Basic Beauty Essentials :: Beauty

Basic Beauty Essentials
by author Cindy Mortimer

It’s a big day tomorrow–a job interview, a date, a friend’s wedding, your wedding–and you’re relaxing for the evening. A final look in the mirror before bed and, horror! A giant red blemish is staring back at you.

It’s unfortunate but true. In times of stress or busy schedules, our skin, hair and nails often suffer the consequences of neglect. For that zit, try dabbing on a drop of tea tree oil to reduce inflammation and kill bacteria. Here are a few other easy solutions for those last-minute makeovers.

Glowing Skin

Exfoliation will remove the buildup of old skin cells and give your complexion a healthy glow. The night before a big event, begin by washing your face. Then open your pores using a warm, wet washcloth that has been dabbed with your favourite essential oil. Use a small amount of sea salt or oatmeal blended with a few drops of warm water and massage the mixture into your face using small circular movements. Finally, rinse your skin with cool water and moisturize your face with a product that’s specifically designed for your skin type.

Face Smoother

A bit of pampering can make you feel immediately better about facing any upcoming challenge. A quick yogurt-honey mask can be prepared by mixing one tablespoon (15 ml) each of the two ingredients. The moisturizing, soothing and hydrating actions will also help clear up any complexion problems.

Sleep Saver

Can’t seem to fall asleep? This hydrotherapy solution for insomnia sounds strange but works surprisingly well. Run cold water over a pair of cotton socks and wring them out. Put them on, followed by a pair of dry, woolen socks. Crawl into bed for half an hour–or all night if you end up falling asleep right away.

Shiny Hair

Glossy hair can be achieved with a deep conditioning treatment. Mash an avocado, which contains vitamins B and E, essential fatty acids and magnesium, with enough olive oil to make a smooth cream. Massage the mixture into your scalp and hair. After an hour, wash out the paste with shampoo and apply an apple cider vinegar rinse. The rinse will shrink the hair cuticles, rebalance its pH level and give hair shafts a smoother texture for more shine.

Hard As Nails

Rosehip oil is an excellent all-in-one nail treatment. It contains prostaglandin, which strengthens your nail cells, increases circulation and stimulates growth. The vitamin C content helps prevent nail infections and its fatty acids replenish lost moisture. Finish off by buffing your nails gently for a vibrant shine.

Sweet Breath

Eat parsley or mint with a meal to neutralize offensive breath. Make your own breath freshener by combining a couple of drops of parsley or peppermint oil with water in a purse-size container. For whiter, stronger teeth, toothpastes that contain calcium, baking soda or sea salt will help remove plaque buildup. Ingredients such as antiseptic tea tree oil, myrrh, cloves or cinnamon will help prevent gum disease.

Smooth Shave

To prevent your skin from becoming inflamed during shaving, use a shaving lotion that contains herbs such as sage, arnica or chamomile to promote healing. Peppermint, horsetail, orange flower and lemongrass are antibacterial agents, while comfrey, silica and coconut oil provide moisture to the newly shaved skin.

Shiatsu Fatigue Fighter

A quick shiatsu (Japanese massage) technique is believed to help relieve feelings of fatigue. Using the thumb and index finger of your left hand, press firmly on the last joint near the tip of your little finger on your right hand. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds, releasing slowly. After 10 seconds, repeat up to five times if desired.

Scentual De-Stresser

Aromatherapy can offer a quick way to relax your nerves or provide a natural pick-me-up. Put four drops of chamomile and two drops each of sandalwood and bergamot onto a handkerchief. Breathe deeply through the nose, out through the mouth for a few minutes and you’ll feel the effects. Conversely, if you’re feeling tired, a drop of peppermint oil rubbed on the temples (watch the eyes!) is a mental stimulant.

Feed Your Skin

Vitamin A promotes new cell development while combating skin dryness. It is found in milk, eggs, cantaloupe and dark green and yellow vegetables.

Vitamin B helps cleanse your skin of dead cells and helps repair and regenerate cells. It is available in brewer’s yeast, tomatoes, legumes, whole grains, mushrooms and yogurt.

Vitamin C has strong antibacterial properties that work to clear up skin conditions and repair broken capillaries. It is obtained by eating citrus fruits, strawberries, cabbages, tomatoes and dark green and yellow vegetables.

Vitamin E has strong curative powers and reconditions cracked skin. Vegetable oils, wheat germ, nuts, legumes and fresh vegetables are good sources.

Zinc regulates your oil glands and is available in dairy foods, whole grains, beans, peas, brewer’s yeast and nuts.

A beauty writer and frequent magazine contributor, Cindy Mortimer is a kinesiologist living a wholistic, vegetarian life in Toronto, ON.

Source: alive #239, September 2002

Stories Skin Can Tell
Some of us might blame our bathroom lighting for the dark circles under our eyes and our pale faces. But eczema, psoriasis, blemishes, blackheads, acne and scarring can't be so easily dismissed.

Nails
Nails are one of the last parts of our body to receive blood and nutrients during times of illness. Therefore, nail appearance is a signal of vitamin or mineral deficiency or body changes. But that's not the whole story. How you take care of your nails is also important. Our nails are colorless and transparent..

Papaya Skin Care
And you thought this beautiful tropical fruit was just for eating! Perk up your skin and eliminate the day's worries with papaya. It's beneficial for skin care and repair.

The Spa Tree
Is your holiday gift list challenging? Why not treat everyone on your list to a little home spa decadence. Pick one or more of the products on the tree to give to your loved and dear ones-and wait for the "oooos and ahaaas" of appreciation.

Look Good While Fighting Cancer
Cancer occurs when the immune system is down and normal protective measures are insufficient. Cells within the body are defective or damaged. Most cases of cancer are preventable.

Banish Bumpy Thighs
Around this time of year many women are pulling their bathing suits out of winter storage and standing in front of the mirror to examine their thighs for the dreaded cellulit.

See Ya Later Alligator
Beautiful soft skin starts with good nutrition. That means a healthy diet of whole, (not processed) foods and lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and beans.

Good Oils, Great Hair!
Most people try and remove the oil from their hair. That's the worst thing to do. Your hair needs the essential fats and acids found in essential oils to make it healthy and luxurious. Healthy hair is just a drop away. Here are some sure-fire recipes to give you the hair everybody envies.

Simple Steps to Beautiful Skin
Healthy skin glows from within! It's a product of proper nutrition--a whole food diet with a strong emphasis on raw fruit and vegetables. But don't stop at diet! A three-step routine of cleansing, toning and moisturizing twice a day also plays a vital role.

Beauty Treatments in a Travel Pouch
Keep it simple. That's the key to skin care when travelling. Bear in mind that when travelling, your skin may be exposed to heat, sun, salt water and humidity. All have an impact on your skin and hair, even over a short period of time.

Holiday Hair and Nails
The gift of healthy hair and nails can be yours this season with help from a nutritious diet, supplements and pampering beauty treatments. Luxurious hair starts beneath your scalp in the papilla, where new hair follicles are produced. There are openings for sebum (oil) from the skin's sebaceous gland to flow.

Hair Analysis
Doctors criticize the validity of hair mineral analysis as unscientific, and some alternative health-care providers have even been disciplined by medical licensing bodies for ordering hair mineral analyses.

Want the Buzz on Bee-Autiful Skin Care?
Isn't Mother Nature grand? Consider, for instance, the miracle of the common North American honeybee (Apis mellifera). This productive creature accomplishes more in its brief lifespan of a few months than you and I are likely to accomplish in the same number of years.

Healthy Hair: Your Crowning Glory
Soft, shiny and manageable-hair that begs to be touched! It seems that everybody wants trend-setting hair like Jennifer Anniston or Brad Pitt. But before investing in a haircut with a hefty price tag, start by examining the hair products you use, your hair care routine and the foods you eat.

Nutrients for Nourished Skin
If you eat well to feel good, you'll be happy to learn that the benefits of a balanced diet are also visible in the mirror! Skin requires a variety of vitamins and nutrients to keep it healthy, glowing and youthfu.

Edible Summer Beauty
Who can resist the rainbow array of summer fruits at the market? Rich pink watermelon and raspberries, shiny bright oranges, polished yellow lemons, plump green grapes and sapphire blueberries--in this time of artificially taste-enhanced foods, it .

Maintain Your Mane
As we age, our beauty needs change. Daily life is fast-paced no matter how old you are, but as you age it's more important than ever to ensure you're addressing your body's changing needs--both internally and externally. Take hair, for instance.

Skin
Your skin is amazing. It protects your body against injury and infections, helps maintain your body temperature, prevents dehydration and even acts as a storehouse for nutrients and water.

Give Your Skin the Brush Off!
Beautiful skin reflects our overall health and general well-being--and rightly so. The skin is the largest organ of the human body, renewing some of its cells every 24 hours.

Universal Skin Care
Most people are born with good, healthy skin, so why-for the majority of us-is skin care confusing and frustrating? It's easy to become confused by the concept of "skin types.

The Young and the Wrinkleless
Proper skin care should start at an early age.

Five Skin-Care Myths and Miracles
Sunscreens give a false sense of security. Designed to block sunrays for short periods of time to prevent burning, they cannot extend the duration of your exposure to the sun. Protecting the skin from burns inflicted by the sun takes more than just sunscreen.

Beautiful Beginnings
In the months ahead, resolve to give some thought to your skin and your beauty routin.

Homeopathy and Skin Problems
My daughter comes bounding in, friend in tow, and I'm called on to help remedy an insufferable skin ras.

Beautiful Skin-Injection-Free
Many fashion trends come and go over the years but have you heard of the latest trend-cocktail botox parties? People go to a party and pay hundreds of dollars to have botulinum toxin injected into their faces.

Natural Hair Makeover
If you're spending money on expensive hair products that don't deliver their promise of shiny and silky strands, perhaps it's your nutrition that's the problem.

Complexion Perfection
Wouldn't it be great if solving skin dilemmas was as simple as slapping on a fancy face cream or visiting a swanky spa? Too often people resort to expensive, superficial skin treatments without considering the underlying cause of their beauty concerns..

Natural Beauty
Do you ever wonder how celebrities get their skin so smooth, flawless, and wrinkle-free? Do you wonder what beauty treatments might help you achieve that same youthful glow? Well, truth be told, no beauty treatment can be truly successful without a good bas.

Hanging on to Your Hair
Dawn, age 36, is a busy mother of two whose hair has been thinning since the birth of her second child three years ago. Visiting my clinic, she expresses dismay that others can see her scalp when she wears her hair pulled back.

Reduce Cellulite Naturally
I have always been jealous of my friend, who is naturally petite, eats all she wants, and never seems to gain a pound. But despite how skinny she is, she still complains of cellulite.

Mesotherapy
When dimples start appearing in the wrong set of cheeks, a new alternative therapy called mesotherapy might be the perfect answer. Mesotherapy is the newest cellulite solution in cosmetic and aesthetic medical circles. But what's it all about?

Cultivating Beauty
We're surrounded by the pinks, yellows, and fragrant purples of summertime - and much of this comes courtesy of a green thumb. Unfortunately, that thumb might eventually sport a painful and unsightly callus or two.

Pamper Your Piggies
Are your feet still hibernating and sweating it out in winter boots? Summer is just around the corner, so give those tootsies a kick-start on the sandal season with a rejuvenating pedicure.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel!
If your hair isn't happy, pay attention! Dry frizzy hair, hair that lacks shine, is thin or sheds, an oily scalp or brittle strands that break are all signs of poor health. If your hair is gradually thinning, you may have an under-functioning thyroid or iron deficiency anemia.

Essential Oils
Since ancient times, people have used the quintessence of plants to optimize their health, and they have done so with the help of essential oils, which are concentrated aromatic liquids extracted from various species of plants, flowers, leaves, grasses, fruits, roots, and trees.

Help Yourself Soothe Your Soles
Your pretty painted toenails match your new spring sandals, but the rear view of your foot doesn't look so appealing. Footwear can be serious fun for many women, but dry cracked heels may spoil the joy. Those discoloured and dry heels can be unsightly, uncomfortable, and even painful.

Fabulous Fast Fixes
Stylist Dalida Dagher of Marc Anthony's salon on Avenue Road in Toronto offers some quick tips for gorgeous hair everyday.

Expose Your Natural Beauty with Exfoliants
Dermatologists and cosmeticians agree (and they rarely agree) that exfoliation should be part of a beauty regimen for your skin. Exfoliation removes old dead skin cells from Irface of the skin.

All Aglow
From sunburn to psoriasis, acne to eczema, inflammation is often the common thread in most skin conditions. As nutritional medicine advances, it is becoming increasingly clear that a diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids from fish can influence inflammation and promote healthy skin.

Skin Care 101
Judging by the ads we see on television, you might think you need a Master's degree in chemistry to choose quality skin care products. While earning the degree is a fabulous accomplishment, proper skin care isn't that complicated.

Healthy Skin
A multitude of skin problems, including eczema, acne, dermatitis (inflammatory conditions of the skin), hives (raised blotchy welts) and rashes have been linked to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.

Living Beauty
The notion that "beauty is only skin deep may no longer hold true. In the new "Living Beauty, nutrition consultant and Canadian health advocate Lisa Petty points out a surprising number of ways that our external appearance can provide insight to the state of our inner health. Simply put: with health, comes beauty.

Pamper Yourself
Looking for something to brighten your February day? Try a little pampering. It's easy once you get the hang of it. First, take time out of your regular routine to focus solely on yourself. Then choose one of these three pampering ideas. You'll find they're all easy on your bank account.

The Natural Makeover Diet
Our faces don't lie. You can determine the state of a woman's health simply by looking at her skin, hair, and nails. Try as we might, no amount or makeup will work to change those suitcases under our eyes or the alligator skin on our hands.

Cannabis Cosmetics
Hempseed (Cannabis sativa L.) is one of the healthiest, nontoxic, and abundant sources of oil. Beauty products made from organic, cold-pressed hempseed oil are great for skin, scalp, nails, and hair because they are an excellent source of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) omega-3 and omega-6.

Maintaining that Manly Mug
Men have come a long way since the days of shaving with a cutthroat razor and bar soap. Today when the average male selects his personal care products, he knows what he is expecting from them. Here is a look at some natural personal care products including moisturizers, shave cremes, aftershave lotions, and sunscreens.

Healthy Hair
Hair is essentially protein, so be sure that you're getting an adequate supply. Look to legumes like beans, peas, lentils, and fermented soybean products for nutrient-rich vegetarian protein sources, along with moderate amounts of meat and fish. Because your hairs' cuticles are rich in silicon, be sure to include dietary silicon in your diet to provide elasticity and strength to hair.

Big, Fat Beautiful Hair
Strong, healthy hair and smooth, glowing skin requires a daily intake of essential fatty acids (EFAs). These natural oils help build a soft flexible cell wall, resulting in smoother hair and skin. Our bodies crave fat because cells use these good fats to regenerate and build new tissue.

Beauty Without Injections
In their search for quick fixes to defy the signs of aging, many people turn to facial injections. The injected substances can include anything from a protein produced by the same bacteria that causes botulism, to fat, collagen, and even silicone to fill in wrinkles.

Topical Antioxidants
Skin performs many important physiological functions and is extremely susceptible to free-radical damage. To function optimally and stay healthy, your skin needs nourishing with antioxidants from the inside and outside. For our overall health, we need supplements in addition to a healthy diet. But for the health of our skin, internal nourishment is not enough: topical antioxidants are essential.

Don't Crack Under Pressure
While hiding under layers of clothing might take the bite out of winter, the dry air that comes with cold weather and the heat of the furnace can cause a different pain-in the form of dehydrated, itchy skin. Luckily, you can beat Jack Frost at his game.

Healthy Glow Food Sources
Vitamin A--fish liver oil, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables

Vitamin B complex--bran, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, b.

Winter Skin Hydration

Fine Line Eraser

Nail Bites

Winter Essentials

Cellulite Solutions

Refined Starches Behind Pimple Problem

Duct Tape Banishes Warts

MMA Alert!

Nature's Own Skin-care Technology

Cut Long Hair for a Cause

Harmful Hairspray?

Clear Your Skin-With Tea

Be Cautious of "Cruelty-Free

Fake nail warning

White tea protects against sun damage

Looking good
Quick tips to perk up down days We all have those days: hair looks limp and lifeless, skin looks slate grey, a pimple has appeared literally overnight, and the lips sting as a cold sore lurks.

DBP and birth defects

Natural sunscreens

Healthy hair massage

Facial clay

Clay mask

Derma E®
You're looking for healthy beauty products. Would you choose an expensive fancy jar containing seven-syllable ingredients promising overnight beauty, or would you rather trust a natural product that incorporates antioxidants, vitamins, and herbal remedies to produce therapeutic results?

Refresh Your Flesh

Skin Detoxifying Juice

Face Cleansing Juice

Hold on...to Your Hair!

Make Moisturizers Your Best Friends

Hats Off to Luscious Locks
Nothing ruins your hairdo faster than a woolly toque-except, of course, the dull, dry, flyaway hair that often accompanies cold winter months. Happily, you don't have to hide your hair under a hat to survive the winter hair season.

Slough It Off
Mother Nature knew her stuff when she designed cell replacement. Skin cells created in the dermis layer push up to replace old cells on the skin's surface, causing the dead cells to flake off or exfoliate. This is nature's way of replenishing the skin.

Au Naturel?
There's nothing more refreshing than the nighttime ritual of removing the grime, stale makeup, and leftover traces of the day from your face and body. Your bid to freshen up, however, could leave you with more than dirt on your skin if your cleansing products aren't natural.

Cold Sores
Ouch! You've got a tingling, itching, or burning sensation around your lips that can mean only one thing: your skin is about to erupt in an unsightly cold sore. Here's what to do.

Bald and Beautiful
Most of us take our hair for granted. Only when we're faced with losing it do we realize how important it is to our self-esteem. It's our "crowning glory and we define ourselves by its colour.

A Close Shave
Over his lifetime, the average man spends 9,000 hours shaving. Shaving creme and aftershave were designed to make the process easier and more pleasurable, but conventional products may be doing more harm than good.

The Perfect Spaaah!
There are thousands of spas across Canada. Every year millions of people flock to these havens for a little pampering. But how do you go about choosing the one best suited for your needs? With some guidance, the choices won't be overwhelming.

Unwrap Your Beauty
All that glistens this time of year isn't necessarily found under the tree or on a holiday table. Even with your busy schedule, your skin can also sparkle if you try these three easy beauty tips.

Face Winter Head On
We do a lot of things to prepare for the winter months-install storm windows, mount the car's snow tires, dig out the snow shovel. Why not extend that same care to your skin?

Your New Beau-Tea Secret
Green tea is best known as a healthy drink, a wise alternative to coffee, and a superb choice for the daily dieter. You know it as a "power tea.

Under the Spell
In the rush of daily life, the ritual of the spa flourishes. A distinctive trend toward using local natural resources makes falling under the spell of the spa even more magical. These four enchanting spa treatments will soothe, cleanse, rejuvenate, and beautify you.

Expose Yourself
After hiding in wool and dark colours all winter, it's almost time to break out the pastels, slide into shorts, and pop on a T-shirt.

Deeper Beauty
If you're like most women, you have a cabinet full of squeeze bottles and pump-tops whose contents attempt to mimic an ocean breeze or a vast field of lavender. Are all those different kinds of lotions really necessary, or will one type fit all your needs?

A Good Hair Day
Is your hair doing its own bidding? Are you tiring of the daily tousle with your tresses? With a minor change of style and the use of some effective natural products, your hair will look and feel so good, you'll find you can't help but feel good, too!

Chemical-Free Coiffure
Creating the perfect do can be a hair-raising experience if you're concerned about toxins in the products you use. With the newest innovations in natural hair care products, it's easy to get the look you want without the fear of ugly health consequences.

Do-It-Yourself Spa
While nothing beats spending a day at the spa, sometimes it involves a little too much spending-straining the pocketbook and leaving you more stressed than when you arrived. Instead, try these affordable homemade spa treatments.

Rethink Your Skin Care Routine
Just like your body and the foods you put in it, your skin absorbs up to 64 percent of what you put on it. Putting your largest organ on a nutritious, organic, and natural skin care diet helps to prevent the absorption of toxins through your skin.

Bathing Beauly
Lather up with these aromatherapeutic and healing bath time benefits.

Becoming a Silver Fox
Grey hair is in. It's hot. It's now. But embracing your silver side isn't as simple as letting it slowly take over your head-unless you want to spend some time looking like Cruella de Vil. You just need a little help from your favourite stylist.

Jojoba
The cosmetic properties of jojoba (pronounced ho-ho-ba) are amazing. Jojoba can bring body and shine to dull, lifeless hair. It's also great for skin care, offering simple, speedy, and surprising results.

Party Feet
Warm woollies help keep our toes warm-and hidden-in winter. But holiday parties will soon have us swapping slippers for strappy evening shoes. This means exposing our feet for the first time since we packed away the summer sandals.

Diet for Clear & Glowing Skin
In recent years it has become clear that lifestyle factors are playing an underappreciated role in the day-to-day maintenance of healthy skin, as well as the long-term prevention of the visible signs of aging.

Twinkle toes
Winter is a thing of the past and the promise of rising temperatures makes me want to throw off my socks and bare it all. I can't wait to feel the breeze caressing my soft feet and the warm sun kissing my shiny toes.

Give Dry Skin the Brush Off
Dry brushing helps the body detoxify by removing excess dead cells that hinder our natural ability to eliminate waste through the skin.