Good morning, everyone!
Today I want to share with you my top 20 "beauty" secrets of all time! This list has been up and coming for a while, but I just have not had a place to share everything! Well thanks to this fabtabulous blog, and my amazing viewers (YOUUUU) I can now spill out all that's crammed within my brain and start making room for more info!
Also, I have featured photos of my favorite products with some of the tips to give you some healthy pointers! ;-) I hope that you all take time to read my tips thoroughly, and really take into consideration incorporating some of these acts and/or tips into your life. Not only are these tips helpful for putting forth your most BEYOOTEEFUL you- but they will enhance your entire well-being and quality of life.
I love you all! Enjoy! :-)
1) Focus on tooth care & health rather than tooth whitening!
Tooth whitening can weaken enamel and make our teeth susceptible to tooth decay if abused or used frequently over an extended period of time. What most tooth whiteners do is melt the outer stained layer of enamel off of our teeth with some form of acid (ex. phosphoric acid) to reveal our true tooth color underneath. The result is whiter, brighter teeth with the recommended number of uses. Doing this too much, or anything too much for that matter, is no longer beneficial! Focus your energy more on brushing 2-3x a day, chewing gum after meals when you can't get to a sink, FLOSSING, and using a whitening & restoring mouthwash to buff away stains! Make sure you are also getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet to build strong bones and teeth. Great sources include low-fat milk, a good quality calcium supplement with D, cheese, broccoli, and fatty fish!
The biggest mistake that I see people make when taking care (or not taking care) of their teeth is going to bed with food stuck in their teeth, and not regularly flossing! Food stuck in your teeth and plaque covering your enamel overnight allows bacteria to multiply and thrive. The by-product of their digestion is acid- that's right, acid. And with no saliva moving around because you're out cold, it is a recipe for cavities! You cannot expect to have a healthy, white smile at 50 if you're not even willing to care for your teeth in your 20's! People spend a fortune to have fake teeth in their mouth. Save your money for something much better and give your teeth some daily TLC instead! And why should you floss? No smile is truly its whitest until you clean the stains out in-between your teeth as well! Thanks to regular flossing I have not touched a tooth whitener in over a year! :-)
I learned this the hard way. Before I started adding color to my hair a few years ago, I had shiny, long, healthy hair and could wash it every day with no problem. Do not treat color-processed or bleached hair the same way and expect it to be healthy! Washing it every other day allows some oil from your scalp to travel down the hair shaft before you strip it again. You do not want to be using a harsh surfactant (a category of chemicals that act as cleaning agents to strip away oil and dirt) on your hair when there is no oil to be stripped! If you just CANNOT get away with washing your hair every other day, apply an oil that mimics the body's own (it must have a molecular structure small enough to penetrate the hair shaft), such as Coconut oil (my favorite) or jojoba oil all over your mane the night before you wash. Use a gentle sulfate-free shampoo in the morning, conditioner, and you're good to go! :-)
3) Moisturize your body's dry spots!!!
If your skin produces oil and you feel no imbalance, leave it alone! Applying a moisturizer will just trigger your skin's bio-feedback mechanism and make it slow down its production of oil. Who wants to buy and apply lotion if you don't have to?! On the other hand, if you have little or no oil being produced, MOISTURIZE! This includes your face (if you have acne prone skin, this actually helps reduce acne!), neck, chest, back, arms, legs, butt, feet and hands! You will be thankful when you are older, and your skin will love you for it! :-)
I hear so many people say, "I don't need sunscreen, I barely lie out in the sun!". Shame on you! The majority of sun damage that occurs in our lifetime happens when we are just making short trips outdoors, such as walking to go get the mail. If you can see the sky and the view in front of you, the sun is out, and your sunscreen should be ON! Radiation from the sun breaks down collagen and elastin in the skin, which is responsible for our skin's plump and taut structure. The sun's damage is cumulative, and occurs deep within our skin from the time we are young, erupting as uneven pigmentation and wrinkles when we are older. Look in the mirror. Do you see any type of freckling, (mild or not), uneven skin, fine lines, deep lines, rough or ruddy cheeks? You have sun damage that has been waiting to be revealed for years now! Go out and get yourself some sunscreen (Spf 30-50 is sufficient), and stop future wrinkles today! :-)
Easier said than done for some people, but I am here to give you the facts. Smoking blocks the oxygen receptors on hemoglobin molecules within our blood by replacing them with carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide has about 200x the affinity for hemoglobin over oxygen, and cannot be bargained with! Instead of oxygen flowing to your tissues & organs to keep them pink with vitality, carbon monoxide is choking them of what they need to breathe. The result? Dull skin, hair, dry and/or brittle nails, yellow/gray/clear teeth, and suffering organs from a lack of oxygen and hydration. Did I mention smoking also progressively damages the alveoli within our lungs? Yes, the tiny air sacs within our lungs that are responsible for gas exchange, progressively suffer from cell mutation, scarring of tissue, and some will actually disintegrate (cell death), leaving holes within the lungs that give a smoker their famous "wheezing" sound. :-) Save your life, and be there for the lives of your loved ones and quit TODAY!
6) Establish a skincare routine!
Even if you have perfect, clear skin and a balanced complexion, taking care of your skin is a must! Clean the skin with a cleanser suitable for your skin type, apply a treatment for any skin conditions (acne, dry skin, wrinkles, sun spots, rosascea, etc.) and a sunscreen during the day/ moisture cream at night to your face, neck, and hands. The same rule applies here as for our teeth. You cannot expect to be your most beautiful you at 50+ if you refuse to take care of your skin now!
7) Invest in a silk pillowcase and sleep on your back!
Most of us have heard at some point in our lives that sleeping on a silk pillow helps to prevent wrinkles, and/or protects the hair at night. Likewise, I am sure a lot of us ladies have heard our Grandmothers or mothers say "Don't sleep on your face at night!", at least one time growing up! I don't know about the wrinkle prevention component of sleeping on a silk pillowcase because I do not have any wrinkles yet, but the protecting hair part is TRUE! If you have normal to oily hair you may not need to make this as much of a priority, but if your hair is combination, dry, chemically processed or damaged, stop sleeping on rough fibers and lay your head down on some silk at night! This cuts down on frizz, tangling, breakage...you name it. And if it has been claimed to help prevent wrinkles too, why not start doing it?! As for sleeping on our face, this is something that we see no signs of in our younger years. As the body ages, collagen and elastin fibers naturally break down in the skin and become easily susceptible to damage. Constantly tugging on the skin, applying pressure to its supportive structure, or pressing the skin into folds over time will eventually leave permanent lines. No bueno! Avoid this scenario by sleeping on your back! :-)
8) Apply some castor oil to your eyebrows & eyelashes at night!
As much as you might not believe it, this enhances natural hair growth! I know this not from hearing it, but from doing it by accident! When I went to my Dermatologist a few years ago, he put me on some drying medication for my skin to clear up some genetic acne that I was dealing with, and as a side effect, I had dry and cracked areas around my face (the eyes, nose, mouth). I started applying a product called Alba Un-Petroleum jelly to the dry spots on my face, one of them being my eyes- and noticed my eyelashes getting thicker! The Alba Un-Petroleum jelly contains a cocktail of natural emollients, one being Castor Oil, and I had researched online if others had this same effect and found out that women have been applying castor oil and petroleum jelly to make their eyelashes and brows grow for years! Now, I wouldn't recommend petroleum jelly, because petroleum is a by-product of carbon fuel and suffocates the skin, but Castor oil and Alba Un-Petroleum jelly are au naturale and very safe! Try it out!
9) Put down the hot tools and start working with and embracing your natural hair texture!
Now I know this seems "impossible" to some, but trying to turn your luscious curls into parched and stick straight strands, or your smooth and glossy straight hair into frozen, hair-sprayed, and dried out curls is not sexy! Embracing the natural texture of your hair means using less damaging heat tools on your hair, and in return your locks will show you their gratitude! Minimize heat styling to special occasions or 1-2x a week and you will notice a BIG difference in your hair! If your hair is wavy, find hairstyles & products that work with and enhance wavy hair. If your hair is curly, find a hair routine that brings out the best in your curls. If your hair is straight, find cute styles that you can wear that flatter your face! Embracing what we have naturally been given will eventually be pleasurable, not a chore. :-)
10) If you are having a problem concealing your skin with makeup, put down the makeup and start focusing on skincare!
This is a tip targeted more at people who suffer from a skin condition(s), mild or not. If you find yourself in the mirror every morning trying to cover things up before you leave, attack the problem at the source, and stop trying to cover it up with a band-aid!
11) Keep alcohol consumption to a minimum!
As much as some would like to argue that their vino is keeping them healthy, nothing does the body good, not even red wine, if not practiced in moderation! Keep your drinking to 3 glasses a week or less if you want to preserve your liver, arteries, heart, tissue, and organs within your body! Not to mention your appearance! :-)
12) Exercise!
I don't care what expensive face cream, face makeup, or cellulite cream you have purchased. If you are not getting off of the couch, getting the blood flow going, and delivering vital nutrients to your organs and skin, you are not going have a body or face functioning at its max potential! Ditch the "cover the problem up with a band-aid" approach, and attack the issue at its source! Aging bodies and skin need oxygen, blood supply, and nutrients to stay alive & healthy!
13) Get good sleep!
Lack of sleep means lack of rejuvenation! During the deep hours of the night when our metabolism is low and no food resides in our stomachs, our bodies focus energy on other self-maintenance tasks. The majority of bodily healing occurs during this time, so don't miss out! 7 hours is the bare minimum for proper healing from daily stress- but aim for around 8 hours a night if you want to look and feel your best! :-)
14) Refrain from eating sugary, carb-laden, & white flour foods!
Sugar and refined carbohydrates spike the body's blood sugar very quickly and have a "lingering" effect within our blood if consumed often. This lingering glucose has the same effect as alcohol on our tissues and cells. It is corrosive to our arteries, causes free radical damage to adjacent tissue, and dehydrates cells. Choose
foods that promote healthy blood sugar levels, such as foods with fiber or
healthy fats to prevent oxidative and inflammatory tissue damage and stress, and say hello to a glowing, radiant complexion! :-)
15) Keep stress levels low!
Stress
creates inflammation and oxidative stress in the body in the same way as does smoking,
drinking, or eating unhealthy foods. Take time to unwind and do things that
make you happy to reduce your daily stress levels. Exercise is also a major
anti-stress activity to incorporate into your life! :-)
Eating healthy, balanced meals that leave you
energized and provide the nutrition that your body needs is an essential
component to any "beauty" routine! Green leafy vegetables are among the
best due to their wide spectrum of nutrients; others of great nutritional value
include bell peppers, sweet potatoes, squash, broccoli, cabbage, brussel
sprouts, asparagus, berries, nuts, seeds, fish, lean meats, low-fat dairy
products, and whole grains. It is time to toss all of that facial cover-up, and let your real skin show!
17) Drink plenty of WATER!!!! :-)
Water is the medium within our bodies through
which nutrients flow and wastes leave! If we are not drinking enough water, our
bodies become stagnant and experience inflammatory stress. 8 glasses is the
bare minimum for an un-active individual to carry out basic metabolic functions
in a single day. If you are active, you must consume more! You cannot possibly expect to look and feel your most "beautiful" if you have wasteful blood, dry cells, and nutrient-deprived skin!
18) Consume antioxidants in combination!
18) Consume antioxidants in combination!
For those of you who do not know what antioxidants are, they are a family of compounds that donate an electron to unstable molecules called "free radicals" within our bodies. When consumed in combination, they deplete the chain-reaction effect of these damaging unstable molecules within our body and act to protect our tissues and cells. Sort of like an army. :-) This rule of thumb goes hand in hand with eating a colorful diet. In general, each different color of a fruit or vegetable that you consume provides a different spectrum of nutrients, and thus, antioxidants to protect your body! :-)
To provide another tidbit of info for you, vitamins and antioxidants are meant to work synergistically.
To provide an example, fat-soluble Vitamin A works with fat-soluble
Vitamin E and water-soluble Vitamin C within our bodies to fight chain-reaction free-radicals from damaging our cells, by ultimately dispelling them through our urine. Vitamins A, E, and C
are only 3 of many powerful anti-inflammatory compounds found within healthy
foods and our bodies that have these synergistic properties. Eat a healthy,
balanced diet and supplement where needed, & you can reap these "beautiful" benefits too! :-)
19) Have sex!
Yes, that's right- I said it! Too many people focus so much on their "to-do lists" and responsibilities that they forget to engage in and enjoy some of the simplest pleasures in life, like intimacy with your partner! Even if you're not in the mood, remember that libido originates in the brain- so feeling beautiful & "sexy" is a chosen mindset, rather than a desire that occurs by chance. :-)
20) Smile!!!
This is the biggest mistake people make when trying to look and feel their best.
You can't possibly come off attractive, and inviting if you have a giant
scowl on your face! When you are with people forget about "beauty" and
whatever the heck you look like, and have fun! :-)
I hope you all get some use out of these tips!
Xo -Jess
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