Vitamin E for Healthy Skin

Today's post discusses the many benefits of Vitamin E, particularly when it comes to skin care. As the author notes, the use of Vitamin E both in the form of oil on the skin and from dietary sources is a great way to keep your skin young and supple, and for preventing and healing scarring from acne, sunburn, and other skin conditions.

You also might want to try boosting Vitamin E levels and applying products containing "E" to combat dry skin that many of us face during the winter season. As always, be sure to use only natural, organic skin care products that will not expose you to unnecessary and harmful toxins and additives.

I recommend consuming a natural Vitamin E that contains all 8 compounds, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Each of the four tocopherols and tocotrienols are named after the four letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, beta, gamma, delta. The word natural can, unfortunately, sometimes be misleading. In the case of vitamin E, a manufacturer can use a blend of 10% natural vitamin E and 90% synthetic vitamin E and still label the product natural vitamin E. Using synthetic vitamin E (dl), which is 40% cheaper, a manufacturer can greatly reduce the quality of a product to reduce his costs. Natural vitamin E is officially recognized as having 36% greater potency than its synthetic counterpart. However, recent studies of human subjects indicate that natural vitamin E is probably twice as effective as synthetic vitamin E.

Vitamin E Oil for Skin Care
by Sheron Hopkins

Vitamin E is a proven antioxidant.

It helps the body in a myriad of ways: it helps regulate a woman's monthly period, it helps fight cancer, and it has been known to keep the skin youthful, as a vitamin supplement. But do you know that Vitamin E can also help make your skin look beautiful when applied to the skin directly?

Vitamin E has been used in the making of herbal lotions and creams. Most modern herbalists just break open a capsule, and add it to their concoction, usually made of essential oils and other herbs. Vitamin E could also be used as it is, unadulterated. Just break open a capsule, apply the oil to your skin, leave it there for a while, and then wash it off later.

A great innovation that has been a big help to those who use Vitamin E in skin care is the packaging of Vitamin E oil in pump dispensers. This is helpful to those who find breaking open capsules annoying, and who need Vitamin E in larger quantities than can be obtained from capsules.

While Vitamin E can help keep your skin youthful, there are other applications for more serious conditions. Acne scars can be erased through Vitamin E oil application. Not just acne scars, but burn victims have received the benefit of Vitamin E oil too. Vitamin E oil can also be used in those with scars from operations, those with fine lines and even wrinkles, and other skin conditions like dry, callused hands and feet.

Vitamin E is both a moisturizer and an antioxidant, which is the reason why it is very effective in skin conditions. But to maximize your Vitamin E experience, you should not only apply the oil to your skin, you should also make sure your diet is rich in it. Vitamin E sources include oils and nuts. Though oils are thought to be bad for you, there are healthy oils, like Olive Oil and Sunflower Oil are rich in the "good lipids," which even help lower cholesterol. The best sources of Vitamin E, in order, are raw sunflower seeds, roasted almonds, and olives, papaya, boiled Swiss chard, boiled mustard greens, cooked turnip greens, boiled spinach, boiled collared greens, and blueberries.

If you have to take it as a vitamin supplement, a maximum dose of 400 I.U. is advised. Around 200 I.U. is the recommended dose, according to a Johns Hopkins study. As in all vitamins and minerals, obtaining them from your diet is much better than taking them in the form of supplements. Most supplements tend to be synthetic, and taking them in excess does more harm than good. Vitamins and minerals obtained from one's diet are better regulated and tolerated by the body.

You can make your own skin care oils by mixing essential oils like tea tree oil, lavender or bergamot with Vitamin E oil. Apply them to ward off acne, moisturize your skin, and keep your skin youthful and wrinkle-free. The above mentioned herbs and essential oils are meant to ward off acne, due to their astringent and antibacterial properties. Other herbs and essential oils may be better suited to your skin, depending on your skin type. On the whole, skin care starts with effective antioxidants like Vitamin E. With proper use of agents like these, your skin will be kept youthful, acne and wrinkle-free.

http://www.hair-n-skin-care.com/articles/250/skin-care-treatments/vitamin-e-oil-for-skin-care.html