Oil Pulling For Health

Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil

(From the ChalkBoard Blog)

OIL-PULLING IS A SUBJECT that has come up around our offices now and then. Who’s tried it, who doesn’t get it. Here, Diana Ryu, editor at the addictive shopping site Beso.com, and a HuffPo Style and LuckyMag contributor, revives the topic for us. Oil-pulling is the ancient practice of detoxifying the body through the mouth. Oil, traditionally sesame oil, is swished in the mouth til toxins are absorbed from the saliva and spit out. Hours of Google research isn’t as effective as the word of just one girl who’s tried it, stuck with it, and loved it!

I GARGLE WITH COCONUT OIL. Everyday. Each morning when my alarm clock rings, I hold my breath and beeline for the kitchen to shove a heaping spoonful of coconut oil into my mouth. I wait for the lard-like consistency to melt, pushing the stuff through my teeth, over my tongue and from cheek to cheek for twenty minutes before I spit and start my day.

I’ve always been the type to catch every contagious sickness lurking around the office — even a simple coffee date with a flu-ridden friend would lead to my quick demise and render me helpless in a matter of days. God forbid if I stayed out a little too late, or stressed about a deadline, because there would undoubtedly be an excruciatingly painful canker sore the next morning. When I saw my cousin a year ago, her skin was dewy and from-the-inside glowing. Her secret: swishing with coconut oil for twenty minutes every morning, which she claimed had jumpstarted her immune system. I balked. Oil? For how long? She assured me that it goes fast (just hop in the shower and when finished, it’s time to spit) and so, intrigued, I hopped online to do my own research and to my surprise, I found a devoted community that swore by the amazing aftereffects.

Oil pulling, or oil swishing is an ancient Ayurvedic technique, touted by yogis as a natural way to strengthen the immune system by killing toxic yeast that makes its way from your stomach to mouth while you sleep. The science seems to stand sound: our mouths can determine non-oral health issues and unsurprisingly, dentists can diagnose acid reflux, diabetes and heart disease just by symptoms seen during normal check-ups. I was convinced and headed straight for my local specialty grocery store to invest in a jar of virgin unrefined coconut oil. You don’t have to use coconut, but I prefer it in lieu of sunflower and sesame because of its natural antifungal properties (and honestly, it tastes like a candy bar). Be warned: coconut oil comes semi-hardened so you must melt it in your mouth.

I felt results in a matter of days. My sinuses drained as I swished, I felt energetic and alert, and my gums and teeth felt much cleaner than with my normal brushing routine. (I should also mention here that you must scrape your tongue after you spit out the oil, or else you’re just swallowing oil residue with toxins in it). I’ve been doing this for a year and I’m ecstatic to say that I haven’t had one canker sore, nor gotten the flu or cold, even with the scare this season. The skin around my temples cleared up which, according to face mapping is a sure sign that there is something amiss in your stomach. Plus, I swear by it as a hangover cure: It’s a much healthier option than my usual greasy breakfast burrito. By all means, do your own research before you start oil pulling, but I can fully attest to how amazing the benefits have been for my annoyingly delicate constitution. Anyone out there willing to give this a try?

Pimples Over 35...HELP!!!

My skin troubles began when I was around eighteen or nineteen just after I started modeling, having heaps of makeup applied to my face, traveling non stop and not eating particularly well may have been early contributing factors. 

It's so hard to describe the feeling of living with acne, I remember not wanting to go out, feeling like everyone was staring at my skin, and they were, I was modeling and supposed to have perfect skin; makeup artists would make rude comments, huff and puff about having to apply layers of concealer, I cringed inside and became more and more withdrawn. I could go on and on about how acne lowers your self esteem, makes you feel like you want to crawl in a dark room for life but I suppose if your reading this you already have a good idea what I mean so I will spare you any more of the gory details. 

In this picture below I had foundation caked on covering my pimples, thank goodness for great lighting and fabulous makeup techniques, this was French Elle circa 1984.

Why Me and Not Her???

Oily skin is hard to control because it's the result of genetically determined hormonal changes in your body, and you simply cannot control hormones topically. The hormones responsible for oily skin are called androgens—the male hormones—and they are present in both men and women.

Androgens stimulate healthy oil production, and while that truly has benefit for your skin, it is a problem when androgens stimulate too much oil to be produced! When too much oil is produced, the pores become larger to accommodate the excess oil production. Excess androgens can also cause the pore lining to thicken, which blocks oil from getting out of the pore, and that can result in blackheads and white bumps.

YOUR NOT ALONE check out these actresses with breakouts and oily skin.

So What Helps Unblock Pores?

GLYCOLIC ACID

Glycolic acid is found naturally in sugar cane and grapes and is commonly used in skin care problems including acne treatment, exfoliation, and chemical peels. For daily use find a daily cleanser with 8 to 10 percent concentration of Glycolic acid. Also try a weekly regimen of Glycolic acid peels for up to 6 weeks. Glycolic helps smooth out uneven facial tone and can even reduce the appearance of surgical scars, acne scars, and other blemishes.

So it’s not surprising that many older women turn to milder remedies, some of which also take into account that their blemishes sit atop dry, sensitive skin.

Products Please!!

1. Aczone (dapsone) shown to be gentle for dyer not 20 year old skin

2. Atralin Gel

3. Retin-A Micro 0.04 percent gel.

SALYCIC ACID

Another excellent exfoliating (pore de- clogging) ingredient for oily skin is salicylic acid (BHA). Salicylic acid exfoliates not only the surface of your skin but also inside the pore lining, thus improving pore function and allowing oil to flow easily to the surface, so it doesn't get backed up and plug the pore. In addition, over time, regular use of a BHA exfoliant will help fade the red marks from past blemishes, yippie!

Another benefit of salicylic acid is that it has anti-inflammatory properties, so it reduces irritation, which helps to calm oil production, lessens flaming red pimples.

More Products Please!

1. Garnier Pure Active

2. Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion

3. Neutrogena Deep Clean  

Skin Ceuticals a brand favored by some dermatologists, recently introduced Blemish + Age Defense, a serum that combines 2 percent dioic acid with an alpha- and beta-hydroxy acid, and is designed to prevent acne, reduce hyperpigmentation and make fine lines and wrinkles less apparent.

Elle.com recommends the products below for controlling Adult Acne.

IS IT WHAT I EAT??

There is no definitive proof that specific foods cause breakouts, but some medical professionals say diet can play a role. “Whenever hormones surge — around your period, during peri-menopause and menopause, when you’re pregnant, when you start or stop the Pill, and, yes, when you’re stressed or eat hormone-enhanced foods, i.e. nonorganic meat and dairy, skin changes can occur,” said Dr. Jeanine Downie, a dermatologist in Montclair, N.J.

Whatever the cause, hormonal havoc can overstimulate oil glands to pump out extra sebum, said Dr. Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in the dermatology department at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. But aging skin is also drier, in part because of the cumulative effects of sun exposure. So when it comes to treatment, “less can be more, especially when it comes to adult acne,” Dr. Zeichner said.

I Finally found relief from my problematic skin with Retin- A, Glycolic and Salycic ingredients one of my favorites being Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Pads, drinking freshly made juices and Tons of water. Good Luck and please SHARE products that work for you and your experiences!

Braids, too young or just right?

Tricky subject for me since I really love braids but seriously feel there is an age limit. My first pre- pubescent love of "Adult Braids" came about when I saw the then young and absolutely stunning Bo Derek sporting them in the film10. Didn't everyone think braids were sexy after seeing her? I never tried to reproduce her look thank a God since most of the women I saw try this ended up looking, hmmm how should I say, ok like white girls trying to look like sisters, and in a bad way; there was nothing sexy about it; seriously this was a hard look to pull off.

Bo Derek had a face that was perfect and sadly or remarkably she could have done anything to her hair and look beautiful, a rarity indeed! 

I think Hiedi a Klum is also an exception, did I ever say how much I like her, well I do, she looks amazing for any age, rocks motherhood, is a seriously successful business women and even though every look she try's doesn't always work out she's confident and has a great sense of humor about herself! (my female crush I guess)

Back to braids I tried endless styles of them this past summer in the hopes of staying firstly cool and wanting to embrace this trend. Much to my serious disappointment my experiments didn't work, I tried but when I looked in the mirror I just saw this 48 year old women trying much too hard, this truly pissed me off since I wanted to sport some braids, really I did!

Please show me I'm wrong and send me your over 40 year old selves wearing braids and looking Chic!!

Here are some braids I Love and wish I could wear, that's me in the top left picture when I was about 32, sixteen years ago.