EASY STEPS SUGGESTED BY BEAUTICIANS TO MAINTAIN YOUTHFUL APPEARANCE

Many beauticians and nutritionists have been offer useful tips on healthy way to maintain youthful skin, as Mary Beth Janssen, writer and associated with Deepak Chopra Center for Well Being, has explained in one of her articles. At Herbally Radiant we recommend a holistic approach to radiant, dewy skin, and would recommend these simple yet helpful tips to our customers.

A beautiful skin is lively with vibrating energy. It's radiant, smooth, supple, elastic, and moist. It also has a slight flush to it from optimal blood circulation, which would show that lymph fluid is removing toxins and boosting immunity. Stress is under control, antioxidants are preventing free radical damage, and hormones are balanced. The oil and sweat glands are bathing the skin with just the right amount of natural oil and moisture, which in turn maintains the skin's natural acid mantle. All the while, the skin is experiencing a constant state of renewal, shedding over a million skin cells every hour - reflecting synergy in motion.

BEAUTY-LICIOUS
This wonderful balance is indeed what your skin needs, and you must constantly avoid any damage to this balance, caused at times by routine activities. The perfectly natural, organic ways to create beautiful skin are to manage stress, eat healthfully, stay hydrated, get a good balance of physical activity and rest, practice sun protection, and avoid smoking. And naturally, follow a healthful skin-care regimen with pure products, where you always use only the gentlest manipulation of the skin. Rough tugging, rubbing, or abrasive handling with your fingers, hands, towels, tissues or machines can damage your skin.

WHY ORGANIC SKIN CARE?
When we're young, our body is programmed to maintain clear, smooth, soft skin, and we t end to ignore our skin, or take it for granted to derail this program. As we age, however, our skin begins to work less efficiently, thinning out, losing elasticity, and sagging. Exposure to stress - environmental, physical, mental - only exacerbates this natural process. Aging of skin does not mean 50-60 years old skin. Aging changes begin at a much younger age, more so if your skin does not receive proper care.

Proper care does not have to mean using lots of expensive and/or complicated products. What it means is organic skin care, a logical and relatively simple approach that holistically nurtures your skin's natural ability to maintain good health, and to treat our skin from the inside out and from the outside in.

Primary goals in organic skin care are to ensure regular sloughing off and turnover of skin cells and to maintain its natural acid mantle - a combination of sebum and perspiration that your body secretes to protect and moisturize  skin's surface. Achieving these goals can help rebuild damaged collagen and elastin (the chief protein in your skin's elastic fibers) in order to maintain skin strength, elasticity, and resiliency. There are many methods for optimizing cellular turnover. Body brushing, cleansing with a facial mitt or buff, using deeply cleansing masks, and using alpha-hydroxy acids or AHA's (natural organic fruit acids), can all help exfoliate dead surface cells and maintain efficient skin cell turnover. Your skin can get AHA's through a wide variety of treatments, from peels to moisturizing lotions. To protect skin's natural acid mantle, which covers your entire body, use gentle acid-balanced cleansers to wash; avoid harsh or strong antibacterial-deodorant soaps containing sulfate.

YOUR SKIN-CARE REGIMEN
Besides skin-care specialists, it’s more helpful to take charge of your skin on your own with following simple steps :

• Cleanse: Wash your skin with a gentle cleansing agent to remove dirt and oil and balance the skin. Be extra-gentle on your face and neck. Use upward and outward strokes. Around the delicate upper-eye area, work from the inner corner out and around the lower eye area, work from the outer corner in. Masks can deeply cleanse pores and reduce their size, with some masks also acting as exfoliants.

• Tone: Apply some form of clarifying liquid to firm skin tissue, reduce pore size, and remove any remaining cleanser residue. Mist it on or apply with an organic cotton pad. Look for toners with organic botanicals, herbs, and essential oils.

• Moisturize: Apply hydrating lotions, creams, butters, and oils that are humectant (draw moisture into the skin), emollient (preserve moisture already in the skin), and lubricating (lay a thin protective lipid layer on the outside of the skin). Apply to damp skin to lock in extra moisture. Avoid heavy, greasy creams and allow your skin breathe. Lightly pat moisturizer around your eye area with the pad of your middle or index finger.

• Exfoliate: Apply exfoliants to remove the top, dead layers of skin cells and debris to ensure better cell turnover and prevent clogged pores. However, moderation is key - exfoliating too often or with products that are too strong can strip away skin's natural acid mantle, throwing your skin into imbalance.

These basic techniques ultimately provide vital protection of our skin, encouraging healthy cell turnover; safeguarding the skin's natural acid mantle; and helping maintain the skin's natural strength, elasticity, and resiliency. Also important is to use high quality, non-toxic sun protection, especially during the mid-day sun. As healthy as sunbathing or exposure in moderation is for our health (especially in the manufacture of vitamin D), unprotected sun exposure is a prime cause of wrinkles and 90 percent of skin cancers.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PRODUCTS
Always choose right beauty products;  lotions and potions, creams and balms, oils and elixirs act as food for the skin as these penetrate into the bloodstream. So ensure that these offer your skin pure organic treatment, devoid of toxins. Many personal care and household cleaning products are rife with potentially carcinogenic, endocrine-disrupting, and allergenic ingredients. Become a mindful label reader, and learn as much as you can about what you put on your body. Many claims for natural (and even organic!) products are less than truthful, using petroleum-based and potentially toxic ingredients.

Herbally Radiant offers its well researched and tested skin care products containing USDA certified organic ingredients. These range from top of the range age defying formulations to treating skin problems like acne, blemishes, spots, premature wrinkles and lines.

Ten Steps to Gorgeous and Glowing Skin
Reduce stress. Stress hormones rob our skin of its nourishing blood supply, create free radicals, and depress the immune system, disturbing the skin's balance and appearance. As you learn to relax, your skin cells will follow suit. Happy thoughts create happy cells in the body. Visualize beautiful skin. Meditate, breathe deeply, dance, or do whatever it takes to relax, renew, and reinvigorate yourself.

Deep healing breath-work is definitely a face-friendly activity - nearly seven percent of oxygen we inhale is used directly by skin. Besides, regular physical activity is equally important.

Right diet. A varied diet with a balance of proteins, complex carbs, good fats, and plenty of natural antioxidants provides the daily requirements to generate healthy skin. High-quality protein helps skin growth and regeneration. Eat veggies and fruits in abundance, along with whole grains, legumes, nuts, a bit of poultry and fish (particularly those rich in omega 3's, like salmon,) and no- or low-fat dairy.

Supplement daily diet with a high quality multi-vitamin with anti-oxidants, and omega 3's in the form of fish, krill, or flaxseed oil, along with at least two 500 mg capsules of borage or evening primrose oil. Your skin and hair will benefit immensely.

Eliminate foods that spike blood sugar levels, especially anything made from white flour and white sugar, both inflammatory for the skin. Your skin will immensely benefit by reducing saturated fats and avoiding artificial ingredients and chemical pollutants. Alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods can decrease barrier function and increase skin reactivity and inflammation.

Wear sun protection. Although limited sun "baths" (early morning or late afternoon) can be valuable for our body's metabolization of vitamin D, sun exposure is the number one cause of premature skin aging and wrinkles. One of the best ways to protect the skin is to wear a moisturizing sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Choose one that blocks both UVA and UVB rays and preferably contains micronized zinc oxide.

Smoking is a major cause of massive skin damage; one puff of a cigarette creates over a billion free radicals in body – very toxic indeed. So do whatever it takes to get rid of smoking.

Keep skin well moisturized. It's absolutely essential for proper hydration, keeping the skin moist and plumped, supple, soft, and clear. It improves the skin's barrier function and helps the skin resist environmental aggressions. It even plumps out fine lines and prevents age spots. Water happens to be the cheapest and most effective skin moisturizer; drink eight to 10 glasses of purified or filtered water every day.

Physical exercise exerts hormone-balancing effects on our skin. It also benefits the skin by increasing blood circulation, which provides nutrition to the skin cells; helps in expelling toxins, controls stress; and promotes deep revitalizing sleep. 
Get rest. Your body needs adequate amounts of sleep. Sleep time is when your entire body is busy regenerating, renewing, and rebuilding cellular tissue.

ADVERSE IMPACT OF ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES IN BEAUTY PRODUCTS

One more reason to exercise caution while using skin-care products that are NOT natural, and contain synthetic ingredients. The engineered nanoparticles (ENP) are being increasingly used by beauty industry which are potentially harmful. Consumers passionate about wellness may find interesting observation of researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory that some nanoparticles diminish function of macrophage immune cells while others cause cell death.  The experts identified the molecular pathways that are most vulnerable to oxidative stress.

BLUE GREEN ALGAE HELPS MAINTAIN SKIN ELASTICITY

Many cosmetic manufacturers are increasingly aware of the benefits of algae, or sea weeds, in their products.  Major companies (Estee Lauder, Uniliver) are reported to be using cutting-edge algae harvesting technology towards branding their own health and beauty products.

Japanese and other Asian cultures, in particular, have known these benefits and used them in their diet and skin care. Algae are in many ways considered the ‘base food’ of the earth- They are literally where all life begins in our ecosystem providing 70-80 percent of the oxygen to the planet in general.

Algae are very simple, chlorophyll-containing organisms in a family that includes more than 20,000 different known species. In cosmetics, algae act as thickening agents, water-binding agents, and antioxidants. Some algae are also potential skin irritants.

Herbally Radiant has been using certified Blue Green Algae in its ‘Body Polish’ exfoliating and nourishing cream. It hydrates and tones skin, and is especially helpful in balancing oily skin, detoxification, and promoting elasticity. Paraben free and vegan, this special formulation of Herbally Radiant ($ 34.90 - 4 oz and 20.90 - 2 oz) has received very encouraging response from its customers.

Blue Green and other forms of algae contain proteins, vitamin A, sugar, starch, vitamin B1, iron, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and calcium. Most of these are beneficial for skin, as emollients, anti-inflammatory agents, or antioxidants.  At the same time, it should be kept in mind that claims that algae can stop or eliminate wrinkling, heal skin, or provide other elaborate benefits remain unsubstantiated so far. And it depends on the specific type of sea weed extract, how it is processed, and how much is used in skin care formulations.

WANT TO ACCOMPLISH NEW YEAR GOALS?

Humans are creatures of habit. Our habits define our personality and life. As a New Year resolution, many of us try to build up new habits in order to improve our way of life.
As experts in skin care area, Herbally Radiant feels that while making a new resolution, we should take a fresh look at our looks, general appearance and health of skin and embark on a healthy skin care regimen as a good habit.
Forming new habits should is a challenge. As reported by Wendy Wood of Washington Post, Each year, nearly 50 per cent Americans vow to change their behavior: resolving to lose weight (one-third want to slim down every year), get more organized or fall in love. Odds are they won’t succeed. Just 8 percent achieve their New Year’s resolutions. One-quarter give up after first week that is not surprising.
Some tips to succeed in your New Year resolutions are :
1.Strong willpower: 1/3rds of Americans say they lack self-control to accomplish their goals; nearly 1/4th attribute trouble sticking to a diet or to personal character defects such as laziness.
2.Do not expect instant gain: Like Maxwell Maltz, who, in his self-help book, pronounced that you can fix your problems in three weeks, there are many ‘guides’ promising quicker success. In reality, there cannot be any magic number of weeks to form new habits; they are created slowly and steadily with repeated behavior, in most cases, taking up to 70 days to succeed.

For most people, more important than repeating an action for a certain number of days is establishing a routine. Doing something at the same location, or time of day, can help.

3.Realistic goals: Despite flooding of ‘self-help’ books with easy suggestions, it remains a hard fact that getting rid of bad habits can be easier with modifying, or change of our surroundings that can disrupt the cues that activate bad habits.

4.Benefits of new habits: Learning about the benefits of a behavior can help in strengthening resolve, though habits get formed through active follow up over a period of time.

5.Be more mindful about old habits and their associations with your behavior. This will help you to address the root cause more effectively.

6.Make simple plans and monitor regularly the success of new habits to boost your confidence. Staying ahead of your planned schedule will inspire you more. The targets should be measurable and there should be some reward sticking to them.

7.Most of our habits are tied to one another: For example, sleeping and waking time, timeliness or time management. Follow more fruitful strategy by picking habits that reinforce each other.

8.Finally, bear in mind that your New Year resolve should be what you WANT and not what you SHOULD do. What you want to do is more enjoyable and will stick effectively.

WANT TO FOLLOW SIMPLE BEAUTY CARE TIPS IN NEW YEAR?

As the New Year begins, many of you would be resolving to do something new to improve your fitness, follow a healthier routine or enhance your personality with rejuvenated facial skin and overall appearance.

Being in the business of skin-care, we would always highlight the fact that the health of skin is vital not only for one part of body, but for overall wellness. Just as body needs right nutrients to remain in good shape, so does the skin. In day to day life, we generally feed ourselves with lot of processed foods which might contain toxins and therefore accelerate aging process. Applying  on skin harsh chemical-based stuff, or toxins, through cosmetics, with unknown or questionable ingredients, leads to adverse results. We have therefore been promoting safer and effective organic way of building up beautiful appearance with naturally radiating skin.

Let us go over some useful tips which help in revitalizing skin, reducing lines, wrinkles, spots and other premature aging signs :

1.      Use natural organic skin products, depending upon the type of your skin. To address special skin disorder, use products with aloe vera, calendula, witch hazel tea tree, rosewater as toner. One can get these in specially combined formulations from online store of Herbally Radiant (www.herballyradiant.com). 2.      Eat food with antioxidants (Blueberries, Raspberries, Nuts, Grapes, Green Tea) and fresh vegetables and fruits. 3.      Plenty of water to keep skin well hydrated and prevent wrinkle-formation process. 4.      Prefer organic food which does not contain toxins. 5.      To wash face do not use soap containing sulfate; instead use organic face cleanser. 6.      Antioxidants play important role to maintain good skin; therefore, vitamin C should be taken adequately. 7.      Avoid sugary diet which tends to damage collagen and elastin, causing lines and wrinkles. (Herbally Radiant formulations like Radiant and Rejuvenating act amazingly in reducing aging signs on facial skin.) 8.      Maintain cool - deal with stressful situations with calm and relaxed mind. Follow meditation practice. 9.      Enjoy adequate sleep that will prevent formation of under-eye shadows. 10.  Regular workouts help increase blood circulation, and release of toxins. 11.  Use sun screen in winter as well. These are some general tips, though not exclusive, which will immensely benefit in enhancing overall health and beauty of skin. Herbally Radiant physician can also be approached (tel: 1-419-318-0502) for further consultation (without charge), on any skin related problem, or advice on planning the best beauty care regimen. ---