Skin Care – Skin Care Tips

Stress is all around us and we know it affects our mood and our physical health. However, most people don’t know how it can affect our skin. Our skin is pH sensitive and the acid mantle of the skin is what protects our skin from damage.

The skin can be stressed by what we put on it like alkaline soaps, cleansers, even makeup but it can be affected just as much by our stress levels and what we think. If we are constantly tense, anxious and jittery, we have the potential for it to show up in our skin.

The outer layer of skin is called the epidermis. The skin cells lie tightly side by side and on top of one another. This layer of skin forms a strong barrier that is covered with a waxy coating called the acid mantle. This barrier protects the body from bacteria, irritants and other pathogens. When we become stressed, the first thing that is affected is the acid mantle. As the acidic nature of stress changes the pH of the mantle, it begins to break down. Then the epidermis also begins to break up as the protection of the acid mantle is lost. Now the cells begin to show signs of dehydration by shrinking and the lipids in the outer layer begin to dissipate. As the protective layer becomes compromised by stress, the skin becomes more vulnerable to attack and more permeable to invaders. The layers of skin under the epidermis can now be invaded by irritants and pathogens. Examples of this are eczema and psoriasis.

Stress causes the body to release a powerful hormone called cortisol into the blood stream. Cortisol is what is called the fight-or-flight hormone. It is what gives you the jitters and can even make you nauseated if you are really anxious. It acts like steroid and can shut down the immune system in preparation to run away. If you need to protect yourself from an invisible attacker you need all your energy and focus to do so. All unnecessary systems are shut down. Chronic stress and its accompanying immune suppression makes you more prone to colds, flu and other infections. Your heightened hypersensitivity makes you more prone to allergens and allergic reactions, creating rashes and hives on the skin.

Atopic dermatitis is a condition where the skin reacts to potential allergens, becoming red, swollen and itchy. It can be brought on by stress or made worse by it. In a study of 26 people in Japan with this form of dermatitis, they found that people who watched a funny movie, had a reduction in symptoms for two hours, even if they came in contact to what they were allergic to. Laughter busts stress and reduces levels of stress hormones in the body, which in turn reduces rash and skin irritation symptoms.

Stress also makes acne worse or can bring on an episode. Students during exam times can be more prone to worsening of their acne because of escalating stress levels. Cold sores too, can erupt during stressful times.

We frown and scrunch up our face when we are stressed as our faces and our jaw tense. This can cause frown lines and wrinkles on our skin that is habitually frowning. These can be hard to eliminate and can make us look older than our years.

Dry skin is much more likely if you are stressed. As the acid mantle breaks down, moisture is lost in the skin, causing it to look dry and dull. It can feel dry and rough, even itchy, not naturally silky and smooth.
There are all kinds of lotions and potions that you can put on your skin but the best course of action, besides stress busting (see my article How To Bust Stress In Your Life) is to look after your skin care from the inside out. Plenty of clean alkaline, ionized water is great for moisturizing your skin, as is essential fatty acids. Eating the right foods, (see my article Foods That Make Your Skin Glow) also helps to give you that sparkly, glowing look.

Since stress turbo ages your body and your skin, you need to use every strategy to kick it out of your life. If you need to, get some help from someone you trust. You only have one body and stress can wear it out pretty quickly.

In relation to this title… last things first.

Unfortunately there aren’t many rules to break and that’s because there is no governments or authorizing bodies to ensure that ‘organic’ claims on skin care and personal care products are genuine.

The same goes for ‘natural’ It appears that cosmetic manufacturers can claim an ingredient is natural, even if the raw material has been synthesized with chemicals, heat and pressure. The resulting compound is far from the original pure substance that they started with.

And that Bunny emblem that professes the product ingredients are not tested on animals… well that only means that the cosmetic manufacturer or its’ agents have not tested the ingredients on animals for the past 5 years.

Big players in the cosmetic manufacturing industry can lobby against the introduction of legislation that would protect the consumer from unknowingly purchasing products that contain ingredients known to cause cancer in laboratory animals Not only that, they can also add a few herbal ingredients to their products and claim them to be ‘Organic’!

If you ask most consumers, many will agree that if they choose ‘natural’ and/or ‘organic’ products, they expect it to be as pure as possible. Meaning, little or no chemical action and no synthetic chemical ingredients.

The trouble is… the chemical industries definition of ‘organic’ is ‘anything that contains ‘carbon’.

That means that leaves that have rotted over thousands of years to produce crude oil and then synthesized to make skin care ingredients can be named as ‘organic’!

And so, this allows cosmetic manufacturers a loop hole.

The best way to ensure your organic purchase is genuine it to make sure there is a Certification label on the product…. That means a third party independent body has issued the proof that the products hold up to the scrutiny of an audit trail, from growth of the raw material, harvest, storage and transport and importantly the processing.

Please be aware of the bogus ‘certification’ that some companies use.

* Applying a mock up of a label created by their art department to fool unwary consumers.

* A chemical name followed by a natural ingredient in (brackets)…(coconut)

* Claiming to be ‘derived from’…there has been a chemical change to the raw ingredient by synthetic means.

* Unpronounceable chemical sounding names on products that claims to be ‘organic’

An example of the blatant cheat is the misuse of information for the chemical foaming agent Cocomidopropyl Betaine, used in many shampoos and body washes, including baby products.

Some manufactures will leave out the chemical sounding part of the name and you will see on the label ‘Coco Betaine’ and some times (coconut) following. It would be reasonable to assume that this is a ‘natural’ ingredient.

In reality, the coconut oil has been boiled with ammonia and a toxic herbicide… far from ‘natural’ and certainly no longer a pure ingredient!

There is also a problem with contamination of some ingredients during the manufacturing process. As this is unintentional, you won’t see it listed on the label.

It has been found that nearly 70% of products assessed can be contaminated with impurities during manufacture. 55% of products assessed contained ‘penetration enhancers’ they help the active ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin.

So here is an eye-opener!… 50% of all products assessed contain penetration enhancers as well as known and probable cancer causing ingredients!

To be certain a product is truly ‘Organic’ ensure the certifying label from governing bodies such as the USDA or ACO.

ALSO:-

* Don’t fall for ‘natural’ claims. * Don’t fall for ‘organic’ claims without a logo. * Read labels! * Vote out the cheats with your purchasing dollar!

Is it true that cleansing the face regularly with the use of face cleansers really helps in keeping the skin healthy? Does washing the face not enough in keeping the face free of dirt particles and other elements? One of the best skin care regimen that we must practice is cleansing that you will know more on this article.

Let’s face it that the face and hands are the most exposed parts of the body that heavily accumulates dirt and harsh elements. These parts are also prone to aging, clogging, pigmentation and other skin problems. To prevent these things from happening, cleansing is the answer.

Cleansing the face is one of the most important skin care regimen that we should practice. It has been a part of regular skin care ever since woman became conscious on their looks because it makes them look clean and fresh. It is believed that when the skin is clean, it looks younger and radiant than before. So to maintain that glow, cleansing must be done at all times.

As soon as dirt and dust particles get into the face, it blocks the skin pores that make the skin look dry. Dryness causes several skin problems such as blemishes, blackheads, acne, wrinkles and other signs of aging. When this happens, we look old, dull and dry which is unsightly to see.

In cleansing the face, you need to use the appropriate face cleanser. You need to use face cleansers that works as emulsifiers to remove dust, excess oils, dirt, bacteria and make-up. It also works to exfoliate the surface skin cells that help your skin to breathe and attain the correct nourishment it needs.

Avoid using cleansers and soaps that are too strong or harsh because these types of cleansers can actually dry out your skin and take away the natural oils of it. Instead use mild soap or soap-free cleansers in cleansing the face. Remember to use only face cleansers according to your skin type because it will not damage the ph balance of the skin.

In cleansing your face, use only lukewarm water because using water that is too cold or too hot makes the skin dry. Lukewarm water is gentle on the face and it also allows the pores to open up to have a deep clean. By doing this, it really removes all the dirt and dust particles on your skin.

One more thing, avoid extreme scrubbing because it can damage your face instead of helping it. Gently massage your face with your finger when cleansing for best results because in this way you get a clean face without irritating the skin. Other people think that scrubbing is good for the skin but it is a wrong practice that needs to be removed.

As you can see, cleansing is really important especially to skin care that we all should practice. Remember to achieve best results, cleanse your face at least twice a day. Follow this and you will have the glow that everybody will notice.