Want supple skin? Strike with oil

By Well+Good NYC

One of the best pieces of skin-care advice I ever gotwas also one of the most counterintuitive: Slick my skin with oils. Not just my body. My face. That is, if I wanted to age like Dorian Gray (or just protect my skin from losing its natural luster).

I took some convincing, so I understand why, when I say I’m now an oil-slathering convert, and use oils twice a day under my moisturizer, it often provokes a violent head-shaking reaction. But before you say, “No way, I will break out!” Check to see if you’re not already using one. Your skin-care brand may have just called it a “serum” because you’d never buy it otherwise.

I get that my fanaticism flies in the face of what conservative dermatologists and Neutrogena commercials advise. But here’s some of the reasoning that’s made me an oil addict culled from dozens of interviews with chemists, facialists, aromatherapists, and formulators.

• The smaller oil molecule (I’m talking jojoba seed, grapeseed, rosehip seed, apricot kernal, black currant seed, and more) can penetrate into the skin and nourish it. Creams can’t.
• The skin likes oil because it resembles its cell structure; so it lets it in.
• Oils help protect the skin from water loss and feed it hydrating, firming nutrients like essential fatty acids, gamma linoleic acid, and vitamin E that help boost elasticity.
• Using pure face oils spares you from chemical emulsifiers that many face creams and lotions need to keep the oils from separating with the water.

Facial oils often come in apothecary-style packaging

So how come we’re so convinced that face time with oil will cause our skin to freak out?

It’s likely most of us are still drinking the Clean & Clear Kool-aid. Maybe teenagers don’t need the extra oils, but your adult skin does thanks to three dozen years on the planet + sun exposure + free radical damage + accumulation of cocktails.

Not convinced it’s time to update your skin-care operating system? What if we told you your skin won’t break out?

Keep reading…

Dry Skin Cures – What You Should Know

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

Dry skin is a concern that many people have. The type of skin one has is generally hereditary and sometimes related to one’s own body chemistry as well as fluctuations in hormones. If you have dry skin, generally you will be able to take some daily measures to help moisturize your skin. Generally, dry skin does not go away and is rather a trait that you will have for the rest of your life. That said, there are some instances where depending on the situation, dry skin cures will work.

Having dry skin is normal, and in some cases especially in young adulthood when acne problems run rampant, is actually a blessing. In the older years however when dry skin becomes more of a problem because wrinkles are more likely to develop on dry skin than oily skin. So, what does this mean? More importantly, what are some easy dry skin cures that you can employ?  Below are two major tips to follow.

Drink More Water and Less Caffeine

This is not a clique skin care tip. This is a reality. If you want to have more vibrant, healthy and hydrated skin you need to consume more water, pure, filtered preferably so it is as clean and healthy for you as possible. Your internal health will directly affect your skin. Caffeine from soda and coffee can not only lead to overall body hydration which can temporarily impair your cognitive functioning, it also affects your skin giving it a gaunt and ashy look in some particularly unfortunate cases. So for every cup of caffeine you have, you need to drink at least 4 cups to reimburse the liquids lost. Drink water and herbal teas as part of a daily routine to improve your dry skin.

Find a REAL Moisturizer

Sorry folks, over the counter moisturizers don’t cut it. In fact many drug store so-called facial moisturizers have a lot of irritating chemicals (that can lead to premature aging) that also can put your skin in a cycle where it perpetually needs more lotion to stay moist and soft, rather than truly hydrating your skin.  Go to a reputable spa or esthetician that specializes in professional level skin care products to get the best options. Generally, the most hydrating ingredients tend to come from pure natural sources such as from nut and plant oils, rather than petroleum by-products. Makes sense if you think about it.

In some cases, dry skin can be attributed to other issues and problems going on in the body and that advice is best taken from dermatologists or medical doctors who are experts in your particular situation and can give you the best dry skin cures to fit your needs. Otherwise, drinking water and using a real moisturizer is incredibly helpful for your dry skin.

Vitamin B5 for Acne

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

Acne is a skin disease that commonly causes what is most referred to as pimples. They are formed when the hair follicles in the pores of the skin become clogged and most of them emerge on the upper torso. There seems to be no one that is immune to the condition, whether young or old, though it is much more common in teenagers. Numerous studies have still not concluded exactly what it is that causes acne. We know that hormonal changes seem to initiate it in many people (as seen in teenagers and pregnancy), and there are many old-wives’ tales about the possible causes of acne. Some say sugar, others say oily foods cause acne, and still even more believe that uncleaned skin is a major cause of acne, but the truth be told, there is little to no evidence at all that any foods or hygiene matters play a major role in the problem we know as acne. There are some things we can do to help treat the symptoms though, and taking Vitamin B5 for acne is one of them.

The Vitamins B family of nutrients play an important role in the production of healthy skin. Vitamin B cream can be used as a topical ointment in the fight against acne. Used daily, Vitamin B cream works to hydrate the skin as it evens the ph level. It should be applied daily after thoroughly washing the skin.It also works to increase blood flow to the body’s tissues which is also important because Vitamin B is not stored by the body and is in constant need of its supply. The use of Vitamin B3 cream is important to avoid the production of pigmentation and dark spots on the skin that can be caused by acne. A severe lack of Vitamin B may also lead to hair loss and greasy skin, and though there is no conclusive proof that these problems lead to acne, we are certain that clogged pores are a problem that do lead to the eruptions of the skin.

Taking Vitamin B5 for acne has become popular over the years due to some studies done in the 1990’s, and though no conclusion can be drawn as to the cause of acne, the B5 vitamin is prescribed on the principle that diets higher in fat can cause problems if they are not properly broken down by the body. These reserve un-metabolized fats then lead to acne breakout. It is believed that if body fat is not metabolized and broken down, it will then lead to deposits in  the sebaceous glands that are then clogged, and hence the acne appears. Vitamin B5 is taken for acne because it constricts the body’s manufacture of sebum and that it claims to fame in the fight against acne.

This is your skin on yoga

By Well+GoodNYC

Five yoga classes a week are making my muscles way more sinewy and my body super lean. But my skin is having a freak out.

Both my yoga mat and my skin are sticky. But my yoga teachers look radiant as ever. I don’t attribute this to just soap and water. Even the Schuyler Grants of the world need to exfoliate and moisturize. They’ve obviously figured out how to make sweating for a living work for them—and found skin-care products that lend a no-makeup-needed aura and a natural glow. I need to find mine.

Despite the inner calm I’m getting at yoga, there’s no solace at my studios for what ails my skin: extra oil, pore clogging, and extra redness. (There seems to be a moratorium on products that aren’t overtly wellness related.) So I’ve done some research and rigorously revamped my skin-care regimen to match my newly vigorous vinyasa practice.

My yoga bag is now stocked with staples targeted for my yoga-induced skin-care woes; my picks are listed below. It’s perfect timing for a week that kicks off with back-to-back outdoor yoga in Times Square today and Yoga at the Great Lawn in Central Park tomorrow.

Melisse Gelula’s product picks for yoga-afflicted skin

Cleanser
I never exit the yoga studio without washing away the sweat from my face (and décolleté and back of my neck). It’s a skin-care sin for which there is no absolution, since it’s just gluing down your dead skin cells and settling into your pores like cement. I like to use a cream cleanser for that dewy skin feeling, but lately I’m clinging to a clarifying one, like the liquid Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap with tea tree oil, an anti-bacterial.

Face mist
Skin-calming, anti-bacterial plant-based face mists help bring down the post-practice heat: I like Living Tree Botanicals Blue Chamomile Facial Tonic, Jurlique Citrus Purifying  Mist, and a few made by Pangea Organics.

SukiSpa Purifying Serum keeps pores clear with salicylic acid from white willow bark

Clarifying treatments
Until my pores get used to the amount of sweating they’re doing, I’m using Susan Ciminelli’s Toning Formula, with essential oils, and SukiSpa Bio-Active Purifying Face Serum, a product that contains my new summertime friend salicylic acid, a proven pore penetrator. Both are pretty pricey, but the new Burt’s Bees Acne Solutions line is an affordable source of salicylic-acid products that work like preventative Drano.

Keep reading for more here…

Bare your back: 3 tips for a backne-free summer

By Well+GoodNYC

Nothing ruins that first trip out to the Hamptons or Long Beach more than an bad case of backne. (Okay, maybe assne.)

“There are many oil glands on the back, and they tend to run very deep,” explains New York City dermatologist Dennis Gross, M.D. Once those glands are clogged with sweat or less-natural icky substances, bacteria can get trapped and pimples form.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here are three tips from Dr. Gross to put into practice now before tank-top season arrives in full-force. Keep them up over the summer to help keep pimples and spots at bay:

1. Don’t stay sweaty. “Shower and change your clothes immediately after an exercise session,” says Dr. Gross. You could be giving yourself a breakout while running those post-workout errands in your damp tank and jog bra. In the shower, don’t just let the water rinse your back—use a good body cleanser, exfoliant, or back scrubber to really get the skin clean.

Keep reading for 2 more here…

10 natural ways to make a spot go away faster

By Siobhan O’Connor for NoMoreDirtyLooks.com

You can’t really make a spot do anything it doesn’t want to do, as anyone who’s ever had one knows. Since neither of us is a stranger to bad skin days (or like, years), and there are some things we have tried that seem to work, we wanted to share. Here, 10 road-tested ways to make acne cysts go away faster.

1. For the love of god, do NOT try to pop it. You know this, but you do it anyway. Please stop?

2. Don’t try to dry out a deep cyst. The problem is too deep for drying topicals. What you want to do instead is contain it (which means no popping), stop it from spreading (ditto), calm inflammation, and as it gets closer to the surface, THEN you want to dry (or draw) out the sucker. More on that below. If you are still using benzoyl peroxide you need to a) read our book; b) stop; and c) stop. It’s toxic, and it doesn’t work on cysts. If it did, none of us would get them or they’d be gone in a day. Since we know none of this is true, just trust us and ditch your BP. And yes, even your tea tree oil will likely fail you when you have an undergrounder, resulting in flakiness, which is hard to hide with makeup and produces a whole other problem that needs to be fixed.

3. Load up on omegas. Omegas are your best friend. They help with hormonal balance and beat out inflammation like nobody’s business. We know this because we’ve read the scientific studies proving it, and because we credit these fatty acids as being the single best thing we’ve ever done for our skin. If you are good about taking them every day, awesome. You still should double your dose during a breakout. If you do not take them every day, you should, and then you should also double your dose for a day or two. In a pinch, take some Advil, but omegas are the healthier choice.

4. Eat cooling foods. According to the Indian tradition ayurveda, which we talk a lot about in the book, red, inflamed spots are often caused by aggravated pitta. If you’re like me, you already have a lot of pitta (well, and vata), which is characterized by hating the heat, being of medium build, and being a bit of a firecracker. This sounds a little out-there, but consider this: Would you throw gasoline on a fire to put it out? If you have inflammation and irritation in your skin, you don’t want to eat foods that cause you to flush and get really hot. Hot plus hot equals more hot. Instead, eat cooling foods, like the ones listed here.

5. Sleep with green tea clay on your spot(s). We’ve mentioned it before: we are devotees of Evan Healy’s green tea clay. It comes dry and powdery and a jar will last you many months if not a whole half-year. You can use this as an all-over mask, or put a small amount in your hand, add water to make a paste and put it on the sucker. The green tea is calming and cooling without drying out your skin, and the clay helps gently detoxify your pores. I swear up and down that this stuff heals things MUCH faster than normal and that it has stopped cysts dead in their tracks. Not kidding!

Keep reading for 5 more ways here…

Should facials cause breakouts? Our expert panel squeezes out the truth

By Well+GoodNYC

If you get a facial and your skin breaks out the next day, it’s easy to blame the facialist for flubbing your just-exfoliated gorgeousness. (And investment.) But it may not be her fault. Just what makes skin breakout after a facial treatment—and who’s to blame?

To find out, I asked leading aestheticians—Caitlin Conn, skin care director of Exhale spas, and Elena Rubin, the facialist-founder of Ethos Wellness in Soho—for their take on the most common causes of post-facial breakouts.

1. The Chinese Cure

Elena Rubin says that two things are equally true: The skin should not break out after a facial. Yet it’s normal if it does. The latter she attributes to the “Chinese cure,” a term used in acupuncture, which means sometimes the skin (in this case) gets worse before it gets better. “Skin can take the treatment as a sign to detox. And some people have three years of built-up sebum, dead skin cells, and sunscreen in their pores,” says Rubin.

Exhale’s Caitlin Conn

2. Poor Pore Prodding

As a facialist, “you have to be really careful that you finish what you start,” says Caitlin Conn. “A facial stirs up bacteria, and leaving it behind after extractions can absolutely cause a post-treatment breakout.” Conn likes to use anti-bacterial gadgets like light therapy (looks like a Lite-Brite panel or a glowing paddle) and high-frequency wands (sounds like a bug-zapper) immediately afterward. “These technologies are very quick and healing,” says Conn.

3. Over-Reacting Skin

“Some skin reacts to steam, facial massage, new products, or to the very potent drawing power of clay,” says Conn, and it can cause a breakout. “Clay draws out impurities almost too quickly. I’m cautious about using it and may just apply it across the nose in a thin layer, while using a hydrating mask on the cheeks…”

Keep reading for 3 more…

Milk for Skin- Really? Yes!

Don’t drink it! Use milk for skin instead

By VIBRANT BEAUTY

Is milk good for skin? Yes, according to dermatologist Ellen Marmur, one of the most surprising factoids I found while reading her work is that milk can be used as a very light chemical peel treatment for senstivie skin. Really? I tend to think that a lot of the home-remedies are more fun and play than effective skin treatments. It was a welcome surprise to learn that Marmur recommends using a washcloth dipped in an whole milk (make it organic for even less chemicals) placed over the facial skin and neck and left for several minutes to get a beneficial affect from the lactic acid. This is a light chemical peel home remedy that is generally safe for all skin types, especially people with sensitive skin or rosacea.

Really?! It’s that simple- milk? I mean, can the little bit of acid found in milk really affect our skin? I guess so, I haven’t tried it because I tend to err on the vegan side and don’t stock milk in the fridge but now my curiosity is nagging. My doubt is that the effect is truly minimal, but a little bit, repeated over a long period of time can mean a lot. Who am I to say that it doesn’t work? I have oily skin in the T-zone so it may not work stellar-ly for me to slough off all that oil, but for dry skin or sensitive skin types, it seems work a try. Cheap too.

Using milk for skin is an age-old treatment. Queen Cleopatra used milk and honey as few of the main ingredients for her skin treatments. Legend has it that she took milk baths to keep her skin looking radiant. Apparently a cleansing milk bath does have not only a light chemical peel effect, other properties of milk are anti-inflammatory that can help moisturize and soothe the skin at the same time.

 

Vibrant Beauty Takeaway: Milk is good for skin and can act like a light chemical peel, particularly for those with sensitive skin. Dip a washcloth in whole milk and place on your face for best effect.

A moisturizer meant for adult acne

By Well+GoodNYC

Choosing a moisturizer if you have adult acne might be the most confusing shopping trip ever. Not only are you dealing with a skin-care concern that may be increasingly common to women in their 20s and 30s but feels annoyingly adolescent, everything looks like a potential pore-clogger or an invitation to further eruptions. (Or is made for the Stridex-using teenager.) It can make you not want to deal with moisturizers altogether.

That’s probably why REN, a natural brand based in the UK, calls its new product a “fluid” and not a moisturizer, which evokes fewer oil slicks, at least to my mind.

It’s not just marketing. ClearCalm 3 Anti-Blemish Day Fluid uses hyaluronic acid, a super light hydrator that draws moisture rather than heaping it on, plus a handful of helpful (yet non-toxic) ingredients that keep grown-ups’ pimple-prone skin composed.

The most important one is salix nigra or black willow bark, which is a source of pore-penetrating salicin. It can dissolve proteins over time, loosening the debris that makes whiteheads and blackheads.

Willow bark is also an anti-inflammatory—and those angry red pustules are indeed inflamed—so it’s a two-birds, one-stone ingredient.

Keep reading the rest here…

Beauty Aisle: Yes to Tomatoes Repairing Acne Lotion

By Well+GoodNYC

Notice that even if you do all kinds of healthy things for clear skin (like skipping dairy and sugar), there’s often no stopping a blemish or two—or a gym-induced cardio breakout?

Luckily there’s an acne-fighting ingredient called salicylic acid that can dissolve the debris and oil in the follicle and clear your pore.

The downside? Most products formulated with it not only smell less than stellar, but tend to zap skin moisture. But the natural drugstore favorite, Yes to…, has a new product that doesn’t stink: Yes to Tomatoes Repairing Acne Lotion, which contains 1% salicylic acid from willow bark.

The 97 percent natural lotion is nearly odor-less. And while it’s not moisturizing enough to double as your daily moisturizer, it’s light and fast absorbing enough that it can easily be layered underneath one. That’s perfect because you don’t want to forgo your daily SPF moisturizer just because you’re treating a breakout or blemish. (Really, you don’t.)

Keep reading the rest here…