Colours and Cosmetics-What You Should Be Aware (brighter teeth) Of
No commentsBy Constantine Lekendiros
People are weary of artificial ingredients in their foods. The thing is that most people don’t worry about all the artificial ingredients in cosmetics. It is only in recent years that cosmetics have started to carry a full list of ingredients on their packaging.
Making sense of the ingredients can be difficult for the lay person. This is particularly true for colorings, which often go under the guise of numbers rather than names.
In many countries colors in cosmetics are listed as colour index numbers. C.I. numbers are allocated by the Society of Dyers and Colourists. The scheme covers colours used in food, personal care products, cosmetics, household products and fabric dyeing. So, for example you will not normally see tartrazine listed in your lipstick ingredients, but it may be there listed as C.I. 19140. Erythrosine will be listed as C.I. 45430, and so on.
The USA uses a different system: the FD & C colors have been categorized by the American Food & Drink Administration for use in foods, drugs and cosmetics. So in this system tartrazine is FD & C yellow 5, and amaranth is FD & C red 2.
The E Number system is used by the European Community (EC). This is a system of giving code numbers to food additives, some of which are also used in cosmetics and personal care products. This system is also used in some other countries but without the E prefix, so E102 becomes simply colour 102.
All this confusion for the average consumer would not be important, but for the fact that some of these colours are known to cause problems in susceptible individuals. For example, tartrazine (also known as FD & C Yellow 5, CI 1914 and EI02) can cause migraines, itching, rhinitis and agitation in susceptible individuals. Many individuals avoid its use in food, but do not realise how extensively it is used in cosmetics, such as lipstick, and personal care products.
The big worries in terms of colours in cosmetics and personal care products are lipstick, coloured lip balms, lip gloss and lip pencils, because anyone who uses these regularly eats a fair quantity over their life time, but these colours also appear in skin cream, foundation, mascara and so on too. (Remember also that these colours can also be in ‘natural’ cosmetics and skin care products.)
Another worry is that even the ‘experts’ cannot agree on an international ’safe’ list of colours, so that a colour may be allowed in one country, but banned elsewhere. For example, quinoline yellow is allowed within the European Community and in some other countries, but is banned in Japan, Norway and the United States.
As ever, the advice is: keep yourself informed and read the label. Stay informed and make sure you check the ingredients on anything and everything you put on your skin.
For great skin care products go online and get the Lancome Trans Hydrix, the lancome aroma tonic oil as well as the Lancome Impactive and other cosmetics.
Creating The Brilliant Smile You Deserve
AlphaAromatics and Air-Scent (bright smiles)
No commentsBy Romain dell
Fragrance and Air Freshener Industry: Up- or Downswing?
Are people pampering themselves and continuing their standard beauty regimen even during these tough times? Are organizations continuing their orders of air freshener products and odor control products?
Are they budgeting their extraneous funds with a stricter eye? Or perhaps going full steam ahead, stubborn that just because the economy might not be in the best of states, that it will not stop them from continuing with their before-the-downswing-economic lifestyle?
How has the fragrance and air freshener industries been affected over the past few years? Are they on an upswing?
Cosmetic spending most likely varies on product and country. Nordic countries, or countries that have less ozone protection or an increase in UV rays, may spend more on skin protection creams or lotions. European countries with notable fashion industries, such as Italy and France, may be more interested in fragrances and scents.
We cannot forget the green movement, either. Natural fragrance and organic fragrance sales are seeing an increase in spend over synthetic fragrances and aromas, or are at least competing on a more equal playing field.
According to a 2007 Global Insight article, There is also a widespread and growing diversity of cosmetics products for men especially men’s fragrances and a growing demand for natural / organic products in most countries.
AlphaAromatics, based out of Pittsburgh, PA, offers natural fragrances, organic fragrances, synthetic fragrances and scents, scented candles and diffusers for your every fragrance and aromatic need.
Regardless if customers have cut back on non-essential spending, it has not and cannot be eliminated all together.
Part of a Mintel Oxygen Market Report states, Opportunities for growth as the economy climbs out of the recession exist because many consumers have merely cut back on spending on air fresheners, but have not stopped purchasing them altogether. This behavior reflects the importance of air fresheners in American homes.
There are a multitude of restroom and washroom hygiene products, aerosol solutions, sanitizer dispensers, and industrial deodorizers available, but Air-Scent International is a one-stop provider for all industrial cleaning and hygiene products.
Hygiene must be an issue on the fore-front of organizations minds, even during times of economic struggle, just as the continual focus on customer service, increasing ROI, and striving for a balanced budget must not waver during good times or bad.
There will always be supply and demand, and AlphaAromatics fragrance products and Air-Scents air fresheners and odor control products will continually be there to supply their customers demand.
How has the fragrance and air Natural Fragrance industries been affected over the past few years? Are they on an upswing? Extraneous spending may be breaking even, but Alpha Aromatics fragrance products and Air-Scents Air Fresheners and odor control products will continually be there to supply their customers demand.
Creating The Brilliant Smile You Deserve
Choosing Caterers For Your Event (dental care)
No commentsBy jarm69
A traditional method of checking a caterer out is to ask for references. You are quite entitled to do this, and if your caterer objects, then strike him off your list. Once you have a reference, its no good just putting it to one side, contact the named referee and ask for details of work carried out for them by your prospective caterer. Its work asking at this point just what sort of events have been catered for, there is little point in appointing a catering company who specialise in small dinner parties for a couple of dozen people if you are trying to feed 2000 delegates at a major conference.
Once you have whittled your list down to a select few, the next item on your agenda should be health and hygiene. A company may be able to provide the most mouth watering menu imaginable, but if their hygiene is suspect it can still ruin both your event and your reputation, not to mention losing a valuable client.
It is a requirement of most local authorities that catering staff should all hold at the very least a basic or level 2 hygiene certificate. Again any reputable company should be more than willing to furnish you with copies of these certificates for all of their staff. The company itself should have been checked out by their local health department and records of this inspection should be available. Many councils are part of the scores on doors scheme, whereby each catering business is inspected and graded from 0 to 5 stars (some councils use a similar scheme which have unsatisfactory, satisfactory and excellent rather than stars). An initial impression may be that 4 stars (or satisfactory) is quite good. He fact is that you can score 4 stars and have upto 3 failings with your hygiene procedures, so anything less than 5 or excellent indicates a company that is less than fully hygienic.
When there is a vast choice of 5 star caterers to choose from why settle for sub standard operators?
Once you have selected a caterer you are comfortable with its time to choose a menu. This has to be a balance between what your clients would like, and what your caterer can realistically provide. Don’t forget that serving 2000 guests simultaneously isn’t as easy as providing meals for a family of 4 on a Sunday lunchtime.
Its worth involving your client with menu selection, as ultimately they are the people you are trying to please. If you are planning a conference for Asian or Caribbean delegates, they may not appreciate pie and peas all round.
You should also have something in place for those delegates who for religious or other reasons cannot eat you main choice, the most obvious are vegetarians, but you may have gluten intolerant guests or people who have trouble with lactose products. Also some food items such as seafood or peanuts can have severe consequences for people with allergies.
You would be as well taking heed of your caterers comments at this point, he/she will know what can and cannot be done in the timescale you have, and demanding totally unrealistic service will leave your caterer stressed out and you with a client unimpressed with the final result.
A little forward planning and common sense can result in a successful event that does wonders for your reputation, and leaves you with a highly delighted client.
The Author Jason Moody runs Candy Floss Crazy, a company specialising in fun catering for corporate events, weddings and parties.
http://www.candyflosscrazy.com
Creating The Brilliant Smile You Deserve
Food Hygiene: The Importance of Using Different Chopping Boards for Different Foods
By Andrea Flint
Food Hygiene - it’s a topic you probably have heard on televised cooking shows. There is a very good reason to understand the importance of using different chopping boards for different foods. There are some important differences in chopping boards as well, in the materials they are made from.
First, why use different chopping boards for different foods? This is a basic sanitation issue. Any time you cut with a blade, there can be tiny grooves left in the cutting boards. The grooves can harbor germs, and bacteria. It is very important to separate raw from cooked foods, in particular meats and poultry. You should also separate the meat from the poultry. This is accomplished by having several boards available and marked for each particular use.
By cutting raw meat on a board and later using the same board for working with cooked meat, the juices and any bacteria from the raw meat are transferred to the cooked meat, and can cause intestinal problems for the person who then eats that cooked meat. The same is true for raw vegetables. Of course, you would wash the vegetables to rid them of dirt and any contaminants, but with the groove situation and bacteria, you could also transfer the raw vegetable problems to your cooked food.
A far better solution is to purchase several chopping boards. If you have ever watched a certain popular cooking show chef, surely you would have heard him caution regarding the important of using different chopping boards. He mentions the ‘chicken police’ and ‘pork police’, and even has different colored cutting boards for each so they do not get mixed up. This is a great idea you can copy!
You can wash and disinfect chopping boards with soapy warm water, and a light diluted bleach solution. You can re-plane wood boards, and clean with coarse salt. Replace your board when needed. Do not put wood boards into dishwashers or soak them in water. A very light grade food quality mineral oil can be used on wood boards to help keep water out of the grooves.
Second, what about the materials chopping boards are made from? Common kitchen chopping boards are made from wood or plastic. Others are available, made from steel, glass, marble, or corian, but although these may be easier to clean than wood or plastic, they can damage your knife blade edges.
Food Hygiene starts with the importance of using different chopping boards for different foods. It ends with healthy meals and healthy, happy people!
Andrea writes for a kitchen accessories site where you can browse a huge range of cooking products including chopping boards.
Food Hygiene: The Importance of Using Different Chopping Boards for Different Foods (teeth whitening)
No commentsBy Andrea Flint
Food Hygiene - it’s a topic you probably have heard on televised cooking shows. There is a very good reason to understand the importance of using different chopping boards for different foods. There are some important differences in chopping boards as well, in the materials they are made from.
First, why use different chopping boards for different foods? This is a basic sanitation issue. Any time you cut with a blade, there can be tiny grooves left in the cutting boards. The grooves can harbor germs, and bacteria. It is very important to separate raw from cooked foods, in particular meats and poultry. You should also separate the meat from the poultry. This is accomplished by having several boards available and marked for each particular use.
By cutting raw meat on a board and later using the same board for working with cooked meat, the juices and any bacteria from the raw meat are transferred to the cooked meat, and can cause intestinal problems for the person who then eats that cooked meat. The same is true for raw vegetables. Of course, you would wash the vegetables to rid them of dirt and any contaminants, but with the groove situation and bacteria, you could also transfer the raw vegetable problems to your cooked food.
A far better solution is to purchase several chopping boards. If you have ever watched a certain popular cooking show chef, surely you would have heard him caution regarding the important of using different chopping boards. He mentions the ‘chicken police’ and ‘pork police’, and even has different colored cutting boards for each so they do not get mixed up. This is a great idea you can copy!
You can wash and disinfect chopping boards with soapy warm water, and a light diluted bleach solution. You can re-plane wood boards, and clean with coarse salt. Replace your board when needed. Do not put wood boards into dishwashers or soak them in water. A very light grade food quality mineral oil can be used on wood boards to help keep water out of the grooves.
Second, what about the materials chopping boards are made from? Common kitchen chopping boards are made from wood or plastic. Others are available, made from steel, glass, marble, or corian, but although these may be easier to clean than wood or plastic, they can damage your knife blade edges.
Food Hygiene starts with the importance of using different chopping boards for different foods. It ends with healthy meals and healthy, happy people!
Andrea writes for a kitchen accessories site where you can browse a huge range of cooking products including chopping boards.
Creating The Brilliant Smile You Deserve
Key Tips To Easily Maintain Good Oral Health
By Sybil Carver
There are a number of precautions that can assist anyone with preventing tooth decay and oral diseases.One of the simplest things to do is drink fluoridated water and use a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride’s protection is like a shield against tooth decay that works at all ages.
To take care of your teeth and gums, you need to thoroughly brush and floss your teeth to reduce dental plaque which can prevent gingivitis; the mildest form of gum disease. Avoiding tobacco products is important because in addition to the general health risks posed by tobacco, smokers have 4 times the risk of developing gum disease compared to non-smokers. Tobacco use in any formcigarette, pipes, and smokeless (spit) tobaccoincreases the risk for gum disease, oral and throat cancers, and oral fungal infection (candidiasis). Spit tobacco containing sugar also increases the risk of tooth decay for good measure.
Heavy use of alcohol is also a risk factor for oral and throat cancers. When used alone, alcohol and tobacco are risk factors for oral cancers, but when used in combination the effects of alcohol and tobacco are even greater. Try to eat wisely. Adults should avoid snacks full of sugars and starches. Limit the number of snacks eaten throughout the day. The recommended five-a-day helping of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables stimulates salivary flow to aid remineralization of tooth surfaces with early stages of tooth decay.
I know it is difficult to do sometimes, but one of the best things you can do to prevent dental problems is to visit the dentist regularly. Dental check-ups can detect early signs of oral health problems and can lead to treatments that will prevent further damage, and in some cases, reverse the problem. Have your teeth professionaly cleaned as well(prophylaxis) as it is important for preventing oral problems, especially when self-care is difficult.
Diabetic patients should work to maintain control of their disease. This will help prevent the complications of diabetes, including an increased risk of gum disease. If you are taking certain medications that produce a dry mouth, you should ask your doctor if there are other drugs that can be substituted. If dry mouth unfortunately cannot be avoided, you can drink plenty of water, chew sugarless gum, and stay clear of tobacco and alcohol.
Before beginning cancer treatment you should have an oral health check-up. Radiation to the head or neck and/or chemotherapy may cause problems for your teeth and gums. Treating existing oral health problems before cancer therapy may help prevent or limit oral complications or tissue damage.
Additional informative on health issues may be found at oral and dental
Find more on Key Tips To Easily Maintain Good Oral Health
Dental Health for Adults
By Sybil Carver
The generation of baby boomers will be the first where the majority will keep their natural teeth over their entire lifetime. One huge contributing factor would be their having benefited from water fluoridation and cavity preventing toothpastes.
The number of adults missing all their natural teeth over the past 10 years has declined from 31 percent to 25 percent for those aged 60 years and older, and from 9 percent to 5 percent for those adults between 40 and 59 years.Unfortunately, 5 percent translates to an astounding 1 out of 20 middle-aged adults that are still missing all their teeth. Over 40 percent of poor adults (20 years and older) have at least one untreated decayed tooth compared to 16 percent of non-poor adults.
Toothaches are still the most common pain of the mouth or face reported by adults. Anyone who has ever had a toothache can attest to the fact that this pain can interfere with vital functions such as eating, swallowing, and talking. Amazingly, almost 1 of every 4 adults reported some form of facial pain in the past 6 months.
Not only baby boomers but most adults show signs of gum disease. Severe gum disease affects about 14 percent of adults aged 45 to 54 years. Signs and symptoms of soft tissue diseases such as cold sores are common in adults and affect about 19 percent of those aged 25 to 44 years. Millions of Americans are affected by compromised oral health and chronic disabling diseases such as jaw joint diseases (TMD), diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Women report certain painful mouth and facial conditions (TMD disorders, migraine headaches, and burning mouth syndrome) more often than men. More than 400,000 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy suffer from oral problems such as painful mouth ulcers, impaired taste, and dry mouth every year. Hospital patients with weakened immune systems, such as those infected with HIV and other medical conditions (organ transplants) and who use some medications (e.g., steroids), are at higher risk for some oral problems.
More than 164 million hours of work each year by employed adults are lost due to oral health problems or dental visits. The customer service industry employees incredibly lose 2 to 4 times more work hours than executives or professional workers.
Seventy percent of adults reported visiting a dentist in the past 12 months. Those with incomes at or above the poverty level are much more likely to report a visit to a dentist in the past 12 months as those with lower incomes.For every adult 19 years or older without medical insurance, there are three without dental insurance.
Additional informative on health issues may be found at oral and dental Read more on Dental Health for Adults
