Like to try before you buy?  So do we.  Women–much more so than men–like to see, touch, feel, smell a product before they buy it.  That’s why we are now offering free samples of ZO Skin Health products, as well as a brochure which gives an overview of the anti-aging line.

Sampling is especially valuable for people who:

* want to try the new Radical Night Repair Plus.  Note that the sample jars are not totally occlusive to light or air–so the sample will have lost some of its potency.

* may be sensitive or allergic to certain ingredients.  Dab a little behind your ear to test sensitivity.

* want to test the product under cosmetics or before a workout.

* can’t afford to buy every product, so want to determine which products should take priority.

* want to try something new–like applying the product to your neck or decollete.

You can order your free samples at https://www.zoskinhealth.com/free-samples.html.  We’ll give you up to five free samples of whatever products you want (pay only $4.95 to cover the costs of freight and shipping).  Each sample is enough for 2-3 applications.

Help yourself!

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“Keep your eye on the ball.” It’s such a simple concept, but the words are repeated from the little leagues all the way up to major league baseball. Why? Because focus is crucial, not just with sports, but with any industry in which excellence is sought. So, why trust a skincare company that’s got its eye on five other balls, from fragrances all the way to fashion? Dr. Zein Obagi’s focus is your skin. Always has been, always will be.

You won’t ever find yourself browsing the cosmetic counters and coming across a hot new mascara with the ZO Skin Health logo on it. Nor will you stumble across our new shampoo and conditioner at your corner salon. We respect the two fields, but prefer to play the game for which we’re known. The game Dr. Obagi transformed.

If a skincare company has real integrity we’d think they would want to do the same. That’s why we’re left scratching our heads when we see supposed reputable skincare brands manufacturing makeup brushes, eau de parfums and nail polish.

What’s even more insulting are those who trespass into our territory from a department that doesn’t share a single common denominator with skincare. We can’t count how many fashion designers have woken up one morning and decided to stamp their name on a collection of skincare products. The most comical to date, however, would have to be the luxury jewelry brand that recently put out everything from eye cream to cleansers. We’re still trying to figure out the four C’s of skincare.

If you’d rather not deal with brands that are distracted by potential profits in other industries than you’ve come to the right place. We always have our eye on the ball: your skin.

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If you had heard the words “anti-aging” five years ago you probably would’ve thought of protesters outside a retirement home before you thought of the beauty industry. Today, however, it’s a household term. Personal care and cosmetic brands are hailing the anti-aging bandwagon and will do anything to jump aboard. But, how many of them deserve a ride?

We recently came across an anti-aging fragrance — yes, fragrance — that claims to make you SMELL youthful. Like us, you’re probably wondering what youth smells like. Well, pink grapefruit, mango, pomegranate and musk, of course. The same ingredients half the fragrances on the cosmetic counters contain.

There isn’t a personal care or cosmetic item too far-fetched for the anti-aging stamp. Nail polish has thrown its hat into the ring. Mascara wasn’t far behind. We’re waiting for deodorant, lipstick and mouthwash to get in on the game.

Those are just flat-out ridiculous examples, but other products trying to encroach into the niche we’ve mastered make a more convincing case. For instance, toothpaste. We all know teeth lose their strength and whiteness as we get older. Hair care products also have some legitimacy. Your mane slowly becomes a mop over the years. But, guess what? People who have the misfortune of aging teeth and aging hair have the good fortune of veneers and Raquel Welch wigs.

Let’s face it: Skin is the hands-down most telltale sign of aging on your body. Unlike your hair and teeth, you can’t put on a new face. Not even with the best plastic surgeon money can buy. That’s why skincare lines with ingredients recognized by the FDA to fight signs of aging are legitimately entitled to the anti-aging label.

Dr. Zein Obagi and ZO Skin Health can help you fight aging, but we can’t help you sort through all the anti-aging claims. Exercise wise consumerism. Your skin will thank you for it.

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The number one ingredient in most skincare products (even the high-priced ones!)  is — you guessed it, water!

Water, of course, is excellent for your skin — especially if it is supplied from the food and water that you consume.  Water that is applied to the surface has much less value.

Water is a principal ingredient in most moisturizers, and does in fact help to plump the skin (thereby helping to smooth and hydrate the skin).  But, of course, it won’t affect a real change in your skin.

And, there are several other problems with water.

1. Most creams and lotions take up to 30 minutes to be fully absorbed by your skin, and during that time, much of the cream evaporates.  So, before your skin can derive any benefit from the active ingredients in the products, the cream has evaporated.  (Sorry to tell you this, but it’s the truth!)

2. Water, of course, dilutes.  So the more water you put in a cream or lotion, the less effective the product will be.

3. The addition of water to a skincare formula requires adding a micro/bio preservative system.  That’s why parabens are frequently used, in very low concentrations.  Are parabens OK?  Yes, I believe they are.  But we can live without them.

Those three reasons are why I’m partial to developing anhydrous (water-free) formulas — like in Oclipse sunscreen and my new Radical Night Repair Plus. Water-free formulas deliver a much greater punch.

Should all skincare products be made without water so they’re extra-potent??  No.  Over-stimulating your skin will cause irritation.  Give your skin cells time to rest and recover.

**Remember to be careful applying Radical Night Repair Plus — it is much more potent that other products that you have tried. Please follow label instructions, and begin gradually.

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May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. To celebrate, we asked our Facebook fans and Twitter followers to tell us how “aware” they’ve become over the years. Yes, we wanted to hear all the great habits they’ve adopted to prevent skin cancer, but we also wanted to hear all the stuff they look back on with regret, too — just to show how far we’ve all come.

Let’s just say we have a very honest group of followers. Take a look. And, remember: Dr. Zein Obagi insists that SPF is your best defense against aging, too. Apply it liberally for its many benefits.

1. PAYING THE PRICE: Becky regrets spending more money on her tanning salon passes than her skincare products in the early ’90s.

2. STYLE SOLUTIONS: Karen is proud to carry umbrellas and sport trendy hats to protect herself from the sun’s damaging rays.

3. THAT’S (NOT) AMORE: Tanji can’t believe she once told friends she didn’t have to worry about skin cancer because her Italian skin wasn’t susceptible burning.

4. GREASE ISN’T THE WORD: Liz can’t believe she used baby oil in place of sunscreen as a teenager.

5. WHAT’S UP, DOC?: Felicita is glad she knows enough about skin cancer to schedule a dermatologist appointment whenever she or one of her kids gets a strange mole or spot on their skin.

6. BURNING BED: Kirsten wishes she didn’t believe the people who told her tanning beds were safe because they didn’t have UVB rays. Forget about the powerful UVA rays to which she was exposing her skin!

7. CHECK PLEASE: Elizabeth wears her SPF with pride and visits a dermatologist once a year for a mole check, just to be safe.

8. FAIREST OF THEM ALL: Lea is thrilled that she learned to love her fair skin and no longer needs a tan to feel pretty.

**Join the conversation! Follow us on Twitter here and become our Facebook fan here. Or just leave us a comment right here and let us know how you’ve increased your Skin Cancer Awareness over the years.

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We recently asked our Facebook fans to share with us their ONE skincare wish. The “wishes” were as diverse as the women themselves. What many of them didn’t realize is that they can easily make their own skincare wish come true.

ZO Skin Health’s founder, Dr. Zein Obagi, thinks of skin like algebra. Every problem has a solution. Here, we follow-up where we left off Friday, and show the ladies who replied to our Facebook post the cause and solution to their skincare wishes. Take a look. And, to participate in our future Facebook conversations, follow us here.

ARLENE’S WISH: To find one moisturizer for combination skin (super oily and super dry).

Cause: Other than the weather, this can be caused by aging and hormonal changes. Some people start out with dry skin and then develop combination skin when puberty hits. Others start with oily skin and develop combination skin when hitting their 30’s.

Solution: We want to create a balance, to dry out the oily parts and hydrate the dry ones. Ommerse Daily Renewal Crème might just be your answer. It provides the excellent hydration your dry areas need, but the Hyaluronic Acid controls the oiliness, too.

KATHLEEN’S WISH: To get rid of dark spots.

Cause: You can usually blame sun exposure for age spots that aren’t brought on by a medical condition, like melasma.

Solution: SPF will help ward off new ones (the beauty experts never stop raving about Oclipse), but to work on existing age spots, our Daily Power Defense helps to fade their appearance. Its two forms of Vitamin-C make it work overtime, even lightening up unwanted freckles.

KATHLEEN’S SECOND WISH: To get rid of wrinkles.

Cause: The older we get, the more inactive our skin cells become. When they go dormant, the signs of aging emerge.

Solution: Wake up those skin cells! The best weapon you’ve got against dormant skin cells is Retinol, the only ingredient the FDA recognizes for stimulating collagen and elastin. It’s a hero ingredient, which is why Radical Night Repair Plus is a superhero product. It contains 10 times more Retinol than the competition.

**A special shout-out to Teresa, who had a wish, but has found what looks to be the solution in the ZO products. Glad your dark spots are improving, Teresa!

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We asked our Facebook fans a question recently that garnered great feedback. “If you had one wish, what would you change about your skin?”

We got the impression most women make this wish every morning. The replies rolled in quickly and were clearly defined. And, each was different from the previous one.

Why did we ask? To help grant the wishes, of course. So, Facebook fans, here you have both the cause and solution to your skincare concerns. Check back Monday for part two.

Katie’s wish: More even skin tone

Cause: Aside from genetics and hormonal changes, diet (excessive sugar causes inflammation), irregular sleep, sun exposure and fragranced cosmetics are the culprit here. Alcohol ingredients, combined with sun exposure, will create uneven skin tone in no time. That’s why many women have red blotches on their necks, where they spritz their perfume.

Solution: Our DNA Kit and Exfoliating Polish can improve the entire unevenness in three weeks. Together, these products will turnover old skin cells and prevent future photodamage. We repeat, three weeks.

Xochitl’s wish: Get rid of dry patches during winter months

Cause: Less humidity in the air during colder months and dry, heated air indoors dry out your skin. Washing with hot water only exacerbates the dryness. Skin cells go dormant and accumulate at the surface of the skin, causing dry, flaky skin.

Solution: DO NOT over-moisturize. The answer here is exfoliation. You want to get rid of the old, inactive skin cells and generate new, healthy ones. Don’t wash with hot water and use Exfoliating Polish. You’ll notice an instant difference.

Lauren’s wish: Get rid of dark circles under her eyes

Cause: Besides genetics, particularly if you descend from India or the gulf countries, causes are usually sleep-related. Don’t overdo or underdo it. Sleeping on your stomach and excessive salt intake can add puffiness to your problems.

Solution: Sufficient sleep and Intense Eye Repair will do the trick. Optical diffusers reduce the dark circles and peptides make the skin stronger. Dr. Obagi called it Intense Eye Repair for a reason.

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Female soldiers make huge sacrifices for our country every day. When we at ZO Skin Health found out we could curtail just one of those sacrifices, we jumped on it. We’re proud contributors to Operation Courage is Beautiful, a program that sends more than 2,000 female soldiers the personal care items they once took for granted, but now think of as luxuries.

We’re not talking shimmering body bronzer here, folks. These are items as basic as body lotion, lip balm, conditioner, moisturizer and sunscreen. Security concerns prevent female soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan from purchasing them so they go without.

Sure, they’re soldiers with as tough a temperament as their male counterparts, but they’re still women. They still have that feminine desire to maintain their physical appearance. But don’t take our word for it. Let them tell you.

“It is nice to get items that give you a feeling of being back home and of being stylish in this environment,” said Ti’Akka R.J., who is stationed in Iraq.

Her colleague, Amy, agreed. “I very much enjoyed the girly products,” she said. “Little did I know how much I would miss that stuff while deployed.”

Another soldier said it’s people like us that make her service worth her while.

This, plus the fact that the son and daughter-in-law of our customer service manager Sue Munz are both in the Navy, made Operation Courage is Beautiful a no-brainer for us. But it doesn’t stop here.

Our servicemen and women hold a special place in our hearts at ZO Skin Health. Our founder, Dr. Zein Obagi, has quite a history in the U.S. Navy. He joined the Navy shortly after moving to the United States. From ’75-’80 he served as a medical officer. From ’80-’81 he was a dermatologist in the Naval Hospital.

This is why we’re taking our involvement further than just product donations; now we’re helping to defray the shipping costs so this program can continue. Dr. Obagi’s service was integral to his status as a world-renowned dermatologist today. He was honored to serve his country and is honored to make a small, yet significant difference in female soldiers’ lives today.

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What do you like best about your body lotion? If your answer has anything to do with the smell of vanilla, brown sugar, lilacs, roses, tangerine or watermelon then you’re using the wrong lotion.

Dr. Zein Obagi wants you to have a long list of things you like best about your body lotion and he wants them all to do with the way they make your skin LOOK and FEEL.

That’s why he formulated Body Emulsion. It hydrates, firms, fades dark spots, smooths the rough patches and improves fine lines and wrinkles. Yes, all that.

Like all the products he’s known for, this one finds a way to bend the rules in your favor. For instance, Lactic Acid is an essential body lotion ingredient because it exfoliates and moisturizes. Prescription strength products use a 12 percent concentration of Lactic Acid. So, take a stab at the concentration Dr. Obagi uses in his over-the-counter Body Emulsion? The absolute most he can get away with: 11.5 percent.

He’s like the boss who hires you at the company’s salary cap-off or the coach who won’t stop until he gets that grand slam out of you. Dr. Obagi gives you his best because he wants the best for your skin.

Even his dry-skin patients — for whom he used to write AmLactin and LacHydrin prescriptions — now prefer Body Emulsion.

Here’s the low-down: You can use it regularly, but two times a week will suffice. If you apply it just after shaving, expect to feel a sting. It’s that 11.5 percent Lactic Acid doing its thing.

Use it for a couple weeks and then get back to us on what you love most about your lotion. Here’s something you can add to the list right now: With every Body Emulsion purchase you get a free mini Daily Hand Repair! Click here to find out the fabulous effects of this one.

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If you know how to do five things at once, most business professionals would refer to you as a fine multitasker, but you know better. You know it actually means you’re a fine example of today’s modern woman. You know that to get everything you want out of life, multitasking isn’t a choice, but a requirement.

The same can be said for your skincare. To get everything you want for your skin, your products simply must multitask. If anyone can appreciate this concept, it’s today’s modern woman: YOU.

That’s why Dr. Zein Obagi created products like ZO Skin Health’s Oraser Body Emulsion. Similar to your Blackberry, it accomplishes a multitude of tasks at once. We’re talking hydration, exfoliation, hyperpigmentation reduction, wrinkle prevention and wrinkle reduction. How? The ingredients are your personal skincare dream team: Retinol; Lactic Acid; Glucosamine; Vitamin E and Coenzyme Q10.

Dr. Obagi formulated this product with supreme efficiency because he could. When he sees an opportunity to give you the kind of product that works as hard as you do, he seizes it. He firmly believes that if skincare companies truly want your skin to have it all, they need to start giving it their all.

That was his thinking when he formulated Oraser Daily Hand Repair SPF 20. This product is a workaholic. It improves age spots, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. At the same time it’s protecting your hands from free radicals and blocking UVA/UVB rays. Oclipse Sunscreen + Primer SPF 30 gives 200 percent, too. It protects your face from the sun’s harmful rays AND acts as a primer under your makeup. We’re not done. On top of that, it’s tinted, so that natural glow you’ve got? You’re welcome.

You know what it’s like to work hard. Isn’t it time you knew what it’s like for something to work hard for you? That’s what we thought.

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