But What About My Lips?

Saturday, 2010-01-30

“I’m so happy with the results! My skin is visibly lighter, but what about my lips? Do you have a product for dark lips?”

Every now and then happy customers who have attained a lighter complexion from the Diana Stalder Surely White product line do ask us such a question.

We do not have a product available yet. But do stay tuned!

In the meantime, we’d like to provide some homemade solutions.

You can regularly apply any of the following on your lips, helping keep them moist and eventually gaining back that natural pinkish color:

  • Mixed lemon juice with honey
  • Juice from ground coriander leaves (just a small amount daily will do)
  • Beetroot or beetroot juice
  • Applying glycerin overnight can also do the trick

If you are a smoker, you can start cutting down on smoking or completely quit the habit. The tobacco in cigarettes trigger more melanin production, thus leading to darker lips.

Lips that are dry can appear dark too. Almond or coconut oil are known to be great lip moisturizers.

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Posted by pgesmundo

Skin Care 101: Three Daily Skin Care Products That Everyone Should Have

Friday, 2010-01-29

There are three skin care products that should be a part of everyone’s daily regimen—sunscreen, facial wash and moisturizer.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is the most essential part of your skincare regimen.

UV exposure can lead to premature wrinkles, skin pigmentations or freckles, white spots and even skin cancer. So it’s important to use sunscreen daily and protect your skin from UV exposure.

The Diana Stalder Sunblock Crème protects the skin from harmful UV rays, prevents sun damage and premature aging of the skin.  It is best for normal to dry skin.  For oily skin type, the Diana Stalder Sunblock Gel is perfectly formulated to provide your skin protection for the sun.

Facial Wash

Your skin is exposed to harmful toxins on a daily basis. So cleansing should be a part of your routine. You need to find a cleanser that works well for your particular skin type.  The right product combined with the proper method to wash your face can benefit your skin.

You don’t need to spend a lot of money. The Diana Stalder Facial Wash is formulated to gently cleanse the skin and condition it. It works well with any skin types.

Moisturizer

No matter what skin type, everyone needs to moisturize. Moisturizer seals the moisture in, which gives the skin its natural glow. Without moisture, skin will be dry and dull. There are even specially formulated moisturizing products for the oily skin type.

Moisturizer can also help calm irritated acne-prone skin. But those with acne should use products that are oil-free.

The Diana Stalder Skin Revitalizer is a great moisturizer. It contains vitamins A, C, D and E, which can protect your skin from free radicals. It is particularly effective on normal to dry skin.

For those trying to reduce or remove fine lines, the Diana Stalder Nourishing Crème is the perfect moisturizer.

The Diana Stalder Facial Lotion works well for most skin types. It moisturizes and it has a toning effect that makes your skin appear radiant and younger looking.

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Posted by pgesmundo

Skin Care 101: Overcleansing

Thursday, 2010-01-28

Good skin care is important. But that does not mean that you need to cleanse too often.  Overcleansing can strip your skin of its natural protective lipid.

The major function of your skin is to keep the dirt away and hold moisture in. But if you over-cleanse your skin, you are stripping your skin of the natural oils that keeps it healthy. This will result to skin that feels dry and tight.

Overcleasing can also lead to skin irritations like rashes, acne or even dermatitis.

Overcleansing can also be brought about by using harsh cleanser that’s not suited for your skin type.

Here are some mild cleansing agents for those with sensitive skin that are prone to overcleansing…

The Diana Stalder Licorice Beauty Bar is very gentle as it deeply cleanses and softens the skin while moisturizing it.  It lightens skin tone, and has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties, which can alleviate the appearance of mild rashes.

The Diana Stalder Facial Wash is also composed of natural ingredients that cleanses gently and conditions the skin.

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Posted by pgesmundo

The Right Way to Wash your Face

Wednesday, 2010-01-27

Yes, there is actually a proper way to wash your face. Which is very important, because A – you want to maximize the benefit you get from your facial soap or facial wash, and B – if you’re doing it wrong all these years, then its about time you learn the right way to do it!

Use warm water

The right water temperature is vital when washing your face.

It’s highly recommended that you wash your face with warm water. This will expand your pores just enough, so your soap or facial wash will be able to soak through. Gently massage the lather into your face, do this for a minute or less*. That should be enough to remove any clogged dirt. Finish off by rinsing your face with cold water.

Hot water is very harmful. Do you ever notice that your skin turns red, splotchy and starts to peel right after a hot shower during winter? This is because hot water rids the surface of your skin its natural oils and dry up your skin cells, making it more susceptible to sun damage and dirt clogged pores. While cold water closes the pores, so your soap or facial wash product won’t be able to seep in and do its job.

Finding the perfect facial soap

Depending on your skin type or what you’re trying to achieve, you can choose the perfect soap to care for your face.

The Diana Stalder Glutathione Soap is an effective overall whitening soap. It caters to almost any skin type. In addition to whitening the skin, glutathione is also the best anti-oxidant. It will nurture your skin and keep it looking young.

For those with dry skin, the Diana Stalder Papaya Kojic Soap is an effective skin moisturizer. Besides the micro-exfoliation (micro-peeling) effect, it also contains a special blend of extracts that nourishes the skin naturally.

To lighten acne scars, dark spots or other forms of melasma, most users find the Diana Stalder Black Soap to be most effective. While the Diana Stalder Licorice Beauty Bar works best for those with very sensitive skin.

For weekly exfoliation, you can use the Diana Stalder Facial Scrub. The facial scrub contains granules designed to gently scrub away dead skin cells and remove dirt and excess oil. It cleanses and conditions skin, giving it a radiant glow.

*Some product recommends that you leave the lather on for more than a minute for maximum benefit.

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Posted by pgesmundo

Unsafe Skin Lightening Products

Saturday, 2010-01-23

In connection to our previous post on the dangers of hydroquinone (HQ) and mercury, here’s further evidence on the importance of using only trusted and regulated products.

Recently, the New York Times published an article about how illegal, unsafe skin lightening creams are easily accessible to the consumers.  Skin lightening creams containing dangerous ingredients like steroids in very strong doses, corticosteroids such as clobetasol propionate, HQ, and even mercury can be purchased online or in beauty product stores.

Numerous stores in cities such as New York, Miami and Chicago are actually aware they are selling items that should either be doctor prescribed or containing illegal substances.  A majority of the victims are women of Hispanic, Indian and African decent, trying to lighten or even out their skin color.

As the article points out, sometimes safe and legal versions of the genuine product are available, however illegal counterfeit versions being sold under the names Fair & White, L’Abidjanaise and Hyprogel can often be found with dangerous, illegal ingredients.  According to dermatologists, these products can present serious side effects from severe acne to more serious problems like damaging the nervous system.

We take your safety very seriously at SouthGain.  This is why we sell only genuine products that do not contain HQ, mercury, steroids or other dangerous ingredients.

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Posted by pgesmundo

Money Order vs. Credit Card Payments

Wednesday, 2010-01-20

For U.S. customers who are unable to use PayPal or credit card to purchase, we are happy to accept money orders (as long as they’re in USD and drawn on a U.S. bank or other financial institution).

For some buyers though, they simply prefer money order because of a misinformed notion that it is safer.

THE TRUTH IS, credit cards and PayPal offer buyers security from fraudulent sellers.  These payment methods are far superior because they are SAFER, FASTER, MORE CONVENIENT and LESS EXPENSIVE.

You can learn more about secure online shopping at PrivacyRights.org.

As you might know, eBay and other sites have stopped allowing sellers to accept money orders, or at least advertise that they accept them, because they are very risky for the buyer.

ANOTHER PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE for safe online purchasing is getting a  Visa or MasterCard prepaid card or gift card.  You can buy these cards with cash at your local store, then use them just like ordinary credit cards for online or other transactions.

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Posted by pgesmundo

When Should I Start an Anti-Aging Regimen?

Monday, 2010-01-18

According to skin experts, our skin actually starts to lose its ability to retain water when we reach our mid-20s.  From mid- to late-20s, there is less oxygen in our blood, thus less oxygen is also transported to our skin cells.  Our skin will then start to loose its healthy color and its natural glow.  It will not be long before wrinkles and age spots will start showing on your face and skin.

So, in short, it’s really never too early to start an anti-aging regimen.

Daily application of an effective moisturizer and regular use of a sunscreen is a great way to start caring for your skin.  The Diana Stalder Skin Moisturizing Lotion can serve as both a moisturizer and a sunblock.  While it’s formulated to keep the skin moisturized, it also contains an SPF 30 sunscreen, which prevents premature aging by protecting the skin against harmful sun rays.

Another product that you can add to your anti-aging regimen is the Diana Stalder Skin Revitalizer.  This product contains vitamins A, C, D and E, which is vital to protect your skin from free radicals.  Regular use can leave your skin looking younger, clearer, and feeling softer.

Your anti-aging skin care regimen should also include adopting a healthier lifestyle.  That means a healthy diet, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep.

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Posted by pgesmundo

The Dangers of Hydroquinone and Mercury

Saturday, 2010-01-16

A wide variety of skin lightening products contains hydroquinone (HQ) and mercury as active ingredients.  The combination of the two is said to slow down the creation of melanin, which causes age spots, freckles, melasma and other types of skin discoloration.

On the downside, these two ingredients are known to have severe side effects.  Mercurcy is especially dangerous, and almost universally outlawed in skin care products because of serious health risks associated with it.  Hydroquinone is a little more controversial, with many countries allowing its use at various concentration levels, but others banning it outright.

Even if you aren’t concerned about the health risks, you will probably find that these ingredients often result in the infamous "rebound effect"—if you stop using the product, your melanin production may actually start progressing much faster and result in more skin pigmentation.

Genuine Diana Stalder Whitening and Lightening Products do NOT use Hydroquinone or Mercurcy

The Diana Stalder Surely White Whitening Regimen Kit and the Diana Stalder Surely White Body Bleaching Kit contain products that use arbutin, which is a more modern skin de-pigmentation and whitening agent.

Arbutin is believed by many experts to be much safer than traditional old-fashioned hydroquinone.  Arbutin is a glycosylated derivative of HQ, and it naturally occurs in the bearberry plant, wheat and pear skins.  The experts believe it is less prone to side effects than traditional HQ because it is more gradually released through hydrolysis.

Arbutin naturally whitens or lightens the skin, infiltrating without affecting the process of cell multiplication.  Arbutin works by effectively inhibiting tyrosinase, which is an enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of melanin, which is the main cause of skin darkening.  Arbutin also protects the skin against damage caused by free radicals.

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Posted by pgesmundo

What Does Exfoliation Do For Me?

Friday, 2010-01-15

Benefits

Exfoliation is highly advisable for both men and women. It’s a great way to achieve radiant, clear and smoother skin. In addition to hydration, daily cleansing, and use of sunscreen, exfoliation should be part of your beauty regimen. Through exfoliation the top layer of dead epidermis cells are removed and a fresher, younger looking skin is revealed.

Exfoliation can benefit just about any skin type. Whether you have dry or flaky skin, oily skin, skin with acne or blackheads, pigmented or sun-damaged skin, you can definitely benefit from exfoliating.

Instant Gratification

Immediately after exfoliating, your skin will appear smoother and regain its natural glow. That’s because the thin layer of dead skin cells are buffed away from the process. This also prevents the appearance of fine lines, revealing a less wrinkled skin. Exfoliation also removes the excess dirt and oil, which usually causes blackheads, pimples and other skin problems.

How Often?

For those with normal or oily skin, exfoliating once a week is highly recommended. Dead skin stores oil, causing blackheads or even acne problems.

For those with dry and sensitive skin, exfoliation can be done every 10-12 days instead of weekly.  Removing dry skin cells from the surface of your skin will allow growth of new moisturized cells.

During the summer or warm months you can exfoliate more than usual. The heat and the humidity causes your skin to sweat more, which makes dead skin cells stick together, causing skin problems and dull appearance.

After a while you’ll be able to tell when your skin needs exfoliation and you can set a routine that works best for your skin. How frequently it needs to be done really differs from one skin type to the next.

Since it takes at least a few days for a sizeable amount of dead cells to accumulate, it is important not to overdo it. You may end up removing too many living cells and increase the chance skin damage.

Exfoliating Solutions

The Diana Stalder Exfoliating Kit is formulated to remove damaged outer skin layers through mild peeling over a 4- or 5-day process, which allows for regeneration of new smoother and softer skin. This can be ideal, especially before starting a new whitening regimen.

To achieve overall skin whitening, you can use the Diana Stalder Papaya Kojic Soap with a loofa for mild, daily micro-exfoliation. Papaya contains papain, a natural enzyme that promotes skin renewal and precipitate cell turnover, which makes it ideal and safe for daily use. Complement the Papaya Kojic with moisturizing agents such as the Diana Stalder Surely White Whitening Cream (for the face) and the Diana Stalder Surely White Whitening lotion (for the body) for quicker results.

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Posted by pgesmundo

Haiti in our Thoughts and Prayers

Thursday, 2010-01-14

Flag of Haiti

For our Haitian friends and customers—indeed anyone who has a loved one impacted by the tragic earthquake—we just wanted to let you know that you are in our thoughts and prayers.  Tim was fortunate enough to briefly visit Haiti many years ago, and the smiling faces even in the midst of difficult times will never be forgotten.  No doubt smiles are far outnumbered by tears in Haiti today.  But we pray for healing, recovery and the quick return of optimism that comes with the promise of a brighter future.

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Posted by SouthGain

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