SkinCare or SkinPoison?

Your skin is a living organ. It breaths, drinks and carries topically applied substances through to the rest of your body. Caring for your skin is like eating. We have become very concerned about what we eat in recent years - this is very good. But, an idea that is only beginning to bloom is that you eat through your skin too. What do you want your body to eat? This question needs to be considered when choosing your skincare and bath products.

Currently, the personal care industry has no regulation. This is very unnerving, especially when the FDA Office of Cosmetics and Colors states that ?a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from the FDA?

Manufacturers are allowed to twist their claims, by exaggerating or even outright lying. With this slack industry, it becomes nearly impossible for the consumer to know for sure what they are getting. Labels like ?organic?, ?cruelty-free? and ?hypo-allergenic? can have little to no meaning. Manufacturers can even hide behind an organic label without disclosing all of their chemical ingredients.

The Environmental Protection Agency states that 89% of 10,500 ingredients commonly used in personal care have not been adequately evaluated for safety. Among these ingredients are carcinogens, penetration enhancers, allergens and harmful impurities that can cause cancer, inhibit fetal growth, cause nerve damage, disrupt hormones and cause other severe reactions.

So what?s a pampering bath loving soul to do? Educate yourself, read labels, shop from companies who have signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics (that?s us, close to the bottom of the list), and keep your eyes out for our next personal care article.

Ivy Mills has been researching chemical sensitivity and natural alternatives for over five years and has brought her knowledge to the marketplace in her company, Valhalla Essences. Her personal experiences have fed a passion to help others with the same problem. Ivy welcomes others to share their stories and experiences on her blog, Peaceful Power.

Benefits Of Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprouts are very important nutritionally because they have a long season and are one of the top providers of vitamin C, a cupful weighing 100g (4oz) will give, when raw, over 100mg of vitamin C, which is more than twice as much as the same weight of orange.

After boiling, the vitamin C goes down to 35mg per 100g - a good example of the benefit of using the whole raw brussel sprout juice to obtain the best nutritive value. If you do want to cook the brussel sprouts as a vegetable it is wise to remember that it is best to steam them until just tender in as little water as possible, which should be fast boiling before the sprouts go in.

Any remaining water can always be used for soup or in gravy. Why throw vitamins and minerals from the brussel sprouts down the sink? Brussels sprout juice is often used with runner or string bean juice to assist in the treatment of diabetes in adults. Children who have diabetes often do not have the ability to produce insulin, but in adults it can happen that there is a defect not in the production but in the supply.

Diabetes can be a serious condition unless it is expertly managed by a qualified practitioner who will advise on individual treatment, but the Brussels sprout and runner bean mixture has been reported to be a valuable aid to treatment. Brussels sprout is a variety of the cabbage family. The early Dutch gardeners were not only skilled at creating new varieties of tulip, they also produced a number of new vegetables by selectively breeding with wild cabbage (Brassica maritime).

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies which can be provided by use of different juices as well as use of brussel sprouts.

http://home-remedies-for-you.com/

An Overview of Enzyme Peels for Your Face

When dealing with the refurbishing of facial skin, peels are a popular option. Here is an overview of enzyme peels for your facial skin care needs.

An Overview of Enzyme Peels for Your Face

The enzyme peel is not a new technique at all. It has been performed for a long time ago but often without a deep knowledge on the matter. This is easily confirmed after an overview of those home remedies and cosmetics intended for skin care, such as papaya or green apple facemasks or lotions.

Papaya enzymes are not only good for nutrition but also to peel off epidermal cells, which aids in regenerating the skin. This property is also observed in aloe Vera, pumpkin, pineapple, and other fruits. Restorative enzyme peel is a type of exfoliating non-surgical procedure that uses natural or chemical products to produce exfoliation.

An Enzyme peel accelerates the natural exfoliate process of the skin to get rid of dead skin cells, promote young cell renewal, and visibly diminish scars, stretch marks, aging spots and lines, sun damage, and skin discoloration. Enzymes penetrate the upper layers of the tissue, cleansing pores and improving skin texture, tone, elasticity and tautness.

Although, some enzyme peels work with the aid of acids or mechanical granules, natural enzymes are the most recommended to prevent dryness or allergic reactions. In fact, some strong chemicals used for deep peeling, such as phenol, may cause cancer of the skin or side effects.

In order to obtain the most benefits from enzyme peels, whatever the product you choose or the natural home remedy, you can get the most from it by applying a thin layer to your clean and dry skin, rather than a thick coat. Enzymes work best by rubbing gently in a mild circular motion.

An Enzyme Peel produces results in the short term after begin the application, but you need to perform a routine exfoliation to see good results. Treatments with enzymes improve your skin look and feel, but do not stop aging. Furthermore, you will have to repeat a peeling treatment after a certain period of time to remove new damaged cells and keep your fresh and youthful appearance.

Ricardo de Silva is with PlasticSurgeonPractices.com - a directory of plastic surgeons. Visit us to read more plastic surgery articles.

Need to Look Your Best in a Hurry? Tips for a Quick and Polished Look!

Need to look your best in a hurry? Start with your face: it?s your ?canvas.?

Two ways to improve your appearance quickly are to get the glow of healthy skin and then create a polished look.

Have a little extra time the night before your event? Eliminate the buildup of dead surface cells that dull skin with a mask or microdermabrasion (use the right products for your skin type and special needs). Replenish moisture lost during the super-cleansing by hydrating your skin thoroughly. Define fuzzy lines, like your eyebrows, by shaping them to complement your face.

On the day of your event, cleanse, freshen (or tone), and moisturize your face and eye areas; foundation and makeup go on more smoothly and evenly over well-hydrated skin. Since the eye areas don't produce their own moisture, use an eye cream; it?s specially formulated for that delicate skin. Moisturizers for the face tend to have humectants which can puff up the skin around the eyes.

Foundation and powder: Apply concealer, if necessary, and foundation. Then finish your face with powder. Powder ?sets? the foundation so it lasts longer with less need for touch ups.

Eye primer: Put on eye primer or dust powder over your eyelids. Both provide a base for eye color so the color goes on evenly and stays in place longer without creasing and smudging.

Eye color: The simplest approach to eye color is to apply a neutral or soft shade (from the upper lashes to the brows) which will enhance or ?pop? another color placed over it. Almost as easy is another technique using two colors. Follow the eye primer with a single color from lash to brow. Then apply a second stronger (or darker) color over the lids and into the creases to complement the shape of your eyes. If you?re getting ready for an evening event, be more dramatic than for an event during the day.

Eye liner: Line the eyes if it enhances them, staying close to the lash lines.

Mascara: To make your eye lashes appear thicker and longer, start with the wand close to the eyes and then wiggle the wand back and forth as you move it away from your eyes. To really ?open? your eyes, use an eyelash curler.

Eyebrows: A simple and natural way to emphasize the eyebrows is to brush them with a matching shade of eye color and then set the color with a gel. The gel also helps emphasize and maintain the shape of your brows.

Cheek color: For your cheek color, either smile and apply blush to the apples of your cheeks or sweep it up along your cheek bones starting two fingers away from your nose and stopping at your temples. Then blend the color gently.

Lip liner, lipstick, lip gloss: If color 'bleeding' is a problem, run a lip outliner pencil along the outer edges of your lips. Define your lips with a lip liner, fill in color with a lipstick and polish with gloss.

You're done ... your canvas is now a ?work of art!?

? Copyright 2005. Charlotte Maddox. All rights reserved.

Charlotte is an experienced independent beauty consultant with Mary Kay Inc.

Register on Charlotte's Mary Kay Inc. web site to receive a monthly email newsletter, Beaut-e-News(tm), with tips & techniques and a seasonal mailing of the The Look catalog with free samples plus the latest in skin care and color looks (complete privacy ensured).

http://www.marykay.com/charlottemaddox

The Mirror of Beauty

The probe of human mind has marked every inch of success but the art of drawing parallels for what beauty is, has remained a great mystery. For some philosophers, beauty is the degree of attraction and admiration, provoked in an observer. But it is argued that the same beauty does not affect everyone the same way. It varies dramatically. A few think thanks have defined it as a degree of perfection, but perfection in one field may not be of any interest to an observer. So beauty is very difficult to explain fully, but it may be said that it is a game of comparison. Suppose there is only one woman in the world, now question is whether she is beautiful or not. The answer unambiguously is that you can?t say anything because you don?t have another woman to compare with.

But sailing beyond the ocean of imagination, one realizes that there is a factor that determines the degree of beauty, i.e. a personal dictionary, which translates the mortals and assigns degree of beauty. The holy words of human history will peep out from the gale of truth and will strongly proclaim that Juliet was a goddess for a Romeo a god for her and rest, the particles of dust. Heer for ranjha was enough, and he for her, to lead whole their life together with few straws of love. But remember, if all the lovers of the world of the world are invited to a party to ask who amongst all is the most beautiful, they certainly shall stamp the claim of beauty on the hearts and souls of their own beloved which indeed is not their narrow-mindedness but a natural fact that ?beauty lies in the eyes of beholder?.

One day a great historian whispered in my ears a story? ?once upon a time there was king so fond of beauty that he called his most loyal and faithful negro slave and ordered him to go from east to west and from north to south and fetch him such a paragon of beauty that neither moon would have risen with such splendors nor the oysters of ocean would have given birth to such magnificent pearls; neither ladies of paradise would have looked so charming not the preachers of beauty would have been able to give such bewitching example, neither any artist would have created such mind blowing portrait nor a poet from the depth of his imagination would have been able to compose such riveting verse; neither any dove would have its pinion soar such marvelously not the Aphrodite would have marked such excellence. And if I say for her that she is the most beautiful spirit God ever created, then the claimants of beauty should have said:? we are like lumps of coal in a mine and she a diamond among us.? So, go my man whose head crown of my faith rests, on whose shoulders stars of firm belief shine and on whose chest medals of sure obedience are stamped. Go and present me the beauty that should be praised and witnessed by the twinkling stars.?

The negro servant bowed down and went away calmly to the peaks from where the sun pierced its shining fingers into the dark curtains of night, from where Shakespeare and Shelley enjoyed drinks of inspiration, from where the portrait of Mona Liza was found and from where moon extracts its gleaming light; and thus he went through plains to mountains, through valleys to deserts, through unfathomable cares to celestial cities and through each and every inch of this world where life seemed breathing.

After indefatigable efforts, he went to the king, presented him what seemed the goddess of beauty to him, his Negro daughter. At this, the king asked, ?did you not find any soul more beautiful than this??

He kept silent for a while, then raised his head and said: ?Your Excellency, my blood shall be showered in your feet if I speak but the truth. You asked me to bring Aphrodite but I brought my Negro daughter; the reason was my loyalty. Your Excellency, for you her black complexion may seem coal in the dark but for me it is as beautiful as back rose or a diamond. To you her dry hair may look like that of a witch of some old myth dancing in woods but for me her hair is no less than the curtains of paradise. To you her wrinkled hands may seem as a deserted sight of this land but to me they seem as gods, to cope up the world?s fate in it has sketched these lines on it. To you her eyes may seem as those of angels when embodying eyes have mistaken but to me success. To you her wide nose may seem as dark, unfathomable caves of stone ages but to me it is no less than Noah?s Ark. Therefore, Your Excellency, my obedience and loyalty to you compelled me to bring my daughter to you.?

Then the historian smiled and said, ?Yes! Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder.?

In quest of defining and explaining the beauty, two schools of thought have emerged so far. One proclaims importance of inner beauty and the other preaches the pleasure presented by worldly beauties. But in fact all beautiful things are not necessarily good, charming and attractive but all good and true things are always beautiful. Therefore, it is well said by Keats:

Beauty is truth, truth beauty, That?s all ye know on earth And all ye need to know.?

The school of thought preaching inner beauty bore these words on the preface of its textbook:

?History is evident that the world has given birth to many worldly beauties which only could help to quench the thirst of people and awake beast in them. Many beauties passed by without any notice but the beauty of soul and conscience has claimed triumph over hearts of millions and marked its eternal existence. The people blessed with purity of soul, truthfulness of their conscience, goodness of their deeds and firmness of their faith have succeeded to scratch their name on the forehead of this earth and lead their nation to the peals of glory. And thus they are still breathing in the hearts of many mortals. Nobody asks whether Aristotle was handsome or not, whether Alexander was strong tall in stature or not and whether Anarkali when buried alive inside the walls posed like a queen or not. People do not ask such questions, but everybody does ask that how they climbed to success inch by inch. The open secret of their success, in fact, is their character, behavior, determination, zeal and enthusiasm which contributed towards their success and inner beauty.?

On the contrary, the school of thought preaching worldly beauty is thanking his God in these words:

?Thanks my God, for you have blessed us such beauties, whose single glance shuns off our day-long tiredness, whose heart may prove as a place of eternal peace to our souls, whose sight reminds us of your Excellence. Thanks my God, you have bestowed upon us such beauty, the wish to achieve, which proves a source of fuel for our body, mind and soul. This beauty has decorated this terrifying and worthless world; and it cheers us up when we are cooped in the cells of gloom, worries and misfortunes. Oh God! Really the beauty that you have blessed us with is a source of living in this frightful world.?

In fact, since the creation of this universe, beauty has been neglected and stigmas of frailty have been marked on its forehead. Beauty seems to be an emblem of nothing but thirst rubbing machine. Those who dwell in this world have been really mistaken in understanding the true beauty. When the beauty reigns its lost crown these mortals will see with their eyes open and sense smelling the truth that worldly beauty was just a mirage. Praise be to the Lord, who gifted us these praiseworthy inner beauties which indeed enabled mankind to kindle flames of love even in the dark. And, therefore, we must stop lauding the beauty only. We should also extol its creator, the Almighty GOD.

NAVEED AHMED CHANDIO, A person with bundles of knots to untie. The thinking fuel for him has been love, beauty and the inner rebelion. Most of the times, he would prefere to let the things be interwoven for the beauty of life remains in having some reason to fulfil. He is a fairly good student of Nature and feels proud of it. The unthoughtfulness, cruelity, trachery and hatred are few things that he never liked or perhaps he never got aware of. Naveed chandio lives in karachi, Pakistan.

Radio Frequency Energy Fans Thermacool

I guess you wouldn?t think that radio frequency energy would be making waves in the beauty industry? But, it is. A device that uses RFE is being used in the Thermalcool procedure. If you don?t know what Thermacool is, then you haven?t had your ear to the station. Thermacool is the new non-surgical procedure that gives men and women a healthy alternative to surgical facelifts. The process tightens your skin by contracting the deep layers of skin. Thermacool is also known on the market as Thermalift and Thermage. Let?s call it Thermacool because it sounds hip.

Two thumbs up! That?s the rating The Food and Drug Administration is giving Thermacool. The FDA?s approval is leading to the procedures widespread use. Doctors and their patients believe Thermcool irons out wrinkles and reduces sagging skin. The face is the best place to use Thermacool, however it is used on the neck and arms as well. It is a good treatment anywhere there is loose skin. Some folks are using it under the arms and to treat stretch marks on the abdomen and hips.

60-Year Old Lynn Shores had a treatment six months ago and is looking forward to having another one in about three more months. She says, ?I was looking twice my age! I had the procedure done because I wanted to look younger and prettier in my face.? Shores began to see results about two months after having the treatment. She is among a growing number of people who believe the benefits of Thermacool far outweigh the risks. Thermacool may cause some discomfort but the risk of surgery, anesthesia and scarring are less than with surgical procedures. In fact, some people say the procedure really doesn?t hurt that much at all.

So you may be wondering how does it work? It takes anywhere from thirty to forty five minutes to complete the Thermacool procedure. Most patients? only need a topical anesthetic cream placed on the face. Your technician will do that about an hour before the treatment is scheduled to begin. Other people may need Valium or some other kind of oral sedative. ?I was just so jittery about having it done, says 35 year old Marc Thompson. I didn?t know if it would improve my appearance or make it worst. I guess men are just not supposed to try these things, but I took my wife?s recommendation.? Thermacool is not any different from any other surgical procedure if you need a stronger sedative, you?ll need an anesthesiologist to administer the dose.

As I mentioned, Thermacool uses radio frequency energy to apply heat under the epidermis or top layer of the skin. The heat is applied directly into the dermis layer. The dermis layer is right under the epidermis. I could feel a warming on my face. It felt unusual. I couldn?t do anything but lay still,? says Tonya Morgan.

You?ll want to lay still too as the heat causes the tissue in the dermis layer to warm up. This controlled heating of deeper layers of skin and tissue causes the skin to contract and tighten. This is known as volumetric tissue heating. There is some pain every time there is a pulse, but a cooling spray brings some relief after each pulse.

The volumetric tissue heating causes the collagen underneath the skin tissue to contract and shrink. At the same time, the top layer of the skin is kept cool by cryogen cooling. Cryogen cooling keeps the temperature on the surface of the skin cool while the dermis tissues are heated up. The heating action causes two reactions. The first result is an increased thickness in the top layer of skin. It?s the heating that actually causes works to reduce the wrinkles.

The second result is collagen remolding and the production of new collagen. The skin continues to tighten over time as the skin heals. You may be able to see a difference in your appearance immediately. However, it takes most people up to six months to see a difference. It is possible for the procedure to be repeated again after six months. You should let your technicians take before and after pictures to help you see any subtle changes.

Now, you?re probably wondering whether Thermacool, Thermage and Thermalift are right for you. Patient?s who live on a pacemaker cannot undergo the procedure; it?s just too risky. You may want to pass on the procedure if your skin is really, really loose. Surgery may be your only hope. However, Thermacool works best in combination with laser treatments, Botox, resytlane, and collagen injections. Traditional eye, forehead and eyebrow surgeries also work well with Thermacool.

Research shows Thermacool works! If it didn?t the FDA wouldn?t have given it a nod. Patients wouldn?t have issued a strong endorsement either. ?I?ve never felt better about myself. I know most people would be afraid to try a procedure like this, but not me! I?m all for looking younger and healthier. The best part is how good I feel about me,? says Shores.

About The Author

Barry A. S. Lycka is an internationally known cosmetic dermatologist and surgeon who practices in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where he has worked from 1989. Recently, Dr. Lycka was chosen as Alberta's Dream Makeover Doctor. For more information you can visit his website at http://www.BarryLyckaMD.com.

Modesty In Spas

Modern day tensions at home and the work place make everyone tense, tired and irritable. With the shortage of time, seldom will there be time for pampering and relaxing. This is the reason many people turn to spas to relax and get pampered. Sometimes, spa treatment leaves us so rejuvenated, that we feel that we can face the whole world after the treatment.

A visit to a spa is a wonderful experience. It completely relaxes you with the various treatments it has for every inch of your body. There is a large choice of treatments available in a spa. You have to go there and choose what treatment you want to indulge in, according to your needs and necessities and thus plan your own spa routine. The different treatments available in a spa are usually different types of massages, mud baths, facials, steam rooms, saunas, manicures and various other techniques. The choice is yours.

Most of the spas are parts of an entire health resort. So a visit to these resorts let you have some physical activities like swimming, tennis and golf, while getting pampered in the spa if and whenever required. Making a trip to a health resort with a spa gives you a holiday worth spending in, long away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

However, the spa retreat may prove to be rather expensive if you intend to indulge in each and every treatment they provide. It may not be possible for everyone to spend that much cash in all the treatments that the spas provide. Different spas have different rates for different therapies. So it is up to you to decide whether to spend a day or a month in a spa; it all depends on your pocket and your time.

When going to a spa, it is better to wear comfortable and casual clothing. There are lockers in the spa that will be allocated to you to keep your clothes and personal belongings. If you have any jewelry or financial security needed, it is better to hand it over to the reception of the spa for safe keeping. Most of the spas have communal pools or steam rooms. If there is no mention of the attire requirements for these rooms, it is better to ask. Some spas require that you war your own swimming costume while others supply wraps or shorts. So if you are to wear your own swimming costume, you will have to bring it along with you on your visit to the spa.

Most of the spas also have a public wet area wherein you will have to arrive half an hour before your appointment to relax or enjoy a swim or steam before taking your treatments. However, like in all swimming pools, it is required that you take a shower before using these public areas! If you are worried about your modesty, don?t worry, your modesty is considered at all times. Some of the spas tell you to bring an extra set of undergarments to be worn during the treatment, while others supply disposable underwear. There are also some spas that are adept in ensuring that the body is modestly covered at all times.

So the spa not only relaxes you with its treatments, it also keeps your modesty in mind when giving you your treatments!

Find more about spa products and spa treatments and many other spa resources on http://www.alldayspas.com/

The Good Earth

Elements from Mother Nature have been a part of beauty regimens for centuries and she continues to provide us a bounty of hydration, antioxidants and emollients ingredients. There is Evening Primrose Oil, considered the ?King?s Cure-all?, reputed for its healing powers in a wide range of ailments. Its secret is its essential fatty acid GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid).

Then we have glycerin, a natural moisture magnet found in natural soaps. Glycerin helps to attract and draw moisture from the air into the skin. Jojoba and almond oils also offer deep hydration to the skin.

Mimicking the lipid content of skin ingredients are canola oil, coconut oil, corn oil, jojoba oil, lecithin, olive oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, and sweet almond oil, which can all be extremely helpful for your skin.

Natural skin care formulations maximize the therapeutic values of natural and organic ingredients. And, each ingredient provides its own distinctive properties from nourishment, rejuvenation, anti-inflammatory to repairing the skin. As a result, natural skin care products deliver penetrating holistic benefits to the skin and usually without side effects.

Mother Nature?s Version to Anti-aging
There is an array of anti aging supplements that can help to eliminate the signs of aging and when blended together create skin rejuvenation nutrients. For example, you will find antioxidants benefits in natural skin care product containing Grape seed Extract, Olive Oil and Green Tea.

Plus, antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells against the effects of free radicals, which can be found in green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals. Of course, there are excellent natural skin care products that offer an antioxidant blend of Ester C (Vitamin C), Vitamin E, Vitamin A and Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Wonderful food-grade carrier oils are light, non-sticky and allow for quicker absorption. Carrier oils facilitate the penetration of essential oils into the body. They are rich in natural fatty acids and can contain a number of vitamins including A and E which help keep the skin supple, regenerated and nourished.

She Offers You Younger Looking Skin
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) help to give the skin a younger look. AHAs consist of several acids that gently exfoliate dead surface skin cells, exposing smoother, younger-looking skin. These acids include citric acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid. Look for from naturally-occurring substances derived from citrus fruits, sugar cane and sour milk.

Take advantage of old fashioned facial clay masks made from fruit, honey or yogurt, these ingredients also provide AHAs as their active ingredients.

Old Mother Earth
Autumn?s harvest makes it a good time to promote the importance of protecting the Earth's resources. It is also a time to celebrate autumns? beauty and the fruits of the past year. Take care of this earth and your earth will provide for you tenfold. Because the qualities of the soil, climate, and source of the raw materials all have an effect on the final product?, you!

Cecilia loves skin care products. So, it?s no surprise that she co-created A Natural Perspective to be ?The Place? for Canadian-made 100% natural, holistic skin and health care products. A Natural Perspective is a resource for the busy consumer who wants quality skin care. This site also serves high-end retailers and spa centers that look to offer signature and quality skin care products.

Colour in Cosmetics

Many people avoid artificial colours in their foods, but don't check out the colours in cosmetics and personal care products. It is only in recent years that cosmetics have started to carry a full list of ingredients on their packaging.

Making sense of the ingredients can be difficult for the lay person. This is particularly true for colourings, which often go under the guise of numbers rather than names.

In many countries colours in cosmetics are listed as colour index numbers. C.I. numbers are allocated by the Society of Dyers and Colourists. The scheme covers colours used in food, personal care products, cosmetics, household products and fabric dyeing. So, for example you will not normally see ?tartrazine? listed in your lipstick ingredients, but it may be there listed as C.I. 19140. Erythrosine will be listed as C.I. 45430, and so on.

The USA uses a different system: the FD & C colors have been categorised by the American Food & Drink Administration for use in foods, drugs and cosmetics. So in this system tartrazine is FD & C yellow 5, and amaranth is FD & C red 2.

The ?E Number? system is used by the European Community (EC). This is a system of giving code numbers to food additives, some of which are also used in cosmetics and personal care products. This system is also used in some other countries but without the E prefix, so E102 becomes simply colour ?102?.

All this confusion for the average consumer would not be important, but for the fact that some of these colours are known to cause problems in susceptible individuals. For example, tartrazine (also known as FD & C Yellow 5, CI 1914 and EI02) can cause migraines, itching, rhinitis and agitation in susceptible individuals. Many individuals avoid its use in food, but do not realise how extensively it is used in cosmetics, such as lipstick, and personal care products.

The big worries in terms of colours in cosmetics and personal care products are lipstick, coloured lip balms, lip gloss and lip pencils, because anyone who uses these regularly ?eats? a fair quantity over their life time, but these colours also appear in skin cream, foundation, mascara and so on too. (Remember also that these colours can also be in 'natural' cosmetics and skin care products.)

Another worry is that even the 'experts' cannot agree on an international 'safe' list of colours, so that a colour may be allowed in one country, but banned elsewhere. For example, quinoline yellow is allowed within the European Community and in some other countries, but is banned in Japan, Norway and the United States.

As ever, the advice is: keep yourself informed and read the label. Here is a list of the different names and numbers that common colourings go under:

Tartrazine: E102 or FD & C Yellow 5 or C.I. 19140
Quinoline yellow or E104 or C.I. 47005
Sunset yellow or E110 or FD & C Yellow 6 or C.I. 15985
Amaranth or E123 or FD & C Red 2 or C.I. 16185
Ponceau 4R or E124 or C.I. 16255
Erythrosine or E127 or FD & C Red 3 or C.I. 45430
Red 2Gor E128 or C.I. 18050
Allura red AC or E129 or FD & C Red 40or C.I. 16035
Patent blue V or E131 or C.I. 42051
Indigo carmine or E132 or FD & C Blue 2or C.I. 73015
Brilliant blue FCF or FD & C Blue 1 orC.I. 42090
Fast green FCFor FD & C Green 3 orC.I. 42053
Green S or E142 or C.I. 44090

Jane Thurnell-Read is a writer and researcher on health, stress, alternative medicine, and happiness. Visit her web site http://www.healthandgoodness.com for tips and information on how to live a happier, healthier life no matter how busy you are.

Proper Maintenance of Dental Implants

Dental implants are something you want to last your lifetime, especially after all of the money and time as a patient you put into their placement. Dental implants mimic natural teeth and therefore need to be cared for in much the same way as your original teeth do. In other words they require regular brushing, flossing, check ups and cleanings at the dentist and a careful consideration of what foods can help as well as harm them. For instance too much starch and sugar can leave behind traces of material on the teeth that can cause acids to develop on teeth and gums which can serve to cause damage in the long term.

Proper maintenance of dental implants should become an important part of your day to day routine. This can be accomplished by developing excellent oral hygiene habits. Remember, if you want your dental implants to last, you must take exceptional care of them.

A healthy mouth is a clean mouth, as free of bacteria and plaque as possible therefore if you don?t do it already, get into the habit of brushing your teeth after every meal. Even if you don?t always use toothpaste during a busy workday, just using a toothbrush and water will still get your teeth clean. Not only will they look sparkly white but also you will dislodge any food particles that are trapped between the teeth and in the gums.

As far as the kind of toothpaste that is best for those who have dental implants, look for a small sized toothbrush or a special interdental brush that can be used to easily clean the abutments of the implants. Look for a toothbrush with a bent handle as this type is best used to get behind the back teeth to clean the, aforementioned, abutments. The type of toothbrush you buy should always be a gentle one. Look for a brush that is either ?soft? or ?extra soft? in terms of the bristle. Never buy a hard bristled toothbrush nor a medium bristled one, as they are too abrasive to gums and teeth. Brushing is important but not enough. Next comes the flossing stage Buy a special floss that contains a foam coating or else use gauze to properly clean around your abutments, prosthetic teeth and gums. For a super clean result you might want to first use the floss and then run the gauze over the areas afterwards.

When it comes to the process of brushing your teeth if you have a removable prosthesis, take it out of your mouth and proceed to carefully brush both the inside and outside of the appliance. After that is done, take your toothbrush and brush around your gums as well as the abutments. Finally use dental floss around the abutments.

If you have a fixed prosthesis (meaning it stays in your mouth) then brush it exactly as you would natural teeth. Take the brush and reach it in behind the teeth to thoroughly clean the backside of the abutments. Next take your dental floss and floss around the area of the abutments. Make sure to floss the front, sides and back of the abutments.

Just as natural teeth require check ups at the dentist, so do dental implants. Make a trip to the dentist at least every six mouth to have the implants professionally checked and cleaned. At this time the dentist will determine whether or not it is fitting properly in your mouth and any repairs that need to be made can be done so at this time. Also during these six-month appointments the health of a patient?s gums and jaws will be looked at as well as how stabile the anchors of the implants are.

Stephanie Dilson is a Dental Surgeon and in her spare time runs an informational site on Dental Implants for all those interested in the process to find out valuable information on the cost, benefits, risks and features of this increasingly popular procedure. For more information see http://www.dentalimplantsguide.com

So You Think It's Cool to Flake Out on the Beach?

Have you had difficulty choosing the right shampoo or conditioner? Whenever you go into the drugstore or shopping center, there are literally hundreds of shampoos and conditioners on the market. Here are some important key points to remember before you make your purchase. Many people ask, is there really a difference between a $2-dollar bottle of shampoo and a $20 bottle from your salon?

Because of the wide variation available, you could say partly yes and partly no. Some cheaper shampoos contain foaming agents which can dry out your hair, but are actually good for oily or limp hair. If you've been on the beach for a while your hair can become sun-damaged, or chlorine damaged so you should definitely consider a more expensive shampoo. The only way to be sure if inexpensive shampoos or conditioners work for you is to try them. If they don't or your hair still appears limp or damaged, definitely consider purchasing a salon product.

When you look at all of the ingredients on bottles, it can be confusing. The old saying goes, ?You get what you pay for?, and this applies when it comes to purchasing the right shampoo. Rather than paying attention to the names on the bottles, pay more attention to the ingredients. Ask yourself if the shampoo includes a mild cleanser like sodium laureth sulfate or an even stronger one like ammonium lauryl sulfate. Sometimes those cute bottles and pretty colors cover up an inferior product. Try and stay away from too much coloring or fragrance, as these ingredients are not cleansers. Remember to remain skeptical of product claims. Just because a product claims to be mild doesn't mean it is so.

If you have dandruff, one great remedy is as follows: rotate three over-the-counter dandruff shampoos, one to exfoliate, one to soothe, and the other to be used as an anti-inflammatory. This trio of treatments is important and most effective when mixed with your regular shampoo. If you decide to use only one of the three, your hair fungus could actually adapt to it and become immune to it.

In conclusion, if you have colored hair remember to purchase a shampoo specially designed for colored hair as these are made to be more gentle, and will contain ingredients to preserve your color.

By Terry Price- Remember to visit- http://www.laser-hair-removal-discount.com/botox.html for more important information on botox treatments!

Professional Tips For An Instant Makeover

If you want to improve and enhance your appearance but don't want to wait till you lose weight, go through and recover from plastic surgery, or have enough money to buy a complete new wardrobe then try these five simple quick techniques that are used by the top professionals in the beauty and image industries to perform amazing makeovers.

1. Change your hair color - One of the most effective ways to change and improve your personal appearance is to change your hair color. You don't even have to drastically change the color. By just changing the color one or two shade or with strategically placed highlights you can make an incredible difference.

2. Shape and groom your eyebrows - Celebrity makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin used to say The perfectly groomed brow can change the face and he was correct properly shaped and groomed eyebrows can visually change your face shape and instantly give you a non surgical eye lift.

3. Only wear clothes that fit properly - When your wear clothes that properly fit your body you will instantly appear pounds thinner. You should avoid clothes that cling, are so tight that they create bulges and bumps or clothes that are so large they hang off your body and balloon out. Select clothes that are slightly tailored and gently skim your body.

4. Wear colors that flatter you - Wearing colors that flatter you especially near your face such as blouses, jackets and accessories will immediately make your complexion appear brighter and healthier, add a sparkle to your eyes and put a smile on your face.

5. Use good posture - Utilizing good posture will instantly make you look thinner, taller, and younger and allows you to project a better physique without having to actually change your body. To see for yourself the power of good posture stand sideways in front of a full length mirror has you usually do, now head up, neck straight, shoulders straight, tummy in, spine straight and WOW what a difference!

Eileen Hammel President of Smarter Image, and Smart Skin Care - Smart Cosmetics by Smarter Image is a Nationally & Internationally Recognized Beauty and Image Expert. http://www.smartskincaresmartcosmetics.com/

Tips for Rosy Complexion & Silky Hair

9 TIPS FOR ROSY COMPLEXION

Try these tips and get that rosy complexion that you yearn for.

• Get a self-tanner. A light shade applied to your face will make you look healthy, but not so tan that your colour is obviously fake.

• Use an AHA. Built-up dead skin cells can make skin cells can make skin look dull. Slough them off with a mild alpha-hy-droxy acid cream

• Moisturise. Add natural dewiness to dry skin with a light layer of lotion (try one with sunscreen for the day).

• Wear gel blush. Its sheer and its its see-through colour looks fresh and authentic.

• Try whipped foundation. It adds luminosity to skin better than matte foundation. Many whipped formulas are oil-free too.

• Lighten up the eyes. Heavy eye make-up darkens your whole face. Instead, try a shimmery taupe shadow on lids.

• Add touch of gold. Apply a dab of gold face powder to the tops of cheekbones; blend well with your fingers.

• Go for gloss. Super-shiny lips add light to the rest of your face. Apply gloss in plum, peach, or rose.

• Blush brighter. Instead of a muted shade of blush, go one step brighter than you?re used to. Apply to apples of cheeks for a fresh look.

8 TIPS FOR SOFT AND SILKY HAIR

For head full of beautiful hair, just a plain shampoo-and-condition routine may not be enough. Your crowning glory needs more than that, especially during the rains.

• Skip gel as most gels are made with strong-hold ingredients that leave hair crunchy and brittle. If you must use gel, mix it with a bit of hair, then rub a small amount of hand lotion into the ends to make th cream before applying.

• Brush gently. Harsh brushing can cause hair to break and split, which leaves it rough to the touch.

• Use shine serum. It coats the hair, smoothening rough and damaged spots. Apply to soaking-wet hair before styling.

• Give hair the run-through. One you?ve dried and styled your hair, run your hands over your locks to break up any sections left hard by styling products.

• Moisturise. If hair is frizzy and wiry-feeling when dry, then rub a small amount of hand lotion into the ends to make them touchable.

• Get a trim. Dead ends turn soft hair into fuzzy, fried hair. Even the tiniest trim will restore hair?s softness.

• Watch alcohol. Styling and finishing products containing alcohol can leave hair brittle and gummy-feeling.

• Go light on bleach. Highlights and hair colours cab sap the moisture from hair. Colours as infrequently as you can, and have it done by a professional.

Dr. Aditry MK is the founder of HealthierLife, which offers consultancy for health and beauty. To read more articles you can visit http://kavtri.com

Clipin Hair Extensions Beautiful Result or Advertising Hype?

What are clip-in hair extensions and how are they attached?

Clip-in extensions are perfect if you want to turn your hair into beautiful flowing locks instantly. But, of course, on the down side, they have to be removed at the end of the day. So clip-ins are good for a party, a special date or just whenever you want to look different for a few hours. They are much cheaper than salon-made permanent hair extensions. Another advantage is that clip-ins don?t damage your own hair in any way.

Quality hair extensions are several strands of hair, each attached individually. Usually 3- or 4-inch wide pieces go on the back of your head in several layers, and a few 1- or 2-inch wide pieces are put on the sides. As the name suggests, each strand is attach? to your own hair with a clip. With a little bit of practice, clipping the extensions in becomes rather easy and takes only a few minutes. Taking them off is even easier.

You can usually find 14?, 16? and 18? clip-in extensions. Anything longer puts too much tension on your own hair.

Who can wear clip-in extensions?

Clip-in extensions are suitable for people whose natural hair is shoulder length or longer. If you have medium length hair, extensions can make it longer. If you have long but very fine hair, or your hair is not in its best condition, clip-in hair extensions are a great way to bring richness and fullness to your hair.

However, clip-in extensions will not work for women with very short hair. Extensions only look natural when they are mixed in with your natural hair, so if your hair is short, people will notice that you are wearing extensions. If you have a short haircut, but are dying for long locks, buy a wig that is similar in color to your natural hair. High quality designers wigs look very natural - nobody will guess that you are wearing a wig unless you tell them. If a wig is not for you, then you can go for salon-made hair extensions that are braided or glued to your own hair. These stay in for several months, but cost significantly more than clip-ins.

Do clip-in extensions look natural?

It depends on the quality of extensions you get. First, you should know that hair extensions can be made from natural human hair or from synthetic fibers. I will be honest: synthetic hair extensions are cheap, but you get exactly what you pay for. They just don?t look right. High quality human hair clip-in extensions, on the other hand, look like they grow from your own head.

If you look online, you will find many brands of clip-in extension. It is best to go for a well known maker of hair-pieces and extensions, such as Diva in a Box, PutOnPieces or Raquel Welch. See pictures of clip-in hair extensions (will be a link) from different brands.

Since the extensions are mixed in with your own hair, color matching is very important. And the good news is that human hair clip-in extensions can be colored to match your own hair color exactly. However, I wouldn?t recommend doing that at home - it is better to color your extensions at the salon. You can also use hot iron on the human hair extensions to curl them a little.

How much do they cost?

The cost varies greatly, depending on the material. Synthetic hair extensions will cost you less than $100. For a real human hair extensions, you might pay from $200 to $400. However, you can get good discounts through online hair extensions and wigs shops

Clip-in hair extensions can be real fun. They will help you to create a different image instantly, which is very important for a busy modern woman.

Tanya Turner is wig and hair extensions expert and a publisher of http://www.WigsGuide.info, an online hair extensions and hairstyle magazine, that provides information, reviews and pictures of all types of hair extensions including clip-in hair extensions.

The Skin Care Benefits of Azulene

Azulene is a constituent of the volatile oil obtained by steam distillation from Chamomile, Anthemis nobilis (Roman Chamomile), Achillea millefolium (Yarrow), or Tanacetum anuum (Blue tansy), and it is distinguished by it?s spectacular blue colour. Azulenes are unsaturated blue hydrocarbons, isomers of naphthalene. Chamomile contains a wide variety of active constituents. Each one of these constituents expresses a specific action but the fascinating holistic effect is the result of all of the components working together. The main constituents in the oil from chamomile are alpha-bisabolol and chamazulene, sesquiterpene derivatives. Other beneficial substances are present as well, primarily apigenin and a number of other flavonoids.

Benefits: In clinical studies Azulenes and bisabolol have been shown to exhibit dramatic anti-inflammatory effects and Chamazulene showed significant antioxidant protection. In practical terms this means that application of these natural substances will help to prevent skin blemishes from developing and will help stop deterioration of skin cells that leads to wrinkles, fine lines and pigmentation.

Quotes: With a large list of recent basic research accruing, chamomile is a perfect example of a herb having diverse therapeutic uses. Chamomile preparations are widely used in skin care products to reduce cutaneous inflammation and other dermatological diseases. George Nemecz, Ph.D., U.S.Pharmacist/Herbal Pharmacy

Chamomile soothes, heals, combats inflammation and stimulates cell regeneration. German Chamomile is the variety most widely used in skin treatment; it is rich in a fatty substance called azulene which has extraordinary healing, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory powers. Barbara Griggs, author of The Green Witch ? A Modern Woman?s Herbal and Green Pharmacy.

Azulene sensitive skin care products are available from Dermaglow @ http://www.dermaglow.co.uk

Home Remedies From Parsnip

The parsnip has been cultivated in Europe for centuries. It was especially popular before the arrival of the potato and was used as a valuable source of carbohydrate.

Parsnips contain natural sugars which impart a sweet taste to the vegetable. The Elizabethans used parsnips as a sweetmeat with honey and spices as well as serving the root as a vegetable. The carbohydrate in parsnips is stored in the form of natural sugars. This contrasts with the potato where the carbohydrate is 90% starch. Parsnips are considered sweeter than carrots. With almost three quarters of the sugar in parsnips as sucrose, the sugar we extract from sugar cane. By comparison, sucrose accounts for only one third of the sugar in carrots. Sucrose is not at all damaging to health when consumed in its natural form in its parent plant.

Culpeper (1653) writes that 'the garden parsnip nourisheth much and is good and wholesome, but a little windy whereby it is thought to procure bodily lust; but it fatteneth the body if much used. it is good for the stomach and reins (kidneys) and provoketh urine?.

Today we appreciate that the parsnip is not fattening, with a mere 20Kcal per 100g. Compare this to fats and oils at around 900Kcal per 100g.

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies by some of the common itmes in house as well as parsnips.

Do You Want to Avoid Skin Irritation? Using Herbal Skin Care Products

When you are looking to avoid the harmful chemicals found gracing the shelves at your local grocery store, you may want to look into some of the herbal skin care products that are available.

Herbal skin care

Herbal skin care avoids the mineral oils and other petroleum products that can cause an irritation to the skin.

Herbal skin care products use natural oils that are found within a variety of seeds or nuts, such as grape seed oil and lemon oil. These ingredients tend to unclog pores, as well as ease the appearance of blemishes and dry skin.

Home Made Skin Care Products

There are tons of recipes for herbal skin care that you can use at home, which are created by picking up a few natural products from the grocery store, health food market, as well as herbal skin care stores and websites.

To create lavender oil for the skin, you will need two cups of lavender flowers, 2 sprigs of rosemary, 1 piece of orange zest, as well as 1? cups of olive or grape seed oil.

Using a mortar or cutting board, you can create the herbal skin care mixture by pounding the lavender, rosemary and orange zest together. Next, you pack the herbs into a 2-cup capacity jar and add the oil.

Cover and shake the ingredients together before leaving the jar in a sunny window for two weeks.

Shake the jar at least once a day during these two weeks. After the time is up, you will need to strain the herbal skin care product and keep it refrigerated when not in use.

Home Made Facial Oil

To make facial oil from calendula flowers, you will need two cups of olive or grape seed oil, ? cup of wheat germ oil, as well as one cup of calendula flowers.

You should combine all of the ingredients in a jar and cover for placement on a sunny windowsill.

For the next two weeks, you will have to shake this herbal skin care remedy at least once per day.

Strain and refrigerate this herbal skin care product after preparation.

Home Made Skin Care Toner

If you are looking for a herbal skin care toner, there is an easy way to create such a product with the inexpensive ingredient of witch hazel, which can be found at any drugstore. Combine 3? cups of liquid witch hazel with ? cup of herbs and place in a jar that sits on a sunny windowsill for one week.

The mixture should be shaken at least once per day. After the herbal skin care remedy is strained, place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

When creating a toner at home, you can prepare a gentler option by adding calendula flowers; for oily skin, add lemon rind and mint to the remedy.

Home Made Facial Mask

A herbal skin care facial mask can be prepared by blending a few herbs together and applying it to the face.

If you are suffering from dry skin, you may want to blend rose petals and chamomile with two tablespoons of oatmeal and distilled water.

Oily skin craves for a blend of sage, yarrow, chamomile, and lemongrass with two tablespoons of distilled water and oatmeal.

After creating the herbal skin care remedy, apply to the face for ten minutes, and then rinsed away.

More skin care products information and FREE exclusive diet and health magazines, are available on our web site: http://www.net-planet.org

8 Ways to Fall In Love with Fitness

No, it's not impossible. You can fall in love with exercise instead of having that dreaded feeling every time you lace up your sneakers. The trick to falling in love with fitness is finding something you love to do, and trying new things because you may discover a dormant passion for line dancing, snow shoeing, or even something as exotic as fencing. It's time to uncover your inner athlete and fall in love all over again!

Balls, Bosu and Barrels ? If you were the kid who was always climbing the monkey bars and ropes at the park, you'll have tons of fun getting fit with these fitness tools. Exercise balls can be used for all kinds of abdominal exercises, a Bosu is a neat device for balance training and core stability exercises, and you can use a small barrel for practicing Pilates ? all in the comfort of your own home. So next time your at the park with your kids, they'll be chasing you on the monkey bars!

Square Dancing ? This energetic style of dance may look strange to you ? but it's great exercise ? and great fun! This folk dancing tradition has existed in Canada for hundreds of years and has maintained its popularity as a social activity often deemed friendship set to music. Now this form of dance is even more popular as people are doh-si-dohing their way to being fit! Don't knock IT before you try it! You may forget you're getting fit because you're having so much fun!

Snowshoeing ? Snowshoes are thousands of years old, and Native Canadians used to use snowshoes as a form of transport. Only in the last century has snowshoeing become a recreational sport. Now, Canadians across the country are strapping on their snowshoes and heading for the trails to spend some time outdoors, at one with nature, while boosting cardiovascular fitness and toning their backsides. Today's modern snowshoes are typically lightweight, aluminum frames with fabric decks and strap bindings as opposed to the classic bent-wood frames crisscrossed with rawhide strips. In recent years, many celebrities have talked about the physical benefits of snowshoeing, especially when it comes to toning your glutes and quads.

Snowshoes are inexpensive compared to skis and snowboards, and snowshoeing is not a difficult sport, but don't let that fool you into thinking you are not getting a good workout. Using poles, whether specially designed for snowshoeing or made for cross-country skiing, they will help you maintain balance and give your upper body a good workout too, especially when you're doing some intense climbing.

Buddy Up! ? It's no secret that having a fitness buddy helps get you going. Let's face it, when your doorbell rings at 6 a.m., you're not going to hide under the covers and ignore your buddy. Or, when your work buddy grabs you for your daily lunchtime power walk, you're less likely to sit at your desk and graze. A workout buddy provides a little extra incentive to get you going, and a little less response time to say no to exercise!

Feel Good in Fun Clothes! ? Remember the old adage about how when you look good, you feel better? This goes for the gym too. If you buy yourself some fun fitness clothes that you feel good in, you are more likely to have more confidence in yourself and as a result, push yourself harder at the gym. Stores like Winners and The Bay offer great deals on workout clothes that are able to stand up to any fitness test. Remember, if you look the part, you're more likely to feel the part!

Bring the Outdoors Inside ? So what if the temperature is way below zero and the wind chill is making you shake like a leaf. Quit lamenting warm days gone by, and bring your beloved outdoor sports indoors. Shed all your layers, and find an indoor rollerblading rink, grab your tennis partner and hit your local tennis club, climb the rock wall at your local YMCA, hit a spinning class, or throw on your bathing suit and swim laps at your local pool. Create your own warmth, and you won't be missing those days any longer.

Position Yourself Properly ? Sometimes watching others can give you just the boost you need to get going at the gym. Look around you and position yourself next to someone who inspires you and watch yourself take off! You'll soon be running to keep up with them...

Take Your Toddler With You? Most mothers never know when they'll be able to squeeze in a little exercise time while running their kids around all day. Nowadays, many gyms have daycares, but if you don't want to leave your children, you can exercise with them! Of course, you can run around outside all together, play in the snow, and build snowmen. But, if it's too cold, why not try a kid-friendly Pilates video? Most companies which sell Pilates videos have kid-friendly ones too. Your kids will have a blast getting fit with you while trying all those fun exercises!

Richard Moore is the Founder an President of Everything Health and Beauty! For Men and Women Our WebMall is quickly becoming one of the most trusted and easy to use collection of shopping stores to create a fun and relaxing online shopping experience...and we are constantly searching for other stores with quality products, great prices and top notch customer service. If there is a shop you like...please tell us about it and we will do our best to put it on our site. Our goal is to have everything you need for your Health, Beauty, Fitness and Wellness needs... all in one place.

Everything Health and Beauty! http://www.everythinghealthandbeauty.9k.com

Supplements For Beauty and AntiAging

Nowadays, there?s more to retaining and attaining a beautiful complexion than simply applying topical creams and lotions. In fact, it?s becoming increasingly common to see more and more supplements touted as beauty products themselves, because of the effect they are said to have on the condition of the skin, hair or body.

Naturally, we know that our appearance on the outside is often affected by what goes on inside the body (in other words, what we put into our bodies is shown on the outside). The better we eat, the more exercise we get and the more hydrated we are, the better we look. It?s common sense, after all! However, scientists are discovering that there are ways we can supplement our diets even more effectively, giving us far more beautifying power than good old fashioned healthy eating.

For starters we?ve got vitamin and mineral supplements we can take for healthy skin and hair. These often contain various ingredients including (but not limited to) ascorbyl palmitate, alpha-lipoic acid, vitamin E, grape seed extract, vitamin A (or beta carotene), vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Biotin, zinc, copper, manganese, cysteine, PABA, choline as well as natural silica from horsetail and other components naturally derived from herbal sources.

There are also supplements containing marine extracts, fish oil extracts and other naturally occurring substances which have been shown to have a positive effect on the skin and body. Many claim to have anti-aging properties, which makes them incredibly popular, especially among those who are starting to show signs of aging and who are desperate to reverse the effects!

The question is ? do these supplements really give us more than we can give ourselves through good nutrition, plenty of water, exercise and adequate rest and relaxation? And, more to the point, can we take the risk that we don?t need these sorts of supplements in order to give us the best longevity and anti-aging possible? You see, that?s quite often the crux of it. Many of us (especially women) are desperate to retain our youthful looks and complexion. And why wouldn?t we be, when we?re constantly being bombarded by images of youthful beauty? When we see women in their late 40s (Madonna is an excellent example) who look barely into their thirties? Many of us believe in the adage of ?prevention is better than cure?, so we do what we can to prevent old age before it begins to catch up with us.

I?ll be completely honest here, and tell you that I?m no different to anyone else in this! As a woman rapidly approaching my mid-thirties, I?m starting to see time catching up to me all too quickly! And this is why I, like so many others, are looking into doing everything I can to maintain my health and skin long into old age. The result? Not only am I becoming increasingly aware of what I eat, the amount of activity I get, and the external skin care products I use, I?m also becoming more aware of the other things I could be doing to preserve my health, which is why I?ve started purchasing supplements designed to help a) keep my skin healthy and b) maintain my skin?s youth.

There are plenty of resources online where you can discover more about beauty products and information. It's never been easier to find supplements and beauty products to suit your own needs.

Fiona Shearer-Hann is the webmaster of several websites including Be More Beautiful and Babies and Pregnancy.

Beauty Tip: Foundation Secrets For A Flawless Complexion

1. For a natural look your foundation must match your skin tone. Test foundations along your jawline. You will know the best color because it will disappear into your skin.

2. Spread foundation on your hands and pat it on your face, then smooth out with a sponge making sure not to pull or stretch the skin. Be extra careful in the area around your eyes where the skin is super thin. Don't forget to apply foundation on your eyelids and lips.

3. To make foundation last apply moisturizer first giving the foundation a base. Dry skin will soak up the foundation if not given that base. For oily skin use an oil-free moisturizer and powder foundation

4. On hot days foundation can be difficult to keep looking fresh. Set your foundation in the morning using a loose powder and puff, then do regular touch ups throughout the day.

5. To cover imperfections apply foundation first and then go back and dot on a concealer that neutralizes red. For noticeable imperfections like very dark circles and birthmarks use a yellow concealer (available from Mary Kay). Don?t use too much powder in problem areas because it will draw attention to it.

6. To avoid a foundation line around the jaw apply foundation as usual then use a little moisturizer in your hand and blend it down your neck.

7. For evening mix some shimmer powder with your powder and put it where you want to attract light such as the bridge of the nose, underneath the brow bone, the temples, cheekbone, chin and shoulders.

8. Always use a foundation with a sunscreen of at least 15 to prevent future sun damage.

9. Change your foundation shade if the color of your skin changes.

10. After you apply foundation go near a window to make sure it looks natural. Natural light is the ultimate test.

Copyright 2004 Sheila Dicks

Sheila Dicks is a wardrobe and image consultant who teaches women how to look slimmer by dressing to suit their body type. Visit her at http://www.sheilasfashionsense.com to download a copy of her e-book Image Makeovers and get How to Build a Wardrobe free.

If You Can't Pronounce It It Doesn't Belong in Your Shampoo!

Do you ever take the time to read the ingredients on your shampoo label? Now would be an excellent time to start! There are so many chemicals, detergents, artificial colors, preservatives, formaldehyde and synthetic foaming agents on the ingredient list that you wonder whether you are embalming your hair or washing it. Just for starters, the researchers at the National Institutes of Health have uncovered the connection between an ingredient found in shampoos and central nervous system damage. The studies were performed with the brain cells of rats and they demonstrate that contact with an ingredient called methylisothiazoline (MIT), causes neurological damage.

The huge majority of shampoos contain toxic chemical compounds like MIT that are a factor in cancer, liver disorders, and neurological diseases. It may astound you to know that manufacturers of shampoos and personal care products in general can put virtually any chemical they wish into your shampoo, even if it is a hazardous chemical listed in the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) database of toxicity and even if it is deemed a toxic chemical by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The function of shampoo is for cleansing the hair. It is to eliminate excess oil, dirt and debris from the hair known as sebum. An ideal shampoo will execute this function while leaving the hair manageable, while still maintaining its natural luster. Unfortunately, creating foam is what the industry believes is important to the consumer, who without factual information about the functions of a surfactant, takes for granted the shampoo is working and is good for you.

The only solution is to shield you and your family by educating yourself about the shampoo and personal care products that you are using. Read every ingredient on every personal care product label and be wary of every chemical ingredient. Ask yourself if you would ingest that ingredient, because when you rub products into your hair and skin, 60% of the product could end up absorbed in your body.

Remember that TRUE organic products NEVER include potentially harmful chemical ingredients. They are manufactured from truly holistic and natural ingredients without the use of synthetic chemicals, and will ultimately leave your hair clean and balanced.

Judy Phillips is the founder of Jash Botanicals Herbal Formulas, a manufacturer of physicians grade herbal extracts and medicinals. A naturopath and herbalist with over 25 years of experience, her passion for producing herbal formulas of exceptional purity and strength grew from a dissatisfaction with mainstream herbal products. She is an author of various natural health topics, from detoxification to dietary modification, and works to assist the expansion of knowledge to individuals in search of natural treatments. JashBotanicals.com offers a wide range of informative articles, including a monthly newsletter and a natural health blog.

Cosmetic Surgery: PostOp Care Is Essential

As with any other surgical procedure, post-operative care is imperative in the case of cosmetic surgery as well. Following the post-operative advice of your cosmetic surgeon could well be the difference between a stellar result and a mediocre one. Regular follow up visits are crucial in monitoring the progress of recovery. The recovery time and the amount of post-operative care largely depend on the type of cosmetic surgery performed. For instance, major cosmetic surgery procedures, such as abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and sizeable liposuction necessitate proper nursing for a significant period after surgery.

Another point worth noting is that follow-up surgeries (or touchups) might be required to eliminate undesired effects of surgery, or to attain better results. For instance, a woman?s breast implants might internally rupture and therefore necessitate a follow-up surgery. Moreover, cosmetic surgery has associated complications and risks, such as scarring, blood clots, bleeding, or an adverse reaction of anesthesia. Thus post-operative care is pivotal for attaining satisfactory results and in order to expedite the recovery process.

Post-operative care entails being careful about the body part, which has been operated upon. Undue stress and exertion to that portion, just a few days after surgery, may lead to unforeseen complications. You must strictly follow the advice of the surgeon on this issue. In addition to this, you must have realistic expectations from the surgical procedure. Since a major cosmetic surgery involves a significant recovery period, you must not expect instant results after surgery.

The most crucial aspect of cosmetic surgery is to choose a surgeon who has loads of expertise in the pertinent field, since he/she can effectively advise you about proper post-operative care. Cosmetic surgery is something that one opts for in order to improve ones appearance and, in turn, ones life. So if you don?t want to settle for anything less, simply adhere to your surgeon?s advice on post-operative care.

Nicola publishes an informational site about liposuction, with articles and news, tips and views to help you make the correct choice about Liposuction and Lipoplasty at http://lipo.plastic-surgery-info.net

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Plastic-Surgery-Info.net

Be Good To Your Health and Your Health Will Be Good To You

Are you working to much? You could be one of 50 million Americans taking work related health risks.

This is especially true for solo entrepreneurs, who must wear many hats.

Friends say you look great! And you feel like superman or wonder woman. But how healthy are you really?

Hidden risks such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, and prostrate cancer can occur without warnings.

Doctors say, those who feel healthy will most likely not get regular checkups.

Long range health risks don't discriminate by age, race or lifestyle. Your health is akin to your car, neglect oil changes or tune ups and you`re hitch hiking.

What are your options?

1. Regular checkups

2. A healthy food diet

3. Adequate sleep/rest habits

4. Exercise

Self-health maintenance of body, mind and spirit are all wellness advantages.

Robert Wardrick is co-host of http://every-woman.biz Sidebars for the everyday woman, sidelights you won't find on Dr, Phil or Oprah.

Youthing Not Aging

It is not a new concept that you are as young as you feel. This is great news, unless, of course, you feel old.

As we wake up to living today, we must let go of obsolete, outdated beliefs. Symptoms we attribute to old age are: slowing down, feeling aches and pains, poor eyesight and hearing, forgetting important information, getting sick, etc. These are all the same symptoms of toxicity. Quite simply, when we do not release toxicity, we grow old.

So, how about it? Do you want to grow young or grow old? You have a choice. The sooner you activate your option of growing younger, the sooner you can experience yourself healthy and young and wise.

I'm youth, I'm joy, I'm a little bird that has broken out of the egg.
-- James Matthew Barrie

I have chosen the above quotation because of its delightful meaning of youth. A chick or bird works hard to break out of its egg. Mother bird can assist somewhat, but it is the determination of the babe that breaks through the calcification of the egg shell.

Breaking Your Shell

What is the calcification in your egg shell? Is it anger or jealousy? Is it a memory of the past or fear of the future? Is it competition, separation, or worship of money?

Knowing what it is you must break through is important to your evolution. It is not, however, necessary to dwell on it or analyze it to the point of exhaustion. Simply recognize the breakthrough issue in a word or two and then ...... break through.

The chick needs to recognize shell or calcium -- even using its nutrition. It does not blame its mother or God for putting the shell there nor is it angry that the shell did not break sooner. The chick simply knows, now is the time! And it is born.

Thoughts Create Reality

What great power is knowing that thoughts create reality! If you cannot accept that this is true, assume for a few moments that it is. If your thoughts create your reality and you are not content with your present reality, all you need to do is change your thoughts. The level of consciousness with which you put the thoughts into the universe determines the speed with which the new reality manifests.

So, if you have an untenable relationship with your boss and you accept this condition as truth and affirm it in your self talk, you continue the relationship as it is. If, however, you consider that the uncomfortable aspects of the relationship are temporary and can be changed, you take the first step in changing the relationship. This is not simply about positive thinking (though that is a good start). The change must be deeper than just thinking about. You must believe it, deep in your heart. You must know that it is possible. You must feel the idea, as well. A passion for change fires the vision that puts the new reality within your grasp.

Perhaps you are not all that enthusiastic about a change. That is fine, also, because you can just relax and let your reality change. Letting go of the belief that you must control the outcome is an important part of the change process. If your thoughts are positive and optimistic and joyous, the changes will take place in those directions.

And just in case that all I am saying is incorrect, consider how much more satisfying will be your relationship with your boss if you have positive thoughts and compassionate feelings and view both of you as being able to change.

Activities for Youthing

Play. Play at what you love to play. If your play is competitive or intense, find some leisure play to balance the intensity.

Laugh. Laugh at something. Or just laugh. Laughter brings oxygen into your body and exercises inner muscles and facial muscles.

Play with Children. I recently visited a friend who is a retired kindergarten teacher. At age 66, she looks 46 and has the spirit of a 22 year old.

Monitor your self-talk about age. Listen to yourself. For example, do you say...... Oh gosh, I really feel old today. Or, Well, what can you expect after age 40? Or, I'm just too old for .... Stop, stop, stop! These and many other beliefs and expressions are responsible for the aging you observe and accept as inevitable. These false beliefs become real only because so many people believe them.

Listen to Guided Visualizations. Many are on the market. You may want to focus particularly on health and well-being and vitality or other attributes we associate with youth. We even have some online for your listening with my healing voice.

Look at you as a child. Find a happy picture of yourself at an early age, say 3-6 years of age. Look at this picture often. While you may not want to be three years old again, or even eight years old, you want the child-like feelings of wonder and playfulness. In your maturity, you can claim these. If you like, you can take a peek of me at age 3.

Take Care of Yourself. Do those self-care measures that you believe support your health and well-being. Do this for only one reason: self-love!

Affirmations for Youthing. Here are several affirmations that you can use everyday. They are especially useful on your birthday.

Each day I grow younger and wiser.

I love life.

I am beautiful. I feel beautiful.

I am healthy and strong.

I have all the time I need to do all I love to do.

I claim my birthright to be healthy, happy, and free!

You can find or develop other affirmations that support you in being young, healthy, and positive.

Copyright ? 1994, 2005 Marshall House. All rights reserved. You may save this article, send it to a friend, or reprint it in your online publications, provided the article remains complete and this information is attached. DailyAffirm Positive Affirmations http://www.dailyaffirm.com

Skin Care Basics

Skin Care, everyone knows to take care of our skin, but do we pay attention to the details? The quick answer, probably not. A lot of us still run around in the summer time without sun screen to block harmful UVA and UVB rays. The fact is that the sun is harmful to your skin. We need to take precautions both in the summer and wintertime.

The reality today is that Skin Care has become a big buzzword, not just with dermatologists but also in the business and beauty world. We need to start paying more attention to our skin, and all over not just our faces. So what can we do?

Well Lets start by taking a look at the staple steps of skin care.

First off what skin type are you? oily, normal/combination, dry, sensitive or sun- damaged

Oily: Oily skin tends to be shiny with expanded pores, and is prone to blackheads & blemishes. It's possible to feel tightness.

Combination/normal: This skin type has medium pores, a smooth & level texture, effective circulation, healthy color. Combination / normal skin can tend toward dryness and tightness around the cheek area, but also feel oily in the t-zone.

Sensitive: Sensitive skin tends to be thin, frail with fine pores. Generally sensitive skin flushes easily, and is known to broken capillaries, and can be frequently allergic or rashy.

Dry: Dry skin feels tight which is the main sing of dryness you'll find especially after cleansing your skin. May have small wrinkles, flaking and/or red patches.

Aging or sun-damaged: Similar to dry skin. Aging and sun-damaged skin also feels tight with visible smaller wrinkles, and slack skin tone. You'll find the tone mainly around the cheeks and jaw line.

Once we know what skin type we are it's easier to pick the products we need to use for our daily skin care routine. Now onto the steps

Cleaning: Now unless you are prone to acne, or other breakouts just keep it simple with a cleanser. You want to use a simple wash that your skin doesn't react to and is designed for your skin type. You should try to wash twice a day in combination with exfoliating.

Exfoliate: The most important thing to maintain beautiful skin care is to use a gentle exfoliant daily on your skin. Our skin cells get replaced approx. every 3 weeks, so by clearing away old and dead cells, making way for the new ones we help maintain our glow.

Moisturize: Flat out...everyone should moisturize. Even those of us that have oily skin. Of course some should moisturize their skin more then others, but everyone should. A good rule of thumb is when your skin feels tight it's time to moisturize.

Sunscreen: The biggest cause of wrinkles as we age is damage from the sun. It's important to remember that skin care is a life long journey not just as we age. So ensuring we're protecting our skin with sunscreen both in the early and later years is important. Also consider that the sun doesn't just burn or damage our skin in the summer time, it's a good idea to have some on when doing activities in the winter on sunny days.

These are the simple steps that make up a successful skin care routine. It's important to get into a habit like this daily. This is the key to maintaining great skin well into the later years of our life. Try not to get caught up in the gimmicks of the world. While different injections, and creams can give short-term beauty it's not 100% known how all these products make out over the long run. Concentrate on basic skin care, and slow and steady wins the race.

For more information and resources on taking care of your skin visit Best Skin Care Resources.

Fat Acceptance

With tons of information out there on ?Fat Acceptance? does it do more harm than good? Being body positive and body fat are two different topics. South Beach Diet may work for one but not the other.

How can one confuse having a body positive attitude than with a ?Fat Acceptance One? Are you really fat and happy? Most women are in emotional pain around their body size but to hail on for ?Fat Acceptance? is a no-no, neither should one be ostracized for be overweight or fat.

This is more than just a debatable topic of ?Fat Acceptance? what about health. Can you really sit and tell yourself you like wearing a size 22 and find the extra ?Pinch an Inch? to be conformable and contrite? Can you feel both? Ask yourself, deep inside, how you really feel.

So where is the ?happy medium?? Eye Candy yes, waif like magazine models perhaps not, but some women are naturally thin. Shows like ?The Biggest Loser?, ?Fat Actress? make fun of those who do not fit into the cookie cuter world of what we deem as ?Eye Candy?.

We should all be accepted and not ostracized for size, and looks. ?Size acceptance? and ?Fat Acceptance? are two different issues here. Yes, promote size, we all come in different shapes, but promote ?Fat?? What about health?

We strongly condemn any diet marketing strategy based on guilt and unrealistic expectations, says Peggy Howell, a spokesperson for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Such approaches cause untold suffering to fat people by ruining their self-esteem.?

This would fall under stapling!?!

However some sites, and blogs take this too far, can you be happy, fat, and un-healthy at any size?

Why make this harder than it has to be, follow the BMI chart. However getting within our range can be difficult, while women and men, work their way from a high BMI to a lower healthy one, we should accept people of all sizes, ?Size Acceptance? but not promote fat. Promote Health, Size and not Fat.

Discuss this online at http://www.sheunlimited.com

The Daily Scandalmonger
?Scandalmonger Diaries?
Fat Acceptance
Entry 3
By Veronica Marie Kettler

Marie is Editor-in-Chief for She Unlimited Magazine. http://www.sheunlimited.com and heads up the community at http://www.sheunlimited.com/forums. Marie is committed to making a difference. Marie Is Making a difference in the Women sectors online, media and print. Marie believes that individual style is a form of self-expression. Marie knows the trends and where to find them. Her expertise and knowledge give consumers everywhere the insight they need to get the latest styles and products that fit everyone and every budget, both online and off. For More information or how to become and editor for She Unlimited Magazine please e-mail: admin@sheunlimited.com

Cosmetics The Practical Way To Beauty!

Want that healthy, tanned look without that elusive Spanish holiday? Use cosmetics! For cosmetics is the easiest way to enhance your image. Image is what the cosmetic industry sells through its products. And although it's up to you to believe it or not, I?m sure you won?t complain. Definitely not when you can get that look without being much the poorer for it.

There are cosmetics for almost every need.

There are cosmetics for almost every need. Foundations, lipsticks, hair dyes, hair straighteners, hair sprays, skin conditioners, contact lenses, sunscreens, tanning products, glosses, shadows and what have you?.. The list is seemingly endless.

Branded cosmetics abound! Choose between MAC cosmetics or Mary Kay cosmetics if you will. And if you can?t afford it ? well, there?s always discount cosmetics which give you famous brands at a fraction of their price! So despair not!

Get rid of that patch of graying hair, mask that niggling pimple, and banish the ugliness of your nose albeit temporarily with some prudently used cosmetics.

Do take care, of course, to check out the contents. Certain cosmetic additives are harmful for the skin.

Don?t use so called cosmeceuticals unless their content, medicinal benefits and safety is verified. Having done that, go right ahead and indulge. And, if a lipstick is all that?s between you and that Marilyn Monroe look, go, get it!

About The Author

Mike Yeager

Publisher

http://www.beforeandafterpage.com/

The Maharishi Ayurveda Approach to Beauty and Skin Care with Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.

?Every person is born perfect. Inferiority is a mistake of the mind, a cloud covering the light. Dissolve the clouds by observing a balanced life with healthy habits. Nourish your mind and body. Connect with your own inner self. Celebrate your own magnificence and your beauty will always shine through.? -Dr. Rama Kant Mishra, renowned Ayurvedic physician and dermatologist

The Three Pillars of Beauty

Maharishi Ayurveda (MAV), the modern, consciousness-based revival of the ancient Ayurvedic medicine tradition, considers true beauty to be supported by three pillars; Outer Beauty, Inner Beauty and Lasting Beauty. Only by enhancing all three can we attain the balanced state of radiant health that makes each of us the most fulfilled and beautiful person we can be.

Outer Beauty: Roopam

The outer signs of beauty - your skin, hair and nails - are more than just superficial measures of beauty. They are direct reflections of your overall health. These outer tissues are created by the inner physiological processes involved in digestion, metabolism and proper tissue development. Outer beauty depends more on the strength of your digestion and metabolism, the quality of your diet, and the purity of your blood, than on external cleansers and conditioners you may apply.

General Recommendations for Outer Beauty

As we will discuss, the key to skin care is matching your diet and skin care routine to the specific skin type you have. Meanwhile, there are some valuable recommendations for lustrous skin, hair and nails that will be helpful to everyone, regardless of skin type.

1. Diet: Without adequate nourishment, your collagen layer thins and a kind of wasting takes place. Over time, your skin can shrivel up like a plant without water from lack of nourishment. To keep your skin plump and glowing:

A. Eat fresh, whole organic foods that are freshly prepared.

Avoid packaged, canned, frozen, processed foods and leftovers. These foods have little nutritional value and also they are often poorly digested which creates impurities that localize in the skin. The resulting buildup of toxins causes irritation and blocks circulation depriving the skin of further nourishment and natural cleansing processes.

B. Favor skin nourishing foods.

Leafy green vegetables contain vitamins, minerals (especially iron and calcium) and are high in antioxidant properties. They nourish the skin and protect it from premature aging.

Sweet juicy fruits like grapes, melons, pears, plums and stewed apples at breakfast are excellent for the skin in almost everyone.

Eat a wide variety of grains over different meals and try mixed grain servings at breakfast and lunch. Add amaranth, quinoa, cous cous, millet and barley to the wheat and rice you already eat.

Favor light, easy to digest proteins like legume soups (especially yellow split mung dhal), whole milk, paneer (cheese made from boiling milk, adding lemon and straining solids) and lassi (diluted yogurt and spice drinks).

Oils like ghee (clarified butter) and organic, extra virgin olive oil should be included in the diet as they lubricate, nourish and create lustre in the skin.

Use spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and black pepper to improve digestion, nourish the skin and cleanse it of impurities.

Avoid microwaving and boiling your vegetables. They lose as much as 85% of their antioxidant content when cooked in this way. Steaming and saut?ing are best.

Caring for outer beauty through knowledge of skin type

Besides these general recommendations the key to Outer Beauty is to understand the difference in skin types so you can gain the maximum benefit from your individualized skin care regimen. MAV identifies three different skin types based on which of the three main metabolic principles (doshas)- present in everyone, but to different degrees- is most dominant in your body.

Vata Skin

* Description: Vata is composed of the elements of air and space. If you have a vata skin type, your skin will be dry, thin, fine pored, delicate and cool to the touch. When balanced, it glows with a delicate lightness and refinement that is elegant and attractive. When vata skin is imbalanced, it will be prone to excessive dryness and may even be rough and flaky.

* Potential problems: The greatest beauty challenge for vata skin is its predisposition to symptoms of early aging. Your skin may tend to develop wrinkles earlier than most due to its tendency to dryness and thinness. If your digestion is not in balance, your skin can begin to look dull and grayish, even in your 20?s and 30?s. In addition, your skin may have a tendency for disorders such as dry eczema and skin fungus. Mental stress, such as worry, fear and lack of sleep, has a powerful debilitating effect on vata skin leaving it looking tired and lifeless.

* Recommendations for care

With a little knowledge, you can preserve and protect the delicate beauty of your vata type skin. Since your skin does not contain much moisture, preventing it from drying is the major consideration. Eat a warm, unctuous diet (ghee and olive oil are best) and favor sour, salty and sweet tastes (naturally sweet like fruits, not refined sugar) as they balance vata. Avoid drying foods like crackers. Drink 6-8 glasses of warm (not cold for vata types!) water throughout the day and eat plenty of sweet, juicy fruits. Going to bed early (before 10 PM) is very soothing to vata and will have a tremendously positive influence on your skin. Avoid cleansing products that dry the skin (like alcohol-based cleansers) and perform Ayurvedic oil massage to your whole body (abhyanga) in the morning before you shower.

Pitta Skin.

* Description: Pitta dosha is composed of the elements of fire and water. If you have a pitta skin type your skin is fair, soft, warm and of medium thickness. When balanced, your skin has a beautiful, slightly rosy or golden glow, as if illuminated from within. Your hair typically is fine and straight, and is usually red, sandy or blonde in color. Your complexion tends toward the pink or reddish, and there is often a copious amount of freckles or moles.

* Potential problems: Among the many beauty challenges of pitta skin types is your tendency to develop rashes, rosacea, acne, liver spots or pigment disorders. Because of the large proportion of the fire element in your constitution, your skin does not tolerate heat or sun very well. Of all the three skin types, pitta skin has the least tolerance for the sun, is photosensitive, and most likely to accumulate sun damage over the years. Pitta skin is aggravated by emotional stress, especially suppressed anger, frustration, or resentment.

* Recommendations for care

Avoid excessive sunlight, tanning treatments and highly heating therapies like facial or whole body steams. Avoid hot, spicy foods and favor astringent, bitter and sweet foods which balance pitta. (Again, naturally sweet, not chocolate and refined sugar!) Sweet juicy fruits (especially melons and pears), cooked greens and rose petal preserves are especially good. Drinking plenty of water helps wash impurities from sensitive pitta skin. Reduce external or internal contact with synthetic chemicals, to which your skin is especially prone to react, even in a delayed fashion after years of seemingly uneventful use. Avoid skin products that are abrasive, heating or contain artificial colors or preservatives. Most commercial make-up brands should be avoided in favor of strictly 100% natural ingredient cosmetics. And be sure to get your emotional stress under control through plenty of outdoor exercise, yoga and meditation.

Kapha Skin.

* Description: Kapha dosha is composed of the elements of earth and water. If you have a kapha skin type your skin is thick, oily, soft and cool to the touch. Your complexion is a glowing porcelain whitish color, like the moon, and hair characteristically thick, wavy, oily and dark. Kapha skin types, with their more generous collagen and connective tissue, are fortunate to develop wrinkles much later in life than vata or pitta types.

*Potential problems If your skin becomes imbalanced, it can show up as enlarged pores, excessively oily skin, moist types of eczema, blackheads, acne or pimples, and water retention. Kapha skin is also more prone to fungal infections.

* Recommendations for care

Kapha skin is more prone to clogging and needs more cleansing than other skin types. Be careful to avoid greasy, clogging creams. Likewise, avoid heavy, hard to digest foods like fried foods, fatty meats, cheeses and rich desserts. Eat more light, easy to digest, astringent, bitter and pungent (well-spiced) foods as they balance kapha. Olive oil is the best cooking oil and a little ginger and lime juice can be taken before meals to increase your characteristically sluggish digestive fire. Take warm baths often and use gentle cleansers to open the skin pores. Avoid getting constipated and try to get some exercise every day to increase circulation and help purify the skin through the sweating process.

Inner Beauty: Gunam.

Happy, positive, loving, caring individuals have a special beauty that is far more than skin deep. Conversely we all experience the quick and deleterious effect on our skin from fatigue and stress.

Inner beauty is authentic beauty, not the kind that shows on a made-up face, but the kind that shines through from your soul, your consciousness or inner state of being. Inner beauty comes from a mind and heart that are in harmony, not at odds with each other, causing emotional confusion, loss of confidence, stress and worry. Inner peace is the foundation of outer beauty.

Maintain your self-confidence and a warm, loving personality by paying attention to your lifestyle and daily routine and effective management of stress (I highly recommend the TM technique for its scientifically-verified benefits on mental and physical health and reduced aging.) You will also be healthier and feel better through the day if you eat your main meal at midday and make a habit of going to bed early (by 10 PM is ideal.)

Remember, kindness, friendliness and sincerity naturally attract people to you. On the other hand, being uptight or tense makes people want to walk the other way, regardless of your facial structure, body weight, or other outer signs we associate with attractiveness.

Lasting Beauty: Yayastyag

In order to slow the aging process and gain lasting beauty there are two additional key considerations beyond those already discussed,

1. Eliminate toxins and free radicals in the body: The main deteriorating effects of aging come as toxins and impurities (called ama in Ayurveda) accumulate throughout the body. These toxins may begin as free radicals in the body, or over time may become oxidized into free radicals, all of which contribute to premature aging in the body. For lasting health and beauty it is essential to avoid and neutralize free radicals, to prevent impurities of all kinds from accumulating and to remove those that have already become lodged in the body.

The most powerful cleansing therapy in Maharishi Ayurveda is panchakarma therapy, a series of natural treatments ideally performed twice yearly, that involves 5-7 days in a row of massage, heat treatments and mild herbal enemas. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of undergoing this cleansing program once or twice a year to prevent impurities from accumulating, localizing and hardening in the tissues. Just as we change the oil in our cars regularly for optimal performance and lifespan, Ayurveda recommends that we cleanse the ?sludge? from our tissues on a regular basis through panchakarma treatments.

Best of all, panchakarma treatments are luxurious, blissful, and make you feel (and look) completely rejuvenated in just a few days time. I have had many a patient who told me that friends asked them afterwards if they had gotten a facelift, they looked so fresh and youthful!

Other free radical busters include: reducing mental stress, eating antioxidant foods like leafy green vegetables, sweet, juicy fruits and cooking on a daily basis with antioxidant, detoxifying spices like turmeric and coriander.

2. Add rejuvenative techniques to daily living:

The daily activities of life in the modern world systematically wear us down and speed up the aging process. Ayurveda maintains it is crucial to practice daily rejuvenative regimens to counteract the stressful wear and tear of everyday life. According to Ayurveda the most important rejuvenative routines for your life are:

Going to bed by 10:00 PM. This simple habit is one of the most powerful techniques for health and longevity, according to MAV.

Meditate daily. Any meditation that does not involve concentration (which has been shown to increase anxiety) can be very helpful. I highly recommend the twice-daily deep rest and enlivenment of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique, whose benefits have been verified by over 700 published research studies.

Eat organic, whole fresh food that is freshly prepared. There is an Ayurvedic saying: Without proper diet. medicine is of no use. With proper diet, medicine is of no need. Be sure to avoid those leftovers, processed and microwaved foods for better nutrition and vitality.

Perform Ayurvedic oil massage in the morning (abhyanga). Morning oil massage purifies the entire body, reduces anxiety and stress, helps prevent and heal injuries and supports circulation. It is especially helpful in creating a radiant complexion and keeping your skin youthful. Research shows it may also help prevent skin cancers.

Practice yoga asanas. Maintaining flexibility and circulation is key to health.

Practice pranayama (yoga breathing) techniques. Pranayama enlivens the mind and body. Ideally practice the following sequence twice a day. Asanas, pranayama and meditation.

Summary

Everyone's unique beauty shines forth when they have radiant health and personal happiness. Beauty is a side effect of a balanced, fulfilled life. Supreme personal beauty is accessible to everyone who is willing to take more control of their health in their day-to-day life through time-tested principles of natural living.

For most of us, beauty is not a gift but a choice. Every woman can be radiantly beautiful simply by beginning to lead a healthier life. You will be rewarded by the glowing effects you will see in your mirror each day and the powerful, bliss-producing effect your special beauty has on everyone in your life.

About The Author

Nancy Lonsdorf M.D. received her M.D. from Johns Hopkins and did her postgraduate training at Stanford. She has studied Ayurveda with some of the world's most renowned Ayurvedic physicians in India, Europe and the U.S. Dr. Lonsdorf has 17 years of clinical experience with Ayurveda and is currently the Medical Director of The Raj Ayurveda Health Center in Vedic City Iowa.

Dr. Lonsdorf has authored two books on Ayurveda and women's health:

A Woman's Best Medicine (Penguin/Putnam 1995 ; ISBN 0-87477-785-2) describing the Ayurvedic approach to the major issues in women's health

A Woman's Best Medicine for Menopause (Contemporary/McGraw Hill 2002; ISBN 0-8092-9335-8) describing the Ayurvedic approach to menopause

Doctor Lonsdorf's contact information is:
Nancy Lonsdorf M.D.
1734 Jasmine Avenue
Vedic City, IA 52556
641-472-8246
web site url: http://www.ayurveda-ayurvedic.com/

info@ayurveda-ayurvedic.com