Skin Care | Beauté Claire

How To Fix Dry Skin Instantly

November 2, 2011 By Lynn Leave a Comment

Fall is here and winter is coming. It’s that time of year where most of us get dry skin. Dry skin is due to low humidity at low temperature. To keep your skin soft and supple, you need to moisturize your skin and keep it in. Here are some tips that will help you keep your skin moisturized throughout this cold weather. I’ll mainly focus on products and DIY recipes that will help increase and lock in your skin’s moisture for the winter.

Minimize Hot Showers
I know it’s so tempting to take a long hot shower, especially during cold weathers, but hot water robs the skin of moisture causing dry skin. You should keep your hot showers short, approximately 15 minutes, and try to limit it to one shower per day.

Moisturize After Showering
Most people tend to forget to moisturize after they shower. However, in the fall and winter, this step is a MUST! I recommend using an oil moisturizer. Personally, I love True Blue Spa Moisturizing Oil Spray. For a cheaper alternative, Johnson’s Baby Oil works great too. The reason why I recommend oil is because it will lock in moisture 10 times more than regular body lotion and more readily absorbed into your pores than regular body lotion. True Blue Spa Putting’ On The Spritz Moisturizing Oil contains orange peel and aloe extracts that will soothe and moisturize your skin and the vitamin C & E will help prevent free radical damage. Johnson’s Baby Oil’s main ingredients are aloe vera and vitamin E, which will help moisturize your skin and prevent future skin damage. The additional bonus of using oil over lotion for this fall and winter seasons is that your skin will look super silky and toned—light will reflect off your oiled skin enhancing your features.

However, if you do not have any body oil, my next recommendation would be body cream. Creams for the body tend to be a better moisturizer and are better tolerated by the skin. Most are non-greasy which works well with most skin types and helps the skin maintain moisture. Body creams are particularly useful during the cold because it is easily absorbed by the skin. Body lotion, on the other hand, is generally used for mild cases of dry skin and when moisture is more available like in the summer and spring. I recommend using True Blue Spa Lay It On Thick Intense Moisture Body Cream With Shea Butter. I love this product because the cream makes my skin feel instantly moisturized and it keeps my skin moisturized for a few hours. A cheaper alternative would be any Bath and Body Works Signature Body Cream. My favorite is their Moonlight Path Body Cream, which instantly softens my skin for longer periods of time because the product contains Avocado and Almond oils.

Moisturize Your Hands Throughout The Day
My hands get extremely dry throughout the day. This is because the hands are the most exposed body part and the most susceptible to weather. I recommend The Body Shop Hand Cream in Wild Rose. This hand cream not only even outs your skin tone but it hydrates your hands too. Another hand cream I love using during the cold is L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream that only needs a small application to work wonders on your skin and it’s not greasy.

Stay Hydrated
The weather will externally dry your skin and dehydration will internally dry your skin. Dehydration will make your skin look dull and dry, so drink at least 9 glasses of water per day.

Aloe Vera Mask
Keeping your face hydrated is very important during the summer because your face is the first thing people see. Not to mention, it’s very hard to evenly apply foundation with dry cracked in. Aloe vera is one of the key ingredients in most body oils and creams. The main reason is because aloe vera is extremely moisturizing! Just rub some of the aloe vera gels on your face and neck and wait for it to dry before washing it off with lukewarm water. For super dry skin, add an egg yolk and olive oil to the aloe vera gel, which will instantly rejuvenate dry wrinkled skin.

Filed Under: Skin Care Tagged With: body oil, dry skin, how to fix dry skin instantly, moisturizing oil, vitamin c, vitamin e

Psoriasis And What Can Treat It, Including A Healthy Diet

October 10, 2011 By Lynn 1 Comment

Psoriasis is a skin disease that causes dead skin cells to build up more rapidly than normal. Basically skin cells grow and rise above the epidermis once a month. However, a psoriasis positive person’s skin cells would grow biweekly, instead of monthly, and the dead skin cells will accumulate on the skin’s surface quicker than the body can shed it. This overproduction of skin cells is due to an overactive immune system that mistaken healthy cells for dangerous intruders. Although, this disease can happen to anyone it is more common in people ranging from 15 to 35 years old.

Types of Psoriasis
There are five main types of psoriasis:

Erythrodermic: the infected area is large and very red
Guttate: small, pink-red spots appear in the infected area
Inverse: skin redness and irritation occurs in the armpits, groin, and anywhere the skin is overlapping
Plaque: this is the most common type of psoriasis and is evident through thick, red patches of skin being coveredwith flaky, white scales
Pustular: develops quickly, with pus-filled blisters appearing just hours after the skin becomes red and tender

Causes of Psoriasis
Psoriasis is seen more commonly within families. Due to this trait, psoriasis is assumed to be a genetic trait and passes among family members. Psoriasis is not contagious because it is caused by a person’s immune system, specifically overactive T cells. Right now, there are now definite cause, but it is assumed that both genetic and environmental factors can trigger psoriasis. Psoriasis triggers that should be avoided include:

Skin abrasion, even mild ones can cause an outbreak of psoriasis
Cold weather
Dry skin
Sunburn
Viral or drug rashes
Stress
Smoking
Alcohol consumption
Certain drugs such as:
- Chloroquine used to treat or prevent malaria
- ACE inhibitors used to treat high blood pressure
- Lithium used to treat bipolar disorder
- Indocin is an anti-inflammatory medication
- Corticosteroids used to decrease inflammation and to reduce immune system activity

Symptoms of Psoriasis
Psoriasis can occur anywhere on the body that generates skin cells, but are more common on the elbows, knees, and torso. Psoriasis can appear suddenly or slowly and is seen as irritated patches on the skin. The skin patches may be:

Itchy
Dry and covered with silver, flaky skin
Salmon colored
Raised and thick, since it is an accumulation of dead skin cells

Treatment for Psoriasis
Most cases of psoriasis are treated with medications that are rubbed directly onto the skin or scalp:

Cortisone creams and ointments
Creams or ointments that contain coal tar or anthralin
Creams that remove the scaling (active ingredient should include salicylic acid and/or lactic acid)
Dandruff shampoo (if you have scalp psoriasis)
Moisturizers
Medicine containing vitamin D or vitamin A

Light Therapy (phototherapy) exposes the skin to natural or artificial UV light:

UVB phototherapy
Narrowband UVB therapy
Goeckerman therapy
Excimer laser
Pulsed dye laser

Diet to Help Treat Psoriasis
There is no legit diet that has been proven to cure psoriasis but due to the research done on psoriasis patients there is a “suggestive” diet that has improved the occurrence of psoriasis. The “suggestive” diet that will help treat psoriasis include:

Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables
Minimizing red meats, processed foods, and refined carbohydrates
In taking small amounts of protein from fish and birds
Taking fiber supplements and olive oil
Increasing anti-inflammatory omega-3 fish oil intake
A gluten-free diet, which would reduce anti-gliadian antibodies seen in people with psoriasis

Ultimately, when you suspect you might have psoriasis go visit your health care provider. It will save you a lot of pain and trouble in the long run.

Filed Under: Skin Care Tagged With: psoriasis, psoriasis diet, skin care

How To Get Fair Skin

October 5, 2011 By Lynn Leave a Comment

Angela Zhang Fair skin can mean many things but it is mainly associated with light clear beautiful skin. If you are not dark due to genetics, then it’s due to long sun exposure. When you are exposed to the sun for long periods of time, melanin starts producing which give you a darker complexion, known as getting tanned. UVA-radiation generates oxidative stress that oxidizes your existing melanin and thus makes you darker. For those of you who want to obtain this “fair” skin that you see most celebrities sporting, here are some tips on how to obtain that fair complexion.

First, AVOID the sun. If you need to go out into the sun, WEAR SUNBLOCK! Using sunblock with a high SPF will block most harmful UV rays for longer periods of time. However, you still need to apply every hour or two. The minimalist sunblock you can use is one with SPF 30.

Second, drink lots of WATER. At least ten glasses per day will keep your skin hydrated and flush out the toxin in your system. An additional bonus of drinking lots of water is the reduction of those dark under-eye bags.

Third, eat healthy and exercise for at least 30 minutes every day. Your diet should include lots of fruits and veggies. Antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, pears, cherries, pomegranates, and plums are especially beneficial to the skin. While exercising get rid of excess toxins through sweating, exercising also increases your blood circulation and relaxes your muscles.

Fourth, exfoliate or buff out your skin. Your skin is your body’s best method of releasing toxins and wastes through sweating. When it get clogged through pollutants and excess dead skin cells, your body is less effective in eliminating. As a result, your skin will look dull and rough. Buff your skin at least once a week just as you would exfoliate your face once a week. K.L Thu Cao gives excellent advice on a buffer with body polish that will help you obtain fair skin.

Fifth, try hydrogen peroxide therapy. Hydrogen peroxide is water with an extra oxygen molecule bonded to it. The extra oxygen atom is highly reactive with chemical pollutants, toxins, bacteria, and viruses. It kills those that bring harm to your skin and body. After taking a shower, rub your skin down with a cotton ball soaked in 3% hydrogen peroxide. This will detoxify and cleanse your body.

Last but not least, six, DIY treatments like facial masks. Some of my favorite facial treatments that not only cleanse your skin but lighten it include:

Vitamin C facial mask. Dissolve Vitamin C tablets and mix in honey. Apply it to your face until it’s dry before washing it off with cool water.
Cucumber facial mask. Blend a small portion of a cucumber and rub onto your face. Leave for about 15 minutes before washing off with cool water.
Aloe Vera facial mask. Take the gel of an Aloe Vera plant and rub onto your face. Wait until it dries before rubbing it off. If you don’t know how to extract the Aloe Vera gel out of the plant, look below for a video instructions.
Yogurt facial mask. Mix plain yogurt with honey and put on your face. Wash off the facial with milk and then cool water.

Radiant fair skin comes from within and without. You can do all the facial treatments you want but you won’t obtain that inward healthy glow from a healthy balanced diet and exercise. You can eat great and exercise every day, but if you don’t remove excess dead skin cells or detox your skin then you’ll end up looking dull.

Filed Under: Skin Care Tagged With: exfoliate, how to get fair skin, skin care