RSS

Tag Archives: Natural Skincare

Doing The Natural Skincare Thing – Moisturising Part 2

Creams

Last time i talked about how, i feel, moisturising is the most important step and some oils you could possibly use suitable for facial use. Today i’m going to be talking about cream emulsions as a choice for your facial moisturising needs.

What is an emulsion?

An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that don’t usually blend together. So in this case, oil and water. Oil and water naturally separates but when emulsified create a stable cream or lotion.

The cons of emulsions

Preservatives

As emulsions or creams and lotions contain water they need preserving. High anti-oxidant ingredients like Rosemary extract, Grapefruit seed extract, honey and vitamin E are good at preventing oils from going rancid and may offer some anti-bacterial properties but they are not enough at keeping bacteria, fungus and other harmful nasty’s from breeding and growing in your creams. These little nasty’s could make you sick or be damaging to your skin and if you really weigh it up a small amount of preservatives in your creams (usually around 0.5 – 1% total) is better than a whole jar of bacteria! But some do prefer not to use creams to avoid having to apply preservatives to their skin. And that’s fine. It really is your choice. There are some good parabens free preservative systems out there now such as MicroKill and Geoguard Ultra that are considered safer than the controversial parabens system currently used by most cosmetic brands.

Emulsifiers

In order to get the oil and water to mix, an ingredient or ingredients known as emulsifiers need to be used to combine them. Most emulsifiers on the market are not considered ‘natural’ at the moment which can be a concern for some. But there are more and more plant based emulsifiers on the market now. Such as Cetearyl Glucoside derived from coconut and glucose, and Olivem 1000 derived from olive oil. Even some emulsifying waxes are plant based, but check the MSDS sheets just to be sure. Animal based emulsifiers are dying out now to be totally honest so that isn’t really an issue now. You could even use BTMS which is the conditioning emulsifier used in making conditioners for haircare. It has a dry powdery feeling to it which is good for oily/shiny faces as it creates a matt finish. Other emulsifiers are slightly greasier and are better choices for normal to dry skin types.

The pros of emulsions

The best of both worlds

Because emulsions contain both oil and water the scope is available to include all the water soluble and oil soluble goodies into one product. To me, that’s a huge PRO! So, things like Aloe Vera Juice/gel, Floral waters, humectants like glycerine, hydrolysed proteins and panthenol as well as the water soluble extracts like Green Tea and Multifruit extracts can all be added as well as all the lovely oils we discussed in the last post. You can blend anything you like and create something truly amazing! To see all the water soluble goodies you could include check out the post on Natural Toners and for oil soluble goodies check out Natural Moisturisers – Oils.

Store Bought

There are some great natural brands out there that are based on natural ingredients like the ones we have discussed already but one stands above the rest for me personally and that’s Liz Earle (of course). The ingredients are good and the performance is great. It is of course up to you and what works for me might not work for you so experiment with brands to see which one suits you the best.

Homemade

Making your own moisturiser gives you the flexibility to tailor make it to suit your needs exactly. If you are interested in making your own cream emulsions, a good place to start learning how is HERE to learn the basics of lotion making and HERE for formulating facial moisturisers.

My own facial Moisturiser Recipe

Now even though my face is oily i have personally found that my face likes a little oil in the moisturiser. Oil-free moisturisers make my face feel too tight and dry. In saying this i just can’t seem to use straight oils as leave-on moisturisers as my face really doesn’t like it. Cleansing with oil is fine as it gets wiped and rinsed off but i can’t leave it on my face without getting negative reactions. So cream emulsions are the best moisturisers for me. I can get the little oil my face likes diluted in a water medium that spreads it out evenly. Adding things like Allantoin and Aloe Vera help to soothe and reduce irritation and adding Honeyquat and BTMS help to condition and soften my skin, for smooth, soft, irritation free skin. Here’s my recipe -

Aloe & Rose Soothing Facial Moisturiser – With Avocado & Safflower Oil and Seaweed Extract

Ingredient Amount (g)

Water Phase
Aloe Vera Juice                20
Rosewater                        28
Chamomile Water             10
Lavender Water                10
Glycerine                          2
Wheat Protein                   2
Honeyquat                        3
Panthenol                         2

Oil Phase
Avocado Oil                       2
Fractionated Coconut Oil    2
Apricot Kernel Oil               2
Safflower Oil                      2
Cetearyl Glucoside             3
BTMS                               1
Cetyl Alcohol                     3

Finishing Phase
MicroKill 1
Vitamin E 1
Essential Oils 1
Seaweed Extract 5

Total 100

Heat the water phase and oil phase ingredients in separate bowls over boiling water. Once melted and hot (70 degrees Celsius) pour the water phase slowly into the oil phase whilst blending with a stick blender. Once emulsified allow to cool down (to below 45 degrees Celsius) before adding the finishing phase. Blend that in well. Voila, your all done! You could also add the oil phase into the water phase if you prefer. The emulsifiers i’ve used allow for either way.

As you can see, i kind of threw the kitchen sink at it. lol. But i have chosen my ingredients carefully, each one bringing it’s own unique benefits into the mix. I’ve included 8% oils in my mix. My face loves it! I haven’t reacted to it yet and i’ve been using it for a few months now so i’m very pleased. Next time i’ll adjust the essential oils to 0.5% (Rosemary, Ylang & Geranium used), take out the rosewater altogether and leave the more soothing floral waters in. I will also reduce the cetyl alcohol to 1%. I like the glide that it gives along with synergistic effects with the BTMS but 3% made it quite thick. I added the BTMS to give that powdery/matt finish and reduce the shine as well as bring in the conditioning benefits. It works great!

This sums up my Natural Skincare Series. I’ve shared with you my own journey on finding more natural ingredients for my facial skincare routine inspired by Kelly of The Kitchen Cupboard. I hope you have enjoyed it and that it’s given you some food for thought on creating your own products or choosing more natural brands that includes some of these ingredients and incorporating them into your own skincare regime.

1 Comment

Posted by mercz on August 8, 2011 in Facial Creams, Natural Moisturisers, Skin Care

Tags: Emulsifiers, Facial Creams, Facial Moisturisers, Natural Skincare, preservative, Recipes

Doing The Natural Skincare Thing – Moisturisers Part 1

10 Jul

Moisturising, for me, is THE most important step in facial skincare. This is what keeps your face, soft, smooth and moisturised all day. It is the last step in the routine so it is important that we get it right. Even if you have a good cleanser and toner, if your moisturiser is no good than your overall results wont be good. Because my toner recipe is very moisturising with the water-soluble olive oil and lovely film formers such as Aloe Vera Juice, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein and Panthenol i found that i didn’t need a moisturiser. So i didn’t use one and just maintained my skin with cleansing and toning. My skin was very happy. But… I wanted to try a moisturiser so i did some research on what ingredients i could use to make up a good, light, non-greasy moisturiser that softened and smoothed my skin whilst being mild and non-irritating.

Oils

The facial skin is the most sensitive of all and great care must be taken when choosing oils to suit your skin type. I have very sensitive yet oily skin and so it’s rather difficult for me to find an oil that won’t be too heavy and that won’t irritate my skin. Here is a list of oils that are low on the comedogenic scale and so are very suitable as facial moisturisers. There are just so many but i’ve listed only a few. Be sure to choose good quality, cold-pressed and unrefined where possible to ensure you are getting all the good stuff to make your skin happy!

For all skin types

Jojoba – light to medium weight – Resembles the skin’s sebum, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial. Contains good levels of palmitic acid and forms a non-occlusive layer on our skin. Contains polyphenols and phytosterols which can help reduce inflammation and itching as well as offering good moisturising.

Olive – heavy – Acts as a humectant, attracting water from the atmosphere to keep skin hydrated. High in Oleic acid and has good amounts of Linoleic, palmitic, palmitoleic, and stearic acids, offering moisturising, regenerating, softening and anti-inflammatory and healing properties. High in phytosterols and polyphenols offering anti-inflammatory, anti-itching and anti-oxidising properties.

Hempseed Oil – light to medium weight – Contains ceremides, which protect the skin, and resembles the skin’s sebum. Considered a dry feeling oil like camellia or hazelnut oil. Contains a good amount of both linoleic and linolenic acid so helps restore barrier protection, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and moisture retainer. Also contains Gamma Linolenic Acid (see Borage Oil below) although a lot less than Borage or Evening Primrose Oil.

For oily or acne prone skin types

Hazelnut – Light. Astringent, high in fatty acids especially oleic. Contains squalene, polyphenols and phytosterols. Great skin softening and moisturising.

Macadamia Nut – Light. Resembles the skin’s sebum. High in palmitoleic acid which helps prevent skin damage and Oleic acid good for moisturising, softening and cell regeneration. Anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and helps to reduce itchiness, redness, and irritated skin.

Grapeseed – Light. Astringent and “hypoallergenic”. High in linoleic acid which helps restore skin’s barrier function and reduces transepidermal water loss. anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory.

For dry or ageing skin types

Safflower Oil – Light. High in linoleic acid. Very emollient, skin penetrating, cell regenerating properties, and filled with good vitamins. Softening and smoothing oil.

Rice Bran Oil – Medium. Very emollient, filled with vitamins, highest amount of Vitamin E, great softening and moisturising properties. Contains a great balance of essential fatty acids which makes it a great all-purpose oil. A great anti-oxidant. Helps prevent skin aging and age spots.

Sesame oil - Light to medium. Restructures and moisturises skin, filled with various vitamins and minerals. Contains a great balance of linoleic and oleic acids. Incredibly high in phytosterols making it great for combatting weather damaged skin, reducing inflammation, and softening skin. Contains lignan, which is the structural backbone for most anti-oxidants. These show anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects.

Peach Kernel Oil – Light. Easily absorbable, fine textured, golden oil with a delicate, sweet aroma. Contains minerals and vitamins, especially Vitamin E. High in oleic acid and contains good amounts of linoleic acid making this a very emollient and moisturising oil with skin barrier protection properties. Especially recommended for dry, aging skin.

Exotic and other oils

Borage Oil – Good for dry skin and winter facial care. Highest plant source of GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) and contains a great balance of essential fatty acids including 11% stearic acid. Stearic acid can help with moisture retention, flexibility of the skin, and skin repair. Effective in reversing epidermal hyperproliferation (when our skin cells generate too quickly) and increasing ceramide synthesis. Also contains gadoleic acid, erucic acid and nervonic acid including ferulic acid which is a very effective anti-oxidant, more powerful than Vitamin E, that can prevent skin aging, reducing age spots, and helps repair light and radiation induced damage. It penetrates the skin to soften and moisturise, soothes wind chapped and sun burned skin, and reduces itching and inflammation.

Evening Primrose – High in Linoleic acid which helps restore skin’s barrier functions, acts as an anti-inflammatory, reduces scaling, and soothes dry skin and itchiness. Contains a good amount GLA which will help restore the skin’s barrier functions quicker than linoleic acid containing oils, reduce Transepidermal water loss, increase skin’s hydration, and offer increased skin flexibility as it is absorbed quickly.

Rosehip Oil – Light, dry and non-greasy. Contains trans-retinoic acid or tretinoin, a form of Vitamin A. Helps to reduce scarring and reduce hyper pigmentation. Used as a cell regenerating, wound healing, and scar lessening ingredient. Studies on photo-aging and scar repair show rosehip oil – used at as little as 6% of a formula – can reduce fine wrinkles causes by UV damage and reduce hyperpigmentation of scars. Contains Vitamin C and Beta-Carotene both of which are anti-oxidants or free radical scavengers. Can offer some reduction of fine lines and signs of photo-aging. Can be irritating to sensitive skin and may cause breakouts in acne prone skin.

Sea Buckthorn – Very high in palmitic acid (35.5%) And palmitoleic acid (36.3%) that is a building block to prevent burns, wounds, and skin scratches as well as the most active anti-microbial in our sebum. It can be used on our skin to treat damaged skin and annoyed mucous membranes. Very high in Vitamin E, and phytosterols good for reducing redness and inflammation and soothing itchy skin. Also high in carotenoids. Studies are showing sea buckthorn seed and pulp oils hold great promise for treated burned, scalded, and radioactively damaged skin, with good healing and anti-inflammatory effects. It can reduce tissue inflammation and accelerate tissue regeneration for first, second, and third degree burns. A study confirmed its use as a treatment for inflammatory atopic dermatitis. A fantastic oil but very expensive oil!

Squalane – Light. Makes up around 12% of our skin’s sebum, so is highly absorbable as our skin recognises it as it’s own. Squalene is a vital part of cholesterol, steroid, and Vitamin D synthesis in our bodies. It penetrates the skin quickly offering softening and moisturising to even really chapped or cracked skin. Helps prevent UV damage to skin, offers cell regenerating properties, and can be anti-bacterial. Makes a great base for facial serums.

Fractionated Coconut – Very light. Also known as caprylic/capric triglyceride. Is highly saturated, so it has a great life span of at least 2 years! Highly absorbable and offers deep moisturisation. A great base for facial oils and serums but can be comedogenic to some skin types (as high as 2 on a scale of 1 to 4).

Avocado – Medium. High in Oleic Acid and tocopherols (Vitamin E). Is easily absorbed by the skin and hair and is great for sunburned, wind chapped or reddened skin, like the other high oleic acid oils. May offer some light sunscreen properties. Contains Vitamins A and D, and phytosterols that will help with itchy and inflamed skin.

Camellia Oil – Light, non-greasy. Similar in viscosity to jojoba. High in essential fatty acids, especially oleic. Is well absorbed by the skin, offering softening, moisturising, and regenerating properties, and offers anti-inflammatory benefits. Contains a lot of polyphenols which offer antibiotic properties. Is easily absorbed and rich in Vitamin A to naturally regenerate the skin. Has excellent skin conditioning properties and presents skin restructuring and moisturising virtues. An excellent choice as a facial oil for dry, damaged skin.

Vitamin E – Pure undiluted. A fat-soluble vitamin which exists in 8 isomers – 4 Tocopherols and 4 Tocotrienols. d-Alpha Tocopherol possesses the highest biological activity of all 8 forms. A powerful anti-oxidant, protecting the skin from harmful free radicals. Also penetrates deep into the cells, helps activate cell proliferation, helps promote wound healing and may reduce UV-induced damage. It is also a powerful moisturiser.

This list is by no means exhaustive but is a great start to making up your own facial oil moisturisers. You can use just one or a blend of oils.

Recipes

Even if you have oily skin like me, you can enjoy the benefits of some of the heavier oils by adding them in at 2-5% in your light oil blends such hazelnut and camellia to reduce their heaviness and still have great absorbability.

A possible light facial oil recipe for oily skin may look something like this

Hazelnut and Macadamia Facial Oil – For Oily skin
Hazelnut oil – 55%
Macadamia Nut Oil – 35%
Hempseed Oil – 5%
Avocado Oil – 4%
Vitamin E – 1%

And one for dry skin

Peach Kernel and Safflower Facial Oil – For Dry Skin
Peach Kernel Oil – 50%
Safflower Oil – 39%
Jojoba Oil – 5%
Avocado Oil – 5%
Vitamin E – 1%

And a facial serum for overnight treatment might be formulated like this

Smoothing Facial Serum – With Sea Buckthorn, Rosehip and Borage Oils
Squalane – 30%
Hazelnut Oil – 30%
Camellia Oil – 10%
Borage Oil – 10%
Rosehip Seed Oil – 10%
Sea Buckthorn Oil – 8%
Vitamin E – 1%

You can also include essential oils in your blends such as Chamomile, Lavender, Patchouli, Rosemary and Geranium which are all good for the skin. Include them at 0.5 – 1% although I’d suggest 0.5% maximum as you don’t want it too strong for your delicate facial skin. I also recommend making up small bottles of say 50ml to 100ml as you only need a few drops at a time.

Join me next time for part 2 of this post where i’ll be talking about emulsified (oil & water) moisturising creams.

4 Comments

Posted by mercz on July 10, 2011 in Facial Oils, Natural Moisturisers, Skin Care

Tags: Facia Oils, Facial Serums, Ingredients, Natural Oils, Natural Skincare, Oil Moisturisers

Doing The Natural Skincare Thing – Toning

08 Jun

Continuing my natural skincare journey, i’ll be discussing what i’ve made up for my own rejuvenating toner.

Natural, homemade toners are quite easy and relatively cheap to make. Distilled Witch Hazel is preferred by most as Kelly suggests in her post on Natural Skincare found HERE. I wanted to make up a toner that would feed my skin some serious nutrients with floral hydrolats/hydrosols and some water-soluble goodies. As i mentioned before, my skin is very sensitive and as much as i would love to use Witch Hazel straight out of the bottle, my poor, easily irritated skin just wont allow me. So i did some research on other floral waters that would make up the base of my toner with the inclusion of witch hazel to dilute it and make it less irritating.

Floral Waters – A Base For Your Natural Toner

True floral waters are a by product of the essential oil making process through steam distillation. They smell really pretty and bring all the qualities of the essential oils they are made from into our toners. Try and find 100% distilled waters as many sold in the chemists and shops have other ingredients like alcohol added. Depending on your skin type would depend on what you put in your toner, but to be honest most toners are suitable for all skin types. Only if you have really sensitive skin (like me) or very acne prone/problem skin should you really be concerned about the fine detail. There are many floral waters to choose from and you can go by scent as well as qualities if you wish. Here is a basic list of some of them along with their properties:

Rose Water – The mother of all floral waters. Maintains the pH balance, stimulates cell regeneration processes, has a calming effect in acne and sunburns. As a result the skin texture becomes even and elastic. For nourishing and hydrating the skin and face. It’s tonic and soothing quality is useful for all skin types, especially mature, dry and sensitive. Helpful for inflammation and reducing the visibility of broken capillaries. Can be used as a facial toner on it’s own.

Chamomile Water – Soothing and Relaxing. Ideal as a facial or hair toner and for soothing irritated skin. Roman Chamomile floral water is so mild it is ideal for use on babies. Can be used on all skin types, however, if you have dry skin it is best to mix it with Lavender floral water for long term use.

Geranium Water – Has a balancing act on the hormones, this makes it ideal for use on skin which is affected by hormonal conditions. It will help to dry oily patches of the skin and encourage dry patches to improve normal oil secretion of the skin. Ideal for combination and teenage skin.

Juniper Water – The kick start and revive floral water helping to eliminate toxins and build up from the skin to revive and rejuvenate your complexion. Mainly used for its detoxifying action on the body and the skin. This makes it ideal for sluggish and dull looking skin. The strong scent makes it unsuitable for use alone, but combined with other floral waters it can make very powerful skincare solutions.

Lavender Water – An excellent tonic on the skin when you have blemishes, uneven skin tone or mild acne. The anti-bacterial properties help to kill bacteria in the skin and the toning naturally goes deep down into the pores without clogging. Suitable for skin of all ages.

Melissa Water – A gentle but highly effective floral water which forms the key ingredient of many premium brand facial toners to awaken and tone the skin. For dull sluggish skin which needs a kick start to life. Excellent for troublesome skins and blends both in terms of scent and with effect, well with Lavender Floral Water.

Orange Water – Suitable for normal to dry skin types, helping with poor circulation and dull looking skin.

Rosemary Water – Slightly astringent and is therefore useful in toning slightly oily complexions. The stimulatory nature helps encourage healthy blood flow in the skin surface. Blending Rosemary in a low amount with any of the floral waters can help give them a little more stimulation on application.

Tea Tree Water – A very useful floral water to help with problem skins, especially useful on teenage boys skin, where the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties help to regulate the skins tone and help kill any bacteria in the pores without clogging the skin.

Witch Hazel – A strong anti-oxidant and astringent useful for skin healing and treatment to help with problems from acne to sunburn. A great anti-inflammatory. Stimulates blood circulation and is a good venous constrictor. Great if you need soothing of redness, astringency, or increased circulation. Include up to 30% in toner recipes for very oily skin but is great for all skin types.

Ylang Ylang Water – useful for regulating the sebum levels in the skin. This can help oily skin become more normal and for dry skin to remoisturise naturally. This makes Ylang Ylang floral water a very useful ingredient for combination skin. The delightful fragrance of Ylang Ylang floral water will also enhance any blend you create of floral waters and is the perfect floral water to combine for both scent and effect.

Aloe Vera Juice – The juice we all love! One of the plants that contain many nutrients including amino acids, minerals, enzymes, vitamins, saccharine, anthraquinone, lignin, sterols and many more. Aloe Vera is considered anti-inflammatory, anti-reddening, Anti-itching, Anti-oxidant and provides UV protection (during and after sun exposure), Cell regeneration (which leads to speedier healing), Barrier protection (minimising water loss) and is very moisturising as well as being classified as a natural humectant like glycerine.

There are other floral waters available. These are just a few for you to consider. I get 100% distilled floral waters from Naturally Thinking.

Other Additives

If you want you can just stop at the floral waters. Mixing a few different ones can make a lovely toner in and of itself. But you know me! I can’t just stop there. Especially when there are so many more lovely goodies to enhance a toner and take it from good to ridiculously awesome!!! Here are a few:

Barrier Protection

Allantoin – The most important and most active natural ingredient found in the root of the comfrey herb. It is a water-soluble, white-coloured powder. A fantastic skin protectant that softens skin (it’s a keratolytic, meaning it causes the keratin to soften), causes rapid cell regeneration and proliferation, and is approved by the FDA to temporarily prevent and protect chafed, chapped, cracked, or windburned skin by speeding up the natural processes of the skin and increasing the water content. Helps sensitive skin to become more resilient and helps to retain skin moisture. Excellent in skin and hair care products that contain skin irritants such as detergents, peelers, AHAs, very active or stimulating herbs and tinctures as it helps to counteract their harshness. Recommended usage is 0.5-2%. Normally used 0.5-1% in toners and creams.

Humectants – Vital for toners as a moisturising ingredient

Glycerine – Humectant. Cleanses and moisturises while acting as an emollient to soften and lubricate. Speeds up the healing process, lessens bruising, and encourages tissues and cells to repair themselves. Great for adding to your blends to give them that silky smooth texture and feel, leaving skin feeling silky soft and glossy. Recommended usage up to 5% as it can be quite sticky if used in higher amounts. Consider glycerine as your first choice if you have dry skin.

Sodium Lactate – Non-sticky humectant. Found in our skin’s natural moisturising factor. Has been found to improve the barrier properties of our skin and stimulates ceramide synthesis in the skin. Also acts as a mild AHA, which can help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles. Has a really high water holding capacity (meaning it’s a very effective humectant), and is about 1.5 times more effective in this department than glycerine. Great for leave-on products like toners and creams but not so great for products intended for washing off such as cleansers as it rinses off with water (unlike glycerine that stays behind to leave your skin & hair feeling silky after washing). Also good if you have problem skin. Caution – can make your skin sun sensitive if used at 3% or over. Recommended Usage 1-2%.

Skin Conditioners

Honeyquat – Derived from honey. A cationic quaternary polymer - meaning it is a positively charged conditioning agent. It’s substantive – positively charged and binds to our negatively charged hair and skin to offer conditioning and moisturising. Also a humectant and water binder (more powerful than glycerine). On our skin, it increases the moisture uptake ability. Recommended usage up to 3% in toners.

Film Formers – Very important for moisturising without oils

Hydrolysed Protein – Such as oat, wheat & silk. Considered a humectant and emollient. Improves skin tone and elasticity. Will make your toner feel silkier and softer, and will decrease irritation. Suggested usage 0.5-5%. Normally used at 1-2%.

Panthenol – Pro Vitamin B5. Penetrates deep into the skin and hair shaft and has excellent water-binding abilities. It creates a protective film, thus aiding moisture retention. Recommended Usage 1-5%. Normally used at 2-3% (use up to 5% if you have really inflamed or dry skin).

Aloe Vera also acts as a film former

Moisturisers & Emollients

Water Soluble Oils – The only one i can source is Olive Oil PEG-10 Esters. This is olive oil that has gone through a process to make it solubilise in water. Good for adding extra moisturising qualities to water based products, especially surfactant based products such as shampoos and facial cleansers. Recommended Usage up to 5%.

You could also make your favourite oil water soluble by mixing it in equal parts with Polysorbate 80 so they incorporate well into the toner, up to 3% oil and 3% polysorbate 80 for dry skin (can feel quite sticky). Avoid this option if you have oily skin though or use your blended oil at no more than 1-2%.

All Humectants and film formers are also moisturisers.

Extracts

There are just too many to go through here. But some you can consider and that i could source here in the UK. Powdered extracts are added at 0.5% and liquid extracts up to 7% (usually 3-5%) unless stated otherwise.

Green Tea Extract – Helps with inflammation and water retention. Provides increased wound and burn healing, as well as the maintenance of collagen and elastin in our skin. A powerful anti-oxidant – about 20 times more powerful than Vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E!

Rosemary Extract – Offers toning, astringency, increased blood circulation, as well as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anti-microbial features. It inhibits oxidative cell damage, and it can be added to increase the shelf life. Might also be anti-aging by offering a decrease in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Recommended Usage 0.02-0.4%

Cucumber Extract – Soothing and calming to the skin. It helps retain moisture levels and is perfect for dry skin. It is a mild astringent and helps remove dead skin cells and tighten the skin.

Seaweed Extract – Contains fucoidan which aids in collagen synthesis and thus restores tone and elasticity to the skin. Seaweed may also benefit problem skin. The presence of polygalactosides and polyfucose form a protective layer over the hair and skin and help retain water levels. They may also help protect against environmental damage. Also contains vitamins B1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 along with essential trace minerals and may help reduce inflammation.

Triple Tea Extract – Botanical extracts of White Tea, Green Tea and Honeybush Tea – Contains a family of compounds called polyphenols, which are packed with powerful anti-oxidants that protect the skin from harmful free radicals. Recommended Usage 0.5-2%.

Multifruit Extract – Contains a family of compounds called polyphenols, which are packed with powerful anti-oxidants that protect the skin from harmful free radicals: Lactic Acid – an effective moisturiser, Glycolic Acid – weakens cell bonds, thus aiding exfoliation, Citric Acid – stimulates collagen synthesis, Malic Acid – Boosts skin elasticity, Tartaric Acid – Boosts skin elasticity. These alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) thus aid in exfoliation of dead skin cells, cell proliferation and skin firming and smoothing. Also contains a wide variety of residual natural substances such as cellulose, proteins, vitamins and minerals. It is 55% active at pH4 and has maximum efficacy with minimum irritancy. Recommended Usage 1-15%. Normally used at up to 3% in toners. Go easy on this as it’s exfoliating! Great for wrinkled, aging and dull looking skin. Don’t use if using sodium lactate as your humectant as both are exfoliating. Choose one or the other to include in your toner.

Be careful when combining extracts. Choose one you really like and use that first to see how your skin reacts before adding in another.

Preservative – Anyone you like. A reminder that antioxidants such as Rosemary and Grapefruit seed extracts are not preservatives! They help to keep oils fresher for longer and may offer SOME antibacterial qualities but they are not effective broad spectrum anti-bacterial, antifungal and antiviral preservatives so will not be effective at keeping your toners bug free!!! Choose whichever one you want such as MicroKill (must be combined with Polysorbate 20 or 80 to make it water soluble) or Geoguard Ultra (new preservative that’s water soluble and approved by Ecocert). If you really don’t want to add in a preservative (or just don’t have any), than make up your toners in small amounts and keep it refrigerated. Be sure to use within 7-10 days!

Man…. This post is WAY too long already. I’ll finish up with my toner recipe. I’ll be tweaking this to try out some of the other ingredients. I started out with 30% Witch Hazel but it was too strong for me, even though it’s considered a non-irritating ingredient. I then reduced it to 10% but it was STILL slightly aggravating. So it’s in there at 5%. It’s such a good ingredient that i don’t want to miss it out. Even a small amount is effective!

Aloe & Rose Moisturising Toner – With Cucumber & Seaweed Extracts

Ingredients

Aloe Vera Juice   – 22%
Rose Hydrosol    – 22%
Ylang Hydrosol   – 15%
Lavender Hydrosol – 10%
Witch Hazel Hydrosol – 5%
Honeyquat         – 3%
Panthenol          – 3%
Glycerine           – 4%
Hydrolysed Wheat Protein – 2%
Cucumber Extract – 5%
Seaweed Extract   – 5%
Allantoin               – 0.5%
Olive Oil PEG-10 Esters – 3%
Geoguard Ultra      – 0.5%

I mixed all the ingredients together except the Allantoin and Geoguard Ultra as they need to be dissolved in a little water before adding to the mix. I took out a little of the rose water and warmed it slightly before dissolving them in there as i wanted them to really dissolve properly. I added it in to the mix, stirred well and poured it into a bottle. Voila! That was easy. My skin loves it! It makes my skin feel very soft, smooth and silky, and most importantly, i don’t react to it (yay). As i said, i will be adjusting this recipe to try out some of the other floral waters and additives to see which ones i like the best, the ones i used were what i had on hand. I may also leave out the olive oil esters next time to see if my skin prefers a ‘no oil’ toner (even though it’s water soluble, my face still recognises it as an oil and it becomes very shiny!). Because of this, my toner doubles up as a moisturiser as well so i don’t need to use an extra moisturiser on top if i don’t want to. But i do!

Hope you enjoyed this (ridiculously long) post. Join me next time for my take on natural moisturisers.

4 Comments

Posted by mercz on June 8, 2011 in Natural Toners, Skin Care

Tags: Aloe Vera, Botanical Extracts, Floral Water, Glycerine, Hydrolysed Wheat Protein, Natural Cosmetic Ingredients, Natural Skincare, Natural Toners, Panthenol, Rosewater, Water Soluble Oils, Witch Hazel

Doing The Natural Skincare Thing – Cleansing

06 Jun

After reading Kelly’s post from the ‘The Kitchen Cupboard’ series about using more natural ingredients to make up your skincare range, i hopped on the bandwagon to see if i could incorporate what she was suggesting into my own Skincare regime. If you haven’t read it already (where have you been?) you can find it HERE.

My New Skincare Journey

So… I’ve embarked on a new journey to find healthier, smoother, tighter, more radiant skin using natural ingredients. To be honest with you, this is not the first time i’ve considered using natural skincare products. A while ago i became more health conscious and immediately hunted around for a more natural skincare brand. I came across Liz Earle and her naturally active skincare range which i tried out. I have to say it is the best skincare range i have tried to date! it beats Clinique hands down (my previous staple skincare brand). My skin is rather sensitive and reacts immediately to anything that is remotely irritating. But the Liz Earle range really did bring out the best in my skin. It evened out my complexion, controlled my oily skin and really gave me smoother, more radiant skin. Now when you have sensitive skin and find something that works, it’s very hard to consider alternatives. But Kelly gave me the nudge i needed to move one step further and consider simple ingredients as effective ways of caring for my skin.

Cleansing

Lemon

The first day i tried lemon on my skin i really liked it. A nice little tingle. I used the left over shell of the lemon half after i squeezed out the juice for my refreshing morning lemon water. I cut the shell in half and rubbed it, flesh side down, onto my face in circular motions making sure to avoid the delicate eye area. I left it on whilst i showered and then used my muslin face cloth to remove the lemon juice by soaking it in the warm shower water and then wiping my face, rinsing and repeating until it was all gone. My face was left feeling so soft. After that time lemon has become a staple in my new skincare regime. But lemon is quite strong and i can’t use it daily otherwise my skin will react. So i use it 1-2 times per week.

Oil Cleansing

I began to hunt around for another gentle cleanser to use in between my lemon cleanses. I know i could just use water, and i do sometimes, but i wanted more. I came across the Oil Cleansing Method a while back but never tried it out because i was happy with my Liz Earle products. So i decided to give it a go. Read more about Oil Cleansing HERE. The most important oil in oil cleansing is Castor Oil. This is the ‘active’ ingredient that really draws out the dirt for a real deep clean. But too much castor oil can leave your skin very tight and dry as it can strip off too much of your natural oils so it is advised to use it at 10-30% depending on your skin type. My skin is very oily so i need to use 30% to really remove the excess oil & dirt. If you have dry skin you need as little as 10% and normal/combination skin 20% or so. These amounts are not set in stone. It’s really down to you to try out different ratios to see what you prefer. If you find your skin is a little oily after use, then add in more castor oil. If you find it’s a little too dry and tight then reduce it. But 30% is a good amount for my skin. The other oils you use is down to you. Sunflower oil is the most common, closely followed by olive oil. But whatever oils you use make sure they are non-comedogenic (explained below) so as not to aggravate acne and spots. My Cleansing Oil Blend consists of:

30% Castor
30% Safflower Oil
39% Sunflower Oil
1% Tea Tree Oil

Sunflower oil is an oil wealthy in Oleic acids (74%) with high amounts of Vitamins A, D, and E, also has beneficial amounts of lecithin, and unsaturated fatty acids. It helps restore elasticity and moisture in the skin. Oils and butters containing oleic acid tend to be very moisturizing and regenerating to our skin. They often offer anti-inflammatory properties and some, like olive oil, mimic our natural sebum. They tend to be absorbed well by the skin, which offers softening and moisturising effects. Oils high in oleic acid will go rancid far less quickly than those high in linoleic or linolenic acids. I call it the forgotten oil because it’s not really considered in skin & haircare that much anymore. But as you can see it’s really a very good oil to use.

Safflower Oil is a light feeling oil and is one of the highest natural sources of linoleic acid (78%) and therefore helps to rejuvenate damaged skin and provide a moisture shot, so that even dry skin feels smooth. It works with the skin to soften and retain natural moisture. The rich linoleic and oleic acid content helps to give an instant smooth feel to the skin. Also contains Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, Vitamin E and minerals. Linoleic acid is considered an essential fatty acid, one we can’t make ourselves in our body, so we have to get it from the outside world. It is crucial to normal barrier function in skin, and a deficiency can lead to dry skin and hair, hair loss, and poor wound healing. It is a major component in ceramides – about 14% – which make up about 50% of our stratum corneum or outer layer of skin. Studies have shown linoleic acid can restore the barrier function, helping to prevent trans epidermal water loss and reduce scaling on your skin. This oil is fast becoming one of my favourite oils. It’s great for hair too and is suitable for dry hair & skin types.

Neither of these oils are considered comedogenic (0) so combining these two oils gives me a great balance of both oleic and linoleic oils. My skin absolutely loves this oil blend! When i first get in the shower i pour a generous amount of my cleansing oil blend into my hands and then rub it all over my face, including my eye area (apparently it’s a great makeup remover. I don’t really wear makeup so i can’t comment). I then shower and once i’m finished i use my face muslin, soaking it in the warm shower water and place it over my face for a mini steam. When the cloth gets cool i rinse and repeat and then use the muslin to wipe off the oil really well, rinsing and repeating, finishing off with a splash of water. My skin loves, loves, loves it! Its so smooth and soft after use. The same results as with my Liz Earle cleanser. You can use all sunflower oil or all safflower oil if you wish or choose a completely different oil like Jojoba or Avocado oil for a luxurious cleanse (both low on the scale). The choice is yours.

I think the muslin cloth is absolutely essential and i can’t finish off this section without giving it a mention. It’s great at wiping off excess product but also as a light and gentle exfoliator. It gently buffs and polishes the skin removing trapped dirt and dead skin cells to keep the skin supple and fresh. I don’t think either of these cleansers would work as well for me without my muslin cloth!

Comedogenic

A quick explanation of comedogenic – Cosmetic ingredients tending to produce or aggravate acne.

These ingredients refer to compounds that have shown in tests to increase possible comedone formations (acne formation). These comedones – whiteheads and blackheads, are, in their turn, the starting point for pimples and acne. A rating from 0 – 5 is then determined for both the comedogenic and irritation value of each ingredient. Here is a link to the most comprehensive comedogenic chart i could find. So if you are prone to getting spots then it’s better to opt for ingredients that are low on the scale (0-2). If, like some, you can slather shea butter all over your face without issues then you can choose any oil you please, high or low on the scale. As a note, although ingredients by themselves can aggravate spots and acne, products formulated with some of the same ingredients might not necessarily be aggravating. The blending of these ingredients in formulas can dilute the possibility of causing spots and so on. The main concern is when you use them in high amounts or undiluted and intend to leave it on.

Join me next time for my take on natural toners!

Nadia's Notes