Shea Butter - A Natural Beauty Product Out of Africa

The sights and sounds of South Africa have been all over the world's TV screens for the last few days and will continue to be for the next month whilst the Football World Cup takes place. So, I decided to look at what else Africa has to offer us - particularly thinking about fashion and beauty and I hit upon the amazing natural product that is shea butter.

Shea butter is an ivory coloured natural fat which is extracted from the seed of the African Shea tree, which can be used as a moisturiser and salve for the skin. The name shea is derived from the name of the tree which is "Sí" in the Bamana language of Mali. Another name it is known by is "Women's Gold" not only because of its amazing properties and colour, but because it is one of the few commodities which is controlled by women in rural Africa, which is just another reason to look for this product and use it.

The Uses and Benefits of Shea Butter

• Shea butter is full of vitamin A and vitamin E as well as complex fatty acids. Now we all know that vitamins are good, but it is the complex fatty acids in shea butter that are what separates the butter from other moisturisers, such as cocoa butter. Fatty acids are not produced by the body but are essential for great skin as they help restore natural elasticity and promote regeneration of skin cells - so you see, keeping your skin younger looking.
• It can be used all over the face and body as a moisturiser both morning and night - it is rapidly absorbed by the skin and does not leave a greasy feel.
• If you have skin discolourations or freckles, shea butter can help fade these marks away by neutralising free radicals that damage your skin so helping you maintain a brighter and clearer skin tone.
• It can be used as a lip salve as it works hard to repair chapped and cracked skin.
• If you suffer from eczema or dermatitis, or cracked and sore skin on your feet or elbows, treat these areas with shea butter at bedtime and your skin will be softer and smoother in the morning.
• Skin which is acne scarred will also benefit from shea butter as again it will help to fade away any scars and marks.

Always look for unrefined shea butter rather than refined, which will have been treated at high temperatures destroying the butter's natural properties and will also, more than likely, have nasty added chemicals.

Kylie Rates Cold Cream For Her Glorious Skin So What Can It Do For Yours?

This week websites and blogs around the globe have been bursting with the news that Kylie says she keeps her complexion gorgeous by cleansing with Pond's Cold Cream - you have surely seen this news? Well, some of us believe this is possible, whilst others would point out that she has already admitted to the use of Botox ... hmmm. She says that she picked up the habit of using the cream from her own mum, who also does appear to look pretty tip-top for lady of her years. However, it is more than likely to be a combination of good genes, a good skincare routine and a little bit of luck (and maybe other factors that we don't know about) that Kylie's complexion is one to be admired for a lady who is soon to be 42.

If you were wondering what exactly is cold cream and how you would use it yourself here are a few pointers.

What Is Cold Cream

• Cold cream is an emulsion of oils dispersed in water which is used to cleanse and soften skin. The invention of cold cream happened as long ago as the second century when a Greek physician called Galen needed to invent a cleanser to remove the harsh makeup used at that time. He invented a mixture of beeswax, oil, rose petals and water. In some places cold cream is still called Galen's cream, however, the ingredients in modern cold cream have been brought bang up to date, but the principle is still the same.

What Can Cold Cream Be Used For?

• The main use for cold cream is to apply a thin layer of the cream over your makeup at night, leave it on for 30 seconds to a minute, and then remove it gently using facial tissues or a warm flannel for a deeper cleanse. The cream will remove all of your makeup including eye makeup without drying out your skin.
• If you have oily skin you can still benefit from cold cream by rinsing your face with warm water after removing your makeup to remove any excess oil. Your skin will still feel moisturised.
• Other uses for cold cream are for dry hands and feet. Apply the cream to your hands or feet just before going to bed, wear a pair of cotton socks or gloves if you have them handy and your skin will be soft and smooth in the morning.

Is Cold Cream A Miracle Cream?

Like we said above, Kylie has probably inherited good genes and has had the sense to stay out of the strong Australian sun, which probably has a lot to do with her trouble free complexion. Modern cold cream usually contains the following ingredients - pretty boring and chemical sounding stuff to be honest:

• Paraffinum liquidum aqua, ozokerite, cera alba, sodium borate, paraffin, synthetic wax and behenic acid.

With all respect to the Greeks and also to Ponds, this is a pretty average cleansing cream, which will probably make your skin softer and smoother, but it's not going to make wrinkles disappear overnight unfortunately. Ponds themselves say that the cream will give you "Deeply cleansed, smooth and radiant skin", which is more than likely true if you follow a good skincare routine, but even they don't promote it as a miracle cream.

Part II - Ten Of The Worst Things You Can Do To Damage Your Skin

We were loving this topic so much that it has come to you in two parts, so we can give you all the information you need to make sure you care for your skin as well as you should. Part I of this article featured a picture of Cate Blanchett who is notorious for her glorious skin, and here is another celebrity who, although she is slightly younger, looks like she will be glowing with faultless skin for years to come. When her face was studied by an expert dermatologist, he also confirmed that Liv had taken great care in the sun which has left her with a faultless complexion.

Here are the remaining five major causes of premature aging which you need to know about: 

6. Emotional Stress

Stress can stimulate sebaceous glands and cause them to produce excess oil, which can clog up pores and produce bacteria and inflammation, with blackheads and spots forming as a result. If you are going through a period of emotional stress, you may need to seek help, but try and give yourself time to relax, try aromatherapy, yoga, or just chilling out with a book - your skin as well as you will benefit

7.Environmental Stress

If you live in any kind of built up area then you are likely to be subject to a certain level of environmental stress caused by pollution, which causes our bodies to be susceptible to the attack of free radicals. Free radicals are the "bad" atoms and molecules which cause premature aging and damage to skin and collagen, and death to our skin cells. As we have mentioned, antioxidants which are found in fruit and vegetables (particularly the colourful ones) provide your skin with added protection against these modern day dangers to your skin.

8. Yo-yo Dieting

Allowing your weight to go up and down dramatically will cause it to stretch and then become loose as you lose weight. Your skin may be able to cope with this when you are very young, but as you get older it won't and you will develop sagging skin aroundyour neck and cheeks - known as jowls - even the word sounds horrible doesn't it? The answer is not to remain overweight as this allows fat to build up in rolls around your neck and face, not attractive (or healthy), but to keep your weight stable at your ideal weight.

9. Living A Sedentary Life

Exercise is the key to a youthful look for lots of reasons. When you exercise, your skin begins to produce more of its natural oils that help skin look supple and healthy. Exercise also gets the blood flowing which carries more oxygen to the skin. The boost in blood flow and oxygen to the skin cells also carries nutrients that improve skin health. Exercise can, particularly with a short, intense burst of exercise, encourage the body to produce more Human Growth Hormone, which keeps our skinner thicker (as it thins over time) and younger looking, amongst other benefits.

10. Eating Processed Foods

Processed food has been robbed of all its vital nutrients and enzymes. If your digestive system is healthy, this shows in your skin. If your diet consists of a high percentage of processed foods, such as white bread, sugary drinks and cereals, chocolate bars, crisps and pizzas then you are unlikely to have a healthy digestive system or skin. Eating unprocessed food encourages your digestive system to speed up, making you feel and look more lively and less tired and your skin brighter.

Companies which process food are not concerned about keeping you healthy, and as long as their ingredients are within the law, they are just concerned about selling their product and making it appealing to our taste buds, i.e. filling the product up with saturated fat, sugar and salt along with other chemicals which will keep the food fresh for longer, and change its colour and texture. Everyone enjoys some "junk food" occasionally, but eating it regularly means these added chemicals build up within the body and skin and slowly poison the body's cells, again causing dull skin and premature aging, along with other skin allergies. So eat fresh when you can.

We hope you have enjoyed these tips, but we would love to learn more, so if you have any tips and hints for our readers let us know. 

Ten Of The Worst Things You Can Do To Damage Your Skin

Admittedly, some of us are luckier than others when it comes to our genes and the skin we inherit, but even those who are not so lucky can keep their skin in tip-top condition and looking beautiful if they avoid some of the behaviour and activities which are the most damaging and aging to their skin.

Cate Blanchett, pictured here, is notorious for her flawless and amazingly smooth skin, to which she partially credits her use of the exclusive brand of skin care products SK-II. On reading an interview with her though, she also mentions that although she grew up in Australia, she has always been careful to avoid the sun because she burns very easily and we think that may have a little more to do with her flawless complexion.

Read on for more tips on what to avoid if you want to keep your skin looking its best, not just for now, but for the years to come when it will be more difficult to undo any skin damage - prevention is always better than cure. We have split this article into two parts - Part II to be published soon - as it is such an interesting topic, we just wanted to give you all the information we could!

1. Staying Too Long In The Sun

Yes, you've heard it a million times. But sunlight is the main cause of skin aging. It's slightly depressing I agree, that sunlight causes us to age, but it is a fact. Even in the UK, if you are out and about, especially anytime from April to October you should think about wearing sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15. The UV rays in sunlight lead to sunburn, skin cancer, wrinkles, freckles and discolouration, premature aging and other skin problems. It's not all bad, if you wear appropriate sun protection for your skin, you can still get a golden tan, just take it easy and don't burn.

2. Eating A Poor Diet

You are what you eat, and your skin will always reflect what you are putting into your body. I'm not being nasty, but Google "Amy Winehouse skin" and you will see some images which will put you off a party diet of alcohol and cigarettes. It's easy to improve your skin - eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and you will see a change, plus fruit and veg contain lots of antioxidants to fight off free radicals which will also look after the future of your skin.

3. Not Drinking Enough

Unfortunately, this does not mean anything alcoholic! If you don't have enough fluid in your body, then your skin will show it, and you will get fine lines leading to wrinkles. Hydrating yourself means that your skin's tissues are plumped up and the collagen in your skin will work better holding your skin cells together.

4. Smoking

Note this does not say "smoking too much" - just smoking. Smoking is your skin's worst enemy - it's like Superman and Kryptonite - in the end it will kill him. Smoking deprives the skin of oxygen giving the smoker a grey complexion, and lines around the eyes and mouth, both from cell damage and the fact that a smoker puckers up their face around their cigarette and squints their eyes against the smoke. Apart from the damage to your skin, your health as a whole will suffer.

5. Too Much Alcohol

We can be a little kinder here, some alcohol is good for us (red wine has a fair few antioxidants) - and it's fun to have a few drinks with our friends which is also good for us as it helps us relax and de-stress. But too much alcohol gives us dehydrated skin (see above), burst blood vessels around the face, and also wipes out some of the vitamins in our bodies. Be honest, have you ever woken up after a few too many the night before and looked in the mirror and admired your glowing complexion?

This has been Part I of the "Ten Things To Avoid If You Want Beautiful Skin", we hope you have heeded the "warnings", and the remaining five will be delivered to you soon!

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How To Get Perfect Skin From Eating Great Food

Yes, it's true - yippee! Eating is good for you, and it's also good for your skin. Eating is not all about how fat we are all becoming and cutting down things we enjoy. It's true you have to choose the right foods, but as well as enjoying a great and varied diet, you can give your skin a beauty treatment from the inside out. Here are the best of the super foods which can feed, not just body and soul, but also your skin from within.

Get Your Oats

Yes breakfast is the most important meal of the day - particularly because it's pretty easy to incorporate some oats into your diet by either making up some porridge (easy-peasy in the microwave with some semi-skimmed milk or water, and honey), or by indulging in a yummy bowl of muesli. If this sounds boring to you, add some banana or berries for a natural sweet treat. Oats are high in calcium, potassium, magnesium and the skin important vitamin - Vitamin E.

Avocado Heaven

Yummy avocados are packed with potassium, antioxidants and "good" fats and are a heavy-weight champion in the fight against wrinkles. Have one at lunch with some lemon juice squeezed over or make up your own guacamole.

Anyone For Soup?

Not any old soup - that of the watercress variety! Watercress is gorgeous and peppery in salads and is full of Vitamin A and C. It works as a natural antibiotic helping to heal and improve the health of your skin.

Strawberry Surprise

Yes it's a surprise that something so good to eat is so good for you! They are high in iron and cleanse your system which will brighten your skin. Eat them ripe and red, add some natural yogurt and make them into a yummy desert for an after dinner treat.

Melons at Mealtimes

Ever wondered why melons have often been included in starter courses - it's because they give your constitution a boost. They are brilliant at detoxing your body and of course your skin.

Choose Blueberries

Blueberries are oh-so-good for the skin as they help the body to manufacture collagen (which is the glue for our skin cells) and which keeps our skin supple and smooth, i.e. looking young. Blueberries are also full of antioxidants which fight off those free radicals which lead to cell damage and premature aging caused by exposure to sunlight and toxins. What brave little berries.

Craving Carrots?

They may not be your favourite veggie, but carrots can be yummy eaten as baby carrots gently steamed, or raw grated into salads and sandwiches. And when you know that carrots are a mega source of beta-carotene which the body converts to Vitamin A which protects us from dry skin, and that they are also lots of antioxidants which prevent premature aging I am sure you will be heading to the greengrocer for a bunch of the orange veggies.

You Must Be (Brazil) Nuts

A great and handy food for snacking on - Brazil nuts are a great source of selenium which may help acne sufferers, and also improve skin elasticity. Selenium also neutralises those free radicals which damage our skin. Over and above all this, Selenium is great for your hair and nails. Brazil nuts also contain zinc which helps dry skin, eczema and psoriasis. Go nuts on your morning snack break with these little beauties.

Happy eating and happy skin.