Moisturizers
« Previous EntriesNatural Moisturizers that Fight Free Radicals for Firm, Younger Looking Skin
Saturday, August 21st, 2010
A natural moisturizer will do wonders for your skin, by providing it with all of the essential nutrients that it needs. Of the nutrients that organic compounds can provide antioxidants are the most important, as they heal the age producing damage caused by free radicals.
Free radical damage is one of the three major reasons that lines and wrinkles form in the skin, and addressing this problem can take years off of your appearance.
The other reasons that wrinkles and sagging skin develop are the loss of firmness and elasticity brought about by declining tissue production, and tissue and polymer decomposition.
Enzymes take more and more of your tissue and polymer each year, while the body continuously produces less tissue annually. There comes a point where the production rate simply can’t match the rate of tissue and polymer degradation.
When seeking out a natural moisturizer that will help you eliminate your lines and wrinkles, you have to be keenly aware of what works and what doesn’t.
Moisturizing formulas that feature petroleum based compounds for example, actually do the skin more harm than good. These compounds dry the skin instead of providing moisture, clog pores, and interfere with you ability to exfoliate.
Petroleum based compounds provide none of the essential nutrients you need to help your skin look younger. The aromatic compounds commonly known as essential oils provide you with the nutrients you need, but these distilled compounds are not nearly as effective as some organic substances. What you want are cold-pressed plant derived oils for moisturizing and healing your skin.
A truly effective natural moisturizer will feature ingredients like grape seed and avocado oil extracted using the special cold-pressing method. This process keeps all of the beneficial properties of the substance intact, which can’t be said for other extraction methods.
Substances like the two oils mentioned above help you look younger by providing antioxidants, slowing the decomposition of your tissues and polymer, and stimulate collagen production.
Other ingredients in a natural moisturizer that will benefit the tissue content of your skin include Phytessence Wakame kelp extract, active Manuka honey, Cynergy TK, and Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10.
Phytessence Wakame is an excellent partner for grape seed oil, as it also inhibits the enzymes that threaten your hyaluronic acid. Active Manuka honey is known for its ability to increase collagen production.
Cynergy TK and Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10 are without a doubt the most effective tissue production stimulators available today. One is a protein complex and enzyme synthesis, and the other is a nano-emulsified form of coenzyme Q10.
These substances were only recently developed by a group of scientists in New Zealand, and they are capable of increasing your stores of collagen and elastin considerably.
A natural moisturizer that combines most or all of these highly effective ingredients is ideal for moisturizing the skin, providing antioxidants, maintaining tissue and polymer stores, and creating greater amounts of collagen and elastin. You are not going to find a more effective set of ingredients out there, as these compounds will make you look years younger.
Natural Facial Products with Antioxidants Can Repair Damaged Skin
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010The natural facial products on the market include cleansers, masks and anti-aging creams. Toners and astringents are available, too. But, most people really don’t need them.
What everyone needs is a good moisturizer. A recent study conducted by the University of Maryland showed that plain old tap water strips the skin’s protective oils. Doctors call the oils sebum.
Sebum provides protection, but also starts to smell bad, if it is not washed away on a regular basis. So, bathing is necessary. It’s just as necessary to follow each bath or shower with the use of a good moisturizer.
When you go to compare the moisturizers on the market, you will see that there is a huge difference in price. Cheap products go for less than a dollar per ounce, while expensive ones containing the anti-aging ingredients can go for as much as $100 per ounce. You have to wonder what the difference is. Let me tell you about it.
The cheapest products are not actually moisturizing. Most of them contain an ingredient called petrolatum. Petrolatum is nothing more than white petroleum jelly. You probably realize what petroleum jelly does to your skin. You certainly wouldn’t think that natural facial products would contain it. But, some of them actually do.
Glycerin is a much better moisturizer. It can be derived from plant fibers or from chemical compounds. You would probably need to ask the manufacturer in order to find out where the ingredient comes from. Some manufacturers provide a great deal of information on their websites. Their hope is to inspire confidence.
Other manufacturers provide very little information. There hope is that people don’t care about ingredients. A sales rep from one of the companies providing natural facial products told me that one day. No one cares what the ingredients are. I care and so should you.
Grape seed oil is an excellent moisturizer with a unique filming ability. This ability allows it to hold moisture in and keep dirt out of the pores. So, it is one of the dual purpose ingredients. Actually, it has another purpose. It serves as an anti-aging ingredient, because it has antioxidant activity. Antioxidants prevent and repair free radical damage.
If we’re smart, we will avoid some of the things that trigger free radical damage. Overexposure to the sun and cigarette smoking are two of the things that can easily be avoided.
But, we have to use antioxidant-rich natural facial products, because we cannot avoid everything that could damage our skin. That brings us full circle back to taking a bath.
If you live in an area serviced by a public treatment facility, the water that you shower in contains toxins. Many of them are used to control bacteria and algae levels. The toxins can cause increased numbers and activity of the free radicals naturally present in the skin’s layers.
That’s just one more reason to use antioxidant-rich natural facial products on a daily basis. Keeping free radical damage to a minimum will keep you looking younger.
Natural Moisturizers Shouldn’t Contain Mineral Oil or Petrochemicals
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Natural moisturizers are typically composed of plant-based or vegetable oils. Mineral oils are technically naturally occurring. But since they are derived from crude oil (used to make gasoline or petrol), they are probably not what you are looking for.
Mineral oils have been used traditionally in body lotions, while petrolatum has typically been used in facial creams. There is actually very little difference between the two. Petrolatum is white Vaseline or petroleum jelly. Mineral oils are simply a liquid version of those jelly-like substances.
Plant-based oils were the standard until petroleum jelly was discovered on some of the first oil rigs built in the US. Since they are basically byproducts of gasoline production, petrolatum and mineral oils are cheap.
As we are trying to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, some of us are also trying not to use products that contain fossil fuel byproducts. Cosmetics, creams, lotions and other skincare products are often packed full of them. If they don’t contain petrolatum or mineral oil, they often contain petrochemicals.
Petrochemicals are byproducts of gasoline production. There is no other way to describe them. They would be trash were it not for the fact that the carbon molecules are simple enough to be converted into many different things.
One would hope that natural moisturizers would not contain petrochemicals, but that’s not always the case. If the lotion or cream contains vitamin E, it could be derived from a petrochemical. Much of the vitamin E in the US is synthetic; derived from petrochemicals.
If only naturally occurring vitamin E is used, it is not necessary to add an artificial preservative like a paraben to the product. Parabens are derived from petrochemicals. They compounds also include a petroleum-based alcohol and are some of the most common causes of allergic reactions.
Natural moisturizers containing plant-based oils often contain naturally occurring vitamin E, simply because it is present in the oil. Some examples include avocado and grape seed oils. They are both effective for moisturizing and they both contain vitamin E.
Avocado oil contains vitamin A, as well. It is typically recommended as a nighttime moisturizer, while grape seed oil is recommended for daytime use. There are a couple of reasons for that.
Natural moisturizers containing avocado oil support and stimulate the skin’s own reparative processes, which go on at night. Studies have shown that use of creams containing it increase the skin’s collagen content.
Grape seed oil on the other hand has a unique filming ability that makes it a perfect choice for use under makeup. If you let it dry for 10 minutes or so before applying your makeup, the lightweight film will prevent makeup from clogging your pores. It also makes the makeup easier to remove at night, which means you might be able to use a milder cleanser.
Ideally, the naturally occurring oils would be added to antioxidants and other beneficial anti-aging ingredients. You might be surprised by what natural moisturizers can do for you, as long as they contain the right ingredients.
« Previous Entries