Skin Care Throughout Life

From the day we are born, our skin requires much care to remain smooth and healthy. It begins with soap to keep us clean. Then, there are creams,powders, and ointments to keep diaper rash from our bottoms.

During the first few years of our lives, our skin will do well with soap for cleaningand the occasional lotion or cream for moisture. Then come the teen years. Our raging hormones bring out the oily skin, the pimples, and a host of other conditions. It's important to understand that everything that comes in contact withour body affects our health and the condition of our skin. That's why choosing natural skin care products and ingredients is important.

The liver filters the toxins and poisons from the food we eat, but whatever we place on our skin is directly absorbed. This includes deodorant, lotions, gels, cleansers, toners, make-up, perfumes, and more. As we age, our skin becomes more sensitive, and we need to be even more careful with the beauty treatments we use.

Hair Loss : Avoid using too many hair-styling products

Gels, waxes, sprays all add to the build-up of deposits on your scalp.

Don't colour, perm or straighten your hair too frequently
Repeated exposure to chemicals while colouring, perming or straightening could lead to permanent damage and loss of hair. Colouring should be done by a professional and always insist on a pre-colouring hair protective conditioner before applying colour.

For brittle hair, apply an egg white over your hair for 15 minutes and shampoo.

For dandruff, apply tea tree oil (available at shops selling essences and natural oils). Lemon juice or vinegar mixed with a spoon of olive oil can also be applied an hour before shampooing.

Weekend Beauty Read

Beauty read from my friends from Beauty Blog Network :

PJ at A Touch of Blusher tells us about Dior's Summer 2007 Collection.

Beth at Ageless in Los Angeles talks about Prom: No Longer Just Gowns And Corsages, Now Botox And Restylane.

Michelle at All Lacquered Up breaks down the who, what and why about toxic chemicals in nail polish.

Carleen at Beauty and Fashion Tech talks about the top 5 skincare products for any skin type.

Aparna at Beauty and Personality Grooming has a quick remedy for dandruff.

Henna at Canadian Beauty talks about great Mother's Day Presents.

Elke of the Elke Von Freudenberg [Blog] ponders a new way to make it in the makeup business. Briefly.

Anden at Let's talk about beauty and health shares some information on skin cancer, learning how to self screen.

Teri at Pretty by Nature tells us all about PhytoOrganics - a hair care line from Nexxus.

Toya at the Life of a Ladybug tries lips by Rimmel and Sally.

Christina at eBeautyDaily addresses a common home hair coloring problem and its solutions.

Happy Mother's Day

Simple healthy tips to prevent cancer

1. Don't Smoke

Smoking is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. If you smoke cigarettes, cigars or pipes, or use "smokeless" tobacco, stop now. (Avoid second-hand smoke as if your life depended on it. It may.)

2. Wear a Hat

Exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer. Use SPF15 sunscreen,
wear a hat and cover up. Avoid tanning booths, too!


3. Watch What You Drink

Alcohol is not recommended, but if you do drink, the USDA suggests you do so in moderation.
If you must drink, make water your only choice.


4. Cut the Fat

Your daily consumption of fats should be 30% or less of your total calorie intake.
High fat diets contribute to several forms of cancer, including breast and colon cancer.


5. Eat Your Vegetables

Fruits/vegetables at least 5 servings a day will help provide Vitamins A, C, E and other substances that contain known anti-cancer agents. Especially good for you are deep green and yellow/orange vegetables.


6. Rough It

Roughage and fiber help prevent cancer of the colon; eat 6 servings daily (20-30 grams)
of fiber filled beans, whole grains and vegetables.


7. Stay In Shape

Overweight people are at greater risk for cancer and heart disease.
Get in the habit of exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet.


8. Learn to Relax
Stress weakens the immune system, which reduces your ability to fight cancer and other disease. Work out, walk, garden, meditate, etc. Find a method that works for you.


9. Keep a Healthy Home

Eliminate toxic chemicals and cleaners around your home. Switch to environmentally safe
cleaning and yard products.


10. Take Control of Your Health

Next to prevention, your best defense against cancer is early detection.
Make it a habit to get screening tests for cancer, such as a mammogram, PAP test and prostate exam.

Skin Cancer & You : Learning How to Self-Screen

YOU are your own first line of defense.

Most of the spots on your skin — freckles, birthmarks, moles — are normal, but some may be more susceptible to skin cancers. There are three main types of skin cancers:

Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)
Melanoma

Melanoma is the third most common form of skin cancer and the most deadly. Fortunately, each of these can usually be discovered at an early stage when they are readily curable. If you ever spot any freckles, birthmarks, moles or other suspicious or changing growths, see your dermatologist promptly.

The A, B, C, D & E's of Skin Cancer

Learning how to check yourself for signs of skin cancer is the easiest and most important step in reducing your skin cancer risks.

Stand in front of a mirror and check your entire body for moles, freckles, birthmarks or other unusual spots. Use a hand mirror to check any hard-to-see places. Examine each one, and if you notice any showing any signs of the symptoms described below, contact your dermatologist and schedule a skin exam immediately.

Asymmetrical : Most early melanomas are asymmetrical, meaning a line through the middle would not create matching halves. Common moles are round and symmetrical.

Borders : The borders of early melanomas are often uneven and may have scalloped, notched and fuzzy edges. Common moles have smoother, more even borders.

Colors : Common moles usually are a single shade of brown. Varied shades of brown, tan or black can be the first sign of melanoma, and may progress to the colors red, white and blue.

Diameter : Early melanomas usually grow larger than common moles — generally to at least the size of a pencil eraser (about 6mm or ¼" in diameter).

Evolving : When a mole is evolving (changing), see a doctor. Be alert for any change — in size, shape, color, elevation, bleeding, itching, crusting or any other trait — in an existing mole.

LOSING HAIR !!!! Here some helps.

After the age of 20, most of us suffer from hair loss to some degree. What we don't realise, however, is that with proper care, precautions and a healthy diet, half of our hair problems would be over.

1. Identify your hair type

If your hair does not become greasy even after five days of your last shampoo, you have dry hair. Normal hair needs to be shampooed one or two times a week. More than a shampooings per week means you have oily hair.

2. Use a shampoo that suits your hair type

Avoid excessively drying shampoos for oily hair, as it may stimulate the scalp on the rebound to produce more oil. Instead, use a shampoo meant for normal hair. You can use it more frequently, even daily if needed. Frequent washing does NOT lead to hair loss.

3. Oil once a week

Olive oil or almond oil are your best options. Massage it in with your fingertips to boost scalp circulation. Don't leave in for more than one or two hours. Avoid hair oil if you have acne on your face and forehead.

4. Conditioning

Use conditioners as per hair type:

Oily: a light or volumising conditioner.
Dry: a smoothening one or almond oil-based conditioner.
Rough: papaya or aloe vera conditioner.
Dull: henna-based conditioner.

Don't apply conditioner to roots -- use only on the ends and the hair shaft to avoid loss of volume. Special intensive repair conditioners need to be left on for 20 to 30 minutes under a hot towel wrap. Use collagen based conditioners for excessively treated, permed or straightened hair and colour-protecting conditioners for tinted hair.