The Last Pore Minimizer You Will Ever Need

Pores appear as small openings in the surface of your skin. They are usually most apparent in the T-zone -- the forehead, nose and chin. Pores are more noticeable and may appear larger when they become clogged with dirt, oil and dead skin cells. Pore size is fixed and is determined mainly by your genes. Your pores may become slightly larger with age or with repeated exposure to the sun's damaging rays. While you can't actually shrink the size of your pores, you can take steps to make them appear smaller.

Can enlarged Pores be Reduced?

To keep your skin looking clear and minimize the appearance of large pores, use an oil-absorbing toner or an exfoliator with alpha or beta hydroxy acids to loosen and remove dead surface skin. This can help prevent pores from clogging. Products that contain retinol, a form of vitamin A, are also beneficial.

1 Using retinol can help diminish the look of fine lines and wrinkles to give your skin an overall smoother appearance.

2 However, some products with retinol may make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

Finally, if you use makeup, start with a light application of oil-free foundation in a matte finish. Shiny skin coupled with too much foundation may actually make your pores look more prominent. Control shine throughout the day with blotting sheets or freshen up your foundation with a dusting of translucent powder. The tiny, weightless particles prevent color pigments from building up around the edges of your pores to reduce their visibility.

In addition to reducing pore size, its patented formula removes dull, dry surface cells and lifts pore-clogging impurities for a radiant complexion with fewer breakouts.  If you have large pores that are ruining your complexion, check this product out!!





For more skin care articles and easy skin care recipes visit Complete Skin Care Therapy

Get Ready for Winter With These Herbal Remedies

Natural home remedies for skin care and overall health are easy to prepare, chemical free and eco-friendly.  Consider these treatments:

Dry Skin Patches:

1 drop tea tree oil

2 teaspoon almond oil

Rub into dry patch. Great for those small dry patches!

Another option is to add tea tree oil right into your moisturizer and apply to dry skin patch.

Hair hot oil treatment:

1 tablespoon Rosemary herbal oil
1 tablespoon Calendula herbal oil
10 drops cedarwood or orange essential oil (optional)

This hot oil treatment will deep condition your hair, stimulate the scalp and strengthen individual strands.  Additionally, this recipe will also normalize both dry, itchy scalp and oily conditions. Mix all ingredients together and shake well. 

First Sign of a Sore Throat

1 oz. Echinacea extract
1 oz. elderberry extract
1 oz. goldenseal or grape root extract
1 oz. red root extract

Combine all ingredients together in a 4 oz glass bottle with dropper.  Use 3 droppers full 3 times a day.  This recipe supports your immune system,

Winter Blues Blend air freshener

5 drops sweet orange essential oil
3 drops pettigrain essential oil

2 drops roman chamomile essential oil

2 drops nutmeg essential oil

1 oz. witch hazel extract

Drip oils together in a glass spray bottle and mix by rolling bottle between palms of hands. Add the witch hazel and shake well.  Spray in the air to put a smile on your face.

For more skin care and hair care recipes visit Complete Skin CareTherapy.  Get your herbs and essential oils at:

Getting Your Halloween On!

Halloween is a great holiday.  A time to dress up in some outrageous costume and have some fun. 

The ideas for your costume are limitless.  You can dress up as a celebrity, singer, cartoon or commercial character.  For instance last year a friend of mine used the idea of the pig hanging out the car window saying wee wee wee and carrying a pinwheel.  I am sure you have probably seen that annoying Gieco commercial.  
The costume was simple yet creative and a whole lot of fun.

When thinking of a costume this year the supply in the stores are endless but let your imagination go too!  If going out on the town as a group, think about a group costume, such as  zombies, witches and warlocks, star trek, super heroes group, TV characters/couples etc.

To get you started here are some ideas from Spirit Halloween.

Bloody Nurse Calling Doctor Doom, calling Doctor Doom - there's been an emergency! Maybe you are part of the problem when you wear this Bloody Nurse Betty adult women's costume but that's okay - guys like a girl in a uniform even if she's clueless!

Dr. Doom Get a reputation with this diabolical doctor's costume





















So check out Spirit Halloween for loads of costume ideas and Halloween decorations!

DIY Facial Chemical Peel

A glycolic acid peel will even out skin tone, reduce the appearance of acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles and promote a brighter complexion. Glycolic acid has also been found to be beneficial for those that suffer with psoriasis and dry itchy skin. Glycolic acid is derived from sugar cane and is the most beneficial of the Alpha-Hydroxy Acids (AHA). Learn more more about Alpha and Beta Hydroxy Acids.

Additionally, “Studies have shown that use of glycolic acids result in collagen growth in the upper dermis,” says Scott Gerrish, MD, of Gerrish and Associates, PC, a nonsurgical skincare specialist with offices in Virginia and Maryland.

How it works-this type of acid peel works on the outer layers of skin. It is really a skin resurfacing as it destroys the lipids that hold the dead skin cells together, thus these dead skin are washed away and a new skin surface is exposed.

Selecting the right product:

• If the product indicates that it is 10 percent or less glycolic acid, then they are not worth the money.
• The acid peel should contain a full set of instructions, pH prep, a neutralizer and an acid reducer. These provisions will ensure that you have a safe and gentle peel.
• For your first home peel, start off with a 20 percent solution with a pH of 2.8-3.0. Until you know how you skin will react it is recommended to start off with a milder solution.
• Lastly, look for products that are formulated n an FDA-registered laboratory that are certified/registered for 99 percent purity. Additionally the glycolic percentages and pH levels should be listed.

Tips before your peel:

• A week prior to using your peel discontinue potentially skin irritating products such as Retin-A.
• Always do a patch test prior to your peel. Test on your forearm to ensure you have no allergic reaction.
• A facial scrub should be applied 24 hours before using a peel. Additionally a pH prep solution should be applied to prepare your skin.
• When you are ready for you peel, apply to less sensitive areas first, such as the forehead, chin, and cheeks, and then to the nose, lower eyelids, and neck.
• It is best advised to watch your skin rather than the clock. When the skin starts to turn pink it is time to neutralize the acid, starting with the most sensitive areas first.
• Lastly, follow the manufacturer’s labels to the T.

So are you ready to give yourself a chemical peel and brighten up that dull complexion? I am personally considering doing one myself but I would love to hear from anyone that has done an at home chemical peel and what products they have used!

Amazon.com has quite a few glycolic acid peels, has anyone tried any of these?

  

Say Goodbye to that Double Chin

Everyone has fat underneath their chin, this is normal. However, eliminating the excess fat under the chin, thus a double chin, is probably the toughest of all fat to lose.


There are three main causes of double chins. Based on Ebony Marshall's book, Pretty Perfect (a book which teaches people how to tone their way to slimmer faces) these causes of a double chin are genetics, the slackening of the facial muscles, and a poor diet (specifically poor calorie-intake). Nothing but surgery can help the first cause, but if your double chin is due to the other two items, you can follow these tips:

1.Exercise … your whole body. You probably love food, and your metabolism probably loves it too, that’s why it hoards it in every possible way. Since there is a natural fat storage space underneath your chin, your body will deposit some of its excess fat in this area. You can reverse this process is you burn more calories than you take in. Often, we need to lose excess body weight in order to lose double chin fat.

2.Lose the alcohol – drink lots of water instead. Look at beer and alcohol chuggers. Notice how most of them have beer bellies AND double chin fat? Drop the alcohol today. It only bloats and dehydrates you. When you drink a lot of water, you can burn or melt away excess fat. Start drinking it today!

3.Eat fruits and vegetables. 3 servings with each of the 3 major meals of the day. Fruits and veggies are rich in vitamins and minerals, makes for a wonderful source of fiber, and keeps you hydrated. Plus, they naturally protect your skin against wrinkles!

4.Keep your jaw and facial muscles in motion. Always chewing can be taxing, but it’s an effective way of keeping fat from settling under your chin. Have some gum with you so that you can chew away at any time of the day. Sugar-free gum works best; never get the regular, kids’ kind as that would be too full of unnecessary sugar.

5.Exercise the platysma. This particular muscle group spawns over the lower jaw, neck and throat. It is also the main muscle which must be exercised in order to help get rid of a double chin. Open your mouth as wide as you can, then pull your bottom lip over your bottom teeth – which makes you look like you lost all those teeth. Hold it for a couple of seconds before gently relaxing those muscles. This may also make you look like an idiot, so make sure to do this exercise within the confines of your room.

There are a lot of helpful information you'll find in this book that's all about helping you achieve your goal of a beautiful and glowing face. From exercises, to beauty foods, make up and hairstyles, this eBook offers a comprehensive approach is presented in layman’s terms, so this is definitely a must-read. To learn more, click on this link: Eliminate Double Chin Formula

For information about skin care and hair care, and get some easy and beneficial recipes, visit Complete Skin Care Therapy