Secret Beauty Ingredient: Water

Okay.  It's actually not a secret at all.  And we've all heard the instructions for us to drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water per day for optimum health...

Well, whilst it's true that we all could do well to drink a little more water every day (you should be drinking water instead of soft drinks, for instance) there *IS* a risk of drinking too much water.  Yes, beleive it or not, you CAN drink too much water and make yourself pretty sick in the process.

However, having said all of that, have you noticed that nearly EVERY time you look at the ingredients list of your beauty products (if you're NOT reading the ingredients lists, then you seriously SHOULD be) the very first ingredient listed is water [aqua]?

It's not an accident.

In case you didn't know, the list of ingredients on any skincare or cosmetic label, are always in descending order.  So that means, the closer to the front of the list an ingredient is, the more of it a product has.  And, the ingredient that is at the very FRONT of the list, is the ingredient that the product contains the most of.

Yup.  Most of us are shelling out big bucks for products which contain mostly water!!  What the...?

As an aside, you might find the Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary interesting reading.  If you've ever wondered what some of those weird sounding words on the back (or underside) of your skincare/cosmetic products are, then this is certainly the place to find out.  It contains not only the name of the product, but some detailed information as well, including links to studies and other sites.  Highly recommended!

There are literally thousands of web articles discussing the importance of water in the human body, and it's not my aim here to replicate any of them.

Just to remind you that:

• water is important
• we should all be getting a little more of it into our bodies than we currently do
• it's the main ingredient in nearly every skincare or cosmetic product
• dry skin NEEDS water, not only in the form of drinking water, but water applied and sealed directly onto the skin
  

Secret Beauty Ingredient: Olive Oil

Olive Oil!

I grew up in an area saturated with Italians, Turkish, and Greek immigrants.  Many of the kids I grew up with were 1st or 2nd generation Aussies!

As a result, most of my culinary experiences included extra virgin (and in most cases, homemade) olive oil!  MMMMMM, delicious!

But did you know that Olive Oil is also one of the most amazing [not so secret] skincare and beauty ingredients?

It's been found that the Egyptians (think Cleopatra), Greeks, Phoenicians, and Romans (among many others) all used this oil in beauty preparations!

Olive Oil:

• is a natural moisturiser - yup, it's absorbed right into the skin and helps to promote and retain it's elasticity (awesome news for those of you with rediculously dry skin like me, or eczema like my daughter)
• is very rich in antioxidants, including vitamins A and E, which are the key ingredients in ALL anti-ageing creams/lotions/serums etc
• also has the natural ability to stimulate cells and therefore, helps to enhance firmer and healthier skin
• can be used as a soap replacement for your entire body
• can be used as an eye makeup remover, removing even waterproof mascaras and eye liners
• is awesome when used as a lip balm
• is an amazing hair conditioner, and some people swear by it's ability to treat/prevent dandruff
• has got to be one of the best oils to strenghten nails and cuticles

I've recently, accidentally by the way, discovered what I consider to be the most amazing, hydrating, non-sticky, non-oily moisturiser featuring Olive Oil.  And what's better, is that it's cheap as chips, and you can make it yourself!


Basically, Olive Oil is the good stuff.  And you want to incorporate much more of it into your daily life than you already do.  Amazingly, not only is this stuff great on the skin/hair/nails (and in your beauty products) it tastes amazing too.  I've continued the traditions passed to me by some of my closest Italian friends, and we eat olive oil practically every day in our household.

As an aside, my three kids (17, 4 and 2yrs) LOVES 'garlic butter' that I make.  I take a tablespoon or two of softened butter, and drizzle olive oil into it (stirring constantly with a fork to incorporate it) until it's a really smooth pastey consistency.  Then I add salt and garlic to taste (you can use garlic powder if you prefer, but we reckon fresh minced garlic HAS to be the best).  Cover with clingfilm and leave in your fridge.  They'll have that stuff on bread, toast, plain buscuits, rice crackers or whatever.  No other flavours required!

Want to know more?  I'm composing a series of posts about 'secret' beauty ingredients, and have 3 more to go before I post my moisturiser's secret recipe.  Keep coming back to find out more.

Heads Up!!

G'day everyone.

I've seriously, almost accidentally, discovered what would have to be my holy grail of moisturisers!!!

Really!!

And it's homemade, all natural, and it's the most AMAZING thing for rediculously dry/damaged/sensitive skin.

I've been having terrible issues with my seasonal allergies.  My skin has been disgusting.  Dry, flaky, itchy, supersensitive.  It's been reacting to nearly EVERYTHING.

To say I was getting desperate is a little understatement.

I'm going to make a YouTube video about it, along with how to make it, and how to use it, and follow it up with a blog post here with the list of ingredients and some interesting facts on all of the ingredients and how awesome it is.

Seriously, my hubby thinks I should just patent or trademark the ingredients, keep them a secret, and make a million selling the product!  *laughs*  I, on the other hand, am paying it forward.

So if you know anyone with super dry skin, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, or skin that's supersensitive, you might want to tell them to keep an eye out in the next few days for my post...

It's really awesome.

Have a great day.

*hugs*

Vashti

I haven't forgotten you... honest!

July 2nd!!!

That was over 3 months ago!

Seriously!  That's how long it's been since I last posted, and it's probably been around the same length of time since I've posted a video to YouTube.

Life has been crazy hectic.  We've had health challenges, MUCH interstate travel, and my seasonal allergies have been wreaking havoc with my skin (and moods), we've bought a business...

Our 4yr old has just switched to full days at kindy, to prepare for school, so we've had all the hassle of ALL our routines changing to accommodate it.

I've got SO many videos, reviews, tutorials, tips and tricks to catch up on, I'm going to begin filming next week.

So, my first video will be a quick update.

Then I'm going to do two subscriber requests:
Top 10 Lip Products
5-minute face

I've also got tons of other requests, and questions, and a STACK of videos to make for my OzBudgetEvolution channel too.  So keep an eye out for it.

If you haven't already, follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ozbudgetbeauty and subscribe to my YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/ozbudgetbeauty

Have a fantastic day!

*hugs*

Vashti