How to Choose an Anti Aging Skin Care Product

How to Choose an Anti Aging Skin Care Product

Have you taken a good look at the ingredients in your anti aging skin care products? I mean, really looked at them and understood what they do? I did, recently. Talk about being surprised! And not in a good way.

As somebody who has had to take care of my skin most of my life, I was very dismayed to read the second ingredient in my skin care product of choice, was mineral oil.

Why? Well, little did I know that when you apply mineral oil to your skin it prevents your skin from breathing by clogging the pores of your skin. Mineral oil also interferes with your skin's ability to naturally remove toxins, which can irritate the skin leading to acne, chapping and dryness. And, this is the real kicker, using an anti aging skin care product with mineral oil in it, can actually lead to premature aging of your skin!

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot - applying mineral oil to your skin can also cause your skin to become dependent on it. Kinda like your skin getting addicted to mineral oil!

What's really irritating is I have been using this particular product for about 15 years. Essentially, I have unwittingly been making my skin worse!

But wait, how can this happen? Don't we have the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), to watch what's put into anti aging skin care products?

Come to find out, no, we don't. You see, the FDA doesn't regulate what is put in products for your skin. Since these products are not ingested, the Fed's really do not care.

You're pretty much on your own. And, if you're thinking buying an expensive skin care product is any better, think again.

Let me share with you what else I've learned. First off, let me give you a little background so that this information will make some sense.

Our skin is the body's largest organ. It contains collagen and elastin. Collagen provides strength and firmness, while elastin provides our skin with the ability to be flexible.

Both are proteins and with time tend to break down. As these proteins break down, signs of aging such as wrinkling, sagging and lines begin to appear. The best anti aging skin care products are those that stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin.

There are a lot of creams out there that are designed to fill in the lines and wrinkles. Of course, this is but a temporary fix that is washed away with every shower.

Following are ingredients that you don't want to find in your anti aging skin care products.

Clearly, mineral oil tops the list. Another ingredient to avoid is a synthetic derivative of coconut called Dioxane. Dioxane often contains 1,4-dioxane in high concentrates. This ingredient has been identified by parabensthe State of California as being a cause of cancer. Yet, you may be applying this stuff to your skin!

We all like our skin to smell great, right? Sometimes that's even the deciding factor when comparing skin care products; right again? Unfortunately, most fragrances are made of ingredients that are known to be carcinogenic or toxic. Avoiding creams with fragrances would be prudent!

Then there are Parabens. There are several types of parabens that are used as preservatives. Parabens have been shown to interfere with your body's endocrine system, may cause cancer and, may cause allergic reactions and rashes.

Not something I want on my skin, but have faithfully been rubbing into my skin for years.

Oh, and let's not forget about alcohol. Again there are a bunch of different alcohols that can be found in anti aging skin care products.

Alcohol for the most part absorbs moisture and as such can dry your skin and cause irritation. Alcohol can strip your skin of natural protective barriers exposing it to viruses, bacteria and mold.

Finally, there's collagen. But wait, didn't I just tell you collagen is an important part of your skin - that it gives your skin strength and firmness?

Yep, I sure did. But here's the thing. Collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed by your skin when applied topically. Manufacturers use it as an ingredient in their skin care products to fool you into believing their product is superior.

We've just reviewed a few ingredients you want to avoid when comparing skin care products. Now let's take a look at a few good ingredients. Here's an ingredient you'll want to find. Clinical studies have shown Keratin derives from the wool of New Zealand sheep, stimulates the re-growth of collagen and elastin. That's a good thing!

Then there's the powerful anti oxidant Coenzyme CoQ10. This ingredient is a naturally occurring substance that acts a lot like a vitamin and is very effective in reducing the negative impact free radicals can have on
our skin.

Over time and with increased age, the amount of CoQ10 available in our bodies is reduced and replenishing it is helpful to our skin.

There are different types of CoQ10. Unfortunately, most of the variations found in skin care products are unusable when applied to your skin. The best form of CoQ10 is Nano-Lipobelle H-EQ10. Don't try to pronounce it, but do look for it.

This is a special nano-emulsion form of CoQ10, which can actually penetrate through seven layers of skin to protect against free radicals, providing tremendous health benefits, such as an enhanced anti wrinkling effect and the promotion of the increased production of collagen and elastin.

Any of these ingredients are good for your skin's good health, but put them together and the result is one of the best anti aging skin care products available.

If you'd like to look and feel better, use an anti aging skin care product that includes all three.

Do yourself a favor, regardless of the price, choose your anti-aging skin care product by closely checking the ingredients!


Kylie Reed: Dedicated to finding, using and researching skin care products which will reverse and/or slow the aging process by rejuvenating our skin naturally, healthfully and cost effectively! 


Learn more at: http://www.clear-and-radiant-skin.com

Looking for a Pure Water Distiller? Not for Your Home, I hope!

If you’re looking for at pure water distillers as a purification device for your home, you need to reconsider that decision.

Certain industries, including pharmaceutical companies, need pure water distillers, because the naturally occurring mineral content as well as living organisms, can cause damage to either their equipment or the product they are producing. For home purification needs, you need to consider a different process.

Maybe, you were thinking of the PUR brand of water filters. Some people get confused about the spelling.

PUR does not make a pure water distiller. They make a granular carbon filter that removes chlorine, odor, cysts and lead. It’s not the best product on the market for home use, because it doesn’t remove some of the hazardous contaminants that are present in municipal water.

By the same token, a pure water distiller does not remove many hazardous contaminants, either. Distillation works by boiling water until it is vaporized. The vapor travels through a hose and into a cooling pot, where they once again become liquid.

Inside the initial boiling chamber, contaminants that have a higher boiling point than water will remain behind. Things like minerals, for example, will not travel through the hose and on to the cooling pot. 


However contaminants that have a lower boiling point than water, such as Trihalomethane (THM’s), and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) are vaporized along with the water. Because of this they travel with the water through the hose and into the final holding tank.

THMs and VOCs can only be removed through a process called adsorption, not to be confused with absorption. Neither PUR nor pure water distillers include this vital step.

What’s wrong with THMs and VOCs? How do I know they’re even in my water?

Glad you asked. THMs are always present when chlorine, chloramines or other chemicals are used to disinfect. So, if you have chlorine in your water, you have THMs. Pretty much all municipal water treatment plants use chlorine as part of their water treatment process. THM’s are known to cause cancer.

A pure water distiller won’t protect you. But, a multi-stage home purification device will. There are a number of fine products that are also very affordable.

Pure water distillers are expensive. They use a lot of energy, use a lot of water and maintenance is a pain. These distillers can only “clean” a limited amount of water at any given time, and only a small amount of “purified” water is produced from large amount of water processed.

The best multi-stage filtration devices have unlimited capacity. They can produce gallons every day for less than a dime a gallon. They are not difficult to use. They have larger whole house units, or smaller units that attach directly to your faucet, so all you have to do is turn on the tap. The only maintenance they require is to replacement filtering cartridge after 500 gallons.

So, if you are a homeowner, you really ought to reconsider purchasing a pure water distiller and check out the multi-stage selective filtration products available. Accomplish your goal, and drink truly safe and healthy water, for a change.

Are the Product Data Sheets for a Water Filter System all that Important?

Before you buy a drinking water filter system, make certain to go over the product’s data sheet for functionality. You’ll in all likelihood be surprised at some of the things that the systems “leave in” the water supply.

Not all companies make the data sheets readily available to their purchasers, but in some states the producer of a drinking water filter system is mandated to include certified product performance data, along with their pamphlets and additional data. Companies with an internet site may furnish this data easily prior to possible buyers make a purchase.

Be leery of companies that are “elusive” about what their drinking water filter system may actually filter out. You’re going to want a system that removes nearly all the contaminants in our water to include chlorine, lead, cysts, THMs, VOCs, lindane, alachlor, benzene, atrazine, TCE and MTBE.

Unfortunately, of the 10 most popular brands, just two can get rid of MTBE.

MTBE, or methyl-t-butyl ether, is utilized by manufacturers as a solvent, but its primary application is as an “anti-knocking” fuel additive. It has been found its way into public drinking water supplies as a result of leaky fuel lines and underground storage tanks.

Once in our water, it is very difficult to get rid of without a complex multi-stage drinking water filter system. Most large scale water treatment facilities are incapable of filtering out this contaminant.

Nearly any drinking water filter system will block chlorine, but only about half can block THMs, which are by-products of chlorine disinfection.

Chloroform represents one of the THMs. The Food and Drug Administration suggests that the bulk of households in United States have at least some level of chloroform gas in the air. The FDA identified showering in chlorinated water as the source of this chloroform gas.

Which underscores the need to filter more than just your drinking water, either with a shower filter or a whole house filter?

Exposure to chloroform gas can cause dizziness and headaches, and at high levels can cause unconsciousness. Researchers believe that exposure to chloroform is especially hazardous during pregnancy and may result in miscarriage or birth defects.

The additional chemicals and contaminants named above all contain health hazards. The most effective drinking water filter system will remove them all, but there are only two manufacturers presently on the market, that do just that.

The performance data sheet of the product you're considering had better list all of them along with the percentage removed.

Product data sheets also allow you to compare the operating costs of using an in-home drinking water filter system. These costs include replacement filters and any additional costs connected with the use of the product.

Using the product data sheet, provide the data necessary to enable you to compare “apples to apples.” Obviously, the cost of using a whole house water filtering system will be significantly different than the cost of using a point of use, kitchen system.

It’s critical that you be able to review the product data sheets when choosing a drinking water filter system for yourself or your family. So, if you have to struggle to get one from the manufacturer, you really should eliminate that product from your list of choices.

What’s So Good About a Whole House Water Treatment System?

If you’re concerned, what all of the contaminants in our drinking water will do to your family’s health, then you may want to consider the benefits of a whole house water treatment system.

Although countertop drinking water filters have been around for quite some time whole house water treatment is a fairly new option to most people. While this system does offer you more protection for your dollar, it is simply not practical for many people.

For example if you are living in an apartment, or rent a house, or even if the house that you own is small, then a whole house water treatment system may not be the ideal solution for you. 


 Point of use filters for the kitchen faucet, and showerhead filters for the bathroom would be a better way to go in these cases.

However if the house that you live in is large, and has several different bathrooms then water treatment equipment that services the entire home may be the most economical option to provide healthy water you and your family. Depending on how many showers and faucets that you would actually have to protect, point of use filters could add up - seriously.

Besides, THM’s are also readily absorbed by the skin, say, when you’re taking a shower. So, if you only have filters protecting your drinking water, you’re leaving yourself open for exposure by not filtering your shower water.

A system that purifies the water for the entire house is beneficial due to the chloroform that comes from the Trihalomethanes (THM’s), in our water. THM’s are a byproduct of the chlorine disinfection process, and when they are released from the water lines they immediately turn into their natural gaseous state.

Several scientific studies have linked THM’s to an increased risk of cancer, along with other health risks such as miscarriages.

Most people don’t think about the fact that even if you can block THM’s from entering your home through your showerheads and faucets, that they can still easily enter through your washing machine, dishwasher and any other water source. Whole house water treatment will prevent this from happening.

Whatever form of water treatment equipment that you decide is right for you it’s important you the pros and cons of the system you decide upon. Unfortunately, the quality of our water is not going to get better any time soon, as a matter of fact some experts are predicting it to become far worse before it gets better.

If you have come to the conclusion that a whole house water treatment system is simply not for you that’s okay, because there are still plenty of high quality countertop and showerhead filters to keep you protected from the dangers that lurk within our water supplies.

This water treatment equipment is very reasonably priced with the best countertop filters priced around $125, and the best showerhead filters marked at $105. When you compare that to the $1,000 price tag of the whole house unit they are a steal, unless as I said earlier you need a lot of them.

The benefits of whole house water treatment are many, and a lot of people choose this option simply to make sure that they have all of their bases covered. Any choice that you make though is the right choice when it comes to having cleaner, healthier water.

Chemicals in Tap water

If you have found this site, then you're probably already aware that our drinking and bathing water is essentially under siege.

I grew up thinking clean drinking water was a given. Now, grant it, that was a bit naive, but with all the municipal water treatment plants around this country, did you ever consider that finding a clean water source could become so difficult?

With all the nasty contaminants entering our water, from so many different sources, it’s no wonder we’re suffering from so many ailments. From the increase in allergies, cancers, Alzheimer’s – it’s not that far a stretch to begin considering that maybe all those chemicals we have been ingesting over the course of our lives, might just be manifesting themselves.

The CBS News did a story on April 20th, 2009 which stated among other things, that the “…major drug makers, have legally released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways that often provide drinking water,” for the nearby communities.

Well, that’s swell!

The article goes on to point out that there are numerous other pharmaceuticals that are used in other manufacturing processes that find there way into our water, as well. There’s no way of knowing for sure to what extent, because according to federal and industry insiders, nobody’s keeping track.

What? That can’t be, right?!

The Associated Press, through its PharmaWater Investigation, has identified at least 22 compounds that end up being discharged into our waterways.

On top of that, The Associated Press reported, “A vast array of pharmaceuticals including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones have been found in the drinking water supplies...”i

It’s already been shown through research that small amounts of these various chemicals can be devastating to fish and wildlife.

I don’t know of any research that has taken into account the compounding effect the ingestion of these drugs may have.

Nor do these studies consider that there may be multiple contaminants in our water at one time. Oh, and these studies pretty much refer to the effects the ingestions of these drugs may have on a normal adult. No consideration has been taken into account for children or pets.

How many parents mix up a batch of formula for their infant children everyday, using water with “trace” amounts of pharmaceuticals present? We all know that children may have stronger reactions to drugs than adults; otherwise they wouldn’t mandate smaller dosages for children.

Utilities maintain the water is safe, as do doctors and the EPA. But, it’s pretty common knowledge that the testing procedures and water filtration systems at most municipal water treatment plants are inadequate.


"We know we are being exposed to other people's drugs through our drinking water, and that can't be good," says Dr. David Carpenter, who directs the Institute for Health and the Environment of the State University of New York at Albany.ii

So, before you gulp down that clear glass of water, you may want to give some serious thought to what you may actually be drinking. The need for home water purification has never been higher.
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i )PHARMAWATER I / Pharmaceuticals found in drinking water, affecting wildlife and maybe humans / By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD / Associated Press Writers

ii )PHARMAWATER I / Pharmaceuticals found in drinking water, affecting wildlife and maybe humans / By JEFF DONN, MARTHA MENDOZA and JUSTIN PRITCHARD / Associated Press Writers