Tips to Combat Skin Dehydration

Who doesn’t know by now that we need 6-8 glasses of water a day? We know that water is needed for our survival and also for healthy glowing skin and hair. But do you know how to keep the water in when your environment is doing everything possible to sap the moisture right out of you through your skin? From the heat of summer to the very products we use, water is lost at an alarming rate every single minute.

So, just what can we do to make sure our bodies retain the life-sustaining and skin-loving water we work so diligently to consume?

Here are a trio of tips that will make a noticeable and immediate improvement in the condition of your skin, which is, after all, the greatest overall barometer of our health and well being:

• Do drink those 8 glasses of water daily, more if you are very active. While the water in our food and the various drinks we consume daily DO count toward this total, isn’t it best to get as much pure water as possible without the chemicals and sugars found in soft drinks? Our bodies have to work very hard to "process out" chemicals in order to receive the benefits of the water.

• Stop using harsh detergents on your skin and hair. The soap you purchase at the supermarket and drug store is not really "soap" at all but skin-dehydrating detergents. In fact, take a look at the wrapper and you won’t even see the word "soap". Most of our favorite brands show the word "bar" on their wrappers if they show anything at all. Detergents remove oils including those of our lipid barrier letting water escape throughout the day. Emollient glycerin has been removed through processing to make other products. In most cases, these products are lotions and creams to sell to us to counteract the drying effects of the detergents and glycerin removal.

• Use body lotion immediately after your shower and bath while your skin is moist and receptive. Make sure your body lotion contains skin-loving oils such as shea butter, olive oil, palm kernel oil and the like. These oils not only provide additional moisture but also help to "seal-in the" water from your shower or bath. The best body lotions also nourish your skin with antioxidants and other skin foods such as vitamins and minerals.

Do these three things every day, starting today, and your skin will lose it's dull, dehydrated, crepey look and begin reflecting glowing good health.

Until later,
Ari

The Impact of Proposed FDA Legislation on the Independent Makers of Beauty Products

The members of the Indie Beauty Network (IBN) have received notice of proposed legislation which will most certainly severely impact the independent makers of personal care products such as cosmetics and toiletries. In fact, so severe will this impact be that most, if not all, small independent makers of these products will be forced out of business. My own personal opinion is that this is the point of the proposed regulatory requirements.

Donna Maria Coles Johnson, Founder and President of the Indie Beauty Network, has sent the following email to all IBN members. Please familiarize yourselves with the text of the legislation and please DO make your concerns known as provided for by Mrs. Coles Johnson.

As an alternative, please feel free to post your comments to this blog.

Thank you,

Ari
http://www.arishomespa.com/


"Dear Members,

I write to you with an update on a regulatory concern that threatens the Indie Beauty industry, and the action I would like to take.

First a bit of background.

Before 2000, the year I founded the Indie Beauty Network, I worked as an attorney for many years, mostly as an advocate for various companies before federal and state regulatory bodies. When I started making cosmetics of my own, and later selling them, I often pondered and appreciated the regulatory freedoms that participants in the cosmetics industry enjoyed.

Unlike other industries, cosmetics industry participants do not have to register their businesses or their manufacturing facilities with the federal government. Registration is voluntary, and estimates are that less than 1/3 of the operating cosmetics facilities in the US are registered under the FDA's voluntary registration program. While a few states require facility registration, the vast majority do not. In addition, companies do not have to obtain state or federal pre-approval before selling cosmetics.

One of the reasons I started IBN is because I have a passion for cosmetics and beauty products. I also have a passion for you -- the Indie beauty business owners -- who make and sell them. I have always felt strongly that, as the industry grew and flourished, increased regulatory oversight would follow.

Today, Congress is poised to give the Food & Drug Administration the ability to implement what I consider to be burdensome and costly regulations that go far beyond what is required for the agency to effectively perform its legislative mandate.

I formed IBN in part so that, when the time came, IBN members would have an advocate in the event this type of unfair regulation became a possibility.

It seems as though that time has come.

Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2008

The draft of the Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2008 was announced late last month. The legislation is aimed at giving the FDA authority to promulgate new regulations that are supposed to protect consumers and also provide the funding the agency needs to enforce existing laws in a global market.

Since its announcement, several industry participants have testified before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health about the draft, including Stephen F. Sundlof, DVM, PhD, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the Food and Drug Administration, and a representative of the Personal Care Products Council, formerly known as the Cosmetic, Toiletries & Fragrances Association. (See: http://www.personalcarecouncil.org/Template.cfm?Section=News_Room&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=5976)

You can read the full text of the draft legislation here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/FDAGlobalAct-08/Dingel_60AXML.pdf. As you can see, the proposed legislation would, among other things:

1. Require all cosmetics companies serving American consumers to register annually with the FDA, and pay a registration fee of $2,000 per facility per year, and to list in its registration the cosmetics is manufactures, processes, packs or holds, and also, for manufacturers, to list all ingredients in each product contained in the registration listing.
2. Require all cosmetics companies to report to the FDA "serious adverse events" resulting from the use of the products.
3. Require all cosmetics companies to comply with the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices.
4. Require all cosmetics that import cosmetics to register annually with the FDA, and pay another registration fee to do so.
5. Give the FDA authority to levy substantial fines for violations of the new requirements.

The implications of passage of this draft legislation are obvious and far reaching, and should it become law, it will have a definitive and immediate effect. While I feel we must acknowledge the critical role of the FDA in protecting consumers from unsafe or misbranded cosmetics products, we also must ensure that they appreciate that imposition of registration fees, registration requirements and burdensome reporting requirements on small businesses will snuff out an entire segment of the cosmetics industry. It will also have the devastating effect of hampering the creativity and robust competition that consumers have come to expect and appreciate.

What I'd Like To Do On Your Behalf

I would like to prepare a position paper on behalf of the 700+ members of the Indie Beauty Network to will address the draft legislation and share IBN members' perspective. Of course, I first need to know what your perspective is, so I have set up a forum for you to post your opinions: http://www.indiebusinessforum.com/showthread.php?p=695#post695

Please share your suggestions, opinions and questions there.

Please post your comments as soon as possible. Once they are reviewed, I will call a member-wide teleconference meeting to address our options so we can collectively decide what steps to take next.

I will also post this email message there, along with other updates from time to time. Please note that the forum is open to the public at this time, but any draft letters sent to any authority on this topic will be vetted only among IBN members in a private forum. Members of the public will not be able to see our draft letters, or the edits we make to them.

Please feel free to post this email to your blogs, discussion groups, newsletters, etc. I know it's kind of long, but if you post it, please do so without making any changes.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and questions, and to working with you on these important matters.

Thank you,

Donna Maria Coles Johnson
Founder & President
The Indie Beauty Network

Selected Resources & Links:

Committee on Energy & Commerce Website: http://energycommerce.house.gov/FDAGlobalAct-08/index.shtml
Discussion Draft Legislation: http://energycommerce.house.gov/FDAGlobalAct-08/Dingel_60AXML.pdf
Testimony of Janet Woodcock, M.D., Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research http://www.fda.gov/ola/2008/fdaglobalact050108.html
Testimony of Center for Science in the Public Interest: http://www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/fdaglobalizationact.pdf "

Summer Days are Here

Wow! After waiting for warmth and sun for months, Summer is about to spring full-blown here in N.E. Texas. The air is fragrant with rose, honeysuckle, mint and rosemary all joining in a soft symphony of scent. Spring barely registered and, suddenly, the temperatures are in the low to mid 80s.

Of course, this got me to thinking about the hot, lazy, sun-filled days just around the corner. Is my skin ready for summer? Is yours? I'll be wearing sunscreen daily but I do like some color, which is why I adore using a sunless tanner like Clarins or St. Tropez Mousse. Proper, gentle exfoliation and well moisturized skin are absolute musts when using a sunless tanner. My "Summer Resolution" this year is to start with my favorite Dead Sea Salt Scrub and to make sure I use a light moisture lotion, too.

'til later, ~ Ari
http://www.arishomespa.com/

Buying Foods in Bulk: Good Sense or Knee-Jerk Reaction?

I woke up this morning to yet another article on "stockpiling" food. In spite of the news of global shortages (real or imagined), having a year's supply of food and water on hand for each member of the household has always been a good idea.

Preparedness hasn't been second-nature to us for generations. American society has been a society of plenty for quite sometime and I think we've become more than a little complacent. However, the devastating effects of hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters in recent years should have shown us that preparedness is key.

Food prices have been rising at quite a "clip" for quite sometime, accelerating (actually) in the last decade. This acceleration will continue, especially now with the headlines and tips abounding for storing in bulk. But, is rushing to the supermarket or wholesale club and cleaning out the shelves really the answer? That would, of course, drive prices even higher. Cause and effect, dontcha know. And, it isn't wise to buy more than you can store and use in a reasonable length of time, anyway. Waste and spoilage ony defeat your purpose.

A few common sense tips can be applied without breaking the bank:

1. Each buying trip buy a little extra of foods that store well such as dried beans, rice, pasta, dried fruits and canned goods. An extra bag (or can) or two here and there really adds up.

2. Repackage them in easy "grab and go" sizes and groupings; example: packages that contain a packet each of beans, rice, salt, pepper and dried onions that will feed your family for one meal.

3. Keep a good watch on those foods you are buying in bulk or buying ahead. Use the older purchases first and continue to replace them always assuring that you have the freshest on hand.

4. If you grow your own fruits or vegetables, make a one-time investment in a good quality food dehydrator. I have an American Harvester and I love it. It will be getting even more use as my fruits and veggies ripen over the next few months.

5. Don't forget the condiments - salt, pepper, dried onions (both white and green).

6. Above all, don't forget water. Potable water may be in short supply if you have to relocate for any length of time. In general, store at least one gallon of water per person per day of expected need. If you have pets, allow 1 quart per day for each dog or cat. Just make sure that you use it and replace with fresh water each time.

You can store water in food grade plastic or glass containers with tight fitting screw-on caps. Food-grade containers include those that previously held beverages, such as 2-liter soda bottles and other water, juice, or punch containers. Plastic milk bottles should be avoided, because it is difficult to remove protein and fat residues, which may allow bacteria to grow during storage.

If I left anything out please do let me know.

Until later ~ Ari
http://www.arishomespa.com/

Beekeeping and the Healthful Benefits of Bee Pollen - Part 2

I promised to let you know whether I noticed any benefits from adding Bee Pollen to my diet. Every morning for the past 60 days, I've been drinking my whey protein powder mixed in water with a heaping teaspoon of the Bee Pollen. The Bee Pollen can be hard to dissolve but I found, that if I stir it into and let it sit for a few minutes then stir again, it will dissolve fairly well.

The very first thing I noticed in regard to adding the Bee Pollen was that I just "sailed" through this year's cold & flu season. I usually succumb at least once during the season to the "bug de jour". The weather here in N.E. Texas has been very changeable this year. More so than "normal" for this part of the country with sudden spikes and drops in temperature from day to day of 20-30 degrees F. Not great for the old internal thermostat, for sure, as it usually leaves me very susceptible to colds at the very least.

The next thing I noticed was how much more energy I have. Unless you experience chronic energy lows, this isn't something that is noticed right away. And, finally, there's this "healthy glow" to my hair and skin. Gotta love that!

One 8 ounce jar has lasted 60 days and tomorrow I'm off to get another. No colds or flu this year, great enery and that lovely "healthy glow" all for $7.95. Can't beat that.

'til later ~ Ari
http://www.arishomespa.com/

Younger Next Year

I just read the most amazing book. Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond. The authors are Chris Crowley & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. My husband received this book as a birthday present and I have to say that, if he reads it, it is the best birthday present he has ever received in his 66 years on this planet. No kidding! If he doesn't read it himself he'll being hearing about the book and having it read to him til I'm finished. (Well of course, you can't expect someone like me not to grab it and read it right out of the post, now can you?)

This book was actually written by men for men. Every little thing applies to women, too. While there is a Younger Next Year for Women, I'm getting high on this one right now. I'll explore the book for women soon, though.

This is the most astounding book! It puts our accepted concept of aging on its ears. What we've been told and have accepted as "normal aging" is anything but. Everything you think you know about the conditions and diseases of "aging" do...not...have...to...be. That's decay and totally different than aging. I think the most amazing part for me was that almost every time I read something in the book I immediately had a mental "You could have had a V8 slap". It not only made total sense but I also realized that I already knew it on some level. What was complete news to me was the science of exercise and and its effect on the mitochondria. Yeah, yeah, we've all been told that exercise is good for us and we'll feel better, yada, yada, ad nauseum. This book tells us why. It explains what goes on in the muscles and the circulatory system during & after exercise AND how EGF is manufactured in your own body as a result. Well howdy! Even if you're anything like the non-athletic lump I am, you'll get really pumped just reading the book. It makes you wanna find the closest place to go cross-country skiing......and I don't even ski!

There is so very much to tell you that I can't even begin to start without transcribing the whole dadgummed book, which would be a copyright violation anyway (a definite no-no). But, here's an excerpt from the inside cover: Younger Next Year is about how men can turn back their biological clocks. How they can be functionally younger every year for years to come, and continue to live with vitality and grace into their eighties and beyond. How they can avoid 70 percent of the decay and eliminate 50 percent of the injuries and illnesses associated with getting older. The secret? Over the millions and millions of years of human development, both body and brain have developed a system of messages that signal either growth or decay....... Exercise tells the body to grow. Sitting too long tells the body to decay. Eating a normal, balanced meal tells the body to grow. Overeating tells the body to decay. Connecting with family and friends tells the body to grow. Isolation and stress tell the body to decay.

Harry (Dr. Lodge) presents the science in an interesting (even fascinating) way but it's still science and medicine. Chris (his 72-year old patient and friend) is a riot and a half while still being very serious and earnest. This absolutely a must read for you and the men in your life. Well, only if you want those men to be in your life when they are in their nineties or older and still looking and acting like they're mucho decades younger. If not, read the book yourselves and hide it from them and you'll still be hot when you're 80-something. LOL

Be your own best friend today and tool on over to their website to have a look. Then come back and let me know what you think. I'm sure I'll be over there catching up, too. http://www.youngernextyear.com/


Until later,
~Ari

www.arishomespa.com

Organic Skin and Hair Care - Fact or Fiction?

There’s a question for ya. With the proliferation of new skin and hair products hitting the scene claiming to be "100% Natural" or "Certified Organic", one has to ask the very real question, "Are they really?" After all, what constitutes "100%" or "Certified" and who determines those designations? There are no current standards in the United States for certifying organic skin care much less a central authority for bestowing this certification. When you see a "Certified Organic" seal on a website or a product that states only those two words and indicates no certifying authority, you must realize that the company itself is "certifying" that the product is organic. In the whole scheme of things, that means what? That's right.....nothing.

No one doubts the desirability or very real need for such products. Our modern lives are so full of synthetic this-and-that and harmful chemicals (pesticides, growth hormones, etc.) contained in the foods we consume to our clothing to the products we use in our homes. There is a very real, compelling need to move away from these substances for the sake of our children’s health and ours and it takes diligent effort, not to mention the expense, in sourcing organic foods and household products.

That’s all well and good for our foods and household products, but is it a practical expectation for those products that we use on our skin and hair today? I don’t really think so. Why not? Well because…..because most of us don’t make our own skin and hair care products because we lack the raw materials, the time and the knowledge. Each year, most of the world becomes more urbanized making it difficult to source the natural and organic materials locally for making our own products. (Here’s a great article on what we are facing in terms of increased urbanization, if you’re interested - http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/2007/may/104.html .)

So, even if we had the means and materials to make our own skin and hair care, doing so requires constant research, compiling detailed formulas (recipes) and conducting trials of one product after another for measuring results. Few have the time for all that this entails and, so, we rely on the makers of these products to do what we can’t. These manufacturers, too, have constraints. For instance, products are required to have a shelf life of 1-2 years. Preservatives are very necessary in order to preserve the integrity of the product and to protect us from harmful bacteria and mold. In spite of what you’ve read, there…are…no…"natural" plant-based, broad-spectrum anti-microbials out there. Any number of plants have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties but they just aren’t potent enough in the concentrations used and none of them are all-encompassing enough to fight off the whole spectrum of "baddie" microbes. These antibacterial and anti-fungal properties were developed through evolution to protect those plants from microbial dangers within their own growing environments.

What can we do then? We all can become better label-readers and only hair and skin care products that do not contain Sodium Lauryl or Laureth Sulfate (SLS) known to seep into the skin and cause damage to our bodies, those unproven ingredients without sufficient independent studies to support their safety and efficacy, the latest "designer" ingredients and potentially dangerous preservatives such as parabens (The jury is still out on that one. Still, I’d rather be safe now than sorry later.). You can research, as I do, the ingredients shown on the labels and determine their value to the product; i.e. whether they are necessary to your skin’s continued health and repair, potentially dangerous or just fillers. A very good place to look up particular ingredients is http://www.wikipedia.org/ . You will find fascinating descriptions and other uses for almost all ingredients you come across. Another thing you can do is to search out handcrafted skin and hair care made by smaller companies in fresh batches from natural and organic ingredients and apply your new label-reading skills to those products as well.

Until later,
~Ari
http://www.arishomespa.com/

Remember the Old Adage, An apple a day will keep the doctor away?

Not that we could or even would want to do away with doctors but there’s definitely something to be said for keeping ourselves as healthy as possible and taking responsibility for our own good health. So what’s the big deal about apples? Apples, especially Red Delicious Apples and Gala Apples, are among those "super foods" rich in antioxidants as are blueberries, raspberries, fresh spinach and red beans, just to name a few.

Antioxidants are crucial to maintaining a healthy, relatively disease-free existence. I recently read that Oxidative Stress (a term coined to describe the metabolic effect of the overload of free radicals) is a primary cause of various diseases such as diabetes and cancer and the loss of cognitive ability as we "age". Eating a diet rich in antioxidants is our bulwark of protection from these debilitating diseases.

Our bodies can and do handle a certain amount of free radicals very well. It’s only when we begin to reach a state of overload that the damage becomes severe and disease results. Think of the oxidation process on metal and the rust that develops. That "rusting" process is very similar to what happens to us.

We’re all aware of certain causes of external oxidative stress – cigarette smoking, environmental pollution and the like. This problem exists within us as well as a product of both normal metabolic functions and poor health habits. This is so easily corrected and managed by incorporating super antioxidant-rich foods into our diets on a daily basis such as "An apple a day".

Last year, my husband was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and I went on a mind-bending quest for information on beating the "beast" of cancer. I remember the visit with his oncologist right after the diagnosis was confirmed when my husband laughingly told her which supplements and foods I was now trying to force on him. I anxiously sat for just a moment waiting for her to say (condescendingly) something to the effect of, "Well it won’t hurt." But, instead, she looked him straight in the eye and very seriously said, "All YOU have to do is do what I tell you to do and what she tells you to do and together we’ll beat this thing." I’ll love her to my dying day. I took home a more cooperative husband than the one I had arrived with. Throughout the chemo and the attendant loss of appetite, he still would eat as much of those wonderful foods and take as many of those supplements as he possibly could. Even though he is now in remission, that diet is his for life and he knows it and feels better for it.

Some of the very best of these super foods are:

Blueberries
Apples (Red Delicious with the peel and Gala apples)
Fresh Spinach
Raspberries
Pecans
Red Beans
Tomatoes (When cooked their antioxidants are more potent than when eaten fresh)
All brightly colored fruits and vegetables

Begin to incorporate these foods on a daily basis and, not only will you be healthier, you’ll look healthier, too. Your skin and hair will love you for it!

The Internet abounds with information on antioxidants and diet. I recommend "tooling along the information highway" for more and better information than I can possibly give you. ~Ari

http://www.arishomespa.com/

Beekeeping and the Healthful Benefits of Bee Pollen

Yesterday, I met a local beekeeper. He owns 150 hives, 20 of which are on his own property. Mr. Bradfield provides organic raw honey and bee pollen from his hives and I have to say the honey is absolutely wonderful. Now he's "turned me on" to the benefits of Honeybee Pollen as food.

For years I've read and heard, just as you have, of the health benefits to be derived from honey, royal jelly and propolis extract. Eating Bee Pollen was a new concept for me. Turns out that the benefits of eating Honeybee Pollen include natural weight control, increasing vital oxygen-carrying red blood cells up to 25% boosting the blood's nutrient delivery to the cells, skin restorative powers for both aging and acne-prone skin and the reduction of wrinkles and age spots. Hey, I'm a girl and I'm definitely "up" for all that!

Mr. Bradfield explained that the bees don't eat simply the honey they produce but eat the bee pollen they "process" together with the honey instead. The traps he uses to collect the pollen can only be left in place for a short time to prevent the bees from starving.

So what is Honeybee Pollen and how is it made? Glad you asked because I find it absolutely fascinating! Besides collecting nectar from flowers, bees select only those pollens that contain the greatest amounts of protein and other nutrients. The bees mix these pollens with nectar and some of the bee's own secretions and take them to their hives for food. This "mix" of the nectar and the bee's secretions is honey.

Honeybee Pollen looks like tiny roundish grains almost like seeds and they vary in color from yellow to tan to orange to brown depending on the plants from which it comes. Some bee pollen has a slightly sweet and nut-like flavor. Some is bitter. I was fortunate in that the batch I bought yesterday falls in the sweet, nut-like category. That certainly pleases me!

Bee Pollen contains differing amounts of nutrients depending on its source. This is a very good reason to buy it from a beekeeper who controls where his hives are located.

Typical Nutrient Profile of Honeybee Pollen

Typically, Bee Pollen contains eight essential amino acids and ten other amino acids. In addition, the typical composition of nutrients would include Vitamins A, C, E, B1, B2, B6, B12, Biotin, Folic Acid, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium, Selenium and Sodium. Of course, this got me to thinking about eating the natural, organic raw pollen rather than taking the plethora of supplements I ingest on a daily basis. The food composition is 22% Protein, 7.6% total Fiber, 9% Fat and 51.8% Carbohydrates. Some pretty healthy-looking stuff, huh? I thought so. So, starting today, I began taking 1 teaspoon each morning in my protein drink. I'll let you know what benefits I see as I go.
~ Ari




http://www.arishomespa.com/