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My sister is a vegetarian and ever since she changed her diet, I have made big changes to mines as well. I didn’t go all vegetarian like she did. But I would try my best to avoid meat. I won’t eat burgers or steaks. Just occasionally some chicken or fish when I’m out eating. My younger sister has a big influence on me – I know, usually its the other way around, the bigger sister is suppose to have an influence over their younger sister. But not with me…I really listen and value what she says and thinks. So, anyways, I have cut down on meat drastically for a couple of years now. And I must say, since then, my skin, nails and hair have gotten worse. Its funny because I would think all this time, oh I’m eating healthier and therefore my skin/hair, just my whole body in general would be in much better shape. But that is not what I saw. Sorry…my dearest sister Tiffy, I know you’re a vegetarian, but its just what I saw happen to me. My hair became thinner and drier over the years, my skin is dry and I never had dry skin. Also, I am seeing some wrinkles and acne on my face as well. Back then everyone would say I have beautiful skin. Even estheticians would tell me I have wonderful skin and I don’t have to do anything with it except to wash it and moisturize if needed. I never really thought about what I was eating or not eating have anything to do with it…like I said, I thought I was eating healthy with all the veggies and fruits. I always thought it was the products I’m using. You have no idea how many new products I’ve tried. Only to be disappointed time and time again. It wasn’t until just a couple of days ago, I was talking to a friend online, and somehow we got to the subject of protein. He says that if you don’t eat enough protein, you’ll have dry skin. That is when I did more research online and found out the importance of protein to our skin health…along with hair and nails, because they’re all made out of protein. Proteins are the second (next to water) most plentiful substance in our body. Proteins are made out of amino acids. When we eat proteins, our body will break down the protein into amino acids and our body will just use it as needed. Our bodies are capable of making some amino acids, but there are 8 amino acids there the body cannot make. That has to come from food. From what I’ve researched, these 8 essential amino acids are present in aniaml prodcuts – such as meat, fish, milk and eggs. Usually veggies and fruits are missing one or more of the essential amino acids. But I’ve read that soy contains all 8 and also, vegetarians do food combining. They pretty much just eat foods that compliment each other to have all the essential amino acids. I have to say, I’ve never done that before. Okay, proteins are needed to repair and create new cells. I’ve read (I’m not a doctor) that if we don’t eat enough protein, our body actually eats our muscles (since its made out of protein) to get what it needs! Pretty scary! From what I’ve learned, protein does not store in the body. So it is important to replenish your body with proteins constantly. Even Dr. Pierrecone says that proteins are important for anti aging. After all, collagen is a protein too. After reading many forums (many people also thought they see that hair thinning or their skin being dry after not eating meat), and studies it seems that protein have a major effect on our hair and skin and our body as a whole.

Do you guys believe that? Well, I used to, but I’m not too sure now. I always thought that if you eat healthy, it will show on the outside as well, like in your skin. People have always said if you eat fried greasy food, you’ll get pimples and blah blah blah. Yes, we all heard of that before. But do you think its true? I used to truly believe that, but lately, not so much. I eat very healthy, I avoid french fries, fast food, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and drink lots of water. But yet, I still have pimples on my forehead and my skin is often dry. Now is this just something I was born with? Not that I remember. I used to have very good skin. It was soft and silky and I never even put on any lotion. At that time, I remember, I was eating unhealthy. I didn’t even know or care what calories or fats are. I didn’t know anything about hydrogenated oils, etc. I just ate whatever pleased my tastebuds. Now, I’m a health freak and a lot of it have to do with me wanting better skin. I thought that if you eat right and exercise….you will age slower. So, I get really upset when I see people eating McDonalds, Burger King and they have flawless skin. Let me know if you guys think or see the same thing. Those who eat well and those not so well, if you see what you put in your mouth links to how your skin looks.

So oxygen facials are really the hype nowadays. Madonna is a big fan of the oxygen facial. I’ve read that she gets it done before all her red carpet moments. It is said to help plump up those wrinkles and fine lines and makes your skin look more radiant. The oxygen facial uses a machine that sprays pressurized oxygen infused with moisturizers/nutrients and or vitamins (every spa or clinic uses different ingredients) onto the skin. The pressurized oxygen helps to push the ingredients deeper into the skin. This of course will hydrate your skin to make it look more supple and youthful. Some say that oxygen is vital to our skin health. And it is due to the lack of oxygen that speeds up the aging process. But this is whats confusing to me. I’ve been learning all this time that oxygen is not necessarily our skin’s best friend. I mean of course, it is needed for not only our skin’s survival, but our bodies as well…we will not be living without oxygen. But I’m just thinking of what we’ve been told all this time about aging. The free radical theory. For those of you who don’t know what that is…I have a link at the bottom to where you can read about it. We’ve all learned or at least heard of in school when we were young about the apple experiment. If you cut an apple in half and just let it sit out, it will turn brown. Why? Because of oxidation. Well oxygen itself is not bad…but it is the unstable form of molecules of oxygen (free radicals) that is bad. So why should we forcefully put oxygen onto our skin? I think that the oxygen we get everyday naturally is enough for our skin. Well this is what scares me into not getting an oxygen facial. Does anyone who have had the oxygen facial have any comments? What I wrote is just what I’m thinking…but I could be totally wrong…let me know!

http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail&item_id=10441

I was doing some research on red palm oil (this week’s ingredient) and I came across something interesting. I have never knew or heard about this before. In the article I read it states that asians have a yellow tint to their skin due to having more beta carotene in their skin. Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that can scavenge free radicals effectively. Could this be why asians tend to age better? Well, it could be their diet as well. So maybe we should start eating more carrots!

http://www.beautymagonline.com/pages/oriental_skin.htm

http://www.environ.co.za/contents/articles/varieties_of_vitamin_a.htm

Do you treat the skin on your face different than the skin on the rest of your body? I mean our skin is an organ so what is the difference between the skin on your face than on your body? I definately pay more attention to my face. My boyfriend once said that maybe when I get old, I would still look young on my face and the rest of my body would be old and wrinkly. I certainly hope not! But we should take care of our skin all over. Some give aways of your age are your hands and neck. So make sure you take care of those areas too! 

What is the best way to apply your favorite moisturizer? Some say to rub it in, some say to pat it in, and others say we should apply it in a circular or upward motions. I like to rub it in because that way I feel that it is all evenly spread out and that I get every spot on my face. But it does pull my skin which of course is not a good idea. I also think that rubbing your face in a circular or upward motion can also pull your skin and stretch it. Patting it in may be the best way without pulling and tugging your skin, but I don’t feel that I applied it evenly or I didn’t put on enough. Which way do you think is best?

First lets see what is the difference between sunscreen and sunblock. What I’ve learned is that sunscreen also known as chemical sunscreen absorbs uv rays. And sunblock, also known as physical sunscreen reflects and scatters uv rays. So which one is better? There are so many controversies around sunscreen. Now I really don’t even know if I should use it! There are articles that I have read that states sunscreen can be absorbed into our skin which can cause damage to our skin and body. I thought that sunblock is more natural since it usually contains titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide which are both natural minerals. But some say that titanium dioxide and zinc are just as bad as chemicals since they create free radicals when exposed to sunlight. Now I just want to give up on sunscreen altogether! But I know that sunscreen is essential because if I don’t put on sunscreen when I’m at the beach I’ll definitely get burned. So I’ll be using my sunscreen at the beach. But what about other days? Most experts recommend that we put on sunscreen everyday. Even during the winter and cloudy days. Do we really need to do that? What is your sunscreen routine? Do you use it everyday? Only during the summer? Do you think its doing good or harm to your skin?

Here are links to articles for information on uv rays, sun care, sunscreens/sunblock

www.mayoclinic.com/health/sunscreen/SN00044

www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=1399

www.deliciousorganics.com/Controversies/sunscreen.htm

www.terressentials.com/truthaboutsunscreens.html

www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunscreens.html

Hi everyone! This is my first post! Well, I created this blog because I wanted to hear about everybody’s opinions and experiences. There are a lot of information out there regarding skin care products and I’m really confused. I’m always buying the latest and the newest skincare breakthrough products. Every company’s got their secret ingredient that will combat and reverse aging. I have tried many products but yet I still have freckles and thin lines on my forehead and under my eyes and also occasional breakouts. I remember when I was a teenager (when I knew nothing about skin care and didn’t care about skin care) my skin was actually really good. All I did was wash my face with a towel in the morning and night and never used any creams, serums or makeup. I sometimes think that the more I stress about my skin, the worse it gets. Or is it the products I’m using? Do men seem to age better because they don’t put anything on their face? Let me know what you think!