Kiwis that make your skin glow

Want younger looking skin? Try this fruit both in and on your body.

The kiwifruit is often underappreciated in our diets and overlooked at the grocery store or farmers market. Many of us find it to be more of a “high maintenance” fruit that requires peeling and mess but it’s time to finally appreciate the kiwi for what it is—an edible skincare must!


The Kiwi Cure
Kiwi is the leading source of vitamin C in the fruit world and it is vitamin C that we know has huge benefits in keeping skin young and vibrant. Vitamin C was discovered in 1747 by a Scottish naval surgeon who was doing a study on the disease scurvy. It was found that vitamin C could, in fact, prevent the debilitating disease. Early on, vitamin C was identified for its healing potential, and today, it still boasts the same protective properties.

Vitamin C is abundant in citrus fruits, peppers and cruciferous vegetables. It  is required for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body and affects collagen formation, wound healing and skin pigmentation. While vitamin C is abundant as a powerful antioxidant in hundreds of expensive skin creams, it’s also prevalent in a cheaper alternative, the kiwi. Our bodies don’t produce vitamin C on its own and as we age, we become less able to store it as well. Bad habits such as smoking make storage even more difficult. While skin creams can help, they may have more of a tendency to oxidize over time, thus decreasing the vitamin C effect on the skin. Experts believe, however that getting plenty of vitamin C through food can have significant effects on both outer and inner beauty. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of vitamin C in skincare.

A study in 2010 in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery noted that vitamin C played a major role in collagen synthesis and that as an antioxidant, it helps to protect and rejuvenate damaged skin. Kiwifruit is also a good source of vitamin E, another antioxidant that can help you achieve great skin by fighting against the formation of free radicals (your skin’s greatest enemy). Though kiwi is delicious as a snack, it also has benefits when applied directly to the skin. Putting kiwi slices over the eyes helps to reduce puffiness and darkening. A quick Internet search revealed several great natural skincare masks with kiwi as the leading ingredient.

In 2007, researchers from Austria published a study that demonstrated that as fruit ripens, their antioxidant levels increase. This was due to the breakdown of chlorophyll.  Given this, you’ll get the most skincare benefits from ripe kiwis than non-ripe versions—after all,  it takes time to become fabulous under their fuzzy outer layer. (You can eat the skin too by the way; it’s a great food to help with constipation.) For beautiful skin, pick up some kiwi today. Throw it in your salad, eat it alone as a snack or cut it in slices and use to de-stress tired eyes.

Who knew a brown-and-green, little, fuzzy fruit could have such an impact on beautiful skin!



Read more: http://www.youbeauty.com/nutrition/columns/eat-pretty/kiwi-younger-skin

THE BENEFITS OF GUAVA FOR THE SKIN

The skin is the largest organ in the human body and its condition speaks volumes about your health. Rashes, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and oily, dry and aged skin, may reflect stress, lack of exercise or a poor diet. Improving your skin's health is possible in a variety of ways, including adding more skin-supportive nutrients in your diet. Guava is a tropical fruit that tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a pear, and it provides several nutrients that support skin maintenance. Including it in your diet may help you make progress toward the beautiful complexion you want that is more than just skin deep.

Vitamin K
Treat skin discoloration, such as dark circles, spider veins, rosacea, acne irritation and overall splotchiness, with vitamin K. It heals because it improves blood coagulation, which is impaired in cases of skin redness and irritation. A guava provides 1.4 mcg of vitamin K, which is about 2 percent of the 80 mcg Food and Drug Administration daily value.

Vitamin C
The amount of vitamin C in a guava is more than twice the 60 mg FDA daily value, which is good news for skin healing because it contributes to generation of collagen, the substance that gives skin its firmness. Include more vitamin C-rich foods like guava in your diet to improve the tautness of your skin and reduce the impact of aging.

Lycopene
A guava provides 2.9 g of lycopene, an antioxidant that protects healthy cells from toxins that accumulate in the body due to metabolism and environmental pollution. The damaging effect of toxins includes premature aging, because they damage DNA in charge of growth and development.

Water
A substance that provides health benefits, including hydrated skin, is water. While drinking water helps you meet the eight glasses each day the body requires, an additional source that provides the remaining requirement is food. A guava provides 81 percent of its composition as water. Slice the juicy fruit and serve it in a tropical fruit salad with coconut, pineapple, papaya or mango, or juice it and benefit from its nutrients served over ice.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/514943-the-benefits-of-guava-for-the-skin/#ixzz2ckw9MEq3

The Secret of Tomato

Tomatoes 'help keep skin young' and protect against sunburn

Forget the expensive skin creams, tomatoes may provide the best defence to keeping skin looking young and safe from sun damage, say scientists. 

Tests show that eating tomato paste coulp protect against sunburn and skin ageing caused by sunlight exposure.

The age-defying ingredient is lycopene - the natural pigment that makes tomatoes red - with highest levels found in processed or cooked tomatoes used in ketchup, paste, soup and juice.

Professor Mark Birch-Machin from Newcastle University, will present details of the research today (thurs) at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.

In the study, women eating a diet rich in processed tomatoes had increased skin protection, as seen by a reduction in skin redness and less DNA damage from ultraviolet (UV) exposure.

Researchers compared the skin of 20 women, half of whom were given five tablespoons (55g) of standard tomato paste with 10g of olive oil every day for 12 weeks.




Compared with the other women, the tomato-eating group had 33 per cent more protection against sunburn in the form of less redness
.
The researchers calculated that protection offered by the tomato paste to be equivalent to a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 1.3.

Skin samples taken from groups before and after trial showed an increase in levels of procollagen, a molecule which gives skin its structure and loss of which leads to skin ageing and lack of elasticity.

There was also less damage to mitochondrial DNA in the skin, which is also believed to be linked to skin ageing.
Dermatology scientist Prof Birch-Machin said the tomato paste eaten was not overly excessive, but the amount that would be consumed from a lot of tomato-based meals.

He said ‘Eating tomatoes will not make you invincible in the sun but it may be a useful addition to sun protection along with sunscreen, shade and clothing.

‘The protective effect of eating tomatoes on our mitochondria is important as they are the energy producers in all our body cells including skin.

‘Therefore being kind to our mitochondria is likely to contribute to improved skin health, which in turn may have an anti-ageing effect.’ 

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant, which can reduce the inflammatory response to UV damage by neutralising harmful molecules that are produced in the skin as a result.

Sun damage from UV exposure includes premature wrinkles and skin cancer.

The highest levels of lycopene are found in processed tomatoes used in ketchup, soup and juice which are more easily absorbed into the body.

The typical daily intake of a British adult is less than one milligram, about 25 times less than the amount found in studies to protect against disease.

Previous research suggests 8oz of tomato juice, 150gm of pasta sauce, or one lycopene tablet a day are sufficient to boost blood lycopene levels.

Other international experts at the meeting, which is supported by Heinz, include Professor Indika Edirisinghe, from the Illinois Institute of Technology in the US, who suggests processed tomatoes can improve high blood pressure in people at risk of heart disease.

Studies on 28 volunteers following high and low tomato diets for 6 weeks found that blood pressure in men and women was significantly lower in those with elevated blood pressure.

Work by Dr Mridula Chopra from the University of Portsmouth suggests cooked tomatoes may intercept cancer growth or even kill prostate cancer cells.

Dr Chopra’s research shows that lycopene inhibits the proliferation of prostate cancer lines.

In test tube studies, lycopene reduced the adhesion and invasion properties of prostate cancer and has been shown to intercept mechanisms important to cancer initiation, progression and cell death.

While further clinical trials are needed, Dr Chopra said further trials are need, but in the meantime he recommends eating three to four servings of processed tomato products per week for prostate health.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2155595/Tomatoes-help-skin-young-protect-sunburn.html  


BEST SECRETS OF TOMATO FOR SKIN

The hunt for miracle workers for skin has leaded me to a surprising destination! Tomatoes! Yes, if you find this surprising wait till you try it and see the results J

If you’re wondering how to make a tomato face pack at home, then the answer is quite simple but also extremely varied depending on your skin type. Thus, proving to us that the tomato face pack benefits are a plenty. Today I will share secrets of tomatoes for skin, do you know tomatoes are used for acne, pimples, pimple marks, dark marks and one more secret is it helps to get fairer skin or skin whitening. And tomato affects faster than any other natural homemade remedy without any side effects, I will tell you some of the homemade tomato mask which you can use daily.

Do you always search for skin whitening products in the market? Have you spent thousands of bucks on expensive skin whitening creams and lotions, but fed up of their fake promises? Why don’t you look for natural remedies? These natural remedies are really effective if you use them on a regular basis.

If you are looking for natural solutions to get a glowing and radiant skin, tomato can be your best friends. Face masks of tomato extracts can work wonders for your skin. It makes your skin radiant and also tones your skin to make you look younger.


Below are the best working Tomato face masks:-

1.     Oatmeal, Yogurt and Tomato Mask
Mix one tsp. each of oatmeal, tomato juice and yogurt in a bowl to make a paste. Apply it on your face and neck for 20-30 minutes and rinse with normal water. Tomato juice is known as a good astringent and lightens skin naturally. Oatmeal helps in exfoliating skin naturally and gently. Yogurt helps in removing blemishes because of its mild bleaching effect. You can also scrub your mask while rinsing it. It will remove dead skin. This mask is really effective in removing sun tan.

2.     Gram Flour and Tomato Face Mask
Gram flour is well known for sun tan removal especially in India. You can apply a face mask of tomato and gram flour. It is really useful in skin whitening. Take 2 tsp. of gram flour and mix with 2-3 tsp. of tomato juice. Mix it and apply for 15-20 minutes. Then, rinse off with clean water.

3.     Tomato and Coriander Mask
Tomato and coriander leaves mask is a perfect skin whitening mask for dry and oily skin. You have to mix two tsp. of tomato juice with two tsp. of coriander leaves juice. Now, add a spoon of fuller’s earth and a few drops of lemon juice. Apply this smooth mask for 20-30 minutes and rinse off with normal water. 

4.     Tomato and Lemon Juice Mask
Take half tomato and add 5-6 drops of lemon juice, then grind or squeeze it and take out the juice and apply on clean face and neck leave until it becomes dry then wash it using cold water. You can also apply this mask on arms and tanned areas daily.

5.     Tomato and Curds Mask

Take 1-2 fresh tomatoes and mash them to form a pulp. Add a tablespoon of curd along with some oatmeal. Apply this mixture on your face; leave it for 5 or 10 minute before washing it off with cold water. This face pack will not only cure your sun burnt skin but also make it glow.

6.     Tomato and Sandalwood Mask
Add a tablespoon of sandalwood powder to a mixture of tomato juice and lemon juice. Blend it until it becomes a paste. Apply this mask on your face for at least 15 minutes. Besides making your skin glowing and radiant, this will also make your skin tone lighter and fairer.

7.     Tomato and Lemon Mask for Acne
Mix mashed tomatoes with a tablespoon of lemon juice and apply it on your face. Leave it until it gets dry. It is a very effective face pack to obtain glowing skin, remove skin oiliness and get rid of acne. Besides this it also makes your skin supple and tight thereby preventing premature aging signs.

8.   Tomato and Cucumber Face Mask
This face mask is very effective in getting rid of tanned skin. Mix fresh juice of tomato and cucumber in equal quantities and apply this mixture on the affected area. Allow it to air dry for 10 minutes and wash it off with clean water. You will observe significant lightening of tanned skin.

9.     Tomato and Olive oil Mask
Cut the tomato into two parts. Squeeze the juice from one half into a bowl, add a tsp. of olive oil to it and stir the mixture. Now apply this mixture to your face and leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Wash it off with warm water. Best for dry skin.

10.   Tomato and Sugar Mask
Slice the top off tomato. Sprinkle sugar on a small plate, and dip tomato slice into it. Use the sugar-coated tomato slice to gently exfoliate your face, in a circular motion. Pay extra attention to areas prone to blackheads – T zone (forehead, nose and chin). Once your face is evenly covered with tomato scrub, relax for 10 minutes before rinsing it off completely with water. Pat dry with a soft towel and follow up with an astringent and moisturizer.

11.   Tomato Mask for Oily and acne skin
If you have oily skin and struggle to keep your face from shining like a fried papad, tomato is the solution to your agony. Crush a fresh tomato and strain it. Make a little cucumber juice and add it to the tomato juice. Apply this juice with a cotton ball daily to control excessive oiliness and acne.

12.   Tomato Face Mask for Smooth skin
Rub tomato directly on face for 5 min than relax for 10 min then again rub for 2 min then wash your face using normal water. You can rub daily or weekly twice. You can a pinch of turmeric powder on it (optional).



All of these masks are easy to make at home. They are really effective in removing fine lines, dark spots, wrinkles, fade moles, sun tan, acne scars, and dullness. They also tighten the skin and make your skin soft and smooth. Apart from these natural remedies, you should also use sunblock and sunscreen lotions whenever you go out in the summers and sunlight.

Source: http://123beautysolution.in/?p=858#