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Author: Margit Rüdiger

CultureAndCream Author from Munich To travel during my profession as a beauty journalist was never enough for my. Also my six month on a world trip didn't do it. It always attracts me to other cities, foreign countries, on roadtrips and places I don't know yet. But I am not only interested in "culture" and "cream", I am also fascinated by people who have stories to tell .  Such unique experiences I want to share with you.

Fasting Is Not Only Good For Your Figure

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Especially in times of the coronavirus it is important to strengthen the immune system. And here it helps, in addition to vitamins, coenzymes, etc., to repeatedly insert phases in which food intake is reduced. In addition to new power for the immune system, you also lose a few pounds and the anti-aging process is set in motion. Nobody has to fast in the classic way and completely do without any food. Interval fasting or sham fasting are ideal methods that can be easily integrated into everyday life. The president of the German Society of Anti-Aging Medicine (GSAAM) Prof. Bernd Kleine-Gunk explains how they work. Right now it’s especially important to stay healthy. What can I do to strengthen my immune system? We are currently going through a difficult situation. The lockdown does not have a positive effect on our immune system. Many of us work in the Homeoffice, sports studios and swimming pools are closed. You can’t fly to the Canary Islands quickly to soak up the sun. This means that, for example, the vitamin D level, which is extremely important for our immune system, drops. But it also means that we spend more in closed rooms than outside in fresh air. The heating air lets our mucous membranes dry out; viruses have an easy time. Many experts nowaday recommend fasting This is actually the case and we can now also prove through studies that fasting phases stimulate the regeneration processes in the body. In this so-called autophagy cell waste is broken down. This means that old or damaged cells are finally disposed of. This not only strengthens the immune system, but also sets anti-aging mechanisms in motion, and by the way, a few pounds drop off. How exactly does it work? There are basically three factors that make fasting so positive for us. First of all, the gastrointestinal tract is extremely important for our immune system. It is a dangerous barrier for us, because whateverfood we eat gets into our body – also germs, viruses, bacteria, fungi, toxins etc. If you fast, the intestine – and thus a large part of the immune system – is relieved of its task. You also have to know that a large army of immune cells and red blood cells are constantly needed on the intestinal wall to ensure that nothing goes wrong there. However, if these are not needed there, for example because no food is being consumed, they can work in other places, such as in the lungs.… weiterlesen

Für Sie getestet: „Long Lashes“ von Dr. Massing

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Ich verwende öfter mal ein Wimpernserum, wenn ich finde, dass meine Wimpern wieder mal einen Push gebrauchen können. Ich habe auch schon mehrere Produkte getestet. Die meisten waren Flops, und die, die gewirkt haben, enthielten Bimatoprost aus der Gruppe der Prostaglandine, also ein Gewebshormon, das zur Glaukom-Behandlung (Grüner Star) eingesetzt wird. Das Wimpernwachstum war dabei ein Nebeneffekt. So kam die Kosmetik-Industrie überhaupt auf die Idee, daraus ein Wimpernserum zu entwickelt. Das nur nebenbei. Jedenfalls wollte ich es diesmal mit einer pflanzlichen Alternative versuchen. „Long Lashes“ von Dr. Massing fiel mir auf, weil es hormonfrei und vegan ist. Enthalten sind Arginine (Aminosäuren), verschiedene Peptide, Milchsäure, Hyaluronsäure, Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), Biotin (Vitamin H), Extrakte von Silberzwiebel, Gartenerbsen, Sumpf-Helmkraut, Lärchen, Soja- und Weizenkeim. Und das soll meine Wimpern auf Trab bringen? Na schön… Let it grow Ich beginne mit der Anwendung zweimal am Tag und trage das Serum entlang des oberen Lidrands auf. Den dünnen Pinsel gut abstreichen von beiden Seiten, dann reicht die Menge für beide Augen. Morgens wende ich es fünf Minuten bevor ich meine Wimpern tusche an und abends 15 Minuten vor dem Zubettgehen, so dass es genügend Zeit zum Einwirken hat. Zum Abschminken verzichte ich wie empfohlen auf Entferner, die Öle oder Silikone enthalten, um die Wirkung des Wachstum-Boosters nicht zu beeinträchtigen. Nach 14 Tagen sollen bereits Ergebnisse sichtbar sein. Bei mir Fehlanzeige. Doch ich bleibe dran, vielleicht befinden sich die meisten meiner Wimpern gerade in der Ruhephase. Tatsächlich, nach vier Wochen sprießen immer mehr längere Härchen. Vorerst nach sternförmig vereinzelt. Nach acht Wochen ist der Wimpernkranz gefüllt und deutlich länger. Trotzdem sieht es immer noch natürlich aus und gar nicht puppig. Ich habe auch das Gefühl, dass die einzelnen Härchen kräftiger sind und die Wimpern mehr Volumen haben, heißt, dass weniger gleichzeitig ausfallen. Das Serum reicht bis zu sechs Monaten. In letzter Zeit trage ich es nur noch einmal täglich auf, um das schöne Ergebnis zu erhalten. „Long Lash“ von Dr. Massing, 3 ml, ca 50 Euro… weiterlesen

Tested for you: „Zero Waste Cubes“ von Team Dr Joseph

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Hand-made cubes for body, hands and hair in South Tyrol. Soap free. Plastic free. That sounded promising and was worth a test for me. Because 100% soap-free means that the products have all the ingredients of a liquid counterpart, but are not made with a lye, they have simply been brought into a solid form. 100% plastic-free protects our seas and is completely biodegradable with natural coconut-based surfactants. In addition, the cubes are vegan and cruelty free. It almost goes without saying that the packaging for such a product is made of recycled paper. Dice game First of all, I choose the “Radiant Rose Shampoo + Conditioner”. One cube corresponds to approx. 500 ml of a liquid variant. The two-in-one texture saves time. Natural vegetable oils, plus shea butter and almond protein, have an intensive nourishing effect. Argan oil protects the hair cells, and macadamia oil provides the shine. A good combination, but now let’s get to the bottom of it. Can the cube keep up with my usual shampoo? As usual, I wet my hair. I should lather the cube in my hands or directly at the hairline. It is well known that a solid shampoo lathers less than a liquid one. But it takes a long time to foam the cube with water in your hands. Rubbing my head with the hard edges seems even more uncomfortable to me. However, once you have made enough substance liquid, washing works well. After a thorough rinsing, my hair feels clean and is hardly „knotted”. So the conditioning worked. Even so, I’m not a candidate for a solid shampoo. I will probably use “Radiant Rose” on the body because it smells wonderfully natural of roses. On the other hand I found the “Green Grace Body Wash” with vegetable oils and rose hip extract super pleasant. The hardness of the cube didn’t bother me this time. On the contrary, it gives the feeling of a light massage. „Earth First Zero Waste Cubes“ von Team Dr Joseph, 60 g, ab 14 Euro Photos: Team Dr Joseph… weiterlesen

Who really Needs a Scalp Peel?

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They seem to be becoming the latest trend product in hair care. Almost weekly new ones come onto the market. Another clever marketing move? Or really a must for beautiful hair? I am a bit confused. With a feeling of dryness and dandruff, I personally still see a certain sense in it, but does a healthy scalp really need to be peeled regularly? Peelings are sufficiently known for face and body. Through gentle rubbing, dead skin flakes are dissolved and blood circulation is stimulated. The effects on the scalp should be exactly the same: deep cleansing, increased blood circulation and supply of care ingredients. Why deep cleaning? Isn’t a shampoo enough? The answer: Not always, because dirt and dead cells accumulate on the scalp, as well as residues of styling products. Together with silicone from shampoos and other care, they can cause so-called build-ups on the base and hair. They weigh the hair and flatten it. Scrubs dissolve such build-ups. The effect: The pores of the scalp can breathe again and active ingredients can be absorbed better. In addition, the treatment is equivalent to a gentle massage that stimulates blood circulation. Just like the scalp massage at the hairdresser. What happens is that the fresh blood, rich in oxygen and nutrients, reaches the hair roots and thus supports growth. The scrubs contain additional active ingredients, such as anti-inflammatory substances such as tea tree oil, which are adapted to the needs of an irritated scalp. Minerals such as alumina provide the hair roots with nutrients. Avocado oil or apple extracts moisturize and are intended to regulate the production of the sebaceous glands. This, in turn, means that the hairline re-grease less quickly. However, the actual peeling effect is achieved by fine grains of sand, sugar and sea salt. Exfoliating shampoos, such as those found in anti-dandruff hair care, contain increasingly enzymes instead of solid grains. We know these from facial care, where enzymes are often combined with salicylic acid. But does a healthy scalp actually benefit from regular peelings? We asked the L’Oreal hair expert Stefan M. Pauli: Do I need to buy for myself a scalp peeling right now? It is definitely a problem-solving product. However, If you have no problems and don’t over-style your hair, you should prefer a good shampoo and a cure or serum if you want to do something good for your scalp. Does peeling help with dry scalp or dandruff?… weiterlesen

Tested for you: Gehwol „Soft Feet Butter“

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My pedicurist lady gave it to me for Christmas. Since then I’ve been addicted to the “Soft Feet Butter Cocoa & Mandarine”. Better still said after the scent. On the cream jar it is described as “wintery”. For me, the enthusiasm is certainly not over with winter. Because the texture is also a real treat. Creamy and soothing for the feet. Cocoa butter mixed with high-quality mandarin peel extract supplies the skin with moisture and makes it supple. Rough soles and small cracks on the heels are a thing of the past. I rarely rave about a product that heavily. Applying lotion to my feet every day used to be a chore, but now I look forward to it every evening. The best way to end the day in a relaxing bath or after a relaxing foot bath. Foot specialist for 150 years The Gehwol products from Eduard Gerlach GmbH, incidentally a family business for 150 years now, convinced me so much that I bought myself a care bath for my feet with almond and vanilla. It contains a so-called wetting agent, which ensures that the care oils are evenly distributed in the water and create a milky, shimmering, pleasantly scented emulsion that provides intensive moisture and protects the skin flora. You can also shower or bathe with the product. The only downer of my new favorite product for the feet is that the “Cocoa & Mandarine Butter” is a limited edition, so only available for a short time. Until next Christmas I’ll have to switch to “Pomegranate & Moringa”. That doesn’t sound bad either. Gehwol „Soft Feet Butter,“ 50 ml, ca. 38 $US photos: Eduard Gerlach GmbH… weiterlesen

My Shades of Gray

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Color fatigue or trend? No idea. Even women who are subject to strict protocols like Queen Letizia of Spain suddenly show gray hair. Gray is no longer nothing, but a color. Switching from full color to beautiful silver streaks is not quite as easy as many women imagine. I did it and I admit in times of Corona and the closed hairdressing salons, I have a clear advantage. “I envy you. You no longer have this constant fuss about the tiresome re-dyeing.” I hear this sentence more and more from women since I switched my hair from allover black to gray. Salt and pepper are called the mixture of light and dark. That’s right, I don’t have to colorize my my regrowth anymore. But the rest of the effort that I have now to do with my hair is in no way less time consuming to what I used to do before. Going grey Just let the gray hair grow how they like it and the new style is ready. It would be nice. But unfortunately that doesn’t work in most cases. Only women are lucky who have never treated their hair with color before. And if they are even more lucky, they really get a nice gray, a gift from nature. But unfortunately this is extremely rare. The rest of us need a good hairdresser who is at your side and also a lot of personal effort so that the gray looks really good and is not just gray. Unless you cultivate a shaggy look, which is somewhere between the shepherd dog and the storybook witch. Whether it looks cool or old also always depends on the gray. There is a friendly ash-barrel gray and also a noble gray, as you often see it on Italian women. It is said that the former black-haired get the most beautiful gray. Such a cool shade of gray that gives it that salt and pepper look. In some cases, it looks like it has been treated with silver. But it is naturally so with the southerners. Not at my place. A very long year It took a good year. The Chinese philosopher Confucius claims “the way is the goal”. But to be honest, I would have preferred a shorter route and a faster destination. But the way to my dream hairstyle was actually long and arduous, which of course was also due to the extremely dark starting point of my hair.… weiterlesen

Tested for you: Eucerin „Vitamin C Booster“

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A few fine lines, especially those above the upper lip, have bothered me for a long time. And vitamin C is known not only to be a powerful antioxidant, but also the key to the synthesis of collagen in skin cells. That’s why I came across the “Vitamin C Booster” from Eucerin. It contains 10% pure vitamin C, ten times as much as an orange, but not too much so that it could cause irritation. They start with formulas over 20 percent. The booster also contains short-chain hyaluronic acid, which helps to reduce wrinkles, and licochalcone A, which enhances the antioxidant effect of vitamin C. What I also like is that the vitamin C is only freshly activated when the dispenser is used, as the water-soluble vitamin breaks down under the action of oxygen. Push the button Press, shake, freshly mixed onto the skin – that’s the instruction. So first I remove the foil from the bottom of the dispenser so that I can activate the pressure mechanism that presses the vitamin C powder into the hyaluronic acid serum. Shake for 10 seconds to mix the two components. Then I squeeze two drops out of the dispenser and apply them over my upper lip. The texture is pretty thin. I have to be careful that nothing drips from my finger. I apply it twice a day. During the day I apply a cream with a light protection filter over it – even now in winter. Vitamin C has the property that it can increase the skin’s sensitivity to light. And I don’t want to risk pigment spots. The booster should be used up within 21 days to ensure its effectiveness. I also notice that the initially whitish serum turns to yellowish towards the end – a sign that the oxidation process is starting. The first bottle is empty, I can’t see any improvement yet. I’ll start with the second from the three-pack. After eight weeks, the lines above the upper lip are actually much finer and less visible. Only a deeper one persists … Eucerin „Hyaluron-Filler Vitamin C Booster“, 8ml, approx 20 $US… weiterlesen

Cashmere of the Best

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Anyone who has ever had a piece of clothing made of pure cashmere on their skin knows that there is nothing more pleasant. Addiction factor: extremely high! It goes without saying that the noble material has its price when you consider its time consuming harvest and production. It all starts with a very special goat in the Himalayas. Cashmere is often referred to as cashmere wool. Strictly speaking, this is wrong, because wool is assigned to sheep in textile production. In contrast, the luxurious fiber, which is so cozy and soft, is obtained exclusively from the fluffy undercoat of the cashmere goat. Their original home is the region of the same name in the Indian-Pakistani border area of ​​the Himalayas. For generations, the Kashmiris have been producing high-quality cashmere goods for the international market. 100% handmade in Nepal “Actually, it was pure coincidence that I came across cashmere,” says the Munich textile producer Moritz Flick, who is selling the finest cashmere scarves, hats and soon also sweaters from the Himalayas on his online portal Bakaree. 100% handmade in Nepal. “During my vacation in Bali in 2019, I met an Indian and we started talking. His family has been working in the textile trade for four generations.“ Not long after that, Flick flew to Nepal to visit the production facilities and to discuss the first items in the collection. Production in Nepal takes place in several small production facilities around Kathmandu, and only cashmere from the region is processed. Each of the little companies is specialized in one area, i.e. scarf production, dyeing/laundry, hand knitting or knitting. In contrast to the often difficult local circumstances, the companies are very clean, well structured and organized. The workers earn good and fair money and work in an orderly environment under humane conditions. “For me, that was one of the preconditions for our Bakaree project,” explains Moritz Flick. The downy undercoat of the precious goats The hair is “harvested” in spring by combing it out during the animal’s fur change, which can last for several weeks. The hair is either gray, brown or white and can be colored later. Only the fine, soft and downy undercoat of the goat’s hair is used. After all, it is this part that protects the animals from the cold. Approx. 150 grams of the fluff are combed out per animal. A mechanical process known as “de-awning” dehairse the fleece from the coarse outer hair.… weiterlesen

Tested for you: „Bubble Mask Peeling“ from Payot

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Another Payot product in my test series? Yes, it has to be. I just got a sample of it. And I actually tried it the same evening. Why? Because the word bubble made me curious. What do I have to imagine by that? Chewing gum bubbles popping up? Or rather tiny bubbles that wander over my face. I’m curious. Before that, I check the ingredients: raspberry AHAs, blueberry, orange and lemon fruit acids – all light peeling substances. Crackling sensation I spread a thin layer of the pink gel on the still damp skin on the face and neck, the 5 ml sachet doesn’t give any more. I leave out the eye area, as prescribed. At first nothing happens. But then the gel layer takes on a whitish tone in a matter of seconds. First creamy, it gradually transforms into small bubbles. After about 1 minute my face is covered all over with white foam. My skin tingles and tingles pleasantly, and I hear a faint crackling sound when the oxygen-containing bubbles “burst” again one after the other. You know this from the bubble bath in your tub. After a few minutes, all the whites of my face are gone. What remains is a delicate, creamy surface. As recommended, I rinse off the leftovers with lukewarm water after 5 minutes. The tactile check: my skin feels delicate and somehow finer. In the mirror it shows a fresh glow! „Bubble Mask Peeling“ from Payot, 8 mask of 5 ml, ca 34 US$ PHotos: Payot… weiterlesen

“Beauty Sleep” is a Real Thing

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You’ve probably heard the phrase “beauty sleep” so many times that you stopped wondering if it meant much. Well, it does: sleeping the right amount every night is an essential part of maintaining optimal skin health, and there are many benefits of sleep for both your skin, hair and overall health. Sleep is when your whole body does housekeeping to clean up and repair cells—and that includes your skin. During deep sleep, the natural rise in growth hormones repairs damaged cells. These are benefits of deep sleep only – so without the deeper phases of sleep, this won’t occur, and your skin’s daily wear and tear will accumulates.You may be wondering, how much sleep do I need? The answer is between 7 to 9 hours a night. Continual sleep deprivation – meaning less than 7 to 9 hours per night – results in more noticeable signs of aging because the body isn’t able to repair itself. During sleep, blood flow to the skin increases, helping to rebuild collagen and repair UV damage. Sleep deprivation Regular sleep deprivation can lead to wrinkles, sagging skin, and dark circles under the eyes. When you sleep, your body delivers fluids to organs and tissues that need replenishing, and removes excess fluids from other areas – those under-eye bags are pockets of fluid your body didn’t have time to drain. When you get too little sleep, your blood vessels leak a little, mixing with the fluids that are already there and creating dark circles. Skimping on sleep also increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout your body, which causes inflammation. In addition to contributing to signs of premature aging, lack of sleep effects such as higher cortisol levels further exacerbate skin problems like acne, psoriasis, and eczema. The way you sleep This can also affect your skin. As far as your skin is concerned, the best way to sleep is on your back. If you sleep on your side, you should get a skin-friendly pillow, such as silk or copper oxide. Silk is super soft and tightly woven, which minimizes rubbing and those funny-looking skin imprints. It also absorbs less oil and bacteria than cotton does, so it stays cleaner. Copper oxide pillowcases have copper oxide particles embedded in the fabrics. While it sounds far-fetched, the science behind it is pretty solid–copper oxide has been shown to benefit acne-prone skin, and may also help prevent fine lines and wrinkles.… weiterlesen