Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Shea Butter "Natural Skin Healer"



Shea butter is an all-natural amazing product. This creamy-colored fatty substance extracted from the nuts of karite nut trees (Butyrospermum parkii or "butter seed") grows wild in West and East Africa. Shea butter has a wide variety of applications, however, it is most well known for its exceptional dermatological and cosmetic healing properties. African healers have known about shea butter for thousands of years: the substance is almost magical in its healing effects on burns, skin conditions, ulcerated skin, stretch marks, and dryness.

Healing Qualities

The healing qualities of Natural Shea Butter are due to the presence of several fatty acids and plant sterols, namely oleic, stearic, palmitic and linolenic acids. These oil-soluble components are nonsaponifiable, meaning they do not undergo saponification, or convert to soap, when introduced to an alkali. Shea butter possesses a significantly greater nonsaponifiable fraction than most other nut oils and fats, which lends the substance greater healing potential for the skin
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
 

Shea butter contains several derivatives of cinnamic acid, a compound common to cinnamon and balsam trees. Scientists have reported that Shea butter not only posseses anti-inflammatory benefits, but one compound, lupeol cinnamate, also prevented tumor development in a carcinogenesis test, a procedure in which cancer cells are literally "grown" in a culture dish. It contains beneficial vegetable fats that promote cell regeneration and circulation, making it a wonderful healer and rejuvenator for troubled or aging skin. It also contains natural sun-protectants.

Antioxidant Content

Shea butter contains vitamins A and E, as well as catechins, plant antioxidants also found in green tea. While it is unclear how well vitamins A and E in raw Shea butter are absorbed, there is evidence to suggest that cinnamic acid esters in Shea fat help to prevent skin damage from ultraviolet radiation
This natural product nourishes the skin with Vitamins A, E and F, helpful for sun damaged skin preventing premature wrinkles and facial lines. The Vitamin A improves skin blemishes, wrinkles, eczema, and dermatitis. Vitamin F acts as a protector and rejuvenator soothing rough dry or chapped skin and helps soften dry or damaged hair.
 

Shea butter has powerful moisturizing, anti-aging, protecting and healing benefits to the skin. There are many uses of shea butter and it has been clinically shown to provide relief for various skin conditions.
  • Excellent daily skin moisturizer for face and body
  • Helps prevent and reduce stretch marks during pregnancy and weight gain and loss
  • Restores elasticity to skin and reduces blemishes and wrinkles
  • Anti-aging and anti-free radical agent known to increase circulation to the skin
  • Helps reduces acne and scarring
  • Excellent moisturizer for both eczema and psoriasis
  • Helps soothe skin and diaper rash
  • After sun conditioning
  • Helps softens tough skin on hands and feet
  • Dry, itchy skin and scalp relief
  • Use after shaving to reduce razor irritation and bumps
  • Provides healing benefits to skin wounds and cracks

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Work With Your Biology For Personalized Skin Care

Informative material about skin care is in plentiful supply. You must have important advice and suggestions in a basic format, so that it can be tweaked to fit your way of living and the way you care for your skin. Read on for skin care tips that are clear and well-suited for immediate use.

Easy skin care maintenance is as simple as wearing sunscreen regularly. The sun causes more damage to the skin than any other factor. You can prevent damage from the sun by wearing sunscreen under your makeup. Also, consider investing in a foundation that has SPF within it.

The use of olive oil for moisturizing and protecting the skin is not a new idea. The cosmetic and healthful properties of olive oil have made it a common skin care product for hundreds of years, even as far back as the ancient Egyptian Empire. It is not only good for your skin, it tastes good as well. Skin stays more elastic, and the complexion is brighter and clearer with olive oil treatment; it even improves the health of fingernails. Its benefits extend to the hair, where it can increase luster and provide conditioning.

To keep your skin from drying out during the winter months, buy a humidifier. Heat from a furnace removes moisture that can dry and crack your skin, along with causing static build-up in the hair. Boost moisture levels by using a humidifier in your living area.

If you are battling eczema, there are a few things you can do to lessen the symptoms. First of all, don't use any products with added fragrance. The second thing to do is to make sure that the clothing you wear is made of cotton. Synthetic fibers or wool actually make eczema worse. Choose natural products, for instance makeup without dyes. Prevent irritated skin and flare-ups by integrating these tips into your skin care routine.

A day or two before you shave exfoliate your skin with a product that is hypo-allergenic, natural and most of all, gentle. Including this step in your routine will help to clear out the dead skin cells, allowing you to have a smooth, comfortable shave. Also, those depleted skin cells may compel the shaven hairs to stick to the sensitive skin, which may lead to irritation.

Use products to reduce oil secretion if you have oily skin. Keep your skin oil-free by using toners or astringents after you wash it. A moisturizer targeted for oily skin will also help your face stay oil-free.

Frequent hand washing can leave the skin on your hands dry and cracked. Keep your hands moisturized at all times by applying hand cream every time your hand touches water. If you consistently apply lotion, your skin will remain silky smooth. Keep a travel-size hand lotion with you so you can moisturize your hands wherever you need to wash them.

As we have seen, it is very important to take good care of your skin. Sometimes it can take a lot of digging to find the really useful advice. By applying the information in this article that applies to you, you will have great skin you can be proud of.