Plastic Bottle Safety: How to Know Which is Safe for Sensitive Skin

Safe Plastic Bottles

Glass is rarely used for most personal care or cosmetic products.  On the other hand, plastic is everywhere in products we use daily, including food, cleaning products, even care of newborn babies.  Most plastic containers are identified by a symbol and number on the bottom. 

If you have sensitive skin, it's very important to know what ingredients are in your skin care, personal care and makeup products.   Some plastics can leach chemicals into the product they contain.  Make it also a habit to check the tubes and bottles you buy that contain your food and sensitive skin care and personal care products.  As a general rule, never reuse a plastic bottle as a food or drink container, it it didn't contain food or drink originally.

Safe Types of Plastics

#1 PETE - Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is commonly used for most bottled water, soda, cooking oils, juice, and other foods.  This type of plastic is the safest as long as it's not exposed to heat, such as left in the sun, or reused.  When reused, exposed to heat or left in the sun, this type of plastic can leach the chemical phthalate.  Phthalates have been linked to be hazardous to health.  As long as not exposed to heat, they are safe, and easily recycled for a variety of products.

#2 HDPE - High-density polyethylene is used for milk, larger water bottles, detergent bottles, oil, personal care product bottles, and toys plastic bags.  This plastic type is considered as generally safe.  It is recycled for a variety of products.

#4 LDPE - Low-density polyethylene is used for squeezable tubes and other uses. Not known to leach any harmful chemicals. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

#5 PP - Polypropylene is used for deli soup containers, yogurt containers, drinking straws, baby diapers, Rubbermaid containers, some plastic baby bottles, hot liquids, ketchup bottles and other cloudy plastic bottles.

Unsafe Types of Plastics

#3 V or PVC - Vinyl/polyvinyl chloride is used for vegetable oil bottles, Appalachian Mountain spring water, and some plastic squeeze bottles.  May leach hormone-disrupting chemicals di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP).  It is not recyclable.

#6 PS - Polystyrene is used for most opaque plastic cutlery, plastic plates, cups, styrofoam and meat packaging.  May leach styrene, which may cause cancer.  Not recyclable.

#7 OTHER - Polycarbonate contains bisphenol-A (BPA) and is used mostly for plastic baby bottles, five gallon water jugs, teething rings, pacifiers, re-usable sports bottles, clear "sippy" cups, some clear plastic cutlery, and inner lining of food cans.  BPA has been linked to human breast cancer cell growth, since it mimics estrogen. Not recyclable.

Aluminum Tubes for Toothpaste

Tubes that are lined with aluminum are often used for toothpaste, specially those with fluoride.  This type of tube, called laminate, may leach aluminum into the paste, if the tube cracks or splits.  For years Tom's of Maine has used 100% aluminum tubes and maintained that it was safe.  However, since 2011, they are moving away from these to plastic tubes.

Cleure Tubes and Bottles
Most brands use tube manufacturers in China, where guidelines and standards are not as strict as in the USA.   Cleure tubes and bottles are made in the USA and are free of BPA. 
 

Simple Anti-Aging Home Remedies

Most people, men and women, search for anti aging through vitamins, anti aging skin care products, anti aging diet or even the latest in anti aging drugs or medicine.  Once we reach 30 years old, all of us want to look younger than our age in years.  We get very excited when we're complimented that we look younger than our age. 

Anti Aging Drugs and Medicine: do they have risks or do they work?

The most common drug given for anti aging is human growth hormone (HGH).  This is a synthetic version of the human hormone managed by our pituitary gland.  There are physicians who specialize in anti aging and categorize HGH as the fountain of youth.  They say it increases your sex drive, you'll feel fantastic, sleep better, have youthful skin, and even loose weight, if need be.  HGH has become very popular with baby boomers and there are thousands of physicians who are cashing in on it.  As we age, HGH naturally declines in our bodies.  What most people don't realize is that what their physician is selling for thousands of dollars is empty promises.  Most of these drugs have not been proven safe or effective. 

Bioidentical estrogen is another popular anti aging drug.  Studies show there is an increase risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and cancer with long term use of these types of drugs.  Some doctors claim their particular hormone cocktail is natural and harmless.  As we age certain hormones decline naturally.  Adding them to our body, whether it's claimed to be a natural or synthetic form, is not natural and has side effects.

Detoxing build up of heavy metals such as mercury is another quackery method sold as anti aging treatment.  The treatment is known as chelation therapy, and although it can help with those who have true rare heavy metal poisoning, it is totally useless.  Anti aging vitamins and supplements are also a profit making method physicians use to make you think you can turn the clock back. Unless you have certain vitamin difficiencies, these are usually no different than what's sold at the drug stores.

How to Fight Aging Naturally 

In the old days, women had to work hard at household chores.  These included washing clothes by hand, perhaps chopping wood, taking a bath infrequently, and eating whatever was available to grow, or close enough to purchase.

Today we have many modern conveniences at our disposal to make our life easier and hundreds, if not thousands of choices for food, from healthy to down right bad ones. Every one ages, and this is a perfectly natural process, however, how you age will make a huge difference in how you look.  Don't waste your money, and don't experiment with your body, and you'll be thankful as you age gracefully.
 
The secret is to maintain a healthy weight, be active, eat healthy nutritious food, manage stress, have fun and stay away from tobacco and excessive alcohol. These are the anti aging home remedies that are free.  And finally, use skin care products free of irritating ingredients.  We live in an extraordinary time of wonderful life style choices.  As each year passes, make healthy choices, age well and wisely.

Cleure offers a wide range of anti aging skin care products that are gentle and formulated with non-irritating and effective ingredients. 

Lip Gloss Ingredients that May Cause Cancer

Lipstick and lip gloss are a part of makeup basics used by most women around the world.  Two studies, one from the U.S.A. consumer group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and another by Canadian environmental consumer group (environmentaldefence.ca) found lead in lipstick and lip gloss.

Besides the problem with the ingredients that may be toxic, lip gloss is usually void of sun protection that can help prevent skin cancer.  Your lips do need to be protected and although some lip balm do contain sun protection, women would rather use lip gloss to add color.

Lip Gloss Ingredients
Lip gloss can add a wonderful touch to your lips and most women dare leave the house without it.  It feels good as it moisturizes and softens your lips with luscious colors. You won't find ingredients such as lead listed on your lip gloss or lipstick label.  

Most lip gloss, like lipstick, contain wax, oils such as lanolin, petrolatum, and color.  A study by Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 60 percent of lipsticks and lip gloss contained trace amounts of lead, especially with those that contained red colors.  The US Food and Drug Administration has set a limit of 0.1ppm lead for candy.  The lipstick and lip gloss tested, had levels ranging from 0.33 to 0.65ppm.

The Canadian group reported in the Montreal Gazette that they found not only lead but trace amounts of arsenic and cadmium in their findings.  This is especially alarming since many buy kids lip gloss, which is made of the same ingredients.


Best Lip Gloss to Protect Your Lips
When your lips are exposed to the sun, UVA and UVB rays may damage your lips.  Most women think by applying lip gloss, the moisturizer helps protect their lips.  In fact, dermatologists feel the shiny part of lip gloss helps attract and absorb the sun's rays.

The best way to protect your lips is the following:

• Use Cleure lip gloss with shea butter - shea butter is reported to have natural sunscreen properties.  Cleure Lip Gloss if free of toxic ingredients.
• Use natural lip balm with shea butter underneath your lip gloss.

It's easy to learn how to apply lip gloss.  Make sure you don't go over the edge of your lips, and after distributing it evenly on the top and bottom lip, rub your lips together.  Applying lipstick first, and then a dab of lip gloss to the middle of your bottom lip, gives the illusion of plump lips.

Best Doctor's Anti-Aging Skin Care Smarts

With most of us, each passing year means gradual changes in our body.  These changes can affect how we feel and look.  There have been many anti aging articles and books written about how to stay healthier on the inside and ways to look more youthful and beautiful on the outside.  The tips on anti aging skin care below are the culmination of the best things you can to, besides changing your genes, for a healthier, youthful, and more beautiful you.

Foods and Anti Aging Vitamins that Help You Stay Young
- Coffee has been reported to be loaded with antioxidants.  Recent reports suggest java helps lower the risk of stroke by 14%.

-  Anti aging vitamins with biotin, calcium and vitamin B12 are essential for healthy nails, hair and skin.

-  One or two days a week, eat fruit for breakfast and lunch.  For dinner have a healthy balance of fish or skinless chicken with steamed veggies and a salad.  This mini cleanse can help keep you feeling good and full of pep.

Makeup that Makes a Difference
-  Puffy eyes with dark circles can appear to add years to your appearance.  Use an eye gel to help reduce puffiness and under eye circles.  Injections and surgery will have to be repeated and are very costly.  A high quality, sensitive skin, non-irritating eye gel or eye cream can make a dramatic difference when used regularly.

-  Focus on your eyes by defining your eyebrows and shaping them naturally.  Fill in any holes or sparse areas with an eyebrow pencil and dab on powder to add color.

-  Use a shadow that best matches your skin to dust on your eye lid.  Use a darker taupe into the crease.

-  Use makeup that give your skin sun protection, such a loose mineral powder with zinc oxide SPF sun block.


 Routine for Anti-Aging Skin Care
1.  During the day use a gentle cleanser free of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).  Also make sure it's fragrance-free.

2.  Use day cream anti aging moisturizer that includes antioxidants such as vitamins C and E.  These help prevent break down of collagen and help your skin repair itself.

3.  Use an SPF with longer exposure in the sun that has zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.  These two ingredients provide sun block safely.

4.  Use a gentle cleanser at night time to wash your face and remove makeup and pollutants.  Get the circulation going with circular motions.

5.  Use an anti aging repair gel that is non-irritating, instead of the prescription retinol.

6.  Hydrate at night time with a night cream that fights wrinkles.
 

Best Tips on How to Stop Bad Breath

Stop Bad Breath Kit

Whether it's waking up first thing in the morning with bad breath (dreaded morning breath), after eating certain foods or just most of the time, you may have experienced bad breath.  The cause of bad breath may be certain diseases such as diabetes, respiratory infections, infected tonsils, stomach conditions and others.  Studies report approximately 80% of bad breath (halitosis) comes from the mouth.

Bad breath can result when harmful bacteria increase to a point of breaking down proteins at a higher rate than normal, causing sulfur compounds to accumulate.  These volatile sulfur gases can cause bad breath.  In this blog, you will learn causes of bad breath and easy tips from a dentist on how to stop bad breath. 

Brush & Floss Properly
Brushing and flossing regularly is very important, but if you don't use the proper technique, you're wasting your time.  If you quickly run a toothbrush over your teeth three time a day and floss quickly without properly cleaning under the gums, germs continue to cause bad breath and even worse, gum disease.  Ask your dental professional how to floss properly.  But in summary, the guidelines set by the American Dental Association for flossing include:

Using a piece of dental floss about 18 inches long, wrap each end around a finger on each hand and hold the floss between the thumbs and index fingers.
Gently rub the floss between teeth with a back-and-forth motion.
Curving the floss into a C-shape once it touches the gumline, gently slide it between the teeth.
With the floss held firmly against the side of the tooth, carefully and gently slide it up and down away from the gum.
Do this for every tooth, taking care to floss the back side of each tooth.  Use a clean piece of floss for each tooth.

Make sure to brush your gums as well as every side of every tooth. Brushing your gums is also important.  With a soft toothbrush, gently brush your teeth and gums. Use a tongue cleaner, or with your toothbrush, clean your tongue as well.  If you can't brush after every meal, rinse with water or chew xylitol chewing gum.  Brushing and flossing at night time is crucial because saliva flow slows down as you sleep, which means your mouth is more prone to attack by bacteria.

Best Toothpaste & Mouthwash to Cure Bad Breath
Using effective toothpaste and mouthwash is very important. Bakineg soda toothpaste helps stop bad breath.  The benefits of baking soda toothpaste are many.  It helps remove stains, helping your teeth appear whiter.  For bad breath, toothpaste with baking soda helps buffer the pH of your mouth. This is important because baking soda toothpaste can help neutralize the oral environment and not allow odor-causing germs to thrive. In the correct percentage it's also very low abrasive.  If you use it by itself, not only does it taste bad but it can be abrasive to tooth surface.

Don't think just because a product label says 'natural toothpaste' that it's good for you.  Many contain saccharin and/or sodium lauryl sulfate, which can actually cause dry mouth and bad breath.

For the best toothpaste and mouthwash use:

• Alcohol-free mouthwash - alcohol dries the mouth and changes the pH to what germs like.  This is one reason drinking alcoholic beverages is also bad for healthy, odor free mouth. Mouthwash with xylitol is excellent because it helps flow of saliva.
• Xylitol natural toothpaste and mouthwash - studies report xylitol has many benefits for a healthy mouth when used regularly in toothpaste, and especially in chewing gum.  It helps promote saliva which is good for dry mouth.  It's also been shown to help prevent tooth decay.

Kick the Tobacco Habit
It's not a secret that smoking cigarettes, chewing tobacco or use of any other form of tobacco, can cause bad breath.  Besides the potential hazards of cancer, it does increase the risk of oral infections and disease.  Tobacco also dries the mouth and makes the oral environment perfect for germs to thrive.

Foods that Cause Bad Breath
Keeping your mouth hydrated means you should drink adequate amounts of water.  Saliva helps neutralize harmful acids in your mouth.  With dry mouth, this protection is minimized allowing acid to cause damage by harmful bacteria.

 We all know about onions and garlic, but there are other less obvious foods that cause bad breath. Certain types of food tend to ferment and cause bad breath. These include red meat, high simple carbohydrate foods or sticky types of snacks.  All of these tend to hang around long after you are finished eating and allow harmful bacteria to multiply.  Coffee also tends to cause bad breath.

Eat These Types of Foods
Berries, nuts and parsley have been suggested as fresh breath foods.  An apple after meals is also an excellent choice. Other crunchy basics such as carrots and celery are fiber-rich and will help halitosis. Yogurt on a daily bases has been reported to reduce odor causing compounds in the mouth.  Xylitol chewing gum has been reported by the American Dental Association to help prevent tooth decay and can help with temporary relief of bad breath.


Don't Forget the Germs on Your Tongue
It's very important to clean your tongue.  You can use your toothbrush or a tongue cleaner.  Make it part of your daily oral hygiene routine.
 
Don't Rely on Gum, Mouthwash or Mints to Mask Your Breath
If you've just had a meal with garlic or onions and can't brush, then it's ok to use a breath mint or chew gum (especially natural xylitol gum) to mask the odor.  But you should not make this a habit if you have constant bad breath.  The cause of bad breath can be gum disease, which may increase the risk of stroke and heart disease.  Masking it is not a good idea.  See your dentist to determine what the cause of your bad breath is, and get the right treatment.

Bad Breath by Snoring & Mouth Breathing
Snoring and mouth breathing dries your mouth and makes your saliva less effective.  At night time, saliva production is naturally decreased, due to slow down of metabolism when you sleep.  With this and the added drying of the mouth with mouth breathing or snoring, you will wake up with bad breath.  There are snoring appliances that can help and make sure during the day you drink plenty of water.  Of course, brushing and flossing in the morning is also very important.

Get a Dental Check up
Getting regular check ups is the key to healthy, fresh mouth.  In the long run it'll save you money.  Even if you think you don't have any cavities, it's good to see a dentist to get your mouth evaluated.  Bad breath is common if you have tooth decay under a filling, crown or any stage of gum disease.  It's easier to treat these conditions early on rather than waiting.  

Tips & Tricks on How to Put on Lipstick

My mother used to say that if you go out and don't have time to do your makeup, wear lipstick.  Accentuating your lips with complimentary lipstick color, will make a difference in your appearance, even if that's the only makeup you have on.  Find a natural lipstick that will not dry your lips, such as a shea butter natural mineral lipstick.  If you have sensitive skin, choose a paraben free lipstick.

1.  Apply a base.  This can be a liquid or cream foundation or a lip liner.  Some makeup artists recommend using a liquid or cream foundation as the base, and then applying your lip liner and lipstick. Whether you use foundation or lip liner as the base, both will help your lipstick stay on longer.  A base should also prevent bleeding.

2.  Type of lipstick formula.  You have a choice between matte, gloss or creamy lipstick.  If you have thin lips, creamy lipstick looks best.

3.  How to apply lip liner. Use a sharp lip liner and trace the outline of your lips first.  Make sure the lip liner color blends with the lipstick or lip gloss you plan on using.  If your lipstick or lip gloss is light, you can purchase a nude lip liner.  Start at the middle of the top lip and line to the corner of your lip, one side at a time. Repeat with the bottom lip. Apply in short strokes to make the line neater.  A natural lip liner free of parabens is the best choice.

4.  How to apply lipstick.  When applying lipstick, you can either use a brush to apply your lipstick or use the stick itself.  Some say a brush gives them more control, but use which ever is easier for you.  Using your finger has also been suggested. 

5.  How to change the shape of your lips naturally.  For a plumper look, draw the line on the outer edge of the natural outline of your lips.  But don't go over it, or it will be noticed. You can also add lip liner after applying lipstick or lip gloss. After applying lipstick, add a touch of gloss towards the middle of your bottom lip for illusion of fuller lips.
To make your lips look smaller, do the opposite, by applying the line just inside of the edge of your lips.   

6.  How to make your lipstick or lip gloss last longer.  Using a foundation base and filling in your lips with lip liner, will help either lipstick or lip gloss last longer.  Apply lip liner to your whole lip before lipstick to make it also last longer.

7.  You can blend lipstick shades.  If you happen to buy a shade you don't like, try blending them.  Using lip liner under or over lipstick can also modify the color.

8.  How to choose lipstick shades.  You should consider which shades look best on you and not what looked good on a model or a friend.  But also compliment what you are wearing with your lipstick shade.  You don't want to wear pink shade of lipstick with orange clothing.  You get the picture.  Makeup artists suggest using pinks or wine shades to hide yellow teeth, or at least minimize the yellow.  Stay away from orange lipstick shades if you have yellow teeth.

9.  How to fix a broken lipstick.  Light a match and lightly touch the bottom of the stick.  Gently put it back in the tube and let it set in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

10.  Lipstick used as blush.  Retouching your blush with lipstick when you're out saves time.  Put some lipstick on your fingertip and blend on your cheeks.

Ten Sensitive Skin Care Myths

You've probably heard skin care myths before. But you never know which are true and which are fact.  "Eat this, not that", "use this cream", buy that acne cure", and the list goes on. To clear up the top ten most common sensitive skin care myths, they are listed below with explanations. 

1.  If a new products says it's for sensitive skin, I have to try it.
New products spend a lot money on marketing to get noticed and increase sales.  Instead of jumping from one brand to another, test a product and if it works, stick with it.  Buy based on what you've learned about irritating ingredients to avoid and which are safe to use.

2.  Well known brands of sensitive skin care products, no matter how much they cost, work best.
Don't judge a product by the price.  You don't need to spend $300 for a cleanser or an antiaging serum.  Educate yourself on what ingredients may be the cause of skin problems, and buy based on safe formulas.  You'll be surprised to learn these may be most reasonably priced.

3.  Sensitive skin care companies spend a lot of money on research.
Sensitive skin care and makeup for sensitive skin companies are not regulated by any government agencies, such as the FDA.  Their labels are also not regulated, unless they make medical claims.  Learn which ingredients are irritating and avoid brands with them in it.  Once you find the right match for you, continue to use it. 

4.  Plant ingredients or anything that is good to eat, must be good on my skin.
Many falsely believe not only is 'natural' or plant based ingredients good for them, but the more the better.  Most plants are sprayed with pesticides and have side effects.  The worse culprits are the ones with several plant ingredients in one product.  Dermatologists report most allergies are due to plants.  Why would you want several plant ingredients in your creams or makeup?  Any one of them could cause skin problems.

5.  Herbal and all plant ingredients in skin care are always safe and good for my skin.
This statement is also absolutely false.  For example, tea tree oil is an anti-fungal ingredient.  There is no reason to use it in a cream daily unless you have a fungal infection.  This alone may cause side effects and even severe allergies.

6.  The higher the SPF, the better the protection for my sensitive skin, and you don't need sunscreen on a cloudy day.
Most sunscreens, no matter how high the SPF, only protect from UVB rays or sunburn.  They increase your safety time in the sun without the risk of a sunburn. You need broad spectrum sunscreen which means you are protected from UVA and UVB.  UVA rays are the ones that penetrate the skin deeply, altering our pigmentation and result in a tan.  These are the dangerous harmful rays that can end up as skin cancer. A natural sunscreen with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are your safest bets.  These two ingredients have been rated as the most effective broad spectrum and safest ingredients. You should use sunscreen on cloudy as well as sunny days.  It's best if your sensitive skin makeup also contains sunscreen.

7.  Scrubbing your face daily with soap will keep your skin healthy.
Soap is one of the worse products to use for sensitive skin.  Most soap contain sodium lauryl sulfate which dries your skin and may cause sensitivities and allergies.

8.  Spa facials are good for your skin.
Most spas use products that contain plant based ingredients.  As discussed above, most of these types of ingredients may cause allergies.  Many spa products may also contain other irritating ingredients.  You can give yourself a spa facial with a gentle exfoliating scrub and facial mask.

9.  Antiaging products can make you look years younger and erase wrinkles.
Many antiaging products contain salicylic acid, which is another allergy producing ingredient.  This ingredient may temporarily reduce redness, but eventually can be a problem.  Parabens, harsh ingredients such as retinoids can eventually make skin sensitivity worse. A sensitive skin antiaging product with gentle non-irritating ingredients such as shea butter and antioxidants is the better choice.

10.  Moisturizer will cause you to breakout in pimples.
Your skin needs to stay hydraded, not dry, and therefore to be moisturized daily.  Most acne medications dry the skin.  This dryness may cause inflammation which may exacerbate acne breakout.  Make sure the sensitive skin moisturizer does not clog pores (noncomedogenic), or it's labeled as oil-free. 

Makeup and Skin Care Tips for Women over 50

As we age, skin begins to sag, fine lines start to appear, and our lips thin.  The following are tips towards younger looking you.


Easy Tips to Conceal Crow's Feet & Laugh Lines
Crows feet are those fine lines around your eyes.  Laugh lines can be a sign that you're a happy person, but as you get older, you'd rather they not be there all the time.  There are many eye gels or eye creams that can help reduce fine lines.  Use them daily.  A good concealer applied lightly (that's the key) is very helpful.  Apply a shade that matches your skin, around your eyes and anywhere else you need to conceal.  Use a small concealer brush and dab it on.  Blend with a loose mineral foundation and a high quality Kabuki brush.  Finish by dusting on a cosmetic grade loose rice powder.  This also helps minimize fine lines, and is typically used by Japanese women.

Accentuate and Bring Focus on the Eyes
No matter what shape your eyes and eyebrows are, they can be improved with makeup and should be the focus.  Use an eye pencil or loose mineral powder instead of a liquid liner to shape your eyes.  Liquid liner can appear too harsh.  Start at the inside of the top lid, and line it to the outside edge.  You can add a line lightly on the bottom.

Use powder eyeshadow (cream shadow can crease).  Lighter shade on the eyelid, slightly darker shade in the fold.  You can use an even lighter shade, such as cream color under the eyebrow to highlight.  If you have brown or hazel eyes, bronze or browns look gorgeous for shadow.  Blue eyes typically look great with blue-gray and lighter browns.  Use darker shades for dark eyes.  Finish with natural mascara.

Highlight your eyebrows with a soft eye brow pencil or loose mineral powder shade that matches your hair.  Either need to be blended so it doesn't look tacky and obvious that you used a pencil. Get your brows professionally done by waxing or threading, if nothing more than to see how they should be shaped .  Brush your brows with a toothbrush or your fingers.  If you shape your own brows, tweeze bottom and top of the brow to shape it.  Don't tweeze too many hair at a time.  To determine where the arch should be, look in the mirror and hold a pencil parallel to the outside edge of your iris.  The highest part of the arch is where the pencil meets your brow.  You can also follow the natural shape of your own brow and fine tune it, if you're happy with the shape as is.

How to Get Plump Lips
Many opt for Botox to plum up their lips.  This treatment is not a one time procedure, but has to be repeated often and can be very expensive. After many injections, it can look very unnatural.   Lip tatoos usually look fake and you can more than not, tell when it's done.   There are also lip plumpers that may work temporarily.

Lipstick shades that are a shade or two darker than your own lip color work best to give the appearance of fuller lips.  Use a lip liner first to create your lip line, then apply lipstick or lip gloss. Best natural lip gloss is another great trick to plump up your lips.  It can create an illusion of fuller lips with the shine.

Establish a Skin Care Routine
Once you skip routine of proper skin care, you will see problem skin develop.  Just think what would happen if you totally ignored your car, and just put gas in it.  Your skin needs care.  It's best to use sensitive skin care products.  These are free of irritating ingredients.

• Cleanse daily with a soap-free cleanser.
• Use a alcohol free toner to complete the cleansing process.
• Once or twice a week use a gentle facial scrub and facial mask to remove dead cells and add vital nutrients to your skin.
• Moisturize for day time and night time use anti-aging cream.
• When out in the sun make sure you use a zinc oxide broad spectrum natural sunscreen.  Wear a hat if you're exposed to long periods of sun and of course, wear sun glasses.

Sensitive Skin Benefits of Exfoliating Face Scrub and Facial Mask

You may have already heard about the benefits of getting a facial at a spa.  Facials at a spa have their benefits of you being pampered, but they can cost hundreds of dollars.  A more customized and economical way is to have a facial in the convenience of your own home.  Learn about the benefits of a regular facial with an exfoliating scrub and facial kaolin clay, dead sea mud mask to help rejuvenate your sensitive skin. 

Why You Need Regular Use of Exfoliating Scrub
Your skin evolves as you age.  At birth your skin generates new skin cells every few days as old cells die.  During bath time, the dead cells are shed.  The dead cells help protect the skin from environmental factors such as infection, sun's UV rays, free radicals and of course, pollutants.  As we get older, instead of a few days for the old cells to die, it may take up to a month or longer.  If these layers are not removed, the consequences are negative as far as the health of your skin.

When these dead cells are not removed regularly, they bind together and regular soap or cleanser is not enough to remove them.  As they build up, the new skin cells can't reach the top layer of the skin.  You may end up with:

• Dull looking skin
• Uneven skin color
• Blemishes and acne, and other skin problems
• Large pores with dry to oily patches, or even rashes

How Does Exfoliation Work?
Exfoliation is the process of removing your skin's dead cells.  Some scrubs used even at high end spas, may leave your skin red and irritated, or stinging. Even with the most gentle exfoliating scrub, it's best to not over do it, but use it as needed by following the product's instructions.  Typically, you'll see benefits with regular twice a week use of exfoliating scrub.  A facial mask can be applied weekly.

Benefits of Sensitive Skin Exfoliating Scrub & Facial Mask
If you use exfoliating scrub and facial mask regularly as part of your facial health routine, you will see the benefits.  Kaolin clay facial mask helps to nourish, soothe and help heal sensitive skin problems.  The Romans, Greeks, Chinese and Egyptians used kaolin clay for centuries as a skin beauty ingredient.  It's mild enough to be good for all skin types. The best exfoliating scrub and facial mask can have the following benefits:

• Improve circulation
• Help detoxify your skin
• Even skin tone by reducing production of sebum, the main cause of oily skin
• Reduce acne, rashes, skin problems
• Clear skin with no visible signs of large pores

Best Exfoliating Scrub & Facial Mask
Cleure Exfoliating Scrub helps remove dead cells with fine grains of pumice.  These particles gently scrub away dead cells allowing new skin cells to rise to the top.  This leaves you with healthier, brighter skin.

Cleure Facial Mask helps clear your skin with dead sea mud and kaolin clay.  Dead sea mud is rich in minerals.  Studies report these minerals in dead sea mud have healing properties.  Kaolin clay helps soften your skin, improve elasticity, helps absorb oil, minimizes pores, wrinkles and fine lines. 

 

How to Apply Blush

Facial blush can give you a healthy glow.  In the 1940s, women preferred overuse of blush, versus today's more natural color.  No one wants to look like a clown with bright red or pink cheeks.  Follow these steps for a natural, quick (should take no more than 2 minutes) beautiful natural looking "just kissed for the first time" glow.

How to Choose Blush 
There are different types of blush, including cream blush, powder blush and even liquid blush.  Powder is available in pressed or loose mineral blush form. Besides these types, you may want to opt for a natural blush which may be less irritating to your delicate skin.  Powder is best for oily, combo or acne prone skin.  Cream works better for dry skin or more mature skin, while liquid or gel are also great for oily skin.  You could even combine cream and powder together.  This combination may make the blush stay on longer.

How to Choose Blush for Your Skin Tone
If you wear lipstick, match the blush to your lipstick shade.  These two should compliment what you have on.  In other words, if you have orange clothing on, you don't want to use a bright pink lipstick and blush.  Use common sense, and color coordinate.  Typically, fair skin looks best in rose or soft adobe shades.  Olive skin looks great with peach shades.  Dark skin wears shades of apricot or red best.  For tired-looking skin, dust on a warm rose shade.



How to Choose Blush for Your Face Shape
There are many tricks of the trade to improve your face shape, especially with blush.  For a round face, a mineral bronzer dabbed LIGHTLY to your forehead and chin before you apply the blush, can give the appearance of a narrower shape.
For a square face, apply blush to your cheekbones and blend toward your temples.  Don't extend blush towards the lower part of your face.  For oval face, only apply blush to your cheek bones.

How to Put on Blush
Always moisturizer first before applying makeup.  If you use makeup, blush should be used right before your finishing powder.  However, some professional makeup artists like to use blush prior to foundation, for a more natural look.  You'll have to experiment to see which works best for you.

Always use a larger blush brush or a professional blush brush.  Look in the mirror and smile.  The high points of your smile, or the apples of your cheek, is where to apply the blush.  Keep it light and make sure to blend well.

For gel or cream blush, use your ring finger, sponge applicator to apply and brush or your finger for blending.

A translucent finishing powder will calm down and blend the blush.

Always apply powder in one direction, instead of back and forth or round and round.  One direction application will avoid streaks.

Skin Problem Blues

Itching, blemishes, rash, discolorations, and other skin spots can give you the blues.  The cause of skin problems may be infection, chronic skin disorder, an allergen or irritating ingredient.  To resolve the problem, it's important to determine the cause and how to find skin problem treatments.  Your skin is the largest organ in your body and exists to help protect your body.  However, unhealthy skin can become a problem.


Types of Skin Problems  
There are many types of skin rashes and facial skin problems, including:

• Rosacea - Your face will appear read and flushed, which may be intermittent, or become persistent.  Eventually, bumps or pimples on the skin may appear with pus.  You may even experience stinging or burning.

• Psoriasis - It's not uncommon to experience scales or plaques of red, inflamed skin.  Your skin may itch, crack and bleed, and become painful.  Psoriasis may even affect your scalp with the appearance of scaly plaques.  

• Eczema - With this skin problem, you have symptoms of itchy, red, and dry skin along with inflammation.  Adults and children are affected.  There are different types of eczema, with the most common being atopic dermatitis.

• Allergies and Hives - These types of skin rashes usually cause itching, burning or stinging.  The cause can be allergy or other reason.  You'll see outbreak of bumps, patches or welts on the skin.

Skin Problem Prevention
One thing that is common to the cause of all of the above conditions is allergy to a product, medication, ingredient, a weakened immune system and presence of inflammation.  To help minimize or totally get rid of skin problems, it's best to see a physician to get a diagnosis, then take inventory of what you may be doing to cause the symptoms.

Part of your due diligence should be to not use irritating ingredients or products.  Cleure helps by offering only sensitive skin care products that focus on non-irritating ingredients for sensitive skin care and personal care products.  Cleure products are formulated with safe and as few ingredients as possible. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on brands, test Cleure trial sizes on a small part of your arm and you may just have found the only product to help with your skin problem blues.

How Often Should You Wash Your Hair?

In the 1950s and before, most women washed their hair once a week, or they washed and styled their hair weekly at the hairdresser.  As the hair styles became more casual, and women became more active at the gym or with workouts, shampooing daily has become the norm.

Our bodies are made in perfection.  Did you know you have tiny glands called sebaceous glands under your skin, that lubricate and moisturize your skin and hair?  Sebaceous glands secrete oils that, as mentioned, moisturize your skin and hair.  However, they can also be a problem if they become backed up in hair follicles or your skin, creating a haven for bacteria and allergic reactions that can lead to scalp and skin problems.

Not shampooing enough can cause bacteria to build up which can lead to problems.  On the other hand, washing your hair daily can be too much if you use a harsh SLS shampoo that over dries your scalp.

How often you should wash your hair, is really a personal preference.  Washing your hair daily is not necessary, as agreed on by dermatologists and stylists.  How thick and long your hair is can also play a part in how often to wash your hair.  Dermatologists agree it takes longer for the oil to reach the hair follicle, if you have thick, long hair.  Therefore, you can skip a day or two of washing with no problem.

Even if you have short, thin hair, you can skip a day or two.  However, your hair does smell nice after a shampoo.  In conclusion, you can wash your hair every day, as long as you use a gentle SLS free shampoo that does not dry out your scalp.  Try variations of different days to wash your hair, to determine which works best for you.  Don't obsess over it, as time permits and depending on how much styling you need, determine your shampoo days.

How to Clean Sensitive Skin

If you think you have sensitive skin, you're not alone.  Over the past decade, surveys show more than 60 percent of women indicate they have sensitive skin.  Most dermatologist report that one common cause of sensitive skin is the result of harsh facial cleansers that are used once or twice a day.


How Not to Clean Your Sensitive Skin
Your skin is not a car, where a good lather and scrub with a washcloth will do the job and is all you need.  One irritating ingredient found in most foaming cleansers and soaps is sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS.  This foaming detergent can leave your face dry, flaky and very sensitive, especially when used in a product you need daily.  Other irritating ingredients include harsh preservatives, such as parabens and propylene glycol.  Potpourri of herbal extracts and essential oils can also cause side effects and allergies.

Washing your Face Properly
A gentle cleanser that will not rob your skin of natural oils, but cleans your skin is what you need.  Here are some helpful tips on how to wash your sensitive skin properly:

1.  Use lukewarm water instead of hot water.  Hot water may cause irritation to sensitive skin.  Hot water may also over dry your skin. Wash with your fingers and pat dry with a soft towel.  Never scrub your face.

2.  Don't overwash your face.  While taking a shower use a gentle glycerin SLS free soap, and at night time, use a gentle lotion facial cleanser to remove makeup.

3.  Don't shop for facial cleansers based on skin type, especially if you have sensitive skin.  Go for gentle with non-irritating ingredients, and most of all fragrance free cleanser. SLS free soap will have the perfect balance of pH for all skin types.

4.  Use a gentle scrub to exfoliate dead cells.  Use the scrub weekly or even more often, if your skin has blemishes.

5.  Make sure all your skin care products are free of the following ingredients:

•  SLS
• Parabens
• Fragrance
• Imidazolidinyl urea
• Formaldehyde

How to Hide Undereye Circles

You may have already spend hundreds of dollars on skin care and cosmetics to hide undereye circles.  Dark undereye circles can age you and make you look tired and stressed.

What is the Right Treatment for Dark Undereye Circles?
There may not be an actual permenant treatment for undereye circles.  Unless of course, if you need sleep or rest and relaxation from day to day stress.   Otherwise, the right concealer and technique can hide and erase undereye circles effectively.

The Right Concealer
Find a concealer shade that is the same color as your complexion.  If it's lighter, it may give you the look of raccoon eyes.  The right shade will disappear completely into your skin and hide the dark circles.  Typically, a pot concealer will provide full coverage, a stick concealer more moderate coverage, and the sponge-tipped wand, the least coverage.

How to Apply Concealer to Hide Undereye Circles
1. Use a small makeup brush to avoid adding too thick of a layer.  If you apply too much, it'll excentuate the lines on your skin, so less is better than more.
2. Apply the concealer and blend only on the dark areas. 
3. You can even apply the concealer over your eye lids, to brighten the whole eye area.
4.  Use another small clean brush to dust on loose mineral foundation and blend the concealer. 
5. Use a Kabuki brush to dust on first Loose Mineral Foundation over your whole face, followed by transluscent Rice Veil.
6.  Next accent your eyes by applying eyeliner and 2 coats of natural mineral mascara.
7.  Accentuating your brows also helps to distract from undereye circles.  Outline them with loose minerals or brow pencil. It's always best to use sensitive skin eye makeup.

Allergy Basics and Your Sensitive Skin

You may be surprised to learn that at least two out of every 10 Americans are affected by allergies.  The bottom line of allergies is that your immune system has an abnormal response to substances that others may not have any negative response to.

How Allergies can be Cause of Sensitive Skin
You are exposed to the 'allergen' (substance your immune system negatively responds to) by inhaling it, swallowing it, or absorbing it into your skin.  Over time, your immune system produces certain types of antibodies to grab the allergen.  A domino effect occurs, in a nut shell, which sets off a few chemical reactions which show as symptoms.  Some of these reactions eventually affect the health of many of your organs, including the skin, which is the largest organ in your body.  With continued exposure to this 'allergen', you may develop sensitive skin.  Many of your every day used skin care and personal care products may contain some form of irritating allergen.

Allergic Reaction Symptoms of Sensitive Skin
There are many allergic reactions to skin allergens, including:

• Rashes
• Hives
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Sneezing
• Red patches

You may experience mild to severe reactions and symptoms.  Usually the reaction disappears once the exposure to the allergen stops.

Sensitive Skin Care is the Key to Minimize Allergic Skin Reactions
The longer you use skin care products with irritating ingredients, the more likely that you may develop sensitive skin reactions.  Many brands sell products with labels indicating they offer sensitive skin care.  But truly sensitive skin care products should be void of the following:

• Salicylates
• Gluten
• Parabens
• Herbal extracts and essential oils
• Fragrance

All Cleure skin care products are free of of salicylates, gluten, parabens, fragrance, and herbal ingredients.  With daily use, you will notice a more radiant, healthy skin.

Top Tips for Sensitive Skin

There are several common factors about sensitive skin:

• Stinging, redness, rashes after using certain skin care, cosmetics or personal care products.
• Blushing or flushing of the skin known as rosacea.
• Blemishes and acne prone skin.
• Reactions may vary with each person, including overly dry skin, eczema, hives, dermatitis, rosacea.

Cause of Sensitive Skin
Dermatologist agree the underlying cause of sensitive skin is any or all of the following:

• Weakened immune system which can't fight off irritants that can cause allergic reactions.
• Heredity, age and gender may effect extent of injury your skin can handle.
• Over exposure to sun and other environmental factors.
• Use of irritating products with harsh ingredients for long periods of time, contained in cosmetics and skin care.
• Alcohol, tobacco use excessively can rob healthy skin of vital nutrients.

Tips for Care of Sensitive Skin
People with sensitive skin may react differently with different care of the skin.  However,  most agree that certain irritating ingredients make the symptoms worse.

Cleansing your skin should include a gentle facial SLS free facial cleanser.  Choose a soap-free cleanser that is free of fragrance and parabens.

Moisturizing your face keeps your skin hydrated all day and protects your delicate skin from environmental factors such as sun, wind, heat and cold.  Salicylic acid is commonly added to anti aging or for acne prone skin.  Many people are finding this ingredient to cause skin reactions.  Don't use products with salicylates. Use sunscreen with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide instead of harsh sunblocks.  Sunscreen should be used all year.



For cosmetics, stick to mineral makeup that is free of harsh preservatives such as parabens, bismouth oxychloride, corn starch and antibacterial ingredients.  Cleure Loose Mineral Makeup gives you sun block protection and is non-irritating.  Don't use eye makeup that are 'waterproof', which usually contain harsh ingredients. Formaldehyde, pthalates and toluene are toxic ingredients often added to nail polish.  It's best not to use these and choose a non-toxic nail polish.
 
It's best to test a new product on a small part of your skin, such as the arm, before using it on your face.  Test for approximately one week, unless of course, you see a reaction earlier.  If you don't see any irritation, then apply the product to a small area on the face for further testing.  If this test succeeds, then apply to your entire face.

Easty Steps to Healthy Skin

How well do you treat your skin?  If you're committed to be at work or school on time, eat right to loose or maintain the right weight, you should also incorporate a daily and weekly routine to give your face a regimen to prep for daily challenges of stress, and environmental challenges.

Easy Step 1: Cleanse
Cleure gentle, creamy liquid Cleanser removes dirt free of SLS.  You can use a cotton ball applied to your skin and rinse with lukewarm water.  End with a splash of cool water.

Easy Step 2: Tone
Alcohol free Cleure Toner is formulated to balance the skin's pH and close pores.  Apply by face and neck to remove the last traces of dirt and restore the pH of your skin. 

Easy Step 3: Exfoliating Scrub
Cleure gentle Exfoliatiating Scrub removed dead skin cells that build up daily on the skin.  These dead cells can eventually cause breakouts, blemishes and infection.  Most Scrubs are harsh and irritting.  Cleure Exfoliating Scrub is gentle enough to use daily.  You'll be able to judge which routine works best for you: daily, weekly or monthly.

Easy Step 4: Facial Refining Mask
Revitalizing your skin is the next step towards radiant and beautiful skin.  Cleure hydrating mask with kaolin clay and dead sea mud revitalizes by adding vital nutrients to you skin.

Easy Step 5: Hydrate
Daily moisturizing to hydrate your skin and keep it from dehydrating is essential for all skin types.  Cleure Day Cream and Night Cream help protect your skin with anti-oxidants and shea butter.  These ingredients help protect against premature aging and help repair your skin.  During sun exposure Cleure Sunscreen provides at least an SPF of approximately 15.