How To Make Your Eyes White
Dana dares to ask…I read your article about the eye drops that makes your eyes blue. But my question is kind of the opposite. I don’t want to make the colored part of my eyes more blue, I want to make the white part whiter. Is there anything that can do that?
The Right Brain responds:
You could use a product like Visine to “get the red out.” But if you REALLY want to make your whites whiter, you’ll need a more drastic solution like surgical eye whitening. Yes, that’s right. You can now have your eyes surgically whitened.
Eye spy
According to Inventor’s Blogspot, this procedure was developed in the early 1990s by a Korean doctor and since then about 13,000 people have had this operation. The process involves removing the outer eye membrane hat contains dark veins and other discolorations that make your eyes look dingy. After a few weeks, a new, clear membrane grows in it’s place so you’re left with a new bright, white smile. Uh, I mean bright white eyes. Apparently, the entire ordeal only takes about 20 minutes per eye.
If you’re interested, here’s the website for the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute, a Los Angeles based clinic that specializes in this procedure. And it goes without saying that if you’re traveling to California for this operation, you should fly the Red Eye special. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
Would you have YOUR eyes surgically whitened? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
What Does SPF Really Mean?
Brittany asks…Ok, I feel kind of stupid asking this because everyone else probably already know this but what exactly does SPF mean? I mean I know it stands for Sun (Solar?) Protecting Factor but what does that mean?
The Right Brain responds:
As far as we’re concerned, Brittany, there are no stupid questions. In fact, you raise a very good question because we think that a lot of people are unclear of the real answer. So, in today’s post we’ll spell out exactly what SPF means.
The ABCs of SPF
First of all, you were close on the meaning of the acronym. SPF actually stands for Sun Protection Factor. This factor is a measure of how much Ultraviolet, or UV, radiation it takes to burn your skin when it’s unprotected compared to how much it takes to burn it when it’s slathered in sunscreen. The higher the SPF value of your sunscreen, the more protection it offers from sunburn.
Now, here’s the tricky part. Many people think that SPF relates to how much time you can spend in the sun. In other words, if you can stay in the sun for 30 minutes before burning and you wear a sunscreen with an SPF of 10, you should be able to stay in the sun for 30 x 10 = 300 minutes or 5 hours before burning. Right? WRONG!
Why is it wrong? Because SPF doesn’t just relate to the duration of sun exposure – it relates to the amount of sun exposure. Time is one factor that contributes to the total exposure level but it’s not the ONLY factor. The intensity of the UV radiation also impacts the amount. For example, one hour of sunlight at 9:00 in the morning is equivalent to 15 minutes of sunlight at 1:00 in the afternoon. So if you’re only looking at how long you’re out in the sun you might drastically under estimate how much sun exposure you’re really getting. Geography is another factor: sunlight is more intense the closer you are to the equator. And weather is yet another consideration: even though you can get a sunburn on cloudy days, the effect of sunlight is generally more intense when the sky is clear.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
The SPF value of a product does NOT tell you how long you can stay out in the sun before you burn. It only tells you the relative difference between the level of protection provided by different products.
Source: FDA.gov
Do YOU have a favorite sunscreen? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with Brittany and the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
Why Are Products From Lush More Expensive?
Debby asks…I use skincare products from Lush. I love their moisturizer “Gorgeous” but it is rather expensive. Lush claims that this cream is expensive because the ingredients are really expensive. Other companies would sell it at a much higher price. Is this true?
The Right Brain Responds:
From a Marketing perspective, we agree that Lush is a terrific brand – their products have a cool and funky look and feel that you don’t see anywhere else. It’s hard NOT to love this stuff! However, from a scientific perspective, we don’t think that Lush is doing anything that technically special. Let’s look at the example of the moisturizer you gave us:
Lush Ingredients:
Olive Oil, Stearic Acid, Cold Pressed Evening Primrose Oil, Cold Pressed Avocado Oil, Glycerine, Coconut Oil, Fresh Lemon Juice, Cold Pressed Wheatgerm Oil, Triethanolamine , Fresh Pineapple Juice, Orange Flower Absolute, Neroli Oil, Myrrh Resinoid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben
Based on the ingredients, this looks like a good, lightweight moisturizer. The Stearic Acid and Triethanolamine combine to form a soap that emulsifies the natural oils and allows them to form a stable mixture with the water.
Water and oil?
Speaking of water – where is it? Is this product better because it doesn’t have any water and it’s more concentrated? No, because you couldn’t make a product like this without water. So, Lush has made it with pineapple and lemon juice instead, so water doesn’t show up on the ingredient list. Does this make it a better product? Not really. Pineapple and lemon juice don’t have any specific skin benefits when used in this way.
What about the natural oils? Well, Olive Oil is a good moisturizer (not as good as Petrolatum or dimethicone, but it will work.) Same is true for the Coconut Oil. Primrose Oil does contain natural Essential Fatty Acids which are good for skin, but lots of other products use Primrose Oil too.
The other stuff in the formula, like glycerine and the parabens are pretty much standard ingredients you’d see in any skin moisturizer.
The cost of living lush
And what about the price? According to Lush, this stuff sells for $72.00 for 1.5 oz. Does the cost come from the ingredients? Based on what we know about the price ingredients, the cost of ingredients for 1.5 oz of a formula like this would be about $1.00. Ok, maybe it’s $2.00. But it couldn’t be much more than that. That doesn’t mean the company is being dishonest, or any thing like that. As with most cosmetic products the ingredients don’t usually cost that much. The majority of the cost of the product is in packaging, shipping, advertising, manufacturing overhead, etc etc. For what it’s worth, Lush’s ingredients are probably a bit more expensive than most other “regular” brands.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Lush does a nice job of formulating “natural” products but that doesn’t mean that these products work any better. If you really like the way the products feel on your skin and you can afford them, then they’re probably a good deal for you. But don’t spend more money on Lush just because you think the natural ingredients are superior.
The Beauty Brains Beauty Blog Blast
It’s Friday and time to share a few links from some of our favorite beauty blogs. Enjoy!
FutureDerm tells you about the most surprising things you’re doing wrong with skin care.
Hair Thursday has a bridal hair update with photos!
Nadine Jolie is bewitched by Arcona Magic White Ice hydrating gel.
The Dermatology Blog explains what the cherry red spots on your skin really are.
The Beauty Brains tell you why you have to reapply sunscreen.
Is Herbal Essences Shampoo Safer Now?
There was some big news in the cosmetic world when industry giant Procter & Gamble announced that it would be reformulating all of its Herbal Essences shampoos to reduce the level of a known “toxic” chemical.
According to this Cosmetics Design story, P&G made a deal with an environmental activist to reduce the level of 1,4-dioxane in Herbal Essences shampoo to avoid being sued.
Reportedly, the environmental activist group found that Herbal Essences contained 24 parts per million (ppm) of 1,4-dioxane. In California, the compound is allowable up to 10 ppm.
Shampoo Contaminant
1,4-dioxane is not an ingredient companies put in their formulas on purpose. It is a contaminant that is left over from the process that “ethoxylates” surfactants to make them less harsh. (Like when Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is converted to the less harsh Sodium Laureth Sulfate). For more on the safety of shampoos see the post Mid Brain wrote on “Baby Shampoos Are Safer Than Soup.”)
Is Herbal Essences More Safe?
No.
While 1,4-dioxane is nasty stuff, the levels that it is found in shampoos is not high enough to have an impact on people’s health. The thing that environmental activists always seem to ignore is that it’s not just the toxicity that matters…It’s the DOSE that matters.
All chemicals, including Natural Spring Water, can be toxic or lethal at a high enough exposure level. 24 ppm of 1,4-dioxane has not been shown to have any affect on people (or rats for that matter).
Why did P&G Reformulate?
More than anything, decisions in the cosmetic industry are driven by PR. If something is good PR for the company, they’ll do it. If it’s not, they won’t. Herbal Essences has been struggling to maintain market share and this news that it will be “safer” will certainly help boost sales.
Perhaps a clever ploy by P&G?
Although it disturbs me that they have to resort to this kind of fear marketing. It simply serves to make people more suspicious and fearful of perfectly fine cosmetic and beauty products.
But at least it keeps us cosmetic chemists employed.
It does make me wonder however…Why aren’t they reformulating Pantene or Head and Shoulders? They use the same basic surfactants and would certainly have the same level of 1,4-Dioxane?
Hmmmm?
Why Do I Have To Reapply Sunscreen?
Cubelixa’s question…I’ve been wondering about this for quite a while now. What happens to my sunscreen if I apply it to my face in the morning and then go to work (I’m an office girl)? If I don’t do sport and sweat a lot, take a bath or rub my face with my hands, do I still have to re-apply it several times throughout the day or will it protect me just fine the entire day? What happens to it?
The Right Brain’s response:
It’s true that sunscreen needs to be replenished if it’s removed by washing or sweating or rubbing. But that’s not the only reason it needs to be reapplied. Chemical sunscreens actually “wear out” over time.
Sun damaged sunscreens
UV absorbers work by trapping high energy photons in their structure. This process excites the absorbing molecule and causes it to re-emit the energy from the photon in a harmless form. But the sunscreen molecule can only go through so many “absorb and re-emit” cycles before it begins to deteriorate. This is more common in strong sunlight and it’s why you have to reapply more lotion to maintain your Sun Protection Factor. If you’re in the office as you describe, it’s less likely to be a problem for you. U
This WebMD article provides some general details on sunscreen application that may be helpful. And here’s another source that explains that although this photodegradation of of UV absorbers is not fully understood that it can be reduced by adding stabilizing components. For instance, there is some evidence that the addition Mexoryl SX can reduce the photodegradation of Parsol 1789. Sunscreen breakdown can also be slowed down with the addition of other ingredients such as iron chelators or vitamins C or E.
This also helps to explain why you shouldn’t mix sunscreens with other lotions, you may be inadvertently messing up a formula that has been balanced to protect the photo-stability of the active ingredient.