Facial Toners Promote Skin Vitality

Alcohol-free Facial Toner Best for Balancing skin PH

Facial toner should not be confused with astringent, which can strip the skin of its vital acid balance due to higher concentrations of alcohol. Alcohol-free toner helps to instantly restore the natural PH level of your skin. Toning is a step usually taken after cleansing and before moisturizing. It works best to help balance the skin, remove residual cleanser, clear the pores and soothe the skin.

“Alcohol-free facial toner is a vital transition between cleansing and treatment. The Vivoderm toner, for example, is enriched with minerals and natural herbal astringents to purify hydrate and normalize the skin. The grape seed and green tea extracts soothe and tone the skin preparing it to readily receive the maximum benefits of skin care to follow,” reports Dr. Noushin Adhami, Vice President of Vivoderm Laboratories.

Natural facial toner that combines herbal ingredients, like grape seed or green tea extract work more holistically than alcohol-based astringents. Grape seed contains “oligomeric proanthocyanidin” or OPCs showing medicinal and pharmacological properties against oxidative-caused cellular stress. Radical-scavenging effects have also been reported. The bioflavonoids in grape seed are water-soluble and have antioxidant and ‘adaptogenic’ or stress-resistant properties, which help defend against a number of negative environmental factors, including smoke, radiation and chemicals. Green tea extract has been reported act as a protective agent of skin from ultraviolet light.

What all this means is, in order to achieve optimal health, your skin needs sufficient blood supply, hydration, moisture, oxygen and thickness. The natural facial toner is also a complementary part of the anti-aging prevention tools. Facial toner should promote skin health and vitality by toning the skin and retaining the skin’s natural moisture.

Your Face Reflects Your Diet

You may have heard the old saying, “You are what you eat.” Never does it ring more true when we consider the quality of our skin. It’s not a fallacy to say we feel better when we eat pure, healthy foods that support and nourish our bodies as compared to a diet of over-processed, chemical-laden foods. Without proper nutrients, the body just can’t function optimally. It will be sluggish, lack vitality, and lack muscle mass. On the surface, the skin may show wrinkles, sagging, acne, age spots and appear overall to be dull. Free radicals can take the blame for some of this skin degeneration, but if you want beautiful, healthy, glowing skin – you have to feed it right.

Antioxidant-rich foods that contain vitamin C and E have been found to defend against free radicals by giving them their own electrons and forming a barrier that protects skin cells. You may already know certain behaviors and habits will either help or harm your skin, such as proper diet, exercise, smoking and sun exposure. One of the most significant sources of skin-damaging free radicals is cigarette smoke.

The modern Western diet is filled with carbohydrates, unnecessary sugars and salts, fats and caffeine. Most would be shocked to learn just how many of these detrimental elements they consume in a day. According to current research, it is the sugars and carbohydrates that have the worst effects on your complexion. They rob your skin of the oxygen it needs to stay youthful and can also cause inflammation.

In opposition to the processed foods, a diet that is pure and natural to its original essence as possible will provide your skin with vital nutrients and oxygen. Fruits and vegetables are on the top of this list of course, but other vital fats like walnuts, olive oil and fresh fish oils will also contribute greatly to beautiful, glowing skin. You cannot improve your skin without first improving your daily diet. Take the time to research various natural foods and their beneficial qualities. Try to incorporate these foods as much as possible into your lifestyle. Also beneficial is to replace those sugar-laden sodas with fresh water and teas. Proper hydration will help flush residual toxins from your system while you are optimizing your diet.

Once you consider what foods you are ingesting, you may also need to consider your smoking and drinking habits. We all know how harmful excessive smoking or drinking can be for our health, but our skin will be the first to show the signs of damage–long before our bodies give any indication of disease or imbalance. Smoking creates a toxic metabolism in your whole body. Many know the lungs are damaged by smoking–which is bad enough in itself–but the lack of oxygen will show on your face first. You will see more wrinkles around the eyes and mouth and smokers also have skin that is slower to heal. Blood is actually directed away from the skin by the destructive effects of nicotine, resulting in a sallow, grayish skin tone. On a scientific level, the nicotine blocks the oxygen supply to your skin, causing the subdermal capillaries to go into spasms, eventually increasing the rate at which your skin ages.

If you are hoping a cosmetic procedure will “erase” all the damage you have done – be aware that many doctors today will not perform any invasive procedures on a smoker due to the slower healing rate and lack of it results it can cause.
Once you have incorporated healthier foods into your life and reduced or eliminated smoking and excessive drinking, it is guaranteed you will see noticeable positive results in your skin’s appearance and in your overall health.

Purchasing Skin Care Products

What to Consider When Buying Skin Care Products

Avoid skin care products that contain fragrances or other chemical ingredients. These can actually cause more harm than good as they absorb into your body. Foreign chemicals do not belong in the body. It is counter productive to use chemicals on the skin for an anti aging treatment.

Use perfumes and body sprays to add a nice scent to your skin instead. The difference between sprays and lotions is that with a lotion, you are rubbing the chemicals into your skin. Sprays are less concentrated and left on the surface.

Products that contain collagen are a complete waste of time. The claims made by skin care manufacturers who put collagen into their anti aging skin care products are completely false. The only true way to put collagen into the skin is to use something that stimulates natural collagen production.

The Results are in the Ingredients, Not the Advertising

The majority of those in the skincare industry are out to make money and that is their primary goal. They will spend millions of dollars on advertising just to get people to buy their product. Most of the time, the product is not as good as they claim it to be because it is not made with the best ingredients. It seems they would rather spend good money on advertising than on quality lotions that are effective.

Using Celebrities to Endorse Anti Aging Skin Care Products & Treatments

Celebrities are often used to promote products. A good example of this is Proactive Solutions. Vanessa Williams and Jessica Simpson both promote this anti-acne skin care line. The painful truth is that they are highly paid for their endorsements. That is not to say the product does not work, but rather it reveals a different sort of motivation behind their advertising.

Smaller companies that put money into their products are the best bet for your money. When it comes to anti aging skin care products, it is far better to buy from smaller companies that put their money into the ingredients rather than in the pockets of celebrities.

Cleanse, Nourish, Moisturize

If you suffer from any type of facial malady, most experts will agree, the first rule of skin care is:  cleanse, nourish, and moisturize. No matter what type of skin you have, this three-step routine for the care of your skin is essential to counteract the daily effects of environment, stress, and the skin’s natural process of cell degeneration. It is the very minimum you must do to maintain a normal, healthy, youthful complexion. Even if you do nothing else for an existing skin problem, keeping this regimen every day can help to improve your condition, sometimes in a short amount of time.

The basic requirements for good skin include daily cleansing, nourishing, and moisturizing that is right for your complexion type. A total facial beauty program should feature daily skincare: cleansing, toning, moisturizing, weekly facial masks, healthy eating, rejuvenating body baths, exfoliation, and of course, exercise.

Following a seasonal skin care regimen is ideal for everyone, no matter what your skin condition, as our skin fluctuates with the seasons. In winter, cold temperatures and lack of humidity make moisturizing a must. In the heat of the summer months, the humidity is higher and you are more prone to exercise and sweat, so a moisturizer may not be necessary, but a sunscreen will - then you may notice more breakouts and need a detoxifying clay mask for example.

The most common skincare complaints include acne, eczema, psoriasis, premature wrinkles, sagging and age spots. Not all of these skin maladies will occur at the same time and not all skincare products will be necessary at all times. If you have combination skin, you may even need to ‘spot-treat’ – a moisturizer on your cheeks and a detoxifying mask on your forehead and nose, for example.

If you are a resourceful natural skincare advocate, you may already make some of your best skincare products at home. If you prefer to buy your skin care products rather than make them, it will benefit you greatly to be a knowledgeable consumer. Learn to distinguish the true natural products from the many pretenders on the market today.

Typically most skincare treatments are external. While they are vital to achieving a flawless complexion and an all-over healthy appearance, they alone are not sufficient to eliminate all skin problems completely. A topical product will alleviate only the surface issues of disease and aging, not the cause itself. For that you must also cleanse and nourish the body and mind internally - where all disorders begin. Internal skincare is equally if not more important that any external cream, especially when it comes to diet and key stress-reducing techniques like exercise, meditation and massage.

You can take years off your appearance by rejuvenating your skin if you are willing to follow a “whole-health” regimen. Make a routine of your daily skincare with proper cleansing, nourishing / toning and moisturizing as well as feeding your body nourishing, healthy foods and exercising. You will see the results for yourself through your improved complexion and an overall feeling of well-being.

Dry, Sensitive Skin Options

Treatment Options for Dry, Sensitive Skin

If you suffer from dry, cracked or sensitive skin – skin that easily reacts to chemicals and temperature fluctuations - then keeping your skin hydrated is essential. If you live in a humid climate where natural moisture is more prevalent, then you are halfway there to better skin. On the flip side, if you live in a high-altitude or desert climate, artificially creating humidity in your home may be the second best option. Since many of us can’t just pick up and move to a new seaside location, using a humidifier in your home or bedroom while you sleep can do wonders for your dry, cracked skin.

While drinking more water will help hydrate your skin to a degree, it isn’t the cure-all for sensitive skin issues. However, the water you use to bathe is very important. Bathing with hard water (which contains increased amounts of calcium) can contribute to dryness and redness. Reverse osmosis water filters will help convert hard water to soft water, if it fits in your budget, it could be a consideration. Water temperature also matters. Dermatologists warm that very hot water temperatures, such as 104 degrees F, can dry out your skin and lead to redness. Gentle hydrotherapy, meaning moderate temperatures with little fluctuations are best for your skin type.

When choosing a special spa treatment, do so with care. Be wise in selecting spa and beauty treatments like exfoliating massages, loofahs, acid-peel facials, and hot steam rooms, which can all strip oils from sensitive, dry skin. Scalding temperatures, intense treatments, running from hot saunas into wintry snow is good for those with resilient skin - not for you. For those with especially sensitive skin, even perfumed bath oils and massage products can be irritating. Aromatherapy massages may be counterproductive if the oils used cause any form of burning or redness. Even getting a manicure or pedicure can cause hyper-reactions when the acetones in nail polishes and removers are irritating.

If you have had serious reactions to spa treatments in the past and need a gentler alternative, consider thalassotherapy. Thalassotherapy was developed in seaside towns in Brittany, France during the 19th century. Based on the belief that the properties of seawater have beneficial effects upon the pores of the skin, trace elements of magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and iodide found in seawater are believed to be absorbed through the skin. The therapy is applied in various forms, as either showers of warmed seawater, application of marine mud or of algae paste or the inhalation of sea fog. Spas make hot seawater and provide mud and seaweed wrapping services.

Very popular throughout Europe, thalassotherapy treatments are used for relaxation, stress management, muscle and skin restoration, and to fight cellulite. If you cannot afford the actual spa treatments, home products containing seaweed or algae can also be effective in hydrating dry, sensitive skin.
Another great option to provide more oil distribution to dry skin is massage. Massage is also great for eczema. A recent dermatological study at the University of Miami showed that children with severe dry skin were treated with moisturizer and massage therapy improved more compared to those who were not massaged and were treated with moisturizer alone.

So these are simply guidelines to use when choosing products and treatments to help alleviate your dry skin conditions. As with all hydrotherapy treatments, it is important to limit your immersion in the water to less than one hour so as not to impair the skin barrier. And when purchasing products, always be sure to read the ingredient list for potential irritants.

Your Miraculous Skin