Most of us have heard the old saying, "Beauty is
only skin deep."
Well, it's not really true. Beauty is the outer
manifestation of good health, good genetics and good will. The state of
our health is reflected in the quality of our skin and luster of our
hair. Beautiful strong hair and clear smooth skin is the result of good
nutrition. The state of our mind and intentions in reflected in our
smile, in our eyes, and in the regard our loved ones have for us. A
beautiful smile and sparkling eyes are the result of a good attitude.
Good genetics? Well, that's just the result of good luck.
Although it's not skin deep, it is open to
interpretation. After all, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Those
we love deeply are always beautiful to us, no matter what they actually
look like.
Whatever our genetics and luck, whatever our
mindset, most women would like to look as healthy and beautiful as they
possibly can. Whether want to look magazine-cover perfect; or just as
healthy and vibrant and as youthful as possible, the first step in
constructing a new beauty regimen is finding out if you are providing
the tools your body needs to repair and maintain itself and the health
of your skin, hair and nails. The basic factors affecting the
appearance of these are 1) nutrition, 2) hydration, 3) toxification, 4)
hormonal profile, and 5) sleep.
Nutrition
Your body rebuilds and repairs cellular tissue on
a daily basis, and needs adequate protein, fats, vitamins, minerals,
enzymes and other micronutrients to perform this function. Your skin
regenerates constantly, building new cells underneath and sloughing off
old cells. Without adequate protein, your skin will not be able to
construct strong healthy collagen structures. Without an adequate
amount of the right kinds of fats, your hair and nail cells will be
weak and easily broken, and your skin will become dry and lifeless.
Hydration
Adequate hydration is vital to the process. Your
body requires enough water to move nutrients into, and wastes out of,
cells. Water is the basis of the interstitial tissues that flow between
your muscle and fat cells, carrying oxygen and hormones from one to the
other. Dehydration can lead to slack skin and lifeless hair.
Toxification
Detoxification is also another fundamental. Your
skin is responsible for eliminating approximately 10% of your body's
toxins and metabolic wastes. By ensuring that the other organs of
elimination are clean and functioning well, you lighten the load on the
skin, allowing it to use its precious energy on repair and re-growth.
Certain toxins can have definite adverse effects on the hair. Heavy
metal poisoning from mercury can cause hair to fall out and to break
and can aggravate gums. Lead causes neural damage that can lead to
faulty signaling between your brain and outlying extremities.
Hormonal Profile
Your body produces many different hormones that
are used by the body to communicate with outlying organs and tissues
and tell it how to react to changing conditions. Some of the hormones
that directly affect your hair, skin and nails are estrogen,
testosterone, progesterone, and growth hormone. For example, estrogen
is important for keeping your skin youthful and resilient, but too much
can cause aggravation of the gums and lead to gingivitis. Testosterone
is needed to for the important task of producing your body's own
moisturizer, sebum; too much can lead to hair loss from your head and
the unsightly growth of excess dark hairs on your face and belly. A
lack of progesterone can lead to the skin condition cellulite. The
hormones leptin, insulin, and glucagon are important for the
maintenance of a healthy weight. As you can see, hormonal balance has a
definite and important influence on how you look.
Sleep
Your body requires a certain amount of rest to
rebuild, repair and replace cellular tissue. Interestingly enough, the
skin is usually regenerated between the hours of 11PM and 2AM, so for
best results, you should be sleeping during those hours. Your body also
uses the time during sleep to balance brain chemistry. Adequate sleep
and rest is one of the most important things you can do to improve the
appearance of your skin and the health of your hair and nails, as well
as giving you the energy to live actively and the mood enhancement to
enjoy life.
Summary
One of the first things you need to do when
devising a new beauty routine is to find out whether or not you are
getting the right kind of food and enough water to meet your beauty
goals. Also, you might want to consider a detoxification routine. Are
you are getting enough sleep to put all these other factors to work for
you? These are the first things to consider when devising a beauty
regimen.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/
cosmetics-articles/the-foundations-of-beauty-36412.html About the Author
Fawn Bales has studied and practiced alternative
and herbal medicine for over 20 years. She has also studied aesthetic
technology and cosmetology. She is the co-author of two natural beauty
books and is a managing partner of Botanical Beauty Lab a women's
source for natural health and beauty information at
http://www.botanicalbeautylab.com | 