Excessive sun exposure without proper protection is one of the biggest and most common factors responsible for aging skin at a faster and more noticeable rate. While wise interaction with the sun is actually good for your skin because it produces vitamin D and has come mild anti bacterial effects, too much is a bad thing indeed. On a superficial level it looks like a leathery texture, wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots, as well as a higher risk of skin cancer. So the question is, other than wearing sunscreen, what else can you do to mitigate and prevent further sun damage? Enter, Shea butter. Besides its incredible moisturizing properites, this botanical product contains something known as Cinammic Acid, which...
Sebum has gotten a bad rap. It’s been blamed for clogged pores, zits and oily forehead shine. What you may not know is that sebum is actually very important for the health and protection of your skin. The key is to make sure your skin is in balance, producing the right amount of sebum. Additionally, you can enhance and mimic the effects of the naturally occurring sebum on your face by using skincare ingredients of a similar composition and purpose. One of the most important things that sebum does is act like a protective barrier against foreign invaders, most notably bacteria that can cause things like acne and infections. When the sebum is stripped from the skin as a result...
Let’s face it—Shea butter can be grainy sometimes. And while the texture and consistency of the Shea will have a lot to do with where the Shea butter comes from, it can still be useful to have a couple tricks up your sleeve to help in case you find yourself with a batch of Shea that just won’t smooth out. Armed with these simple grainy Shea butter fixes, you never need to worry about the texture of your Shea butter again. What’s really interesting about Shea butter is that different areas produce a Shea butter with different textures. And what’s even more interesting is that two trees can grow alongside each other and produce two different Shea butters! Some of...
Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to spend a lot of time or money on an effective anti aging eye cream. You can get results using simple, real and natural ingredients that don’t cost you a fortune. Raw African Shea butter contains everything the delicate skin around your eyes needs in order to stay soft, smooth, elastic and bright. And while Shea butter skincare products work wonderfully, as does plain Shea butter, why not turn it up a notch and make your own Shea butter anti aging eye cream at home? While there are many different variations you can do, the main thing is to be strategic about the ingredients you use. Because the skin around your eyes...
While buying and using carrier oils for your skin is a wonderful practice that can dramatically improve the overall quality of your skin, one thing you do need to think about is making sure your oils don’t go bad. In the case of plant oils, this is called going rancid, and once that’s happened to an oil, you definitely don’t want to put it on your skin. Some oils, however, are more stable than others, and as long as you take very minor precautions to preserve their freshness, you don’t need to worry about them going off. So what about Shea butter? Can it go rancid, and if so, what can you do to keep it from going bad? One...
