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Skincare needs of supple body skin including hands, legs, shoulders.

How to Treat Stretch Marks Best Ingredients

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Stretch marks are easy to get but tough to get rid of. Stretch marks are notoriously acquired during pregnancy and weight gain, but they can also occur during weight loss, rapid muscle mass growth through exercise and even rapid growth spurts can lead to stretch marks. How to treat stretch marks naturally.

How to Treat Stretch Marks

The best way to deal with stretch marks is to pre-emptively treating the skin while the stretching is occurring and, secondly, to nourish the skin that has already been stretched to repair as much as possible and improve the appearance of existing stretch marks, notably the discoloration.

Part of why so many stretch mark treatments fail is they simply can’t un-stretch skin that has already been over-stretched.

Like an elastic banding that has lost its resilience, there is not much that can be done to tighten the skin into its’ former state.

There can, however, be improvements in the condition of the texture, the discoloration of the skin, and surface improvements to how taut the excess skin lies over the surface of other skin layers.

Stretch Mark Home Remedies

Many traditional home remedies do have some truth in them as to what will improve some of these features, but to see real improvement, a cocktail of ingredients is needed to target the multiple issues at work.

Phytopia Clinical Collection Stretch Marks Remover

Phytopia Clinical Collection Stretch Marks Remover

Best Ingredients to Treat Stretch Marks

When it comes to stretch marks, the two main issues are discoloration and texture. Phytopia contains several ingredients to protect from stretching and to treat already stretched, discolored skin.

Cocoa Butter is a traditional remedy for stretch marks to keep skin as pliable as possible when it is subject to stretching.

Some people have success treating rougher dry texture with Shea Butter 

Olive Oil also keeps the skin flexible, while providing nourishment.

Evening Primrose is another skin treatment ingredient, typically geared toward aging skin, it contains helpful fatty acids and reduces inflammation. It serves as a topical inflammation reducer to help alieve some of the pressure on the skin that is being stretched.

These collectively provide the pre-emptive component of stretch mark prevention. But to treat existing stretch marks especially the bright pink/purple discoloration, more is needed.

Discoloration can be addressed with Vitamin C agents and supporting ingredients.

Rosa Canina Whole, better known as Organic Rose Hips, is a highly concentrated form of Vitamin C. When applied topically, Vitamin C builds more collagen, the supporting structure of the skin.

More collagen means less initial skin breakdown, and more reparative work to already damaged skin. Vitamin C fixes discoloration by fading existing damage and replacing those cells with new cells over time.

The second form of Vitamin C in this oil is Citrus Aurantifolia Leaf Oil. This oil is used for general skin tone and fighting the formation of cellulite.

To me, lightening the discoloration of a stretch mark is a significant component of why I would use a stretch mark treatment oil, and these ingredients are very effective in lightening stretch marks and general scarring when I have used them on my upper legs and arms.

No matter how old your stretch marks are, this discoloration can be improved, which makes this stretch mark oil’s combination of ingredients a powerful tool again stretch marks.

Phytopia Clinical Collection Stretch Marks Remover

Phytopia Clinical Collection Stretch Marks Remover

RESULTS

I don’t have any current deep discoloration of the pink/purple stretch marks that occurs with a new stretch mark, but I do have that sort of silvery darker surface skin look to skin that is no longer matching the skin tone, and being able to take care of silver-colored stretch marks is impressive.

The Oil has improved the surface of this skin, and lightening the discoloration, creating a smoother look. The stretch mark surface has fewer criss-cross patterned lines within the stretch mark itself, making the skin appear more normal. The conditioning elements are highly emollient.

How to USE it

A few drops will do it, spread between your palms and rub on the affected skin areas twice a day. The oil is not greasy; it absorbs within a few minutes. Not much is needed, if you are too greasy after use, you have used too much oil.

PACKAGING
A lovely gift for a Mom-to-be or new Mom, this comes in a gift box with an inner gift card with instructions, and a quality patterned drawstring re-usable bag to hold the oil.

CONCLUSION: A powerful combination of ingredients to combat future stretch marks and deal with existing one, no matter how old a stretch mark is, there is room for nourishing and improving the skin to remove discoloration and improve the surface appearance of the damage. Nothing works overnight when it comes to damaged skin, but this works well. A lovely gift for a Mom-to-be or a new Mom.

Find it at Amazon.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfQs_RnGWew[/embedyt]

I received this product for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer it!

BodyHonee Wax Kit

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I have very pale skin. And I have very dark hair. This makes for a bad leg shaving combination. The sharpest razor, the best shave, it only results in still being able to see the hair under my translucent skin. So, pulling it from the root is the only option. I have tried using an epilator recently, but it doesn’t pick up all the hairs, so I end up touching up my legs with a razor. Which is the thing I was looking to avoid in the first place.

I’ve also tried home waxing in the past, and typically it has left me bruised, and my skin irritated. Not a great look, although the bruises did cover the stubble…

With those experiences behind me, I was excited to learn about the BodyHonee Kit System. There are different kits for different kinds of hair and the area you are looking to wax. Best of all, it works for sensitive skin. So I embarked on testing it out to try to get fuzz-free for the remainder of the warm weather clothing season.

I tried two of the BodyHonee Wax Kits, the Extra Strength Spa Wax Kit, and the Hard Wax Kit. Both are intended for thick, coarse hair.

BodyHonee Wax Kit

BodyHonee Wax Kit

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax

First, let’s talk about the Extra Strength Spa Wax Kit. It is meant for anywhere on the body, but I tried it on my legs.

My leg hair was grown out about a half inch (seriously, sometimes I think all I accomplish in a week is grow hair and nails.) Of course, I typically attend to de-fuzzing way before my leg hair gets to half an inch, but for the edification of my faithful readers, I forewent shaving for a bit knowing that I had this review coming up. Prepping the wax is pretty easy – just pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it is set. Now here is a key part: mix the wax, using the included spatula to mix it from the bottom to the top to achieve an even consistency. Then, using the same spatula, apply a THIN layer (and I mean thin) to your leg (or where ever you are applying it), in the direction of the hair growth. In most cases, this means going down from your knee to your ankle, but there are sections that grow in different directions, so assess as you go. Place the strip over the wax, and rub firmly (again, in the direction of the growth) several times. And then the fun part – rip it off against the direction of the growth, and marvel at the hair that is left behind on the strip. Repeat the process until the whole area is covered.

This kit comes with cleansing oil wipes to take off any remaining wax and soothe the skin. It is pretty easy once you get the hang of it – which will be within your first session. And my legs were soooooo smoothe!

The second kit I tried was the Hard Wax Hair Remover. This kit is meant for the face, underarms, and bikini line. It is the same premise as the Spa Wax Kit, but it is meant for short, coarse hairs on sensitive areas. It is microwaved for about three minutes. Additionally, since the wax is harder than the Spa Kit, you don’t need a strip to go over it, because as it cools it hardens to the point that you can just rip the wax off, and it will act as a strip. This is nice if you are dealing in small areas like the upper lip.

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax Hard Wax

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax Hard Wax

I tried it on my underarms. I previously had laser hair removal on my underarms, which did a great job at permanently removing a lot of my underarm hair. For about a year, I only had to touch up a few spots every month or so. However, this year it seems a few follicles regenerated, plus the laser hair removal didn’t affect the blonde underarm hairs I had, so I still had to shave every once in awhile. This is another advantage of wax: wax is colorblind. While laser hair removal is absolutely amazing, it is still hard to truly tackle blonde hair. So a good waxing every few months is a good idea even if you have had laser hair removal.

The difference between my legs and my underarms is that hair grows in every different direction on your armpits, not like how sections typically follow patterns of growth on your legs. So I ended up working in smaller sections on my underarms. This is one of the reasons why I like that the hard wax serves as its own strip – I can work on fairly small sections at a time to make sure to get all hairs. I had some mild pinkness on my underarms after that quickly went away. The trick is to pull the wax off quick – don’t stop half way through pulling it off.

The big question: did it hurt? Well, you are ripping hair out of the follicle. It isn’t the most pleasant feeling. But it isn’t nearly as bad as standard waxing, and without the bruising I experienced in the past. I think this is because the wax shrink wraps around the hair before you pull it off, so it was more honed in on the hair as opposed to hair getting pulled off when the wax adhered to the skin. At least that is what it felt like upon pulling the BodyHonee wax off versus previous waxing experiences. The redness dissipated fairly quickly, especially after I moisturized. For me, waxing my shins is always far more uncomfortable than my underarms, but of the two, I found the hard wax to be a little more comfortable. However, I have more practice with working with hard wax in the past, so that could be part of it.

I’m happy to have found a line of wax that effectively removes even the shortest of hairs, and keeps that growth cycle of hairs at bay for several weeks. While my hair hasn’t grown back at all yet, I am curious to see how long my skin stays smooth, and I’ll update when I know!

Find the BodyHonee Wax Kits at http://www.bodyhonee.com

Here is a video showing the way to mix the wax:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=998ioz4MZVw[/embedyt]

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review and received compensation for my time and effort. However, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

Body: BodyHonee Wax Kit

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I have very pale skin. And I have very dark hair. This makes for a bad leg shaving combination. The sharpest razor, the best shave, it only results in still being able to see the hair under my translucent skin. So, pulling it from the root is the only option. I have tried using an epilator recently, but it doesn’t pick up all the hairs, so I end up touching up my legs with a razor. Which is the thing I was looking to avoid in the first place.

I’ve also tried home waxing in the past, and typically it has left me bruised, and my skin irritated. Not a great look, although the bruises did cover the stubble…

With those experiences behind me, I was excited to learn about the BodyHonee Kit System. There are different kits for different kinds of hair and the area you are looking to wax. Best of all, it works for sensitive skin. So I embarked on testing it out to try to get fuzz-free for the remainder of the warm weather clothing season.

I tried two of the BodyHonee Wax Kits, the Extra Strength Spa Wax Kit, and the Hard Wax Kit. Both are intended for thick, coarse hair.

BodyHonee Wax Kit

BodyHonee Wax Kit

 

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax

First, let’s talk about the Extra Strength Spa Wax Kit. It is meant for anywhere on the body, but I tried it on my legs.

My leg hair was grown out about a half inch (seriously, sometimes I think all I accomplish in a week is grow hair and nails.) Of course, I typically attend to de-fuzzing way before my leg hair gets to half an inch, but for the edification of my faithful readers, I forewent shaving for a bit knowing that I had this review coming up. Prepping the wax is pretty easy – just pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and it is set. Now here is a key part: mix the wax, using the included spatula to mix it from the bottom to the top to achieve an even consistency. Then, using the same spatula, apply a THIN layer (and I mean thin) to your leg (or where ever you are applying it), in the direction of the hair growth. In most cases, this means going down from your knee to your ankle, but there are sections that grow in different directions, so assess as you go. Place the strip over the wax, and rub firmly (again, in the direction of the growth) several times. And then the fun part – rip it off against the direction of the growth, and marvel at the hair that is left behind on the strip. Repeat the process until the whole area is covered.

This kit comes with cleansing oil wipes to take off any remaining wax and soothe the skin. It is pretty easy once you get the hang of it – which will be within your first session. And my legs were soooooo smoothe!

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax

 

The second kit I tried was the Hard Wax Hair Remover. This kit is meant for the face, underarms, and bikini line. It is the same premise as the Spa Wax Kit, but it is meant for short, coarse hairs on sensitive areas. It is microwaved for about three minutes. Additionally, since the wax is harder than the Spa Kit, you don’t need a strip to go over it, because as it cools it hardens to the point that you can just rip the wax off, and it will act as a strip. This is nice if you are dealing in small areas like the upper lip.

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax Hard Wax

BodyHonee Wax Kit Spa Wax Hard Wax

I tried it on my underarms. I previously had laser hair removal on my underarms, which did a great job at permanently removing a lot of my underarm hair. For about a year, I only had to touch up a few spots every month or so. However, this year it seems a few follicles regenerated, plus the laser hair removal didn’t affect the blonde underarm hairs I had, so I still had to shave every once in awhile. This is another advantage of wax: wax is colorblind. While laser hair removal is absolutely amazing, it is still hard to truly tackle blonde hair. So a good waxing every few months is a good idea even if you have had laser hair removal.

The difference between my legs and my underarms is that hair grows in every different direction on your armpits, not like how sections typically follow patterns of growth on your legs. So I ended up working in smaller sections on my underarms. This is one of the reasons why I like that the hard wax serves as its own strip – I can work on fairly small sections at a time to make sure to get all hairs. I had some mild pinkness on my underarms after that quickly went away. The trick is to pull the wax off quick – don’t stop half way through pulling it off.

The big question: did it hurt? Well, you are ripping hair out of the follicle. It isn’t the most pleasant feeling. But it isn’t nearly as bad as standard waxing, and without the bruising I experienced in the past. I think this is because the wax shrink wraps around the hair before you pull it off, so it was more honed in on the hair as opposed to hair getting pulled off when the wax adhered to the skin. At least that is what it felt like upon pulling the BodyHonee wax off versus previous waxing experiences. The redness dissipated fairly quickly, especially after I moisturized. For me, waxing my shins is always far more uncomfortable than my underarms, but of the two, I found the hard wax to be a little more comfortable. However, I have more practice with working with hard wax in the past, so that could be part of it.

I’m happy to have found a line of wax that effectively removes even the shortest of hairs, and keeps that growth cycle of hairs at bay for several weeks. While my hair hasn’t grown back at all yet, I am curious to see how long my skin stays smooth, and I’ll update when I know!

Find the BodyHonee Wax Kits at http://www.bodyhonee.com

Here is a video showing the way to mix the wax:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=998ioz4MZVw[/embedyt]

 

I received this product in exchange for my unbiased review and received compensation for my time and effort. However, my experience with the product and the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine.

Skincare: Herbal Choice Mari SPF-15 Day Cream

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Herbal Choice Mari SPF-15 Day Cream

Herbal Choice Mari SPF-15 Day Cream

If you are even a sporadic Style Chicks reader, you know how strongly we feel about the daily use of sunscreen, 365 days a year, rain or shine.

I have become increasingly concerned about chemicals in sunscreens being absorbed transdermally into my system. A lot of chemicals such as oxybenzone are readily absorbed into your body and have been shown to cause allergic reactions in some people and cause toxicity. Synthetic fragrances and dyes can also get into your system, and can cause topical reactions as well. Trading sun protection for a rash or toxic chemicals in your system doesn’t sound appealing, does it?

That is why I like Herbal Choice Mari SPF-15 Day Cream. It is oxybenzone and octinoxate free. It is also free of chemicals and nano-particles, which can penetrate the skin and get into the system. It is also free from petroleum based ingredients. And from the Herbal Choice website, all the other things it is free of: “free from synthetic fragrances or dyes. Free from gluten, dairy, soy, corn, no GMO. Free from phthalates, parabens, preservatives. Free from beeswax, insects or animal ingredients”. And it is also Cruelty-free, vegan and vegetarian. Covers all the bases, doesn’t it?

While it comes in tinted shades (like a tinted moisturizer or a light BB cream), I selected the transparent shade. It does leave a bit of a white film. However, I’m finding of late that if you apply a sunscreen that leaves a white tint, then foundation is truer on my skin. I’m quite fair and have a cool skin tone, so consider one of the tinted shades if you aren’t quite as pale as I am.

So, the big question is, if it doesn’t protect the skin via chemicals, then how does it actually work? It contains Non-Nano Zinc Oxide, a well-known sun shield. It is a full-spectrum sunscreen, so you are protected from both UVA and UVB rays. It also has lovely skincare ingredients such as organic olive oil, organic lemongrass, organic lavender, and organic sage.

It has a delicate lemongrass scent that dissipates on the skin. The formula itself is incredibly emollient and makes my skin feel smooth and supple. It comes in a lovely purple glass jar to protect the formula, and it is quite pretty on its own.

I’m very happy to have found a sunscreen that not only protects and nourishes my skin but is also free of so many dangerous ingredients! I often hear absorption of chemicals as a reason women don’t choose to wear sunscreen, but there are alternatives, and this is a great sunscreen that won’t harm your body and is great for your skin! It also comes in an SPF 30, which is recommended by many dermatologists.

Find this great sunscreen at Nature’s Brands.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XPTiXi78-0[/embedyt]

I received this product for testing and review purposes. If you have any questions about my experience with it, leave it in the comments section below, and I’ll do my best to answer it!

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