• Home
  • Blog
  • Archives
  • Links
  • About
  • Guest Blogger
  • Contact

Tricia's Musings

Random Thoughts about life in general, living in the big city of Toronto

  • Home and Lifestyle
  • Recreation
  • Health Fitness and Beauty
  • Entertainment
  • Web and Technology


You are here: Home / Archives for Health Fitness and Beauty / skin care

Skin Care Can Be Started Through Exfoliating Soaps

March 19, 2013 by Trish

soap

Skin care should be an important part of everyone’s daily hygiene.  Taking good care of you skin will make you feel good all over.

Exfoliating

Exfoliating is a step that, when washing, should not be skipped.  It helps remove dead skin cells and roughened areas.  It will reduce build up and dryness.  Buildup can lead to the trapping of dirt and oil, under the layers of dead skin cells.  Dryness can cause itching, splitting, and cracking.  Scratching, because of these symptoms, can lead to bleeding and infections.  Exfoliating will also help to even out your skin tone.

Exfoliating Soap

Choosing a good soap with which to exfoliate your skin is just as important.  And, choosing a handmade exfoliating soap is a great choice.  Choosing a company that uses all natural ingredients is even better.  These companies use natural exfoliants, such as ground vanilla bean, oatmeal, ground luffa, and blueberry seeds. When combined with skin softening oils and other ingredients, they make a great bar of soap.

Choose From Many Different Flavors and Fragrances

These handmade exfoliating soaps come in a variety of combinations, as everyone has different scents that appeal to them.  Some people may enjoy milk and honey, where others may prefer pomegranate and mango.  Still others prefer citrus, and others can’t get enough of apples or vanilla.  Whatever your preference, you can find a great soap you can enjoy using.  Don’t underestimate the power of smell.  Smelling something like can lighten your mood, bring back a memory, and generally put you in good spirits.  How better else to start or end your day?

Nightly Cleansing

Even if you bathe or shower in the morning, it is a good idea to wash your face at night.  Removing the dirt, toxins, oils, and makeup from the day will help your skin stay clearer and healthier.  This goes for men and women, both.  And it is always good to use lukewarm water.  Hot or cold water can cause you to have broken capillaries.

Conclusion

Understanding how important it is to exfoliate is something many of us overlook.  If we could just make a conscious effort to do this more often, our skin would look healthier, shine clearer, and feel better.  Choosing and purchasing a good bar of handmade exfoliating soap from a company that uses natural ingredients is smart, and can be found easily online.

 

photo by:




Filed Under: Featured, Health Fitness and Beauty, skin care Tagged With: blueberry seeds, dead skin cells, dryness, exfoliating, Exfoliating Soaps, ground luffa, hygiene, Nightly Cleansing, oatmeal, skin care, skin softening, vanilla bean, washing

5 Best SuperFoods For Smooth Skin

March 18, 2013 by Trish

The key to having beautiful skin is to follow a strict skincare regime that consists of cleansing the skin, protecting it from the sun, hydrating it and eating a balanced diet. A balanced diet is the most important aspect of having beautiful skin. Food can either help or hurt the skin. Foods that are filled with saturated fats, processed sugar and grease will cause spots, uneven skin and dullness. However, there are five super foods that will help improve the quality of your skin.

1. Raw Veggies:

Raw vegetables are essential for beautiful skin. These foods are loaded with nutrients that support healthy skin like vitamins A, E and C. On top of that, raw veggies help prevent rapid aging because they are filled with antioxidants that help fight free radicals. The best way to get enough antioxidants is to drink a glass of vegetable juice on a daily basis. Once you start to eat more veggies, you’ll notice a big difference in your skin.

2. Strawberries:

Strawberries may be small, but they pack a punch. These fruits are loaded with antioxidants that prevent disease such as cancer. On top of that, strawberries are filled with vitamin C, which helps the body fight free radicals and brighten the skin. Strawberries also contain iron, which helps improve circulation in the skin. On top of that, strawberries help the body absorb more nutrients.

3. Salmon and fatty fish:

Salmon and fatty fish contain high levels of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are a type of good fat that helps the skin stay supple. On top of that, eating salmon 3 times a week helps speed the skin cell turnover process. Fatty fish also contain plenty of protein, which helps the skin repair damage. With plenty of sun exposure, pollution and free radicals in the environment, it’s best to consume fatty fish because they help protect the skin from these environmental factors.

4. Small red beans:

Small red beans are loaded with tons of antioxidants. Eating only a half-a-cup each day helps the body fight free radicals. Free radicals contribute to premature aging, increased cancer rate and dull skin. For silky smooth skin, you need to incorporate small red beans in your diet as much as possible.

5. Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds are very beneficial for the skin. They are filled with plenty of zinc, which helps keep the pores clear, thus reducing breakouts. Zinc also helps fight bacteria in the skin, and it can regulate the production of sebum. On top of that, pumpkin seeds contain plenty of antioxidants. The good fats in this food help keep the skin youthful and supple. Overall, just eating a few tablespoons of pumpkin seeds is enough to provide numerous benefits for the skin.

Attached Images:
  •  License: Creative Commons image source
  •  License: Creative Commons image source

Filed Under: Featured, Health Fitness and Beauty, skin care Tagged With: balanced diet, beautiful skin, cleansing, fatty fish, hydrating, omega 3, Pumpkin seeds, Raw Veggies, red beans, Salmon, smooth skin, strawberries, superfoods

How Does Alcohol Affect Your Skin?

October 21, 2012 by Trish

Do you like to indulge in the occasional glass of wine with dinner?  Is a night out with the girls – and plenty of Cosmos – a regular occurrence?  Good for you; it is important to let your hair down every once in awhile!

After all, some recent studies are suggesting that certain types of alcohol might improve heart heath and decrease the odds of cancer.

However, the key is…moderation.  A hangover is the worse type of retribution alcohol can have on your physical well-being.  Sure, after a few hours, your headache will go away and life will appear to return to normal.  However, the alcohol you consumed is still wreaking havoc below the surface – the surface of your skin, that is.

Why is Alcohol Bad for my Skin?

Water is like an internal moisturizer for your skin.  Each time you drink water, you’re boosting your skin’s health.  Staying hydrated will smooth wrinkles, causing skin to appear healthier and more youthful.

Alcohol and caffeine have the opposite effect on your skin.  You may find this surprising, but alcohol actually dehydrates your body.  Dehydrated skin causes wrinkles and premature aging; no woman wants that!  Additionally, when your skin is denied vital nutrients it begins to appear dull and unhealthy.

When we drink – especially during a night out on the town – we aren’t usually combining our alcoholic beverages with nutritious foods.  Again, choosing high-calorie junk food over nutrient-rich foods is just one more way we limit our skin’s access to much-needed vitamins and minerals.  Since our diet has a direct effect on establishing a healthy, youthful appearance, you can see why alcohol and junk food are such bad things!

Alcohol can make preexisting skin conditions – like rosacea and psoriasis – worse.  Flare-ups are often common after alcohol consumption.

Does That Mean I Should Stop Drinking Altogether?

You are the only one who can decide if alcohol is a safe and healthy addition to your life.  However, if you do indulge, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Remember moderation is best.  At the beginning of the night, set a limit for yourself.  When you reach that limit, stop.  Switch to diet soda or water if your girlfriends continue to imbibe.

Also, consider following each alcoholic beverage with a glass of water.  This will accomplish two things.  First of all, if you fill up on water, you won’t be tempted to drink as much alcohol.  Second, alternating between water and alcohol will counteract the dehydration the alcohol is causing.

Lastly, reach for healthy, nutrient-rich foods instead of greasy bar foods when you are drinking.  Grab a handful of peanuts instead of a handful of French fries.  Ask for a bag of popcorn as soon as it is done popping – and before they add salt and butter.  If you are battling a hangover, avoid any “secret recipes” that involve unhealthy food choices.

Each time you reach for a specialty martini or your favorite white wine, remember the effect each sip has on your skin.  Be smart about your alcohol consumption and do your best to stay hydrated.

Guest blogger Jessica Adams works for CustomCornToss.com, designing custom corn toss boards.  She often helps the other guys in the office test their products’ quality – which inevitably leads to drinking!  Luckily, Jessica is usually able to limit the rowdy group to just a few beverages each!

Filed Under: Health Fitness and Beauty, skin care Tagged With: alcohol, caffeine, Health Fitness and Beauty, heart, moderation, moisturizer, skin, skin conditions

Save Money on Beauty Care Yet Look Like a Million Bucks!

October 5, 2012 by Trish

It can seem almost impossible to find good beauty products without spending an arm and a leg. Not to fear: while it may seem that way, it is not entirely impossible. In fact, you can take care of all of your basic fashion and beauty needs with everyday household items.

As crazy as it sounds, it is true! Some of the household items you will see on this list may actually be better for your beauty routine than some of the store-bought items you own.

Below is a plethora of ideas that will help you to save big on money while still looking like a million bucks.

Skin

Before you click “buy now” on the next bottle of your favorite, slightly overpriced face wash, finish reading this article. After you finish reading this article, go directly to your kitchen. You may not collect $200, but you won’t need to after these money-saving tips.

If you have brown sugar and honey in your baking cupboard, then you are in luck. Mix equal amounts of both into a jar and use it as a sugary-scented body scrub. You can also create a deeper reaching scrub by combining sea salt and olive oil.

If you are running pretty low on a few essential beauty items, don’t leave for the store just yet. Finish reading this paragraph! If you are getting to the last drops of your favorite perfume or body spray, don’t toss it into the trash. Instead, you can pour those few drops into your body wash, face wash, or moisturizer to help the scent last even longer.

Another easy way to save on cash is by using bar soap instead of body wash. The former is typically much cheaper because they require less packaging.

Hair

Here is a tip to save you both time and money: only wash your hair every other day. When you wash your hair too often, you are ridding it of essential oils that keep it healthy. If you feel like your hair has excess oil, you can rub a pinch of baby powder on the roots of your hair.

Have you used clarifying shampoo in the past to keep your hair healthy and full of shine? Did you stop buying it because you were spending too much money? If so, here is a useful tip to get the best of both worlds: rinse your hair with the apple cider vinegar hidden in your cupboard. The vinegar will work to give your hair the extra shine you desire without spending the extra cash.

Nails

Did you know that the quick fix to your nail woes is hidden in your desk drawer? It’s sitting right next to your pens and pencils. The secret fix is actually your White Out. If you received a French manicure recently but don’t want to spend the extra cash to get your chips fixed, then go ahead and fill in the chips with White Out.

Lips

We have one last tip before you run to your kitchen in search of your new beauty products. This one’s about your lipstick. Do you have a bunch of tubes with a little bit of lipstick? Cut off the extra pieces, mix them in a microwavable container, pop it in the microwave, and rub it on whenever you want some lip balm.

After you give these tips a try, let us know what you think!  Do you have a suggestion we left off the list?  Let us know about those too!

Blogger Mayra Zepeda loves trying out low-cost, DIY beauty ideas.  She also likes taking advantage of inexpensive ways to change up her appearance.  For example, she is a big fan of cheap colored contact.

Filed Under: cosmetics, Health Fitness and Beauty, skin care Tagged With: apple cider vinegar, baby powder, balm, bar soap, beauty care, beauty needs, beauty products, body scrub, brown sugar, cost, essential oils, face wash, Fashion, hair, honey, household items, ideas, lips, microwave lipstick, nails, olive oil, save money, sea salt, shine, skin, white out

5 Steps Towards a Flawless Face

September 29, 2012 by Trish

When I made the appointment for my very first facial, I never imagined I was signing up to be berated for two hours by an esthetician. I always thought the condition of your skin was just something you’re either born with, or wealthy enough to afford expensive cosmetic procedures to fix. Unfortunately, I was not born rich or perfect looking so I sort of stopped caring about conforming to an ideal a long time ago.

Apparently I was totally wrong. Unlike the rest of your body, the skin on your face is actually a product of your mannerisms and habits, and even small adjustments can totally alter the quality of your skin. So today my shame is your gain, as I will condense my beautician’s chastisements into 5 simple steps you too can take to get a flawless face. For the record, I have tried all 5, and can truly say that they work!

  • DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE

Unlike the skin on the rest of our bodies which is protected by clothing, our face is out in the open, all the time. This means that most of us touch our faces more than any other part of our bodies. We touch our faces with our hands and fingers, which apparently are always filthy. Everytime you touch your face, you are rubbing all the dirt and grease and bacteria that is on your fingers, into the delicate pores on your face, creating a perfect environment for a blemish. Gross.

Changing an unconscious mannerism is difficult. Once you become aware of it, you’ll be shocked at how often you touch your face throughout the day. I just keep my esthetician’s lecture about how dirty my hands are in my head, and that pretty much curbs any desire I have to let my fingers wander anywhere near my face.

  • Cut Back on Dairy Products

As a former vegan, I already knew about the negative effects of dairy on the human body. After all, it is unnatural for mammals to drink breast milk after infancy. But, I had no idea that dairy products like milk and cheese can compromise your complexion. According to my esthetician, Patricia Plikshe, your body cannot properly break down  dairy products (this is why so many people are lactose intolerant). When your body is unable to completely process stuff like junk food and dairy, it comes out in your skin. I guess you really are what you eat!

Another reason why dairy is so problematic, is because most large scale dairy farmers inject their cows with heavy amounts of hormones to keep them perpetually lactating. The added hormones get secreted into the cow’s milk, which then goes into our bodies when we drink it. This extra jolt of hormones we get from milk wreaks havoc on our complexions. I have since switched to soy milk and stopped eating cheese. Guess what? I lost weight AND got clearer skin. Win/win!

  • Throw Out Cheap Products

This is where money gets involved, folks. To my shock and horror, those cheap, 5 dollar face lotions I had been buying at the grocery store were one of my main problems! Cheap products are filled with ingredients your skin can’t absorb. Many lotions even contain petroleum. Yup, the same crude oil found in gasoline is going onto your face if you penny pinch in the cosmetics department. When your skin can’t absorb this stuff, it just kinda fills up your pores, causing tiny white bumps and small cysts on the skin known as mila. Once mila forms, you need to exfoliate and use a good product with glycolic acid to get rid of them.

Trust me people, it’s worth it to shell out the 25 extra bucks on the high quality, all natural products recommended by your esthetician. Spending some extra cash, means you no longer have to put lotion laced with gasoline on your sensitive face think about it.

  • Watch How You Wash

Since our faces are constantly exposed to the elements, and absorbing whatever grossness is on our fingers, your face requires a more thorough washing than you might think. Even if you use high quality face wash, in order for it to be completely effective, you should rub the soap into your skin for 60-90 seconds per wash. Taking the extra two minutes to wash properly is like giving yourself a mini-facial everyday. The results will surprise you!

Also, I was dismayed to hear from my esthetician that I had to perform the whole face washing ritual twice a day. I’m a pretty low maintenance chick who rarely even goes to the salon for a haircut, so hearing that I had to end and start each day with pampering my face was not good news. The first question I asked was, “Why do I have to wash my face before and after I go to bed? How could my face get dirty while I’m asleep?” (Obviously I’m not a model client). Well, apparently your body detoxes when you sleep and pushes impurities out through your pores. If you don’t wash your face right when you wake up, then all those toxins just sit there on top of your skin. Eww.

  • Don’t Try and “Do it Yourself”

The most common way people destroy their skin is by trying to pop blemishes themselves. Trying to be your own esthetician will do irreversible damage to your pores, and will only make your complexion worse in the long run. Besides, you are never supposed to touch your face, remember? Doing this can cause infections and create permanent scars. The amount of force that is created by two fingers pressing down and breaking skin, will surely leave a scar that will be far more unsightly than letting a little pimple run its course.

I recommend just letting an esthetician handle what goes on with your face. During a facial, they will safely perform “extractions” if they feel it will not do damage to the skin. Let the fate of your face rest in the hands of a qualified professional!

Jessica Ruane is a freelance blogger for Instant Checkmate. She specializes in writing about personal growth, beauty, social media, and more. Follow more of Jessica’s work on Google+ and ChrunchBase.

Filed Under: Health Fitness and Beauty, skin care Tagged With: change, cheap products, complexion, cut dairy, dirt, esthetician, face, facial, grease, mannerisms, mini facial, natural products, skin, touch, wash

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • Next Page »

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Categories

Sites of Interest

Useful Links

Eavestrough Cleaning Toronto

Shopping

Gifts, Gadgets,
Books and More!

Recent Posts

  • Is your home well insulated or do you have energy leaks?
  • Pet Safety Tips
  • Top 10 Most Fundamental Yoga Poses For Beginners
  • Will My Interior Décor Stand The Test Of Time?
  • Outdoor Furniture- Spicing Up Your Backyard
  • Ensuring You Have A Good Experience Staying At Hotels With Children
  • Mother’s Day Cookies

Recent Comments

  • Bill on Top 10 Most Fundamental Yoga Poses For Beginners
  • [bonus]old school new body-f4x workout on Why does my husband always bring home the wrong stuff?
  • Rodhe Stevens on 5 Little Known Secrets To Finding Cheap (But Durable) Furniture
  • Julia Carlson on How To Install A Mosaic Tile Kitchen Backsplash
  • Humane Raccoon Deterrent Idea on Helped save a baby raccoon last night

Subscribe


Subscribe to our RSS Feed It's FREE!

Subscribe to Tricia's Musings by Email It's FREE!


Follow me on TWITTER

Find us on Google +



Find us on Facebook



I have two mottos-
1. Live life to the fullest; and
2. Don't have any regrets.

Get More Traffic

Visitors since 2006

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Search this site

Tags

blog blogs camera Canada Chris computer crohns dinner dog Family flower flowers Food friends funny garden Gardening Green Thumb Sunday Health and Fitness Health Fitness and Beauty holiday home Home and Lifestyle house husband IBD Inflammatory bowel disease Internet Music neighbors pain photo photos plants puppy Shopping sick sleep spring Toronto TV Video visit website Wordless Wednesday

Blogs I Visit

  • Rainydazeee.com
  • Organic Gardening Tips
  • Captian Picards Journal
  • LifeCruiser
  • BlogTO

Copyright © 2025 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in