Dry skin: Tips

Dry skin: Tips | AAD

Here are tips that can prevent dry skin or keep it from getting worse.

Do not use hot water. Hot water removes your natural skin oils more quickly. Warm water is best for bathing.

Use a gentle cleanser. Soaps can strip oils from the skin. Stop using deodorant bars, antibacterial soaps, perfumed soaps, and skin care products containing alcohol, like hand sanitizers. Look for either a mild, fragrance-free soap or a soap substitute that moisturizes.

Limit time in the bathtub or shower. A 5- to 10-minute bath or shower adds moisture to the skin. Spending more time in the water often leaves your skin less hydrated than before you started. Do not bathe more often than once a day.

Moisturize right after baths and showers. To lock in moisture from a bath or shower, apply a moisturizer while the skin is still damp.

Before you shave, soften skin. It is best to shave right after bathing, when hairs are soft. To lessen the irritating effects of shaving your face or legs, use a shaving cream or gel. Leave the product on your skin about 3 minutes before starting to shave. Shave in the direction that the hair grows.

Change razor blades after 5 to 7 shaves. A dull blade bothers dry skin.

Use a humidifier. Keep the air in your home moist with a humidifier.

Apply cool cloths to itchy dry skin.

Soothe chapped lips. At bedtime, apply a lip balm that contains petrolatum. Other names for this ingredient are petroleum jelly and mineral oil.

Cover up outdoors in winter. In the cold, wear a scarf and gloves to help prevent chapped lips and hands.

Be good to your face. If you have very dry skin, cleanse your face just once a day, at night. In the morning, rinse your face with cool water.
For more dermatologists’ tips, read Dermatologists' Top 10 Tips for Relieving Dry Skin.

Zu San Li – A point of a Hundred Diseases on your Body: Here is what will happen if you massage it!

One Japanese legend says that, once upon a time there lived a happy man who received priceless knowledge from his father – the knowledge of the longevity point or a point of a hundred diseases.
Following the advice of his father, the son massaged this point every day and he lived to see the birth and death of several emperors.
The massaging of some points is one of the oldest methods of treatment in the East, which has been used for thousands of years.
Overall, the human body has 365 points and 12 main meridians, which is the same as the number of the days and months in one year.

The effects of these massages (acupressure, finger pressure to certain points), is based on the theory of the meridians and channels that are connected to certain organs.

In Chinese medicine, the body is seen as an energy system, and therefore, the massage can affect the flow of energy and the functional activity of the organs.

The activation of the Zu San Li point causes a permanent rejuvenating and healing effect, delaying of the aging. In China, this point is known as – “the point of longevity” in Japan – “the point of a hundred diseases”.

Where is the magic point (Zu San Li) in our body?

The point of longevity is located below the kneecap. In order to find it, you should cover your knee with the palm of the same hand. The point is located between the ends of the little finger and ring finger, in the form of a small dent between the bones.

You can find in another way as well.

You have to sit on the floor, firmly press your feet to the floor and pull them towards you, do not raise your heels from the floor.

You will notice that below the knee there is a higher area. Find the highest point, put your finger on it and take a starting position.

The point at which you pressed your finger is the point – Zu San Li.

Read more: http://www.healthyfoodplace.com/zu-san-li-point-hundred-diseases-body-will-happen-massage/

A Natural Treatment for Rosacea & Redness

The healing power of the Western Red Cedar Tree

Beta-thujaplicin (thoo-ya-pli-cin), an organic compound and extract from the Western Red Cedar is also known as hinokitiol.  Used by generations of  First Nations people, this natural ingredient is celebrated for its healing properties.  Specifically, beta-Thujaplicin has proven to be a natural antibiotic, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial.

Beta-thujaplicin (thoo-ya-pli-cin), an organic compound and extract from the Western Red Cedar is also known as hinokitiol.  Used by generations of  First Nations people, this natural ingredient is celebrated for its healing properties.  Specifically, beta-Thujaplicin has proven to be a natural antibiotic, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial.

The beta-Thujaplicin molecule has been intensely studied with more than 120 peer-reviewed scientific articles on its biological effects and benefits for use in cosmetics and personal care products including:

• Potent antioxidant
• Anti-pigmentation effects.
• anti-melanogenic effects - inhibits tyrosinase activity
• Natural antibiotic
• Natural antimicrobial
• Antifungal
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-cancer via inhibition of cell proliferation and UV absorption

These properties confer multiple advantages for use of thujaplicin in anti-aging skin care. First and foremost, thujaplicin has been found to be a potent antioxidant, quenching free radicals from environmental and inflammatory processes and limiting the skin damage that they can cause. Thujaplicin also appears to provide natural prevention and repair of pigment defects—one of the chief age-related complaints. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggests thujaplicin exhibits anticancer activity in a variety of cancers through inhibition of cell proliferation.  Shown to be a natural anti-biotic this ingredient is well suited for acne and rosacea.  

Natural Whitening Agent 

Beta-Thujaplicin inhibits the formation of pigment through the blockage of the enzyme tyrosinase, thus acting as a biological whitening agent. While the most common chemical whitening agent, hydroquinone, also uses this mechanism of action, thujaplicin as a biological agent (naturally occurring) can do this without causing major health concerns. As hydroquinone has been derived from a phenol compound, there is a concern for potential carcinogenic effects along with the paradoxical effect of skin darkening when this product is used at high concentrations. For these reasons, hydroquinone has been banned for use as a lightening agent in several countries around the world.

Natural Alternative to Antibiotics

For Rosacea and other sensitive skin conditions that are mediated by inflammatory biological reactions or where bacterial, microbial and fungal agents are thought causative, Beta-Thujaplicin can provide natural antibiotic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory relief. Beta-Thujaplicin has been found to have a very strong ability to inhibit the growth and resistance of most bacteria and several microorganisms, including influenza virus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Schistosoma mansoni. Beta-Thujaplicin can be used to treat infections and contact dermatitis without any undesirable side effects or the generation of mutant resistant strains.

Dr. Jason K. Rivers is a clinical professor of dermatology and previous director of the dermatology residence training program at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He is currently a practicing dermatologist and owner of Pacific Dermaesthetics in downtown Vancouver. He is the chief clinician and researcher behindRiversol - a line of skin care products containing Beta-thujaplicin, which is an organic compound and extract from the Western Red Cedar. 

Dr. Rivers is Board Certified in Dermatology in Canada and the United States. He has received numerous awards from the Canadian Dermatology Association and the American Academy of Dermatology Association and is listed in Best Doctors in Canada.

For clearer skin...

INDERMICA in the Elevate Earth Day Special Feature

DIY: Non-Toxic Full Spectrum Coconut Oil Sunscreen

https://www.facebook.com/GrowFoodNotLawns?fref=nf

Homemade Coconut Oil Sunscreen Recipe by Jessica Espinoza at Delicious Obsessions

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup coconut oil

-1/4 cup shea butter

-1/8 cup sesame or jojoba oil

-2 tbsp. beeswax granules

-1-2 tbsp. zinc oxide powder (optional)

-1 tsp. red raspberry seed oil 20-30 drops

-carrot seed essential oil

-Essential oils of your choice (lavender, rosemary, vanilla, and/or peppermint are nice)

Instructions

1. Using a double boiler (or a small pan over very low heat), melt your coconut oil, sesame or jojoba oil, beeswax, and shea butter together. The beeswax will be the last to melt.

2. When the beeswax is melted, remove the mixture from the heat and let cool to room temperature. If you’re using zinc oxide, whisk it in at this point, being careful not to create a lot of dust. If there are some lumps, that’s OK. They will break up when you whip the body butter in step 4.

3. Move the mixture to the fridge for 15-30 minutes. You want it to start to set up, but still be soft enough to whip.

4. Take the mixture out of the fridge and using a stand mixer or hand mixer, start to whip it. Drizzle in the red raspberry seed oil, the carrot seed oil, and any essential oils of your choice, and continue whipping until the mixture is light and fluffy.

5. Use as you would any regular sunscreen. Application rates will depend on your activity and exposure to water. Store in a glass container in the fridge between uses.