Monthly Archives: September 2012

Tips and Tricks

How to Get Healthy Skin – Be Like Kramer?

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You might think you need to listen to your dermatologist for every little advice concerning your skin. In reality, you may just be missing a little Dr. Van Nostrand in your life. The popular Seinfeld character may be known for his wacky antics but his wisdom is far and above what any dermatologist or skin care blogger can provide. Kramer’s a man that acted without thinking. While many of these actions were bizarre and foolish some of his most regular habits were some of the wisest. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look:

Kramer moisturized. Obsessively.
It’s an understatement to say that Kramer took care of his skin. He’s by no means a model (though Calvin Klein might have something to say about that) but he still found the need to regularly apply balms of all kind. Usually these weren’t cheap generic ones but exotic brands with special benefits. He even brought a little bottle with him wherever he went.

He was particular about the shaving lotion he used as well. Harsh aftershaves usually consist of alcohols that dry the skin out and further damage the skin. While we wouldn’t recommend butter, Kramer’s aftershave of choice, we recommend using a regular moisturizer to both shave and apply on after.

Kramer took care of his scare
“You put the balm on? Who told you to put the balm on? I didn’t tell you to put the balm.” Kramer certainly ruined attorney Jackie Chiles’ day when he found out that the coffee spill burn that they were suing for disappeared after a healthy application of balm to the burm. Scarring is a devastating effect of a bad deep skin wound. Unless you’re suing Starbucks over spilt coffee, it’s highly recommended to consistently apply a moisturizer or regeneration cream to a damaged area.

Take notes of other bathers to see if they’re doing it right

Kramer learned the right way to lather
Believe it or not, lathering is something very few people do right. It’s an art that we try to teach every customer to do properly. Without proper lather, the benefits of a good soap will not be reached over the whole skin surface and other products will not wash off. This may be more damaging in the end. Kramer lathered all wrong in the shower. What he did was take advice from Jerry about the proper way to lather. He even took notes from other bathers. Not something I’d recommend anyone to do in a public place but is no reason not to consider in taking advice about.

This is where the importance of showering correctly as a whole comes in. Kramer enjoyed showering so much that he installed a garbage disposal so he could even prepare food while he was in the shower. He even bought a shower head specially reserved for elephants. Take a long, hard look at your bathing habits. Water quality, duration and lather habits are all highly important to healthy skin.

A day at the beach may actually be good for your skin

Kramer swam in the East River
The chlorinated pools of the YMCA just couldn’t cut it for Kramer. He found solace in swimming the brackish waters of the East River. While we can’t condone the act of swimming in the polluted waters of the East River, we think there’s something to swimming in salty waters for the skin. Not only does the salt water have magic effects on the skin pH but the health benefits of this type of swimming are enormous.

Kramer enjoyed his fruit
People that eat a healthy serving of fruits and vegetables have better overall skin health. You didn’t need to tell Kramer this as he regularly consumed fruit of all kinds. He became so picky about his fruit that he was even banned from the local farmer’s market. At one point he even cut off storing foods long term, opting for fresh fruit only from food stands. This is a habit that you should take to heart. The right amount of fruit and vegetable servings not only makes your skin glow but it’s healthy for your overall wellbeing. The fresher the better as Kramer always said.

When in doubt, Kramer researched it
Kramer was by no means a Julliard-trained dermatologist.  Now his alter-ego Dr. Van Nostrand on the other hand was a different story. While impersonating a dermatologist, Kramer found himself in hot water over a patient’s possibly cancerous skin tumor. He scoured the medical books to see if he could figure out what was wrong and almost opted to take a deli slicer to the tumor. Don’t take a deli slicer to a skin tumor but be proactive about any changes to your skin. If your questioning a skin condition try asking online. Contact us with a question and we will do our best to answer with a solution.

Kramer didn’t stress the small stuff
“Kramer goes to a fantasy camp. His whole life is a fantasy camp. People should plunk down $2,000 dollars to live like him for a week.” This is perhaps most important point I can make. Kramer is a rare character in pop culture. He’s not only known for his antics but for his lack of stress. Over anything. Kramer lived like he wanted and that was how it was. No fusses about it. Studies show that people that live the longest are the ones that live optimistically. That’s good for your skin and for longevity.

Kramer did some terrible things for his skin that are best left unmentioned – but I’ll mention anyway. He tanned too much and he smoked cigars. So take the examples with a grain of salt. The specific instances of how Kramer lived his life is not something any sane person should mimic.

But the general points stand. Treat your skin right and your skin will look good. Put the right things in your body and it will show. Have the right outlook and it will show.

Tips and Tricks

How to Use Carley’s Mask

Some benefits of Carley’s Masks can be derived from just five minutes (and up to 30 minutes) of use once or twice a week. If you only take showers, just apply a mask before your shower. A mask may not be fashionable out in public but you’ll be fine hanging around the house until it dries.

The eyes and the neck and the mouth areas are the first signs of aging. This mask is so thick it can be applied even right over the eyes lids. Just close your eyes tight when applying. Then you should be able to open your eyes. Another method involves pulling the skin in one direction and then another. Put all of your finger tips just under the jaw bone and pull the neck skin down. Then the opposite direction. The mask is just slippery enough to maximize these massage movements. Do similar massaging around the eyes. This encourages your body to get going producing new blood capillaries.

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Active Masks and Stimulating the Facial Muscles
Carley’s Masks are considered an Active Mask. This means that benefits can be derived by doing a gentle massage right before removing. This massaging not only feels great but it improves the blood flow. Some say a huge reason why many men’s faces age well is the daily shave that requires this constant facial muscle movement and massaging. For women, they can stimulate these effects by using a mask and giving yourself these facial movements. After all, it’s not like you can lift dumbbells with your cheek bones and benchpress with your eyebrows!

Some of the ingredients in this mask are the right particle size that this massage also works similar to a micro-dermabrasion to help smooth your skin even more.

For those fitness freaks out there, equate these massage movements with the mask just as you would any exercise. As you becoming more fit your muscles develop more capillaries so your body can deliver oxygen to more areas of the muscles. The face is much harder to get this going but there’s no reason why daily facial muscle movement shouldn’t help.

Products Mentioned
Mask for Acne Prone Skin
Mask for Normal to Dry Skin 

Tips and Tricks

The Biggest Mistakes Acne Sufferers Make

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You aren’t washing off enough after your acne treatment
Use a lathered wash cloth after treatment to get rid of all traces of the acne solution. If you see any staining of towels, wash more thoroughly! Any product containing benzoyl peroxide needs work to take off the skin. If you leave benzoyl peroxide on the skin you may as well be leaving the products on permanently as the skin will adapt to the ingredient. Instructions and video here.

This also applies to using an acne treatment over the sink. This is hard to get the treatment right when it’s hard to lather and wash off correctly over the sink.

You are using acne treatments more than once a day
Never! Once again, exposing yourself to too much benzoyl peroxide risks roughening up your skin. Once a day treatment is ideal for long lasting clearness. As far as the natural soap and other products go, use as often as you like!

You are using spot treatments
A spot treatment will probably clear you up for a brief period of time. The problem is that these treatments are usually acidic, full of harsh ingredients and terrible for the long term health of your skin. Try the Kick Start Method for those tough areas.

You aren’t using enough product
Just like some use too much there are many that squeeze every drop of life they can get out of a bottle. Some try to get six months or a year out of a bottle. Until your acne is completely under control, you can only get three to four months max for facial acne. The first bottle should last no more than three months. Body acne? One to two months per bottle due to the thicker nature of the skin and more surface area. If you’re still not clearing up, use more.

You mix and match skin products
People often believe that if they mix and match products that they will get the best results. As with most things in life, shooting for a solution like a shotgun will usually not work. You need to focus on each individual product you try to see which one you get the most of.

Almost all skin care products today are acidic. Any liquid ointment should be avoided until you are clear. One by one add them back in to your routine and see how your skin reacts. For cover, our powdered mineral foundation works well (or a store bought foundation with as little ingredients as possible). For maximum cover, a paste can be made with the foundation and the daytime moisturizer. Apply the treatment with a makeup sponge. If it doesn’t say pH neutral, don’t use it!

You aren’t scrubbing hard enough
Your skin has many layers. The out layers are dead skin cells. Removing these dead skin cells opens up your pores and encourages new skin growth. This also aids the products into penetrating the skin. Do not be afraid to scrub hard. Most acne sufferers have tender skin. This is due to the products they’ve been using. Start out gently and gradually increase the effort you use to scrub. As your skin gets healthy, you will be able to take more exfoliation. Exfoliation is the secret to youthful healthy skin. It is exercise for the skin.

You’re using a toothpaste or shampoo that contains SLS
If you get breakouts around your mouth and chin you could be allergic to SLS  (Sulfates) or something else in your toothpaste. There are SLS-free toothpastes on the market that are great such as Biotene and Closys II. Others might have problem ingredients such as Papaya. If breakouts are around your hair line it could be due to the SLS in your shampoo. If you Sulfate seems to be the issue, avoid store-bought liquid soaps. Our body wash is liquid and contains no Sulfates of any kind.

You aren’t spending enough time in the sun
With the advent of sunscreen and better communication about the dangers of sun exposure, we’ve actually seen a rise in Vitamin D deficiency. With the fear of skin cancer people are shielding themselves from the sun with sunscreens. To the point of not getting any Vitamin D. According to studies up to 37 percent of caucasian adolescents are deficient and over 82 percent of African Americans are. With a large enough deficiency, the skin struggles to heal as fast and acne may be triggered.

The only way to get Vitamin D naturally is to spend about 15 minutes in the sun daily. Morning sun works best. Keep track of your time in the sun as you can burn fast when unprotected. Here is a sunscreen guide for natural ointments that are healthy for your skin.

The water quality in your shower is poor
Maybe it sounds like we’re reaching here but the quality of your water can make a huge difference for some. If you aren’t seeing results six months in it could very well be the quality of filter you use. Water is an element that affects your skin greatly. It also varies depending on the area you live. My son used to notice his acne staying clear when he away from college. After noticing a few instances of the same by our customers we looked into it. After customers got a soft water system their often skin cleared up. Could hard acidic water be the cause?

You have a gluten or food sensitivity
Sensitivities to food can cause a skin condition similar to acne. There is a simple (but challenging) test. Give up all wheat products for a week. You have to read labels. Gluten is in pizza, bread, pasta, beer and many distilled spirits. These kinds of wheat may even be found in cosmetic products. Sometimes it’s not the products your using or should be using, it’s simply your diet.

I’m a big believer in Karma. What goes around comes around. Our goal is to help people to have clear skin. Whether that’s with our products, a competitor’s or some other reason – all the power to you. Follow the directions and use some detective work!

Tips and Tricks

How to Naturally Clear a Skin Wart

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Sometimes you find the best solutions for an ailment are different than what the product is advertised for. Take for instance a skin wart. If you take any skin ailment like a wart into a dermatologist they will tell you that they need to freeze that ugly thing right out of existence. That may be quick but Cryotherapy essentially destroys the area. Good thing there’s a healthy alternative.

Here’s how to clear a wart on the skin the natural way:

  1. Take the Clear & Smooth Acne Treatment and exfoliate the area thoroughly. This helps get rid of some of that thickened skin and puts some great minerals on the skin. Benzoyl Peroxide may or may not affect the wart area so a typical exfoliator may work as well. Instructions on proper use here.
  2. Wash the area thoroughly with the body wash or natural soap. This will soften that thick skin up some more and keep the area clean. Using a regular soap may irritate the skin more so avoid this!
  3. Dry the area completely and apply the Eczema Cream. This cream has magical qualities that have solved many customer’s rash problems along with the bacterial condition known as (surprise) Eczema. A wart may be viral but it is a contagion like bacteria.
  4. Wrap the area with a bandaid or duct tape to insulate the area and maintain moisture. Duct tape applied to a wart has actually been proven to be more effective than Cryotherapy! If you don’t want anyone asking why you’re wearing duct tape fashionably then just apply before you go to sleep.
  5. Wait at least a week. Don’t irritate the area by picking at it. This is where having covering helps to avoid that temptation.
Now we can’t say that Carley’s products make a difference here. What we do know is that the glue  and lack of oxygen in duct tape is highly effective at killing off warts. Combine these effects with the already amazing effects that the Eczema Cream has on infected skin, the softening effects of the natural soap and the exfoliating effects of the acne treatment and you have yourself a recipe for success!
What you’ll need: