Posts Tagged ‘should’

When Should I Start Using Anti-Wrinkle Products?

July 12th, 2010 The FLHC

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Lucia longs to know…I’ve heard that you should start using antiaging products in your twenties, so you’ll get less wrinkles, is that true? If so, will using a Retinol cream at night and moisturizer with SPF 30 during the day enough? I wanted to add some brightening formulas (like Vitamin C or Glucosamine), but not sure if I should or when. I’ve been a beauty junkie since I have memory (Believe it or not I started cleansing and moisturizing twice daily at the age of 10), and I have recently found that I don’t have enough time in the day to use all the products I read you “should” use in the magazines.

The Right Brain rejoices:
You’ve been moisturizing since age 10? Wow, You are a beauty junkie! (Hey, that’s not a bad name for a blog – The Beauty Junkie. Hmmm.)

Anyway, you’re not alone in that feeling – a survey by the Environmental Working Group found that the average woman uses 12 products per day, and that one woman in four uses at least 15 products. Junkies indeed!

And you’re right about not having time in the day to use all the products you “should.” Another recent study showed that if you were to use all the beauty products recommended in the July 2006 issue of Vogue, it would require 19.5 hours of application time each day. And that’s just for the skin care!*

But seriously, the single most important anti-aging precaution for your skin is to guard it from the sun. You don’t need to use a retinoic acid treatment in your twenties to prevent the wrinkles that will develop in your forties and unless you have really dry skin, you don’t need to moisturize daily. Niether do you need to rub vitamin C on your skin and there’s NO WAY you need to apply glucoasmine (that molecule is way to big to penetrate your skin and it dosn’t do anything just sitting on the surface.)

What you DO need to do is protect against UV radiation which has a long term affect on the appearance and physical condition of your skin. So a daily moisturizer with SPF 30 is a good precaution.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Diligent use of a a good sunscreen (perhaps combined with an appropriate antioxidant) is the best way to protect your skin from aging effects, including wrinkles. (For more info, check out these Wrinkle Cream Reviews.)

*Ok, we totally made up this one.

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I have read recently that there is a limit to the amount of spinach one should eat weekly. Can you clarify this for me?

July 5th, 2010 The FLHC

I have read recently that there is a limit to the amount of spinach one should eat weekly. Can you clarify this for me?

View full post on The World’s Healthiest Foods

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I eat more vegetables than recommended and less fruit; should I eat fewer vegetables?

June 25th, 2010 The FLHC

I eat more vegetables than recommended and less fruit; should I eat fewer vegetables?

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I am going on a trip and was wondering whether I should bring flax oil as I was concerned about it going rancid.

June 16th, 2010 The FLHC

I am going on a trip and was wondering whether I should bring flax oil as I was concerned about it going rancid.

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How should I clean mushrooms and what should I do with the stems? Will washing mushrooms under running water end up with waterlogged, soggy mushrooms?

June 15th, 2010 The FLHC

How should I clean mushrooms and what should I do with the stems? Will washing mushrooms under running water end up with waterlogged, soggy mushrooms?

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What Should You Do About Breast Acne?

June 14th, 2010 The FLHC

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Zombiee asks…Alright, so I’m 15 and I have rather large breasts. I’ve finally gotten comfortable with my bra size but now a new problem has started up. It’s really embarrassing and it sometimes is really painful, I get pimples on my breasts. But mostly I get blackheads and other problems a teenager gets on their face and back. I’ve used acne treatments on it but they never seem to work, do you have any advise, like I should see a doctor or some kind of acne medication that will work?

The Right Brain responds:

Based on what we’ve heard from our Forum members and seen on other blogs, this is a fairly common problem.  Some women notice increased breast acne when they exercise more often. (That’s assuming, of course, that the problem is really acne and not another skin condition. SarahF in the Forum pointed out that hairs that many women get on their nipples might look like blackheads when they first appear.

Acne or not, the Beauty Brains are very careful about not giving medical advice, Zombiee, so if this problem bothers you enough that you’re thinking about seeing a doctor you should go ahead and schedule an appointment with a dermatologist. Having said that our Forum members had some advice that you might find helpful: Disabling Mercury recommends exfoliating with a loofa sponge and using Neutrogena’s 3-in-1 Stress Relief gel, a topical salicylic acid treatment. And Lindygirl says Neutrogena’s Body Clear Body Wash, Pink Grapefruit also contains salicylic acid so it might be worth a try.

What do YOU think? Is breast acne a problem for you? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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Should some kids take fish oil supplements?

June 8th, 2010 The FLHC

Fish oil supplements could lower blood pressure in slightly overweight teenage kids, a new study suggests, and their hearts may reap the benefits years later.

View full post on Yahoo! Health News

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Should I Put Salt In My Hair Conditioner?

May 20th, 2010 The FLHC

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JazzyFresh just wants to know…I’m a member of a hair care forum and recently there has been talk of putting salt in your conditioner for smoother, softer hair. I always thought salt was bad for the hair. Many have said they tried it and have had great results. How exactly is this working?

The Left Brain responds:

Salt can be drying to hair and skin when left in contact for a long period of time but there’s really no issue with using salt in a rinse off product. In fact, salt is a common thickener used in many shampoos because it is effective (and inexpensive.) It works by screening the ionic charges between surfactant molecules which allows them to pack closer together, resulting in increased viscosity. However, salt is not frequently used in conditioners because it can destabilize the oil and water emulsion system that holds the conditioner together. Having said that, I do have a theory that could account for the effect you’ve described.

Salty sensation

Even thought it’s not commonly used in this context, salt can also thicken conditioner. A touch of salt gives certain conditioner formulations a richer, creamier texture. This effect is most noticeable when starting with a thin, translucent product.  Because this effect is very apparent and instantly observable, it’s easy to attribute this transformation in texture to improved conditioning. If the product feels richer and feels more cushiony as it spreads through the hair it must be better for your hair, right? Wrong. Increased viscosity doesn’t necessarily correlate to improved technical conditioning, although texture provides a powerful sensory cue that can be easily misinterpreted.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Salt does not provide any direct conditioning to hair although it can improve the rich creamy texture of conditioners. It’s easy to see how some women might assume that this better texture means the salt gives you better conditioning, but that’s not true.

Have YOU ever added salt to a conditioner? Leave a comment and share your salty experience with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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How Much Skin Should You Show?

May 12th, 2010 The FLHC

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I know our UK readers love when we cite beauty science articles from papers like The Telegraph and The Daily Mail but here’s one that’s too good to resist: apparently scientists have figured out the exact percentage of skin you should show off to men if you want to get picked up.

From saint to sinner

According to the Telegraph article, researchers at the University of Leeds have calculated the exact proportion of the female body that should be revealed to optimize your chances of attracting a man. But even thought this study was published in the journal Behavior, the methodology seems a bit sketchy to me: four female researchers secretly watched women at a popular night spot and recorded what the women were wearing and how many men approached them to dance. They assigned values to each bared body part with arms being 10 percent, legs 15 percent and the mid riff 50 percent.  They found that women who showed about 40 percent of their skin attracted twice as many men as those who showed less. Women who showed more than 40 percent attracted fewer men as well.  The researchers theorized that showing too much flesh makes men think you might be unfaithful.

The most amazing thing about this research , if we can call it that, is that the results indicate there’s a limit to how much skin men want to see! If being fully covered makes you a prude and showing 40% makes you alluring, and revealing 70% makes you a skank, then full nudity must be the biggest turn-off of all.  I wonder how many men would agree with that? (I also wonder if they factored in the effect of alcohol…)

What do you think? Do you calculate your skin-to-clothing ratio when you hit the clubs? Leave a comment and share your strategy with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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Should You Keep Lipstick in the Refrigerator?

April 27th, 2010 The FLHC

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Veuve asks…Since I have a lot of lipstick and it seems to be one of the cosmetics that goes bad relatively quickly, I was wondering if keeping it in the refrigerator or freezer would help it last longer. Or would the moisture/cold do something nasty to the oils or pigments?

The Left Brain responds:

Good question, Veuve. Making your cosmetics last longer is a great way to save money.

Low temp lipstick

When it comes to making cosmetics last longer, lower temperature is generally better. That’s because chemical reactions occur faster at higher temperatures. (A rough rule of thumb is that the rate of any given reaction will double with every 10C increase in temperature.)  Lipsticks are prone to oxidation reactions that can turn certain oils rancid and keeping your sticks in the ‘fridge can slow down that process.  The only potential problem that may occur is that you may see beads of “sweat” on the stick. These are drops of oil coming out of the wax matrix and rising to the surface of the stick. This is a phenomena known as “syneresis.” If too much of this sweating occurs, the lipstick won’t spread properly on your lips.

By the way, the idea of cooling cosmetics to prolong their shelf life is not a new one. In fact, one enterprising inventor has even patented a refrigerated makeup bag so you can chill on the go. It’s an airtight handbag with a pocket on the top panel where you insert frozen gel packs that keep your  lipsticks and other makeup protected from heat.

What do YOU think? Do you refrigerate your cosmetics to protect them? Leave a cool comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

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