Kids dry skin

Cold dry season is here. 

Kids get bundled up and off they go to explore the world.

But most of the time they seem to always take off their gloves. Those small hands do so much and gloves just seem to get in their way. Playing on the slides, monkey bars, frees tag you name it, it does not seem to be fun with gloves on. All these fun in the cold dry weather causes the hands to dry and get chapped. It is very painful for kids

Recommendations:

Brenese Skin Creams

Self-Preserving Cosmetics?

Comsumers have been led to believe that preservatives are necessary ingredients in cosmetics to make them safe and to extend their shelf life. This paper presents an alternative to the use of preservatives by formulating self-preserving beauty products. What prompted this article is a discussion I had on how consumers do not like preservative free cosmetics because they are unpleasant to use, have fragrances and the fact that they have to be refrigerated. While that is true about a lot of preservative free cosmetics, better self-preserving cosmetics with a long shelf life are available. Consumers just need to know what to look for in the ingredients.                

First of all what is self-preserving? Simply put, it is a formulation free from traditional preservatives by creating a hostile environment for microorganisms without diminishing quality.  Consumers want more liquid cosmetics products. To achieve the desired emulsion, formulators commonly add water.  The water creates a favorable environment for microbes to grow, therefore the use of preservatives.

It is possible to formulate cosmetics that have the desired texture, contains less water and are self-preserving. If water is the first ingredient most likely the cosmetic product has preservatives to give it a long shelf life.  If water is listed as one of the first few ingredients you can identify right away it will be necessary to add preservatives. 

Ingredients like Cocoa butter and Shea butter have high levels of natural antioxidants that can self-preserve if they are left in their original state. Once cocoa butter is extracted from nuts, it is stored as a solid brick. Shea butter is thick and dense. So how do we get these great ingredients to a desirable cosmetic product? Using essential oils and extracts instead of water. Certain oils and extracts exhibit excellent antmicrobial properties making it possible to formulate self-preserving cosmetics.

Jojoba oil for example has a long shelf life and is an excellent selection for this application (USPTO Patent # 20110250293). Jojoba oil is actually a liquid wax that is derived from the jojoba plant, a wax-rich shrub that is native to desert areas of North America. Jojoba oil is a good carrier oil because of its similarity to the oil that our own skin produces, called sebum. This means that our skin knows exactly how to deal with it, absorbing it quickly and easily, using it to create a powerful barrier against moisture-loss, as well as against allergens and irritants. 

The patent also references Anhydrous Magnesium Sulphate (Epsom Salt) for among several reasons it will inhibit the growth of mold. Mold must have a moist environment to grow. The salt's dehydrating properties nicely inhibit this. Also studies show Magnesium and sulfate are both easily absorbed through the skin. So having it in skin creams makes the perfect sense. Sulfates play an important role in the formation of brain tissue, joint proteins and the proteins that line the walls of the digestive tract. They stimulate the pancreas to generate digestive enzymes and are thought to help detoxify the body of medicines and environmental contaminants.

It is not necessary to add preservatives in cosmetics to extend product shelf life or provide a desirable texture. It is important that consumers educate themselves about cosmetics and the ingredients used in general. Brenese has created cosmetic products that are self-preserving with no preservatives, colors and fragrances. Each ingredient plays a different role in protecting the skin. Put together superior creams are created. 

 

Resources

Self-preserving cosmetics: International Journal of Cosmetic Science

Agnes Mwangi is Managing director of Brenese Care products

She has written and published two patents (Self-Preserved products)

Self-Preserving Cosmetics

What is Self-Preserving cosmetics?
How can they be formulated?

International Journal of Cosmetic Science

Agnes

When does the skin age?

It's easy to forget that the skin is an organ - just like our heart or liver - which performs a list of life-sustaining tasks. It regulates body temperature. It is the body's sensor, registering pressure, temperature and pain. It is a barrier against the elements and a shield against bacteria and viruses.

It is also the body's 'mirror'. When we're tired, not eating properly, or physically or emotionally stressed, our skin reacts.

Skin is also the body's first line of defence. As such, it is easily damaged both by external causes - sunlight, air pollution - and internal factors, such as cigarette smoke or a diet that lacks nutrients, particularly antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C and E. It is the way we treat our skin - not the ageing process - that 'ages' facial skin the most.

20s

The skin begins to slowly and steadily age. Dead skin cells are not replaced as quickly, collagen production slows and our skin loses elasticity. Signs of this type of aging include:

• Thinner skin
• Fine lines
• Dry, itchy skin

All that time we spend in the sun working on our tan contributes heavily to this. The hectic lifestyle, coupled with an irregular diet and sleep schedule, can lead to more free radical damage, puffiness, and toxic overload.

In our 20s, our main priority is to protect our skin and help it repair daily damage to prevent the formation of premature fine lines and wrinkles.

Our skin’s rate of regeneration slows down dramatically, leading to a dull and uneven complexion.

30s

Our main priority is to help slow the degradation of collagen and elastin by fighting free radical damage, while also helping stimulate their production. To maintain a youthful and dewy glow, it is also important to help skin promote its natural exfoliation, allowing younger skin cells to surface.

The layer of adipose tissue starts to diminish during this time, leading to thinner and more sensitive skin. The moisture barrier also begins its decay, leading to noticeably dryer and less elastic skin. Freckles, sun spots, age spots, and spider veins starts to show.

40s

It is important that we boost our level of skin hydration and use ingredients that are mild and non-irritating, all while helping even tone, reduce redness, and increase firmness and elasticity.

Hormonal changes send the skin into overdrive. The most noticeable change is the level of hydration, which is due to a rapid deterioration of our skin's moisture barrier. To fight this, it is important that we treat our skin with highly hydrating ingredients that also work to help repair the barrier at the same time. The skin also becomes thinner, pores become larger, and the surface layer of immunity on the skin drastically decreases.

 

 

www.longevity.about.com/
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

Benefit of drinking green tea:

Drinking tea has been associated with health benefits for centuries, only in recent years have its medicinal properties been investigated scientifically. Tea's health benefits are largely due to its high content of flavonoids — plant-derived compounds that are antioxidants. Green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins. In test tubes, catechins are more powerful than vitamins C and E in halting  oxidative damage to cells and appear to have other disease-fighting properties.   Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder. Additional benefits for regular consumers of green and black teas include a reduced risk for heart disease. The antioxidants in green, black, and oolong teas can help block the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HDL (good) cholesterol and improve artery function.   Tips to get the most out of tea-drinking: Drinking a cup of tea a few times a day to absorb antioxidants and other healthful plant compounds. In green-tea drinking cultures, the usual amount is three cups per day. Allow tea to steep for three to five minutes to bring out its catechins. The best way to get the catechins and other flavonoids in tea is to drink it freshly brewed. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink tea preparations, and instant teas have less of these compounds. Tea can impede the absorption of iron from fruits and vegetables. Adding lemon or milk or drinking tea between meals will counteract this problem.

Sources:

www.WebMed.com

www.About.com

www.health.harvard.edu

Carrot Pancakes

Being Brenese

Brenese Care Products came about when I was writing a cookbook about how to make my babies favorite foods nutritious. In the course of researching for the cookbook, I realized that I have never found one single product or cream that I could use on my babies skin. My life took a detour and Brenese care Products was born. It became my 4th baby not counting my husband and the dog (Knuckles). I still cook great healthy foods and make healthy drinks for the boys, which I will share on this blog. Yes, the baby creams were experimented and tested on the boys and me. With everything I read about ingredients in baby products, what I chose to be in the baby cream was 110% safe. Even if they took a scoop and ate it (like all babies do) there would be no reason for me to worry. It is a cream I could use as my cooking oil.

Carrot Pancakes

1 1/2 Cups all purpose flour 1 Cup Carrot puree (have to be cooked and pureed)                    3/4 Cup Milk                    3 tbs Unsalted butter                    1 eggs                    3 I/2 tsp Baking powder                    1 tsp salt                    1/4tsp Cinnamon spice                    1 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, flour, baking powder, and Cinnamon spice Lightly beat the eggs, add the carrot puree, milk, melted butter and mix. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until you have a smooth batter. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve warm.

Agnes