Keeping Dad’s Skin Safe from Over Exposure to the Sun

June 16, 2010 by 1 Comment

Some of the latest research in the area of repairing sun damaged skin and protecting it from future damage, takes its cue from the many antioxidants found in vitamins and botanicals. There’s been some debate as to whether taking these antioxidants internally as supplements or through diet is more effective than applying them topically to the skin. There is definite scientific evidence that applying Vitamins C and E topically to the skin is very effective at reversing skin damage, by wiping out the free radicals that inevitably emerge from the combination of UV radiation and some of the chemicals used to manufacture sunscreens.

But now scientists are finding that when antioxidants are added to the skin AND taken orally – they can significantly boost the skin’s natural UV-filtering properties while enhancing its defenses against free radical formation. Here are some quick tips for improving sun safety and repairing sun-damaged skin:

  1. To clean up skin that’s already damaged use skin care products that are rich in antioxidants like Vitamins C & E and Green Tea extract. Jojoba, coconut, and olive oils are excellent ingredients to look for when seeking antioxidants and other deeply restorative properties.
  2. For ongoing protection, increase your intake of vitamins and antioxidants either through diet or supplementation. Be sure to consume carotenoids like Beta-carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, and Zeaxanthin, which are found naturally in green leafy vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, corn, and eggs. Enhance your body’s ability to properly utilize these nutrients by eliminating trans-fats and reducing consumption of saturated fats. Increase your intake of Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) through flaxseed or fish oil supplements, to help balance and regulate excessively oily skin.
  3. Don’t overdo it with the sunscreens because they impede your body’s natural ability to synthesize Vitamin D –a vital nutrient that can protect you from common cancers like prostate or colon cancer. Because SPF ratings are notoriously unreliable don’t depend on sunscreens as your only form of protection. Whenever possible choose sun blocks like zinc and titanium dioxide over chemical sunscreens.
Filed Under: Men's Health Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Safe, Natural Alternative Ingredients to Hydrate, Moisturize & Protect Skin: Coconut Oil and Soap

January 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment

coconutCoconut oil for soap making has been around practically since the invention of soap. Coconut oil is the most logical and efficient oil or fat to use in manufacturing soap because it creates the best soaps –both liquid and bar soaps with a rich lather that cleans your skin while protecting it. Most commercial soaps today have coconut oil as their primary ingredient or one of their main ingredients.

The lather produced by coconut oil is the result of its solubility, which comes from the lauric acid content. Solubility is what gives the soap its fast and voluminous lather –which is doubly important for liquid soaps because when they’re diluted with water, their foaming action is reduced. The minerals in hard water also reduce the lather, which is why coconut oil soaps are the best performers in unsoftened water.

Because this oil produces such a great lather, a soap made with 100% coconut oil will actually create suds in salt water! That’s why it has a reputation as a popular soap among seamen and is often referred to as a “seaman’s soap.”

From a soap-making standpoint, coconut oil in soap adds hardness to your bar. This aspect of coconut oil is extremely valuable especially when you are creating soap with other oils that if used alone, would produce a softer soap bar.

The amount of coconut oil you use to make soap can vary, depending on what type of bar you are trying to produce. For instance, if you wanted to make a mild soap say, for use on your face, then a good guideline would be to have no more than 20% of the oils you use be from coconut. That’s because too much coconut oil in your soap can be overly drying to the skin because of the drying effect of the lauric acid. But smaller amounts of coconut oil, especially when mixed with other oils like olive, jojoba or palm kernel, will actually add moisturizing properties to your soap. Apparently, through trial and error, soap makers appear to be unanimous on this.

On the other hand, if you want to make a soap that has an incredible lather, cleans extremely well, and is very hard, then you would use coconut oil during the soap making process more liberally. Like many things in life, coming up with the correct proportions is a balancing act!

Filed Under: Ingredients, Organic Skin Care Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Safe, Natural Alternative Ingredients to Hydrate, Moisturize & Protect Skin: Coconut Oil for Hair

January 18, 2010 by 2 Comments

I remember when I was a young girl (around 8 years or so), one of my classmates was from India and her mother use to make her put coconut oil on her hair on a regular basis to condition it. Intrigued, I asked my mom if I could try it. We did it a couple of times but found it too messy to keep it up. My hair is (and has always been) very fine and lightweight so it really sagged under the weight of the oil (plus we were probably unwittingly applying way more than we needed to). My classmate’s hair, by comparison, was a lot coarser and a bit drier so she really benefited from the treatment.

So it was no surprise to me that recently, while researching the many benefits and applications of coconut oil, I discovered a little factoid: The number one reason why people in India buy coconut oil today is to condition and nurture their hair. Studies in India have been done on how effective various oils are in treating damaged hair. One study compared mineral oil, sunflower oil, and coconut oil because these are the three most commonly used oils in hair treatment products in India.

coconutAmong the three oils, coconut oil was the only one found to reduce the protein loss for both undamaged and damaged hair when used as a pre-wash and post-wash grooming product. Both sunflower and mineral oils did nothing to reduce protein loss from hair. It turns out that coconut oil, being a triglyceride of lauric acid (its main fatty acid), has a high affinity for hair proteins. Because of its low molecular weight and straight linear chain (again being a little technical here …), it’s able to fully penetrate inside the hair shaft. Due to their chemical composition, the other oils were unable to penetrate the hair shaft and as a result, failed to protect the hair from protein loss.

I imagine that the thicker and coarser your hair is, the more it can benefit from a coconut oil treatment. You probably don’t even need to apply much to see some results. You Tube abounds with videos of women who swear by it! I would start by massaging a little into your scalp before you wash your hair. Let it soak in for a while (10 minutes or so) before shampooing. See how your hair feels after it dries. If it’s still a little dry then you might want to try adding a little to your hair after it dries and see if that works better.

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Ingredients, Organic Skin Care Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Safe, Natural Alternative Ingredients to Hydrate, Moisturize & Protect Skin: Coconut Oil, A Fat Like No Other

January 14, 2010 by 2 Comments

At one time, coconut oil was mistakenly believed to be unhealthy because of its high saturated fat content (a whopping 92%), but we now know that the fat in coconut oil is a unique one – different from most all other fats – that possesses many healthful properties.

coconutAll fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. There are two ways of classifying fatty acids. The first is based on saturation in which you have saturated fats and unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated). The other is a system of classification based on molecular size or the length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. If I can get technical here for a minute … fatty acids consist of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. So you have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Coconut oil is composed mainly of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).

The vast majority of fats and oils in the American diet, whether they are saturated or unsaturated or come from animals or plants, are composed of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). The size of the fatty acid is extremely important, because our bodies respond to and metabolize each fatty acid differently depending on its size. So the physiological effects of MCFA in coconut oil are distinctly different from those of the LCFA more commonly found in our foods. The saturated fatty acids in coconut oil are predominately medium-chain fatty acids. Both the saturated and unsaturated fat found in meat, milk, eggs, and plants (including most all vegetable oils) are composed of LCFA.

As a saturated fat consisting primarily of medium chain fatty acids (MCTs), coconut oil is not easily oxidized, more easily metabolized, and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. This is true whether the oil is ingested or applied topically.

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Ingredients Tagged With: , , , , ,

Safe, Natural Alternative Ingredients to Hydrate, Moisturize & Protect Skin: The Wonder of Coconut Oil

January 11, 2010 by 3 Comments

coconutIn continuing with my monthly review of natural ingredients for the skin, this month’s focus is on the tremendous benefits of coconut oil – another miracle of nature! The word coconut usually conjures up an exotic tropical locale or a frothy pina colada in a tall glass with a brightly colored paper umbrella in it, with the soothing sounds of the surf in the background. But the coconut and it’s various parts are more than exotic … the list of health benefits and ailments that can be alleviated or even cured by coconut oil, both when ingested and when applied topically, is extensive!

The coconut provides a nutritious source of meat, juice, milk, and oil that has fed and nourished populations around the world for generations. On many islands coconut is a staple in the diet and provides the majority of the food eaten. Nearly one third of the world’s population depends on coconut to some degree for their food and their economy. Among these cultures the coconut has a long and respected history.

Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a “functional food” because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional medicine among Asian and Pacific populations. Pacific Islanders consider coconut oil to be the cure for all illness. The coconut palm is so highly valued by them as both a source of food and medicine that it is called “The Tree of Life.” Only recently has modern medical science unlocked the secrets to coconut’s amazing healing powers.

Did you know, for example, that coconut can kill some of the deadliest viruses like influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, and even AIDS? Or the bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea? It can even kill fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, and diaper rash, among other infections.

It can also Improve digestion and absorption of other nutrients, insulin secretion, and utilization of blood glucose, which makes it good for relieving the symptoms of and reducing the health risks from diabetes. It also reduces inflammation and supports tissue healing and repair, which is one of the reasons why it makes an excellent skincare oil. And these are just some of the benefits of this amazing nut!

Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Organic Skin Care Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,