Category: Beauty

I had heard so much about the importance of vitamin C but frankly I never really used it as I thought it was pure marketing. 3 years ago, I decided to give it a try as there was some huge sale (black Friday). I tried the skinceuticals vitam C with ferulic acid. I was really amazed buy the results after 2 months, my skin was so much better that I use it almost every 2 months as an intensive treatment.

Everybody knows that Vitamin C improves our health conditions, helping to boost the immune system when sick. However, many are not aware (as I used to) of its ability to keep the skin fresh, glowing and younger.

Vitamin C helps the body produce collagen – an effective nutrient for anti-aging. Collagen gives the skin its strength and elasticity. Vitamin C is also effective in inhibiting melanin (skin pigmentation) synthesis, helping to fade hyperpigmentation (dark spots caused by increased production of melanin) over time.

I really think Vitamin C should be part of your skin regimen – a routine that helps preserve your skin in the long run.

Here are reasons you should feed your skin with this super Vitamin.

Vitamin C – a protective antioxidant

Antioxidants fight the effects of free radical damage and inflammation caused by pollution, exposure to sun and other factors on your skin. These free radicals cause premature aging of the skin. These free radicals enhance the effects of oxidation as is well noticed when a cut apple is exposed to air. When lemon juice (with high Vitamin C content) is applied, this apple returns to its original state. Take note too, that consistency is vital here. Studies have shown that Vitamin C application on the skin over a 90-day period is very effective.

Vitamin C exists in different forms. The L-ascorbic acid form of Vitamin C penetrates deep into the layers of the skin, proving to be a more effective antioxidant for the skin cells.

An Effective Melanin Suppressant

The L-ascorbic form of Vitamin C is more effective in inhibiting the overproduction of melanin. With consistent use of Vitamin C over time, it can help lighten dark spots that are present as a result of the melanin pigmentation process. Although there are more effective short-term skin care remedies, Vitamin C remains one of the best solutions, as it is great even for sensitive skin. For better effect, especially in cases of skin discoloration, it is best to use Vitamin C in combination with other mild ingredients such as soy and licorice extract.

When purchasing your next skin care product, ensure you look up the product label for the ingredients list to check for the L-ascorbic form of Vitamin C. it is even healthier when the active form of Vitamin E, alpha tocopherol is also present. They are more effective as a team for the skin.

Other effective forms of Vitamin C

Although L-ascorbic acid is a more effective and outstanding form of Vitamin C, there are other stable and great forms of this Vitamin. These forms include ascobyl glucoside, ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, and retinyl ascorbate.

If you want to read about all the benefits of vitamin C serum, check the blog post by awesome sophie, I learnt a lot about different vitamin C serums, how to choose it and why it is that good for us.

My tip : I use my vitamin C serum right after a clay mask. The serum really penetrates much quicker.

It is also very important to remember that upon exposure to light, all antioxidants including Vitamin C are vulnerable and could break down. Therefore, using products in dark or opaque jars while ensuring they are away from light will preserve the Vitamin C content and ensure you have a brighter, fresher skin free from any unnecessary spots.

You know I love beauty masks, especially those with clay because of the benefits for your skin.The type of clay I like most is bentonite clay. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. What you need to know about it is that it’s a healing clay and it’s great for your skin. Some people even like to eat or drink it. I’ll just be focusing on the benefits for your skin though.

Treats Skin Conditions Such as Eczema and Dermatitis

If you combine the clay with water and let the mixture dry on your skin it will absorb the bacteria and toxins to remove them and cleanse your skin. With a good clay treatment your skin can be free of blemishes and redness. Bentonite clay can also fight allergic reactions and poison ivy. This antibiotic power of bentonite clay also means that it can be used to clear up skin conditions such as eczema and help your skin recover from a cut or wound.

Bath Soak For Toxin Removal

The next time you run a bath you should throw in some bentonite clay to create a soaking liquid that binds to the toxins your skin releases in the bath. The clay makes your bath more effective and leaves you feeling smoother, better hydrated and less inflamed than a regular bath would. It also makes things much more relaxing. Just sit in the bath, wash yourself off, and let the clay take care of all the hard work.

Baby Powder

Bentonite clay is good for your baby’s skin as well as yours. It makes for a wonderful alternative to baby powder. It reduces redness and irritation and soothes skin in much the same way as traditional baby powder. It’s also much gentler than regular baby powder and is a natural cleanser. Just apply some of the clay to the skin and let it sit for a few minutes before you wash it away.

Detoxification

Bentonite clay isn’t the only clay that’s good for your skin. Kaolin clay benefits include detoxifying your skin. This clay is rich in silica which can be used to remove dead skin cells so that new ones can take its place and your skin regenerates and refreshes. This detoxifies and purifies your skin. Kaolin clay also contains minerals and phytonutrients that keep your skin free of toxins. To get these benefits you should apply a thin layer to your skin or face and leave it for half an hour before washing it out.

Softens the Skin

If you want softer skin then you need to get some kaolin clay powder. You can take this powder and soften your skin with it by mixing into your regular lotion or skin cream and applying it as usual. To enhance the effects consider using an essential oil. Many people who have tried kaolin clay powder have reported it makes their skin softer, so give it a try for yourself.

Clay is useful for more than just pottery. See what bentonite clay, kaolin clay, and all the other kinds of clay can do for your skin.  I would also love to hear about your results 🙂

A double chin is caused by having too much fat in your neck and face. Like most fat it can be eliminated through a good diet and exercise regime. If you’re looking to get rid of your double chin then here are some facial exercises to fight double chin to help you out.

Chin Lifts

While you can have a chin lift surgery to correct your double chin you can also do chin lift exercises if you don’t want to go that far. A chin lift will stretch and tone your jaw, neck and throat muscles. It’s pretty easy to do a chin lift. It only takes three simple steps:

• Stand or sit up and keep your back straight
• Tilt your head backwards so that you’re looking up at the ceiling
• Pucker your lips together tightly, as if you were kissing someone

When you’re doing this you need to try to avoid moving any other facial muscles. Only move your lips and your head. Keep your lips puckered for a count of five and release. Do the exercise 5 to 10 times in a row.

Neck Roll

A neck roll tones and stretches your jaw muscles, throat muscles and neck muscles, and it also takes the tension out of your shoulders to ease any shoulder and neck pain you might be feeling. The following is how to perform a neck roll:

• Sit or stand up straight
• Turn your head to the side while breathing in so that your chin touches your shoulder and you’re looking to one side
• Roll your head downwards as you exhale until your chin rests on your chest. Don’t forget to keep your spin straight and keep your shoulders square
• Lift your head back up while you inhale until your chin is touching your other shoulder. By the end you should be looking at the other side

Pout and Tilt

The pout and tilt pretty much speaks for itself. It stretches the skin on your neck and your lips. Follow these simple steps to do a pout and tilt.

• Sit or stand up straight
• Stick out your lower lip and pout; you know you’ve put your bottom lip out far enough when the skin on your chin feels wrinkly and puckered
• Hold this position for a second
• Keep your lip stuck out and lower your chin to your chest
• Hold this position for another second
• Relax your lips as you straight back up
• Repeat the exercise for two sets of twenty reps

Stick Out Tongue

Just sticking out your tongue can be a great way to build up the muscles in your chin to reduce your double chin. It’s a simple exercise that goes a long way. Here’s how to do it:

• Sit or stand in a relaxed position
• Open up your mouth as wide as possible
• Stick out your tongue as far as possible so your neck and chin tighten
• Hold this position for a count of ten before relaxing and returning to the starting position
• Repeat the exercise for ten reps

Facial exercises can be a great way to get rid of your double chin without going through surgery. Here is the blog post about face fact removal that helped me write this blog post. It is very complete and could be interesting for those who look for all the treatments or alternatives to lose face fat. Thanks again sophie 🙂

I clearly focused on facial exercise as it is safer.

Keep in mind that with any exercise you need to keep up a regular regimen if you want to see some real results. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away.

No one wants to live with acne, and especially the acne scar remnants. We saw the different types of acne scars in my previous post. These acne scars can affect anyone post-puberty and can last for weeks or even months. Some people turn to laser treatment to get rid of their acne scars but this just isn’t feasible for some people.

Here are some other methods of how to get rid of acne scars.

Acne Treatments

It’s difficult to find treatment for acne scars because there are very few products out there that specifically mention they treat acne scars. Most of them will instead just make vague references to it and suggest they brighten your skin and similar things. One acne treatment that does specifically mention it can treat acne scars is Clean and Clear. It’s a powerful anti-acne treatment that can also help deal with those pesky post-breakout marks and scars.

Bio Oil

Bio Oil is one of those “all in one treatments” that promises to fix just about everything wrong with your skin. It advertises that it can help heal scars, remove stretch marks, correct uneven skin tone, alleviate aging skin, and moisturise dehydrated skin. Whether it can do all of that or not is up for debate but it’s very effective at treating hyperpigmentation (acne scars) and if it’s as good at treating everything else it promises to do then you can’t go wrong.

All Natural Papaya Turmeric Grapefruit Skin Lightening Mask

One of the best products out there for treating acne scars is the  All Natural Papaya Turmeric Grapefruit Skin Lightening Mask that I really like. You can buy it on amazon. com.

One of the things that’s so great about it is how quickly it works. Just apply the mask for around 20 minutes before you go to bed and take it off. Give the mask a little time to sink in and you’ll see that the marks begin to fade by the time you remove the mask. By the time you wake up your face skin will be really improve.

Vitamin C

Vitamins are good for just about everything in the body with each vitamin having something it’s particularly good at. Vitamin C is great at brightening your skin and, if used properly, is incredible at removing redness. One of the best vitamin C beauty products on the market is the Peter Thomas Roth mask. They make it using the camu camu berry; which is purported to have 30x the amount of vitamin C as an orange. Whether that’s true or not it doesn’t change the fact that this is one of the most powerful vitamin C products for fading acne scars.

Acne scars really don’t have to be the end of the world.There’s no need to live with them. Check also the awesome blog post which explains all the ways of getting rid of acne scars, from one of my favorite beauty blog: myawesomebeauty.com. you shoudl find other valuable ideas to help remove your acne scars. However, you should bear in mind, this is a long battle that will require patience and commitment. Your skin will thank you .

I hate acne.

Those pimples.

I had to struggle with them when I was younger. About the only thing worse than getting acne is when they leave acne scars behind.

They can leave your face looking pretty bad and ruin your self-esteem.

That is why I decided to start a few posts about acne hoping they would help you, my dear sisters 🙂

The following is more information about the different types of acne scars. The acne scars treatment you need might depend on the type of acne scars so it’s important to recognise which types of acne scars you have.

credits : acnescarnj.com

Rolling Scars

Rolling scars are one of the more common types of acne scars. They are either broad depressions in the skin or shallow indentations in the skin. Rolling scars will usually have rounded sloping edges which is how they earned the name “rolling scars”. They are rough to the touch and appear to be rippled. Rolling scars are caused when the tissue under the skin is damaged.

Boxcar Scars

Boxcar scars are similar to rolling scars but there are differences. They look similar but their steep and defined edges can make them look like the scars you get from chicken pox. These scars are often quite deep and can look like the impression left behind when you dig your nails into your skin.

Ice Pick Scars

Ice pick scars are deep and narrow. They look like large empty pores on the skin and they are great at catching the light. The downside of this is that they are quite noticeable and very difficult to simply cover up with makeup.

Keloid Scars or Hypertrophic Scars

Keloid scars are a common kind of acne scar common in dark-skinned people. They are created when scar tissue forms on the skin because too much collagen has been produced. This all starts when the acne doesn’t make it through the healing cycle and it leaves broken skin behind. Collagen is formed and gathers around the damage. It builds up, which is part of the natural healing process to seal the wound over. Sometimes the body doesn’t handle all the collagen too well and you’re left with large and uneven scars as a result.

Rolling scars, boxcar scars, and ice pick scars are more common that keloid and hypertrophic scars. All acne scars are bad news though. The good news is that there are treatments out there.

It’s possible to clean up your face and get back your natural appearance. Find the right acne scar treatment for you and take back control of your skin.

Hey sisters,

Acne is something every teenager deals with eventually. It’s embarrassing and no one likes it. The good news is that it can be prevented and held back if you are smart about it. Here are some of my skin tips to fight acne.

Keep Your Face Clean

It’s important to keep your face clean by washing it about twice a day to get rid of impurities and dead skin cells. This is a good thing to do if you have acne or not. When you wash your face you should use warm water and facial cleanser. Also avoid washing it too roughly with a cloth and just use your hands instead. Rinse it afterwards and dry yourself off with a towel.

Moisturize Your Face

A lot of acne products out there dry up your skin and you can fight that by using a good moisturizer. A good one is one that minimises the risk of dryness and your skin peeling. Keep an eye out for products labelled “non comedogenic”. These kinds of moisturizers are made to prevent acne.

Be Careful With Your Hair Products

When you wash your hair you should use gentle shampoos and conditioners. Hair products like fragrances, pomades and oils can damage your skin if they come in contact with it. They irritate your pores and cause acne. If you have long hair you should also keep it out of your face even if you don’t wear a lot of hair product.

Avoid Touching Your Face

When you touch your face too much or rest your head on your chin what you’re doing is spreading bacteria. It also leads to inflaming skin which leads to acne. If you have a pimple or spot then you should also not use your fingers with it to prevent scarring.

Exercise Regularly

Acne is one of the many things that can be prevented with good old fashioned exercise. Regular exercise is great for your whole body including your face as it stimulates your blood circulation and helps you flush out toxins through your skin pores. When you do exercise it’s recommended to avoid using clothes or machines that causes your skin to rub as it can lead to inflammation and other problems associated with causing acne.

Relax!

Stress causes a lot of problems for your body and mind and is best avoided.

On that list of problems? You guessed it; acne and pimples. If you’re getting too stressed then ask yourself what’s stressing you out and what you can do about it. You should be able to reduce your stress and fight off those growing pimples.

Acne isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be but it’s still worth taking steps to prevent it. Prevention is always better than curing.