Dead Sea Herbs

Time Magazine issue July 19 2010

By Bryan Walsh

Organic Shampoos

Shampoos

Stay beautiful and healthy

Eyes

Beautiful

Skin moisturizers

Organic lipstick

Lips

Published with permission of http://www.skinrejuvenex.com/skin-care/646/#more-646

Acne treatment

Some creams promising to lighten skin, eliminate age spots and zap freckles contain high levels of mercury, a toxic metal that can cause severe health problems, a Tribune investigation has found.

The newspaper sent 50 skin-lightening creams to a certified lab for testing, most of them bought in Chicago stores and a few ordered online. Six were found to contain amounts of mercury banned by federal law.

Of those, five had more than 6,000 parts per million — enough to potentially cause kidney damage over time, according to a medical expert.

The market for skin lighteners is booming in the U.S. and abroad. Some people of Asian, Hispanic and African heritage use the creams because lighter skin is often considered a status symbol in their cultures. Many consumers, including Caucasians, use the creams to diminish age spots or to even out skin tone, while others want to lighten their entire face or bodies.

Sales of lightening products in the U.S. are expected to increase nearly 18 percent by 2015, reaching $76 million annually, according to market researcher Global Industry Analysts.

Consumers can’t know for sure which creams are tainted. Stores across the city sell dozens of brands, many of them made overseas. The six creams that tested high in the Tribune tests were manufactured in Lebanon, China, India, Pakistan and Taiwan.

The creams were bought at a variety of stores: a large beauty-supply store in the Uptown neighborhood, an herbal medicine shop in Chinatown, an East Indian beauty salon on Devon Avenue, a grocery store also on Devon, and a small African shop on 79th Street.

Researchers say people are affected differently by mercury, depending on the amount and duration of exposure, among other variables. Daniel Hryhorczuk of the University of Illinois School of Public Health said the amounts of mercury found by the Tribune were troubling and could lead to kidney damage at the least.

“Those are very high levels,” he said.

Do you have a choice? Yes! Do your own research. Know what you are buying. Here is one:

Every conventional white cream is in fact an emulsion of water with fatty materials.  Such an emulsion necessarily contains stabilizers and preserving ingredients.Scientists have found new evidence to show you why you should think carefully about using products that contain stabilizers and preserving ingredients.The products we suggest contain exclusively edible ingredients, of vegetal origin.  They contain no preserving ingredients, artificial fragrances or solvents. 

I do not use cosmetics. I have a beard. That does it for me.It is the information for girls who sometimes overdo it. Just let you natural beauty shine. Here is the good source of information on healthy (and not so healthy) products.I don’t know how accurate the scores are.

Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to one or more ingredients used by this company — not the products — caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility — information not available in Skin Deep.

Diet Dos for Glowing Skin
By Tamar Nordenberg

Discovery health.
Long for smooth, supple skin to go along with that slimmer waistline? Then step up to the plate — of salmon and asparagus, that is — to get a double shot of good effect. Living on some more typical low-fat meals, on the other hand, will ravage your body and your brain, leaving you wrinkled as well as fat and fatigued, according to dermatologist Nicholas Perricone, M.D.
Eating right can improve our looks “to a tremendous extent,” says Perricone, an expert on eating your way to superb skin. On his anti-inflammation diet, his patients start to look younger — and what’s more, their acne clears up and their eczema improves. If you long to look better, too, know the elements of Perricone’s “wrinkle-free diet.”

Eat generous portions of the right kinds of protein. Protein is necessary for cell repair and helps keep aging in check. On the best-choices list, fish ranks first, followed by these other protein-packed animal products: egg whites, skinless chicken and turkey breast.
Don’t fear fat — believe it or not, some is healthy — even essential. Fats and oils can provide anti-inflammatory protection and youth-preserving antioxidants. Fatty fish provides hefty helpings of anti-aging omega-3 fatty acids; salmon, mackerel and albacore tuna are among your best bets for staying beautiful. Also tops among anti-inflammatories: extra virgin olive oil. It’ll make you look lovely, and meanwhile could lower your bad cholesterol.
Steer clear of inflammation-inducing sugar and high-glycemic carbohydrates. This category of food includes potatoes, rice and pasta. These foods can cause blood sugar to spike and lead to dangerous chemical changes in your body. Their ability to fuel creation of age-accelerating free radicals and to break down collagen has earned them high rank among skin’s greatest foes. Your body needs carbohydrates, though, so get your fill from low-glycemic fruits and vegetables. Choice picks run from arugula to zucchini — they’re packed with youth-preserving antioxidants.
Know three more keys: Drink water, drink water, drink water. At the risk of repeating himself, the doctor himself drinks glass after glass — eight to 10 glasses of water each day, he reports, to help his own organs and cells function efficiently. Spring water’s better than the kind from the tap with all its chlorine and heavy metals.

For the first time sold in the United States, exclusively distributed by Market America, Matriskin™ Collagen MP Serum visibly reduces the look of lines and wrinkles. Its advanced peptide technology helps to firm and revitalize the skin.

The Collagen MP Serum is a new collagen based formula with micro-collagen and patented peptides that help counteract the aging process. A special skin penetration element is added (palmitoic acid), in order to help the collagen molecules and the peptide to be instantly absorbed. Thus, the cellular regeneration, and the structure of the skin are promoted.

The viscoelastic properties of the hyaluronic acid have drawn attention to the cosmetic industry. This is one of the main components of the extracellular matrix that makes it possible for the skin to maintain hydration, due to its great capacity to retain water.

More>

Stabilizers

Include Propylene Glycol.  Propylene Glycol is used in antifreeze, hydraulic fluids and as a solvent. The material safety data sheet on this ingredient warns to avoid skin contact. Propylene Glycol is implicated in contact dermatitis, kidney damage and liver abnormalities; it can inhibit skin cell growth in human tests and can damage cell membranes causing rashes, dry skin and surface damage. Is this in your moisturizer? You can find it in cosmetics, toothpaste, shampoos and conditioner, lotions, deodorants, baby wipes, processed foods and many more personal care items. Studies have shown that it is retained in your system.  Find more about it and other risks of cosmetic ingredients in: www.ewg.org.

Preserving Ingredients

These appear in almost all cosmetic creams, and include triclosan, and methyl paraben (other forms are: propyl, ethyl, and butyl). Following is an excerpt from an article in the September 2002 issue of Happi (Household and Personal Products Industry) — a chemical industry trade journal “Cosmetic Product Preservation” by Jabbar Mufti:

“Typical preservatives used in the cosmetic industry include methyl paraben, ethyl paraben and propyl paraben and their derivatives. They disable activity in the bacterial wall to prevent fungal contamination. This action continues when the product is on the skin and may be absorbed into the skin tissue, taken up by the blood stream and ultimately reside in the major organs. The preservative action is so stable, it continues to work while inside the body, limiting the normal enzyme activity of the body. How do we know this? Autopsies performed on cancerous tumours have shown residues of methyl-, ethyl- and propyl parabens.”

What Alternative Do We Suggest?

Paraben free cosmetics-Motives offered by Market America.  http://www.marketamerica.com/annanathankagan/index.cfm?action=shopping.wpSearch

You are welcome to do your own research.

Two recent reports raise disturbing questions about the safety of commonly used cosmetic preservatives. They also make very clear why smart consumers are seeking safe and natural preservative systems. The first report—a recent study from the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology—raises disturbing questions about the safety of a group of commonly used cosmetic preservatives known as parabens. Consumers who check labels will see parabens listed on a wide range of cosmetic and personal care products.

Leave-on products such as facial makeup and skin lotions are of greatest concern because of the long exposure time and opportunity for migration via the skin into the bloodstream. The recently discovered estrogenic effects of certain synthetic chemicals, such as the parabens, and their subsequent effects on the endocrine system of humans and wildlife, is of growing concern—especially in relation to women’s risk of breast cancer. Reproductive abnormalities in young boys exposed to such chemicals either prior to puberty or as fetuses also may increase risk for undescended testicles, testicular cancer, sperm abnormalities and prostate disorders.Article in Organic News: http://organicanews.com/news/article.cfm?story_id=5