Did you know that many moisturisers actually dry out your skin?

Have you ever felt that the more you apply moisturisers to your skin, or lip balm to your lips, the drier your skin becomes? Many people end up applying products several times daily and still their skin feels dry and cracked, and lips parched! One of the reasons for this is that many commercial moisturisers contain chemicals like emulsifiers, petroleum or mineral based oils and binding agents that actually leech moisture from the skin. They deliver a fast dash of moisture, which quickly evaporates, leaving a residue on your skin that disrupts your skin’s lipid barrier. This means that moisture will evaporate faster from your skin, leaving you reaching for that bottle of moisturiser or lip gloss again!  Not only is that heavy on your pocket, but it also speeds up skin aging!

Our skin is a phenomenal organ – it absorbs up to 70% of everything we put on it! That, in my opinion, speaks a lot about just how important your skin health is and why we should only be using natural and chemical free products on it!

Some conventional moisturisers appear to be thick and rich but don’t be fooled – this just means more fillers (chemical ingredients) have been used to make them appear this way. These “beauty” creams also contain chemical humectants – chemicals used to lock in your skin’s natural moisture – like silicones, propylene Glycol (aka antifreeze – wonderful) and urea. You can easily find out that most of these chemical ingredients are proven to be hazardous & carcinogenic for your body health!

Something very important to note is that long term use of conventional moisturisers will make your skin lazier and more dependent on them (almost like a chemical drug). This is why when you stop using them your skin will appear to become very dry, you might even develop a more serious skin condition like eczema. Your skin basically won’t understand what is happening because you have given it so much ‘help’ in the past.

How does colder Winter weather impact your skin?

Cold weather and harsh winds do their best to try and damage your skin. Sad but true! On top of that, winter often means that we are indoors more and exposed to the harsh effects of air conditioners. This all depletes your natural skin oils, leaving your skin feeling and looking very dry and in some cases itchy & irritated. This is where skin problems like eczema and psoriasis can make their ugly appearance.  Dry skin can also appear to look more wrinkly - if you think of a dried up prune for example!

Can I use oils on my oily skin?

Oily skin can be caused from your skin actually thinking it is dry and by trying to protect it, it produces more oil. Natural oils can therefore be exactly what your skin requires to balance it out. By applying natural oils and gently exfoliating regularly you could naturally balance out your skin without it becoming further confused by drying out all of its natural oil.

How can you naturally protect your skin?

The only thing you can really do naturally is try and look after and protect your skin the best natural ways possible. It is never too late to start looking after your skin health! This includes:

• Choosing skincare products that contain natural humectants like aloe, honey or hyaluronic acid (it sounds like a chemical but it is not) these natural ingredients will lock in your skin’s natural moisture making it look very healthy and supple
• Help your skin naturally by using an oil base serum that works for your skin type. We have a large selection of natural and organic skincare products to choose from like Pradiance, BaoCare, Argan Oil, Rose Hip Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Coconut Oil and Baobab Oil. For skin that requires a lot of moisture we recommend heavier oil like coconut or sweet almond oil and for skin that is younger or more balanced a lighter oil like rose hip, olive oil or argan oil is perfect
• Dry air (like the air in Winter time) generally makes us more dehydrated, so it is equally important during Winter time to drink lots of water – hydrate, hydrate, hydrate inside and out!
• Piping hot showers are great in Winter but are very harsh on your skin – try and keep them moderately warm and not too hot
• Never rub your skin with a towel – rather pat it gently dry so excess moisture can be absorbed into your skin
• Exfoliate regularly – remove the old and keep the new skin cells flowing
• Use natural soaps and body washes that contain rich oils like jojoba, shea butter, avocado oil or coconut oil that will naturally & gently moisturise your skin
• Your hands touch everything including your face! Keep them bacteria free by using a waterless hand sanitizer. Our hand sanitizer is chemical and alcohol-free (alcohol tends to dry out skin) and comes in a convenient size perfect for hand bags and school bags
• Follow a well-balanced food diet with lots of fresh fruit and veggies

Every few months or change of season we recommend a healthy body detox

Oil pulling is an Ayurvedic method used for oral and skin detox health. By using our recommended Cocobaci 15 day oral and body detox programme you not only cleanse and detox your mouth and add to the appearance of your pearly whites looking more naturally whiter, but you detox your entire body! For more information on oil pulling CLICK HERE

We hope we have helped you to holistically understand skin health and how you can naturally protect and look after your skin health. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always here to help and advise the best possible natural way!