Anti-wrinkle help.

I'm 40 and have barely a wrinkle and this is because I use sunscreen every day. IMHO, using sunscreen not only prevents wrinkles, but also prevents skin damage and cancer. I know some people would disagree and believe the ingredients in sunscreen to be toxic. But you weigh your options and figure out what works best for you. I have very fair skin (have had skin cancer) and am very active outdoors so not using sunscreen is not an option. But I digress...There has been at least one thread in this forum lately on the best natural sunscreens. Keeping your skin hydrated every day also keeps your skin moist and less prone to wrinkles. I don't know what kind of skin you have (oily, dry, normal) so I would recommend you check out www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep. You can search their database of products for ideas of which ones to consider and ones to stay clear of! I would also recommend eye cream. I use products by Juice Beauty which are all organic and natural but only available at www.juicebeauty.com or at a Sephora store (at least that's the only place I've found them).

I'm sure you'll get lots of other advice on this thread!

I second the sunscreen tip. Very important to wear a lightweight sunscreen (I like Oil of Olay Sensitive Skin Daily SPF Moisturizer, SPF 15).

If you want to help reduce the appearance, try using some diluted apple cider vinegar. Swab your face with a cotton ball with some of the apple cider vinegar (1/2 water, 1/2 apple cider vinegar is the benchmark but you can make it weaker or stronger based on your preferences).

Apple cider vinegar works like a skin tonic and toner. It also works like a natural alpha hydroxy to improve skin texture. Like a alpha hydroxy, do the toning at night before going to bed and wash your face thoroughly before going out in the sun.

You can also exfoliate with baking soda, which acts like a natural microdermabrasion. Just add a large pinch to your favorite nighttime cleanser when you're washing your face and scrub using your fingers in a circular motion.

Moisturize with a non-comedogenic facial moisturizer afterward.

Rose, Neroli, and Grapefruit essential oils are good for reducing and preventing wrinkles. Best way to use essential oils for the face is to dilute them with a little water. I've found that the cotton ball of apple cider vinegar plus one drop of whatever essential oil I'm using is sufficient. I wake up with a noticeable difference in skin texture. You can also put a drop of the essential oil into your facial wash too. Again, do not go out in the sun with Neroli and/or Grapefruit essential oil on your face, they can be phototoxic (increases the chance of sunburn). You can do the essential oil routine before bedtime too.

http://www.greenessence.net/oil_char...oilinfo_3.html

I typically use 5 squirts of my apple cider vinegar (diluted) in my cottonball to one drop each of my essential oil. Not sure how that translates, but I think you can estimate.

For 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar - you can try 1/2 a capful to a full cap (even 2) of essential oils - it just depends on what the oils are. I read that rose oil can be powerful so you may want to start with just a 1/2 capful or less. You can try to see how the essential oil works for your face before you make an entire bottle of it. This way, you can see from a cottonball standpoint if your skin likes a lot of apple cider vinegar and little essential oil or an equal balance of both, or whatever.

Vinegar does not spoil, and neither does essential oil (some carrier oils go rancid though). Essential oils can lose their effectiveness or scent, but they don't 'go bad,' unless they're contaminated with something else.

Since vinegar and many essential oils are naturally antiseptic, I would not worry about them going bad. You can make a bottle batch that you can use and go through each month and make a fresh batch each month.

The only thing that can spoil in your bottle is water, so you can use bottled water or distilled water. Make sure you wash your bottle out with hot water and soap before using. You should be set.

This mixture is great - you can use this for your face, body, armpits, hair, whatever!

Typically, this mix is a bit stronger and has more essential oils because you're trying to use it as toner for your face. You can spritz this mix into some lotion if you want scented lotion and it won't be overpowering for your body.

The sleeping thing is a hard one to do - you have to get special pillows or tape your face or something...

I just had some good luck using a recipe I found on the Frugal Skincare site on About.com and I added some essential oils. Basically, it's what I have been doing with the apple cider vinegar and essential oil toning, but used more of each and and used olive oil too.

I rinsed my face with some warm water first and pat it dry. I mixed some olive oil, diluted apple cider vinegar, and few drops of tea tree oil and few drops grapefruit oil in one hand, mixed it together with my fingers from the other hand and applied it all over my face. It was greasy at first, but then it absorbed right into my skin.

Skin looks pretty good this morning!

Here's the original posting on that website:

A mixture of 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water used as a night cream will make your skin glow. The olive oil softens and moisturizes and the vinegar lightens discolorations, kills bacteria and loosens dead skin cells. Splash water on your face before applying.

There are other good recipes here too, here's the link:

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/fru...a/blbeauty.htm