4 ways to fix common skin woes

To trim extra fat from the body, experts say exercise and a healthy, balanced diet is the best solution. But for cosmetic imperfections, like cellulite, spider veins and skin discoloration, the solution is less obvious.

1. More from TODAY.com
   1. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade lifts spirits in wake of Sandy
      Giant helium balloons rose above the treetops along New York's Central Park on Wednesday for the 86th Macy's Thanksgiving ...
   2. Martha's Thanksgiving turkey, creamed greens, pear pie
   3. Chefs confess to turkey-free Thanksgivings
   4. 2 fired after pic near Tomb of the Unknowns sparks outrage
   5. We're thankful for Val's abs, Pixar's 'Monsters'

Creams that claim to have a quick fix aren't always effective, and many times they just cover up the appearance of things like cellulite, said Dr. Shasa Hu, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Miami in Florida.

Hu explains why we get these common imperfections, and the best ways to be rid of them (or at least disguise them) in time for beach season.

Cellulite Cellulite is caused by fat cells that gather beneath the skin's surface, Hu said. The lumpy fat cells lead to skin with a "cottage cheeselike" appearance.

Cellulite depends largely on how each person's fat cells are structured and lumped together, she said.

"It's absolutely normal to have cellulite; even babies have cellulite," Hu told MyHealthNewsDaily. "So it's not a pathologic condition, it’s normal. But for some women [and men], it's more noticeable."

Unfortunately, cellulite is very hard to treat, she said. Weight loss may help a little by getting rid of the fat, but there aren't any completely effective skin creams for the condition.

Hydrating the skin can help to disguise cellulite by plumping up the skin and filling in the areas that are depressed, Hu said.

Many over-the-counter products that claim to treat cellulite do just this — moisturizing and disguising cellulite, but not necessarily ridding the body of it, she said.

Skin discoloration Blotchiness and skin discoloration are most common on the chest and the back, and make the skin look uneven, Hu said. The condition is most evident in skin that is hyper-pigmented (too much skin pigment) or hypo-pigmented (too little skin pigment).

Skin discoloration is caused by tinea versicolor, a common chronic yeast infection of the skin, Hu said. Tinea versicolor is especially common in warm climates and during the summertime.

"The best advice for people with this condition is actually to wear sunscreen so that the normal skin doesn’t get so dark, and the affected [discolored] skin doesn’t tan," Hu said. "If you get too much of a tan, then you actually make the problem worse."

Otherwise, wearing concealing makeup can help disguise the blotchy skin and make blend in with the other skin areas, Hu said.

Stretch marks Stretch marks are caused by rapid, excessive stretching of the skin that comes with weight gain or growth, Hu said.
"Your collagen gets distorted and doesn’t go back to its original form," she said.

They're most common in teens (who go through growth spurts), pregnant women (whose stomachs expand) and overweight or obese people. They first appear as red streaks that fade to white near the buttocks, hips, stomach and breasts.

Like cellulite, there are no treatments to completely vanquish stretch marks. But there are certain creams, like Mederma, that can at least reduce the appearance of the marks, Hu said.

Spider veins Spider veins are the most common in the legs and near the ankles, and are caused by bad blood flow through the veins.

"Instead of blood in the veins flowing back to your heart as they normally do, in spider veins, the blood actually stays static," Hu said. The blood "doesn’t go back and it accumulates and stretches the capillaries, and that causes them to dilate, so you have these spider veins."

Spider veins are most common in people who stand for long periods of time, since their blood flow is often static from the force of gravity, she said.

For spider veins, it's important to take preventive measures to keep them from getting worse by wearing support hose or stockings, keeping legs elevated when resting and doing calf muscle exercises to increase blood flow, Hu said.

For existing spider veins, there's no cream that has proven completely effective in reducing their appearance, she said.

However, getting a fake tan or spray-on tan can mask the color of the veins. There are also several vein treatments that can be done in a doctor's office, including laser treatments (where veins are exposed to bursts of light until they disappear) and sclerotherapy (injection of a solution into the veins that causes them to fade).

Pass it on: Spider veins, cellulite, skin discoloration and stretch marks are common woes when it comes to baring skin, but there are some ways to at least disguise their appearance.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com

How to get rid of spots

What Are Spots?

Spots are part of a condition called acne, which affects up to 95% of the western adolescent population. There is no real difference between spots and acne, but some people classify spots as a few breakouts on the skin, whereas acne is more serious and widespread, and is found on the face, chest, back, shoulders and even buttocks.

A spot is the blockage of a gland near the surface of the skin called a sebaceous gland. These glands secrete a substance called sebum, which is an oily substance used to lubricate the hair follicle. Occasionally they can become blocked by excess sebum which mixes with dead skin cells at the opening of the gland, resulting in a blackhead. If bacteria living on the surface of the skin works its way into the blocked gland, the area can become red, swollen and produce a white pus, which result in those whiteheads.

Spots can be caused by hormonal changes such as those at puberty, around your period or during pregnancy. There is also a strong link between increased breakouts and stress, as stress can trigger fluctuations in hormone levels. This is why we always seem to suffer a breakout just before that big event.

Spot Treatment

There are many over-the-counter spot treatments available claiming to treat or reduce the severity of spots. More severe cases may require a trip to a GP or dermatologist(opens in a new window) to prescribe something stronger, like a topical antibiotic or product containing benzoyl peroxide, which has a gentle drying and peeling effect on skin.

However, natural spot treatments are cheap and easy to use. Tea tree oil is a fantastic anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory treatment. Apply it very sparingly to the spot - dilute it with a bit of water first as it's highly concentrated and could irritate your skin. Rosewater is also naturally anti-inflammatory and the aroma of rose has been used for centuries to lift spirits and ease stress and tension.

If you frequently suffer from spots, especially around the mouth and chin, it is advisable to seek the advice of a health professional. If you are female and also suffer from facial hair and infrequent periods(opens in a new window), there is a small chance that the underlying cause to your spots could be polycystic ovary syndrome(opens in a new window).

Squeezing Spots

Don't squeeze spots if they're red and have no head. Squeezing spots can actually make things worse by driving bacteria deeper under the skin and, in some cases, can lead to scarring.

Some experts recommend that if the spot has come to a noticeable white head you can squeeze it, but make sure your hands are very clean (wrap your fingers in tissue to prevent your nails damaging your skin). Pop a bit of tea tree oil or an antiseptic cream on top of the squeezed spot to make sure it stays clean

http://www.channel4.com

How to cleanse skin properly

Although many women give it very little thought during their younger years, proper cleansing of facial skin is one way of keeping a youthful look into your 50's and 60's.

Just like any other organ of the human body, skin requires a certain amount of maintenance. Care, including proper cleansing, will assist in the prevention of long-term skin issues such as toughening, wrinkling or, worst of all, major illness such as skin cancer.

It is important to remember that skin serves an important purpose; it is the largest organ of the human body and provides the body with a first line of protection against the onslaught of infection. For that reason, healthy skinis crucial.Here are some skin cleansing hints that work well for almost everyone.

1. Use warm, not hot, water for facial cleansing. Water that is too hot can damage the skin by causing dehydration. Water that isn't hot enough can cause dirt to be left behind.
2. Only use a gentle skin cleanser, as facial skin is more delicate than that on the rest of the body, and in some women is extremely sensitive. It's important to stay away from skin cleansers that contain caustic chemicals or ingredients that do more harm than good.
3. Thoroughly dampen the skin before using any kind of cleanser. Then follow the directions provided on the product label. Using too much or too little skin cleanser could be just as bad as not using it at all.
4. Use the fingertips to gently massage the cleanser into the skin. Use small circular motions, overlapping each circle with the one before it. Make sure to cover all of the skin on the face and let the cleanser set for the amount of time recommended.
5. Rinse the cleanser away with cool water. Make sure that all of the cleanser is removed. Use a soft cotton cloth if necessary to insure removal, and do not use anything abrasive.
6. Spray a cool water mist onto the skin to help re-hydrate it if you do not plan to tone. If you are toning, which is highly recommended, then move on to the next point.
7. Pre-cool skin toner before applying it to the face. You can use a store-bought toner or make one yourself at home using an essential oil like rose, perhaps diluted with water. Soak a cotton ball in the toner and then release the excess liquid. Lightly swipe the toner across the face, paying attention to the nose, chin and forehead. Let the skin dry before applying any moisturizer.
8. While moisturizing isn't a part of cleansing per se, it is an essential part of any good skin careregimen. Choose a moisturizer that is made specifically for your type of skin (oily, dry, normal, etc.)
9. Always apply a moisturizer as instructed by the product label. Use only a small amount, gently massaging it into the skin. You can always add more moisturizer if needed on certain areas of the face.
10. Follow-up with other skin care products or apply makeup as desired.

Facial skin requires regular cleansing at least twice a day, ideally in the morning and before bedtime. If skin is particularly dirty, consider using a microdermabrasion product or an electronic wand to deep cleanse the skin. Such products often become essential for women over the age of 40, when they truly want to get rid of dead skin cells and rejuvenate the skin beneath.

Susan Lucci's Youthful Essence provides an inexpensive but outstanding microdermabrasion product. Clarisonic makes several different styles of deep-cleansing wands. The former retails for between $30 and $50. The latter runs between $200 and $500.

Clean skin is youthful skin and youthful skin is something all women want. All it takes to get it is a little time, some patience and a sense of determination.

http://www.thebeautybiz.com

Up the Career Ladder, Lipstick In Hand

WANT more respect, trust and affection from your co-workers?

Wearing makeup — but not gobs ofGaga-conspicuous makeup — apparently can help. It increases people’s perceptions of a woman’s likability, her competence and (provided she does not overdo it) her trustworthiness, according to a new study, which also confirmed what is obvious: that cosmetics boost a woman’s attractiveness.

It has long been known that symmetrical faces are considered more comely, and that people assume that handsome folks are intelligent and good. There is also some evidence that women feel more confident when wearing makeup, a kind of placebo effect, said Nancy Etcoff, the study’s lead author and an assistant clinical professor of psychology at Harvard University (yes, scholars there study eyeshadow as well asstem cells). But no research, till now, has given makeup credit for people inferring that a woman was capable, reliable and amiable.

The study was paid for by Procter & Gamble, which sells CoverGirl and Dolce & Gabbana makeup, but researchers like Professor Etcoff and others from Boston University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute were responsible for its design and execution.

The study’s 25 female subjects, aged 20 to 50 and white, African-American and Hispanic, were photographed barefaced and in three looks that researchers called natural, professional and glamorous. They were not allowed to look in a mirror, lest their feelings about the way they looked affect observers’ impressions.

One hundred forty-nine adults (including 61 men) judged the pictures for 250 milliseconds each, enough time to make a snap judgment. Then 119 different adults (including 30 men) were given unlimited time to look at the same faces.

The participants judged women made up in varying intensities of luminance contrast (fancy words for how much eyes and lips stand out compared with skin) as more competent than barefaced women, whether they had a quick glance or a longer inspection.

“I’m a little surprised that the relationship held for even the glamour look,” said Richard Russell, an assistant professor of psychology at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa. “If I call to mind a heavily competent woman like, say, Hillary Clinton, I don’t think of a lot of makeup. Then again, she’s often onstage so for all I know she is wearing a lot.”

However, the glamour look wasn’t all roses.

“If you wear a glam look, you should know you look very attractive” at quick glance, said Professor Etcoff, the author of “Survival of the Prettiest” (Doubleday, 1999), which argued that the pursuit of beauty is a biological as well as a cultural imperative. But over time, “there may be a lowering of trust, so if you are in a situation where you need to be a trusted source, perhaps you should choose a different look.”

Just as boardroom attire differs from what you would wear to a nightclub, so can makeup be chosen strategically depending on the agenda.

“There are times when you want to give a powerful ‘I’m in charge here’ kind of impression, and women shouldn’t be afraid to do that,” by, say, using a deeper lip color that could look shiny, increasing luminosity, said Sarah Vickery, another author of the study and a Procter & Gamble scientist. “Other times you want to give off a more balanced, more collaborative appeal.”

In that case, she suggested, opt for lip tones that are light to moderate in color saturation, providing contrast to facial skin, but not being too glossy.

But some women did not view the study’s findings as progress.

“I don’t wear makeup, nor do I wish to spend 20 minutes applying it,” said Deborah Rhode, a law professor at Stanford University who wrote “The Beauty Bias” (Oxford University Press, 2010), which details how appearance unjustly affects some workers. “The quality of my teaching shouldn’t depend on the color of my lipstick or whether I’ve got mascara on.”

She is no “beauty basher,” she said. “I’m against our preoccupation, and how judgments about attractiveness spill over into judgments about competence and job performance. We like individuals in the job market to be judged on the basis of competence, not cosmetics.”

But Professor Etcoff argued that there has been a cultural shift in ideas about self adornment, including makeup. “Twenty or 30 years ago, if you got dressed up, it was simply to please men, or it was something you were doing because society demands it,” she said. “Women and feminists today see this is their own choice, and it may be an effective tool.”

Dr. Vickery, whose Ph.D. is in chemistry, added that cosmetics “can significantly change how people see you, how smart people think you are on first impression, or how warm and approachable, and that look is completely within a woman’s control, when there are so many things you cannot control.”

Bobbi Brown, the founder of her namesake cosmetics line, suggested that focusing on others’ perceptions misses the point of what makes makeup powerful.

“We are able to transform ourselves, not only how we are perceived, but how we feel,” she said.

Ms. Brown also said that the wrong color on a subject may have caused some testers to conclude that women with high-contrasting makeup were more “untrustworthy.” “People will have a bad reaction if it’s not the right color, not the right texture, or if the makeup is not enhancing your natural beauty,” she said.

Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said the conclusion that makeup makes women look more likable — or more socially cooperative — made sense to him because “we conflate looks and a willingness to take care of yourself with a willingness to take care of people.”

Professor Hamermesh, the author of “Beauty Pays” (Princeton University Press, 2011), which lays out the leg-up the beautiful get, said he wished that good-looking people were not treated differently, but said he was a realist.

“Like any other thing that society rewards, people will take advantage of it,” he said of makeup’s benefits. “I’m an economist, so I say, why not? But I wish society didn’t reward this. I think we’d be a fairer world if beauty were not rewarded, but it is.”

http://www.nytimes.com

How to Avoid (and Treat) Cold Sores

There it is — that horrible tingling sensation that lets you know a cold sore is about to erupt all over your face, ruining the next week and making you wish that burqas were suddenly in fashion for a short while. Is there anything more annoying than a cold sore?

I got my first cold sore when I was 8 years old, right in the corner of my mouth. It was horrible — ugly, painful, and because of the location, it took almost a month to heal. Every time I would open my mouth, my sore would split open. I still have scar tissues from that thing.

Up until a couple of years ago, I used to get cold sores frequently. It got so bad that I started forming some scar tissue above my lip where the sore would reappear every couple of months. However, once I figured out what triggered them, and how to prevent them, my outbreaks were greatly reduced. More importantly, I can treat them when they do appear, so recovery is much faster and less painful. (See also: Cheap and Simple Sunburn Remedies That Really Work)

What Causes Cold Sores?

Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, are caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Yes, the cold sore virus is very similar to the virus that causes genital herpes. HSV-1 causes cold sores, HSV-2 causes genital herpes, although in some cases, HSV-1 can cause genital herpes as well. If you have one version of the herpes virus doesn't indicate you also have the other version of the virus. However, it's easy to transmit the viral infection from one area of the body to another through contact, be it direct or indirect (sexual contact or accidental contamination of an area with infected bodily fluid).

Herpes simplex 1 is phenomenally easy to catch. Most people are infected with HSV-1 as a child, through shared food or drink with a contagious carrier. Many people will catch the virus and never display an outbreak of lesions that indicate the presence of HSV-1. Others will show an immediate sign of infection through a lesion on the face, usually on the lips. Cold sores can also occur around other facial mucous membranes, like the nostrils or eyes (known as ocular herpes, which sounds cooler than "eyeball herpes"). Cold sores are not to be confused with canker sores, which typically appear on the inside of the mouth.

The bad news about HSV-1 (other than the fact that it is very damaging to the nervous system) is how easy it is to transmit. The good news is that, with some care, you can avoid lesion outbreaks — or at the very least, shorten any cold sore outbreaks that may occur.

Cold Sore Triggers

What are the most common cold sore triggers? Cold sores are triggered by a number of different causes, but most of them have to do with your body being negatively stressed in some way. Because viruses love to attack when you are weak, the HSV-1 waits until your immune system is suffering, and then works its evil, painful magic on your face.

Fever/Illness

Cold sores aren't called "cold sores" for nothing — they typically make their arrival when you are suffering from another viral infection, be it a cold or flu. HSV-1 loves a good fever, so if you find yourself with an elevated temperature, take a fever reducer like Advil to lessen your chances of experiencing a cold sore outbreak.

UV Rays

Bright sunlight triggers many a lip lesion, so use plenty of lip balm at the highest concentration SPF that you can find. I also slather my upper lip with SPF 40 sunblock every morning, because I never know when I might end up outside* for an extended period of time. (This is a joke — I never go outside.)

Cold Weather

Cold, harsh weather can also wreak havoc on lip health, and once your lip cracks, HSV-1 is only happy to add insult to injury. Keeping lips moisturized with a medicated ointment like Blistex or Carmex can prevent damage to your lips. Keep your mouth covered in extremely cold, windy conditions. And the instructions for using a high-level SPF on your skin don't end with warm weather — cold, sunny days in the snow are perfect ingredients for a cold sore recipe. Harsh, UV rays reflecting off of snow, mixed with freezing cold, dry air? Cold sore perfect storm.

Stress

You might not expect emotional stress to contribute to skin lesions, but it can. Although there is often no way to remove stressors from your life, if you can find a way to stay calm and carry on (as the British would say...when they are not rioting), you can probably prevent a cold sore from appearing. Deep breathing and meditating exercises won't take more than 15 minutes out of your day, and can lower your blood pressure, too. The emotional stress of PMS is often enough to cause outbreaks in women. If you can track your menstrual cycle well enough to figure out which days are going to be the worst ones, emotionally, you may be able to work in a couple extra hours of stress-reliving fun to balance out the mood roller coaster.

Injury to Delicate Facial Tissues

At one point, I noticed that I was coming down with a cold sore after every single time I had sex — this was a big disappointment, because I was beginning to believe that perhaps sex was causing my cold sores. And it was, in a way. My husband had a beard at the time, and our passionate lip-locking would irritate my skin so much that I broke out in a cold sore within a few hours of sexy-time. He is now required to wax his face and exfoliate with a floor sander. (No, really, we're just more careful with the smooching.)

Some people have noticed cold sores after extensive dental work (not quite as fun as sex, but just as necessary to your health). This is because damage to the delicate tissue of the lips and mouth are like an open invitation to HSV-1.

http://www.wisebread.com

NEVER HAVE A BAD HAIR DAY AGAIN

Tease the fact from the fiction with our haircare experts
By Deanna Michalopoulos

A blast of cold water at the end of your shower can tame frizz and add shine to your tresses

FACT
Brace yourself for the big chill. Cold water can help close the cuticle, the outermost coating of your hair strands. The cuticle is built like slats on a roof – one piece layered on top of the other all the way down the shaft, says Dr David Kingsley, a trichologist (hair and scalp expert). Heat lifts those layers, allowing the moisture in your hair to escape and frizz to go wild. Cold water (or even a cold blast from the hair dryer) can seal the cuticle, helping your hair maintain moisture. Plus, when the cuticle is smooth, light reflects easily off its surface, so your hair has a healthy sheen. But this is only a temporary fix. If you’re dealing with a super-damaged mane, your cuticle will rise once you start abusing it with appliances.

Washing your hair every day will make it fall out faster

FICTION
Whether you shampoo or not, you shed about 100 strands a day. The funny thing is that if you rinse off less often, it may seem as if you’re losing more hair because water hasn’t helped to rinse away those loose threads, says Dr Kingsley. So when you finally lather up after a three-day camping trip – or, uh, a super-lazy weekend on the couch – you can expect nearly 300 individual locks to collect in the drain.

Ancient Greeks and Romans cooked up hair dyes that nearly measured up to modern ones

FACT
In a study published in 2006 in the journal Nano Letters, researchers uncovered a 2000 year old hair dye formula that calls for applying lead oxide, slaked lime and water to the hair several times for raven-shaded results. It exists today in a similar recipe on the market called Grecian Formula, says study author Phillippe Walter, a senior research scientist at the Research and Restoration Center of French Museums. Who knew?

Stress can make your hair fall out

FACT
Reason No. 2537 we’re grateful not to be contestants on any reality show: extreme tension doesn’t just harm your heart and widen your waistline – it can also wreak havoc on your hair. Stress throws a wrench into your strands’ growing cycle, which can make it shed prematurely, and also tweaks hormone levels that trigger hair loss, says Dr Kingsley. Plus, anxiety sets up a roadblock between fuel and your follicles, so your hair doesn’t get the nutrients needed to keep growing.

Trimming your hair regularly makes it grow faster

FICTION
“No, not at all,” says Dr Kingsley. “Even if you shave your head, hair is still a dead fibre that grows about half an inch every month.” But he has a theory on how this rumour was misconstrued as fact: let’s say your locks are a centimetre long; four weeks later, they will have doubled in length. But a centimetre growth on hair that’s 45cm long is 1/36th of your length – which doesn’t seem so long.

The right product can mend split ends

FICTION
Sorry to say, your strands are like Brad and Jen: once they’ve split, there’s no reunion. The ends of your hair, the oldest section, have endured the most heat exposure, dye jobs and brushing, all of which wear away the cuticle, leaving behind frayed edges that spread up your hair shaft. The only thing that will cure the fray is a snip of the scissors, says Dr Kingsley. Get into the habit of visiting your stylist once every (you guessed it) six to eight weeks. Between visits, use both a rinse-out and leave-in conditioner. Keeping your hair moisturised is one of the best ways to prevent split ends.

Pluck one grey hair, and two or three more will sprout in its place

FICTION
“Grey hairs don’t send messages to other hairs to turn grey!” says Dr Kingsley. “Genetic coding is what makes the next one turn grey, not plucking of the first one.” But this doesn’t give you the green light to start mining all the silver out of your scalp. Tugging at the roots can cause permanent damage to the follicle, resulting in hair loss or thinning. If your new hue is bothering you, you’re better off investing in a box of hair colour.

The average head of hair can withstand about a ton of weight

FICTION

A healthy head of hair can actually withstand 12 tons. (That’s right: trick question!) Your hair is made up of keratin, which is between 85 to 95 per cent protein and snakes down the centre of your hair shaft in a four rope-like chains. As it turns out, these amino acids are super strong. Before you conduct any at-home experiments, though, take note: while your hair may be strong enough to support your car, your scalp most

certainly is not. http://www.womenshealthmag.co.uk

Vitamins and herbs for strong, healthy hair

(NaturalNews) Men and women alike desire thick, healthy and shiny hair. Chances are people who possess all of these traits are supplementing with certain vitamins and herbs, or eat a diet that feeds their hair these nutrients on a daily basis. Hair is not just an extension of our bodies. It has become a symbol of beauty, health and status. In order to get the coveted body, bounce and sheen you desire there are certain nutrients you should be concentrating on putting in your body.

Vitamins for healthy hair

The first vitamin for hair health is biotin. This is actually a form of vitamin B that is widely used to help prevent hair loss and stimulate hair growth. It is often recommended for chemotherapy patients to help increase the rate of growth.

It is also useful for thinning hair and is thought to help with loss of hair pigmentation although no conclusive evidence has been found. Biotin helps our bodies to break down fats, protein and carbohydrates. It can be found naturally in Swiss chard, liver, halibut and goat milk, to name a few.

Several other B vitamins help with hair loss or slow hair growth as well. Panthenol, or vitamin B5 is often used externally in shampoos and other hair products to help increase thickness. It has the ability to penetrate the cuticle and increase the diameter as a topical supplement.

A deficiency of vitamin B12 can lead to anemia, which stunts hair growth. Supplements of this vitamin often fall short as they don't absorb very well. Vitamin B12 shots are given for energy support in those who are deficient. However you can also increase your levels of this vitamin by eating foods such as grass fed beef, egg yolks and free range poultry.

Antioxidant vitamins are also an important source of nutrition for healthy hair. Vitamins C, E and A are important for the health of the skin and hair. They increase the health and efficiency of the entire body, thereby "freeing up" the resources to feed your hair the nutrients it needs on a daily basis. They help promote healthy connective tissues and cellular growth. A diet rich in these vitamins provides support for vibrant, abundant hair growth. Vitamin E also increases scalp circulation which in turn promotes hair growth.

Herbs for healthy hair

The foremost herb known for adding beauty and luster to the hair when taken orally is horsetail. Named for its long brush-like appearance, this herb is packed with a nutrient called silica. Silica is a substance that strengthens bones, nails and hair.

Siloca adds resilience to the hair by fortifying it with strength and thereby lessening breakage and thinning. Silica also is known for increasing shine and body thanks to the additional strength and presumably increased volume of hair. It is a relatively inexpensive herb and is used extensively for brittle or unhealthy hair.

Rosemary is an excellent herb to use topically to promote hair growth and increase scalp health. When applied to the scalp rosemary increases circulation and helps to gently remove excess sebum and dandruff, which can inhibit healthy hair growth.

Lavender is another herb that enhances the beauty of the hair. Lavender helps increase shine and gently cleanse deposits that dull the hair.

Hops are not only a main ingredient in beer. They make an excellent natural hair conditioner and softener when applied topically. The herb also contains silica so it helps fortify the hair from within. Many popular hair supplements use this to add strength and resilience.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/034727_herbs_healthy_hair.html