6 Tips for Smoothening Hand Wrinkles

As women approach 40, the effects of the sun, a diminishing supply of estrogen, diet, and nutrition cause skin to dry and wrinkle. Crow's feet, smile lines, and forehead furrows slowly begin to appear on their faces. Unfortunately, the wrinkling doesn't stop at the face. Their hands begin to dry and wrinkle too. While chemical peels, Dermabrasion, Botox or plastic surgery may be the answer to turning back the clock on facial lines, how do mature women smoothen the wrinkles on their hands? Here are 6 tips for smoother, younger hands.

1. Moisturize and replenish your hands after washing The typical woman washes her hands several times a day. When we are not washing our hands, we may use hand sanitizers. Both soap and sanitizers can have drying effects on the hands that can lead to wrinkles. Next time you clean your hands, think of it as a two-step process: wash, then moisturize.

2. Keep pocket-size hand lotions in your purse Pocket-size hand lotions and cremes come in handy when you are away from home and need dry hand relief. You can purchase trial or travel-size lotions at the drugstore or collect them from your hotel room during your next vacation.

3. Use facial scrubs Next time you break out your favorite facial scrub use it on your hands, rather than your face. Facial scrubs used to exfoliate dead skin cells from your face, are also excellent remedies for smoothening hands. They can be purchased inexpensively at the drugstore or made at home using kitchen ingredients like baking soda, rolled oats, or sugar.

4. Eat some carrots Foods rich in beta-carotene, like carrots, are full of antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the skin from the harmful drying effects of the sun and help minimize wrinkles.

5. Drink water Water is a magical beauty elixir! It is nature's moisturizer and truly the fountain of youth. Staying hydrated improves the overall condition of the skin all over your body.

6. Wear gloves Before you wash your next sink of dishes, scrub your bathroom, or tend to your gardening duties, put on a pair of gloves. Chemicals used in dishwashing liquids and household cleaners can damage the skin on your hands. Similarly, exposing your hands to the elements of sun, wind, and water while performing outdoor activities like gardening, can result in dry skin. Wearing gloves while performing these activities not only protects the hands, it can help them lock in their natural moisture.By Leslie C Smith

Homemade Milk Facial Cleanser

Milk is an amazing product. It's rich in nutrients and vitamins such as protein, vitamins A, D and B, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and magnesium. Some of the many benefits of milk that are widely known are the ability to prevent osteoporosis and tooth decay. What is less known is the beauty benefits of milk. You probably have seen commercials on skin care products which promote milk as one of their ingredients. As we all know, most over-the-counter skin care products contain many chemicals that some of us prefer not to put on our skin. If you are interested in the beauty benefits of milk, you don't necessary need to get these products. Instead you can start from your kitchen.

Powdered milk is the ingredient you'll need to make your own milk cleanser. Before preparing the paste, wet your face with lukewarm water. It's important that you use lukewarm because lukewarm water helps open up the pores so that cleanser can get in and lift the dirt in the pores. People with dry skin will want to use water that's a bitter cooler than that. Now that your skin is wet, it's time to prepare the cleanser.

Get one or two tablespoons of powdered milk and slowly add water to the powder. Mix it to form a paste. If you want, you can add a teaspoon of honey to the mixture. Now you can apply the mixture on your face and neck. Remember to rub in an upward circular motion like you would any other cleanser. Let it dry and then rinse with warm water. Like any other skin care treatments, repeat this cleansing treatment regularly and your skin will be better. Since milk contains lactic acid, it can help remove dead skin cells and residue which can cause acne.

I have some friends who have had success with this treatment. Before the treatment, they complained about the occasional blemish. Now their skin is softer, cleaner and supple. Some of them even said it helped reduce fine lines and wrinkles on their skin. If you are going to give this treatment a try, be prepared to experiment with different brands of powdered milk in order to find one that works best for you. Some brands may make your skin too dry. So try different brands until you find one that works for you.

By Benice Lee

5 Steps to Flawless Skin and Hair

The market is flooded with chemical-based skin and hair care products for you to experiment. However, is the cost incurred worth it? You should know that the most effective skin and hair care is offered by natural products and treatments. Below, we've revealed some cheat tricks and secrets to achieve the most coveted hair and skin, naturally.

Follow the natural path to beauty:

Step 1: When bathing, make use of lukewarm water. Refrain from using hot water as it has been proved to strip your skin and hair of its natural oils that help keep them smooth and supple. Wipe your face with a soft towel that does not cause any bruises while wiping off the excess water. Also, in the case of your hair, let it air- dry rather than blow drying it and exposing it to high intensity hot air eventually making it dry and easy to break.

Step 2: You must understand the value of having healthy skin and hair. If you wish to flaunt seamless, healthy skin and hair, you need to treat them like fine possessions. While applying cream or moisturizers, apply them gently running your fingers through your face. As far as possible, try keeping your hands away from your face and hair to avoid getting germs deposited on them.

Step 3: Indulge in natural skin care by exfoliating your skin with herbal skin cleansers and moisturizers that offer nutrition and vital minerals to your skin. Use herbs infused, skin refreshing scrubs to ward off all the dead cells bringing forth fresh, refined skin. In terms of hair, opt for natural hair care products such as shampoos, conditioners to help enhance the quality of your hair without artificial chemicals. You can also apply yogurt, eggs, warm oil to your hair on weekends to improve the deteriorating condition of your hair.

Step 4: Walking out in the sun without applying any skin care sunscreen or hair sunscreen is calling for trouble. Invest in natural sunscreens available for both your skin as well as hair protection. Doing this as and when you're out in the sun will leave your skin and hair untouched and undamaged almost miraculously.

Step 5: When it comes to blemishes, scars, wrinkles, and other skin imperfections, relax. You could opt for Microdermabrasion. This is a type of skin refining process that makes use of no chemicals or laser procedure. An ideal way of eliminating artificial skin care products is by taking them off your itinerary and making use of natural, pure, chemical- free approaches.

If you're concerned about where to get the best possible natural beauty products to benefit your skin and hair, fret not! With the advent of technology, you can get all your beauty products online. Along with this, load your diet with healthy foods and drinks that are rich in antioxidants and other vital minerals to destroy the damage caused by the environmental pollution. Some of the skin and hair benefiting foods include green tea as well as fresh fruits and vegetables that are a powerhouse of vitamin A, C and E.

By Mohit M Kumar

Healthy Skin, Hair and Teeth - Benefits of a Healthy Diet

Healthy Skin

The skin is the largest organ in the body, and the most exposed. Most people don't take proper care of their skin - either due to hectic work or due to pure ignorance.

Vitamins A, C, E, selenium, and zinc are especially important to maintain beautiful and healthy skin. Foods that are rich in these vitamins and minerals include:

Apricots

Cantalope

Carrots

Eggs

Broccoli

Citrus fruits

Tomatoes

Papaya

Almonds

Avocado

Olive oil

Walnuts

Sunflower seeds

Cabbage

Chicken

Liver

Onions

Seafood

Oats

Tuna

Cauliflower

This is just a partial list of foods rich in the vitamins and minerals you need for healthy skin. Foods and drinks you need to eliminate or reduce your consumption of include alcohol, sugar, and saturated fat. Coffee and tea should be limited to two cups a day.

Since the skin often mirrors the health of the whole body, eating a healthy diet provides you a healthy body and as an extra benefit, healthy skin.

Healthy Hair

Healthy hair depends on eating foods high in protein and certain vitamins and minerals. Inadequate protein intake over a lengthy period can force hair into the resting phase with shedding a few months later. Five amino acids are of particular relevance to hair growth - cystine, cysteine, methionine, arginine and lysine.

There a number of different specific hair vitamins and minerals that can play a major role in helping a person have a healthy head of hair. Vitamins necessary for healthy hair include vitamins A, B6, biotin, inositol, and folic acid. Minerals needed to good hair growth are magnesium, sulphur, silica and zinc.

Extra hair vitamins are likely to be needed if a person is generally unwell or is undernourished as their hair will show damage and may even stop growing. For example, brittle hair is an indication of iron deficiency while prolonged and severe hair loss can mean inefficient functioning of the liver or the thyroid.

Healthy Teeth

The health of your teeth and gums, the lack of plaque and debris, and the freshness of your breath can be a constant reminder of the status of your overall health. A healthy body generally means healthy teeth as well.

As with promoting healthy skin and healthy hair, eating healthy foods (such as lots of fresh fruits and vegetables) also helps encourage healthy teeth. These foods tend to help scrub the plaque off of our teeth before it can turn into tartar. It is tartar that can cause pockets in the gums where bacteria can take root and cause decay.

Vitamin C deficiencies can result in bleeding gums and loose teeth as well as mouth sores The Vitamin B complex is also essential to a healthy mouth as deficiencies can cause cracking and bleeding of the lips as well as open sores and lesions on both the inside and outside of the mouth.

Calcium is the super nutrient that keeps bones and teeth strong. Vitamin D is another important factor in keeping our teeth and bones healthy. Spending a total of about one hour each week in the sun will normally provide you all the vitamin D you need.

Besides causing other problems with our health, too much fluoride can cause permanent staining of our child's teeth. It can also cause brain degeneration and certain cancers. So be very careful to rinse completely after brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste and after a fluoride treatment at the dentist.

Conclusion

There's no way around it. The only way to have healthy skin, healthy hair and healthy teeth is to give your body the vitamins, minerals and protein it needs by heating a healthy and well-rounded diet.

By Carol Stack