vitamin e

STRETCH MARKS… YOU ASKED AND I'M ANSWERING!

June 28, 2013 By TheLifestylista

STRETCH MARKS… YOU ASKED AND I’M ANSWERING! #BackByPopularDemand

WHAT ARE STRETCH MARKS? This is the tearing of the skins second layer (the dermis). Often occurs during periods of significant weight gain or growth.

HOW TO PREVENT THEM?
Some studies suggest Vitamin E oil… Stay hydrated, eat foods that promote skin elasticity (Vitamins A, E, Omega 3s) and exercise to promote circulation.

HOW TO REMOVE THEM? You can reduce them but you can’t remove them… and sadly, the creams dont work! Not even cocoa butter The sooner you treat stretch marks the better. Use a laser while they’re still fresh and red. The heat from the laser stimulates collagen production.

THE BOTTOM LINE… Accept yourself girl! Most of us have stretch marks and we’re still beautifiul!

You guys requested this post again so I’ve reposted!
love
The Lifestylista

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GOT DANDRUFF AND WANT TO GET RID OF IT? #BackByPopularDemand

June 13, 2013 By TheLifestylista

WHAT IS DANDRUFF: The shedding of skin cells is normal… BUT dandruff isn’t.

There are a few different types of dandruff:

DRY SCALP:
Dry scalp caused by environment or a skin condition e.g. eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis etc. Are you using a very drying shampoo? Go for a mild, moisturizing one instead… Perhaps a sulphite free shampoo…

OILY SCALP:
Fungal overgrowth:
One ‘popular’ form of dandruff is caused by ‘malassezia’, a yeast-like fungus… This fungus lives on a healthy scalp but when it starts to grow out of control, it starts to speed up the turnover of the skin cells. These shed skin cells bind together with the oil on the scalp and cause what we call “dandruff flakes”… Yuk! We’ve all had it.

WHAT CONTRIBUTES TO DANDRUFF?:
– Making your scalp an even more tantalizing environment for these naughty microbes through overuse of hair products – hair gels, mousses, sprays etc. (fungal overgrowth)
– Humidity and heat (fungal overgrowth)
– Dry, cold weather (dry scalp)
– Dry, indoor heating (dry scalp)
– B complex or zinc deficiency
– Stress
– Hormonal changes
– Not rinsing your shampoo off throughly after each wash.

ANTI-DANDRUFF SHAMPOO:
Make sure your anti-dandruff shampoo contains one of the following active ingredients:
Try ones with different active ingredients to see which ones work…
– zinc pyrithione – decreases fungus and bacteria, cut down on scalp oil production
– selenium sulfide – decreases fungus and reduce the rate of cell turnover
– ketoconazole – anti fungal
– salicylic acid – helps get rid of the dead skin cells
– IF NONE OF THESE ANTI-DANDRUFF SHAMPOOS WORK… TRY A full-on TAR SHAMPOO! Yes it smells appalling and it may even irritate your ski (lol) but it’s an age-old remedy that works! It decreases fungus and reduce the rate of cell turnover.

***Wash with shampoo twice. On the second wash, allow the shampoo to ‘soak in’ and have the active ingredients work… for 5 mins.***

HOMEMADE ANTI-DANDRUFF REMEDIES:

— A homemade salicylic acid remedy:
Pound 4 aspirins into a powder and add it to your shampoo. Allow it to penetrate the skin cells on your scalp for 5 mins before washing away with regular shampoo.

— Lemon or Lime rinse:
3 tablepoons of lemon or lime juice in one cup of water.
This balances the pH levels of your scalp, reduces itchiness and has an anti-bacterial action. It’ll even make your hair shine. VERY IMPORTANT: Wash off all the lemon or lime before you go out into the sun (or else your hair will bleach!)

and

If your dandruff doesn’t go away or if you feel it is extreme, see a dermatologist!

Good luck chica! I’m here rooting for you.

love,

The Lifestylista
xox
http://www.facebook.com/Lifestylista @TheLifestylista

THE 7 KEYS TO LONG HAIR NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF HAIR YOU HAVE…

June 10, 2013 By TheLifestylista

Yes Lifestylista ladies, you heard me! So many of you want long hair but you tell yourselves that it’s all down to genes and that there are some kinds of hair that don’t really grow… Not true! Most of my posts are universal but this post isn’t – today I’m speaking directly to black (/ African-American) ladies.

With black hair, it’s as important to STOP BREAKAGE as it is to ENCOURAGE GROWTH. So often we think our hair isn’t growing, when in fact what’s really happening is that it’s breaking… 🙁

1) DO AS LITTLE TO IT AS POSSIBLE

Ever wondered why the same people who say their hair “can’t grow” get dreadlocks and, all of a sudden, WOOSH – long hair?! This is the ‘lowest manipulation’ hairstyle possible – there’s no combing, no brushing, no chemical relaxers. I’m not saying get locks, you choose your hairstyle… I’m just illustrating a point:

— When we do the minimum to black hair (no matter what texture), we see it grow and grow and grow … So intensive styling every day with combs, brushes and heat doesn’t help the cause.

2) BE GENTLE WHEN YOU WASH YOUR HAIR

– Don’t use hot, hot water – this can dry your hair out.

– Use a gentle, moisturizing shampoo (preferably sulphite free) and sometimes try washing your hair with a conditioner… This is called “co-washing” (if this sounds crazy to you, just try it and you’ll think you were crazy for not knowing about it all these years LOL!)

– Try to deep condition your hair at least every two weeks.

3) ADD MOISTURE AND LOCK IT IN

Our hair is drier and more brittle than other types of hair (European, Asian etc.) partly because our curly roots make it hard for our natural hair oils to find their way along the hair shaft right down to the ends of our hair… So if we don’t keep our thirsty hair moisturized, it’ll be less elastic and it’ll be much more likely to break the heck off whether we like it or not.

4) CUT YOUR SPLIT ENDS

OK – this is no joke! I know some of y’all hate to cut your hair (“I’m tryin to grow it b&*tch not cut it!”) but if you really want long hair you’re going to have to trim your hair before the split end damage moves further up your hair shaft. Think of it this way… You’re containing a fire before it spreads!

5) PROTECT THE HAIR

– Sleep in a silk or satin scarf to prevent all the friction and breakage when you rub your head on your cotton pillow at night.

– After washing, don’t dry your hair with a cotton towel – too much water will be absorbed before you can seal in moisture and there’s too much friction. Instead use a microfiber towel, a cotton T-shirt or kitchen paper towels – these smoother surfaces absorb just the right amount of water and don’t cause friction, knots or disrupt your natural post washing curl pattern…

– Be mindful that any chemicals or heat you apply to your hair will promote breakage. So either stop doing it OR be extra careful to minimize the amount of extra styling you do and maximize the amount of moisturizing you do.

– Don’t use products containing alcohol (talk about drying your hair out… YUK!)

6) CLEAN PORES

Girl, your scalp needs to breathe! All the stuff you put in your hair builds up over time and can block your pores and stunt the growth of your hair! And NEVER use Vaseline or any other petroleum based product on your hair or scalp unless you want your darned pores clogged the heck up…

7) DIET
If you don’t get the right nutrition your hair won’t grow…
For more on this, go to www.TheLifestylista.com — Beauty & Style section to see my article “WANT TO GROW YOUR HAIR LONG? Here’s how to EAT to help make that happen…”

I am here rooting for you! (“Rooting” get it 🙂 Hair roots… Nevermind).

love,

The Lifestylista

xox

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WANT TO GROW YOUR HAIR LONG? Here's how to eat to help make that happen…

June 9, 2013 By TheLifestylista

So many of you have written asking about hair growth and diet that I had to write this for you!

NUTRITION
If you don’t get the right nutrition your hair won’t grow. Eat a nutrient dense diet, add a good multi-vitamin as a back up.

VITAMIN E: This, among other things, increases circulation and stimulates hair follicles so your hair grows more healthy and more gorgeously thick! Food sources include nuts and green, leafy vegetables, liver, eggs and certain vegetable oils.

BIOTIN: This increases the growth rate of your hair. There is some scientific evidence to suggest that women with thinning hair may not have enough biotin in their bodies… Food sources: swiss chard (a delicious, nutritious type of greens), onions, cucumbers, carrots, nuts (e.g. almonds) and more.

ZINC: One of the sad symptoms of a zinc deficiency is your hair falling out! OUCH!
Make sure you get enough Zinc in your diet – it helps with hair growth. We need zinc to maintain the health of the cells in our hair follicles… so it’s pretty important because no healthy hair follicles, no healthy hair!
Food sources: beans, Fresh or dried pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds and squash seeds, cocoa powder, dark chocolate, peanuts and various meats and seafood (esp Oysters).

IRON: Hair loss can occur if you’re iron deficient. If you want your hair to grow and be healthy, make sure you get enough iron in your diet.
Food sources: Dark, leafy greens (spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, kale), beans (inc lentils, soybeans, garbanzo beans / chickpeas etc.), artichokes, prunes, raisins, meat (inc liver) and egg yolks.
Iron tip: make sure you eat a food with vitamin C in it at the same time as your iron rich food… this HUGELY enhances the absorbability of the iron!

Eat your greens, your beans and all that other healthy good stuff and grow your hair girl 🙂

I’m here rooting for you!

love,

The Lifestylista
xox
http://www.facebook.com/Lifestylista @TheLifestylista

GOT HARD HANDS & WANT TO TRANSFORM THEM? #DIY #HOME #SPA

June 7, 2013 By TheLifestylista

Think of all the great things you did to get these hard hands, now you deserve the pampering that will get rid of them 🙂 You go girl – I’m on your side and I’m proud you’re taking the time to do this for yourself.

Ingredients
– Cleanser (liquid or regular solid soap)
– Coarse sugar
– Water
– Olive Oil
– Bowl

Night time – brush your teeth, wash your face, get completely ready for bed. Turn on some music you really like and then follow these instructions…

1) Heat some water in a saucepan AND a cup of olive oil in another saucepan – don’t make it too hot though!
2) Wash your hands at the tap with a cleanser so they are clean.
3) Put the WARM water in the bowl and soak your hands in it for 5 minutes.
4) Dry carefully using a clean towel.
3) Put a tablespoon of warm olive oil in your hands and then two heaped tablespoons of sugar.
4) Rub your palms together, really go for it. This is the exfoliation your hard working hands need!
5) Rinse your hands off with luke warm water and dry your hands.
6) Put the warm olive oil in your bowl and soak your hands for 15 minutes (you may have to move your hands around to make sure they are covered by the olive oil).
7) Don’t wash the olive oil off! Put cotton socks on your hands and go to sleep…

IN THE MORNING:
Press play on your music again!
8) Take the cotton socks off your hands and wash off the olive oil.
9) Marvel at how GORGEOUSLY, SOFT YOUR HANDS ARE NOW!
You just got an A-list spa treatment for a fraction of the cost!
Smile smugly to yourself and DANCE to your music 🙂
And remember, I’m here rooting for you.
love,
The Lifestylista
xox
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Here’s the question from the wall that got me to write this article: <<Wat about people with hard palms,even ladies,wat can someone do???>>

HOW TO PREVENT AND REMOVE STRETCH MARKS..! (Post back by popular demand! :-)

May 30, 2013 By TheLifestylista

WHAT ARE STRETCH MARKS? This is the tearing of the skins second layer (the dermis). Often occurs during periods of significant weight gain or growth.

HOW TO PREVENT THEM?
Some studies suggest Vitamin E oil… Stay hydrated, eat foods that promote skin elasticity (Vitamins A, E, Omega 3s) and exercise to promote circulation.

HOW TO REMOVE THEM? You can reduce them but you can’t remove them… and sadly, the creams dont work! Not even cocoa butter 🙁 The sooner you treat stretch marks the better. Use a laser while they’re still fresh and red. The heat from the laser stimulates collagen production.

THE BOTTOM LINE… Accept yourself girl! Most of us have stretch marks and we’re still beautifiul!

You guys requested this post again so I’ve reposted!
love
The Lifestylista
xox
www.facebook.com/Lifestylista