Articles, My Magazine...
Welcome to my magazine and articles section. If you have thoughts and ideas about skin care, body care, aromatherapy or any related topic I would like to hear from you!
It's a disconcerting fact of life these days that we have to scrutinize the label on so many everyday products just to make sure we're not being given a little more than we bargained for.
Our food, our drink, and all too often our skin care are being filled with an unnecessary cocktail of ingredients that offer nothing but cheaper alternatives to the natural ingredients they replace.
Relentless marketing and eye-catching packaging can draw us irresistibly towards making a purchase. But with a gentle pause and a closer look at the flashy label we are all too often faced with an arm-long list of industrial strength ingredients staring back at us. The fact is that we are being affected as much by what we rub on or rinse through as we are by what we eat or drink.
Around 60% of the products we use on our skin are absorbed deep into the system. Understanding how the skin functions reveals concerns about the possible long term effects caused by the combination of chemicals used in many skin and bodycare products, often termed the chemical cocktail effect.
These chemicals are used for a number of reasons but mostly as preservatives, colourings, fragrances, and texture enhancers. What might come as a surprise is that these chemicals are largely cheaper synthetic imitations of the natural extracts that have been used in skincare preparations for thousands of years.
The first ingredient of any product is what makes up the majority of that product. For example if the first ingredient of your cleanser is water (or "aqua" as they like to call it), than the majority of your cleanser is nothing but water. Not that there is anything wrong with water, but there is water and there is water (as Coca-Cola found out) That is why it is important to know what is in your products. Are you interested in knowing what you are applying to your skin? Just as there are healthy and unhealthy foods, the same applies to skincare products.
If you would like to contribute, you can write your article on a simple word document and sending this to me as an attachment. I have given up on weblogs. Far too complicated!. Please note that I will not publish any article which is plain advertising or contains inappropriate content. Any references to (sensible) web pages will be maintained and due and proper acknowledgement will be given and retained.
Here are a few things to think about:
MINERAL OIL - A liquid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum, mineral oil can attract dirt and causes blackheads and eruptions. It can accelerate free radical damage, thus speeding up the aging process, because it causes toxins to build up in the skin.
WAXES such as PARAFFIN, BEESWAX, CANDELLIA WAX, CARNUBA WAX - Waxes are widely used in cleansing creams, eye creams and moisturizers. Waxes clog pores creating blackheads and whiteheads. They also smother the skin, which over a period of time, creates an enlarged pore problem. Wax is good for waxing, but should only been seen iin skin care products where there is a specific requirement.
LANOLIN - A yellow, semi-solid, fatty secretion from sheep's wool is widely used in skin and beauty care products. It can cause an allergic reaction in some people, as well as enlarged pores. Excellent for looking after leather car seats, though.
PETROLATUM - This familiar semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons is derived from petroleum. Literally, "paraffin jelly" or "petroleum jelly" - it is not absorbed by the skin and suffocates pores. All petrochemicals pollute our water and can damage marine life.
ACETONE - Used in nail polish and nail polish removers, this colorless, volatile liquid is often used in astringents, fresheners or clarifying lotions. It is extremely toxic and will dehydrate the skin while speeding up the aging process. We have to use it but it is nasty stuff.
BORAX (Sodium Borate Boric Acid) - Used in baby powders, eye creams, skin fresheners, and protective creams as a preservative- it is rapidly absorbed by the skin. And it is still widely used, despite repeated warnings from the American Medical Association.
ALCOHOLS - SOPROPYL ALCOHOL, SD ALCOHOL 40 & ETHYL ALCOHOL- Alcohols dissolves the body's own natural moisturizers and strips the skin of its own protection, leaving it vulnerable to infection. Alcohols destroy the skin ph balance and since they absorb water and they speed up wrinkling of the skin. Not to mention what this stuff does if you drink it.
Tone the Skin
Toning is about removing dead skin cells from your face so that the only layer visible is one of bright and healthy new cells. The average human generates a new layer of skin every two to four weeks. Usually what sits on top of that new strata is a pile of cruddy old cells that have been getting funky for a while. You can improve your complexion tremendously by sloughing off the rubbish to show off the new stuff.
There are two main types of exfoliators, which are the fire hoses that get rid of your old skin cells. The first does it mechanically, just like a miniature version of a sandblaster. If you want to get through layers of old paint on a house, just fire a stream of grit at the target to get the job done quickly. Since no one really enjoys sandblasting one's face, helpful dermatologists have come up with a more useful version for you to use. Mechanical exfoliators contain minuscule pieces of grit that, when rubbed on your skin dislodge the dead skin cells. The most common grit comes from such pleasant-sounding things as walnut shells and apricot pits. Don't be fooled, these can hurt. This stuff is basically a liquid form of sandpaper that will wipe the smile of your face . . . along with your nose if you're not careful.
Chemical exfoliators do the same task as their mechanical siblings but by using mild acids. Look for exfoliating products that contain acids such as alpha-hydroxy, beta-hydroxy, or salicylic. If all this talk of acid has images of Batman movies running through your head, be at peace - some of the more notable alpha-hydroxy acids are malic acid, lactic acid, and glycolic acid, which come from apples, milk, and sugarcane. Unless you find eating breakfast feels like a WWI mustard gas attack, you'll be fine.
Please be sure to lubricate. Like so many of life's intimate activities, shaving is so much more fun with a little lubrication. Most shaving products -whether they are foams, creams, or gels-attempt to achieve two goals: softening the hair and lubricating the skin. Obviously, the less stiff and rigid your hair is, the easier it will be to cut, which will involve less sawing and ripping, and correspondingly, less bleeding. Similarly, the easier it is for the blades to glide across your face, legs, or armpits, the less shaving will feel like nails on a chalkboard. Decrease the friction, decrease the pain. This is why so many shaving products contain a combination of moisturizers and soothers. Prep your face and be sure always to shave with the grain of your hair. When you're done, be sure to moisturize
A third way to exfoliate your face is to drag a steel blade across the skin each day. Sounds barbaric, we know, but most clean-shaven men do it regularly. If you shave with any frequency whatsoever, you will not need to exfoliate those areas of your face in addition, unless you're looking to draw blood. Instead, limit your exfoliating adventures to the areas outside of your shaving zone-chiefly, your forehead and nose. Nothing can mess up your skin like running a mini lawn mower over it. For all of our modern technological advances, we're still using a scythe to groom ourselves, hacking away at unwanted hair with little scalpels. Whether you are a man or a woman, there are a couple of basic points to bear in mind when ridding yourself of our Neanderthal legacy: body hair.
Some may have been caught in the DDF stock shortage saga. I can but apologise for this. DDF have now been taken over by Proctor and Gamble and things have taken a while to "bed in". This period is now coming to a close and I hope that stocks and deliveries will now return to normal. I have recently added some new ranges, which I hope you will find interesting. Oh! And yes, I have been changing the name to "Only Nature". The inclusion of my original trading name of Iris Plus seemed to be causing a lot of confusion.
Another addition to my site is information about the Harley Street Skin care Clinic. I have known the Clinic for some time now. As many are aware, I do not undertake any "intrusive" procedures, these have been undertaken by the Harley Street Clinic. In my opinion, their work and results are excellent. Many of the advanced skin care products are used to complement a lot of their procedures. If you would like me to arrange an introduction, please let me know! - If you call them directly, please, just mention this website.
Yes, I have changed the site (again) and I have ceased to offer certain product lines that attracted little interest. Check the OFFER page as I am getting rid of the odds and ends in the salon. The lines that are left have proved most popular so I hope you will find what you seek in my shop "Mark 2"!
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