Reduce your Sun Spots Naturally!

I am a child of the sun.

I spent the majority of my childhood playing outdoors under the warm California sun. Whether we were at tennis practice, hiking Jack London State Park, jumping waves in Bodega Bay, or simply playing in the field (country living, right?), the sun’s rays were a constant comrade. Back then, the sun would leave tiny freckles across the bridge of my nose and lightly dust my cheeks — sun kisses or sun freckles we called them. Now, many years later, I am still drawn to the sun as ever. Any free moment I have is spent outside hiking, swimming, or kicking back in the patio with a book and cold drink. The only thing that has changed is the trace that the sun leaves on my skin. Sweet sun freckles have been replaced with dark sun spots.

Though I wear sunscreen everyday, I am prone to hyperpigmentation, a common skin condition that occurs as a result of excess melanin production in the body and can cause uneven skin color and dark patches. Prolonged sun exposure, inflammation, acne, or hormonal imbalance can trigger excess melanin. Though my sun spots are mostly on my face, hyperpigmentation can also occur anywhere else on the body. For several years, I have tried expensive creams and fancy oils to reduce the look of dark spots but nothing has worked — anyone who also has dark spots knows how frustrating this can be.

I recently came across an article about the benefits of turmeric, a spice that is native to Southern Asia from the ginger family of plants. The stems — or rhizomes — of the plant are harvested, dried, and usually pounded to create a fine, yellow-gold powder. It is commonly used in cooking but has also been used to treat inflammation, skin wounds, and even liver disorder in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It also has a wide variety of beauty benefits, including reducing the appearance of dark sun spots.

Turmeric:

Acts as an antioxidant. Circumin, the yellow pigment and active ingredient in turmeric, is a powerful antioxidant that combats premature aging. An antioxidant protects cells from free radicals and environmental toxins that can damage cells over time, resulting in aging.

Reduces inflammation. Turmeric has potent anti-inflammatory properties. Some people add a pinch of turmeric to their daily regimen to help reduce inflammation.

Has antibacterial properties. Not only can you combat colds and sore throats with turmeric, the spice can be applied to cuts and wounds to prevent infection.

Some people believe that turmeric is an effective ingredient in treating acne and sun spots due to its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. I wanted to put it to the test so I researched different ways to safely apply it to my skin in the form of a mask:

Turmeric Face Mask

Ingredients:

Pinch of turmeric. I recommend starting with a small pinch and gradually adding more as you see fit. The turmeric will make your mask a yellow-to-orange color. Personally I use a small portion of turmeric so my mask is a lighter yellow.

2 Tbsp organic plain yogurt. Yogurt is a gentle ingredient that evens out skin complexion and brightens skin due to the lactic acid.

Juice from half of a lemon. Lemons contain citric acid which helps to lighten dark spots. They also act as a natural exfoliator. If you have sensitive skin, I recommend using much less lemon or skip the lemon altogether.

2 Tbsp cucumber juice. Cucumbers bind collagen and help firm skin. Cucumbers also have an incredible cooling effect.

1 Tbsp aloe vera gel. Aloe vera works on hyper-pigmented skin due to the mucilaginous polysaccharides in the gel. It removes dead skin cells and promotes regeneration of new skin cells. Aloe vera also has natural salicylic acid that keeps skin clear.

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Once it is mixed, it should be a little runny. You can either apply to the affected area or to your entire face. Because turmeric stains, and might leave your fingertips a shade of yellow, I recommend using the back of a spoon or a brush to apply. I also recommend wearing a shirt you wouldn’t mind staining if the mask accidentally drips onto it.

Keep the mask on for 15-20 minutes. If it dries and feels tight, try adding more yogurt next time.

Rinse with warm water. And don’t forget to apply sunscreen after!

After the mask, my face feels soft and has a much brighter glow. I am anxious to see how my sun spots reduce in a few weeks!

There are many different turmeric face masks out there so I suggest researching a few to find one that is best suited for your specific skin type.


Source: blog.freepeople.com

Do's N Don'ts for Soft N Silky Skin

Dry and flaky skin is most common problem in winter time for any skin types. Cold air does more damage than we think, it literally sucks the life out of silky and hydrated skin. Few other factors like food habits, smoking and alcohol contribute for skin damage.

We do know stores out there are filled with many lotions and moisturizers to combat this dry skin. Most of them may not suit you best or they have a price tag that you want to re-think on. Hence, natural remedies, these are not only affordable, but also more efficient than any chemical based products out in the market.

Let’s see what are some of the rules to maintain silky and smooth skin?

Don’ts

•  I understand you loving your hot showers for longer time during winters, but did you know that these hot showers are a big No No for skin? They wipe away protective oils from your skin leaving you dead and dry skinned person. 

• Never scratch your skin with your long and beautiful nails. It does longer term damage to your skin than you expect.

• Give yourself a holiday from smoking, sun tanning and sun bathing for a while.

• Have your hands off your face! Your hands touch a lot of surfaces which are a magnet of dirt and germs. Do you want them on your skin?

• Never rub your eyes, apply compresses instead. The skin on your face is extremely delicate, especially under your eyes. So use very light touch on your face every time.

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Do’s

•  Always treat you neck and chest as a part of your face. Your upper chest and neck area are covered by very sensitive skin just like your face. Hence, they tend to be one of the primer spot for spots and sun burns and sings of aging such as dryness and wrinkles start to appear soon in these areas.

• Aloe vera gel is the best cure for extra dry spots on your skin. The acids present in aloe vera eat away the dead cells and speed up the healing process.

• Use a loofah daily to keep a check to ingrown and dead cells on your skin.

• Always keep checking the dryness of your skin by scratching a small line on your leg. If it leaves a white mark then your skin is extremely dry and you need a moisturizer as well as exfoliation

• Nourish your body always. Keep your body hydrated from inside by drinking lots of fluids. Avoid salty snacks during your place, instead opt for some fresh fruit.

Top Skincare Oils for Naturally Glowing Skin - Read on to find out which one you should try

Oil: Perfect skincare ingredient

Have you ever wondered how we end up looking for Oil-Free tag line in all the beauty care products that we purchase? Little we know that they are must haves for any skin related products. We end up assuming we have enough oil on our face, T-zone etc., 

Did you know that our diligent avoidance of oil actually impairs our skins ability to heal. The right combinations of oils which are targeted for various skincare needs provides powerful properties to balance oil production, decrease the signs of aging, and refine the texture of skin. When blended according to skin type, natural oils do not cause oily skin or clog pores. Only when we use synthetic oils (like mineral oil) or some heavy oils do we run into these problems. 

Let me tell you what magic does each natural oil does to your skin.

1.      Olive Oil:

I bet this should be first in the list. No wonder Homer once described this oil as 'Liquid Gold', a term that still resonates with many. In addition to cleansing properties of oilve oil, it also protects and moisturizes for smooth and soft skin. This oil contains antioxidants that can go a long way towards health and beauty, including improvsing on skin tones, helping scars fade away and balancing oil in your skin, thus ensuring in turing what we call oily skin into "normal".

2.     Coconut Oil:

It's no wonder that coconut oil was one of the first beauty oils to hit the mainstream and had (and is still having) such a major moment. It is rich in three fatty acids — capric, caprylic, and lauric — that have antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. They not only make the skin instantly smooth and soft, but also prevent it from losing moisture. This oil works at its best when you leave it over night on you. Apply proper amounts of coconut oil before going to sleep and wash it off in the morning. Remeber pure coconut oil isnt greesy.

3.     Almond oil:
Almond oil can do wonders to your hair,skin and overal health. This nut is very rich in antioxidant, high in vitamin E, protein and fat content along with having many other essential nutrients. The daily usage of this wonderful home ingredient can treat many ailments and treats various beauty and hair issues. As it is rich in vitamin A, B and E, which are great for skin health. In fact, most skin care products have these vitamins loaded in them. The oil helps maintaining moisture levels of the skin and gets absorbed in a jiffy without blocking the pores.

4.     Jojoba Oil:
Jojoba is cosidered oil as it looks and feels like an oil, but if you technically speak it is just a liquid wax ester made from pressed jojobaseeds. Since its composition is the closest thing in nature to our own sebum, it creates a quickly absorbing, lightweight moisturizer for all skin types and can penetrate deeply into the skin. If you struggle with oily skin, a jojoba blend is the way to go because it will dissolve excess sebum and allow the pores to breath.

5.     Moringa Oil:

It is a newcomer to America, it was used by ancient Hindus and Egyptians as early as 2000 B.C. Moringa oil contains an extraordinarily high content of antioxidants, which protect the skin from sun damage and aging. Both the fatty acid profile and antioxidant content can diminish the appearance of wrinkles, lighten skin tone, and deeply moisturize the skin.

6.     Argan Oil:

This oil is extracted from the kernels of the Moroccan argan tree, and is chock-full of fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E, which give it serious moisturizing and restorative powers. It's great for more than just skin, but hair and nails, too. “It’s also ultra-absorbent, and doesn’t leave the greasy residue of some of its heavier counterparts.” The vitamin E is the “power ingredient” in argan oil, and is great for helping heal scars, eczema, and dry scalp.

7.     Grape Seed Oil:

The power of the grape plant goes way beyond its fruit and wine-producing abilities. The oil derived from its seeds is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, and is especially effective in the fight against acne. Applying oil on the skin actually helps to minimize your own oil production. And, the grape-seed variety is one of the best options. It’s an excellent anti-inflammatory to soothe skin that’s already breaking out, it limits excess oil production to prevent acne from forming.

8.    Pomegranate Oil:

Cold-pressed pomegranate oil is one of the more expensive varieties of carrier oils — and with good reason. The particularly lightweight oil is great for all skin types, absorbent, and has vitamins A, D, E, and K. It’s rich in punicic acid, which promotes the production of collagen fibers and slows down the processes that break it down. Not only does this help prevent wrinkles, it also encourages the healing of acne, wounds, and scars.

Good Bye to signs of Aging! (#5 Must Read)

We all heard about those Anti-aging creams that we see in every walk of life at any store. Will they really help? Of course they do, not all but some! Before using them lets start our home work onto knowing what exactly are wrinkles and hence you will know what could prevent them or delay them from hitting you.

Skin owes much of its firmness a fibrous protein called collagen. A second type of protein, elastin, supplies its spring. Oil-secreting glands make it soft and supple, and an underlying layer of fat adds contour. As the body ages, the cells that produce all of these substances become lesser in number and less vigorous. That's a sign of ageing from inside. Lacking protein, the skin weakens and loses tone. Secondly, these are also linked to genes.

How do you think you can prevent them?

There are actions that you can take to prevent/delay the apperance of aging signs like fine lines and wrinkles on your face. 

Wrinkle fighting hacks

1. Food that helps you fight wrinkles

Did you know there are a list of foods that can fight against your wrinkles and make you look younger for a longtime? All the foods that are rich in elements like antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, trace minerals like selenium and copper, high-quality protein, plant compounds such as isoflavones, retinol- one of the forms of vitamin A, iron, vitamin E and C, mono-unsaturated fat etc., are best fighters.

Some of the foods to ease your search are Eggs, Liver, Brazil Nuts, Shellfish, dark colored fruits and vegetables, lentils, almmonds & walnuts, fruits like pappaya, watermelon, pineapple, berries and vegetables like giner garlic, cucumber, tomato. Add them to your diet everyday starting today.

2. Oils

Olive oil was first used over 5000 years ago when it was extracted from olive tree, which was quickly adapted as cosmetic product by Egyptians. It is widely used as a moisturizer beacuse it is rich in antioxidants Vit A and Vit E, that helps to fight that skin damanging free radicals that are primary causes of early aging. Hence, take a table spoon of olive oil and massage into the skin twice a day.

Coconut oil is also rich in antioxidants and can prevent formation of free radicals. This oil also helps reduce wrinkles that have already developed. Massage coconut oil into your skin before you sleep to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

3.  Banana Mask

This powerfully healthy fruit isn’t just good for eating, but can also be used as a creamy face mask. Mash one banana up with a teaspoon of orange juice and a teaspoon of plain yogurt, then leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. The vitamin A will help fade dark spots and blemishes, while vitamin B will prevent aging, and potassium will moisturize and hydrate skin cells. Vitamin E is known as “the protector” because of its strength in fighting free radical damage and bolstering the skin’s resistance to UV damage.

4. Aloe Vera

The clear gel inside an aloe vera plant has wound-healing and soothing effects when applied to the skin, especially after sunbathing thanks to the vitamins and minerals it contains. Having an aloe vera plant inside your home or growing in your garden is convenient and less expensive than buying the gel by itself because the leaves regrow after they’re cut or removed from the base. Sunburns are one of the quickest ways to damage and wrinkle skin, so applying gel can ease the healing process with its anti-inflammatory properties.

5. Use Cosmetics with Care

We use cosmetics and other beauty products to enhance our skin quality but often end up in damaging it a little more. Be aware of such cosmetics that can harm your skin and lead to form wrinkles on them.

·      Avoid products having alcohol in them. Alcohol dries up your skin by dehydrating it. A skin lacking moistures tends to form wrinkles fast. Instead, use water based solutions and products or those that have natural oils in them such as avocado or evening primrose oil. 

·      Avoid using concealer to hide wrinkles. Believe it or not, they make your wrinkles more prominent by settling themselves in the spaces in between the fine lines.

Never over wash your face. The dermatologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center have hold that tap water can strip skin of its natural oils and moisture that protect your skin against wrinkles. Also you should not use harsh soaps while washing your face. Always use one that has moisturizer in it. You can always use natural cleansers like milk to clean your face instead of washing it often.

6.  Don't Stress

Easier said than done! But then, getting rid of wrinkles too is not an easy task. You need to get rid of your stress because it makes your skin thin and weak which cannot fight with the elements that produce wrinkles. Also when you frown or scowl, they only help to make your temporary facial lines permanent. Do whatever will de-stress you. Here are some tips - swim, meditate, yoga, listen to music, read books, spend time with children.

You alone can find a solution to de-stress yourself!