What's really in your skin care products?

It has been a while since I last posted anything to this blog and I'm new at this whole blogging thing.  Today I want to bring attention to a very disturbing fact.  Did you know that 97% of skin care, hair care and toiletry items on the market today contain animal fat and are tested on animals?  Yuck!  Don't get me wrong, I eat meat and quite frankly, I LOVE it!  However, I do NOT want animal fat in my personal care products!  Do you know where the animal fat in your skin care and cosmetics come from?  Are you sitting down?  They get that animal fat from farm animal carcasses (including all of the hormones pumped into livestock), euthanized pets from vets and animal shelters, road kill and the entrails from slaughter houses.  These inedible carcasses are sent to rendering plants where they are boiled, the fat rises to the top, is skimmed off and then sent to a purifying plant.  And who are their biggest customers?  That's right! . . .  All of the major cosmetic companies purchase this animal fat to use as thickeners and expanders in most skin care, cosmetics and hair care.

Now you may be saying, "How can these companies do this?" The United States government does NOT regulate this industry, so no one is watching out to ensure that products are safe!  We see so many more people concerned about their diet and exercise, but why aren't more people concerned about using products that are safe for the human body?  The skin is the largest organ of our body and the #1 detoxifying organ.  It sure seems to me that we should take care of it.

We see a lot of young girls getting their periods as young as 8 or 9-years-old.  Wow!  Many reports discuss the hormones in the food our kids are eatting as impacting this distrubing trend.  While I believe there is absolutely truth to that fact, there is also research that discusses how the animal fat in the products kids are using is having an affect on their growth.  When kids are using products with animal fat, they are not just putting the animal fat on their skin, but they can also be putting the hormones pumped into those animals on their skin too.  This can absolutely have an affect on their development.

Did you know that it typically takes about 30 seconds for something to absorb through your skin and into your body?  Have you ever seen a pain patch used in a hospital?  The reason why they use those pain patches is because they absorb quickly into the blood stream and begin releaving the pain very quickly.  So, if that's the case, what else are we absorbing into our bloodstream from the skin care, hair care, cosmetics and toiletry items we are using daily.  This is one of the reasons why I choose to use products that are vegan-certified, which ensures that there are NO animal fats in the formulations.  There are not many products on the market that contain this certification, but they are out there if you want to use them.  When products have no animal fat, there typically is no reason to use chemical fragrance either.  Chemical fragrance is commonly used in products to cover up the disgusting odor you get from animal fat.  When is the last time road kill smelled good?  What most people don't realize is the amount of toxic chemicals used to make those chemical fragrances.  When you read the label and it says "fragrance," that doesn't mean there is one ingredient.  It means there can possibly be hundreds of chemicals used to produce that aroma.  Why would anyone want hundreds of toxic chemicals on the largest organ of the human body every single day?  Also, when products are animal free, they often do not use mineral oil.  Mineral oil is a derivative of crude oil and is used in products to smooth out the texture.  You see, animal fat is gluggy and fatty, so mineral smooths out the texture on the skin.  Why do companies use mineral?  It is he cheapest form of oil out there!  Most of these companies are more concerned with their bottom line than the safety of the consumer.

With the rise in cancer in the world, we need to all start considering what products we are putting onto our skin and how this is impacting our bodies.  What do you think?  Are you using products that are pure and safe?  Are your children using products that are safe?  Is it worth it to be using products for your family that could be harmful?  In my opinion, we would have a lot less issues with the health and wellness of Americans if we simply took better care of our bodies on the front end.  Diet and exercise is absolutely important, but now is the time for more people in the USA and around the world to also consider what they are putting on their skin.

The "bottom" line...

I know this is a bit off subject, but today I’m posting about the health of your babies bottom.

When your beautiful baby is born, her skin is often perfect in every way. It is softer and smoother than it will ever be again. You are upset when she wakes up and her bottom is red and irritated when you change her diaper. What happened! What did you do wrong? Absolutely nothing!

ALL BABIES HAVE DIAPER RASH! Having a diaper rash is a normal part of being a baby. There are many ways you can limit the amount of rash, but from time to time it will flare up again.

WHY BABIES GET DIAPER RASH

Start with ultra sensitive skin, add the chemicals and moisture of urine and poop (yep, I used the “poop” word), cover the area with a diaper that rubs back and forth, and you have diaper rash. This damaged skin is susceptible to the invasion of bacteria and yeast, which can make the rash worse.

If you are constantly battling rash, here are some helpful hints to minimize it:

1- Change diapers frequently - at least every two hours in newborns.

2- Try different brands - if using disposables, another brand may fit a little better and cause less friction.

3- Rinse cloth diapers - add a half-cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle. This helps remove alkaline irritants.

4- Wipe well - be sure to wipe all the poop and urine away.

5- Use unscented wipes or just plain water - these are less irritating.

6- Diaper rash cream - More sensitive bottoms need cream with each new diaper.For best results try a water repelling, herbal based cream.

*Courtesy of swissbeautyworkshops.blogspot.com.

Crows Feet

Crow's feet, laugh lines, and wrinkles- no matter what you call them- time, nature and our neglect plays a nasty trick on all of us. As we age, fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear around our eyes, radiating outwards. These are commonly known as crow's feet. Besides just getting older, our everyday lifestyle can aggravate the problem and cause premature aging to our skin. The skin on our faces stretches like a rubber band, thanks to something called elasticity. This means that it can return to its original form after being pulled or compressed -- pretty important when you think about how much we move our faces. Unfortunately, as we get older, our skin loses its elasticity. That's why we form wrinkles and certain parts of our body start to droop. One of the main reasons for this is that our bodies' production of collagen and elastin, two proteins responsible for our skin's elasticity, lessens with age.
CAUSES
Sun exposure, poor nutrition, frequent squinting, smoking, failure to use a effective anti-wrinkle cream and even sleeping on your face promote the formation of crows feet. Naturally, people who spend a great deal of time outdoors are at higher risk.

PREVENTION
Applying sunscreen, quitting smoking, consistently using an effective anti-wrinkle cream and wearing LARGE sunglasses and hats are the key ways to avoid crows feet. Even if you're already showing signs, it's never too late to stop them from getting worse.
REMEDIES
Prevention aside, once you have them, you'll need to deal with them head-on to either reduce their appearance or have them professionally treated to get rid of them temporarily.  

Here are some alternatives to treating crows feet:

Proper nutrition and a healthy diet- cheap, smart, lasting effects; Botox- expensive, effective, short term, painful; Face Lift- very expensive, effective, longer term, very painful, risky outcomes; Anti-Wrinkle Creams- effective, can be expensive, some better than others; Facial Exercising- questionable results, cheap; Chemical Peel- fairly expensive, very painful, short term benefits; Laser Procedure- fairly expensive, painful, short term benefits

*Courtesy of swissbeautyworkshops.blogspot.com.

Diet Secret to Make Your Skin Glow

 According to new research, people who eat larger portions of fruit and veggies a day have a more golden hue to their skin tone due to consuming more carotenoids. Responsible for the red coloring in fruits and vegetables like carrots and tomatoes, carotenoids are antioxidants that assist in soaking up damaging compounds produced by everyday stress, especially while the body is fighting disease.Interestingly enough, the study also found that given the choice between skin color caused by sun tan and skin color caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin color. So it looks like if you want a healthier and more attractive skin color, you are better off turning to fruits and veggies than UV rays.

*Courtesy of swissbeautyworkshops.blogspot.com.