Healthy Product News

Prepare Your Skin for Spring with a Collagen Mask

Pure+simple’s natural skincare experts have long been promoting beautiful skin with innovative natural products like Vitamin C Serum and Collagen + Elastin Plus.

Now their team of estheticians and cosmetic chemists have developed a new Skin Smoothing Collagen Mask to help skin withstand harsh urban environments. This natural anti-aging mask works as a weekly treatment to maintain healthy youthful looking skin, or as a last minute fix for the busy professional with tired overworked skin.

Pure+simple Skin Smoothing Collagen Mask was developed to remedy dry, damaged and/or mature skin. The mask gives dehydrated, tired looking skin a moist smooth finish.

The mask is made from 100% natural ingredients. The gel base is Kelp, which nourishes skin health. Kelp is known to stimulate and improve blood and lymph circulation, and revitalize and firm the skin while re-establishing natural moisture levels. It is also full of proteins, minerals and vitamins which are easy to absorb.

The main active ingredients in the Collagen Mask are Marine Collagen and Elastin which support the skin’s youthful appearance and help in delaying the visible effects of skin aging. As we age, the collagen and elastin in our skin degrades, leading to wrinkles. Marine Collagen and Elastin work with keratin to provide the skin with strength, flexibility, and firmness.  

The addition of the hydrating ingredients Hyaluronic Acid, Ceramides, and Honey aid the appearance of rejuvenated skin.  Hyaluronic Acid is a primary component of healthy skin, and declining levels are associated with dryness, reduced flexibility, and wrinkles. Ceramides are the essential lipids that help maintain the integrity of the skin's barrier layer. With exposure to harsh urban environments, our skin's natural ceramides decrease and lead to loss of skin cell moisture, allowing outside irritants to get into the skin.  Honey is a potent natural skin hydrator which works to keep skin moist and looking more youthful.

Recommended Use: Once a week for general maintenance of dry or mature skin. For anti-aging purposes, use after an AHA serum such as Pure + simple Lactic Acid or Naturopathica Pumpkin Mask. Or get a quick skin “pick me up” by using the mask before that special function or occasion.

The Skin Smoothing Collagen Mask can be experienced as part of a facial treatment at one of Pure+simple’s 3 locations in Toronto, or purchase it at any of those outlets to do your own mask at home. Regular price: $69.95 for a 50 ml jar – now at a special price of $39.95 for Vitality readers until the end of April.
Pure+simple spa locations:

King - Bathurst Spa (725 King Street West) 416-366-8558
Yonge -Eglinton Spa (2375  Yonge Street) 416-481-2081
Yorkville Spa (27 Bellair Street) 416-924-6555
The product can also be ordered online at: www.pureandsimple.ca

Fruit Extract a Great Alternative to Sugar

A promising new alternative to sugary foods, called Sweet Sensation, is made from the fruit of the Luo Han Guo vine, grown exclusively in China. Besides its incredible sweetness, this fruit extract is also known for its curative powers. This is good news for anyone who is concerned about preventing diabetes. It’s a healthy way to satisfy sugar cravings.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 20.8 million Americans are affected by diabetes, a serious chronic disease managed by lifestyle changes and medication. Also, the National Institutes of Health indicates that almost two thirds of Americans are overweight. One culprit may be the over-consumption of sugar.

The fruit extract of Luo Han Guo is a great alternative. For hundreds of years, monks cultivated these vines in southeastern China and used the extract as a traditional remedy for colds, coughs, sore throats and gastrointestinal disorders. The extract is composed of substances called mogrosides which are 300 times sweeter than sucrose, fructose or glucose. The good news for diabetics and the weight conscious is that this fruit is not a sugar.

A cousin of the cucumber, it is a member of the gourd family. While the fruit extract syrup tickles the taste buds with its intense sweetness, Luo Han Guo is extremely low in calories and a natural product. Available in syrup form, it can be used on pancakes, waffles and in favourite recipes. The natural sweetener can be used for most foods including teas and coffees. The product is available online, as well as in drugstores and supermarkets in the natural foods and diabetic section. For more information, visit www.Duxxent.com

Ayurvedic Herb Promotes Weight Loss and Cholesterol Reduction

Report by Julia Woodford

Now that April has arrived, our thoughts turn to effective strategies for spring cleansing. After a long cold winter filled with heavy comfort foods, our lymphatics are sluggish and our cells heavy with congestion. Ayurvedic and Chinese herbalists call this “stagnant chi”. One way that stagnant chi manifests itself is in the form of mucus (called Ama in Ayurvedic medicine). This mucus clogs up all the channels in the body, contaminating the blood, intestines, and tissues (in the form of excess fat).

To the rescue comes a herbal medicine from India known as Guggulu. Made from the resin of Balsamodendron Mukul, this herb is closely related to myrrh. Guggulu is made according to a traditional method of wrapping the tree resin in a porous cloth and boiling it in a decoction of Triphala to purify the resins so they can easily pass through the system without causing toxicity. The guggulu decoction is then further cooked down to a thick paste and spread out on a pan to dry in the sun. The resulting material is then broken into chunks or powdered for use.

According to Planetary Herbology by Michael Tierra, OMD: “Guggulu is considered to be anti-Kapha or anti-mucus, and as such reduces fat. It is considered the most potent remedy against Ama (an accumulation of cholesterol, thickened mucus, and other materials associated with the aging process). Ama causes various circulatory problems including arteriosclerosis, arthritis, rheumatism, heart problems, high blood pressure, obesity, enlargement of the prostate, and other diseases of old age.”

When combined with Ayurvedic Triphala to make Triphala Guggulu, this herbal formula is taken morning and evening to counteract obesity, blood disorders, constipation, skin problems, chronic venereal disease, and sores that are difficult to heal.

According to The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook by Allan  K. Tillitson, OMD, the resin from the tree known as guggul gum is used as a longevity tonic that stimulates the breakdown of mucus, tumours, fat, and cysts. The book goes on to say: “Guggul gum has been popular in the West since researchers discovered its significant cholesterol-lowering properties in human trials.” The book recommends avoidance of use by pregnant women or those with acute kidney infections, excessive uterine bleeding, and thyrotoxicosis.

Ayurvedic consultant, Francis Ashwagandha, MH, recommends Guggulu for clearing out fatty tissue, purifying the blood, scraping waste residue from all the body’s channels, and rejuvenating digestive function. He also likes it for reversing heart disease, because Guggulu works to reduce blood clots and clear arteriosclerosis.

In Toronto, Guggulu Resin Powder is now available at the Big Carrot Dispensary. Sold in 1/2 pound bags for $31.89, the herb is imported from India by Banyan Botanicals, a company specializing in traditional Ayurvedic formulas. Recommended dosage is 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon, once or twice daily. For more information on using Guggulu, talk with Francis at the Big Carrot Dispensary, 348 Danforth Ave (416-466-8432).

Note: because Guggulu is described as a warming herb, those with a hot Pitta constitution should use caution because it can exacerbate their “heat”. To learn how to identify your own constitution, go to www.banyanbotanicals.com.