Dry Skin Brushing - To a Healthier Skin.

One way to achieve a healthier skin is to brush your body regularly with a firm brush. Termed Dry Skin Brushing, it is a natural skin care technique for shedding dead layer of skin cells and encouraging skin regeneration, at the same time creating a detoxifying effect by improving circulation in your body.

All you need is a body brush (with a handle for brushing your back) with bristles made from natural fiber as synthetic ones will damage your skin, and about 10-15 minutes each morning.  Start by brushing on your dry skin, first from your feet, then followed by your torso, hands, arms and brush upwards, towards the direction of your heart.  (Experts had advised to brush towards the core of the body.) Finish off with a cool shower to wash away the dead cells.

Brushed lightly on areas of thin skin and avoid facial area and sensitive parts where there are cuts, wounds and infections. For the face, you may want to consider lymphatic drainage exercise mentioned in my earlier post.

According to experts, here is a long list of what dry skin brushing can do for you.

1) Removes toxins and eliminate waste:

Brushing removes dead skin, open up pores and improves skin tone and texture. It stimulates lymph flow and blood flow. Lymph contains white blood cells and transports waste to the lymph nodes which fights bacteria and infections. By increasing circulation in our body, skin is refreshed and invigorated.

2) Strengthens immunity:

Through brushing, the process of toxins removal is accelerated. With the skin operating efficiently, more impurities are eliminated from our body and this put less stress on our liver and kidneys.

3) Increased the skin quality and treatment for cellulite:

Another benefit of brushing is the stimulation oil glands beneath the skin, restoring moisture and suppleness, enhancing the quality of skin. The massaging effects of the bristle can break down stubborn fatty deposits and prevent build up of cellulite.

A simple and powerful way to revitalize and refresh your skin, it takes just a few days to see changes and experience the benefits. If you are disciplined enough to do every day, the results are worth the time and effort.

Recipes for Facial Scrubs/Masks

Good things about homemade scrubs are that you can alter the intensity of the exfoliation based on your skin type, avoid ingredients you are allergic to and know it is fresh and chemical free.  You may store it in jars and kept in fridge for a few days after mixing the ingredients, but it is best to use as you make.

Yogurt scrub

1 tablespoon plain yogurt

2 teaspoons of almond meal

2 teaspoon of honey

Add the ingredients and mix.  Apply and leave on for at least five minutes before rinsing.  Do not store unused scrub in fridge.

Photo Source: Megan

Papaya Scrub

One small piece ripe papaya

1 teaspoon sugar

Add sugar to the mashed papaya and apply onto face. Rinse after 10 minutes to see instant skin rejuvenation.

Sugary Scrub

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon of olive oil

A few drops of rose oil

Mix the ingredients well and massage onto face for a few minutes. Rinse with warm water and wipe dry with face towel to remove the oil residue.

Honey Lemon Mask

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 egg-white.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Apply to clean face for about 15 minutes before washing it off.

Avocado Delight Mask

½ avocado pulp

2 teaspoons honey

Add honey to the mashed avocado pulp and apply on face. After 20 minutes, rinse off with warm water.

Cool Aloe-Cucumber Mask

½ peeled cucumber

1 tablespoon aloe vera extract

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon plain yogurt

Blend cucumber in blender and add in other ingredients. Apply to face and wash off with warm water after 20 minutes.

Anti-Ageing Cookies The Rage Now?

I saw an article on Reese Witherspoon, along with other celebrities like Renee Zellweger and Courteney Cox, being fans of anti ageing cookies. Apparently, these cookies contain skin nurturing ingredients that help to combat signs of ageing.

Incredulous, I went to the website http://www.delusciouscookies.com and true enough, the Borba’s DeLuscious cookies on sale claimed to contain antioxidants and nutrients like acai, noni berries, vitamins B3, B6 and B12 and flaxseed.

As we know, acai berry has many virtues like fighting cancer, heart disease and obesity, boosting immune system and improving digestion while flaxseed is rich in omega 3 acids and lignan (an antioxidant).

Photo credit:Tomas N. Romero

With 24 flavours to choose from, such as Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Toffee and Cinnamon Sugar, these cookies don’t contain hydrogenated oils, ” …only premium chocolates, Grade AA sweet cream butter and pure cane sugar.” The cookies looks enticing, I mean how often can you find nutritious and vitamin-enhanced cookies near your neighbourhood?

Whether it is effective in reducing wrinkles I do not know, except we can indulge in our snacks feeling happier, without that pang of guilt, hoping at least there are some benefits for our skin.  So what’s next? Anti-ageing cakes and candies?

A for Green- Natural Beauty Ingredients

Aloe vera

A succulent plant which contains amino acids, minerals and natural antibiotics, is used for first aid, wounds, infections, irritations and some medical conditions. The gel-like substance inside the leaves is known to have excellent inflammatory properties. Good for eczema and soothing sunburned skin.  Even Cleopatra used it in her beauty treatments to rejuvenate her skin. Relatively easy to grow in a tropical climate, it is ideal for growing at home (near the window) and used in your own beauty preparations.

Photo credit:Carl Bodin

Apricot

Belonging to the peach family, apricot is a fleshy orange fruit with velvety skin. Rich in oil and has anti-carcinogenic properties, apricot kernel oil is extracted and used in skin care products. Commonly used as massage oil, it is well known for its ability to penetrate the skin and its softening properties. Rich in essential fatty acids like oleic and linoleic acids, apricot oil helps the skin to retain its elasticity and suppleness. Crushed apricot kernel is found in products like facial masks and body scrubs.

Almonds

Almond has a high content of fat as well as a rich source of essential minerals like magnesium and calcium. Prized for its high content of fatty acids that appear to be close to our skin sebum, it has great emollient properties and therefore are used in many beauty and hair care products. Almond oil is used in massage therapy and as essential oil in aromatherapy. Its benefits include nourishing the skin, soothing skin irritation and improving complexion.

Photo credit: Tim Broyer

Apple

You heard the old adage: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. True, as Apple contains high mineral contents, iron, potassium and vitamin C that can fight against anaemia, heart disease, stroke and lower blood cholesterol. Due to its nutritious value, even doctors recommend apple as an early baby food.  Apple extract are commonly used in facial peels and masks because of its powerful antioxidant activity.

Photo credit: Ivo Stad & Land

Avocado

They have a good source of vitamin K, potassium and has a high fat content of about 70 -90% of their total calories (many times more than the average of any other fruits), but these are mono-saturated fats which is good for health.

It is a highly effective emollient used in many beauty products because of its deep penetrating oil, which according to studies is known to increase the amount of collagen in our skin.  The presence of sterolins or plant steroids found in avocado is known to reduce age spots and treat damaged skin. Besides, the pulp of the fruit is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. Avocado paste is sometimes applied on sunburned skin or rashes to sooth the skin.

Beautiful Eyes

We have delicate skin around our eyes and it is known to be several times thinner than the rest of our face. In fact, our blood vessels are just a fraction of an inch away from the skin’s surface.  Since it is more vulnerable, this is why wrinkles appear here first.

Some consumers may think eye care products are unnecessary and is just another marketing gimmick by companies to sell them more products but the truth is, a separate cosmetic product should be used for the eyes. The normal day or night moisturizer for the face is too heavy for our eyes.

To get best results on eye care, use an eye cream with SPF factor for day use. As you use, pat gently on the eye contour beneath the eyes to stimulate blood circulation. At night, use another eye cream to moisturize.

Dark circles

Dark circles can happen at any age, it is true. My three year old kid gets dark circles whenever he sleeps late or goes without his afternoon nap.  The most common reason for this is lack of sleep although there are many other reasons such as genetics, stress and food intolerance such as cow’s milk. One common belief is that dark circles formed because of waste accumulation around the eye area.

According to experts, the capillaries under our skin at the eye area are so narrow that red blood cells lined up (in a single file) to pass through. Sometimes, these red blood cells break the walls of capillaries and leak into the surrounding skin. Special enzymes then break down the red blood cells, changing it to blue-black colour. It is the same mechanism that produces bruises when we knock our body into something.

Factors that cause dark circles such as thickness of skin under the eyes, genes that caused the weakened capillaries, our skin tone (the lighter it is, the more apparent the dark circles) and whether you have deep set eyes (the shadows contribute to the dark circles, making them more visible) are hereditary.

Puffy eyes

Caused by trapped fluid in the tissues under your eyes, it is usually more obvious in the morning due to accumulation of fluid overnight.  Other than fluid retention, factors such as stress and allergies can result in puffy eyes. More often than not, it is usually caused by too much crying (due to over production tears in our eyes) or too much intake of alcohol.

If it happens regularly when you eat certain things, it could be a food intolerance problem. Common culprits are dairy products like milk and cheese. Or you could be sensitive to a certain brand. Try switching brands to see if your condition can improve.

Some researches shown that lymph flow (flow of bodily fluid i.e. mainly white blood cells) has an important part to play in reducing puffy eyes.  Therefore doing some simple exercises daily can keep puffy eyes at bay!

Remedies for dark circles and puffiness

1)      Wrap an ice cube using a hanky and place over your eye area for a few minutes to stimulate blood vessels and improve flow of toxins. Cold stainless steel spoon kept in fridge may also do the trick.

2)      Tannic acid in tea is good for reducing swelling. Soak two teabags in cold water and squeezed out the water. Place them over your eyes for 10 minutes.

3)      Put slices of cold fresh cucumber or raw potato on eyes for 15 minutes - cucumber has a soothing and cooling effect while raw potato contains Catecholase, an enzyme that works as a skin lightener and is also used for removing dyes of staining fruits.

Photo credit: Andrea

4)      Gentle massage using middle finger to tap the puffy area from inwards to outwards and repeat for few minutes to improve blood circulation.