Rescue Me! Natural Oils to Reduce Stretch Marks, Scarring and Dry Skin

Many women know the benefits of rich oils to help ease stretch marks, and with over 75% of women being left with such marks is good to know about something that is really effective. The sooner in the pregnancy it is used the better, but Rescue Oil from Healthpoint will help at any point with both stretch marks and scarring and is also an excellent and very economical skin restorer.

Rescue Oil is a favourite with many celebrities who can certainly afford much more expensive products, although whether they use it for treating blemishes, scarring, stretch marks, open pores, dry or dehydrated skin and to lessen the signs of ageing is anybody’s guess. I would suspect though it is more likely to be the latter!

It contains a specialist blend of natural oils: vitamin E, evening primrose oil, almond oil and peach kernel oil and is easily absorbed into the skin. It can also be used in the bath and is a particularly effective treatment to nourish nails and cuticles.

It is used by both men and women for general skincare conditioning, which may surprise you because although the men’s skincare market has expanded hugely in the last few years this particular product has found favour with men who do a lot of working out. It’s not particularly well known that men get stretch marks too, particularly if they have a body-building routine.

The television programme Loose Women are now including it in the goodie bag they give to guests so if Jackie Collins, Michael Ball and Michael Flatley look younger the next time you see them you will know why.

As we have been having some wonderful sunny days recently, I have been trying it on my face and it is excellent to prevent the skin drying and to reduce lines and wrinkles. Similar oils cost more than double and I will certainly be packing a bottle with me for my next holiday! There are three sizes, including a small travel size, and ranges in price from £0.99 to £2.49. My local Morrisons supermarkets stocks it as do many independent pharmacies or online at Amazon.

If you want to know more then they have a specific website at www.rescueoil.co.uk

Science Fiction Solution for Eczema Sufferers?

The very best discoveries are usually in response to a personal need, and when that need is driven by the health and wellbeing of your own family then the need to find a solution becomes imperative. Graham Lea had that need because both his son and wife suffer from Eczema. In his wife’s case it become highly aggravated and their son suffered from it terribly as a baby and toddler.

As he describes it ‘The usual rounds of GP visits and Eczema clinics ended with a prescription for corticosteroids, emollients, and a pat on the head, thank you goodbye’ but happily as his wife is a qualified herbalist and also has a degree in chemistry they decided to do work on a solution on their own. People with eczema are very sensitive to what is worn next to the skin, particularly as many fabrics have can contain pesticides that become impregnated into clothing at source.

Graham Lea’s research led to the discovery of work done by the University of Minho in Portugal in association with leading dermatologist Dr A. Sousa Basto and through an associated company to a new range of products called SkintoSkin. These are made from 70% Cotton 10% Silver and 20% brown seaweed algae, which combination gives both a natural antibiotic and soothing effect and is a highly effective drug free natural tool to fight eczema. This is where the ‘science fiction’ element comes in as bio-functional textiles are a new discipline in the scientific field where materials are being created that exert a biological effect on human skin. The textiles of the future, and indeed with us now, will be woven with transporter molecules known as cyclodextrines, capable of absorbing substances from the skin and freeing therapeutic composites or cosmetics to the skin.

As textiles interact with the skin very intensively the micro-organisms of the skin can be influenced by them, and vice-versa. The current interest in bio-functional textiles is focused on their use for therapy and prevention in dermatology and they are breaking new and exciting ground with applications emerging to help chronic skin condition sufferers. The therapeutic effects are not diminished by washing; the wearer gets constant therapeutic effect while wearing them and all medical and durability results are clinically tested and proven.

As well as helping with eczema, research and development is going on to develop the textiles use for humidity management and body temperature control and gloves to help with contact dermatitis (currently undergoing clinical trials); anti-insect clothing; and an occlusive suit for occlusive treatment of psoriasis;

More information is available here: Skin To Skin
If you would like to know more then Graham is happy to discuss the range of children’s clothing with you and can take orders on 01268 733788 or email him at [email protected] – and they hope to have the products available on Amazon shortly.

Natural Help for Sensitive Skin in Extreme Weather Conditions

There is no doubt that the extreme weather we have been suffering has created havocs in all areas of life, and you may think your skin is the least important part of it. However, your skin is the largest organ of elimination that you have and plummeting temperatures and icy winds can leave it dry, tight and over sensitive. Now, a new and innovative skincare company, Senzimi Skincare may just have the answer to help sensitive skin rebalance, and in an entirely natural way. The products are suitable for dry, inflamed, sensitive skin and scalp, including those with conditions such as rosacea and eczema and are dermatologically tested in Germany on real people with real skin conditions, not in an abstract laboratory setting.

There are many products for sensitive skin, but what exactly does that mean? There is no real agreement on what natural means so consumers are often left confused. Senzimi provide all the facts on their website in a clear, understandable format, and then let you draw your own conclusions. So whether you’re concerned about ingredients, preservatives and parabens, how ‘natural’ is defined and how products are manufactured and dermatologically and safety tested, you’ll find all the answers at www.senzimi-skincare.com.

The Senzimi range includes a daily moisturiser, cleanser, shampoo and conditioner for your skin and hair and products are formulated with ingredients including Jojoba oil and Rosehip oil and soothing Oat extract for soothing and calming inflamed skin. It also protects and refines, whilst a special blend of soothing and anti-irritating herbal extracts encourage skin rehydration. It also helps promote cell growth and boosts natural protection against UV damage and the appearance of age spots.

If your hair is also being dried out by winter winds and central heating then they also make a sulphate free shampoo and conditioner which clean and strengthen hair with a powerful blend of soothing herbal extracts to help protect and nourish the scalp plus Neem oil, traditionally used to help dry skin. If you can’t find it in the health store, go online to www.senzimi-skincare.com

How to Treat Acne

Acne is something that worries most teenagers, and a condition that can linger right through life.  

But, how does acne occur and why?

The whole surface of our epidermis is covered by pores, which include glands. These glands create a  form of fat called sebum. When the glands produce the proper amount of sebum, every thing is okay. But once they become stimulated and begin to develop excessive sebum, the pores become clogged. This leads to an accumulation of sebum and bacteria in the pores and skin, which leads towards the formation of pimples.   The reason why acne most often occurs in puberty is mainly because at this age the sex hormones that stimulate the glands are most active, and also the reason why it can flare up in women around menopause.

Acne is not a major physical problem, though in serious cases can lead to scarring, but often causes a loss of self-confidence which is equally as damaging.  

Here are a few simple tips to help keep acne under control, and eradicate it: 

    * Wash your face 2 times per day with soap and warm water gently without rubbing hard or you can irritate the skin further and then dry it gently, but thoroughly with a clean dry towel each time.

    * Keep all chemical and synthetic products away from your skin including accidental transference from your hands from hair gels and sprays.

    * Avoid cosmetics that are oil based – mineral make up is usually the best. 

    * Resist the urge to touch infected areas, and never ‘op’ any pimples.  If you do the bacteria will penetrate deeper into the pores, resulting in a lot more pain, redness and possibly even scars.

    * identify any food allergies that may aggravate your skin – check after eating to see if any change is visible in your skin and then avoid that particular food or drink.  

 * Stress can aggravate acne so reduce it wherever possible in your life. 

* Sunlight is generally considered helpful in dealing with acne, due to increased vitamin D levels, but do it gently and carefully and never when the sun is at its hottest.  

These simple tips will help, and so will keeping your immune system strong and healthy.  Follow a natural wholefood diet, get plenty of exercise and fresh air and you should see some improvement and if it is persistent then consult a practitioner such as a homoeopath who may be able to offer more help.

Sapphires & Diamonds Womens Perfume and Cologne by Elizabeth Taylor

     After experiencing lots of success as a young Anglo American actress in the 1940′s-1960′s, Elizabeth Taylor is considered an icon and one of the top 10 actresses of all time. As a young beauty, she was able to open up doors and capitalize on the opportunites that had presented themselves to her. In her latter years, she has made many tabloids with her Hollywood lifestyle, many marriages, and her close friendship with Michael Jackson. With all her success, she has also come out with an entire line of womens perfume and mens fragrances throughout her lifetime. These widely popular designer womens fragrances for women are known throughout the world and we are going to cover just about all of them today in our article

     The first womens discount perfume debuted under Elizabeth Taylors name was called Passion designer perfume for women. This fantastic womens perfume was introduced in 1987 and was an instant smash with the feminine community. With perfume notes of jasmine, woods, vanilla, moss, and & floral aroma’s, its not hard to tell why this women’s discount perfume was able to take off so quickly and was greatly loved by the feminine community. This perfume is still in circulation today and typically you can still find it a some of the major department stores. The mens cologne version called “Passion Cologne” hit the scene a few years later in 1989. This also happens to be the only mens cologne fragrance that Elizabeth decided to release. This mens cologne fragrance carries ingredients of ginger, clove oil, nutmeg, jasmine and vanilla. The ginger really sets this mens fragrance apart with just enough ginger spice to get people’s heads to turn.

     Next on the list of Elizabeth Taylor’s womens perfume was called “White Diamonds” perfume for women. Another fantastic fragrance from Elizabeth Taylor, White Diamonds discount perfume was released in 1991 and heads for a more casual type of womens scent. Fragrance perfume notes in this specific womens perfume are lily, rose, amber, oakmoss and sandalwood, making for a great fragrance that can be worn just about anytime of the day or night. White Diamonds perfume has been a great signature fragrance for women now for almost 20years!

     1993 brought about three new womens perfume fragrances from the Elizabeth Taylor line of discount fragrances. The 3 fragrances we are getting ready to write about are some of the best selling womens fragrances of all time. Diamonds & Sapphires is more of a day time scents with floral bouquet freshly cut smell of lily of the valley, jasmine, ylang-ylang, spice, and rose ingredients with later hints musk sandalwood tops it off. Number 2 included Diamonds & Rubies perfume for women. These specific womens fragrances come equipped in a clear bottle like the others covered in a red box with black and gold trim. Carrying perfume notes of lilac, rose, peach, orchid, amber and vanilla, this womens perfume makes for a fantastic evening occasion. Diamonds and Rubies makes your selection of perfume appear that, thats exactly what you have just found! 1993 also included our 3rd perfume introduced in this year called Diamonds & Pearls. A 3rd very popular fragrance for Elizabeth Taylor, this specific womens perfume is very laid back and casual with ingredients of green floral top notes with white rose, water lily and gardenia, with lower notes of carnation and jasmine to make a beautiful womens fragrance to wear anytime.

     Rising upon her success, Elizabeth Taylor launched her next womens discount perfume in 1996 called Black Pearls. Black Pearls perfume is another great designer daytime perfume fragrance with aromas like soft sweet spices, white rose, and amber, accompanied by fruity notes of fresh citrus and melons. Can’t go wrong with this one. The designer notes speak for themselves White Diamonds Sparkling perfume hit in 1999 with a more hip, blue and white box and clear bottle. More of a sparkling type of personna. Also a daytime scent, this womens fragrance resembles notes of a fresh buy yet soft fragrance which also has flowers with hints of citrus fruits. A more fruity womens fragrance. A couple of years after that, White Diamonds Brilliant perfume was introduced in 2001. Arriving in an all white box with elegant black trim, this womens perfume includes a soft, powdery floral type of scent, perfect for a night out.

     The last two of Elizabeth Taylor’s discount perfume line include “Forever Elizabeth” and “Gardenia”. The first to be debuted was Forever Elizabeth perfume which hit in 2002 with Gardenia following in ’03. Arriving in a beautiful red box with an elegant bottle design, Forever is a casual womens aroma with dewberry, amber and jasmine with creamy amber and musk, making for a feminine and soft scent. Arriving in a green box, Gardenia perfume for women is a casual fragrance with ingredients of gardenia, jasmine, lily of the valley, orchid, rose, white peony, carnation, and musk. Absolutely fantastic!

     The name Elizabeth Taylor has now been branded and built into a women’s fragrance, cologen, and cosmetic empire. Her name bill be recognized for many years to follow. A fair amount of people still swear by her products and praise her line of fragrances. Alot of the time, you can find her items at just about any name brand department like JC Penny’s, Dillard’s, or Bloomingdale’s. Also you can hop online as there are typically great deals to be found. Thats actually the only place we shop now for name brand items whether its perfume, cologne, watches, purses, or just about anything. Some reputable online discount fragrance companies that we have found include IcyFragrance.Com, DRH Fine Gifts, and PerfumeFuzion.Com. Vast inventories with fantastic pricing. They all carry Elizabeth Taylor!

Fighting Acne with Coconut Milk and Gold

Acne can be a curse, whatever your age, and many a menopausal woman has found herself suddenly the victim of this everyday teenage problem. Research comes in many guises, but I don’t usually associate engineering students with devising health solutions, so full marks to Dissaya “Nu” Pornpattananangkul who has devised an effective delivery system for a natural solution to acne.

She is a bioengineering graduate student from the University of California at San Diego in the Jacobs School of Engineering. There is a natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk — lauric acid – that looks set to be a possible new acne treatment thanks to Pornpattananangkul’s work. She has developed a “smart delivery system that is capable of delivering lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to the skin-dwelling bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that cause common acne.

Many common current treatments for acne have undesirable side effects including redness and burning. Lauric-acid-based treatments could avoid these side effects and the new smart delivery system includes gold nanoparticles attached to surfaces of lauric-acid-filled nano-bombs. The gold nanoparticles keep the nano-bombs (liposomes) from fusing together and also help the liposomes locate acne-causing bacteria based on the skin. Rather like a heat seeking missile, it would seem, and once the nano-bombs reach the bacterial membranes, the acidic microenvironment of the skin causes the gold nanoparticles to drop off. This frees the liposomes carrying lauric acid payloads to fuse with bacterial membranes and kill the Propionibacterium acnes bacteria.

Why they need this ‘Dr Strangelove’ language of bombs and payloads I am not quite sure, but if nuking the acne is what is needed then this sounds like a promising solution and minimises any side effects. Pornpattananangkul, who is originally from Thailand, said that it’s just a coincidence that her research involves a natural product produced by coconuts – a staple of Thai cuisine – but no doubt it will be a welcome boost to that economy.

The good news for acne sufferers is that all building blocks of the nano-bombs are either natural products or have been approved for clinical use, which means they are likely to be tested on humans in the near future and then rolled out to the rest of us. Think of the kudos in telling your friends that your acne responded to being treated with gold!

Cold Weather Skin Saver

What with worrying about my roof – no it hasn’t been fixed yet – and the biting cold winds the skin on my face has taken on the texture of sandpaper – albeit the fine kind. Normal moisturisers are just not enough for this kind of skin irritation and so I turn to my favourite natural remedies which in this case is Kiwiherb Organic Calendula Ointment.

I always have organic Calendula in my natural first aid box as it helps heal cuts and sores, chapped lips, rough cracked hands or chilblains, and conditions such as eczema or dermatitis. Calendula flowers are naturally high in carotenoids, which means they are naturally anti-inflammatory and antiseptic so they effectively support your body’s ability to repair damaged skin by improving blood flow to the affected area, helping small blood vessels to seal, stem bleeding, and prevent bruising. What I like is that it calms the redness and irritation of the skin while it heals so that the skin looks much more moisturised and normal in appearance.

Calendula is safe enough to use on children and babies for conditions such as eczema, cradle cap, and nappy rash, which may flare-up over the winter months. If you have any trouble finding it locally, then call Kiwiherb’s UK distributor, Lifeplan Products Ltd, on 01455 556281, or visit their company website www.lifeplan.co.uk

Natural Help For Dandruff

Dandruff has had a bad reputation as people have mistakenly linked it to poor or inadequate hair washing, which is far from the case. It is caused by eczema or seborrhea, and also affected by climate and genetic factors.

Many dandruff shampoos are a cocktail of chemicals, so for a more natural approach: you could try using a shampoo that is gentle and preferably organic with ingredients like Rosemary and Tea Tree oil. Just Google Natural Dandruff Shampoo and you will get plenty of ideas.  Wash daily, or every other day until the dandruff is gone and then wash only about twice a week.

Your scalp needs moisture, so add some GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) to your diet in the form of Evening Primrose Oil and omega-3 fatty acids from ground flaxseed or fish oils to prevent flaking.

Why Hand Sanitizers Are Not Always A Good Idea

Hand sanitizers are now big business; compounded by the panic over Swine Flu, we are now carrying them on our person and having one in practically every room in the house.

Now, I am not against them per se, but they are a second line of defence after hand washing, not instead of, as they are increasingly being used. Also, the most common alcohol-based hand sanitizers have some unhealthy ingredients with some unpleasant associations like these listed from the most commonly included items:

Ethyl alcohol is a common ingredients and it is what kills the germs.
Anything mixed with it will move through the skin and into the bloodstream as the alcohol improves penetration of other chemicals through the skin and this disrupts the oils in the skin so it dries out. . This is also the quality that makes alcohol dry out the skin.

Did you know that there have been reports of prison inmates getting drunk on hand sanitizers and of children licking hand sanitizers off their hands and getting inebriated? While most of the alcohol in hand sanitizers evaporates within seconds of being rubbed on the hands, some is absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream and that is cause for concern if you use them frequently.

Isopropyl alcohol is another common ingredient and that is a petrochemical that can be absorbed through the skin and through inhalation of vapours. It is toxic to the nervous system and dries the skin out.

Fragrances can contain just about anything and are made from dozens of chemicals, many of them highly toxic. They are of course only present in tiny amounts but the cumulative effect, along with the other ingredient can cause a reaction in anyone with chemical sensitivity. .  Chemical, or fake fragrances have been linked by some to the rise in the cases of asthma in children as they tend to be irritating to the lungs.

In the US, the Government’s Environmental Working Group gives fragrance a toxicity rating of 8, one of the highest available.

Propylene glycol is a petroleum or plant-based chemical that is widely used in everything from antifreeze and processed foods to cosmetics and medicines. Although it is classified by various government regulatory agents as being non-toxic, for some people it can be extremely irritating to the skin, eyes and lungs.   The EWG gives it a rating of 4 to 7.

Should you go alcohol-free?
You would think this was a safer option, given the above, but unfortunately they all seem to contain benzalkonium chloride, which numerous studies have implicated exposure to it as the leading cause of occupational asthma and chronic dermatitis in healthcare workers and cleaners .

The other common alcohol-free hand sanitizer ingredient is triclosan, a petrochemical antibacterial closely related to dioxins, which accumulates in the body and has a long list of serious safety concerns.

What to do?
I don’t want to scare you, using hand sanitizers occasionally will not cause a major problem but they are not a substitute for hand washing.  Keep them for use outside the home and when travelling and you should not have any ill effects if used sensibly, it’s the over use that is the problem and the most common symptom you are likely to notice is irritation of the skin.

Personally, I prefer to use a natural product such as Green People’s Foaming Hand Sanitizer.  It is an organic antibacterial product that contains Manuka, Tea Tree and Larch and is a UK product that I can recommend, I have even used it to clean a graze when I scraped my knee climbing a stile!  If you want more information on it, visit their website at www.greenpeople.co.uk

Roses all the way

Once the weather starts to cool we notice a difference in our skin as it starts to lose some of its natural oils. If you want to avoid that, and enjoy the lovely summer scent of roses, then you might want to try a natural body cream which combines extract of rose oil with hydrating sweet almond, and apricot kernel oils, and natural botanical blackberry. This not only nourishes but also has special antibacterial and antiseptic properties, all of which help protect and promote healthy skin acne and scar tissue. Winter is the time when skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis get more aggravated and Grandma’s Vine Heavenly Feast Body Cream will help bolster moisture levels to restore, revitalise, and rejuvenate dry, taut, sore, and itchy skin.

You will find it in health shops, or from the website at www.lifeplan.co.uk.

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