The Fountain of Youth

 

 

While Ponce de Leon did not find the fountain of youth, experts are deeming Vitamin C as our own version. Myriads of studies show that this magical antioxidant is one of the best anti-aging products on the market. And not only effective as an anti-ager, C is effective in minimizing dark spots, stimulating collagen output, diminishing fine lines and giving skin an overall radiance.

 

 " Vitamin C is the single most powerful, multi-functional topical ingredient you can use," says Benjamin Fuchs, a pharmacist and cosmetic chemist. " It can actually penetrate, be absorbed, and be utilized in fibroblasts of the skin." Want a bang for your buck, try serums which are generally formulated with the highest concentrates of ascorbic acid AKA: vitamin C. A good % to start with is 15: the gold standard. " That is the ideal level-not only do you get the anti-aging benefit, but you also get a healthy glow," says cosmetic chemist Ni'kita Wilson.

 

Even better is when a C serum is a cocktail of vitamin C and age-defying ingredients. Example, Ferulic acid is a protectant from the sun ( a major cause of premature aging ) and Niacinamide and vitamin E , AKA tocopherol, are anti-inflammatory. Another added ingredient is often copper peptides, which firms skin and increases and improves density and elasticity. 

 

What's the  best way to use vitamin C according to Miss Violet ? Use your C followed by sunscreen in the morning ; C used before sunscreen actually boosts sunscreen's efficacy. After cleansing apply a few drops of C to the face and neck, then apply sunscreen. No need to wait between applications, C is absorbed immediately. A tip : to increase C's efficiency use Retin-A at night. The retinoids will help speed up exfoliation and cell turnover, allowing vitamin C to work even better.

Cheers, Miss Violet. 

Too Sweaty ? No Sweat !

PiperWai Natural Deodorant

Sweating is normal. Sweating is natural. Sweating is healthy. It is an important function of our bodies, because it helps maintain body temperature by cooling us down. When we are hot we sweat, that sweat evaporates and cools us down. Sweating is like our body's own AC. When we are nervous we tend to sweat, you've probably noticed a connection between emotions and sweat glands. This is because sweat glands are controlled by the hypothalamus and tend to be primarily activated by emotional stimuli and stressors.

Normally bodies produce up to 1 liter of sweat per day, which evaporates so quickly we really don't notice. The body produces more sweat in warmer weather and during exercise. If a person exercises extremely hard in the heat they could produce up to 10 liters. Here are 10 interesting sweat filled facts:

1. Humans have up to 5 million sweat glands

2. Horses, camels and humans are the sweatiest beings

3. Men sweat more than women

4. Ancient Egyptians used aluminum crystals as antiperspirants 

5. The more fit you are, the more you sweat

6. Armpit sweat is only about 1% of normal body sweat

7. We tend to sweat more in the afternoon because our metabolism increases throughout the day

8. We sweat more during summer 

9. More sweat occurs in our armpits when standing up than we lying down

10. Overweight people sweat less than lean people due to the lower density of sweat glands caused by more subcutaneous fat: fat under the skin

In extreme sweating, or primary hyperhidrosis, sweat glands are in overdrive

" People with hyperhidrosis have hyperactive sweat glands, so those sweat glands are in the 'on' position continuously, resulting in excessive sweating," says Raleigh, NC plastic surgeon Cynthia Diehl, MD. " Normally the body sends signals to sweat in order to cool off. Hyperactive sweat glands are not responding to those normal signals, leading to constant sweating."

We actually have 2 different types of sweat glands- eccrine and apocrine glands. Eccrine glands are designed to purely cool off the body, while apocrine glands secrete stress sweat. Apocrine glands are on feet, groins and armpits and unlike eccrine glands secrete sweat with an added protein molecule. And believe it or not sweat doesn't smell. It only starts to stink when bacteria under arms eats that protein. Our bodies produce mostly this type when we are stressed. 

Our PiperWai deodorant creates a balanced pH environment where stinky bacteria cannot survive and therefore helps render sweat odorless. It doesn't cover up the odor it neutralizes the odor. Why, because PiperWai uses a medicinal grade activated charcoal that is ULTRA absorbent. The charcoal absorbs odor, moisture and toxins. So whether you are a normal "Sweaterer" or a "Super Sweaterer" , in lieu of clinical strength antiperspirants or antiperspirants and deodorants chock full of strange chemicals, give PiperWai a try. "No detox period necessary."
Cheers, Miss Violet

Chuck The Day Creams For The Night Creams ?

The main difference between day and night products is that daytime products are lighter and usually contain a SPF of 15 or more. The lighter consistency makes it much easier to layer under makeup. " Nightime is when skin does its heavy lifting, " says Patti Pao, founder/CEO of a popular skin care line. " Skin does the bulk of its restoring and repairing while we sleep, so night creams are focused on moisture and recovery, which is why they are often richer and heavier than day creams." Night creams typically contain a heavier concentration of ingredients such as peptides, hydrating elements, AHA's and retinol. " The active ingredients in day creams are different than those in night creams, but that doesn't mean they aren't significant for achieving optimal skin health, " says New York dermatologist Dendy Engleman MD. " Some ingredients, like SPF and antioxidants, are better received by skin in the morning versus at night due to the body's circadian rhythms, so using them at night provides little to no benefit." AND, because skin will most likely be subject to direct UV rays ( yes even while driving ) during the day regular use of a SPF of 30 is recommended. This could mean the difference of having a bright and youthful complexion or a hyperpigmented and aging one. The bottom line : day and night creams just serve different purposes, so don't CHUCK your day creams.

Cheers, Miss Violet

SIX URBAN ACNE LEGENDS:

1. You can dry out your skin to cure acne. Nope. That will actually encourage and foster breakouts and inhibit skin's ability to combat acne. Absorbing excess oil is much different than drying out skin with acrid ingredients.

2. Dirty skin=ACNE . This blunder can lead to over-scrubbing or over-cleansing skin with harsh and abrasive soaps and exfoliants, which will only aggravate skin and lead to an increase in oil production.

3. Spot treatments are better than full face treatments. Possibly for those who rarely break out, but treating the whole face will help tackle breakouts that are not visible yet. Salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide will reduce swelling and redness of existing spots, but be mindful to treat the whole shebang.

4. If it stings it must be working ! Not usually. Research shows that useless ingredients don't work, but actually makes skin aggravated and acne worse.

5. Pass on the See's candy and French Fries.....it will give you pimples. Research shows that foods rich in chocolate, grease or fat are not catalysts for acne for most people. But foods high in refined sugars (often chocolate rich foods) may spike one's insulin, which is linked to acne. Try passing on the See's for a few weeks and see if it helps.

6. Scrub-a-dub those blackheads away. Sorry, as stated earlier gentler is better. A clean white wash cloth and a cleanser that targets acne will do !

Cheers, Miss Violet