Healthy Skin - A Beginner's Guide

Is your skin glowing and radiant? You're probably taking care of yourself and experiencing good health. If not, you can take steps to give your skin what it needs to be healthy from the inside out.

What doesn't help?

Creams and lotions can help contribute to the skin's healthiness, but what you put into your body is far more important.

Body

The primary cause of skin damage and skin aging are poor nutrition, internal toxicity, dehydration and over exposure to sun, using commercial chemical soaps, smoking, bathing in high chlorine-filled water, exposure to extremely dry, cold weather and fungal invasion.

Mind

Emotional issues and anxiety are often involved with skin breakouts. Releasing suppressed emotions e.g. stress surrounding a past relationship can do wonders to rid a person of skin problems, although a professional should be sought for help with this.

What does Help?

According to the American Academy of Dermatologists (AAD), the following vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients help nourish our skin.

Get to know the A-C-E of vitamins, and you'll be on your way to healthier skin.

Vitamin A helps repair skin tissue. Without it, you may notice dry, flaky skin. Get vitamin A by eating fruits and vegetables, especially carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, squash, apricots, mango and cantaloupe.Vitamin C helps counter the effects of sun exposure. It reduces the damage caused by free radicals, which destroy collagen and elastin. You can get vitamin C from organic fruits and vegetables.Vitamin E helps reduce the harmful effects of the sun on the skin. Stay with 30 IU per day or less, as any more can be harmful.Omega-3 and Omega-6: Raw-plant-based fats and oils can replace cooked fats and oils. Walnut oil and flax seed oil all contain omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, which help keep the skin lubricated and looking healthy.

Sun

While time in the sun can be fun and healthy to a degree, too much sun, like too much eating, can be very damaging. Over-sunning causes free-radical collagen damage to the skin.

Before applying sunscreen, lather on some lotion! Try to find lotions that are natural and chemical-free. Read the ingredients and look for those with vitamin E, and natural plant oils, like olive, grape seed and jojoba.

Ensure that the skin products you use are paraben-free, allergy-tested, non-comedogenic (will not clog pores), free of synthetic oils, not tested on animals and fragrance-free. And, they are suitable for your particular skin type.

Emotional Therapy

There are many great ways to release suppressed emotional issues. It really helps to find someone who is trained in how to do this and knows what they are doing. Ensure your professional knows how to clear the negative emotion, not merely analyse it for many lengthy (and expensive sessions).

Skin Treatments:

New York Times best-selling author, David Wolfe recommends the following natural skin treatments:

For Dry Skin - Avocado Mask:

Puree one ripe avocado with 6-7 drops of a fresh-squeezed ripe orange. Add one tablespoon of hemp oil. Massage this mixture into the face and neck. This mask has excellent effects on any part of the skin. After application, lie down and relax. Rinse off with lukewarm water after 20-30 minutes.

For Oily Skin - Cucumber Mask:

Peel a cucumber. Finely grate it. Lie down, relax and apply the cucumber to the face and neck. After applying, place a warm towel over the face. Relax for 20-30 minutes. Rinse off.

What you eat, drink and think all play a big part in the health of your skin.

Christopher Drummond runs a natural health company and lives in Cape Town, South Africa on a small holding which has it's own organic fruits and vegetables and clean mountain water. For more simple, natural ways to enjoy beautifully radiant skin, visit: http://www.real-wellness.net/beauty-and-skin-care/

View the original article here

Learn How to Make Your Own Soap at Home

There are many reasons to make your own soap. It can save the family money. It ensures you know exactly what chemicals and ingredients are going into the product. Homemade soap can be a great gift for friends and family. Or it can be made simply because you are a craft individual. Whatever the reason, learning how to make soap is useful and fun.

The first way to make soap is by cold process. Cold process soap is made from oils, lye, and water. When combined at the right temperature, they harden into soap in a process called saponification.

Ingredients include 24 ounces of coconut oil, 38 ounces of vegetable shortening, 24 ounces of olive oil, 12 ounces of sodium hydroxide or lye, 32 ounces of spring or distilled water, and 4 ounces of your favourite essential oil. This could be lavender, rose, lemon, or peppermint.

Clear a space in the kitchen and spread a newspaper over a table to assemble the equipment. To start, you will need safety goggles and rubber gloves, a scale to weigh ingredients, a large stainless steel or enamel kettle (not aluminium or a non-stick kettle), glass or plastic wide mouthed pitcher, two-cup measuring cup, and plastic or wooden spoons.

Next you will need a stick or immersion blender and two glass thermometers registering between 80 and 100 degrees, such as the ones used for candy making. Plastic moulds suitable for cold press soap making are recommended, but you can also use a shoebox or wooden mould lined with parchment paper. Multiple towels for cleanup should be prepared.

Put on safety goggles and gloves and keep them on at all times. All measurements should be exact. Measure out 12 ounces of lye in the two-cup measuring cup. Measure 32 ounces of cold water and pour into a stainless steel pot or glass bowl. Place the pot of water under the stove's running exhaust fan. Pour the lye very slowly into the water, stirring gently until completely dissolved.

Turn your face away to avoid fumes. Set the mixture aside, letting it cool and fumes dissipate. Put a stainless steel pot on the stove over low-medium heat. Add the coconut oil and vegetable shortening, stirring frequently until melted. Add olive oil and stir completely until melted and combined. Remove the pot from heat.

Put one thermometer in the lye and monitor until the temperature reaches 95 to 98 degrees. Put the second thermometer in the oils and measure until they are the same or lower temperature. Add the lye in a slow, steady stream to the oils. Stir with a wooden spoon or the stick blender.

Continue to mix for 10 to 15 minutes until tracing occurs. A stick blender will see this result in five minutes. If no mixture occurs, let it sit for fifteen minutes then try again. Add the essential oil, and be ready to immediately pour the soap into the mould. Hold the mould an inch or two above the table and drop it. Do this a few times to work out air bubbles.

Cover the mould with a lid and several towels. Leave it covered, undisturbed, and out of air drafts for 24 hours. Uncover and let it sit for 12 hours. The soap should have a light layer of white ash-like substance on top. If there is a deep oily film, if it did not set, or if it has white or clear pockets, it cannot be used.

There is also a convenient, shortcut way to make soap that involves the highest quality of ingredients. Natural skincare sites often offer make your own soap kits that involve completely natural and luxury ingredients.

These kits allow people to make their own Shea butter soap, natural body cream or lotion, and lip balm. They come with measured ingredients and can also come with learning DVDs. Sometimes these sites will saw raw blocks of high quality, natural ingredients for purchase if you prefer other methods of soap making, but want the best ingredients.

View the original article here