Water - for a Beautiful, Healthy Life!

Water - your health & beauty depend on it! The most important thing you can do, especially in hot weather, is stay hydrated.

We have all learned that water is the key to life. Drinking an adequate amount of liquid daily is important to maintain your health as water aids in digestion, circulation, absorption and even excretion. All your body's cells are mainly water and, as we constantly lose water through respiration, perspiration, urination & more, it is important to ingest enough water to maintain proper balance.

I want to add that as we age we tend to drink less liquids, and dehydration has many symptoms that are mistaken for other problems - including fogginess of the mind! It's important to be aware of your own consumption of water & water-rich foods & to be aware of the signs and water drinking habits of your loved ones as well.

It can even save a life.

So how does this relate to beauty?

Well, not just because we all look best when we are healthy, but that skin, the largest organ of the body, relies on water to be healthy, soft, & supple. If your skin is not getting sufficient hydration you will soon notice it turning dry, tight and flaky. Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone to wrinkling.  

As we lose water every day, it needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, the water you drink will reach all the other organs before it reaches the skin. So, it's important to care for your skin, particularly in dry, hot weather.

So what is the best way to add water to the skin?

• Apply a hydrating moisturizer within 2 minutes of leaving the bath or shower. The skin is still porous and is vulnerable to products that are applied following the bath or shower, allowing better absorption. This can be something as simple as olive oil, lotion, or skin creme. It doesn't need to be something fancy and expensive to achieve a good result.
• Drink more water. Drinking at least 8 - 8oz. glasses a day will help rid the body and skin of toxins. Some of this can be in the form of high water content foods (download this PDF chart) or juices. REMEMBER that caffeinated or alcoholic beverages act as diuretics, effectively causing you to lose more liquid in the long run, so don't count those in the total.

Learn more about how keeping well hydrated benefits your health here.

Of course, access to pure drinking water can be a challenge as we stress Earth's supply. Read more about water at 'Water, Water Everywhere'

Be aware of the physical 'Dangers of Dehydration'.

And use natural & organic products to help rejuvenate dry skin.

Mairzy Doats...

"Mairzy doats and dozy doats
And liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?
Yes! Mairzy doats and dozy doats
and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, wouldn't you?"

I grew up on this song & Oatmeal for breakfast. Oatmeal cookies and later Granola & Granola Bars and knowing oats were good food and good for your health. Much later I learned how good oats were for your skin, used externally, as well.

Oatmeal's many skin care benefits have been known since antiquity. Its skin-soothing powers were known as early as 2000 BC, and to this day, the FDA cites it as effective for relieving dryness and inflammation, clinically shown to help heal dry, itchy skin. Many people who suffer from eczema find that an oatmeal bath helps releive their symptoms. Oats are totally hypoallergenic unlike many of the ingredients that are given to people who have eczema by doctors. Oats can also soothe chicken pox, mosquito bites, and dry skin (caused by excessive central heating, pollution etc.) They soothe mild burns, any type of irritated skin.

Because oats are slightly rough, they are also a gentle natural exfoliant, softening & smoothing the skin and you will find colloidal (finely powdered) oatmeal in soothing body soaks, moisturizers and soaps.

(from the RealAge website)
"There are four reasons why your skin adores oatmeal," explains New York City dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD:

1. Dryness fighting: Oats contain polysaccharides, which become gelatinous in water and leave a fine protective film on the skin, preventing dull, flaky dryness.
2. Moisturizing: Oats are full of healthy, lubricating fats.
3. Defense building: The proteins in oatmeal help maintain the skin's natural barrier function, which ensures that the world outside the skin stays out, and what's inside the skin stays in.
4. Pore cleansing: Oats are filled with natural cleansers (called saponins) that gently remove dirt and oil from the pores.
To reap all of these benefits, Wechsler suggests treating your skin to a colloidal oatmeal mask every week or two. Here's her super simple recipe -- good bet the ingredients are already in your kitchen.

The Skin Doc's Smoothing, Soothing Oatmeal Mask:

2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 tablespoon honey
1. Put the oats into a clean herb or coffee grinder on the finest setting, and process into powder.
2. Pour into a small bowl and stir in hot water and honey. Let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Wash face with warm water. While skin is still damp, massage paste onto face, circling around eyes and mouth. Leave on for 10 minutes.
4. Remove with tepid water and a washcloth. Apply your favorite moisturizer to seal the deal and set the glow.
P.S.: Don't stop eating oats just because you've transformed them into a beauty treatment! They're hard to beat as a source of health-protective soluble fiber -- and eating a high-fiber diet can make your RealAge up to 6 years younger.
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Here are a few more radiance promoting, totally natural, make them yourself oat recipes from NaturalNews:

Oat and Brown Sugar Scrub:

2 Tbsp. ground oats
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. avocado
5-6 drops of the beautifying rose essential oil.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until you have a smooth paste. Gently massage onto damp skin, and rinse off with warm water. Increase the dose for a full body super scrub.

Oat and Honey Milk Bath:

½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup almond milk
5-6 drops of lavender (to ensure that you truly chill out in your bath!)
Place the ingredients in a small, natural fabric bag, such as hemp, muslin or cheesecloth. Hang the bag under the faucet as you fill the tub, then put the bag into the bath as you soak up the goodies.

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And, of course, you can enjoy these benefits as well from Simmons special Unscented & Almond scented Oatmeal soaps, both are rich in organic colloidal oats and rolled oats to maximize the soothing effect on your skin.

By the way, here's the rest of the song:

"If the words sound queer
And funny to your ear,
A little bit jumbled and jivey
Sing "Mares eat oats
And does eat oats
And little lambs eat ivy"

Beauty all around us...

I walk the puppy most mornings. Morning outdoors is a beautiful time, and I am always reminded of this. It is a side benefit of the walk. But I do not incorporate it into my life, perhaps, as much as I could.

Then I see something like this:


Wow!

"The Buddha was once invited to give a talk to a crowd of people and so he stood before them, and held a flower up, and did not say a single word. Scholars call this “the Buddha’s flower sermon.” And it is said that only one person in the audience understood what he was trying to say. To be honest, I am not entirely sure that I know what he was trying to say. But there are times when I think I do. There are times when the words must stop so that our eyes can be open to the beauty all around us." Rev. Chris Buice

See the world. Try to do it every day. There is nothing between us and beauty but our minds, really. It is everywhere.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust