But beware, mens skin care products can be as dangerous as womens skin care products

In the bad old days in the past skin care for men, if anyone was interested, was rarely discussed. Hair care, cosmetics, skin care products and so on were women’s business. But no longer. Skin products for men are mainstream now, and there is a burgeoning market for natural men’s skin care products.

Men, like women, are now beginning to understand that good skin care is about health as much as it is about looks. That’s because there is a gradual realisation that staying healthy is all about being healthy on the inside, or in other words exercising, eating right and doing everything else that we know we should be doing to keep ourselves healthy.

And although our skin is on the outside it is also an important organ of the body, and keeping your skin healthy is one of the important steps to keeping your body healthy.

I’ll give you an example. Depending on which country you live in melanoma, or what is commonly called skin cancer, is now one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers, and also kills many people. Melanoma, according to the scientists, is triggered by excess exposure to the sun, in other words too much sunburn and too much UV radiation. And whilst there are other factors one of the biggest things we can do to protect our health and our skin is to avoid sunburn.

So keeping our skin healthy can affect our overall health.

Not only that but men are also becoming more aware of their looks and more understanding of the fact that good skin care can keep the visible signs of ageing at bay.

However all the same risks and warnings apply to skin products for men as apply to skin products for women. Many of the mainstream men’s skincare products have a range of chemical and petrochemical ingredients, many of which are known to be unhealthy. Women’s skin care products are suspect for this reason, but men’s skin care products contain many of the same ingredients. To find out more about some of these specific ingredients read our categories on the right.

This is why natural men’s skin care products are now becoming big sellers, just as natural women’s skin care products are and have been for years.

That’s because the best natural men’s skin care products use only natural ingredients taken from natural sources such as plants, seaweeds and the wool of sheep, and which are known to pose no risks to either the skin or the health.

There’s just as many reasons why men should take care of their skin and stay healthy. And there’s also good reasons why men should feel good about looking as young as possible.

But if you’re looking for skin products for men remember, many of the mainstream brands that you see on the shelves of your local store contain potentially dangerous ingredients which may harm your health and your skin. Read more of our website if this comes as news to you.

So men, go for it. Use high quality natural men’s skin care products, keep your skin healthier and look better. Read the rest of this entry

Excessively dry skin can be a serious, but not insurmountable, problem.

Do you suffer from excessively dry skin? If so you’re not alone. Dry skin is a problem that is affecting millions of women, and one of the most irritating skin problems.

Xerosis is the technical name for excessive skin dryness. Xerosis can become evident on different areas of the body, commonly on the scalp, the thighs and the abdomen and the arms and legs. Whilst not commonly encountered on the face it is also possible there as well.

Excessively dry skin can be both unsightly and irritating, and can lead to peeling of the skin, flaking, itching, redness and even cracks which open up in the skin. It can even lead to illness because cracks in the skin can allow for the entry of various nasties like infection.

The skin can feel “tight” as well as dehydrated.

Skin produces it’s own oils. The oils produced by the skin are called sebum, and these are produced in the sebaceous glands. Well moisturized skin is skin with an adequate supply of natural oils.

If your sebaceous glands do not produce sufficient oil the skin can become dehydrated, leading to dryness. This can also be exacerbated by various other contributing factors such as specific skin conditions including dermatitis and psoriasis as well as environmental conditions such as overexposure to the sun or the wind. Internal environmental conditions such as excessive heating or air-conditioning can contribute.

And specific medical conditions such as diabetes can also be a risk factor.

It is also quite possible to suffer excessively dry skin as a result of the use of various skin care products and cosmetics which contain chemical and petrochemical ingredients ingredients which of themselves can irritate the skin and lead to excessive dryness.

Poor diet can also contribute.

There are some simple things that you can do to help address problems of excessively dry skin, though if the problem is serious you should always consult your doctor first.

Several easy things to do which may help are to avoid excessively hot showers which can strip some of the oils from skin and to avoid harsh soaps which can do the same. There are some wonderful soaps available made from all natural ingredients which may, of themselves, offer some relief.

And if you live somewhere hot and rely on air-conditioning a lot of the time then make sure there is a humidifier in the room to keep humidity higher.

It’s quite possible to get excellent skin care products which help care for dry skin. However you have to be careful when buying skin care products because these can be the source of the problem rather than the solution.

In fact, contrary to what you might expect, many skin care products contain chemical and petrochemical ingredients which can actually cause skin problems rather than resolve them.

Some common ingredients found in many skin care products, and others, are known to irritate the skin, and to put users at risk of various other health problems. Sodium laurel sulfate is an example of one such ingredient which is found in some skin care products as well as other personal products such as shampoos and conditioners. Studies on sodium laurel sulfate have shown skin irritation in laboratory animals with very low doses of sodium laurel sulfate.

If you suffer from excessively dry skin you need to be extremely careful when choosing your skin care products. In our view high quality natural skin care products that do not use chemical and petrochemical ingredients such as sodium laurel sulfate are well worth investigating.

It has been known for many years that there are excellent natural substances that are very effective at promoting skin hydration, and which are entirely safe to use on the skin. Avocado oil, macadamia nut oil and Shea butter are 3 examples of such natural ingredients however there are many more.

Of course these ingredients can be used by any skin care product manufacturer in their products, however the reality is the majority choose not to, not because they are ineffective, in fact they are highly effective, but they are much more expensive than the chemical alternatives.

Fortunately some small niche skin care companies, one in particular, are prepared to manufacture high quality natural skin care products utilising such ingredients in their products, and the results are some extremely high quality in care products which can be extremely useful in combating dry skin problems. The Age Defense Body Lotion from Xtend Life is probably one of the best things you can do to tackle your problem of excessive skin dryness.

Ultimately the goal of any skin care product is to enhance skin moisture levels, to increase the stores of collagen and elastin in the skin and to increase overall skin health. Do this and any skin type, including excessively dry skin, will respond positively. Read the rest of this entry

Are Anti Wrinkle Night Creams dangerous? Surely not?

Anti wrinkle night creams. There’s quite a few around and it can be a little confusing trying to work out how to choose a good wrinkle night cream from amongst all those available.

Lets have a look at night creams, what to look out for, what to look for, and why you should be extremely careful in your choice.

If you’ve read much of our website you will know that many mainstream skin care and anti aging products contain ingredients which may well be harmful to your skin and to your health. If this is news to you then by all means spend some time browsing our website.

Unfortunately all the same concerns that apply to a wide range of other skin care products also apply to night creams, and those that are often promoted as the best night cream available may in fact be harmful, including some big names.

Lets consider the Avon Solutions Complete Balance Night Cream. This is a product promoted as a moisturiser and skin care product for people with “combination” skin, or in other words not always dry and not always oily.

Search that product at the Cosmetic Safety Database and you’ll find that on a hazard score from 0 to 10, where 10 equals the highest hazard, this product scores and 8/10, meaning that it is considered by the Cosmetic Safety Database to offer a high health hazard. According to the database concerns include links to cancer and reproductive toxicity, allergies, neurotoxicity and much more.

And if you read the page further you will find a list of the individual ingredients that, in the opinion of those running the database, lead to this score. First amongst them is fragrance, which is scored as an 8/10 for hazard. Note that the database also indicate the presence of a data gap, meaning that not all the data that is necessary is available. This is normal, as the companies that make these products will readily supply data on these products to the Database.

We have written about the health hazards of fragrances in skin care products before.

Thats the bad of Anti Wrinkle Night Creams. Many may contain ingredients that can potentially damage your health. So where’s the good?

The good news is that there are excellent natural ingredients which can work extremely well to combat wrinkles and to tackle a range of other skin problems that result from ageing. Many of these natural ingredients are highly effective, are safe to use on your skin and have been eaten by generations of people. They just happen to be very good at promoting optimum skin care.

However in most cases these ingredients are not used in mainstream products because it is usually much cheaper and easier to use chemical alternatives.

Some examples are Avocado oil, Macadamia Nut oil, Manuka honey, Shea butter and much more. All of these are safe and highly effective producing high quality skin care.

Despite the fact that some companies prefer to use chemical ingredients in their anti aging products, including night creams, there is a handful of companies making high quality natural skin care products that make use of ingredients such as these to produce high-quality anti aging products, including effective anti wrinkle night creams, using all safe and effective ingredients.

Our preference is the Restorative Night Cream from Xtend Life, an excellent New Zealand company that manufactures high quality natural skin care products. This night cream is, in our view, the best night cream available on the market, meaning that it is not only effective to use but also safe to use.

The active ingredients are targeted at improving the levels of collagen and elastin in the skin, reducing the actions of free radicals as well as helping maintain levels of beneficial enzymes in your skin.

Studies have shown that these ingredients are highly effective. Read the rest of this entry