Friday, March 20, 2009
DIY Beauty: Evening Primrose Oil for acne
Reduces inflammation and redness
Actually I had a very vague idea of what evening primrose oil could do for my skin when applied externally. I started using it because I was fed up over a couple of huge red inflammed acne on one side of my cheeks. Nothing I did or used could tame them. So I punctured a hole into one of the Sainsbury’s Evening Primrose Oil capsules which I have been consuming orally, squeezed out the oil and started applying to the inflammed acne. I also applied the rest of the oil on the dry scaly patches of my body.
I went to bed after that, actually worrying that the oil would aggravate the acne. But to my pleasant surprise, the acne subsided a lot the next morning! It didn’t get rid of the acne nor the scarring but it certainly kept them from flaring up again. In addition, the dry scaly patches on my body were also looking a lot better. They were not as red, and definitely not as dry and scaly.
Contains concentrated sources of Gamma Linoleic Acid
In my last entry, I wrote that evening primrose oil is extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose flower and the purified oil is then made available in capsules as well as liquid form. The oil is one of the most concentrated sources of Gamma Linoleic Acid (GLA), which is an essential fatty acid of the omega 6 family with anti-inflammatory properties and plays an important role to maintain healthy skin.
Provides countless skin care benefits
Evening primrose oil is good in calming acne flare ups because of its ability to dilute sebum production. The oil has also been proven to treat dry, scaly, or itchy skin conditions, such as rosacea and atopic dermatitis. It also reportedly, has some modest benefits for eczema. Other benefits when it comes to skin care include:
- rejuvenating the skin,
- reducing skin blemishes and visible skin redness,
- smoothening rough skin and hydrating dry skin,
- reducing the wrinkles and fine lines on the skin gradually, and
- lightening the dark circles around the eyes.
Feels oily and goes rancid quickly
Because evening primrose oil goes rancid pretty quickly, so it’s best to use the capsules instead. I have been using evening primrose oil on alternate nights and applying the oil liberally on my body and my face, and even lightly around my eyes. One capsule can pretty much cover the areas I need. Evening primrose oil feels extremely greasy on contact and remains so for my hands but less so for my face. Somehow, the oil absorbs quite quickly into my face and what surprised me most is that my face looked a lot more nourished the morning after, giving me quite a healthy glow.
Smells peculiar
My only gripe is that the oil has a peculiar smell. Not unpleasant but nothing sweet either. So it needs getting used it. But inspite of that, I say evening primrose oil is something I would want to use from time to time in my skin care regime. It’s definitely a lovely oil for the skin!
http://www.vivawoman.net/2008/11/12/diy-beauty-evening-primrose-oil-for-acne/
Actually I had a very vague idea of what evening primrose oil could do for my skin when applied externally. I started using it because I was fed up over a couple of huge red inflammed acne on one side of my cheeks. Nothing I did or used could tame them. So I punctured a hole into one of the Sainsbury’s Evening Primrose Oil capsules which I have been consuming orally, squeezed out the oil and started applying to the inflammed acne. I also applied the rest of the oil on the dry scaly patches of my body.
I went to bed after that, actually worrying that the oil would aggravate the acne. But to my pleasant surprise, the acne subsided a lot the next morning! It didn’t get rid of the acne nor the scarring but it certainly kept them from flaring up again. In addition, the dry scaly patches on my body were also looking a lot better. They were not as red, and definitely not as dry and scaly.
Contains concentrated sources of Gamma Linoleic Acid
In my last entry, I wrote that evening primrose oil is extracted from the seeds of the evening primrose flower and the purified oil is then made available in capsules as well as liquid form. The oil is one of the most concentrated sources of Gamma Linoleic Acid (GLA), which is an essential fatty acid of the omega 6 family with anti-inflammatory properties and plays an important role to maintain healthy skin.
Provides countless skin care benefits
Evening primrose oil is good in calming acne flare ups because of its ability to dilute sebum production. The oil has also been proven to treat dry, scaly, or itchy skin conditions, such as rosacea and atopic dermatitis. It also reportedly, has some modest benefits for eczema. Other benefits when it comes to skin care include:
- rejuvenating the skin,
- reducing skin blemishes and visible skin redness,
- smoothening rough skin and hydrating dry skin,
- reducing the wrinkles and fine lines on the skin gradually, and
- lightening the dark circles around the eyes.
Feels oily and goes rancid quickly
Because evening primrose oil goes rancid pretty quickly, so it’s best to use the capsules instead. I have been using evening primrose oil on alternate nights and applying the oil liberally on my body and my face, and even lightly around my eyes. One capsule can pretty much cover the areas I need. Evening primrose oil feels extremely greasy on contact and remains so for my hands but less so for my face. Somehow, the oil absorbs quite quickly into my face and what surprised me most is that my face looked a lot more nourished the morning after, giving me quite a healthy glow.
Smells peculiar
My only gripe is that the oil has a peculiar smell. Not unpleasant but nothing sweet either. So it needs getting used it. But inspite of that, I say evening primrose oil is something I would want to use from time to time in my skin care regime. It’s definitely a lovely oil for the skin!
http://www.vivawoman.net/2008/11/12/diy-beauty-evening-primrose-oil-for-acne/
DIY Beauty: keeping blackheads at bay
I believe most of us are plagued by some amount of blackheads or whiteheads on parts of our face. These are called comedones by dermatologists and these facial pests are a result of the waxy oil that accumulates on our skin. When a minuscule globule of sebum collects at the top of a pore, a whitehead develops. When the waxy oil hardens, plugs the pore and is exposed to air, it turns black through oxidation and becomes a blackhead.
Our nose area is a prime spot for such “skin worms” and the best way to get rid of them is to have been squeezed out although some like to use the pore pack nose strips to do the job instead. I’ve been experimenting with some homemade beauty remedies and found that there are some natural ways to keep them at bay.
Baking soda
The texture of moistened baking soda is slightly abrasive and hence is good for exfoliation. With about a 1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda, I added some water and then gently massaged all over my nose area before rinising out. My nose immediately looked quite clean afterwards but the only problem was that the baking soda seem to cause a brief sneezing effect so I wouldn’t recommend using this too frequently. Once a week is good enough for me.
Tomato
I read that tomato contains vitamin C plus an acid that removes dead epidermal cells, thus helping to clear whiteheads and prevent blackheads from turning into pimples. You can simply cut a slice and rub it on your nose area or anywhere else you have blackheads. What I do is to use the mashed pulp, rub it on my nose area and leave on for about 10 minutes before rinsing off. In fact, I found that using the baking soda to scrub prior to rubbing on the tomato pulp is the best.
Homemade remedies must be used regularly for results
However, don’t expect either of these remedies to keep you totally free from blackheads. I still have blackheads, but a lot lesser. If you have a lot of blackheads to begin with, I suggest you extract them first before starting on these remedies. And you have to use them regularly to keep those blackheads away. Like I mentioned, I use the baking soda about once a week but I rub the tomato pulp almost every other day on my nose.
It’s a cheap and easy way to keep my blackheads at bay!
Our nose area is a prime spot for such “skin worms” and the best way to get rid of them is to have been squeezed out although some like to use the pore pack nose strips to do the job instead. I’ve been experimenting with some homemade beauty remedies and found that there are some natural ways to keep them at bay.
Baking soda
The texture of moistened baking soda is slightly abrasive and hence is good for exfoliation. With about a 1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda, I added some water and then gently massaged all over my nose area before rinising out. My nose immediately looked quite clean afterwards but the only problem was that the baking soda seem to cause a brief sneezing effect so I wouldn’t recommend using this too frequently. Once a week is good enough for me.
Tomato
I read that tomato contains vitamin C plus an acid that removes dead epidermal cells, thus helping to clear whiteheads and prevent blackheads from turning into pimples. You can simply cut a slice and rub it on your nose area or anywhere else you have blackheads. What I do is to use the mashed pulp, rub it on my nose area and leave on for about 10 minutes before rinsing off. In fact, I found that using the baking soda to scrub prior to rubbing on the tomato pulp is the best.
Homemade remedies must be used regularly for results
However, don’t expect either of these remedies to keep you totally free from blackheads. I still have blackheads, but a lot lesser. If you have a lot of blackheads to begin with, I suggest you extract them first before starting on these remedies. And you have to use them regularly to keep those blackheads away. Like I mentioned, I use the baking soda about once a week but I rub the tomato pulp almost every other day on my nose.
It’s a cheap and easy way to keep my blackheads at bay!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
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