Probiotic Comparison

We recently received a question from a customer who wanted to know more about Acidophilus Blast.  I asked a friend whose family uses both Tummy Tuneup and Acidophilus Blast to help me answer the questions.  Here is part of her reply:

"This pill [Acidophilus Blast] is easier to open than Tummy Tune-up, in case I need to give it to my children. Acidophilus Blast is also less expensive than TTU, but it needs to be refrigerated.  This pill is NOT completely milk-free, like TTU, so I cannot give it to my allergic child.   This pill is the usual V-cap size, like TTU.

"We rarely get sick due to the many natural preventative measures we take, including quality probiotics."

 

If you would like more information about the different probiotics available from Beeyoutiful, request a copy of the Beeyoutiful Probiotics Comparison Chart.  Email smithfamresources@att.net with "probiotics comparison" in the subject line, and we'll send it to you as a printable PDF.
 

Click here to order Tummy Tuneup

Click here to order Acidophilus Blast
 

Acne and Moisturizers

If you are dealing with acne, you might be thinking, "Moisturizer?!  You've got to be kidding!"

Remember the clinical description of acne...  When the skin becomes dry, the sebaceous glands secrete more oil to keep your face and hair lubricated.  If you clean your face well twice a day without also using a moisturizer, you may be signalling your glands to produce more oil, resulting in more acne. 

After cleaning your face, use a non-comedogenic moisturizer--one that doesn't clog the pores.  But here's something to think about:  According to some dermatologists, "no single product is non-comedogenic for everyone.  For example, a person with very oily skin may still get skin breakouts from products that another person with mildly oily skin may find non-comedogenic. A better term may be non-acnegenic rather than non-comedogenic, but this is not so widely used. It is important to test a new product on your own skin rather than rely on the label, before using it freely."

It may surprise you that we recommend Miracle Skin Salve as a moisturizer.  Some who have used have Miracle on the face reported that it caused them to have more acne.  The same people later found that if the Miracle was applied only immediately after cleaning the skin, it actually helped to clear up the acne.  If the Miracle is applied too heavily, it does seem to clog the pores, causing more acne.  BUT if it is applied lightly to clean skin, it actually helps to prevent acne and heal blemishes.  It is very important to clean the skin before every application of Miracle.  This is true for most moisturizers. 

Another line of moisturizers to consider are the Nurtured by Nature Goat's Milk Honey and Shea lotions by Generation Cedar.  These contain no parabens (chemical preservatives) and are non-comedogenic for most people.  Remember always to apply lightly and only to clean skin.

December 2013:  Nurtured by Nature is no longer in business, but Smith Family Resources now provides a great Paraben-Free Moisturizer!  Read about it here. 

Experiment until you find the best balance of moisture for your skin. Remember that acne may result from over-washed skin that becomes too dry AND from over-moisturized skin that becomes too oily. The goal is to keep the skin lightly moisturized but free of excess oil.

We'd like to hear your ideas about clean skin, too.  We always enjoy your comments!

Click here to purchase Miracle Skin Salve, 2 oz. or 4 oz.

Acne

Acne - We all know it when we see it, and we don't like it! What causes it? And is there anything we can do about it?

Here's a medical/scientific explanation from the Mayo Clinic:

"Acne occurs when the hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. Hair follicles are connected to sebaceous glands. These glands secrete an oily substance known as sebum to lubricate your hair and skin. Sebum normally travels up along the hair shafts and then out through the openings of the hair follicles onto the surface of your skin. When your body produces an excess amount of sebum and dead skin cells, the two can build up in the hair follicles and form together as a soft plug, creating an environment where bacteria can thrive.

 "This plug may cause the follicle wall to bulge and produce a whitehead. Or, the plug may be open to the surface and may darken, causing a blackhead. Pimples are raised red spots with a white center that develop when blocked hair follicles become inflamed or infected. Blockages and inflammation that develop deep inside hair follicles produce lumps beneath the surface of your skin called cysts. Other pores in your skin, which are the openings of the sweat glands onto your skin, aren't normally involved in acne."

Now here's a non-medical/non-scientific response to the problem:

The simple solution is to keep the skin so clean that no follicle can become plugged with oil. Realizing that many factors contribute to the oiliness of one's skin, some people will have acne no matter how clean they are. This post is not intended to make anyone feel that their face-washing (or lack thereof) is to blame for their acne!  Still, keeping the face clean and free of oil is a good place to start. If you don't already have a regimen for face-washing, consider this...

Splash your face with warm-hot water. The warm/hot water will cause the pores to open. Lather Beeyoutiful's Milk and Honey Facial Bar in warm, clean hands. Apply the lather generously to the entire face, especially oily areas, being careful to avoid the eyes. The facial bar lather will clean away the excess oil. Then splash your face clean with cold water. The cold water will cause the pores to close.  For best results, do this twice a day, preferably at the beginning of the day and again at the end of the day.

Note:  It is very important to keep clean skin moisturized.  Over-washing can actually cause more acne.  More about that in the next post...

Click here to order

Beeyoutiful Milk and Honey Facial Bar, 4.25 oz.