Bad habits that age you quicker?

It's not comforting to know that a lot of the things I enjoy are some of the things that can make me look up to 12 years older than I am.  That scares the bejeebs out of me, so I've decided to cut down on the things that will make me look like a leathery hag by the time I'm 40.  The three most important to me: smoking, drinking, & lack of exercise.  There are a bunch of other bad habits people have that age them much quicker, but those three are the ones that I (and apparently, over half of America's population) have trouble with. 



There are 5 main bad habits that can age a person's body and skin more rapidly: smoking, excessive drinking, greasy / fatty foods (a lot of them, for years), lack of sleep, and lack of exercise.  To learn more about how these bad habits affect your body, read this article.

The following is an excerpt from a CBS news report on bad habits VS. your age -

"The risky behaviors were: smoking tobacco; downing more than three alcoholic drinks per day for men and more than two daily for women; getting less than two hours of physical activity per week; and eating fruits and vegetables fewer than three times daily.

These habits combined substantially increased the risk of death and made people who engaged in them seem 12 years older than people in the healthiest group, said lead researcher Elisabeth Kvaavik of the University of Oslo..."

12 years?  That's awful.  That's a lot of years, your entire childhood is pretty much a solid 10 year span, and most of your life's memories occur in that time.  Imagine looking like you were born almost an entire generation earlier?! Ew.

So, the verdict's in and I'm going to quit smoking, I'm changing my diet, and I'm (probably) going to drink less.  If I already have a problem with these dark bags under my eyes, I can just imagine what my problems will be when I'm 30 and a heavy smoker. Yuck!

**webcake xoxo

Completely eliminating animal testing in cosmetics...

Okay little guy, hold still. This might hurt a little. It might also kill you. 

So, yeah, humans still test cosmetics on animals.  I don't like it, nobody really likes it, but aside from heaps of people complaining about it and even boycotting most products, there isn't much anyone can do about it simply because of how often it's "necessary".  The biggest thing animals are tested for in the cosmetic industry is skin allergies, because we don't want to use products that could harm our skin.  (Let me take this time to add that in most parts of the world, even in our own country, cosmetic products are sold that contain possibly harmful ingredients that are simply there because the required testing was not done, or was done and overlooked.  I don't approve 100% of the efforts the FDA puts forth in determining which cosmetic products are safe for use, but if you're interested in what sorts of things they look for, check out this page.)

Since January of this year, great breakthroughs have made it possible to now administer the skin allergy tests and other similar tests to a chip that can simulate the necessary conditions needed for proper results.  

"The chip is intended to replace a local lymph node assay, that is often done on new chemicals used in cosmetics. Today, the tests are generally performed on female mice. (Though some labs use an older method involving guinea pigs..."

(From Technology Review)

 Skin allergy tests in most animals are done by detecting allergic responses by stimulating T cells, all of which is done within the lymph nodes and lymphatic fluids.  This means this tiny chip that could possibly be not only easier, but far cheaper than animal testing, may soon be able to replace tests on many, or ALL animals in the cosmetic industry.  This is just the sort of breakthrough that the Humane Society has been just dying for, because it can, and hopefully will, save thousands of animal lives every year.

A good read into the GEARI website (Group for the Education of Animal-Related Issues) will make it clear that there are many alternative ways many companies can do their testing without harming animals or even using them in any way.  Check it out!  ♥

Sweet spuds for your skin! ♥

Solanum Tuberosum, the noble and helpful potato...it's been used for centuries to help get rid of skin problems like blotches, scarring, and any other discoloration.  It's also very useful for lightening your skin tone in certain areas, making it ideal for getting rid of those pesky under-eye circles. Another awesome thing these cool tubers can do is soak up any excess oil from your face.  They can even help soothe your skin after a difficult sunburn too!

 

There are lots of products you can buy at the store or online that contain taters, like many different varieties of wrinkle creams, skin tone lightening (or bleaching) products, acne products, and many clarifying and firming face washes and masks.  Neutrogena's Oil Free Cream Face Wash is my favorite product using solanum tuberosum because it pairs with salicylic acid, a beta-hydroxy acid that's used to help clean and revive your skin.  I also LOVE Fil-Lup Potato Essence Mask.  There's another great product using solanum tuberosum, LUSH cosmetic's Volcano Foot Mask, which makes your tootsies feel like you spent a long day at the spa.  Awesome.

Looking for more information on spuds and how they help your skin?  Try this article, and you can also check out this article for useful tips on using potatoes and other natural stuff in your kitchen to get rid of dark spots and blemishes.