Can YOU improve the beauty and quality of your skin, right now? Yes, you can! You can begin right now to improve the look and feel of your skin. To start, I’m going to share with you my list of The Golden Rules…
THE GOLDEN RULES:
- Drink more than eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day—the purest possible
- Stop consuming white sugar, and never, ever consume artificial sweeteners—they are poison to the human body, and they can even make you gain weight. Here’s a list of safe, natural sugar substitutes:
- Stevia: naturally sweet and comes in powder or liquid form; low in calories and does not cause an increase in insulin levels; and you can cook with it
- Date syrup: metabolizes slowly, doesn’t impact insulin levels, is full of natural fiber, vitamins and minerals
- Honey: brings with it a host of health-enhancing properties and can be used as a terrific face mask
- Agave nectar: sweeter than white table sugar, it’s naturally extracted from the agave fruit, does not cause blood sugar to fluctuate, can be used in beverages and baking
- Xylitol: commonly called birch sugar; is often used for baking and doesn’t cause insulin imbalances. However, xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs, so I won’t keep it in the house
- Never go to sleep for the night with makeup on. Sleeping restores the tissues of your body and dreaming restores the cells of your brain—but sleeping also restores your skin. Wearing makeup while you sleep contributes to clogged pores, wrinkles, and poor skin tone. If you have a habit of falling asleep with makeup on, cleanse your face when you come home for the day, so earlier in the evening, rather than waiting until just before bedtime. This also gives your moisturizer more of a chance to absorb into your face, rather than into your pillowcase.
- A satin pillowcase is wonderful to support beautiful skin because it’s soft and it steals less of your moisturizers, creams and serums, leaving more available to benefit your skin. Whereas cotton and even flannel pillowcases can be rough on skin, and they absorb a lot of your precious products, right off your face.
- Change your pillowcase frequently to help prevent breakouts. If you sleep on your side, try to rotate sides; over time, side-sleeping can cause creases in the skin of your face.
- Hands off! Unless you are cleansing or massaging your skin, keep your hands off. When you touch your face or rest your chin on your hand, you spread germs and dirt from your hands onto your face.
- Application sponges and brushes can be a source of contaminants that can contribute to blemishes and breakouts. Keep them clean and fresh by regularly washing them with mild soap and warm water. Rinse well and lay them on a clean towel to dry in the sunshine.
- Moisturize your face every day.
- Use a hydrating facial spray several times a day. Spray before and after moisturizing. Use your spray to set your makeup. See The Spirit of Health for my easy and natural recipe for the perfect facial spray.
- Moisturize your neck and hands several times a day. Dry, wrinkled hands and neck drastically add to the look of premature aging. Enrich your lotions by adding healthy oils, like almond oil, avocado oil, or olive oil; shake well frequently. If you have any products you don’t like to use on your face, don’t throw them out! Try using them on your hands, feet and body.
- In colder dry months, use a cool mist vaporizer to add moisture to the air in your home or office.
- Look for purity in skin care products
HOW TO LOOK FOR PURITY IN SKIN CARE PRODUCTS
Because of greed and ignorance, many skin (and hair) care products contain questionable and even dangerous ingredients and are allowed to be sold to the public. It’s up to us to avoid them, and the only way to do that is to read the labels and understand what it all means.
These ingredients can cause skin damage over time, can build up toxicity in the body; and some are considered carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Topically applied ingredients get into your bloodstream and travel throughout the body, causing damage to organs, and over time they can produce systemic toxicity.
A brief list of ingredients to avoid:
- Alcohol
- Detergents (like sodium lauryl and laureth sulfates, common in shampoos and cleaners)
- Petroleum, mineral oil and aluminum
- Artificial color, synthetic fragrances and perfumes (tricks your nose into thinking it’s “natural”)
- Imidazolidinyl Urea and Diazolidinyl Urea (preservatives to prevent bacterial growth; a common cause of contact dermatitis, and they may release toxic formaldehyde)
- Ethanolamines (Monoethanolamine aka MEA, Diethanolamine aka DEA, Triethanolamine aka TEA)
- Parabens (e.g. Methyl, Ethyl, Propyl and Butyl Paraben) (preservatives)
- Nanoparticles (Ultra-fine particles, can accumulate in the body, and trigger potentially harmful chemical reactions; often found in sunscreens, i.e. titanium dioxide and zinc oxide)
- Avoid plastic. —that’s right, plastic. It’s in most skin care products; primarily the substance dimethicone, a fluid mixture of siloxane polymers sometimes referred to as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). It’s a silicone emollient; it coats the skin and keeps in toxins. May promote tumors and accumulate in the liver and lymph nodes. Found in lotions, creams, and hair care products. Products that come in glass containers are another way to avoid plastic, nanoparticles, and support the use of glass packaging.
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I’ve shared with you a list of things to do and things to avoid, each to help you on your own path to Beautiful Skin Now! This is just the beginning of the information I’d like to share with you to help you create the best and most beautiful skin possible for you!
Taking good care of your skin involves thorough cleansing, effective toning, proper moisturizing, and protection; it’s that simple—and it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg! Pampering your skin in general, particularly your face, neck, and hands, is the best way to prevent the appearance of premature aging.
In my book The Spirit of Health, you’ll find my own personal secrets for beautiful skin, and I’ll delve into a detailed “how-to” for cleansing, toning, moisturizing—and teach you about deep cleansing, deep moisturizing, and methods for facial protection.
Over time, skin that’s not been properly cared for can lead to a prune-like look that can hamper not only your outward appearance, but also your self-esteem as well; and your self-esteem is crucial to your personal style, your sense of self-expression, and your level of confidence. Loving, authentic self-esteem is the foundation for self-care. Feeling, looking and being your best provides a comfort level in life that cannot be bottled or bought.
Remember, live by The Golden Rules and your skin will improve immediately!
Here’s to your beautiful skin,
Cindy
P.S. – Stay tuned for more blogs soon, including recipes and remedies, with YOUR Spirit of Health in mind!
