural Eye Care and Eye Washes
Your eyes reflect your physical as well as your emotional health. If you are tired and run down they look dull and red; if your liver is upset they have a yellow look to them.

When making preparations for the eyes always sterilize your utensils. Use fresh decoctions of herbs, not infusions when making eye baths. The herbs should ideally be simmered for about 20 minutes.

Two great herbs for eyes are Fennel and Chamomile. Fennel is an ancient remedy for strengthening the sight, and used as an eyewash for soreness, tiredness, infections of the eyes. Chamomile also makes a good antiseptic eyewash. When it is allergy season, take the time to make up these washes.

Skin Needling Treatment Reduces Acne and Wrinkles

What is Skin Needling?

Skin Needling or “derma rolling” has become quite popular in the last few months. Indeed, one Google search on “dermarollers” returned hundreds of links.

I was unfamiliar with this new anti-aging tool, so, I decided to research it further. At a recent beauty expo, the cosmetic representatives I spoke to claim these new facial rollers could increase collagen production and reduce wrinkles.

The process of skin needling uses a very small rolling device that contains 192 micro points made of surgical steel. Studies show that when this device is rolled over the skin, it creates small puncture wounds that cause the body to produce collagen in an attempt to heal the skin. Our collagen production falls dramatically after about age 35 or so.

This puncturing will then cause a type of wound-healing reaction for the dermal layer to begin production of collagen fibers, elastin, and other skin cells that helps to fill in lines, wrinkles, remove stretch marks and fill in deep pitted scars – also allowing the derma roller to be a great acne scar treatment. In addition, the derma roller allows for optimum absorption of any anti-aging cream you may use afterwards.

While it goes by different names, ‘skin needling,’ ‘dermaroller,’ or ‘meso roller,’ among many others, it appears to be a simple and natural method that promises to prevent skin aging, restore collagen, smooth out scars, pitted skin, and stretch marks - or your money back in some cases.

Research on Skin Needling

The skin needling device is used along with your normal skincare routine to remove acne scars, stretch marks, wrinkles, fine lines. Representatives say it can even help with big pores, black heads, and white heads. This micro needling or skin needling anti-aging technique is also used to perform collagen induction therapy (CIT). Skin rejuvenating results with skin needling are similar to laser treatment, dermabrasion or chemical peels but much less expensive, less invasive, does not damage the skin, and can be done at home for pennies.

Celebrity Endorsements

More than a few sites claimed famous celebrities used derma rollers or a type of skin needling technique to keep their skin look young and healthy and reduce acne scars. The London Daily Mail Online, reported, “ It looks like an implement of torture, but this spiky roller is thought to be the secret to Angelina Jolie’s plump, glowing skin.”

The Rachael Ray show hosted a segment titled ‘The Human Lab,’ where Rachael selected members of her audience to test several anti-aging creams and devices and report a few weeks later on their results. See the You Tube clip here.

The Studies

Study results by plastic surgeons and dermatologists claim in that addition to reducing the appearance of sun damage and wrinkles such as crows feet, skin needling can help lessen or remove stretch marks, cellulite, acne scars, surgical scars and smooth out pitted skin and dimpling.

Dr. Philippe Simonin, a Swiss Dermatologist, performed a study on 600 people divided into two groups — the skin aging group and the scar reduction group. Published results found that - in the skin aging group there was a 40% significant improvement and an impressive 60% improvement in scar reduction group. And this was only after 5 to 6 treatments!

See the link here: http://www.scar-reduction.com/needling.html

Another doctor, Dr. Andre Camirand, a plastic surgeon from Canada, found that skin needling improved the texture and depression of scars and also improved over-all skin color and texture. The best part is this remodeling process can go on up to 12 months from each treatment.

Other benefits of the skin needling are:

• Dramatically increases the effectiveness of your hair & skin products through increased penetration.

• Stimulates blood flow through directly massaging the scalp, face and body.

• Gentle exfoliation of dead skin cells accumulating in the hair follicles, face and body.

• The process is not painful (a tickling sensation).

• Medical grade stainless steel makes the needles non-allergenic to human tissue.

• Cost effective compared to expensive commercial treatments

• It can be used on all areas of the scalp, face, neck and body. Can be used on all skin types.

• It can be used anytime at your own convenience (no restrictive treatment session times).

• Removes old collagen fibers and rapidly stimulates new collagen growth.

• Clears blocked pores and stimulates blood flow.

• Natural process requiring no lasers or chemical peels.

• Does not induce sun sensitivity.

• Does not damage the skin.

• No risk of hypo– or hyper– pigmentation.

• Short healing time.

There are many skin rollers on the market with different needle lengths, so do your research if you do decide to purchase one of these new tools.

Skin needling devices range in price from $25-$200 depending on where you purchase them and the type of device you choose.

Professional sites advise using a skin needle length at 0.5mm for use on the face, a 1.0mm for most of the body and a 1.5mm for very fleshy areas such as the stomach, thighs and backside.

Each brand is slightly different. Certain features make different derma roller brands suitable for different needs. The more expensive brands benefit from superior build quality, narrower needles and a better overall look and feel. As with any product though, the results you achieve are not necessarily dependant on choosing the most expensive model.

~ R. Dupree

Do You Have Sensitive Skin?

• Is your skin easily damaged or irritated?
• Is your skin dry, delicate and prone to irritant or allergic reactions?
• Does your skin have a reduced tolerance to cold, heat, wind, temperature changes, or pollution?

If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, consider yourself a member of the “sensitive skin” club to which 56 per cent of Canadian women claim to belong. Of this group, more than 46 per cent also have dry skin.

What is sensitive skin?

Generally if you have easily irritated or reactive skin, then you have ‘sensitive skin’. Most of the time sensitive skin relates to the face. Sensitive skin can be caused by a genetic predisposition or environmental factors. It appears as a redness, a swelling, itchy and dry irritation to the face. One of the major jobs of the skin is to waterproof. This is done to the epidermis or surface layer of the skin, producing a fat-protein sandwich that is always being replaced and is vital to prevent too much water loss from the skin.

Symptoms of sensitive skin include:

• A tingling or tightening of the skin without visible signs
• “Overreaction” to skin care or cosmetic products
• Reactions to shaving, or other physical stress to the skin

Sensitive skin can also be a heads-up for other conditions, such as:

• Altered skin — due to shaving, waxing, medications or heat, cold, wind, and pollution. Also, laser or chemical peels or scar removal
• Allergic skin – the sudden appearance of redness or swelling and itchiness
• Atopic skin – dry skin that is itchy and produces eczema. Eczema is related to hayfever and asthma. (see Eczema Guide for more information)
• Rosacea skin - blood vessels of the face enlarge resulting in a flushed sensation or a redness of the skin

What to do about your skin?

• Perfume or scented creams can be irritating.
• Rinse well after using cleansing products, which should be mild and soap-free as they do not remove so much oil from the skin (www.MildCleanser.ca gives you more information about this kind of cleansers)
• Use a moisturizer and sunscreen that is formulated for sensitive skin
• Don’t over wash your face. Temperature of the water should be tepid; neither hot or cold
• Don’t use exfoliants
• Be aware of seasonal temperatures. The sudden dryness of winter can mean itchy, dry skin until the skin responds by increasing oil production to reduce the water loss
• For breakouts use a cleanser with salicylic acid to help exfoliate pores. There are also moisturizers that contain salicylic acid

Be sensitive to stress

The causes and effects of stress on the body are not fully known, but for some people stress interferes with the body’s systems that repair and regulate the skin. Stress kills your natural antioxidant defenses, which help to prevent accelerated aging of the skin. Hormones can also trigger a histamine release within the skin causing it to erupt in bumpy redness, or breakout in hives.

Desensitize yourself

When choosing makeup, especially foundation and blush, buy oil-free products. Makeup that is water-based won’t clog pores. Look for oil-absorbing foundations that help keep oil off the face.

As for the rest of your body, check ingredients and avoid harsh chemicals in soaps, shampoos, body cleansers and creams, bath oils, bubble baths, etc.

Put your best face forward

• Watch your alcohol intake, spicy foods and caffeine
• Try to avoid excessive temperature changes
• Use the right cleansers, moisturizers and cosmetics
• Manage stress as best you can

By Richard Thomas, MD, FRCPC