Anti Aging Natural Skin Care with Wakame Kelp Extract
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Here’s a look at some of the more effective anti aging natural skin care solutions. There are plenty of “marginally” effective ingredients. The ones covered here are a little better than that. Let’s start with wakame kelp.
Wakame kelp or seaweed is highly nutritious. So it is often used as a component of many health food recipes. The benefits to the skin’s health are several. The first benefit has to do with a compound called hyaluronic acid.
If you have compared any of the ingredients in the anti aging natural skin care products currently on the market, you have probably seen one called hyaluronic acid. It is one of the most popular ingredients right now.
The popularity is due in part to the compound’s use as an injectable to stretch out wrinkles and fine lines. Hyaluronic acid and other compounds are injected into the skin’s fatty tissue layer to improve firmness and reduce wrinkling. When applied topically, however, it does nothing.
Another reason for its popularity has to do with the following fact: The skin’s hyaluronic acid levels decline with age.
This is one of the causes of the lost elasticity and lost firmness that occurs with age. Lost firmness leads to wrinkles. Once again, applying it to the skin’s surface does nothing to increase the skin’s hyaluronic acid content.
Scientists have discovered the reason for the decreased levels as we age. It is due to increased activity of a family of enzymes called hyaluronidaise. They naturally break down hyaluronic acid. When we are young, the body simply produces more. So there is a balance.
Extracts from wakame kelp have been shown to inhibit the activity of hyaluronidaise by 52% after 5 days of use. That means the skin’s hyaluronic acid levels will rise by about the same percentage. The result is a more youthful look due to the improved firmness and smoothness.
Anti aging natural skin care products containing the extract will also help protect against free radical damage caused by UV rays and exposure to environmental pollutants. The compound in the extract providing that benefit is called sulfated polyfucose.
Finally, wakame kelp extracts help to maintain the skin’s moisture balance by providing essential minerals like sodium, potassium and calcium. Kelp actually contains more calcium than an equivalent serving of milk.
Every anti aging natural skin care product should contain wakame kelp extracts, but most don’t. A lot of them contain seaweed or marine algae. But not all seaweeds provide the same benefits.
Briefly now, let’s look at grape seed oil. Grape seeds contain numerous antioxidants. The skin’s antioxidant content also decreases with age.
Some antioxidants can penetrate through the skin’s layers when applied topically. Others should be present in your diet. Dermatologists recommend eating more fruits and vegetables to help counter antioxidant loss.
Free radical damage is one of the main causes of cellular aging everywhere in the body; inside and out. Our only defense against free radical damage is the antioxidant.
The antioxidants in grape seed oil can penetrate into the skin’s layers. So that makes two ingredients that should be in all anti aging natural skin care creams, grape seed oil and wakame kelp. You might want to learn about some of the others.
To find natural skin care products with wakame kelp extract and grapeseed oil click here.
Natural 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.
All Natural Skincare Ingredients are Filled with Antioxidants
Monday, July 19th, 2010One of my favorite all natural skincare ingredients is grape seed oil. Let me tell you a little about it.
The oils of grape seeds contain the antioxidants vitamin E and resveratrol. Vitamin E has long been recognized as beneficial to the skin’s health. Most creams and lotions contain the ingredient, but most companies do not use the naturally occurring form. Synthetics are cheaper.
Resveratrol has been written about in scientific journals and talked about on television programs. It is one of the most potent antioxidants that have been found. Some manufacturers list resveratrol as an ingredient.
You never know where that resveratrol comes from if grape seed oil is not listed, too. Much of it comes from China. You may be aware of all of the issues that have been caused by Chinese ingredients. If the manufacturer does not reveal the source of the resveratrol, I would suggest you choose another manufacturer.
Antioxidants are important, because they prevent and reverse free radical damage, at least to some extent. Free radical damage is one of the causes of wrinkles and other visible signs of aging.
Any all natural skincare cream worth buying will contain antioxidants. Ideally, the cream will contain lots of extracts that contain them. Grape seed oil is not my only favorite. I like wakame kelp extract, too. The day cream that I use contains both of those ingredients.
According to scientists, wakame contains compounds that inhibit the activity of enzymes responsible for breaking down the skin’s hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is one of the compounds responsible for the skin’s firmness and smoothness. The amount present in an older person’s skin is less than what is found in a younger person’s. The cause is a pesky enzyme called hyaluronidaise. Wakame kelp extracts take care of the pest.
I also like an all natural skincare ingredient called avocado oil. My night cream contains it, instead of grape seed oil. There are advantages of each one.
Grape seed oil forms a film that keeps makeup from clogging your pores. I have found that nighttime makeup removal is easier when I remember to use my day cream.
Avocado oil has been shown to increase the skin’s collagen content according to scientists. That’s something that I cannot verify, but I do know that when I use my night cream on a regular basis, my skin feels smoother and firmer. I recommend it to all of my friends.
Shea butter is another good all natural skincare ingredient. It’s also in my night cream. It’s a little too heavy for daytime use.
The well known benefits of Shea butter include a reduced risk of acne and other inflammatory conditions. According to scientific evaluations, that’s because the antioxidants in Shea butter also have anti-inflammatory activity.
All of the ingredients mentioned above feel good going on. They leave no trace of greasiness, not on my face or on my pillow.
If you’re like me, you want all natural skincare ingredients because they are safer. My favorites are also the safest.
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