The Lazy (or Busy) Person’s Guide to Juicing

The following, for purists, is probably going to sound like an abomination, but life is life and realistically some things just don’t happen exactly the way we always want them to.

For instance, take my love of juicing. Over the past few months I have had out-of-town guests, the holidays, a busy work schedule. This certainly doesn’t preclude doing all it takes to juice, but I did find myself a bit out of the habit. I had even almost let $20 worth of lovely produce spoil in my fridge. It was at that point I decided to take on a new way of juicing. Not one I will adopt long-term, but for now it’s the best I can do.

I decided in order to juice I would have to do something I hadn’t previously thought to do, but given the fact I wasn’t juicing at all, it seemed like a good alternative. I went to the store and purchased packaged veggies vs. the bulk variety. This meant spinach and kale, for the most part, but also packaged carrots and green beans, too. Buying the produce in packages meant not having to do the whole soaking procedure, since the prepackaged produce is already washed (and cut). It may sound lazy, which it is, but this also meant I would be able to juice immediately without all the fuss.

As I’ve said, going the lazy way isn’t the optimal way to get the most from your juice. But when I sip my juice and see all the wonderful ingredients that are getting into my body, prepackaged or not, I know I’m doing great things for my health.

Someday I will grow my own produce and that will make the most best-est and most nutritious juice drink available. For now, however, I will do my best to get bulk veggies, and when I can’t—yes, I will buy prepackaged produce, all in good health. 

For more information, see:

• Juicing for Better Health
• Doing The Next Best Thing
• How to alkalize your body first thing in the morning

whenever you can

Yonka’s PHYTO GEL EXFOLIANT—gentle body scrub: DISCONTINUED

UPDATE 2018:
Another wonderful product eliminated from the Yonka lineup. Although I really liked this body exfoliator, like many of the body products from Yonka, it was quite expensive. I’ve said it many times, I (always) use Yonka on my face—since 1985, but when it comes to my body I usually use things that don’t cost as much. The area requires a lot of product so you go through a lot and, well, price matters.

Because of this I didn’t sell much Phyto Gel Exfoliant to my facial clients. With that said, the new Yonka body products, scrubs included, aren’t cheap but as with most all Yonka products, they are wonderful. In the coming months I will have information pages for these new products, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, I will keep this page up for posterity.

---

PHYTO GEL EXFOLIANT is Yonka’s gentle body scrub. It has a wonderful aroma, makes your skin feel great, it’s easy to use (keep it in the shower), and makes a great gift for the men (or women) in your life! Always use on wet skin. 

Your entire body becomes delicately polished by the micrograins of bamboo silicone and jojoba pearls. This gel, with a fine soothing foam, gently cleans and exfoliates dead skin cells and rough spots.

Up until a few years ago, Yonka didn’t have a scrub specifically for the face. So, for years I have used Phyto Gel as a facial scrub mixed in with my cleanser in the shower. You certainly can use this product on both face and body, although Guarana Scrub (see link below) is a wonderful facial scrub that Yonka now sells.

Essential ingredients:

• Bamboo silica, jojoba pearls—exfoliating, scrubbing 
• Soft almond proteins, red algae, lactic acid—softening, hydrating 
• Essential oils of petitgrain, lavender, rosemary, sage and helichrise—balancing, relaxing, oxygenating
• Lactic acid, red seaweed, sweet almond protein—softening, moisturizing
  

Directions for use:

Apply PHYTO GEL while taking a shower:

• 2 or 3 times a week or as often as you like
• Apply the scrub to damp skin
• Concentrate on the rough sections
• Rinse thoroughly

I highly recommend using a body lotion after your bath or shower. Exfoliation gets rids of some of the dry skin, but keeping the skin (face and body) moisturized is also important.

For more information, see:

• BODY: The many ways to exfoliate
• Yonka-Paris Guarana Scrub
• New body exfoliators from Yonka-Paris (coming soon!)

A bad book review & product recommendations: My thoughts

The following is an Amazon.com review of my first book, Timeless Skin. I am including it here to help make a point and to further explain my stand on recommending products. This entire post is taken from my second book, Skin Care A to Z, so one or two references are from that time period.

Excerpts of Customer Reviews © Amazon.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Reviewer: A reader from Dallas, Texas USA. July 12, 2000

I was looking for products Ms. Ash recommends and I was disappointed. She gave some ideas on what to look for in products, but it requires me to spend a lot of time looking. She even says it’s a difficult process (unless you go to a professional spa). I looked at her website and as I suspected you’ll have to spend a lot of money (at least $30 per product*). I bought this book to try and find a way to spend less money—but I found out I have to spend at least $120 for cleanser, toner, moisturizer and a mask—this doesn’t include the other stuff she recommends! Ugghh...Please someone recommend another book!
*Remember—this was 15 years ago. Obviously prices have gone up!

No one likes a bad review. I remember the day I read this on the Internet. Timeless Skin had just come out, and I was getting so much positive feedback, and then boom! This review hit me like a ton of bricks. That it came from someone in the city I was living in at the time (Dallas) was yet another blow to me. If only I could contact this reader and at least extend an invitation for a complimentary consultation so I might help this person better understand his or her skin and any problems that might be occurring, or at least steer him or her in the right direction.

I included this email to reiterate my stand on product recommendations. Of course if you go to my website, I am recommending the products I know in depth and have been using personally and professionally for over 20 years [at that time; 30+ years currently]. I purposely do not mention in either of my books the product lines I work with. I want to give you, the consumer, information so that you can pick and choose the products you want to use that will benefit your skin.

Certainly, it would be impossible for me to try every single product line available and make my recommendations based on hard and fast research. So instead I am attempting to give you pointers as far as what to look for as well as what to avoid when looking for products so you can make educated decisions. Perhaps the writer of the above review would be better off purchasing a book like Don’t Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me (Beginning Press) in order to get specific product recommendations. Based on the many product lines critiqued in Paula Begoun’s book, it would have been impossible for her to do all the research herself—in this lifetime anyway. With any of my writing [here or in my books] you are getting my opinion alone, not someone else’s. That is what I can offer, and I do—frequently!

I make no apologies for the way I disseminate information. No book or skin care product is for everyone, and I certainly hope this reader and any others who were looking for name brand recommendations have found what they are looking for. I only recommend products that either my clients or I have experience with. So for me to recommend an entire book filled with brand name products would take the rest of my natural life to research. I truly believe you can find products out in the marketplace that will work for your skin. And judging from the comments I have received from my readers, I know it is possible.

---

Following is another Amazon.com reviewer’s response to this critical book review. I did not ask permission, so “Plain Jane,” I hope you don’t mind my including it here:

Sorry you did not find this book helpful. I am a licensed master aesthetician who teaches esthetics for a living and I can tell you [Timeless Skin] is right-on. Professional skin care is not cheap. Drugstore brands are. The reason they are cheaper is that they are diluted and therefore ineffective. If you are on a tight budget, I would recommend a good soap-free cleanser, appropriate toner and moisturizer for your skin type. The best skin care is treating your skin like it is—your body’s largest eliminating organ. Keep your insides clean and don’t look for a magic “product” to save you. 

For more information, see:

• Important comments about my product recommendations
• A reader’s question about different product lines
• All reviews of Timeless Skin on Amazon.com

Evening Primrose Oil Q & A

You may already know how important it is to get essential fatty acids (EFAs) in your daily diet. Evening primrose oil is one way to get these essential nutrients. I recommend it for clients who have PMS, oily skin, breakouts, and dermatitises like eczema. It even works as a hangover cure. (Note: although there is some discussion about monthly cycles for women, men, too, can benefit from taking this supplement. In other words, don’t let the talk of periods turn you off from reading this article!)

I started using evening primrose oil capsules and have noticed a great change not only in my skin, but a lessening of symptoms of PMS. I used to get cysts on my jaw and neck area, which I know were hormonal, and since the evening primrose I now only get one small pimple every 3 or 4 months around my period.

Evening primrose oil is not for everyone, but I have seen it work really well for a lot of people. I include that email because it mirrors the experience of many of my clients.

Evening primrose oil can help with the balance of estrogen in the body during menstruation (when estrogen levels naturally lower). It can help to elevate estrogen levels and in some cases eliminate the pain and tension of a woman’s period. I used to take it when I was ovulating, to help lessen the sometimes erratic emotional and physical changes during PMS. Then, by the time my period started, I was feeling more in balance and experienced less pain from cramping.

In your book [Timeless Skin] you recommend evening primrose in capsules for oily or acne skin. I was wondering what milligrams are you talking about per capsule?

I usually get my primrose oil at Whole Foods. I use the 365 brand that are 500mg each. They look like vitamin E capsules, or perhaps a bit bigger. Years ago, evening primrose was a little hard to find. Now there are many brands to choose from. I don’t recommend one brand over another, but I do suggest talking with the people working in the herb department at your local health food store. Ask them which primrose oil would be the best one.

I started taking evening primrose oil, but I’m not sure if it’s really helping my skin. I’ve been taking it for 3 months now. Should I continue, or should I stop taking it?

The thing with evening primrose oil is you may or may not notice a big change. Some people do; they notice a lessening of the oil in general in their skin, or they may even notice their breakouts have diminished—if not in frequency, then in size and number. The essential fatty acids found in evening primrose oil are essential to healthy cells, yet they are hard to get through food. So for me this is reason enough to take evening primrose oil regardless of noticing big results.

When and how many evening primrose capsules do I take? Since it helps PMS, do I only take it during menstruation or should I take it daily?

I recommend experimenting to find out what works for you—especially if you are taking evening primrose oil to offset symptoms of PMS. For problem skin, try 2-4 capsules twice daily and increase if you don’t see any noticeable results. For cramps due to PMS, try 1-2 capsules twice a day from the time you start ovulating, then increase by one or two capsules (3-4 twice daily) until you have finished your monthly cycle. I used to take more on the days I felt the emotional roller coaster that premenstruation can bring.

I have been using evening primrose oil to help with my acne and hormones, and it’s been fabulous. I now want to become pregnant and wonder if I should continue or stop the primrose oil?

I was advised by a doctor that evening primrose oil should be very good to take during pregnancy. He suggested the baby will like it and utilize its nutrients, and fish oils, too (if you take those), to build healthy cell walls. Evening primrose oil should be very good for a growing fetus. Conversely, evening primrose may not be advisable to take if you have or have had cancer because it may help those cells to grow. Please consult with your doctor before taking this or any other supplement.

Evening primrose oil may be contraindicated if you are taking **Premarin® (a common medication taken for hormone replacement therapy after menopause). Because evening primrose oil can help promote the production of natural estrogen, coupling it with the estrogen in Premarin may result in an excess of this hormone. Whether or not you are taking hormones or any other medication, check with your health care practitioner to find out if you should or can take evening primrose oil.

Last night I was having a drink with some coworkers and the topic of evening primrose for hangovers came up. Anyone who has tried it now swears by it. Thanks again for that information!

**As an advocate for animals, please know that Premarin (aka Pregnant mare urine) utilizes horse urine in a way that is inhumane. Don’t believe me? Click here, or simply do an Internet search. There are many articles describing the truth about horse urine collection and the deplorable life of a PMU horse. There are also many alternatives to this unfortunately popular hormone medication. My own article will be coming soon.

For more information, see:

• The Many Uses for Evening Primrose Oil 
• Problem Skin Q & As—Monthly Breakout 
• PLEASE: Don’t take Premarin!

Ella, a former (now rescued) PMU mare.

What is acne? Acne explained

Acne is something you wouldn’t wish on anybody. Yet many of us will have to contend with it sometime in our lives. It can be debilitating and embarrassing and can cause real psychological scars that stay with us for a long time. Unfortunately, the scars can be physical as well. Here, I am not proposing a cure or some miracle program to stop acne from occurring, but I will explain what acne is and provide some suggestions for coping with this disease.

As a teenager, I had (what I remember to be) perfect skin. It wasn’t until I was 23 that I developed a case of acne that lasted for a few years, a time period that I will never forget. It doesn’t matter when it hits you, if it does it is devastating. So I hope you never have to go through what we acne sufferers have gone through. And if you have acne now (or know someone who does), hopefully there will be some information here that you find helpful, which can lead you to a path of healthier skin—for a lifetime.

What is acne? The following has been reprinted with permission from a Johnson & Johnson, Inc. pamphlet on acne. They so clearly explain how acne develops, I wanted to pass the information along to you as it was written.

---

---

Long before blemishes appear on your skin, trouble has been building up beneath the surface—in the hair follicles and their attached oil glands. Each follicle contains a number of sebaceous or oil glands. The oil you see on your skin is sebum, which comes from these glands.

Cells that line the follicle surrounding the hair are being constantly replaced. The mix with sebum and work their way to the surface of the skin. Eventually they are washed away. Sometimes, however, this process goes haywire. For reasons not completely understood, the follicle begins to produce cells that stick together so tightly that they are not shed. Accumulated cells, bound up in sebum and mixed with other skin materials, including pigment and bacteria, stick together and form a plug. This plug clogs up the pore, obstructing the opening to the skin. But the sebaceous gland keeps producing sebum, and this is how acne begins. The initial buildup is called a microcomedo. It lies deep within the follicle and starts forming many weeks before you notice any disturbance on your skin.

The sebaceous gland continues to put oil into the blocked system, and the follicle begins to swell and forms a closed comedo or whitehead. A whitehead is usually visible as a slight bump on the skin. If the follicle doesn’t break, the whitehead may turn into an open comedo or blackhead. The familiar blackhead is like a whitehead except that the exit to the skin surface is open. Some of the materials in the follicle cause it to darken. This material, and not dirt, gives the blackhead its dark color. Often the follicle bursts or leaks from the pressure in the plugged system. A papule or pimple forms when the follicle begins to release its contents into the surrounding tissue, causing inflammation. That’s why the skin surface surrounding a pimple usually appears reddened and swollen. 

The white cells in the body attack this material and pus develops. These pus-filled inflammations are called pustules and in about 10 days will usually disappear by themselves as the body disposes of this material.

You might suffer from whiteheads, blackheads, papules or pustules or a combination of all of them. Keep in mind that these blemishes are just expressions of acne at different stages of development. But every one originated from a microcomedo hidden within the follicle—which is why we say acne is a problem that works against you from the inside out.

---

---

Acne is certainly no fun. If you’re a teenager, it is probably just a matter of time (although this could mean years) before your hormones balance out and your skin problems go away. If you are a teenager or an adult and have true acne—or even just simple breakout—you must look to your diet and lifestyle to find out how these areas of your life are contributing to your skin woes.

For more information, see:

• What is causing your breakout?
• Problem skin profile: Donna—constipated with problem skin
• MYTH: Food doesn’t affect skin