Archive for January, 2009

When you purchase air fresheners, either solid disks, liquid sprays or plug-in devices, do you consider this a luxury item on your list or a necessary purchase for yourself and your home?  This may be a frivolous purchase as well as a dangerous one.  These products are most likely robbing you of good health.

Many air fresheners mask the offending odour by providing a much stronger odour.  There is a wide array of chemical substances that may be used in your air freshener, as well as the propellants in aerosol products, and you may end up inhaling these substances along with the fragrance.   Among other health risks, these substances may be numbing your nerves, thereby, affecting your sense of smell.  Consider the following:

  • Common air fresheners contain chemicals which may affect human reproductive development;
  • Air fresheners can be dangerous when used indoors in a small space as commonly used air fresheners may emit toxic pollutants that could be at dangerous levels leading to health problems;
  • A chemical compound found in many air fresheners could be harmful to your lungs;
  • A component causing great concern in many air fresheners is formaldehyde. You bet this will destroy your sense of smell while being one of the worst offenders for respiratory irritation.  Anyone  with asthma, lung infections or similar disorders may be severely affected by formaldehyde;
  • By using an air freshener in your child’s room, together with an air purifier that creates ozone, the result in formaldehyde levels can be 25 percent higher than recommended. Formaldehyde is  considered a known carcinogen;
  • Air fresheners – particularly those scented with pine, orange and lemon fragrances can emit harmful levels of toxic pollutants into your environment.  Repeated exposure to these pollutants and  their by-products can exceed regulatory guidelines particularly in small, poorly ventilated rooms.

Add to this list an excerpt from the Australian Clearing House For Youth Studies stating cheap air fresheners are emerging as a preferred drug for many teenagers in Australia and New Zealand.  Called “huffing”, inhaling air fresheners has caused the death of three teenagers in one month in New Zealand. 

The answer is simple.  Get back to basics.  Keep things clean.  Ensure good ventilation in your bathroom, kitchen and bedrooms.  Simply open a window or use an exhaust fan if you feel the need to clear out odours.  Try a few of the following easy tips to freshen the air:

  1. You can mix 2 cups of hot water, 1/8 cup of baking soda and ½ cup of lemon juice (bottled Real Lemon works too) to make a lemon air freshener spray;
  2. Wrap some cloves and a cinnamon stick in cheesecloth and place it in a pot of boiling water then let it simmer on the stove while you enjoy the aroma.  You could also use citrus fruit in a pot with water and simmer gently;
  3. Burn 100% pure beeswax candles without lead wicks as they are made of all natural ingredients that can be safely burned in your home while actually purifying and cleaning the air.  Most people are unaware that lead is commonly used in candle wicks as a stiffening agent. Burning even a single lead containing candle wick can release harmful levels of lead and other metals into the air.  These metals can then find their way on to the surfaces in your home and into the lungs of you and your family;
  4. You can freshen up your home by boiling a small amount of water in a pan with a tablespoon of dried mint for a minute or two. This will keep your entire home smelling fresh for some time.

If you enjoy essential oils and you would like to immediately create an uplifting, fragrant atmosphere in your home or office try a nebulizing diffuser.

Keep expensive, commercial air fresheners off your luxury or necessary purchase list.  Do not allow these products into your home where they may be silently robbing you of good health.

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The problem with wrinkle cream reviews and research is that most of it is written by people with an invested stake in selling a particular wrinkle reduction product! While the FDA regulates all products for safety, there are few mandates on promised efficiency. Given the cost of the average jar of cream, the last thing we want is to purchase one and use it for four weeks with no more results than a basic moisturizer! What follows is a simple, unbiased listing of wrinkle creams on the market. To get an idea of what might work for you, the best option is to speak with a dermatologist.

Retinoid creams containing vitamin A are a favorite among actresses in their twenties. Some dermatologists swear off antioxidants, peels, scrubs and injections, in favor of reinoids when it comes to taking years off your face. Your doctor can prescription retinoids like Renova, Tazorac and Retin-A (the product Cher credited her youthful looks with), or you can opt for less potent, over-the-counter wrinkle creams, such as Neutrogena’s Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Intensive Face Lotion SPF 20.

Imagine wrinkle creams made of emu oil! Halle Barry, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cindy Crawford, Goldie Hawn and Jennifer Lopez reportedly use Dremu Oil, which is sometimes referred to as “the face lift in a jar.” The anti-aging, anti wrinkle Dremu Oil can penetrate up to seven layers of skin and contains fatty acids that restore the body with elasticin, collagen and moisture. Dremu Oil has been featured in magazines like Vogue, Harpers, as well as Beauty and Fashion. A bottle will run you around $53.

Alpha Hydroxy Acids are the base component of the original, facial skin solutions. By harnessing the body’s natural reconstructive tendencies, Alpha Hydroxy Acids rebuild skin tissue, stimulate collagen production and repair cell damage for healthier and younger looking skin, without wrinkles. One brand, LifeCell, uses human-harvested AHAs to create an all-in-one cream that contains: anti wrinkle, firming, moisturizing, age spot reducing, eye wrinkle and lip plumping agents. Also, Christian Dior has released a product called “Capture Rides Multi-Action Wrinkle Cream with Cyclic AHA” for $50 / 1.7 ml.

Then again, some of us mad scientists would rather concoct our own all-natural wrinkle cream. Recipes vary all over the internet, but an easy one to try contains 2 tbsp cucumber juice, 1 egg white, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp rum or brandy and 1.2 tsp of Sodium Benzoate. Just beat the egg whites and add the rest of the ingredients, keeping your mixture refrigerated. Apply this as needed, or try a coconut oil massage around the eyes before bed time. Some people even swear by an apple juice concoction made with both apple and green pineapples, or a banana mash left on for 10-15 minutes to heal fine wrinkles and cracked skin. A warm washcloth smeared in honey, then followed with cold water is a good all-natural, weekly skin treatment as well.

No one can look young forever. Not even Joan Rivers or Dick Clark is completely immune to the signs of aging. Sure you could get cosmetic surgery to erase those wrinkles but there are better methods that are less invasive and far cheaper. Why not try some of the new wrinkle creams on the market? They can reduce the signs of aging and provide you with a healthy, glowing complexion that will have your friends and family wondering if you have undergone the knife during some cosmetic surgery. Only you will know the real secret by clicking here for more information:

To learn more go to Deep Wrinkle Cream and at Iced Anti Wrinkle Cream and at Wrinkle Injection

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Whether you choose exfoliators, moisturizers, day creams or night creams, it can be daunting to get started on a daily wrinkle treatment. Many Americans get lost in this widely unregulated market as they wonder which ones are placebos and which have proven to work. All products need to be FDA-approved for safety, but sometimes it’s a crapshoot to find which product works for you. Here’s a guide of different wrinkle reduction options, what to look out for and what medical procedures are available.

The quintessential element in preventative treatment is simply sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) and avoiding the sun during those crucial hours from noon to 3pm. Ninety percent of deep wrinkles are caused by sun-related skin damage, so don’t overlook the importance of slathering yourself up with lotion at the beach. As with all health-related things, exercise and diet are important as well. Instead of white bread, refined foods, cereals, sugar, and potatoes, try eating fruit, beans, vegetables, sourdough, multigrain bread, honey and sweet potatoes. Instead of bar soap and hot showers, take a warm shower and use body wash. The importance of a daily moisturizer after age twenty cannot be overstated.

Once the skin damage has already been done, there are still ways of obtaining healthier and younger looking skin. A good do-it-yourself method involves first using a scrub or exfoliator to remove dead skin cells, followed by a moisturizer and anti wrinkle cream or firming cream. There are special eye wrinkle creams and nighttime revitalizing creams that can restore the skin with essential vitamins. For instance, creams with vitamin A (like Retinol) help build collagen beneath the skin and minimize fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) is a powerful antioxidant that stabilizes collagen and aids in skin healing. Another antioxidant, vitamin E, helps reduce swelling and puffiness beneath the skin, while improving hydration and softness.

Wrinkles are caused by many factors. It could be stress, exposure to the sun’s UV rays or the body’s natural depletion of collagen and elastin. Some people who experience extreme sagging may have lost underlying support, padding and connective tissues, so they opt for collagen injections or face lifts to restore aging skin. Average collagen injections cost about $300, while surgery can go into the thousands. Collagen injections have been done since 1981 and are considered very safe, but the effects generally only last about 4 or 5 months, at which time another wrinkle treatment is needed.

You don’t have to be a vampire to look young forever. Plastic surgery is a huge ordeal, sometimes taking months to recover from, but delivers the most dramatic results. Botox and collagen injections are popular because of their affordability, though they require additional wrinkle treatment one or two more times per year to maintain efficiency. For the rest of us average plebes, there are exfoliants, anti wrinkle creams and other products to restore younger looking skin.

Wrinkles can just be a pain in the rear. Women do not get the luxury of looking distinguished. Its just crow feet or wrinkling around the mouth. It is enough to drive anyone to Botox or other cosmetic surgery. Before you start plunking down hundreds of dollars for the latest cosmetic treatment there are other options available to you. Some of these treatments may be facial exercises and others may be creams or lotions you can apply a couple times of day. There are ways around undergoing the knife to rid you of that pesky wrinkle. Find out more by clicking here:

To learn more go to Deep Wrinkle and at Highest Rated Wrinkle Cream and at Wrinkle Cream Samples

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