Beauty Supplements for Hair, Skin and Nails

What does Andrew Zimmern say? "If it looks good... eat it."  Hmm, good advice.  I usually say "If it will make you look good, eat it."  That's precisely the point of the products I have examined over the past few months.

Now we all know that proper diet, exercise and sleep are essential to maintaing optimal beauty.  You can forgo the expensive spa treatments (although they are quite luxorious), the expensive plastic surgery (although we all need a little extra help every now and then) and skip the overly-pretentious hard to pronounce skin care products (even though the very thought of using the same creme that Kerry Washington and Cate Blanchet uses just tickles our fancy), and work on our outer appeal from the inside out.  You know, the method that requires discipline.....

The cosmetics market has seen an explosion of beauty supplements (I have to use the word supplements because they are 'not evaluated by the FDA- but they screw up all of the time, don't they??) that all claim to do everything from reverse the aging process to give you ankle-length hair. But are these products worth their grain in salt?

I wholeheartedly believe in anything natural that works from the inside out-- who said everything that we do has to involve a laser, a knife or a compound?  And as we know in ATL, beauty is definitely skin deep.

For the past few months, I have checked out the following supplements with the skepticism of a woman who has little money or time to spare on bogus treatments.  What I discovered even surprised me.  Ranging from the moderate to the downright pricey, I would recommend these products to anyone who is disciplined enough to take these everyday (or according to the directions) AND combine them with proper diet and exercise.  If you live in ITP or better yet, Buckhead or above live me, then that pretty much means everyone.  Good luck.  You have your work cut out for you.

ACNE SUFFERERS
Oh, how I emphathize with you.  Apparently, I am not done with puberty, so I do have to see a dermatologist and receive topical (sometimes chemical) treatments. However, it is my understanding that acne is primarily hormonal, and that it can be treated or controlled by having a firm grip on the fluctuating hormone levels in you body. So why supplements?  Well, if you figure all of the hormones we have naturally occuring in our body, plus the ones we place in our body from the foods we eat, we're creating a nasty environment perfect for those little uglies to breed. So why not ingest something that helps maintain hormonal homeostasis? (See why diet plays such an important role in beauty?)  I have used Murad's Pure Skin Clarifying Dietary Supplement before and have been very pleased with the results. It helps fight acne with such ingredients as Vitamin A, Zinc and antioxidants. While I know my skin is glowing, smooth and breakout free because I also use prescription products, I do notice that I have less flare-ups, especially during stressful times. Murad can be purchased at Sephora (Lenox or Perimeter) for $43.

BEAUTIFUL HAIR, SKIN & NAILS
Now I just can't stop at Acne-prone skin. A lot of the beauty supplements on the market are maintenance products- they help maintain your best accessories- hair skin and nails.  I have examined two: Beauty Scoop and Glowelle.

Now, I tried BeautyScoop for a few months, and found myself not only with stronger nails, but my hair was not as dry and I had more energy. I was superficially fit!  The only downside is the price: $95 for a 21-day supply. You also have to buy the product from its website- I have not found a store in ATL that carries it.
 

Glowelle is great because this supplement is created in the form of delicious pomegranate/lychee and raspberry/jasmine drinks (martinis, anyone?). Both contain high antioxidant nutrients and are made with 100% natural ingredients. Both drinks are 100 calories.  Dubbed as the ultimate beauty drink ditary supplement- I can enjoy these flavors even if they didn't do anything for my skin, hair and nails!  What is so wonderful and unique about Glowelle is that it takes overall health into consideration- suncare, aging, moisture- everything.  It also seems to take a more holistic approach to skin care than BeautyScoop- which is always nice. Glowelle is avaible at Neiman Marcus (Lenox). A 6-pack is $42.