Misunderstanding Sunscreens and Sunblocks

Sunscreen products or sunblocks and sun creams help protect your skin from the damage caused by the ultraviolet rays when staying under the sun for very long periods. But it seems that there is little of what most people actually know about sunscreen products found in the market today. And the fact of the matter is that it is not entirely their fault.

Sunscreen Facts Misleading

The main reason why most people seem to know little about sunscreens lie in the fact that what is being offered to them may actually be misleading. Most sunscreens in the market are being marketed as to protect the skin from the harmful ultraviolet B rays from the sun. UVB rays cause sunburn and become stronger at times when the sun shines the most which is at midday and in the summer.

But most sunscreen formulas available in the market do not protect against UVA rays which make up 95 percent of the UV spectrum. UVA rays can penetrate through glass and remains in constant strength all day and all year long. Both UV rays can contribute to skin wrinkling, skin damage as well as skin cancer. But with sunscreens that do offer protection from UVA rays, there are also issues concerning ingredient safety that seem to follow them. This can lead people to become quite confused.

SPF Protection

Another cause of confusion among consumers may settle around SPF or Sun Protection Factor. It seems to be what most consumers rely on to determine the effectiveness of sunscreen. Most consumers believe that the higher the SPF of a sunscreen or sunblock, the more effective it is. But experts don’t seem to believe this to be so.

To an ordinary consumer, getting a sunscreen with an SPF 30 tag may seem to offer twice the protection of a sunscreen with SPF 15. But experts say that an SPF 15 sunscreen can block 94 percent of UVB rays while an SPF 30 sunscreen blocks around 97 percent. There is not much of a difference in them. Past SPF 30, such sunscreens do not offer any additional benefit.

Knowing What’s Best

The best way to know what sunscreens or sunblocks offer the much needed protection may be to understand and know the ingredients that the products may contain. Consumers should not try to depend only on a product’s SPF rating. Knowing the ingredients that the products use and their benefits as well as certain undesirable effects would help a lot in keeping consumers better informed.

There are basically two types of sunscreen ingredients being used. There are physical blockers which work by deflecting sunlight and there are chemical blockers which absorb sunlight, break them down and them release them. Physical blockers may include ingredients such as titanium oxide and zinc oxide. A 7 percent formulation in sunscreens offer effective protection against UVA and UVB rays. The only disadvantage with them is that they tend to leave a white film on the skin when applied.

Chemical blockers in sunscreens include oxybenzone and avobenzone. Oxybenzone offers effective protection against UVB rays but only a part of the UVA. Avobenzone may provide both effective protection against UVB and UVA rays.

But the problem with chemical blockers is that they also break down easily when they try to breakdown sunlight. This is why they need to be combined with stabilizing agents to make them effective for longer than 30 minutes to an hour. There might also be safety concerns since the health risks of using such chemical blockers in sunscreens still remain unclear.

Solutions For Chapped Lips

Chapped lips become a common problem during winter. They can become quite a hassle and may need immediate treatment before they become worse and lead to cracked and bloodied lips. Here are some possible solutions you can try.

Use Lip Balm

Lip balm continues to be the best solution for chapped lips. It helps keep your lips moistened and avoid it from becoming dry. Try to use lip balms that contain natural ingredients that do not dry out the lips. Avoid using lip balms containing petroleum since it can inhibit moisture on the lips.

Use Some Exfoliation

Although exfoliation may be the last thing on your mind for chapped lips, they might actually help you avoid having one. Exfoliating is a way to get rid of dead skin cells and make way for new ones to grow. The new skin cells around your lips will then aid in absorbing moisturizing products better that may help keep your lips from drying out.

Protect Your Lips

One way to avoid chapped lips is by protecting them before you go out of doors. Use a layer of lip balm or lip gloss to help reduce the moisture loss on your lips caused by the wind and cold temperatures. Don’t forget to use products that also provide SPF protection since the lips may also be damaged by UV rays that may cause it to crack and dry out.

Surprising Reasons For Body Odor

Nothing can be quite as worrying as having unwanted body odor. It can become quite a problem to deal with, especially if one doesn’t know what causes them. Here are some common yet surprising reasons why you might develop some unwanted body odor.

Too Much Stress Can Cause Body Odor

If you are constantly under stress at the office, chances are that you may also suffer from bad body odor. The reason for this stem from the way the body reacts when under stress. The body, since ancient times has a fight or flight response when it senses danger. One of the effects of this response is increased sweating to prevent the body from overheating.

Even while times have changes and the stressors of today may not be as life threatening as before, the way the body responds still remains the same. Stress at the office can be enough to cause sweaty palms and underarms which may lead to body odor.

Cutting Carbs Causes Bad Breath

Losing weight may also have an effect on how your breath may smell. If your diet consists of cutting on carbohydrates, be prepared of experiencing bad breath. Cutting on the carbs causes the body to switch on to burning fats for energy. Although this can help you lose weight, it may also have an unwanted side effect.

When the body begins to burn fat for energy, it increasingly releases substances called ketones into the bloodstream. This can result in your breath having that certain awkward smell that you might not welcome.

Spicy Food Causes Body Odor

Sure, you may already know that eating spicy food may cause you bad breath. But eating foods rich in garlic, onions, curry and other spices may also be the cause of your frequent body odor. The reason for this is because eating spices can also produce certain bad smelling sulfur-containing gases.

Although most of these byproducts are metabolized in the liver and the stomach, there are others that are unfortunately left out. By products such as allyl methyl sulfide are absorbed into the bloodstream and released through the lungs or through the skin pores. This may lead to body odor of which the effect may last for hours and hours after eating something spicy.

Not Toweling After A Shower

Who would have thought that not using a towel after a shower may cause body odor? Toweling yourself off after taking a bath may actually help you avoid BO. It can be easy for moisture to get trapped into the folds of your skin after a shower. This can become a good environment for fungi and bacteria to multiply especially in the areas where there is no access to air. This can eventually lead to body odor and irritation as they mix up with sweat.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 18th, 2009 at 12:00 am and is filed under Beauty & Skin Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Overeating Sugar Causes Wrinkles

Eating sugary foods may not only affect your waistline, it might also be affecting your skin as you age. If your wish to have smoother skin may be greater than your motivation to maintain your weight, this surprising fact may just help you curb your desire for sweets from now on. Overeating on sugar can cause your skin to become wrinkled and dull over time.

The link between too much sugar and wrinkles has to do with a natural process known as glycation. This enables sugar in the bloodstream to attach to certain proteins and form harmful molecules called advanced glycation end products or AGE’s. The more sugar you eat, the more AGE’s are produced in the body.

The AGE’s accumulate and them do damage to adjacent proteins, most vulnerable of which are collagen and elastin, protein fibers that keep the skin firm and elastic. Once they are damaged, the skin becomes more brittle and dry which then can lead to sagging and the formation of wrinkles. Not only that AGE’s can also deactivate the body’s natural antioxidant enzymes, leaving the skin more vulnerable to sun damage.

The way AGE’s may do damage to your skin may make you realize to cut back on your sugar intake. Although it may not be easy, choosing how you source out your sugar intake may help by eating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables that the body may also convert into glucose. Try to limit consuming foods containing simple sugars and only to around 10 percent of your calorie needs daily.

Never Look Tired

Looking tired may affect not only your body but also your behavior. Trying to keep looking fresh therefore can help a lot in making you also feel less tired. Here are some tips that you can try out in order to maintain a more refreshing outlook every time.

Take both a hot and cold shower.

When you take a bath and you feel quite tired, try to take a shower alternating between hot and cold blasts of water. This can easily help boost your blood circulation and helps you feel refreshed and energized especially at the start of your day.

Hang your head upside down.

You can try to bow until your head is upside down anytime you feel tired. This will bring a sudden rush of blood into your head and give you that wide awake flush. It will also help stretch your neck muscles and help you feel energized in just a short time.

Caffeine for your puffy eyes.

If you have puffy eyes due to lack of sleep the previous night, you can prep them up by using caffeine. Try dipping cotton into brewed coffee and press them directly under the eyes. The caffeine can help reduce the puffiness and may help eliminate the dark circles around your eyes.

Avoid salty foods.

Consuming excess sodium can lead to puffiness in your face. This can make you look tired and weary most of the time. Try to reduce your intake of salt in order to help prevent this from happening.

Winter Skin Care Do’s and Dont’s

Summer may be bad for your skin, but who says the winter season is any better? You may not be aware of this fact, but winter weather is bad for the skin, too. Good thing there are certain precautions you can take to ensure that your skin will be well away from all sorts of damage.

Power of the SPF

Yes, the SPF can still work its wonders for your skin, even during Winter. Granted, there are fewer hours of sunlight during Winter, but this is not to say that the Winter Sun is harmless.

There’s no escape that hot, yellow bully in the sky; whether you’re indoors or outdoors, putting on some sun protection is still your best bet. Using a moisturizer or a foundation with SPF 15 would do. Meanwhile, a lip balm with SPF 15 will also help keep your lips soft and smooth.

Expend on anti-aging products

No better time to use products with active anti-aging ingredients like retinol, copper peptides, Vitamin C, AHA than when you’re skin is at rest during the cold Winter Season. Use these products at night and while the temperature is cool and soothing and relaxing on your skin because this is the time when your skin absorbs active anti-aging ingredients better.

Cover your skin

Skin is susceptible to irritation under cold temperature. To avoid this, try to limit the amount of skin you expose by wearing scarves, hats, textured thighs, and the likes.

Pamper your skin with oil

Baby oil, that is. Hot showers during winter may feel good, but it can also dry out your skin. To keep your skin from chafing, add some baby oil directly to your skin immediately after bathing.

Alternate hand-cleansing products

Anti-bacterial gel vis-a-vis regular soap and water? Truth is, both can cause dryness to the hands, but if you use both alternately, the effect will not be as bad. Be sure to dry your hands, though, because wet skin can easily get chapped.

Shaving is taboo

Skip shaving, especially during the Winter Season because it may cause skin irritation. Instead, use wax or depilatories.

Keep off the fragrances

Most scented products make use of alcohol as base, which is extremely drying to the skin. Avoid these products, most particularly during Wintertime, to ease off skin drying and irritation.

5 Anti-Aging Remedies

For the longest time, we have always associated beauty with youthful-looking skin. As a result, women, vain creatures that we are, become obsessed over achieving the so-called youthful glow. We try skin regimens, from breathing exercises to applying cocoa butter to the skin in an effort to combat skin aging. We do this because these are the beauty secrets that are passed on to us.

How about you? Are the anti-aging remedies you’re using producing its intended effect on your skin? If not, here are a few tips you can make use of:

Organic anti-aging products

Experts who are conducting anti-aging research found out that using organic anti-aging products such as soaps, cleansers, toners, and the likes work best in reducing wrinkles and rejuvenating your skin.

Organic makeup

Aside from organic anti-aging products, research also shows that using organic makeup, particularly those that are lathered directly on the face, are the best options in keeping the skin looking soft, smooth, and vibrant in spite of age.

House remedies

Due to the fact that the main ingredients of organic remedies can be found at home, using these ingredients are also advised. These home remedies include oranges, cucumber, pears, etc.

Proper skin care routine

Our skin needs to get accustomed to a skin care routine. The idea is this: cleanse, tone, and moisturize. If you are not a great fan of organic stuff and home remedies, you might as well find a hypo-allergenic product that would best suit your skin type.

Pamper your skin

Splurge on facials and masks. Eat healthy foods, such as those that do not have too much oil and sugar. Rest well so that your skin can breathe easy, too.

Anti Aging Skin Care

Nobody wants to age, but the fact is, nobody can escape aging. We are all bound to have wrinkles and age spots at one time or another. There are multitudes of anti-aging methods that we make use of to combat aging. We try on creams, pills, cleansers, and even surgery.

We resort to these methods to escape aging because we do not want to look old. But fact is, nobody can escape wrinkles and dark spots that are the telltale signs of old age. We cannot ultimately eradicate aging. We can, however, alter our lifestyle to lessen and postpone the signs of aging.

Water

Water can really do wonders for your skin. Drinking lots of water can help you attain a clearer, healthier, more vibrant skin. It is necessary to supply your body with plenty of water so that the toxins that are present in your body may also be flushed out of your system.

No Junk Food

If you want your skin to look healthy, stay away from junk foods. Junk foods have too many oils, salts, sweets, and other preservatives that are bad for the aesthetics of your skin.

Eat Fish

Fish has natural oils that are good for your skin. To achieve great-looking skin, load up on fish. Make sure, though, that the fish you will consume is cooked healthily-grilled, baked, poached, or steamed.

Sun

Yes, you can indeed reap some benefits from the sun, but only at a certain hour in the morning. Beyond that, the scorching heat of the sun will ultimately destroy your skin. Warm temperature is generally bad for your skin. Piece of advice: Keep away from that great yellow ball in the sky.

Winter Skin Care Tips

The cold temperatures brought by the winter season gives more than just the rosy glow on our cheeks. It also takes the moisture out of our skin, leaving it uncomfortably dry especially around the face, hands, and feet. For some people, it also causes their skin to flake, crack, and even inflamed.

However, keeping yourself warm does little in keeping your skin from drying out. In fact, turning the heat on indoor actually triggers your skin to dry out. If you want to have soft and moist skin during the harsh winter months, you need to follow these winter skin care tips.

Consult with a skin care specialist

Talking to a drugstore salesperson is not enough if you want the real deal in keeping your skin from drying out during winter. Visit your local esthetician or dermatologist at least once a year.

These skin experts can analyze your skin type, provide you with products or treatments that troubleshoot your current skin dilemma, and even give you advice on skin care products you should be using. However, do not be fooled into thinking that high-end products work better than its inexpensive counterparts.

Use an oil-based moisturizer

Your moisturizer that you use during spring and summer is not as effective during winter because your skin needs more moisture. Apply your skin with an oil-based, ointment-type of moisturizer (such as night creams) instead of the usual water-based products. The oil creates a protective layer on your skin, retaining more moisture than lotion. However, you need to read the label about the type of oil the product contains.

Look for oils that do not clog your skin’s pores such as avocado oil, mineral oil, primrose oil, or almond oil. Watch out for shea oil or vegetable oil, as these can clog facial pores and even leave a greasy feeling. You may also want to look for lotions with "humectants," a type of substance that attracts moisture to your skin, such as glycerine, sorbitol, and alpha-hydroxy acids.

Use sunscreen

Sunscreen is not only for summertime, as the sun during winter can still damage your skin, especially when the light is reflected to the snow. This is why you still need your reliable broad-spectrum sunscreen and apply it on your face and hands about 30 minutes before going outside, reapplying frequently as you stay out for a longer time.

Wear gloves

The skin on your hands is thinner than on most parts of the body, and has fewer oil glands. This is why your hands are the hardest in your body to keep moist, especially during cold months, leading to itchiness and cracking. To keep this from happening as the temperature does down, wear gloves whenever you are going outside.

If you hate the idea of wearing wool gloves, put on a pair of cotton gloves first to avoid any irritation the wool might cause. Avoid wearing wet gloves (as well as wet socks), as it can irritate your skin.

Turn on the humidifier

Your home heaters, whether it is from a space heater or a central heating system, blast hot air indoors, causing your skin to dry out more. To counter this effect, turn on the humidifier as it gets more moisture into the air. Place several humidifiers throughout your home to disperse moisture more evenly.

Hydrate yourself

Drinking water helps your skin stay younger looking. However, do not overdrink, as the amount of your skin’s moisture does not reflect in the amount of water you drink.

Take care of cracked heels

Cracked heels require stronger products to winter, such as petroleum jelly or glycerine to attract moisture, as well as exfoliants to get rid off of dead skin.

Avoid using peels for now

Avoid products that strip moisture off your skin such as clay-based facial masks, peels, toners, astringents, and other alcohol-based facial products. Instead, find a bottle of cleansing milk, or mild foaming cleanser, or "deeply hydrating" masks, and use them a little less often.

Avoid hot showers

Taking a hot bath may feel great under the cold temperature, but the intense heat can actually break down your skin’s lipid barriers and losing its moisture. Instead, take a bath using warm water at a shorter amount of time. Put on oatmeal or baking soda while bathing to help relieve your skin against itching, then reapplying your moisturizer after bath.