Fish Make You Look Younger

Frugal Family: Beauty for Less

Walk down the aisle of any drug store or look through a magazine and you'll see products that claim to make you look younger, clear your skin of blemishes and more. The prices on these miracle creams and lotions can be overwhelming. Luckily, the Frugalista has alternative do-it-yourself, less expensive solutions that can be found at the grocery store.

In talking to a nutritionist friend, the idea that you are what you eat came up. What we eat impacts on how our skin looks, she said. For example, she knows when she’s dehydrated because she can see the dryness and lines in her skin. She also suggested eating more fruits, veggies, nuts and fish and taking Vitamin C to help synthesize collagen production.

Avocado oil has been a beauty secret of mine for years. The idea of using straight oil on my oily face sounded like a bad idea but I tried it and surprisingly it cleaned my skin and I had less breakouts. Apparently what I learned in science class was true: "like dissolves like" so the oil cleaned the oil from my face.

Avocado oil is rich in vitamins A, D and E, and lecithin, as well as potassium which is known as the youth mineral. It also is high in sterolins, which are reputed to reduce age spots, help heal sun damage and scars.

A study done at the Department of Food Engineering and Biotechnology at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 1991, found that avocado oil significantly increases the amount of collagen in the skin which normally is under attack as we grow older.

Tea tree oil is also something that I always have on hand for breakouts. The smell is something to get used to but I find that it works wonders and a little goes a long way.

What about hair care? I keep hearing about dry shampoo on commercials lately. A less expensive alternative to those products is simple baby powder. A little, very little, in your hand that you run through your hair starting at the scalp and then brush through with a natural bristle brush will take care of excess oils and dirt and leave you with fresher looking hair. Does it really work? I’ve never tried that one but several beauty web sites recommend it, including www.lovelyish.com. I have used baking soda to wash my hair.

If you have dandruff you can try mixing 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon honey and ¼ teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and scrubbing it into your hair and then rinsing.

One Frugalista tip that I’ve often used is beer. I’ve read that the proteins from the malt and hops found in beer coat, rebuild and repair damaged hair. I’ve tried it and it has seemed to give my hair a little more bounce and shine and the smell does go away once my hair is dry.

A Guide to Using Natural Anti Aging Skin Care to Make You Look Younger

What advice do you usually find in an anti aging skin care guide?  Using products with an SPF rating on a daily basis is usually at the top of the list.  That’s a controversial subject that I won’t get into, but there are other recommendations that I believe are more beneficial.  First, let’s start with your diet.

Are you getting enough protein?  Do you eat lots of fresh veggies?  Do you take a good daily multi-nutrient formulation?  How about fish oil supplements? 

Proteins and the amino acids that compose them are the building blocks of all human cells, including skin-cells.  The “eat a rainbow” thing came out, because each differently colored vegetable contains unique antioxidants.  Purple vegetables like egg-plant are some of the best.  Broccoli is also great.  Kelp is even better.

It is pretty much impossible to get all of the nutrients that you need every day through diet alone.  So, a good multi-nutrient supplement that contains lots of anti-oxidants and amino acids is highly beneficial.  In a recent study, it was shown that an omega3 fish oil supplement increased the firmness of volunteers’ skin by an average of 10% after three months. 

Those are just some basic dietary recommendations.  No anti aging skin care guide would be complete without mentioning the importance of a daily moisturizer. 

Dry skin is more easily damaged.  It tends to sag and looks dull.  It is usually itchy and scratching leads to more damage. 

The average lotions on the market are not truly moisturizing.  In fact, most of them contain petrolatum, which, in large quantities, inhibits the natural cell rejuvenation process.  In other words, it can cause a prematurely aged appearance.

The best anti aging skin care guide will recommend that you use moisturizers that contain oils that are very similar to the skin’s own sebum. 

They are readily absorbed, will not clog the pores and don’t cause a greasy feeling.  Shea butter, jojoba, avocado and grape seed oil are among the winners. 

As you can see, they are all natural vegetable oils, not derived from petroleum byproducts.  Some are better for use overnight, like Shea butter.  Some are better for daytime use, like grape seed oil. 

In addition to moisturizing ingredients, there are certain nutrients that increase the production of collagen and elastin fibers.  Natural vitamin E is one of them.

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