Skincare consists of Skin and Care - obvious really, but let’s look at exactly what that term means. Anything that is taken good care of will look, last and function better for longer and retain its value.

Maybe we should think about skin care in terms of ‘Skin maintenance’, because there are several factors, which constitute good skin care. Consider that your skin is involved in both absorption as well as elimination of chemicals; does it not stand to reason that the healthier your skin is, the better it will be able to fulfil these functions?

Most people think of skin care as keeping your skin clean and if it gets dry, use a moisturiser and that’s that. Well, it’s a start, but far from constituting skin care or maintenance of skin function.

Information on exfoliation, cleansing, toning and moisturising is readily available, and both men and women of all ages should follow these basic skin care concepts. However, as we become older, the type of maintenance needs to change and the skin care regime that is relevant in your 20’s changes as we move through our 30’s, 40’s and beyond.

Your skin is a valuable asset. Treat it well, and you will reap the rewards, treat it badly and it could ultimately kill you!

Skin cancer is a growing concern in the health industry. As the Ozone layer is under ever increasing pressure and indeed thinning over some parts of the World, UV radiation is reaching the Earth’s surface in greater concentration and this is not only having a detrimental effect on our climate and ecosystems, but also affects each and every one of us directly.

UV rays have been shown to cause skin cancer. Getting sunburn is now accepted as a leading cause for skin cancer and guarding against it is not quite as simple as staying out of the sun.

Maintaining a good skin care regime is now more important than ever, and consists of several important parts:

1. Eating a well balanced, healthy diet which consists of fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, grains and if you choose good quality meat, is paramount to supplying your skin with the nutrition it needs to function at its optimal level.

2. Water - you cannot under estimate the body’s need for being well hydrated. Medial research shows that your body requires at least 2-3 litres of water per day to maintain its functions.
Dehydration is not as obvious as one might think and can be chronic with few or no symptoms. If you are physically active, you will need to drink even more that 3 litres per day.

3. Exercise - Now you do not have to be a ‘Gym-Junky’, but being unfit will have consequences that you will ultimately not appreciate; go for a walk 3-4 times a week; use the stairs not the elevator; park the car further away from the office or the shops; join a walking club; ride a bike; play tennis, golf or another sport that gets your body moving - you don’t have to be an Olympic champion you know, but get moving and have fun.

Finally, there is one more important consideration in the maintenance of your skin - should you use natural skin care products or will any products do?

The answer is NATURAL, naturally. Think about it from this point of view: When you buy food, do you look for ‘no artificial colouring’, ‘no artificial flavours’, ‘contains not GMO’s (genetically modified organisms), etc., or don’t you care?

What about your drinks, do you not look for 100% natural, low in salt, no artificial this or that, no added sugar, etc. Of course you do. Well, your skin does absorb nutrients whether they are natural or not; it will absorb these chemicals into the tissue and it will then be able to use them, or not. Natural substances are much more easily assimilated in your body and are also more easily eliminated, once they’ve performed their functions.

As scientific research is becoming more sophisticated we are discovering more and more information on how our body works, how foods interact in our systems and how some foods contain substances which are not able to be made synthetically - well, the same of course stands true for plants. Phyto-estrogens are just one example of naturally occurring substances essential to the wellbeing of our bodies. Similarly, herbal extracts, essential oils, fruit extracts and so on, all contain naturally occurring chemicals, which science is not able to make synthetically due to their complexity.

This means, that the synthetic version of a plant extract (often in concentrated forms) is not the same as the natural version and can in fact have different and even side effects on your body. An old, but good example is Aspirin. We are all aware by now, that Aspirin can cause stomach irritation and even lead to stomach ulcers.

The active ingredient in Aspirin is salicylic acid. It naturally occurs in the bark of the White Willow tree. The big difference between taking Aspirin as opposed to the herbal extract of the White Willow bark, is that in the herbal extract there are many more substances contained which have secondary effects - one substance for example is a mucilaginous substance, which has the function of protecting your stomach lining! Guess what, there is nothing in Aspirin (from the chemist) that acts to protect your stomach - That’s the difference between using natural versus artificially manufactured substances.

So, the choice is yours, natural or not, it’s your asset and it is up to you to choose whether you will invest in your asset or withdraw from it.

About The Author

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapists, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter - it’s fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

Tags: Natural skin care, anti-aging, herbs, plant extracts, skincare, skin care for women, m

Share This

The world is a big place and there are many different cultures, Europeans, Scandinavians, Asians, Africans, Hispanics and many, many more. Each of these cultures tends to have certain characteristics such as eye colour, hair colour, skin colour, etc,. Inherent with cultural backgrounds is a difference in skin types. For example, western cultures such as the central and northern Europeans have a tendency to fair complexions, hair and eye colour, while southern Europeans dent to have darker hair, brown eyes and darker, olive skin tones.

Africans and African Americans, have very dark or almost black skin, usually dark or black hair and brown eyes. Genetically, this skin type is less susceptible to the UV rays, although their skin can still get burned.

Asians on the other hand have a yellowish skin tone and can have brown or blue eyes but have mostly dark or black hair. Yes, genetics does have its opinion on how we look. The cultural differences are reflected in the skin and the genetic factors play an important role in how well our skin looks, how ‘tough’ it is and how vulnerable it is to certain skin problems.

For example, cultures that have a tendency to body hair, also have a tendency to oily skin and therefore have a potential problem with blocked secretory glands resulting in pimples and other skin problems. On the other hand, the Irish, who have a tendency to red hair and very fair skin, have less of a problem with oily skin, but they do tend to get burned easily and thus stand a greater risk to skin cancers. Similarly the Scandinavians and other central and northern Europeans and Americans.

Below are some generalised characteristics of various skin types from different cultural backgrounds:

Skin Characteristics of people with Anglo-Saxon origins

• Fair, dry thin-skinned
• Scars heal well
• Signs of aging appear earlier
• Burn easily in the sun
• Bruising more obvious
• Increased chance of skin cancer

Skin Characteristics of people with Southern Mediterranean origins

• Oily, olive dark complexion
• Signs of aging appear later
• Cartilage tends to droop
• Darker, thicker scars more common
• Wrinkles appear later and in more localized areas
• Skin cancer is rare

Skin Characteristics of people with Northern European origins / German and Scandinavian

• Fair, blue-eyed, blonde
• Thin skin
• Scars heal well
• Signs of aging appear early
• Bruising more obvious
• Greater chance of skin cancer

Skin Characteristics of people with African/African-American origins

• Signs of aging appear very late
• Very little fine wrinkling
• Formation of keloids is possible
• Pigmentation changes may occur
• Thicker cartilage hard to change
• Skin cancers are very rare

Skin Characteristics of people with Northern European/Irish and northern England

• Ruddy freckled complexion
• Red hair
• Scars usually thin
• Signs of aging appear later
• Bruises easily
• Pigmentation problems
• Skin cancers are most common in this type

Skin Characteristics of people with Asian origins

• Signs of aging appear late
• Fine wrinkling does not usually occur
• Pigmentation changes may occur
• Skin cancers are very rare

Skin Characteristics of people with Southern European origins

• Dark, oily brunette complexion
• Signs of aging appear later
• Fine wrinkling less common
• Bruising lasts longer
• Scars may be thicker and darker
• Skin cancers are less common

Identifying the correct, natural skin care system for your skin’s characteristics is essential and may need to be adjusted depending on your specific genetic influences, as within each of these groups, there is a wide range in skin tones, which tend to overlap from group to group.

Each of the different categories of skin characteristics has various advantages and disadvantages specific to that group. However, the overall structures and functions of our skin are very similar and are therefore cared for in very similar ways. Knowing your skin’s particular strengths and weaknesses, you can tailor your skin care approach to your particular skin-characteristics.

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

Join our Natural Skin Care Newsletter - it’s fun, free and Informative and you receive a free eBook on natural skin care.

Wildcrafted Herbal Products 2006

Tags: Natural skin care, Ethnic, Cultural, Differences, Skin, Type, Natural, Skin, Care, System, Wildcrafted,

Share This

Thankfully, we do not take Murphy’s Law, too seriously. Imagine, dealing your sickness with this attitude: “What’s going to get wrong, shall go wrong”! Stoical, yes; practicable, no. Natural home remedies have maintained a balance between the excessive hypochondria and absolute unconcern, as far as diseases are concerned. Age-old wisdom has a habit of coming true, though, in some instances, nobody knows how. Natural home remedies-be it for acne, skin care, infection or cold or even chronic irritants like arthritis or headaches-work or at least, provide relief to some extent.

A German proverb says that cold and cough can be cured in a week with medication, it takes seven days, otherwise. Is it not natural, that cold and cough would have a list of natural home remedies to fall back onto? The symptoms are running or blocked nose, Sneezing, Sore throat, Congestion, Headache, Low fever with body pain, Loss of appetite, Lethargy and Insomnia. The remedy is taking half a teaspoon of ginger juice with half a teaspoon of honey, three times a day (morning, noon and night). In cases of dry cough, chewing on a small piece of fresh ginger with salt sprinkled on it helps.

Severe pain in the affected joints, inflamed muscles, ligaments and cartilage, movement of the joint becoming extremely painful, especially in cold, windy and damp weather-means it is arthritis. One raw clove of garlic every day is supposed to be a cure. Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder with warm water, taken twice a day, also helps cure arthritis.

“Not, tonight darling, I have a headache” is an endearing lie that has become an integral part of every man woman relationship, since Adam and Eve. However, headaches are not lies, if nothing they are frustrating as hell. The symptoms are pain tearing apart the head, forehead or the eyes, nausea, irritability and loss of appetite. Home remedy suggests a paste made from grounded clove, cinnamon and almond to be applied on the forehead. A quarter teaspoon of clove powder in one teaspoon of cinnamon oil, applied on the pain zone, also provides cure.

Acne, occurs due to a myriad reasons and likewise there are a host of skin care treatments. Green coconut water or mehndi, juice of basil leaf blended with Chandan paste are traditional natural home remedies. However, a regular use of TCA peels can really give you a skin, free from blemishes.

Natural Home remedies are here since ages. Would they have been, if they had not worked?

David Maillie is a chemist with over 12 years experience in biochemical research and clynical analysis. He is an alumni of Cornell University and specializes in biochemical synthesis for public, private, and governmental interests. He can be reached at M.D. Wholesale: http://www.bestskinpeel.com

Tags: natural home remedies, natural, home, remedies, remedy, best, acne, skin care, cure, infection, cold

Share This