There’s no limit to what Americans will do for the perfect smile - no spending limit, at least. In 2006, the average cosmetic dental patient spent $5,460 dollars on fixing their teeth while others paid well over $20,000. Invisible, removable aligners were purchased for $10,000, one-visit crowns went for $1,500 and gummy smiles were un-gummed for $300 dollars a tooth (there are 30 in your mouth). Checks were written, cards were swiped, gloves were pulled on and dentists throughout the country raked in the money.

For the less-wealthy Americans, whitening their pearly whites simply wasn’t doable in the United States, and so they traveled to Mexico, where dental work is about four times cheaper. They flocked from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii to the numerous border towns, now bursting with inexpensive dentists, and the dentists, in turn, moved their offices a little closer to the United States line, making travel a little more convenient.

But what are you to do? You have neither the cash nor the passport to fix your teeth, and you doubt the situation will change any time soon. Are you, then, doomed to have a hideous grin, darkening the nation’s otherwise pearly white sparkle?

Not at all, because what the spenders and travelers are forgetting is that you can create a gorgeous grin for little money right at home. No, you can’t make a crown or replace a tooth, but you can whiten those teeth and care for them in a way that will prevent the decay that leads to cavities, plaque and garish gaps. Begin with proper oral hygiene, brushing and flossing at least twice a day. Use whitening toothpaste to further your efforts, and replace your toothbrush regularly. Avoid tobacco and excessive amounts of coffee, tea, alcohol and soda - all are known to stain your teeth. If you want a homemade remedy, try rubbing mashed up strawberries, an orange peel or lemon juice with salt over your teeth. Or, go for the traditional combination of baking soda, salt (just a dash) and vinegar (just a splash).

You don’t have to spend frightening amounts of money or travel to another country to achieve oral health. You only have to go as far as your bathroom and maybe your local store, depending on what’s inside the medicine cabinet.

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	Biotene Dental Oral Balance Mouth Moisturizing Toothpaste - 4.5 oz.
	Nature’s Gate Whitening Gel Toothpaste - 5 oz.
	Jason Natural Products Toothpaste Healthy Mouth Tea Tree Oil Whitening Flouride-Free - 4 oz.

The typical woman spends a lot of time and money trying not to age, or at least trying not to appear that she’s aging. She purchases bottle after bottle, cream after cream and vitamin after vitamin. She applies, she waits and she watches. If nothing happens, she starts the process over again, depleting the product at warp speed and emptying her wallet to buy more, determined to see a change. She becomes fiercely loyal to the ineffective item and, as a result, wastes inordinate amounts of money on something that won’t do her a lick of good.  And that’s a shame, because if she would step away from the useless tube on her counter, she would see that there are actual products on the market that produce actual results.

Aubrey Organics’ Lumessence rejuvenating eye crème with liposomes is one such product.  It is made with wheat and oat proteins, herbal oils such as aloe vera, evening primrose and white camellia, and three different liposomes – one to hydrate, one to lock in moisture and one to deliver much needed antioxidants to the skin. It is proven to moisturize and smooth skin while reducing the appearance of moderate and deep wrinkles. And it does so quickly. After just one hour there is a 35 percent increase in moisturizing. Eight hours later, that increase, although not as high, is still present. If the product is used regularly, it is only a matter of days – a few short weeks at most – before a significant reduction in wrinkles is noticed. It truly works, and, as if that were not enough, it is all-natural and vegan approved.

If you are fighting the wrinkles forming around your eyes, stop the fight and start the process of removal. Get rid of the products collecting dust in your medicine cabinet. Pick up a tube of Lumessence. Become loyal to a product that will actually do something for you, that actually deserves your loyalty.

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	Aubrey Organics Rosa Mosqueta & English Lavender Facial Toner - 8 oz.
	Aubrey Organics Vegecol Facial Cleansing Lotion - 8 oz.
	Aubrey Organics Sea Buckthorn with Ester C Nourishing Hand & Body Lotion - 8 oz.

The toothbrush has come a long way since its inception. The days of a simple stick and bristles are far behind us, replaced with elaborate mechanisms boasting an array of colors and multitude of capabilities. You can buy products that not only brush for you but beep when it’s time to move your hand, protect your gums from brutish assaults and signal you when you’re erring. These innovations are not the result of bored engineers determined to better their previous creations. They are signs of our failure, incompetence and general all-around laziness.

Toothbrushes are now designed to be “idiot-proof.” They are being made, so that no matter how ignorant you are of proper brushing practices, you can’t destroy your mouth, which is what you are probably doing every morning and evening.  You’re attacking your teeth as if they had personally insulted your mother, scrubbing with rock-hard bristles and an unnecessary ferocity. Thankfully, you are too lazy to do so for long, stopping after 45 seconds rather than continuing for a full two minutes. And you’re only cleaning what can be seen, eradicating plaque on the front teeth while completely ignoring those in the back. The results are a mouth that hasn’t seen actual hygiene since your last trip to the dentist, which was . . .

If you’d rather not lose all of your teeth tomorrow or have a mouth that mirrors a bad British stereotype, start brushing properly.  Use soft bristles; they are universally recommended by dentists and are much kinder to your teeth and gums. Clean gently with the brush at a 45-degree angle, using short, soft strokes. Don’t forget about the back of your teeth and your gum line, where bacteria like to hide, and last the entire two minutes. It’s not really that long. I’m sure your muscles can take it.

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	Dr. Tung’s Ionic Toothbrush - 1 Brush with 1 Replacement Brush Head
	Radius Source Toothbrush Soft - 1 Brush
	Preserve Soft Toothbrush - 1 Toothbrush

Despite the bevy of beautiful bald men (Vin Diesel, Taye Diggs, Chris Daughtry, Bruce Willis, Sean Connery etc.), most guys are terrified of losing their hair,  even more so than of losing their sexual prowess. They spend hours inspecting their scalps, convinced that the few strands in the shower are more than the result of natural hair loss. An innocent comment about receding hairlines sends them searching for the Rogaine. Hats, wigs and misguided comb-overs are employed to hide growing patches, and prayer is rediscovered as a last-ditch prevention method. But rather than relying on God and never-going to-work hairstyles, there may be something guys can do to prevent or at least put off their cue-ball future: stop smoking.

A study of 740 Asian men found that smoking significantly sped up the development of moderate to severe hair loss.  Men who had 20 or more cigarettes a day were far more likely to notice a bare head than those who didn’t. And this is particularly disconcerting because Asian men don’t often experience baldness, so when something makes it fall out readily, guys who are prone to baldness (Caucasians) should definitely pay attention. Hair is already in the sink; there is no need to add to it. Continue Reading >>

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	Country Life Maxi-Hair Maximized - 90 Tablets
	Natra-Bio Stop-It Smoking Quit Smoking Aid - 60 Tablets

Every few months I have the overwhelming urge to change my hair. Sometimes, I chop it off, taking below the shoulders to at the ear. Sometimes, I get bangs – side, full, both. Sometimes, I dye it – blonde, Kool-Aid red, green. And sometimes, I do all three. The last, of course, often leads to a traumatic morning after and so I try to keep those incidents to a minimum. This time, I decided to dye it using Herbatint’s Vegetal Color.

Herbatint produces a line of herbally based hair colors (permanent and temporary), shampoos and conditioners. Vegetal Color is a semi-permanent product, designed to add highlights and color tones to your natural look. It is not meant to lighten or hide grays, and will wash out after six or seven shampoos.

The product is relatively easy to apply. You wash your hair first, using Herbatint shampoo (a free sample of which is provided in the box – very convenient) and then, apply the color to your damp, not soaking, hair. To do this you need an applicator brush, which sadly is not provided in the kit – a minor annoyance that can easily be taken care of with a trip to Sally’s or similar beauty supply store. Once you’ve evenly covered your hair, you don a shower cap and wait for 45 minutes, at which point you rinse with lukewarm water, then style your hair as you normally would. It’s a very simple process- the most difficult aspect being selecting a shade. Continue Reading >>

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	Herbatint Normalizing Shampoo - 6.8 oz.
	Herbatint Herbavita Herba Cream For Women & Men - 3.4 oz.
	Herbatint Flash Fashion Henna Red - 4.5 fl oz

A few years ago, the majority of my social circle was ink-free. Today the opposite is true. Most of the people I know, myself included, have a tattoo somewhere on their body. They vary in size, color, design and meaning, but they are there. This change doesn’t stem from the formation of a tattoo-obsessed clique or the passing of our eighteenth birthdays, but rather from a growing trend. Tattoos have become one of the most popular symbols of self-expression in today’s society. And with this growth in occurrence, comes a growing concern for their safety. 

A permanent tattoo is made by injecting colored ink below the skin’s surface with needles. As with any type of injection, there are numerous risks involved. Improperly sanitized or shared instruments can spread infections such as HIV and hepatitis. Adverse reactions to the pigments can stimulate allergies. Unanticipated scarring and small bumps can occur around the image, and complications with MRIs can result. These dangers are rare yet real, so if you are considering a tattoo, consider the following first: Continue Reading >>

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With 32 caucuses and primaries in little more than a month, this year’s presidential candidates have done nothing but strain their vocal cords. Each day puts them at another rally, press conference, fund raiser or debate. They stand, take a microphone if available, and project until their voices, so exhausted from overuse, fail. They are rendered hoarse, ahem-ing through their sentences and desperate for a quick fix, something to tide them over until they can (in six or seven months) rest silently. You, sitting in your living room listening to the raspy hopefuls, may feel a pang of empathy. After all, your own voice isn’t all the strong right now, either.

You caught a cold a few weeks ago, and your voice has yet to return to normal; you disagreed with a few too many calls last Sunday and are still paying for your Super Bowl screaming; or you have a touch of acid reflux that seems to be affecting your vocal cords. Whatever the cause, you are hoarse, and you’d rather not be, because you need your voice. No, you don’t have six press conferences and a three-hour debate in your future but you do have a presentation, several phone calls to make and three kids to scold. So, how do you get it back?

The possibilities are endless. You could follow in John McCain’s footsteps and swallow a spoonful of olive oil an hour before you next have to speak. You could try Barack Obama’s elixir of hot water, lemon, honey and ginger. You could take the “drink fluids” advice to an extreme as Bill Clinton did when he ran, and down a gallon and a half of water each day. Or, you could heed the advice in the following list and be sure to get your voice back before your 9am presentation:

• Avoid coffee, chocolate, alcohol and mint

• Stay away from the spicy foods

• Limit smoke – first and secondhand

• Drink plenty of fluids

• Don’t whisper; hum

• Keep your vocal cords warm whether you’re inside or out

• And above all, rest; silence is golden

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	Penta Ultra-Purified Premium Drinking Water - 16.9 oz.
	YS Organic 100% Certified Organic Honey - 8 oz.

Diabetes, exercise and heart disease – they go together. If you have the first but do the second, you’ll lessen the likelihood of the third. We already knew that, having remained up to date on current research. But thanks to Japanese scientists, we now have a few more specifics. The cardiovascular aspect of a diabetic’s workout does not have to entail a gym and fancy machinery. It can be as simple as a daily 20 to 30 minute walk. The brisk activity is enough to reduce the risk of heart disease, in comparison to those who do not exercise. So get on your feet, but before you do, make sure that they are healthy enough to support you.

Diabetes patients are prone to foot problems. The disease can cause nerve damage, making the sufferer unaware of pain, cold or heat as it occurs. The skin often dries to the point that the extremity is overwhelmed by rough, cracked patches, and calluses as well as ulcers are more common than in healthy individuals. Moreover, poor circulation robs the foot of its ability to heal and fight infections. When patients take steps to cure conditions, they often cause more complications because of the nerve damage, unaware when they are overdoing a treatment method. It can escalate to the point that amputation is necessary.

Therefore, proper foot care is vital.The best way to do this is to maintain strict attention. Wash your feet daily, drying them completely afterwards. Then examine them for calluses, blisters, cuts, dry patches and sores. Corns and calluses can be filed down with pumice stones, while lotion should be applied to dry skin, unless the area is between the toes. When you’ve determined that all is well, put on a pair of socks and shoes, but make sure the latter fits correctly. Only 17 percent of diabetes patients where shoes that fit properly when sitting and standing. This can aggravate foot conditions, worsening your situation. Measure your feet to determine your true size. Then, go for a walk.

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	Earth Therapeutics Pedicure Pumice Sponge - 1 Product
	Earth Therapeutics Natural Sierra Pumice Brush with Contoured Handle - 1 Product
	Masada Diabease Foot Therapy Cream Foot Cream - 6 oz.

Now, I know you guys only read Playboy for the articles, completely ignoring the various pictures that so rudely interrupt the written word, and as such, may have missed Aubrey Organics’ debut into the Playboy world, but we didn’t. In an attempt to keep its readers as debonair as possible, Playboy recently ran an article entitled “The Four S’s”, which taught men the ins and outs of skin, scent, style and shave.  For each “S”, there was an accompanying photo displaying the best of the best products. And taking center stage in the style section was Aubrey Organics’ Men’s Stock Ginseng Biotin Hair Gel.

As with all of its products, Aubrey’s Men’s Stock hair gel is all-natural, made with organic hair thickeners, biotin, ginseng and he shou wu, a traditional Chinese herbal.  It is the fourth in the Men’s Stock three-step hair care process, meaning it’s the bonus – the extra you can include in your morning ritual to add the final touch of “wow” to your look. It can be applied to dry or wet hair to give you fullness and shine that lasts the entire day. How you apply it and how liberally you use it is up to you, but if you want to follow the advice of Playboy, “run it evenly through your hair to the roots [and] . . . Start light. You can always add more if needed.”

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	Aubrey Organics Men’s Stock Ginseng Biotin Shampoo - 8 oz.
	Aubrey Organics Men’s Stock Ginseng Biotin Hair Repair - 8 oz
	Aubrey Organics Men’s Stock Biotin Energizing Scalp Tonic - 8 oz.

Summer ended, and you breathed a sigh of relief. Sweat-filled days were finally at an end. For a few months, you would have a dry existence, free of pit stains, soaked shirts and tickling beads of perspiration. You could once again lift your arms in public. But you failed to remember that working out and the combination of over-layering with over-heating leads to sweat. You also failed to remember that naturally your body seems to seep more than others. And so for you, there is no end to the sweat season, because you are an excessive sweater.

Excessive sweating affects an estimated eight million Americans.  Liquid drips from their feet, hands, faces and underarms with an abundance that could fill a bathtub, on a cool day. They are plagued with drenched clothing, smelly bodies and gallons of embarrassment. That much perspiration is humiliating and certainly not a topic of conversation, amongst friends or doctors. In fact, I’m willing to bet that you, the afflicted, have never approached your MD about the sweat patches on your t-shirt. Why would you or, more importantly, how could you without blushing bright red and adding to the sweat already dribbling down your back? I don’t blame you, so I’ll talk about it for you. Continue Reading >>

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	Tom’s of Maine Natural Long-Lasting Deodorant Roll-On Lavender - 3 oz.
	Queen Helene Aloe Deodorant Stick - 2.7 oz.
	Avalon Active Organics Wild Yam Roll-On Deodorant - 3 oz.

When you’re feeling light and breezy, your body mirrors your mood. Your skin is a smooth, clear palette. Your hair is full and shiny, and your nails are long, strong and firm. Then, stress hits. Within minutes, pimples erupt on your chin, hair clogs the drain and your nails break without the slightest provocation. You examine your appearance with mounting disgust, wishing that it would return to normal, but it won’t. So you add your dermatological downfalls to the list of reasons for your stress; however, what you should have done is the reverse.

Everyone knows that stress weighs on you physically and psychologically, but few are aware of its effect on your appearance.  The presence of tension, anxiety and all that go with them can send your skin into a flurry of ill health. The increased amount of stress hormones increases oil production, which leads to acne, breakouts and similar conditions. It also lessens your ability to ward off future skin infections.  When mice were subjected to three days of stress-inducing stimulants, they were less able to fight injected infections than their calmer counterparts. But, it doesn’t stop there.

Your hair would rather not be present for your nervous breakdown, so at the first sign of stress, it turns to fall-out mode. Whenever it can, it abandons your head for the drain, floor and brush. You lose it, which is enough to make you start biting your nails or picking at them or rubbing them anxiously over your thumb nail. Suddenly, you are pimply, balding and looking at brittle, distorted nails. It’s stressing you out. Guess what that’s going to cause: More dermatological problems.

See a cycle?

The next time your skin erupts and your hair litters the floor, consider the reasons why. You may have a preexisting medical condition or you may just be really stressed. If that’s the case, take the steps necessary to calm your anxiety. Meditate, exercise, take a bath, find control of your situation and soothe your skin by soothing your soul.

• Image Source: http://images.jupiterimages.com

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	Earth Solutions Stress Less Inhaler -