Lifestyle Choices

Proper cleansing can be the most important part of your skincare routine! Not only is it absolutely necessary to get your face clean without irritating your skin (often a delicate balance), but you can also treat your skin by the way you wash and the soap or cleanser you use. Your bath or shower can be your best friend, your greatest indulgence and your most important key to excellent health and a great, young appearance.

Getting the product right!

Your skin is by nature slightly acidic (with a pH of about 5.5). Until recently, most soaps and cleansers were the opposite — slightly alkaline. The result was dry skin! With advances in cosmetic chemistry, no longer do you have to choose from only harsh, alkaline products. (more…)

Unlike sunscreen (which everyone absolutely needs), not everyone needs a moisturizer, especially on the face. If you have oily skin, you are often better off without. As a dermatologist, I see many problems stemming from excessive or inappropriate use of moisturizers on the face. If you have an oily complexion but feel you need a moisturizer for non-oily parts of your face, use an oil-free formulation. Everyone should beware of exotic oils, fragrances, protein extracts, or enzymes; rarely useful, they are often irritating. (more…)

The Cause

Oily skin is the result of overactive sebaceous glands, which usually occurs due to a hormonal imbalance in the body. Occasionally a diet too high in fats and fried foods or refined sugar can contribute to the condition, as can too much stimulation of the sebaceous glands by heat, the sun, or skin-care products containing chemicals such as sulfur, which, although they are designed to dry out the condition, in the long run work in a counterproductive way by removing too much oil and thereby stimulating the glands to produce yet more. Studies show that people on diets slightly deficient in some of the B group of vitamins rapidly develop whiteheads, blackheads, and oily hair and skin. (more…)

Masks are one of the mysteries of the cosmetic world. The manufactured kinds come in many varieties and are designed for several purposes. You have to pick the right one for the right purpose. Many women don’t. This is probably why they are often disappointed. Dermatologists disagree about their effectiveness. While some swear by them, others consider them little more than cosmetic security blankets. Chosen carefully,

I believe, a mask can be a boon to beauty.

A mask is designed to perform one of the mire specific tasks: to deep- cleanse, to tone, to stimulate circulation, to moisturize the skin, or to exfoliate—that is, to remove the outer layers of dead epidermal cells so the skin is refined and left more receptive to whatever treatment product you choose to put on it after. Most commercial masks contain a great amount of water, which makes their evaporation rate rapid and gives the skin a cooling and soothing feel. But this is of little more than psychological help to the user. The deep response to elements in a mask comes through the vascular network in the dermis, where active ingredients coupled with physical tension from the mask drying on the skin bring about increased circulation and help stimulate cellular activity. (more…)

Blackheads—the Cause

A blackhead—in medical terms, an open comedo—consists of a solid plug of oil that clogs the pore and then blackens due to oxidation on exposure to the air. If it is left alone it will simply stay there in the skin. Blackheads do not cure themselves.

Prevention and Cure

Blackheads on oily areas of the face (such as around the nose and chin) that are not inflamed can be removed easily by steaming the skin first or by applying hot compresses using flannel dipped in hot water and wrung out—hot water to which bicarbonate of soda has been added at a ratio of 1. tablespoon to each pint. This opens the pores and loosens the oily material. Then gently, with scrupulously clean hands and the tips of your fingers wrapped in facial tissue, you can ease out the plugs. Never use your nails. Finish off the treatment with the application of an antiseptic cream. (more…)

What can be done for dry Hair?

That depends on the cause of the dryness. If your hair is naturally dry due to there being fewer than normal oil glands in the scalp, then it will still be strong and healthy hair—not at all the same thing as a head of hair that is dry from overprocessing (permanent waving and coloring), overexposure to the sun, or overuse of hot-air dryers and heated rollers. Then the individual hairs are weak and fragile. Naturally-dry hair needs an occasional oil treatment to coat the cuticle and help protect it from further moisture loss—in other words, to replace the hair’s natural oils, which should be doing the job themselves.

Here’s how to give an oil treatment: Place 2 ounces of olive oil in a blender and add to it the same amount of boiling water. Turn on high for a few seconds, until all the oil has been broken up into little droplets, and then immediately put it on your dry hair, massaging it in well all over. (more…)

Restoring Lustre to Dull Hair

Dry hair

250 ml (1 cup) strong rosemary tea, 250 ml (1 cup) herb to 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water

12,5 ml (1 tbsp) sweet almond oil

few drops rosemary or lavender oil

Use as a setting lotion or brush a little into the hair after shampooing.

Oily hair

2 eggs

250 ml (1 cup) rum

250 ml (1 cup) freshly made rosewater (boil up 500 ml (2 cups) rose petals in 375 ml (11/2 cups) water for 5 minutes.

Stand, cool, strain)

Whisk eggs and rum into rosewater and massage through the hair. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with a herbal rinse. (more…)

STRAWBERRY (Fragaria vesca)

Strawberry leaves make an excellent astringent wash and, used in the bath, are particularly good for oily skins. Brew up 250 ml (1 cup) leaves to 750 ml (3 cups) boiling water, stand, steep and cool. Use ripe, mashed fruit as a face pack — it is astringent and tightening. Combine with oats or mealiemeal as a cleansing and invigorating face pack for oily skin and coarse pores.

SUNFLOWER (Helianthus annuus)

Ground sunflower seeds make an excellent nutritious face pack. Grind 500 ml (2 cups) seeds and mix with milk for dry skins and yoghurt for oily skins, to form a paste. Apply to a clean, damp face and allow it to dry (I find 20 minutes is about the time needed — relax and read a book). Wash off with warm water. Use sunflower petals in hair rinses for blonde hair.

TANSY (Tanacetum vulgare)

Tansy is a cleanser — make a tea of 250 ml (1 cup) leaves to 750 ml (3 cups) boiling water, stand, steep for 20 minutes and strain. Dab onto pimples and use as a wash. Combine this herb with comfrey or chamomile flowers. (more…)

Like fingerprints, everyone has a complexion that is uniquely their own. Some people have facial skin that’s oily, others have skin that tends to be dry. And some people have skin that is dry in some places and oily in others. Your age, family history, and environment can all influence your skin type.

Knowing your skin type, and learning about the best products to cleanse, tone, and moisturize is important to having your skin look its very best. Products that make one type of skin look great can do nothing at all for another type of skin.

What’s your skin type? Check these profiles to find out:

Your skin type is oily if…

1. your skin frequently looks shiny
2. you have blackheads or blemishes frequently
3. you have few visible lines

(more…)