Take Care of Your Skin

by isla.campbell

How did you treat your skin today? Did you get up and go to work without doing anything to it at all? If it was sunny, did you take the time to put on some sun block before heading outside? Or did you go out thinking that a few of the sun’s rays would do you good?

We all like to get a dose of sunshine now and again, and it’s easy to fall into the habit of getting up without putting ourselves through a normal skincare routine, but in the long term we will notice the effects of not doing so if we don’t take that time to treat our skin well.

Our skin is an amazing thing, when you think about it. Even in the winter, when it’s cold and windy and the occasional bout of snow is coming down, it is portions of our skin that have to brave the elements. The truth is that the more you take care of it, the more it will be able to weather any storm and keep on looking and feeling good as you go through your life.

Some people avoid taking care of their skin and don’t do any more than just splash cold water on their face every day. But in truth it doesn’t actually take very long to look after it, and you will notice the effects as you start to get older too.

So what should you do? Well, the first step is to cleanse your face on a regular basis. Doing this twice a day with a quality product will ensure that any undesired dirt or sweat on your face is removed, and you will feel much more awake when you make this part of your morning routine.

An exfoliating scrub will also make your skin feel noticeably different, and a good one will help to reduce lines as well. Finally a good moisturizer will prevent your skin from drying out, which can easily happen - especially in harsh weather.

This whole routine barely takes more than five minutes, but the difference you will see over the course of days, weeks and even years if you keep it up is quite amazing. It’s important to use good products though as they will contain better quality ingredients.

You obviously need to make sure you aren’t allergic to anything you try, so it’s a good idea to buy the smallest size of anything you like the look of first of all. Once you know it is right for you, you can buy a larger one if need be.

The Effects of UV Rays

by Jack Creed

Skin care products raise many questions when it comes to the science of reversing the aging process. With these new products people have tried to do the unimaginable of making themselves look younger at older ages. While people continue to use skin care products, it has been noted that some of the products actually work while others are just a fluke.

The natural process of aging eventually dawns on everyone no matter who you are or what you do. However there are certain factors which can help to preserve your appearance or accelerate the process. Some things that accelerate the aging process are working long hours in the sun or being in air and water pollution on a daily basis.

Can someone really reverse the full effects of aging? They may not be able to fully reverse the aging process but they can try. Skin care products can reduce the aging process making it be drawn out over time.

Humans have millions of pores that produce oils to keep our skin healthy and our pores clean. Skin blemishes appear over time because dust and other pollutants get clogged in our pores. This makes it difficult for the oils to cleanse our face which then produces unwanted aging marks on the skin. Besides pollution, ultra violet rays could play a big role in this process as well.

Ultra violet rays, also known as UV rays, are produced by the sun and can damage the skin. Melanin is produced by our pores when we expose our skin to the basking sun. The hot UV rays increase the production of melanin which makes the skin look tan yet dry and unhealthy.

UV rays and pollutions that are exposed to our skin can also be held responsible for the emergence of wrinkles on the skin. A lack of skin proteins such as collagen and elastin are a primary factor when it comes to wrinkles. Although the precise cause of wrinkles cannot be generalized briefly.

Skin Care and True Beauty

Skin plays a vital role in our life, how you look and feel directly relates to your skin. Making the best choices for our bodies, and ultimately our skin, is maintained through diet/food, exercise, regular moisturizing and cleansing treatments, and a healthy mental attitude.

Beauty truly comes from within, both for how we care for our bodies, and our attitudes, for outer beauty resembles the beauty that is within. Maintaining a positive attitude is vital to good health and good skin.

The type of skin you have depends on your genes, sex, age, environment, structure and regeneration. How you treat your skin will always be evident in your face, hands and body. It's never too early or too late to begin looking after your skin to glow and feel great.

Skin cleansing is very much essential, because pollution, grease and grime cling to the skin, clogging your pores, while the body eliminates toxins through perspiration. If the cleansing process is not regularly and completely undertaken, the skin will look and feel sluggish, tired and minor skin problems and irritations will transpire.

How you care for your skin and different factors in your daily routine help to keep up a skin that serves you for life in different ways. For example, proper diet is giving major importance to the shine of skin. A diet for blemish-prone skin must be consistently high in protein and fresh raw fruit and vegetables.

Although intense exposure to the sun can produce signs of aging and predispose it to cancer, a little bit of daily exposure to sun light is important to rejuvenate your skin. The most damaging effect of the sun is that it dehydrates the skin causing it to become dry and rough and wrinkled, freckles, pigmentation and patches may also occur.

An immediate reaction is expansion of blood vessels which is why skin looks flushed, red and gets tanned if stayed out in the sun for long. However sun is good for children, helping to provide vitamin D, for growth and metabolism. Skin care by Golden Goat products suits any kind of skin and it is recommended to use Golden Goat skin care products every day.

The Anatomy of Skin

Facts about the skin:

The skin is the body's largest organ, covering the entire body. In addition to serving as a protective shield against heat, light, injury, and infection, the skin also:

• regulates body temperature
• stores water and fat
• is a sensory organ
• prevents water loss
• prevents entry of bacteria

Throughout the body, the skin's characteristics (thickness, color, texture) vary. For instance, the head contains more hair follicles than anywhere else, while the soles of the feet contain none. In addition, the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands are much thicker. The skin is made up of the following layers, with each layer performing specific functions:

• epidermis
• dermis
• subcutaneous fat layer

Tips to Prepare Your Skin for Winter

1. Switch from lotions to creams. As the weather gets colder, our skin requires added moisture in the form of balms and creams which are longer lasting and create a barrier on the skin to keep moisture in instead of evaporating into the dry winter air.

2. Moisturize your hands with every washing. There's a reason they say that our hands show our age first! Constant contact with harsh detergents, hand-washing, hot water, cold and wind can dry out and chap hands. Wash with our enriched goat milk soap to keep skin soft and healthy. To ensure that you are keeping the moisture in, place a bottle of lightweight lotion next to the sinks in your bathroom and kitchen, in your desk drawer and car so you have no excuse to skimp on moisture. Place a bottle or tub of cream next to the bed for heavier application at night. Apply the moisturizer, then put cotton gloves on the let the moisturizer work wonders on your hands over night.

3. Start a lip care regimen now. Nip dry lips in the bud by starting a lip regimen now. Our Shea Butter Lip Balm is great to keep the moisture in and soften. Drink plenty of fluids to keep your body and skin healthy.

4. Be kind to your nails and cuticles. Nails are made of keratin which becomes brittle and can crack under harsh, cold conditions. Not to mention what the havoc of holiday cleaning and dish washing can do to your cuticles! You won't believe the difference our cuticle cream will make on your hands. Make it a habit to massage the cuticle cream into your cuticles morning and night to keep your cuticles healthy and soft.

5. Exfoliate to restore your natural glow. Dead skin cells from UV exposure, swimming in chlorine and collections of sebum and other debris clogging your pores can make anyone's skin look dull and lifeless. Using a scrub product to exfoliate is a great way to loosen and remove dead skin cells, giving you a new canvas of fresh skin to pamper. Golden Goat has numerous products that will fit the bill. Dead Sea Peels can invigorate your face and deep clean while detoxifying your skin. Dead Sea Salt scrubs work wonders for the rest of the body to soften, exfoliate and nourish skin.

Dandruff

Whenever I think of dandruff, I remember those silly commercials where a man is wearing a black turtleneck shirt with white specks of dandruff all over his shoulders, and the women avoid him. Then some woman hands him a bottle of shampoo, and he tries it. The next shot is of him in that same black shirt, no flakes, and women hanging all over him as he grins at the camera. I told you, it is a silly commercial. I don't remember what the product was, but the images stuck in my mind.

Dandruff is a form of skin inflammation (dermatitis) which has no known cause. It occurs any time from infancy (in babies, it is known as "cradle cap") to old age. It can also come and go at random. Treatment is usually focused on treating the inflammation to stop the dead skin flaking off.

There is controversy over whether or not the dandruff is actually caused by a yeast, or if the yeast is fed by the inflammation. Either way, yeast is usually a problem when dandruff is present.

My research has shown that our Goat Milk Shampoo Bar has helped every person that has tried it. Castor oil naturally kills yeast, and also moisturizes the scalp, effectively eliminating the cradle cap or dandruff. Many users have reported that they find their hair cleaner, and fuller, and that they don't even need a conditioner with the bar shampoo.

For those that need deeper treatment, I recommend the dead sea mud shampoo which utilizes deeper cleaning fromt he dead sea mud. It still has castor oil in it, but the addition of the mud makes it a much deeper cleaner and detoxifier.

Rashes

Do you know much about rashes? What causes them? How to prevent them? Read on to learn more...

A rash is a change in the skin which affects its appearance or texture. A rash may be localized to one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful.

A rash breaks down the skin barrier and makes the skin more susceptible to infection. It is possible for a serious skin infection to develop in an existing rash. Signs of infection may include:

• Increased pain, swelling, redness, or warmth around the affected area.
• Red streaks extending from the affected area.
• Drainage of pus from the area.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin.
• Fever or chills with no other known cause.

Many rashes aren't necessarily cured, they are controlled. Rashes such as acne, eczema, atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, hives, or rosacea can can come and go depending on many factors. The best thing to do is to educate yourself about a rash you've been diagnosed with so you know what to expect in the future. Once you find something that helps your rash, you may need to continue treatment to keep it under control.

Atopic dermatitis: is perhaps the most common form of eczema. This is a hereditary skin problem that often begins in childhood as chapped cheeks and scaly patches on the scalp, arms, legs, and torso. Later in childhood, atopic dermatitis may affect the inner aspects of the elbows and knees.

"Dermatitis" means inflammation of the skin. "Atopic" refers to diseases that may be associated with allergies and tend to run in families. This is often worse in the winter months, when the air is cold and dry.

Skin affected by atopic dermatitis becomes extremely itchy and inflamed. It may look red, swollen, and cracked. In some cases, the skin can also weep and crust. Liquid that oozes out of such crusts is often not infected; what comes out is the body's normal tissue fluid. Treatment specific for eczema is helpful, not antibiotics.

Patches of atopic dermatitis may appear on various parts of the body, but the condition is not contagious. It may appear off and on throughout life, but there may be long intervals between outbreaks. Also, the condition does not get progressively worse with age; if anything, it is most extensive during childhood. Many use steroids to control the eczema, though steroids may hold a potential risk of future health problems with prolonged use.

We suggest using our Goat Milk Soap to alleviate dry skin conditions. Nutrients and vitamins in the soap help to give the skin what it needs to remain healthy and heal itself. Added moisture helps to coat the skin and retain the moisture that it has within. Use our lotions and raw organic unrefined shea butter to soothe the itching and dryness until your skin begins feeling normal.

Contact dermatitis: is a rash that is brought on either by contact with a specific material that causes allergy on the skin or with something that irritates the skin. This can be anything from frequent hand washing to poison ivy to detergents and fragrances.

We suggest our organic unrefined shea butter as a treatment to soothe the discomfort from these types of rashes, and then continued use of our Goat Milk Soap to keep the skin soft, healthy, and clean.

As for prevention, most of it is common sense. Watch for poison ivy, avoid fragrances and detergents, use goat milk soap daily to wash hands and body, retain natural moisture with goat milk lotion or shea butter...

There are many other rashes, but these are the most common complaints we see in our customers. Next time, we will focus on dandruff.