Lately on many cosmetic, skin care and beauty products a Paraben-Free fad has hit the shops. But before you start dishing out the dollars on Paraben Free products, what exactly are Parabens?

Parabens

Parabens are a group of the preservatives found in care products, which stop fungus and other bacterias growing in your make up and creams. You can find them in almost all your personal care products including shampoos, mascara and any creams or foundations. Despite being used for over 70 years a debate has no emerged over the safety of Parabens.

While there is no actual proof that Parabens can harm you, but Parabens traces have been found in breast cancer tumours. Another study in the Never lands found that even a few hours after a lotion being applied to the skin, traces of Parabens could be found in the blood and urine of young males. However, to date the Cosmetic Ingredient Review have found the levels of Parabens used in cosmetics to be safe.

While there is a big argument pressing for more research to be dome on the effects of Parabens it is important to remember that if you go for the Paraben-Free products it doesn’t mean they are preservative free, merely they are without the Paraben preservatives that include propylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben, ethylparaben and isobutylparaben.

So unfortunately it seems we are forced to continue to use Paraben products until more research has been done, which hopefully for all our sakes will find that all these fears are false

It is amazing what you can do to improve your skin purely through eat. And I’m not talking about what you can’t eat, because frankly if the key to fantastic looking skin is giving up chocolate for the rest of my life, I’ll live with so-so skin thank you very much.

The benefits of Ginger

Ginger not only has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties but is also great for circulation, so much so it is often used in organic skin creams and lotions. If that isn’t good enough it also calms digestion, nausea and fights of colds and is a great cough remedy. So why wouldn’t you use it?

It can easily be added to soups, porridge, curries, stir-fries and even in cakes and even biscuits and cakes. If you feel a cold or cough coming on make a big pot of ginger tea.

To make it extra refreshing put ½ slice of lemon, a generous teaspoon of honey and about 4cm of finely sliced ginger into hot water and leave it there for about 5 minutes.

So not only will the tea refresh you and fight off colds and coughs but also increase your circulation to give you better looking skin!

There is nothing like giving yourself a facial to give yourself a bit of a pick me up, especially if you have a special night planned, but there is always that fear that you may have a reaction and end up looking like a lobster for the next 2 weeks. So why not take away that chance and make your own home made facial mask!

As always you should always clean your skin first with a good cleanser so you start off with a clean canvas so to speak.

The first step is making the base. No matter what type of skin you have, a good base to start off with is one made from oatmeal, the upside being if you have any left over and you get hungry, you’ve already lunch!

Get the leg of an old stocking, knot it at one end (so nothing falls out) and then put two tablespoons of oats in. Press the stocking into water and then drain. Take the oatmeal out.

If you have dry skin-

Add a spoonful or two olive oil, or jojoba if you can get your hands on it, to the oatmeal. Add more depending on how dry your skin is. Then apply the home made facial mask onto your face and leave for about 5 minutes.

If your have normal, oily or combination skin-

Drizzle some honey into the oatmeal, and if you have it some aloe vera gel. Leave on your home made facial mask for about 10 minutes.

If you want to know what to do before and after you’ve applied your home made facial masks check out my home spa treatment pages.

Continuing on from Home Spa Treatments Part 2 and Part 1

Pedicures

For this you’ll need nail clippers, a nail file, a cuticle stick, two hot tools and some foot or body cream. Get a tub of hot water, add bath oil and salts and soak both feet for 5 minutes. Remove one foot at a time, clip and file your toenail while pushing back and cleaning the cuticle. If your think its necessary exfoliate your feet with a foot scrub.

Once your done, get a hot moist towel and sprinkle it with essential oil, such as citrus, and wrap your feet with it. After about 5 minutes take n foot at a time and give yourself a foot massage, and put on some body lotion or foot cream. You can also add some coats of  your favorite nail polish.

Some extra tips

To make your home spa treatments even more enjoyable make sure:

You get a good night sleep the night before. This will keep your stress hormones low and make your home spa treatments even more enjoyable.

• Aim the water flow of your showerhead, so it hits between your shoulders. Might as well give yourself a mini massage while you shower.
• Instead of just putting on body lotion, use circular motions and massage the lotion into your skin.
• To ease tension in your neck and shoulders, get some chamomile tea bags and roll then up in a hot, damp hand towel. Put the towel around your neck and shoulders and massage it from side to side. Once your feeling better give your neck a good stretch.
• To make your home spa treatments as relaxing as possible, hide all toothbrushes, cleaning products, washing, anything reminds you of other things you could otherwise be doing.
• If your prone to pimples, acne or blemishes fill your bathroom sink with warm water and add a teaspoon of tea tree oil. Dip a cloth in the water and hold it to your face for about 10 seconds. Do this about ten times to help prevent pimple breakouts.

Well that’s all I have for my Home Spa Treatments tips. Hope you’ve enjoyed!

If you have any other ideas that you’ve done whist experiencing your own home spa treatments please let me know.

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Home Spa Treatments PART 2

Part 2, continued from Part 1

After your bath let your skin rest for about 20 minutes. You will need some wet towels to wipe off your home spa treatments, so place a damp towel in the microwave for 60 seconds just before use.

When choosing home spa treatments look for products containing aromatherapy oils, such as ylang ylang, mint, chamomile and of course lavender. When looking for exfoliating scrubs and creams go for those that use minerals and sea salt.

Facials

Your home spa treatments will usually start with a facial. Start by cleaning your face with a cleanser, followed by an alcohol-free toner. To really get the grim out of your skin use an exfoliate. There are some great 2-step exfoliate scrubs and cream combo’s out there, that will give you a professional standard glow- though they can be a bit pricey.

Next comes the facemask. Find one that suits your skin, put it on then cover your eyes with cucumbers or chamomile tea bags which have been soaked in water and squeezed first (this is another reason you want everyone out of the house…so no one is there to take photos!)

Finally apply moisturizer. Use a face spray afterwards and mist your face to keep it feeling fresh.

Hair Treatment

Use some scalp-stimulating peppermint oil, and rub it into your roots using your finger tips. Start at the top and work your way to the base of your skull, massage your temples and ear lobes as you go to help you relax. Wash your hair and put on a hair mask (most shampoo companies have them), slip on a shower cap and wrap your hair up in a hot towel- I told you, you wouldn’t want anyone at home!

Home Spa Treatments PART 1

We all need to unwind and relax from time to time and there is nothing better than a visit to the day spa. Unfortunately, whisking yourself away to a spa for a week isn’t always an option but there are some ways to recreate the essence of a spa at home. Just because you can’t get to the spa doesn’t mean you can’t get the pampered skin using your own home spa treatments. In the next few weeks I will continue to post different step on how to create your own home spa treatments. You’ll be amazed how obvious most of it seems once you’ve been told.

The First Step To Your Own Home Spa Treatments

Kick everyone out of the house first. Send the kids to the movies. Ship the hubby off to have a ‘boys day.’ Tell the wife to treat herself to a shopping trip (after all men need a bit of pampering too). It’s hard to get bliss with a whole lot of noise in the house. Next pull out a pile of your best towels and pop on a fluffy robe and some slippers, put on some relaxing music, light some scented candle, and get ready to RELAX with your own home spa treatments!

Home Spa Treatment Step 2

To start off your home spa treatments get a jug of water and put a few slices of fruit in it to make it seem a bit more special. Hydration is a key part of having great looking skin, so be sure to keep yourself hydrated- as tempting as may be to have a glass of champagne, it isn’t the best thing if your aim is great looking skin.

Start your skin care home spa treatments with a bath. Don’t stay in the bath any hotter than 30C or any longer than 20 minutes. You don’t want to end up looking like a shrivelled lobster. Add some lavender drops to the bath to help you relax. Antioxidants will help perk up your skin, so a good idea is to get some green tea bags and tie them to the tap so the bath water can run through them as the bath fills.

More on home spa treatments next week.

How to make your own bath salts

For information on what products are right for your skin type

htp://www.skincarehome.net

For information on what to llok for if buying your own home spa

http://spasplus.com.au/blog/?p=18

How to make a great home spa

http://www.beautymakeupblog.com/natural-beauty-home-spa/

Some make your own spa  treatments

http://www.glamourgirlz.info/2007/09/10/spa-treatment-at-home/

Some home spa treaments hints

http://www.greendivamom.com/2009/02/28/cheap-and-easy-homemade-spa-treatments/

Hello skin care,

Hi! I’m new to the blogging world, but I’m excited and ready to get going. Having study make-up application it is really important to me the value of health skin and great skin care. I’ll try to give some useful information about all aspects of skin care, so you can get the best tips possible

The Value of Milk And Honey For Skin Care

Cleopatra used to bath in milk and massage honey into her skin, and what’s good enough for Cleopatra should be good enough for us.  Milk and honey are great ways but often overlooked ways to moisturizer the skin, with the honey helping to hydrate the skin and milk tones and moisturizers. Now filling the bath with actual milk may not be the most partial thing in the world, and putting honey all over your body will probably just leave you feeling very sticky, however there are some great skin care products on the market.

Why Do You Need It For Your Skin Care

Products available generally feature animal milk, such as cow or goat or vegetable sourced milk such as soy or coconut. Not only is it extremely gentle on the skin but it helps irritation and contains a mild exfoliant. As part of your skin care, milk will help improve skin tone, help structure and improve hydration.

Honey as part of your skin care, is gentle enough that it is often used in baby skin care products. Honey has properties that attracts moisturizer from the air and locks it into your skin. It also helps disinfect any wounds and sped healing and is great for treating blemished skin.

Other recommended skin care sites

Information on all things skin care

For all natural and home make skin care products

Something’s you should know about the chemicals in skin care products

A Useful review on the anti wrinkle creams product Obagi

Home remedies for different skin types