Active-Beauty.com | A Natural Beauty Product Buying Guide

A lot of people appreciate that exercise is good for you and a lot of people realize that nutritional products can do you good. Makes sense? Of course it does! But, what makes little sense is that not many people realize that you can use nutritional products to help boost the effects of the exercise you take which in turn, shows up in how your skin looks, feels and acts. So, they can give you additional benefits when combined with a solid exercise and fitness regime.Exercise alone will do you good – but, if you bolster your efforts with the right kinds of nutritional products - then you could see your success rates rise in the condition of your skin exponentially. This won’t necessarily work with all nutritional products – let’s take a look at the ones that have the best effects:

Fat Grabbers – this supplement is made from completely wholesome ingredients that have a proven track record of helping a body get rid of the fat it is storing. Basically it gets a grip of fat in your body, makes it manageable and then expels it before it can do any harm! Expelling toxins keeps the skin looking fresh and radient, a sluggish digestive tract shows up in your skin, and can become a wicked cycle.

Food Enzymes – food enzymes simply help your body digest the food you eat more effectively. A typical enzyme capsule can help you deal with digesting proteins, carbohydrates and fat. This makes sure that your digestive system stays healthy and that your body doesn’t become clogged up and remains healthy and working at a premium. As we get older our digestive process slows down, so it pays to keep attention to it.

Liquid Chlorophyll – liquid Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in plants that uses the sun for photosynthesis purposes. This substance is believed to help improve your immune system and also deodorizes your body. Chlorphyll also stabilizes the pH level in your digestive tract making sure that the right environment for digestion is maintained.

Judicious use of these kinds of natural nutritional products not just has a significant effect on issues such as weight loss and muscle tone, they also help your body maintain a healthy metabolisim, which shows up in the condition of your skin. If you are exercising regularly then you are already going a long way to keeping your body and your skin in tip top condition.

But, if you also use these kinds of supplements to help your body cope with the strains and stresses of everyday life and modern eating habits then the exercise will have a more beneficial effect.

To make sure that you get the very best results from your exercise/nutritional products skin care regime make sure you reinforce it healthy eating. If you can achieve a solid grounding in the triad of exercise, nutritional supplements and diet then you really could see phenomenal effects all over your face!

Organic skin care is becoming more popular. When you are choosing natural skin care, personal care and natural hair care products, you should become a label detective. This is the only way to ensure you purchase honest and truly natural organic skin care products.

1. Read Product Labels

The top third of the ingredients label generally lists the ingredients that comprise around 90-98% of the product. Most of this is usually water. The middle third generally represents approximately 5-8% of the product. The bottom third represents around 1-3%.

2. ‘Natural’ skin care is not always natural.

There are two definitions of the world natural.The dictionary definition: “Existing in or, formed by, nature”. The cosmetic industry definition: “Any ingredient derived from a natural substance”. Manufacturers commonly use the world ‘natural’ on labels to deceive consumers. For example, “Cocamide-DEA derived from coconut oil”. Cocamide-DEA may well be from coconut oil, but a synthetic chemical called diethanolamine is used in the extraction process. It is known to cause cancer. An ingredient is not really natural if it has been processed in this way.

3. Organic doesn’t mean what you think.

An organic certification on a product label is the only way to guarantee the integrity of a product. The definition of certified organic is as follows: “An independent third party guarantee of an organic claim”. Always look for a logo that guarantees the product’s integrity.

Certified organic products must contain a minimum of 95% organic ingredients excluding water and salt/minerals, with a small allowance for natural, non-organic ingredients that must comply with very stringent processing criteria.

There are two definitions of organic:

Organic chemistry is concerned with substances that contain carbon. Carbon is present in all living things. Legally, the cosmetics industry is allowed to label any product that contains carbon as ‘organic’. So if it contains petrol, it is organic.

Methylparaben is derived from petrochemicals, which are derived from crude oil, which is derived from living matter. It is a widely used preservative in organic skin care products such as body creams, body wash and deodorants:

So effectively methylparaben can legally be labelled as organic. Now, it is worth noting that a recent study reported traces of methylparaben in human breast cancer tumours.

The second definition of organic is, “The sustainable system of agriculture that uses natural substances & methods to create healthy nutrient rich and fertile soils”

4. Be aware of inconsistent labeling standards

In some countries, ingredients that are not allowed in certified organic foods ARE allowed in certified organic personal care and cosmetic products. This represents a lack of continuity or consistency in labeling standards.

How can food and cosmetics products have the same certified organic logo when ingredients that are allowed personal care and cosmetics are not allowed in food? Remember that if it’s on your skin, you’re drinking it!

5. There are no miracle ingredients

Vitamin C, vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, active copper and other ingredients may be touted as miracle ingredients. The fact is that there is no miracle ingredient for the skin or hair, just as there is no magic pill for curing illness and disease.

The quality of the skin is a function of feeding the body and skin high quality nutrients over time and keeping the toxin levels of the body as low as possible.

When you use high quality, certified organic products, ALL the ingredients are active. They are ALL beneficial and they all feed the skin.

Using a fitness step as part of your gym/workout routine is a popular choice nowadays. You can use a step in the gym as part of an aerobic step class or simply buy a step to use at home. The great advantage a step has for home use is that it is small, compact and easily stored. So, there really is no excuse not to buy it and use it as it won’t take up much room!

Step training is a great way of keeping your heart and lungs fighting fit and it can also help you burn fat at the same time. Basically, the step works for you as you use it to step up and down – this is often called bench stepping. Aerobic step classes are a little different – they still use a step but you will probably use it in choreographed specified routines to music and you’ll also be encouraged to use your arms more at the same time.

Buying a step to train on could be your first small ‘step’ to getting fit (sorry, bad joke!). But, you may be surprised to realize that a lot of people who choose this fitness route don’t see the right kinds of benefits from the efforts they take. And, many find it hard to use the step in the first place. This is a real shame as a step is an ideal introduction to fun and fast fitness.

The fact is that a step will only work to make you fit if you use it correctly. In this respect it is no different to any other kind of gym or fitness equipment even though it looks very simple. So, you can step away to your heart’s content – but, if you aren’t using the equipment correctly then all you’ll get is dispirited and maybe even hurt. So, before you go out and buy a step, take a look at our tips and tricks for choosing and using the fitness step .

1. Don’t step too high. Steps come in all shapes and sizes. Basically the higher you have to step, the harder you’ll be making your body work. Stepping up and down may seem real easy but once you start to do it over and over you’ll feel the strain. So, if you’re a step ‘newbie’ then start off with a lower step (up to 6 inches). Or, if you feel you’ll progress further than that then you might want to consider buying an adjustable step or one that comes with risers so you can start off low and increase the height as you go along and get more experienced. The Reebok Adjustable Platform System Step is a great option here as you can work your way up to 10 inches in nice easy stages. If you think you’ll be able to reach higher than that then consider a riser system such as The High Step .

2. Step Safely. Six inches may not seem a long way to fall but it’s actually real easy to hurt yourself if your step doesn’t work right. You should, therefore, always make sure to buy a step that can comfortably hold your weight and look out for sharp edges – they should be avoided! Take a look at the width of the step as well – very narrow steps aren’t always the best solution as it’s easy to miss and slip off. You should be able to comfortably fit your foot on the step.

3. Step Slowly. If you’re using a step for the first time, then don’t get overexcited and overdo it. You’ll see maximum fitness benefits if you can keep up a steady rhythmic pace – short bursts of frantic stepping will just tire you out. Remember, the more you practice, the better you’ll get. In order to make sure that you are using the step correctly take a couple of trial steps before you start in earnest. You should aim to have all of your sole contact the step and you should always aim for the center of the step to avoid it tipping.

Hope you find these tips and tricks useful – you’re well on the way to happy and successful stepping!

There’s been alot of activity around Active-Beauty.com lately! We are revamping our packaging, adding to our product line, changing our labels…even adding mens grooming…..work work work work work! But what’s good for you is our beauty products clearance sale!

All this great stuff is on sale!

body renewal lotion, ginger almond body butter, holistic body oil, keratin and nettle shampoo, keratin and nettle conditioner, mint scrub mask, moisture hand therapy. peel off masque, peppermint foot cream, pumpkin face scrub, reparitive moisture cream, salon style polishing shampoo, salon style volume & shine conditioner, sea kelp & panthenol shampoo, sea kelp revitalizing conditioner, shea & soy moisture intensive mask, skin renewal cleanser, skin vitality moisture fluid, tangerine face cleanser, vibran c serum, so hurry while supplies last!

A professional-looking eyebrow shape will transform your face - find out how to do it yourself:

Create the line: to determine exactly where your brow should begin, hold a makeup brush or a pencil straight up and down against one nostril. Where the pencil lands by your brow is where it should begin. The brow should end a little past your eye (if it grows down too far it will drag your eyes down). If you have a natural arch, work with it. If you need to create one, look into your eyes. The arch of your eyebrow should fall directly above the outside of your iris. Using an eyebrow pencil, fill in the brow area that you want to preserve so you can pluck outside the edges.

Pluck: begin plucking from underneath the brow, removing one hair at a time from the inside of the brow to the outside. If part of your brow is thin enough already, do not pluck that area. Pull hairs in the direction in which they grow.

Brush and trim: using a small brush, brush your brows upwards. If they are too long, trim them very conservatively, cutting only a tiny amount at a time.

Fill in: once your brows are well shaped, you can use a variety of products to enhance them or fill them in as needed, using brow fixers, tinted brow gels, brow powders or brow pencils.

Looking Good With A Hangover - Your Top 5 Tips On Looking Good The Morning After!

Let’s face it - we’ve all been there. We wake up in the morning feeling like death because we overdid it the night before. In a perfect world we staggered home, drank gallons of water to stop getting dehydrated and took the time to take off our make-up and moisturize.

Of course in the real world none of this will happen. It’s far more likely that we staggered home and fell straight into bed and felt lucky to get there in one piece! So, we wake up in the morning with hair like a birds nest, smelling like a bar and with make-up smeared all over our faces. But, there’s a more serious issue that arises here. How on earth do you get to work, looking half human, when you have this to contend with!

Don’t despair – you may feel like you can barely cope with walking never mind looking at yourself in the mirror and working out how to make things better. But, if you follow our Top 5 Tips, you’ll start to look and feel human again.

1. Get some water therapy
The first step to take on the road to recovery is to hit the shower or the bath. You aren’t looking to relax here – you’re probably late for work and have a lot to do so you need to work with military precision! Your aim here is to wash off the bar, to get rid of the cosmetics and to wake yourself up a bit. So, pick out a refreshing body wash and shampoo as they will cover all your bases.

2. Do your skin a favor
Your skin won’t hide your night out – it’s more likely to advertise exactly what you were doing! And, it won’t be happy that you left it under a layer of cosmetics the night before. So, pamper your face a bit – you’ll feel better and it will look better. You can use a facial cleanser here or a scrub – it all depends on how bad you feel and how your skin has coped overall. If you have time use a body moisturizer as well as this will energize you.

3. Pulverize your puffiness
The eyes may be the mirror to the soul – but they can also be the biggest advert for a hangover as well! If you’ve over indulged the night before, the skin under your eyes may well look puffy and saggy. All you need to do here is to make sure that you have some eye gel handy. This will reduce puffiness and help get rid of those black bags that give the game away!

4. Get rid of red eye
Your eyes don’t like nights on the town – no matter how much you do. Spending the night in smoky clubs and bars, not getting enough sleep and having to deal with the effects of alcohol will in 99.9% of cases give you a severe case of blood-shot red eyes. Again, you can solve this problem real easy by making sure you keep some eye drops in your bathroom. A couple of drops will go a long way to making your eyes sparkle again.
5. Plaster over the cracks
Now, you’ll be ready to think about make up. Chances are you’ll need some – unless, of course, you’re going for the pale and interesting look! The thing to remember here is that less is more. It’s quite tempting to think that we can make ourselves look normal by plastering on some foundation. But, the chances are this won’t work for you. If you are suffering from a hangover then you’ll look better with lighter make up that’s applied carefully. Also, a good tip here is to use an eyelash curler. This will simply make you look more awake!

Follow these 5 tips and you’re bound to look better – even with the worst hangover you can remember. Feeling better might take a little longer but you’ll at least have made a start!

Many people, especially redheads with freckles, blondes and those with a fair complexion who burn easily or tan poorly on sun exposure should be warned about the dangers of damage to the skin from sun exposure. Many people who fit into this category have Scotch-Irish-English or Scandinavian ancestry. Unfortunately, these warnings often come only after considerable damage has already been inflicted on the skin.

The effect of sunlight over the years is to weather or to prematurely age the skin. While the brown splotches, thinning, wrinkling, drying, and exposure of many prominent tiny blood vessels at the surface in these sun exposed areas are of primarily cosmetic importance, certain scaling red spots, called ACTINIC KERATOSIS, are in some cases, of more serious significance. These can, in a small number of cases, become skin cancers.

An actinic keratosis can be said to be “going to college” to learn to become a skin cancer. Fortunately, natural skin defense mechanisms assure that the “drop out rate” is high. If they look like they are going to graduate and become skin cancers, they will have to be treated with local destructive techniques. These techniques may include surgery, freezing with liquid gases, certain acids, electrosurgery, and recently through the applications of certain externally applied medications containing anticancer drugs such as 5-fluorouracil.

When an area of sun damaged skin forms a skin cancer (such as a BASAL CELL OR SQUAMOUS CELL SKIN CANCER), they are usually only invasive into the local area where they are growing. For this type of cancer to spread to other areas of the body by the blood stream or lymph channels is unusual. Just like a “bad spot” on an apple, they can be cut off and the rest of the fruit is still good. Because of the mild character of these cancers in early stages, they are the form of cancer best able to be cured by early diagnosis and treatment.

SUNLIGHT IS A FORM OF X-RAY

The damage to the skin which results from sun exposure, like x-ray, will accumulate with exposure over the years. The effect is forever stored in the memory of the skin and cannot be erased. The effect of sun damage today is only seen in years to come.

IF YOU STOP ALL FURTHER UNNECESSARY SUN EXPOSURE YOU WILL PROBABLY STILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP SKIN CHANGES IN THE FUTURE. BUT IF YOU CONTINUE TO INSULT THE ALREADY DAMAGED SKIN BY ADDITIONAL IMPROPER SUN EXPOSURE YOU WILL CERTAINLY MAKE MATTERS WORSE.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TREATMENT OF SUN DAMAGED SKIN

1. A person with sun damaged skin should visit his or her clinician at least once a year for a thorough examination of the skin in light exposed areas.

2. A person who has had a skin cancer with a sun damaged skin should keep all follow-up visits until the cancer is pronounced cured. After that, since he or she has a better than average chance of getting another skin cancer, he or she should be seen at least once a year for a similar examination.

3. Any skin growth in a sun exposed area which does not heal, bleeds, or keeps growing in size should be examined.

4. Avoid needless sun exposure whenever possible. Plan your recreational and nonessential outdoor activities for before 10 in the morning and after 3 in the afternoon. This is especially true in the months from April through October. Between the hours of 10 and 3, even the best sun protective lotion will not give adequate protection against the damaging rays. They are like wearing only underwear to keep you warm in Antarctica.

5. Use a sun protective lotion on all sun exposed areas from April through October.

6. Wear hats and protective clothing whenever possible in addition to using the sun protective lotions to shield the skin from the sun.