Oxygen: Not just for your lungs!

Skin-Oxygen

Oxygen

One of the latest skincare trends to hit the market is the idea of oxygen treatments
for the skin.

Why is this such a hot trend right now?

Oxygen, it seems, is not only vital to your lungs and body, but to your skin as well.

Skincare expert Joanna Vargas, who has been treating celebrity skin for years, says that “oxygen has proven benefits for the skin.” She continues to say we use of it as a treatment any time your body is in distress, like if you have a brain injury or if your skin is severely burned. Oxygen helps to stimulate your body’s natural healing function by being anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and stimulates collagen production.

Using this knowledge, researchers have developed skincare products and services that incorporate oxygen to help treat the skin. They have found it in treatments that produce dewy, glowy, and calmer skin.

Some of you may be wondering, “doesn’t my skin get enough oxygen from the air around me?” While in theory, the answer is yes, it’s not the same air our grandparents had when they were young. These days there is so much pollution it compromises the air quality quite dramatically. Our skin needs clean and fresh air in order to thrive.

Add to this our poor diets, lack of sleep and stress, our skin is all out of sorts. By performing oxygen treatments on the skin, we can deliver the benefits of it right to our complexions.

There are quite a few products and services available for those seeking treatments. Try one for yourself and experience the power of oxygen for yourself!

Energizing Day Cream: Formulated with rice peptides and lupine extracts, this daily moisturizer improves: microcirculation and boosts energy production & skin oxygenation. Siberian Ginseng protects and optimizes cellular energy for improved skin health and quality, and prevents and diminishes signs of aging.

What is Sensitive Skin?

Sothys discovery kit sensitive skin

Do you have Sensitive Skin?

A lot of people self-diagnose as having sensitive skin without knowing what it truly means. So who really has sensitive skin? While there is no official definition, a patient should not diagnose themselves as such unless they have ever suffered from eczema, rosacea, or another clinical skin condition by a dermatologist. For those who are now questioning their self-diagnosis, consider the times you break out- testing a new product, changing diet, and lacking sleep are all common causes of break outs for any type of skin. For those who have suffered from a skin condition at any stage of life, read on to hear a sensitive skin patient’s experience:

“While I was growing up, my mom always told me I had sensitive skin. She said when I was a baby I would break out in eczema patches which, according to her, were caused by having naturally dry skin and inheriting my dad’s allergies. Most of my life I haven’t had to think about my eczema, but that changed in my late teens and early twenties. After surviving puberty, my main focus was on clearing up my cystic acne. Once my skin cleared up, I started to want to experiment with makeup and started to watch all these instructional YouTube beauty videos. I inevitably went out and bought the drugstore products they were recommending, and had much different results than were advertised. After testing out one of the top selling drugstore mascaras, I broke out in dry, itchy eczema patches on the most tender part of my face- around my eyes. Over time I had similar experiences with some of the top selling eye creams, moisturizers, foundations, eyeliners, and spot treatments. It took me a while to realize it, but eventually I grew to understand that the health of my skin is far more valuable than saving money on makeup and skincare. After dropping small amounts of money on tons of different products that deteriorated my skin, I realized trying to find products based on packaging and bloggers was pointless. I found Nefertari.com and recognized the passion for skincare immediately after my consultation. Houria genuinely cared about the effectiveness of my skincare products, not about selling things to me. She sent me samples and then spent about an hour on the phone giving me explicit instructions on how to get the most out of each product. I got on a routine of using the Sothys Morning Cleanser to wash my face and, to be honest, fell in love with the smell before I even saw results. Later I added in the Sothys Comfort Lotion to tone after cleansing, and finished with the Soothing Melting Fluid to moisturize. The first thing I noticed, other than the wonderful smell of every product, was the change in the texture of my skin. It’s now more even to the touch and it’s easier to apply makeup. The biggest change I saw was the day after using the Sothys Desquacrem, which is like giving yourself a spa-quality exfoliating treatment. The better my skin gets, the more I love it, and the more I love it, the more I want to care for it. If you’re looking to take charge of your skincare routine, I cannot recommend Nefertari.com enough!”
Lauren R.  San Francisco, CA

We have an answer for your skin

We are so excited to have improved this client’s skin, and we can’t wait to help you with yours! However, please note that not all products that work for her sensitive skin will work for YOUR sensitive skin. That’s why it’s so important for us to hear your skin story and recommend products based on your specific needs.

Share your skin story and get personalized recommendations here
Learn more about Nefertari
Discover the products that helped this client’s skin here

Tell us below what skincare issue you want us to address next!

Nefertari.com Marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month! At Nefertari.com, we’re spreading awareness about this devastating condition, while also working to help support affected women and men as they strive to rediscover a sense of confidence and well-being as they fight cancer with incredible courage!

Chances are, you know someone who’s directly impacted by breast cancer. It’s one of the most common forms of this disease. In fact, breast cancer is the single most common form of cancer in women, spanning all racial and ethnic groups. In 2011 alone, over 220,000 women and over 2,000 men were diagnosed with breast cancer. Nearly 41,000 women and over 400 men passed away as a result of this disease.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that among Hispanic women, breast cancer is the most commonly fatal form of cancer. It’s the second most common among other racial groups, such as black, white, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders. And while women are the most commonly affected, men can also be impacted by breast cancer as men and women alike both have breast tissue.

Breast Cancer and the Impact on Self-Image

The fight against breast cancer can be devastating when it comes to an individual’s self-image and confidence. Treatments can cause hair loss, chronic fatigue and massive weight loss. These effects can combine to have a very dramatic impact on your appearance. Many breast cancer patients really struggle to find peace with this new and very different look.

Many women and men alike are also forced to undergo dramatic surgeries, including full mastectomies. This can leave a woman struggling to come to grips with her new and very different appearance. Men also struggle with this disease, which is primarily viewed as a women’s ailment. This can make breast cancer all the more difficult for the small number of men who are impacted each year.

Unfortunately, the adverse impact on an individual’s self-image can actually have an adverse impact on one’s health. A poor self-image can lead to depression. Depression can have a very real and negative impact on your overall health. So feeling bad about your appearance can quite literally make it even more difficult to fight this awful disease.

At Nefertari.com, we believe that those who battle cancer are beautiful! They’re brave warriors, fighting one of the most important fights of their lives! We want to support those who are impacted by breast cancer. We also want to support breast cancer survivors as they reclaim a sense of confidence and beauty. So during the month of October, we’ll be supporting the fight against breast cancer by offering some great discounts on Sothys beauty and skin care products for women and men.

When you feel beautiful and confident, you’re ready to take on the world — even breast cancer! Our skin care and beauty products serve as the perfect gift for yourself or for a friend or loved one who’s battling cancer now or recently defeated breast cancer and won! Reclaiming your life is a multi-step process. We want to make it a little bit easier for the brave women and men who’ve taken on the fight against breast cancer.

Look Good…Feel Better is a collaboration of the Personal Care Products Council Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the National Cosmetology Association. http://lookgoodfeelbetter.org/

Skin Care for Swimmers: Preventing Dry Skin and Rash

skin-care-for-swimmersSkin care for swimmers isn’t just something watersports athletes need to pay attention to. Anyone who swims, whether it’s habitually, occasionally, or any frequency in between, should take the time to understand what their time in the water is doing to their skin. It’s just another important aspect of summer skin care. 

The chemicals in pools are very useful in helping to keep the amount of swimming pool bacteria under control, but the skin reaction to chlorine, a very commonly used swimming pool chemical, doesn’t exactly leave swimmers with healthy skin. In fact, it’s very odd indeed that so many worry about getting swimmer’s hair and try to protect their hair against the side effects of chlorine but pay hardly any attention to the effects of swimming pool chlorine on skin. Most never even stop to ask is chlorine bad for skin. 

Beach goers aren’t exempt from the concerns of skin care for swimmers. The water in oceans, rivers, and lakes may not be the same as chlorinated pool water, but that doesn’t make these popular swimming spots an effective escape from the effects of chlorine in pool water.  Natural bodies of water can still be loaded with chemicals that impact skin health. 

It should also be noted that using chlorine-free pool chemicals, swimming in a swimming pool without chemicals, doing a salt water pool conversion, or even switching to a fresh water pool is simply not effective swimming skin care. Those who want to reap the benefits of wisely incorporating effective skin care for swimmers into their summer skin care routine should keep reading.

Understanding the Skin Reaction to Chlorine in Swimming Pools

Chlorine is the main ingredient in bleach. On every bottle of bleach is a warning label that warns against having the skin exposed to this chemical. Thanks to chlorine, bleach irritates skin, but the chemical is also very powerful in killing germs and keeping them under control. The germ-fighting properties of chlorine makes it the popular pick for treating swimming pool water, but the skin reaction to chlorine is one of the things that makes skin care for swimmers such an important focus. 

Chlorine is bad for skin and the rest of the body. Direct exposure to skin can cause chemical burns and the chlorine effects on hair are utterly disastrous, causing hair to become weak, brittle, and break. 

When there’s an obvious chlorine burn on the skin, or one experiences hair loss after swimming, they deal with the problem and then take preventative measure to ensure they won’t encounter another issue with chlorine. However, the effects of chlorine on skin when it is used as a swimming pool chemical isn’t always so detectible. 

Swimmers who are chlorine sensitive will notice problems immediately, experiencing a rash and itching. Yet many swimmers who suffer from dry skin don’t even realize that they’re getting their dry skin from swimming pool water.  Much like sun damage, skin problems from chlorinated water develop deceptively slow and gradually. 

It’s a proven, but little-known fact that premature aging happens to be one of the notorious and unwanted effects of chlorine in pool water. The skin reaction to chlorine comes, in part, from the way this chemical strips away the skin’s natural oils, causing it to become dry and also causing the development of fine lines and wrinkles, which is a common sign of aging. 

Perhaps now you’re beginning to understand why skin care for swimmers is so vital. When summertime comes, many become eager to get into the pool. The skin problems that can come from being in chlorinated pool water doesn’t mean that you have to skip swimming, but it does mean that swimming and skin care must go hand-in-hand. 

In fact, getting away from the issue isn’t as easy as avoiding the pool, as even tap water is chlorinated. Many people handle cleaning products that contain chlorine. Any skin exposure to chlorine will result in the above mentioned problems if the proper precautions and care aren’t taken. However, the issue it especially important to swimmers because they’re submerging their entire bodies into chlorinated pool water. The level of chlorine in pool water is usually much higher than in tap. 

This is one of the reasons to make sure you only swim in a pool that is maintenance by someone you’re sure knows how to treat a pool with chemicals appropriately. If you get into a pool that’s been maintenance by someone that doesn’t know how to treat pool water, then you’ll be putting your skin and overall health at high risk. Getting pool water just right is a science that’s best left up to the professionals. 

salt water on skin

Is Saltwater Good for Skin?

Many beach-goers concentrate the focus of their summer skin care on tanning and UV ray protection. For quite a number of them, rarely do concerns over the specifics of skin care for swimmers cross their minds, although they may spend quite a bit of time in the water. Part of the problem is that they think the natural bodies of water are safer for their skin than swimming pools. The other part is that it just doesn’t dawn on them. 

Then there are those who always prefer swimming at the beach to swimming in a pool because they’ve heard that salt water on skin is very good. They hear of skin care professionals using sea salt on skin during spa treatments and assume that ocean swimming is safe as far as swimming skin care is concerned. 

It’s true that swimming in seawater offers many important health benefits. It helps to relieve stress, reduces inflammation, and can even help skin retain its moisture thanks to the amount of magnesium that’s in the water. In fact, swimming in the sea gives the body access to all the many rich, health-boosting vitamins and minerals the ocean contains, but it can also cause acne, eczema flare-ups, and other skin problems. 

There is no one set answer for those who ask is swimming in salt water good for you. The effects of salt water on skin can vary for each individual. When it comes to salt water swimming and skin care, there are both pros and cons. It’s best to just use a swimming skin care routine that allows you to avoid the disadvantages and reap all the benefits. 

Enjoying Summer Swimming and Beautiful Skin

You may not be able to control the swimming pool chemicals or the chemicals in seawater, but you can integrate some smart strategies for swimming skin care into your summer skin care routine and protect your skin. There things all swimmers should do to take care of their skin, whether they’re swimming in a swimming pool or diving into the salty ocean water. 

Internal and external proper hydration is the highest priority. Be sure to drink water before you go swimming, at intervals during extended swimming sessions, and after you’re done for the day. The same thing goes with moisture. Be sure to moisturize both before and after you swim. Of course, everybody’s skin reacts differently to the water they swim in. These are just a few rules of thumb that all swimmers should abide by. A Nefertari skin care consultation can provide you with a more customized plan for skincare for swimmers. 

Prevent Skin Aging: Gentle Solutions for Mature Skin

Prevent Skin Aging

Prevent Skin Aging

Many place their focus on finding the best anti-aging treatments, but what about preventing visible aging before it even happens? A person’s skincare habits predicts whether they’ll be able to enjoy healthy, youthful-looking skin as they get older, or end up looking aged before their years. There are many ways the skin ages and many ways to reverse and prevent that aging. Read on to learn how to effectively care for maturing skin.

Fine Lines and Wrinkles

Almost all talks of aging have some focus on the fine lines and wrinkles that commonly develop. Wrinkles and lines can be unsightly, clearly demonstrate age, and are to be avoided like the plague. There are thousands of wrinkle creams on the market. Some creams and treatments work and some don’t even offer the slightest benefit, but how can fine lines and wrinkles be prevented?

The real underlying cause of wrinkles and lines is a lack of moisture. Maturing skin must have the proper amount of moisture applied during the skincare regime. A focus on keeping the body’s skin well moisturized is a powerful way to prevent skin aging. This means not only using products that supply what the skin needs, but also drinking plenty of water. 

Turkey Neck

Ah, the every-dreaded turkey neck! It is infamous and the subject of many nightmares. Having a turkey neck is also a clear sign of aging. The thing about developing a turkey neck is that it’s not about what cleansers are used or if sun damage is prevented. This is one sign of aging many find hard to avoid. 

Using quality products that work to firm and tighten skin can prove to be very helpful in combatting turkey neck. The key is to start with these anti-aging creams and solutions before the problem begins to show.  Facial yoga is another method to prevent turkey neck, but it proves most effective when combined with a smart skincare routine. As mentioned on Oprah Getting Rid Turkey Neck.

Spotted Hands

Some focus only on facial skin when considering the problem of aging. However, much of age can be seen in the hands. Taking good care of the maturing skin on the hands is a great way to preserve youth, but it’s not always so easy. 

Many people have hands that work very hard. Their skin gets exposed to many different chemicals, whether it’s as they clean the house or work on the job. Another problem is using proper hygiene when using public restrooms. The soaps and drying methods provided simply aren’t meant to protect skin from aging. 

When working with any type of chemical, it’s vitally important to wear gloves. Those who find they frequently must use public restrooms would do well to carry their own hand soap and lotion. In addition, caring for the hands should be a part of the skincare regime. It means applying anti-aging cleaners, creams, and lotions to the hands.

For more information on how to preventing aging through skincare for mature skin, consider having a Nefertari skincare consultation.