ObeyYourBody and Winterize Your Skin

Happy Winter Solstice! Today, the sun is at its lowest altitude above the horizon, tilted away from the sun. In other words, it’s the shortest day/ longest night of the year. 

Today marks the first day of winter, and here on the northern stretch of the East Coast, that means dry skin season has begun. This winter, we urge you to ObeyYourBody® and winterize your skin in to forecast snow weather and ice moisturized, protected skin.

Several of our products assist in this product and we recommend:

Salt Scrub: Professional-Spa Standard Exfoliating Body Scrub

The minerals in ObeyYourBody® Salt Scrub leave skin feeling refreshed and renewed. As you exfoliate, the salt scrub rids the skin of impurities as it conditions and encourages natural skin cell renewal. Once washed away, it leaves the skin’s surface glowing. 

Hand and Body Lotion

The soothing plant extracts, natural oils and blend of Dead Sea vitamins restore skin’s natural moisture, protect it from harsh environmental factors and slow the aging process. Moreover, the light and non-greasy texture leave the skin feeling refreshed and silky smooth. For dark pigmented skin from olive to black, try Afriderm™ Hand and Body Lotion.

Shea Nut Body Butter

The sumptuous moisturizing product provides optimal care for dry and damaged skin; it is perfect for use on particularly rough patches of skin such as the elbows, heels and knees. It was formulated specifically to lock-in moisture. Available in 4 fragrances and Afriderm™ for dark skin needs.

Facial and Eye Serum

Use an intensive serum to lock-in essential moisture and repair stressed skin by increasing firmness and vitality. Formulated specifically for delicate eye areas and the entire face; also formulated specifically to fight signs of aging and to address the unique demands of dark-pigmented skin.

Day Cream with SPF

For optimal moisture control, use Day Cream in combination with face and eye serums. These creams promote the skin’s ideal moisture balance and are enriched with Omega 3 & 6 for daylong hydration. They were formulated to be light and non-greasy, so they feel great from morning to night. For dark skin, protect with Afriderm™ Day Cream with SPF 20 and to increase firmness and promote youthful looking skin, try DECO Day Cream with SPF 15.

Night Cream

While you sleep, the skin renews and repairs itself. For optimal night nourishment that leads to a healthier looking skin complexion during the day, use Nourishing-Intensive Night Cream. For olive to black complexions, use Afriderm™ Night Cream and to anti-wrinkle while the stars twinkle, use DECO Age-Control Night Cream.

                               

Paraben Free is the Way to Be!

What is a Paraben?

Parabens are the most popular chemical preservatives used in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. They are compounds used as bactericidals and fungicidals found in a wide range of cosmetic products including, but not limited to, toothpastes, makeups, shaving gels, moisturizers, and even some food additives. 

Parabens are ‘esters’, which are formed from acid+alcohol, of p-hydroxybenzoic acid.

The most common Parabens are Methylparabens, Propylparbem and Butylparaben.

Interestingly, Methyparabens have also been found naturally as an antimicrobial factor in blueberries.

Why do I keep hearing this word in the news?

More recently, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the wide-spread use of Parabens. Research has proven these chemicals are able to mimic the effects of the female hormone Estrogen, which has been proven to aide in the development of breast cancer. Moreover, Parabens have been found in breast cancer tumors; this is likely from the use of deodorant which allow Parabens to secrete chemicals into the breast tissue. There has not been concrete evidence that Parabens play a role in the development of breast cancer, but links certainly have been suggested.

There has also been evidence that Methylparaben, a specific Paraben, may negatively react to UVB light. This results in skin aging at a faster pace, and DNA damage to skin cells.

One other concern is that Parabens could disrupt the function of the Endocrine System, the body system that regulates hormones which affects metabolism, growth and sexual development. In males, it has been found that exposure to Parabens adversely affected the secretion of testosterone in newborn males which, in return, affects male reproduction.

Interestingly, however, it has been found that Parabens are practically non-toxic because of their quick absorption, metabolic and excretion rates. They are generally non-reactive in people with normal skin, but there have been Paraben allergies found in a small percentage of people. 

Why are Parabens dangerous?

They are chemicals, and they are (generally) artificial. When you use a face cream product with Paraben in it, you’re rubbing dangerous chemicals into your skin. Now THAT is a scary thought.

 

If they’re dangerous, why are they used?

They are effective and more importantly for manufacturers and the wallets of consumers, they are low cost. Grapefruit Seed Extract is a natural alternative but not as efficient. 

In Europe, 0.4% is the allowed concentration limit of Parabens. Interestingly, according to a European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Products document from 2008, methyl and ethyl Parabens were not of great concern, but propyl and butyl Paraben’s effects remained undertermined.

Do ObeyYourBody® products contain Parabens?

NO! All ObeyYourBody® products are 100% Paraben-Free. We promise our customers revolutionary skincare and beauty care products derived from state-of-the-art pharmaceutical technology. As part of a holistic lifestyle, we do not support the use of Parben-preservatives and certainly do not put them in our products.

12 Bestsellers of 2012!

In honor of 12-12-12, we present our top 12 selling products of 2012:

12. Decorin-Age-Control Radiance Lifting Serum + Day Cream SPF 15: This anti-aging combination features Decorinyl® for improved skin firmness with the benefit of Omega 3 & 6 to keep the skin youthful and radiant. Easily applied and rapidly absorbed, this non-greasy formula offers immediate results.

11. Half and Half Bar of Soap: These two products come together to offer multiple benefits that allow the mud to soothe and the salt to rejuvenate.

10. Hand & Body Lotion: Featuring the healing properties of the Dead Sea, this lotion is made from vitamins, not chemicals and offers long-lasting moisturizing benefits in 4 refreshing scents.

9. Facial-Intensive Serum + Moisture-Intensive Day Cream with SPF 15: This non-stick serum formula immediately absorbs into the skin and allows it to better soak-in benefits of cream products. With easy absorbency and extra-long lasting benefit, this cream rejuvenates the skin and offers the added benefit of SPF 15 protection.

8. Mineral Mud Cleansing Gel: The benefit of mud without exfoliating beads. This smooth cleansing mud is beneficial for all skin types.

7. Major-Make-Over Purifying Mud Mask: This offers the therapeutic properties of Dead Sea mud that allows for a convenient, at-home application.

6. Optimal Moisture Eye Contour Cream + Eye Contour-Intensive Serum Concentrate: Used together, this non-oily serum helps absorb cream and the cream nourishes and protects. Together, these products make the perfect base for make-up.

5. Mineral Exfoliating Mud Scrub: With exfoliating properties, this scrub offers therapeutic benefits because it’s made of Dead Sea mud.

4. Optimal Indulgence Shea Nut Body Butter: In 4 delightful scents, this thick, creamy body butter offers maximum moisturizing benefit. In a frosted glass jar, this body butter looks as nice as it feels!

3. New Prestige Nail Kit: This four-step kit offers the benefits of filing and shaping, buffing for shine, and non-spill cuticle oil and our popular hand & body lotion to refresh all the body’s skin.

2. Salt Scrub: Also in 4 scents, this specialty-exfoliating offers a clean you can feel good about. It also gives vitamin and mineral benefits to all parts of the body—especially rough patches of skin on the elbows and knees.

1. Radiance-Repair Peeling Gel: Our bestseller! Peeling Gel acts like a glue to pull dead skin cells from the depths of the skin’s layers and exfoliate them so the skin can easily renew.

Dark Skin Perfection Collection

What is Afriderm™?

Afriderm™ is the dark skin perfection collection. This exclusive, high-quality skincare was developed specifically to meet the needs of dark-pigmented skin tones. The revolutionary science behind it enhances the exotic elegance of ethnic skin.

Scientifically speaking, what is dark skin?

Melanocytes are located in the bottom layer of the Epidermis, the top layer of skin. Melanocytes are responsible for producing melanin during the process of Melanogenesis. In short, darker skin=higher amounts of melanin. It happens like this:

 

Tyrosinase             Triggers                      Melanin is created               Eumelanin for brown pigment

                      --->                        --->                                     --->

Enzyme/Catalyst      Melanogenesis           by Melanogenesis             Pheomelanin for pink/red pigment

 

Why is Melanin important?

Melanin gives the skin color, so, more melanin=more pigmentation=darker color.

Melanin also protects the skin from UV rays, so, the darker the skin, the more protection from the sun’s harmful rays.

In addition, Melanin controls synthesis of Vitamin D when the body is exposed to UV light. Vitamin D is extremely important for calcium and phosphate absorption. (So, in some cases, unfortunately, darker skin=less Vitamin D synthesis.)

Who is considered to have dark-pigmented skin?

Most of the world’s population is considered to have ‘dark-pigmented skin’ including those of African, African American, Latina, Middle Eastern and Indian descent.

What are the problems of those with dark skin?

Because dark skin has larger pores and which are not densely packed, it is prone to:

-hyper-pigmentation (dark spots)

-discoloration

-excessive dryness which leads to an ashy appearance

-oily skin, clogged pores and acne because dark skin has larger oil (sebaceous) glands 

-sensitivity to climate conditions such as excessive exposure to the sun and wind

What products are in the Afriderm™ skincare collection?

-Day Cream with SPF 20: Protects against the sun; moisturizes and protects the skin

-Night Cream: Provides active moisture at night so skin can revitalize

-Serum: Helps absorb benefits from cream; locks in moisture; firms and lifts

-Peeling Gel: Gentle yet deep cleansing; Soothes skin and combats signs of aging; Renews

-Hand & Body Lotion: Lightweight, rapidly absorbed; Creates and maintains glowing skin

-Body Butter: Pampers the skin to make it softer and smoother

To protect the elegance of dark skin, several general beauty tips:

-Be sure to drink a sufficient amount of water to help rehydrate the skin

-Protect against the harmful rays of the sun with SPF lotions

-Remove makeup and pollutant residues to unclog pores

-Use an exfoliation product like Afriderm™ Peeling Gel regularly to remove ingrained dirt

-Use a Serum to help lift the skin and prepare it to absorb cream

12 Reasons to be Thankful for Your Skin

‘Tis the season to be thankful, and for 2012, we present: 12 Reasons to be Thankful for Your Skin, which subsequently gives you 12 (more) reasons you should treat it right!

1.       Your skin is the layer of protection between the external world and your internal parts. It keeps organs safe, protected and tucked inside your body. When someone throws a ball and you don’t catch it, but hits your arm instead, your skin becomes discolored and bruises. If your skin wouldn’t be there, your muscles, bones and organs would absorb that shock and force, and cause a lot more damage and pain.

2.       Your skin is an amazing barrier that guards against germs. Sometimes, that tickle or itch is a message from your skin—brush this thing off of me before it enters your body! In the case of a cut, bruise, scrape or puncture, your skin, immediately upon recognizing harmful bacteria, sends its army to fight for your well-being. This army is equipped with histamines, which triggers swelling, white blood cells, then proteins enter the area. This allows phagocytes to enter, eat and destroy the dangerous intruders. Your skin and immune system almost always wins.

3.       Skin is the reason we stay warm. Yes, in hot summer months you may want to ‘rip your skin off’ in attempt to keep cool, but in the harsh, cold winter months, your skin helps contain warmth.

4.     The sun’s rays are hot—and the skin intercepts and absorbs them. Without skin, our insides would probably fry and melt. In addition, the skin converts UV rays into vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium. This beautiful cycle is possible because of—you guess it—skin!

5.     Skin controls sweat production and secretion. Without skin, you could not detoxify and toxins would literally be stuck inside your body.

6.     Sebum (oil) production and secretion happens in the skin. Oils produced in the skin give the body a waterproof quality. After staying in a bath or pool for a long time, the skin wrinkles and looks like a raisin. This is because the sebum is washed away and the skin absorbs water; without the oils produced in the skin, your body would be like a sponge and absorb every drop of water that comes into contact with it.

7.     Your skin holds you in place and keeps your physical structure together. What would you look like, and what would your structure be without it?

8.     Receptors live in the skin, at the end of nerves. These receptors detect a temperature/a texture/an object in the skin’s external environment and send impulses to the brain. Without skin, this system would not be in place, and you would not be able to feel as you do.

9.     Skin is self-sustaining. In other words, it keeps itself alive because the lower levels constantly regenerate and push upward and outward before dying and flaking off the surface of the body. Skin survives on its own, but we can help it maintain itself at a better and higher level through use of creams and products.

10. Hair helps to keep us warm, and hair follicles originate in the layers of the skin. In addition, skin and hair are both made of Keratin, a protein structure. The difference is that skin is made of Soft Keratin, and hair of Hard Keratin. In other words, hair is made of modified skin cells.

11. Nails are also made of Hard Keratin, the same modified skin cells that make up hair. In addition, the only living part of nails is housed within the layers of the skin. Without skin, we would not have nails to protect the sensitive tips of our fingers and toes.

12. Ultimately, skin shows our beauty. It is the reflection of our insides, the mirror that shows the world how well we take care of ourselves.

For you to be able to give thanks and show thanks to your skin, we would like to give thanks and show thanks to you! As a Thanksgiving and Black Friday special, ObeyYourBody® would like to extend an exclusive discount of 33% off your total purchase. Use Coupon Code FRIDAY33 at checkout. This should make it easier for you to thank your skin with these three easy steps—Cleanse, Exfoliate, Moisturize!

Forever (Looking) Young

We would all like to be forever young, right? Unfortunately, that is not a reality and as we age, our skin is one of the first places that shows it. There are two types of aging that lead to unwanted and unsightly wrinkles and spots: intrinsic and extrinsic. It’s fairly easy to remember the difference: INtrinsic aging is what happens INside the body; EXtrinsic aging involves EXternal factors that cause the skin to age.

Generally, people tend to know more about how to combat the extrinsic factors of aging with a healthy lifestyle.

One of the biggest causes of extrinsic aging is exposure to UV radiation. When skin is exposed to UV light, its top layer dries, thus creating wrinkles. UV Rays damage DNA molecules and if skin is exposed to too much sunlight, excessive amounts of damage can occur. Eventually, visible spots begin to appear in the form of freckles, sun spots and possibly even cancer cells.  This all makes for an easy formula:

 Sunlight=Dry Skin=Wrinkles…Excessive Exposure to UV Rays=Freckles, Sun Spots, Carcinoma

Those with higher levels of melanin, the ‘chemical’ that provides pigmentation and color to the skin, have a higher resistance to the sun’s UV Rays because the skin is better able to absorb the heat from the sun’s rays.

Other extrinsic factors of aging include consumption of alcohol, use/exposure to tobacco smoke/products, poor diet with lack of vitamins C and E and exposure to high-levels of environmental pollution. All these factors thicken the layers of the skin and give it a ‘rough’ appearance.

Intrinsically, there is a lot happening, too. Starting at the age of about 20, there is a 1% decrease per year in the collagen level of the skin, and simultaneously, Elastin production slows. In other words, as we grow in age, our skin grows in fragility. This means we lose collagen, elasticity and so the skin loosens, thickens and clumps. The body is unable to keep up with repair to damages, and so wrinkles and sags begin to appear in the skin.

So what can be done to fight these signs of aging?

ObeyYourBody® offers the DECO Collection—a collection of products for the face that offers the benefit of the tetrapeptide Decorinyl®, which acts as a catalyst to promote the growth of collagen. This then strengthens the skin to firm and tighten skin, therefore reducing and preventing wrinkles. These products offer immediate, visible results and gradual reduction of more ingrained wrinkles. Within this collection, there are four products: Day Cream with SPF 15, Night Cream, Thermal Mask and LiftingSerum.

At What Age Should I Start Using Anti-Aging? Am I too Young?

At 20+: Even though aging is generally not a concern of those in their 20’s, it is not too early to begin using anti-aging creams for prevention.

At 30+: In the 30’s, the main goal of anti-aging products is firming and tightening.

At 40+: From age 40 on, the main goal of anti-aging products should be to specifically combat wrinkles and fine lines.

What is Skin, and How are Dead Sea Minerals Beneficial for It?

I know my body’s covered in it, but what is Skin?

Skin is an organ. Most people tend to think of organs as the essential insides—the heart, the lungs, the liver, the kidneys—but, yes, skin is an organ, and it’s the largest one you’ve got!

Skin is part of the Integumentary system. This system also includes the hair, nails, sweat and oils. The Integumentary system has a very important job: it holds you together and serves as your barrier, your protector, your own personal army against germs, UV rays and other environmental hazards. In addition, it works with your nervous system so you are able to “feel”. Skin is your body’s “feeler” and reads sensations of hot and cold, smooth and rough and feels vibrations. In addition, your skin regulates your internal body temperature by not allowing heat to escape, and keeps your blood vessels open and flowing.

Skin thickness varies from person to person, but is thinnest at the eyelids and thickest on the palms and soles of the feet. It is made of three basic layers: the Epidermis, Dermis and Subcutis (Hypodermis). They break down as follows:

• Epidermis: The part you see; Dead skin pushes to the top surface and sloughs off; Serves as the incoming sensory system
• Dermis: Thickest layer; Stores water and houses blood and lymph vessels, fights infections; Home of hair follicles and sweat glands (up to 3 million sweat glands per person); location of Collagen and Elastin

• Hypodermis: Layers of fat, arteries and veins; Insulates body and Absorbs shock for organs

So, really, what does this all mean?

This means your skin is a very important part of your structural being, and that it must be properly maintained and cared for over your entire lifetime. The use of Dead Sea minerals helps to beautify and maintain youthful looking skin.

What is so special about Dead Sea minerals?

While less salt is a good thing in dietary terms, the more salt from the Dead Sea, the better!

The Dead Sea offers 26 essential minerals, 12 of which do not exist anywhere else in the world. The highly-concentrated salts and minerals from the Dead Sea have special healing and curative properties for all skin types because they are “hydroscopic”, meaning they attract water and therefore help to hydrate the skin and ultimately help skin retain naturally occurring minerals in the skin that deplete themselves throughout each day and over the course of a lifetime. Dead Sea minerals also do the following:

•                 -Increase intercellular communication
•                 -Nourish skin
•                 -Increase blood flow
•                 -Help skin retain moisture and reduce dryness and flakiness
•                 -Promote skin renewal by increasing division and growth of cells
•                 -Decrease inflammation and redness
•                 -Relax muscles                 
•                 -Promote faster wound healing
•                 -Help prevent and reduce inevitable signs of aging

ObeyYourBody® offers a full range of products from salts and muds to creams for the face and body that allow you to bring the benefits of the Dead Sea to the comfort of your home. Why wouldn’t you want to nourish, protect and beautify your skin—naturally?

The Salt and Life of the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is Not a Sea?         

No, in fact, the Dead Sea is not a sea! It is a salt lake that borders Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. It is called a sea and not a lake because the water is salty, not fresh.

How Salty is the Dead Sea?

Ever take a big gulp of water in the ocean? That’s not refreshing! Salt! Yuck!

Now imagine that water being 8 times saltier than the waters of the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. This is the reality of the Dead Sea. Waters in the Dead Sea have a salinity level of 30-35%. That is like taking a one liter container, filling one-third of it with sea salt and two-thirds of it with water, mixing it around and drinking it. The results are one salty mouthful, and a yearning for a big, cold glass of fresh water!

So What Makes it so Salty?

The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth at 1,237 feet (377 meters) below Sea Level. There are several seas in the area around the Dead Sea, and these seas drain into rivers that then drain into the Dead Sea.

But this is normal for a lake, right? Well, yes, most lakes get their water from rivers, but what makes the Dead Sea so unique is that no river carries these salt and mineral deposits back out of the Dead Sea. The only way for these waters to empty from the Dead Sea is through evaporation. When they evaporate, they leave behind the mineral and salt deposits; moreover, water evaporates at a higher level then it comes in, making the waters even saltier. All the deposits form extremely high concentrations of mineral salts, and in deeper portions of the Dead Sea, there are salt mound formations that lie on the bottom surface of the Dead Sea. These formations also lie around the Dead Sea’s banks, leaving one feeling as if they have entered a winter wonderland full of glistening piles of snow.

Does Life Flourish in the Dead Sea?

The salt in the water is so toxically deadly to living things, which is why this unique body of water is named as it is. Marine life, including fish, simply cannot survive. If a fish does make it to the waters of the Dead Sea, it meets an instant death.

There are, however, few forms of bacterium, algae and microbes that have adapted and are able to live in the harsh Dead Sea environment. These, however, are the only signs of life. It is said these “halophilic” or “salt-loving” creatures cannot live without salt due to a negatively charged protein that grants them a special ability to absorb water instead of salt.

In the 1980’s, a flooding incident allowed life in the Dead Sea to be seen with the naked eye. The Dead Sea changed from its normal dark blue color to a red tone. The flood waters lowered the salinity level which allowed algae to flourish and bloom, allowing it to become the Red-Dead-Sea Immediately after the flood waters receded, however, the high salinity returned, and so did the deep-blue color of the Dead Sea.

Can Humans Enter the Dead Sea?

The Dead Sea is not deadly to humans because humans are capable of adapting to the salty environment. The biggest challenge humans face in the Dead Sea is swimming. The water, because it is so dense from the high salinity level, acts as a force against the body, pushing the body to the top of the water level. The body becomes extremely buoyant.

While humans do not face the same unfortunate instant death fate as fish, anyone planning to visit and swim in the Dead Sea needs to take extra precaution for several reasons. A swimmer should wear shoes in the Dead Sea because the salt mounds on the lake’s floor are so sharp in some places that they can create cuts in skin. This can lead to a different issue, also, because open cuts and sores can cause extreme pain as the salts and minerals meet the wound. Even though the water causes one to be buoyant, it is important to be mindful for a swimmer to keep their face above water. It is possible to drown in the Dead Sea, despite rumors that it is not possible. These are minor observances, however, and should not prohibit one from taking an opportunity to swim in the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea. It is a truly unique natural wonder!