Radiant beauty comes from health and vitality

The average American woman uses 12 different products a day; the average man uses six.

by Purvi Desai —

The perception of beauty is different for everyone. However, as with fashion, overall trends do exist. As the times change, so do our concepts of beauty. We currently live in a society obsessed with having ageless, radiant skin. Many people will try anything and everything to achieve such radiant skin — from buying expensive products to having plastic surgery.

The average American woman uses 12 different products a day; the average man uses six. But how many of us take the time to read the ingredients on our shampoo, moisturizer or makeup labels? You might be surprised to find out that more than half of the listed ingredients are unpronounceable or unrecognizable. Furthermore, most products are also full of chemicals and preservatives that are there only to extend the shelf life.

At the end of the day, we have no idea how many toxins and chemicals we have absorbed into our skin from our beauty products, not to mention those found in the food we consume and environmental toxins we inhale.

If you think about it, many of these products were not even available during our grandparents’ generation. Their overall lifestyle was much simpler than ours is today. They grew fruits and vegetables in their backyards, enjoyed home-cooked meals and our grandmothers used natural products in their daily beauty regimen and believe it or not, many of them managed to have beautiful, radiant skin without all the complex products available today.

Recently, more people have awakened to the fact that beauty is more about health and vitality than expensive products or surgery. Natural, green, eco-friendly and organic are all words that have become part of today’s lexicon. In the 21st century, the modern woman is going back to nature, and it is not difficult or expensive to do.

Many of the products in your kitchen can give you the results you want. For example, yogurt makes an effective facial cleanser and is excellent for dry skin. Oatmeal is an amazing exfoliator, and ice cubes rubbed over the face will tighten pores and increase blood circulation, making this treatment an ideal, inexpensive and instant toner.

Eco-friendly is becoming part of contemporary living because more people are becoming aware of the benefits of using natural skin-care products made with herbs, oils and essential oils. Most natural products are not harsh or damaging; they stimulate cell growth and rejuvenate the skin.

Perhaps the best part is that natural skin-care products are always made with well-recognized elements that even a child can pronounce. The most important thing to remember is that if a skin-care product label claims to be “all natural,” but contains a list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients, it is not what you are looking for.

Purvi Desai, founder and president of Zaaina Skincare, has an undergraduate degree in finance with a strong background in accounting, sales and marketing. www.zaaina.com, 480-467-8722 or purvi@zaaina.com.

AzNetNews, April 2011.