So I came across this really interesting skin care tip that I wanted to share with you. Have you ever heard of using Crisco (a solid vegetable shortening, usually used in baking) as a way to combat dry skin?
I read this somewhere and did a quick check to see if others had heard of it- they had.
The way to use it is to shower as usual, apply your regular moisturizer, and then, over that, a thin layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) or vegetable shortening (Crisco).
Sounds weird, but it works. Apparently this is an ‘in-house’ secret for women who participate in beauty pageants.
If you’re troubled by severely dry skin, try using Vaseline or Crisco to seal in the moisture.
And let me know what you think.
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When choosing your skin care products, it’s wise to consider them along several dimensions. Although this sounds kind of boring, it actually is important, because taking the time to do this will save you money and give you better results.
When looking to purchase skin care products, first consider your skin type. Is your skin oily? dry? sensitive? aging? This will give you a broad category of products to choose from, and will determine the specific products you should focus on.
For instance, if your skin is oily, you probably want to focus more on cleansing and toning than moisturizing. if your skin is dry, you might focus more on moisturizing than toning (and so on).
Once you’ve determined your skin type, it’s time to think about what you want the product to do. Do you want it to cleanse your skin? Tone your skin? Treat wrinkles or fine lines? This, too, will determine what kinds of products you should spend money on.
After this, you want to take a look at any special skin problems or skin conditions you have. These may impact what kinds of products you can choose. For example, if you have dry skin, and want to cleanse it, but have found most soaps too harsh, you want to find a product that will cleanse gently without using too many preservatives or mineral ingredients.
Finally, once you’ve determined the answers to those questions, you then want to take a look at the ingredients list and aim to get the product with the fewest number of total ingredients, especially if your skin is sensitive.
Sounds challenging, perhaps, but it’s a good method to follow to insure you’re getting the most value from your skin care dollars.
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If you have been following the skin care research for any length of time, you’ve probably heard of antioxidants. As they sound, antioxidants are substances which prevent (or at least slow down) the damaging effects of reactive oxygen on the skin.
This reactive oxygen is one type of free radical. Free radicals are produced by normal human metabolism, and are increased in the presence of radiation, heavy metal exposure, smoking, and alcohol.
Left unchecked, free radicals damage the body’s proteins, DNA, and cell membranes. For the skin, they lead to aging and potentially skin cancers. Free radicals also have negative impact on the rest of the body, too, as they have been linked to heart damage, cancer, and a weakened immune system.
Eating a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables is a natural way to build your antioxidant reserve. Antioxidants can be eaten (as in fruit, vegetables, or in supplements) and can also be applied to the skin (as in Vitamin E cream).
Some of the best known antioxidants are Vitamin E, Coenzyme Q10, lipoic acid, Vitamin C, glutathione, green-tea, and the soy isoflavones.
Each of these work differently to improve and protect the skin, but any diet should include these substances in order to be healthy, well balanced, and skin beneficial.
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