DIY recipes
June 22nd, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Sea kelp coral is a fantastic base because it is already full of great stuff. In short, you can’t go wrong! Use it as a mask, by itself, as a one-stop beauty treatment. If you feel like it, add other actives you can find in your kitchen. Examples: a spoonful of plain yogurt (full fat is better) for nutrition and a very mild alpha hydroxy acid exfoliation. Rinse well after your nap, otherwise, the mask will dry as a film that will stretch your skin. Add some fresh pineapple or kiwi puree for exfoliation. Both kiwi and pineapple contain proteases, and your skin will feel fresh and smooth after you…
June 21st, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Looking for a long explanation? Find it here. The short explanation is this: a small chain of amino acids. Yes, you still need to know that amino acids (about 20) make up the proteins that make up our body. Let’s take the myth away from the word “peptide”. No magic in them! The shorter they are, the less they can do (unless we are talking glutathione). Those short peptides advertised by the skincare industry are mostly useless. A few of them can age your skin, but not because of the peptide but because of the copper they carry (run when you see blue!). Where can you find real value for…
April 18th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
One of the most wanted ingredients in skin care is in your fridge. You will find lactic acid at a perfect concentration in plain yogurt (you don’t want the sugar). Lactic acid will give you a nice, light acid peel, just leave it on your skin while you relax. If lactic acid is so good, why doesn’t SAS offer it? We do, in a very special product: alpha/beta exfoliant. Go to our great exfoliant any time, it will do its job in just under 10 minutes. But for a relaxing “spa time”, go for yogurt. Anything you can add to yogurt? Almost any active we sell in Skin Actives, like…
April 11th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Here it is: Essential 2020 Booster 4ml Ingredients Fragrance (Eucalyptus citriodora (Lemon Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil (and) Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil (and) Citrus limon (Lemon) Peel Oil (and) Lavandula hybrida (Lavandin) Flower Oil (and) Eugenia caryophyllata (Clove) Stem Oil (and) Backhousia citriodora (Lemon Myrtle) Leaf Oil (and) Origanum majorana (Marjoram) Leaf Oil (and) Origanum vulgare (Oregano) Leaf Oil (and) Cymbopogon martinii (Lemongrass) Leaf Oil (and) Salvia officinalis (Dalmation Sage) Leaf Oil), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Tocotrienols, Tocopherols, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Xanthophyll, Thioctic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Minthostachys Verticillata (Peperina) Extract. You can also read about these essential oils here Skin Actives Essential 2020 Booster is a blend of 13 essential oils that…
February 9th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The collagen in your skin is a treasure you must take good care of. Collagen on your skin? It could help. Collagen in pills? Not at all. Let’s look at collagen and what it does for your skin. From my book: What is collagen? Collagen is a protein, its very complex fibers (see figure) give the skin resistance to strain and traction. Collagen constitutes about 70% of skin mass, but total collagen decreases about 1% per year. It may look like a small decline, but as such a major component of the skin it will affect skin volume and its physical properties. Also, aging changes collagen structure. What was an…
February 5th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
I know, I very recently published a post about how to take care of your feet after Summer. But then I noticed that at a certain age, (my) feet need care all year round (it’s Winter in Arizona). Let me remind you of the basics: The soles of human feet lack sebaceous glands and. The skin in this area is very thick. 1+ 1 = 2. Thicker skin that produces no sebum will tend to crack. Cracked soles can be painful. If you let it go on without correcting the problem, inflammation and more pain will ensue. Infection is more likely because the skin barrier is interrupted. The cracks…
January 18th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Dear Reader, This is the introduction to my new book “Four degrees of Do It Yourself skin care”. I am assembling the chapters that will deal with botanical ingredients. I welcome suggestions on the ingredients you wish me to discuss in the book. Hannah We get attracted to plant extracts for many reasons. Besides advertising, there are cultural influences (what did your grandmother use when you were sick?), the attraction of the exotic (if it is Korean, it must be better), and even the common name of the plant (dragon’s blood, anybody?). As a scientist, I have to be more careful with how I choose plant extracts as…
January 18th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We get attracted to plant extracts for many reasons. Besides advertising, there are cultural influences (what did your grandmother use when you were sick?), the attraction of the exotic (if it is Korean, it must be better), and even the common name of the plant (dragon’s blood, anybody?). As a scientist, I have to be more careful with how I choose plant extracts as an ingredient for our Skin Actives products. Yes, I look at plants that were used for centuries by different peoples. I read the publications that deal with the ethnological use of the plant extracts, but that is only the beginning. Maybe the ancient people who used…
December 13th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The answer to the question: not really. What matters is the ingredient list and the formulator may have to change the consistency of the product to make sure that the actives are dissolved completely. From my book Types of skin care products Cream: an emulsion of oil and water in approximately equal proportions that penetrates well the outer layer of skin. Both oil soluble and water soluble actives can be used. Creams have a higher viscosity (thickness) than lotions. Lotion: a low viscosity topical preparation. Gel: a jelly-like material that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. By weight, gels are mostly liquid, yet they…
December 11th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Leave fruit or cheese or bread long enough in your fridge and before long it will be covered in mold. This is mold that you can see. Leave yogurt in the fridge long enough and you will even see a film of colorful bacteria growing on it. Long before you see anything, bacteria and mold will be feasting on the food you leave uneaten. That’s good: that is the cycle of life (and the cycle of nitrogen, carbon, etc.). This is the way nature works but it may not be good for you. You may get sick if any of those molds or bacteria produce chemicals that your body does…
October 7th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
You can buy an ounce (30mL) of the following for $245. Ingredients: Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil , Dimethicone , Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride , Water\Aqua\Eau , Trisiloxane , Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil , Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil , Polydecene , Hydrogenated Polydecene , Butylene Glycol , Propanediol , Glycerin , Algae (Seaweed) Extract , Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil , Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil , Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil , Eucalyptus Globulus (Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil , Camelina Sativa Seed Oil , Oxycoccus Palustris (Cranberry) Seed Oil , Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil , Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil , Medicago Sativa (Alfalfa) Seed Powder , Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower)…
September 28th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
At $330 for 4 vials with 0.18 oz each, or 20mL, it works out at $16 per mL. or about $1 per drop. You may wish to imitate it and save hundreds of dollars but look at the ingredient list: Ingredients : Water/Eau (Aqua), Glycerin, Cyclopentasiloxane, Salix Alba (Willow) Leaf Extract, Solanum Tuberosum Extract, Algae Extract-Paraffin, Gingko Biloba Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Malt Extract, Propylene Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Arginine, Phenoxyethanol, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Methylparaben, Sorbic Acid, Tetrasodium Edta, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Thymus Mastichina Oil, Chlorphenesin, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben. (cont. limonene, linalool) Ingredients (translated by Hannah) : Water (solvent), Glycerin (humectant), Cyclopentasiloxane (silicone), Willow Leaf…
September 25th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Why is it worth your while to make a skin care product yourself? I can see two reasons: 1) When what you want does not exist in the market 2) When what you want does exist but it is too expensive. However, first you should make sure that what you want is what your skin needs, and not something that has been pushed on you by advertising. When not to do DIY 1) Don’t make a product so that you can add to it all the peptides that are in fashion. Why? Because such a product is unlikely to benefit you or your skin. If the ingredients are not beneficial,…
September 22nd, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What do your hands need? The same that your face does, plus more! If you compare the skin of your hands with your face, you will notice that the hands are showing off your age even more. Why? They are exposed to UV just as your face is, plus they are exposed to even more stress if you wash them often or, because of your profession you use use disinfecting gels, or if you do the dishes again and again, or, like me, had a lifetime in the laboratory exposed to acids, liquid nitrogen and who knows what else. How does the stress show? Dry skin, mottled appearance, scars here…
September 22nd, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Treat your body nicely, starting with your skin, most of us we will live much longer than an Homo sapiens in prehistoric times. As we age, and the environment works on our skin, what do you see? Scars here and there, wrinkles (but less than in your face), broken capillaries, dry to very dry skin, thinning skin, and more, depending on your genes, your life style, your age. But, first, what is skin tightening? It probably means, for most people, to restore elasticity and firmness to our skin. In more “biochemical” terms, it means to promote synthesis of macromolecules like elastin, collagen and hyaluronic acid, and protect their integrity. And…
September 16th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What’s special about the soles of our feet? They lack sebaceous glands (like the palms of your hands) and are thick. Are these “special” characteristics a problem? They can be. Thicker skin that produces no sebum will tend to crack, especially after alternating between the pool and wearing sandals. This is a tough combination: you are likely to end up with cracked soles, and they may even be painful. If you let it go on without correcting the problem, inflammation and more pain will ensue. The cracks will make it easier for fungus to colonize the area. What not to do: don’t go for aggressive abrasion. Instead, try a moisturizing…
September 14th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What makes an oil “special”? Its fatty acid composition. Why? Because we, humans, can’t make every fatty acid we need, so we must obtain what we can’t make from the outside world, as food or topically (for our skin). What are the so called essential fatty acids, i.e. those we can’t make by ourselves? They are two: alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid). Other fatty acids are considered “conditionally essential”, in the sense that they can become essential under some developmental or disease conditions; they include docosahexaenoic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and gamma-linolenic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid). How do you make…
September 14th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Striae distensae or stretch marks are deep scars caused by the skin being stretched beyond its capacity to stretch, followed by ineffective repair of the damage. Latin does not make them any less noticeable. They may start as striae rubra, which are reddish streaks (indicating increased blood flow), and “mature” to as striae alba, which are hypopigmented atrophic bands. Location: abdomen, thighs, breasts, more or less anywhere when the skin was stretched too fast. What you see is skin that has less elasticity, more roughness, and lower dermal density than normal skin. At the molecular level What you see at the molecular level is that in normal skin, dermal collagen…
August 16th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
If you think that cellulite is a medical term, you are wrong. So, what is it? It is what you want it to be. Or, rather, what skin care companies and plastic surgeons want it to be. We all know what cellulite looks like, but let me assure you that it is NOT a disease. Still, I managed to find a review on cellulite published in a relatively obscure medical journal (European journal of dermatology and venereology, 2000, 14: 251-262). Despite the lack of recognition of cellulite in the medical field, this “condition” managed to gather a few medical-sounding names, like gynoid lipodystrophy, nodular liposclerosis, oedemato-fibrosclerotic panniculopathy and panniculosis. It…
August 11th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
DIY can be a hobby or a passion or just fun. I am for all of those. But please remember that we are talking about our skin, not a T-shirt that can be discarded if the tie-dye goes wrong. It will not save you much money but it will allow you to personalize your skin care products. I would like to start a new series of posts with DIY recipes that make sense: they will be inexpensive, will give you value for money and they will work. And, most important, they will benefit your skin and not hurt it! Let’s start with a Vitamin A companion cream. Why? Because there…