Does Alternating Your Skincare Really Help Your Skin?

To answer my own question, does alternating your skincare really help your skin, the answer is Yes it does! So read on to see why I say yes.. ;)
Have you ever started using a skincare product and noticed after a few months it just seems to have stopped working? :( Doesn’t do what it was doing for your skin? So you change to a different skincare item or items, and after a few months the same thing happens? Not even talking about high price ones either, this happens with all priced skincare products. ;)
Now as someone who tests a lot of different skincare items I am lucky enough to be able to try all kinds from high-priced to drugstore brands. Even I have run into this problem, I will fall in love with an item and use it for a few months and start finding that it just not doing all that it once did before. :( Well as someone who works with Reviva Labs (I have done product reviews as well as offer their products on my website) I asked about this very problem..

And it seems that my email got crossed in the cyberspace because I got that day a email from Mr. Stassler about the very same subject! He had answered my question without answering my email.. :P funny but true!
skincare products
This is what he said about it:
“I’ve recently come across a story of a “revolutionary” new skin-care line from renowned experts whose focus is basically what we’ve been preaching for years – “change the diet of the face often.” Of course, they promote a different formula each day of the week. But their premise – after years of research is similar to ours. Their link is http://www.happi.com/issues/2013-04/view_features/the-wonder-of-it-all.
As you know, for years we’ve been saying that the skin should not only alternate products to suit the environment but that it’s important to alternate, to vary, day and night creams.

We’ve stated that our skin salon experience has shown that skin responds best to a variety of stimuli. Skin can become lethargic in response to the same cream; particularly as skin ages. Varying day and night creams create better assimilation and response.

As mentioned, even though their approach – with a different product every day – is not one we favor, their premise is the same as the message Reviva Labs has printed over many years .. CHANGE THE DIET OF THE FACE OFTEN.

Think of it this way, if you are on a diet, what happens if you eat the same foods day after day after day? One you get bored, and two the weight stops coming off right? Well if change up the your diet (the foods you are eating) but stick to your diet plan overall, the weight comes off right?
Same idea with changing up your skincare products.
natural skincare products
Here is something I totally agree with that Reviva Labs said that is so true:
The product that claims “to do it all”, generally features a wide variety of anti-aging ingredients including antioxidant, anti-wrinkle, hydrating, firming and more. The fact is if there are high potencies of several active ingredients in one formula, they fight and compete with each other for absorption. It’s like 10 people trying to get through a narrow doorway at the same time (imagine the doorway as skin’s pores which lead to the lower levels of the epidermis). Our experience has demonstrated that there should be one dominant active ingredient for the product’s major purpose … one ingredient with a higher percentage than the others. The supporting active ingredients should be in proportionate lower percentages.

I tend not to use a product is a all in one, only because I have personally found that using different products for difference areas of my face helps my skin overall look younger. If you see my face you will see that I do not look my age. ;)
I have never been one that uses just day creams, I tend to use both night creams and day creams. In fact my day creams are SPF30 or higher if at all possible. ( I am a big believer in sunscreen) but I change up the brands I use, and the types too. You do not have to spend a ton of money on effective skincare products, but you do need to change them up. If you don’t well ever heard of your hair getting used to your shampoo and conditioner? If you hair can get used to a product why not your skin as well?
Next time you start thinking about your skincare products and what you use everyday and start wondering if they are doing their job or not? That is the time to change it. You do not need to add costly products, just something new even if its from the same brand. Feed your skin, lots of water, and new skincare every couple of months or so. There is a difference between night creams and day creams.. in case you were not aware. Your night cream will help your skin renew itself while you sleep, day creams with SFP will protect your skin during the day. ;)
Taking care of your skin will help it stay younger longer, and that is all what we want these days.. ;)
I would like to thank Reviva Labs for helping me with my blog post. Its so very important that you feed your skin, like you feed your body. Change up your skincare, and it will help.

What you think? Agree or disagree?

Never eat more than you can lift

~ Miss Piggy

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Simple Anti-Aging Skincare Tips

Sometimes life isn’t fair. Look at the skin of a baby. How come their skin is so come on say it with me “baby soft” why be wasted on a baby? Simply because, as we age, our skin loses that satiny-smooth feeling it once had. So many different things in our environment, add our age, what we eat or don’t eat, and the amount of sleep we get, well that all plays a part in the look and feel of our skin.

young lady applying cream to her face

Because most of us have, at some point in our lives, just do not followed all the rules when it comes to proper skin care. We know we should be why? Or maybe now that we are over say 40, we may feel that it is too late to do anything about it now. Thankfully, there is hope! Let’s look at a few tools that can help slow the aging process and give our skin a youthful glow:

1. What you are is what you eat
Remember that old saying? Who hasn’t heard those words before? With the truth is, it is the truth that by consuming fruits and vegetables, especially brightly colored fruit and leafy greens, we are giving our bodies vitamins and antioxidants that combat the breakdown of collagen and elastin in our skin. Also important is to make sure to drink water every day. Studies tell us different amounts to drink, from 2 glasses to 8, but they all agree on one thing: drinking water is good for you! Drinking water gives our skin moisture. Which is very important!!

2. Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize

Think of all the hot showers and baths you have taken; sure, they clean your skin, but they also dry it out. Look for shower gels that are moisturizing as well as clean your body. You have to be careful when you take a hot shower. Take less time in one. Our skin gets drier as part of the aging process, too. So, the best thing to combat dryness, of course, is to get some moisturizer and apply it! Your local drug store or beauty spa sells a great variety of moisturizers, and one of them will be just the right one for your skin. Ask the beauty adviser or pharmacist for assistance if you’re not sure which one to buy. Try not to buy because of a brand name or the fact you see them all over the TV. Get what you need, not what you see advertised.

3. Sun exposure = sun damage
You can enjoy the warmth of the sun without damaging your skin simply by wearing sunscreen. An SPF rating of 15 or higher is recommended, and it’s important to reapply if you are outside for long periods of time, or have been swimming or exercising. These days look for sunscreen that covers a broad spectrum SPF20 or higher. The UVA and UVB rays that come from the sun contribute to wrinkles, dryness, and of course sunburn. As well as sunburns you got as child can now link you to a risk of skin cancer as you age. So, take a couple of minutes to slather on some sunscreen, and have fun in the outdoors while taking care of your skin! If possible wear a hat because you can sunburn your head too!

4. The AHA Factor
AHA, or Alpha Hydroxy Acid, is a chemical commonly found in moisturizers and other skin care products. If your skin is looking dull, AHA works to get rid of old skin cells and get your skin looking soft and healthy. There are many skincare products out there that have ingredients in them that help remove dead, old skin cells and help our skin renew itself.

5. Get your beauty sleep
Take time to get some sleep – at least 7 to 8 hours per night. While we sleep, our bodies recharge and prepare for a new day. Our skin recharges too. They say that our skin does most of its work renewing itself while we are sleeping. That is why its call Beauty Sleep! So, no matter how busy your day is, keep an eye on that clock, and before it gets late, take a few moments to relax and unwind. This will help you get the restful sleep you, and your skin, need.

Copyright Kim Snyder OverallBeauty.com

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I prefer Hostess fruit pies to pop-up toaster tarts because they don't require so much cooking

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What Super Foods are there to help prevent hair loss in women?

In today’s young obsessed society, your physical appearance is even more important than ever for your personal self-esteem.
taking care of your thinning hair naturally
Can you even imagine the heartache that can be caused when you notice your hair thinning? Did you know that there is a estimated that over 25 million women experience thinning hair just in the United States alone? Wow that is a lot of women huh? Now its also a fact that many are genetically predisposed to the condition. (Like men are more apt to go bald if their grandfather on their mother’s side of the family is bald or going bald) Which leads to today’s article.. What are the super foods that will help with or prevent hair loss in woman?
Like the rest of your body, your hair needs a steady dose of protein, vitamins, minerals and oils to help keep it your crowning glory.
As we all know that hair loss is just not fun to have happen.

The best way to remedy thinning hair or hair loss, you really need to figure out what is causing it in the first place. Once you have figured how how it is happening, the next step is to figure how to to stop it and to grow your hair back if possible. (Sometimes that just isn’t going to happen, there are medical conditions that hair loss is a symptom for, such as lupus,diabetes, hypothyroidism or polycystic ovary syndrome. Check with your doctor to rule these conditions out.)
What is a healthy diet for your hair?

For starters you need to include adequate amounts of essential fatty acids(EFA’s), zinc, copper, B vitamins, and selenium into your diet.

Vitamin A has been found to support the healthy development of tissues and cells in the body and also supports healthy hair. This important vitamin promotes healthy hair follicles by keeping the root of the hair lubricated. Vitamin A can be found in green vegetables, particularly the leafy ones, red, orange and yellow vegetables, liver and eggs. Many good multivitamins contain the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, so don’t take additional supplements without a physician’s supervision. Overdoses of vitamin A can be dangerous.

Many of us who do not get enough zinc or copper into our diets will find its showing up in thinning hair. Stress is also one of the worse things we can do to our hair. Some of the best ways to get zinc into your diet is to eat foods that have wheat germ in them or are high protein foods such as chicken breast, eggs and fish.

A healthy scalp is also essential to healthy hair. Vitamin E supports a healthy scalp by helping to increase the oxygen supplied through the blood. Americans rarely suffer from a vitamin E deficiency, but increasing one’s intake of green leafy vegetables, fortified grains and cereals and nuts can help ensure that this important nutrient is adequate. Vitamin E supplements are also available for this matter.

The B complex vitamins are also important for your hair health. You can get your B vitamins by eating a variety of foods, including chickpeas, bananas and romaine lettuce. Eating lentils is good for your hair too. Kale also is good for your hair. Regulating the amount of iron in the blood, these vitamins also help oxygen flow through the lungs to the tissues. Of course, a B vitamin deficiency would damage the hair and scalp by limiting the amount of oxygen that these tissues receive. B vitamins are available as supplements and in several foods, including proteins and soybeans, cereals, nuts and wheat germ, organic eggs too.

If a proper nutrition that involves essential vitamins and minerals helps in hair loss prevention and a good healthy scalp, then paying extra attention to the food and supplements that you eat is well worth the time and effort! Did you know that eating free range beef and chicken eggs will help your hair?
Food for thought:
Did you know? The average woman loses 50 to 100 strands of hair every day as part of the normal hair growth cycle. Or that wild salmon is better for your hair than farm salmon is?
Check with your doctor when you first start seeing too much hair than normal in your brush or comb. Some drugs you may be taking can cause thinning hair and its important that your doctor knows this.
Check with your doctor before you start taking anything new supplements.
Amazing sometimes by just changing your diet, adding high protein foods, fish and eggs. You can bring back your crowning glory of hair! Once you have it back, remember to use sulfate free shampoos. ;)

Copyright Kim Snyder 2013 Lover of pure mineral makeup, all natural skincare, blogger, writer, website owner and wife and mom.

Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate

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Sunlight can cause Wrinkles?

Many may not be aware, but the sun and wrinkles are closely related with each other. All that tanning you did as a child is now showing up on your face and the rest of your body. But what is is the relationship between the sun and your wrinkles?
What sunlight can do to your skin over time
It is a fact that exposure to ultraviolet light, whether UVA or UVB, that is derived from sunlight, accounts for 90% of the symptoms of premature skin aging. Dermatologists scream their loudest about the aging effects of too much sun.

Since most of the photoaging effects occur by the age of 20, the amount of damage to the skin caused by the sun is determined by the total lifetime amount of radiation exposure and the pigment protection. They say that the most sun damage is done while you are a child and the reason is the lack of using sunscreen.

The sebaceous glands in the dermis layer of your skin provide the oil that forms a protective coating for the epidermis or outer layer of skin everyone sees. When subjected to too much sun, these glands are not able to provide enough oil to conteract the drying effects of the sun and the damage is done to all three layers of your skin. Just think how something as simple as sunscreen to help slow down the aging effects of the sun.

Prolonged exposure to the sun cause collagen in the dermis to break down at a higher rate than just chronologic aging. The sun can cause rough red spots on older ladies and men that are not only ugly but there is a good chance they could be precancerous.

As the sun continues to be the principal suspect in causing wrinkles, the most important skin-care product available to prevent wrinkles is sunscreen, but most people do not use sunscreen correctly. It needs to be applied at a early age.

It would be best to consider the important factors with sunscreen use, especially with the spectrum of UV radiation absorbed, the amount of sunscreen applied, and the frequency of application. SPF 15 or higher is best.

As mentioned earlier, the sun gives off ultraviolet (UV) rays that can be divided into categories based on the wavelength.

UVC radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and does not cause skin damage, while UVB radiation affects the outer layer of skin, the epidermis, and is the primary agent responsible for sunburns.

UVB does not penetrate glass and the intensity of UVB radiation depends on the time of day and season.

UVA radiation, on the other hand, penetrates deep into the skin and works more efficiently and cannot also be filtered by glass, but overexposure to UVA can also be dangerous.

The intensity of UVA radiation is more constant than UVB without the variations during the day and throughout the year.

Regardless of their wavelengths, both UVA and UVB radiation can cause wrinkles as it breaks down collagen, creating free radicals, and inhibiting natural repair mechanisms of the skin.

A classification system of sun-sensitivity is the Skin Phototype (SPT) classification, which is being used to determine the potency and spectrum of protection that sunscreen formulations help protect from these radiation, as well as inhibit, if not minimize, wrinkles.

People with skin types I and II are at the highest risk for photoaging effects including wrinkles and skin cancer, thus the proper use of sunscreen to block both UVA and UVB radiation is an important in the battle against wrinkles.

As promised, the relationship between the sun and wrinkles has been established and the age old age still holds true that says, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. So wear your sunscreen!

Image credit: frantab01 / 123RF Stock Photo

A happy person is not a person in certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes

~ Hugh Downs

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