Skin Care

Daily Skin Care Routine

What is natural skin care?

Skin Care: what skin type are you?

To treat your skin correctly firstly you need to identify your skin type, before purchasing any products - Is your skin normal, Dry, Oily, Sensitive or Combination?

Normal Skin

Normal skin looks beautiful and healthy with all of the skin's key functions in balance. Pores are almost visible, the skin is smooth & supple, of course dry areas may appear when your skin is treated incorrectly or the harsh elements prevail, but overall your skin is in good health

Dry Skin

Dry skin is sensitive to external factors. The hydro-lipid layer has been disrupted, a damaged protective layer leads to moisture evaporation and the skin becoming sensitive to sun exposure, hot or cold water, wind and variations in temperature all take their toll. Including stress. Dry skin can usually be identified by it's paper thin texture, it can be flaky, but never oily. Dry skin is prone to wrinkles, loosing it's elasticity prematurely.

Combination Skin

Combination skin the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) is prone to shine as a result of increased sebum production. While the skin is normal, and in more complex cases dry and flaky, in treating combination skin you need to focus on moisture balance. Use a lite, preferably oil free product, that leaves a Matt finish for skin prone to oiliness.

Oily Skin

Oily Skin is shiny, it has large open pores and the skin easily forms impurities.  The key here is balancing excess sebum secretion to treat oily skin. Hygiene and regular cleansing is vital to maintain a healthy complexion. Your skin will benefit from weekly deep cleansing, you must exfoliate and use a purifying mask once a week

Sensitive Skin

We all have sensitive skin, though some experience the symptoms more frequently than others. Sensitive skin may typically feel tight, itchy, red or flushed, with intermittent symptoms. The symptoms may be only in the mornings, or during Winter, or continuous. It is important to eliminate synthetic substances such as perfumes as well as skin care products or any-other household products that may be causing your sensitivities. Sensitive skin is often dry and your skin can become over sensitive with age.

Daily Skin Care Routine

Your skin care routine should be carried out morning and night, in a progressive order of Cleanse, Tone, Moisturise and Treat. Here are a few steps to get you started.

Cleanse

Use a good quality facial cleanser and avoid soap as it is harsh and drying, and does not effectively remove make-up. A good quality cleanser will help clear away all impurities without drying or irritating the skin. How: if wearing eye make-up, first use an eye make-up remover and cotton buds to gently wipe clean the eyes. Then with your fingertips apply the cleanser in an upward and outward motion. Remove the cleanser with cotton buds, a warm damp face wash is more Eco-friendly, or just use warm water alone.

Tone

This is an important step too often overlooked. Toning removes the last traces of the cleanser, leaving your skin refreshed. Toning refines the skin in preparation for moisturising, it also replaces the skins natural acidic balance, providing Ph control. How: soak a cotton pad with the toner and gently wipe the face clean in an upward an outward movement, avoid the delicate eye area.

Moisturise

You must replenish moisture lost from the skin, this is vital to the skin elasticity and general health of the skin. Moisturising protects the skin, replenishing lost moisture due to harsh elements such as wind, cold, heat, air-conditioning, smoke, pollution etc. How: using your fingertips apply the moisturiser to your face and throat, in light upward and outward, circular strokes. When using an eye cream, apply the eye cream first allowing adequate time for the cream to soak in.

Treat

Science has come a long way, there are now so many products available to women who want to look their youngest. Vitamins, minerals, and natural elements work to replenish damaged skin, improving the appearance and skin performance. Treating your skin is an extra step in your skin care routine, you may like to incorporate a mask or eye cream, or an anti-ageing serum. Others may use a blemish stick. How: always follow the manufacturers instructions.

What is natural skin care?

Natural skin care is essentially the care of the skin using natural ingredients such as herbs, clays, mud's, sea salt, fruit extracts, root extracts, pure Essential Oils and botanic flowers, combined with naturally occurring carrier agents natural preservatives, surfactants, humectants and emulsifiers, everything from natural soap to oils, to pure rain water.

Our company, Nature's Philosophy, sources only products made from botanically sourced ingredients currently existing in or formed by nature made from Therapeutic Grade quality Essential Oils, that are grown without the use of synthetic chemicals and are manufactured in such a way as to preserve the integrity of the ingredients.

Scientific studies have proven ingredients such as Essential Oils and Herbs have demonstrated healing and anti-inflammatory properties when applied topically. It is just one of the reasons why natural health, beauty and well-being products should be the first choice for looking after your self naturally, for both cosmetic and therapeutic benefit.

Why is natural skin care so important?

• The skin is the largest organ of the body, an active interface between our bodies and the environment
  
• The skin absorbs what you apply topically - including chemicals directly into the body
• Aesthetically, we all want to look after our skin
• Natural skin care goes beyond the application of products on one's skin - products are formulated for cosmetic and therapeutic use, naturally, to promote health and well being
  
• It also pertains to a holistic philosophy surrounding the holistic care of one's body - nurture your body temple
  
• This includes the belief that what is ingested affects all aspects of health, including the health of skin
  
• People who use natural skin care products are less concerned with artificial beauty enhancements, as they feel that natural beauty is healthy beauty

Why choose natural skin care?

Eating well is vital to maintaining ultimate skin fitness. Be sure to include plenty of fresh organic fruit and vegetables in your diet, drink plenty of filtered water, enjoy fresh air, daily exercise and always wear a wide-brimmed hat when you are out in the sun.  Of course not smoking and limiting alcohol to special occasions all contribute to healthier, happier, well-being and promotes youthful, glowing skin.

To produce products that perform well and have a nice texture and feel about them the following components are necessary:

Emoillients

Emoillients soften the skin, preventing dryness. Most emollients are made from petrochemicals and can cause skin irritation whereas natural emollients are actually beneficial and nourish the skin, like evening primrose , base carrier oils and cocoa or shea butter. An emollient is best described as a "moisturiser" (something that adds moisture)

Humectants

Humectants attract water from the air, they hold it within a substance, and then slowly release the moisture into the skin. Regardless of their ability to moisturise, some humectants are harsh industrial chemicals that coat the skin (such as synthetic Glycerine), acting as a plastic film or coating much like cling wrap and this of course can can cause irritation. The natural humectants like vegetable glycerine and provitamin B5 (panthenol) are known to be beneficial to the skin.

Emulsifiers

Emulsifiers are two or more compounds that allow water and oil to mix (which is called an emulsion). These are usually petroleum derivatives and can be allergens. Natural emulsifiers are obtained from various natural sources, including beeswax and decyl polyglucoside which is derived from sugarcane.

Surfactants

Surfactants are wetting agents, capable of holding dirt and oil to be rinsed away by water - these are the foaming agents commonly found in any substance that creates a foam, such as shower gels, shampoos, bath gel etc... Natural surfactants are a much better choice for shampoos and cleansers as they gently cleanse without stripping your natural protective oils. Most natural surfactants are palm or coconut oil derived. However some, like sodium lauryl sulphate and it's cousins, are suspected to be harmful so we don't use the sulphate family in any of our products and only chose natural surfactants known to be gentle and low allergenic.

Studies have proven that plant essences can actually prompt intense emotions, sensations, reactions and skin healing as they have an effect on the brain via the olfactory nerves and through skin absorption. This can lead to changes in skin temperature, blood volume and brain wave activity. The response is completely individual, linked to personal body chemistry, memories and emotions. Our focus is on health rather than beauty.