Peaceful Blend

In my last article I explain why the importance of ph in skin care depends on what kind of products you’re using. I mostly focused on water-based skin care. In this article I want to focus on oil-based skin care and explain how emollients, humectants and occlusives can repair, protect and strengthen our skin.

If your skin could talk what would it say? As corny as it sounds, we all know that if we want to live healthier and happier we need to listen to our body and honour it. Balancing your diet with fruits, veggies and natural whole foods also play an important role in healthy skin. But even if we’re doing all we can to stay healthy, we might be wondering why our skin is still suffering.

 Our skin is the largest organ in the human body, it’s a huge sponge and what it absorbs not only affects our inner organs, it also affects how our skin looks and feels. If we ignore our skin's needs we will experience skin ailments like dry, flaky, irritated, cracked or inflamed skin or even more serious skin infections like eczema or psoriasis. 

Our skin's protective barrier breaks down. Just like our bodies can break down if we’re not taking care of it properly. Most of this is common sense but it also makes sense to look deeper and learn why, how and what products will nourish our skin. 

 The first step is determining what your skin type is. Mature, dry, oily, acne prone or combination. Some people are more prone to eczema or psoriasis and even have super sensitive skin that’s more prone to contact dermatitis. The next step would be to determine what natural oils and butters work best for your specific needs. Some people are lucky and can get away with using almost any natural skin loving oils without any issues. Some of us need more specific skin ailment targeting oils. 

The types of oils used in natural skincare products are carrier and essential oils. Butters are also used, like Cocoa butter and Shea butter. Natural waxes are used, like Beeswax or vegan waxes. All of these ingredients work together synergistically creating a perfect environment for your skin to thrive because they contain properties called humectants, occlusives and emollients. If the skincare is formulated with the right balance, these properties will nurture the skin by hydrating, renewing and protecting.

 Beeswax is an amazing occlusive and humectant. It’s humectant properties draw moisture in and actually builds a protective layer with its occlusive properties to lock the moisture in. .

 Emollients are perfect for mature dry skin with properties that fill in and smooth skin. Plant based emollients are the best. These oils and butters you’re already familiar with, coconut, olive, sweet almond, cocoa and Shea. 

 “Natural ingredients replicate skins natural

 disposition and can effectively balance pH” 

  Cocoa &Vanilla Moisturizer Green Tea Infused w/Broccoli & Rose-hip

 Our skin matures, causing wrinkles, age spots and saggy skin when we’re not nourishing it on the cellular level.

 In order to nourish our skin we need to keep it hydrated by using natural effective moisturizing ingredients.

Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is responsible for many unwanted skin conditions, including eczema, acne, dry skin and fine lines. Most brand named commercial skincare products cause TEWL that breaks down the skin barrier function. TEWL is water loss that passes through the skin's protective barrier from the inside and evaporates to the atmosphere. 

The majority of commercial skincare products are not only water-based with high pH but also contain harmful chemicals that create a very harmful environment on our skin. It may not be noticeable right away but as these harmful properties break down our skin barrier our skin will start to suffer in different ways creating the illusion that we need to use more of the products that are causing the issues in the first place. This is how these popular commercial skincare companies make money. They know how to sugar coat by providing instant results. These results are temporary. They know how to target women who make up the highest percentage of their sales. 

 We really need to educate ourselves. If there’s enough self love there’s enough information out there waiting to be found that will help guide us in making healthier choices in caring for our skin. 

 Taking a closer look at what natural oils and butters work best for your skin type. 

Naturally, our skin is at a Ph acid mantle range of 5.0 to 6

We should worry a little bit about the disruption of our skins Ph. But this cause for concern would be more so in cleansers that are surfactants ( foamy ) or aqueous ( water-based ) and are also called detergents or soap. These generally have a high ph with alkaline levels around 7 or higher. This would be the culprit of messing up your skin!

When using high Ph cleansers ( soaps ) it slowly wears down our acid mantle ( our protective barrier ) and well basically this would be the same as disabling the protective shield of our mothership leaving us susceptible to all sorts of bad happenings. To name a few, acne, inflammation, psoriasis and contact dermatitis ( No! Not contact of the third kind ) lol! I’m just trying to simplify the complicated studies I’ve read and given a more basic understanding that can be better understood.

 Star Wars & our skin comparison, I’m not really sure why that came to my head but let’s carry on.

What is Ph?

Ph is all around us. We are talking about the Ph of the acid mantle which is measured on a Ph scale from 1 to 14, everything that’s water-soluble has Ph. Any extreme Ph that is more towards 1 or 14 on the scale can eat your skin. When you mix acidic and alkalis together you can get a reaction like the volcano experiment you did in science class. Let’s not put this on our skin.

The acid mantle is a film that is part of the surface layer of our skin and is part of the good bacteria that protects our skin from environmental stressors, infections and dehydration. We regularly disrupt the Ph of the acid mantle simply by just splashing our face with water or when we shower or bath. Waters Ph is around 7. Under normal disruptions, acid mantle naturally regenerates usually within a few hours and is no cause for concern.  

Our skin naturally sheds cells and replenishes new ones. If we strip away our crucial lipid barrier by using abrasive products, Ph acid mantle no longer functions optimally. Our skin will lose skin cells without replenishing. A process called desquamation. Too much desquamation causes the skin to lose its ability in protecting itself. Too little desquamation ( poor hygiene) can cause pore blockage, acne and dry flaky dull skin. These disruptions in the normal functions of our skin are especially detrimental for people with already sensitive skin. 

So if you’re experiencing an imbalance in your skin just flip your bottle over and take a closer look at the ingredients. If one of the ingredients is water ( Aqua ) and another is any kind of sulphate ( the chemical that makes it foamy ) I would suggest tossing it and never looking back! In fact, you can look up your skincare products here to check their safety

Skincare Database

You might be thinking why water? But water is good for the skin. Yes, it is when you drink it. But what happens is that water-based cleansers don't actually clean your skin but will only strip away the natural barrier and just evaporates. For a better understanding read this very informative article https://www.fajarmag.com/water-based-skin-care-products/

Now that we’re done talking about all the bad news maybe we can end with a little bit of the good news. Let’s talk about when Ph in skincare really doesn’t matter, shall we? You can take that load off now! 

There’s the bad than the good but no ugly for now unless I start getting into the rest of the carcinogens they put in most commercial skincare products. Buts that’s a whole other article. 

If you’re using an oil-based cleanser, there’s no need to worry about ph. Only the quality of the oil is important. There's no way to measure ph of oils because oils are insoluble. Ph is only measured in water and water-soluble ingredients.

There are a few ways we can support and repair the barrier of our skin, one way is by choosing high-quality oil-based skincare.

Skincare that includes emollients, occlusives and humectants Oh My! Ingredients that increase the moisture level in your skin and locks it in. Moisture in the form of oil, not water. 

Seeing as this article is mainly focused on ph. I’ll end it here and get into why choosing oil-based skincare is the best choice for the care of your skin. 

If you’re striving for hydrated, dewy, supple naturally healthy-looking skin then head on over to my next article where I explain the meaning of emollients, occlusives and humectants and how they play a vital role in keeping our skin functioning normally.

Sources  http://mosskincare.com/ph-oil-cleanser/

I’m so happy to have come across this amazing anti aging molecule called Hyaluronic Acid. The word passed me by quite a few times without me paying much attention. Until one day I decided to find out what the hype was all about. Just reading a little bit about it I knew right away that I wanted to make some as soon as I could and would definitely make it available in my Etsy shop. So now after a bunch of research I’ve put my orders in and I’m about 2 weeks to a month of making this wonderful serum.

I honestly can’t wait to try it and see if it really does what it says. I’m really committed to making natural, safe and effective anti aging skincare. As we get older we start to lose the protective barriers that keep our skin plump, glowy and wrinkle free. I know for most of us we want to keep a younger appearance as long as possible and if you look good you feel good.

So what is it? Hyaluronic Acid is a sugar molecule substance that is naturally present in the body. It’s main purpose is to keep your skin well hydrated by pulling water from the air and sucking it into your skin like a sponge. It has the ability to retain water and keeps your skin hydrated throughout the day. This sponge effect restores skin to its fuller, youthful appearance by providing a moisture-filled cushion between cells, joints and tissues. HA holds 1000x it’s weight in water and has many benefits other than rapidly making your skin look and feel more youthful. It’s also a free radical scavenger and has anti-inflammatory properties that promotes healing within cells. An extremely important function within our cells is to have essential nutrients delivered and have proper waste removal from our cells. The increased water content in our skin helps to facilitate this normal function.

Some of the benefits include

❤Plumps fine lines and wrinkles!

❤Hydrates

❤Repairs the barrier of our skin

❤️Eradicates free-radical damage

❤Smooths and softens skin

❤Increases elasticity! Heals damaged tissue. Protects from UV rays ( ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, that is also referred to as photoaging. approximately 80% of premature aging of the skin is attributed to UV exposure in which significantly reduces HA in our skin. )

Further research into HA I discovered that there is a couple of different forms it comes in. A high molecular weight that is a larger molecule which is too big to penetrate deep into the skin and does it's magic more on the surface giving immediate and exciting results including plumpness and smoothness.

The other form of HA is a low molecular weight that penetrates deeper into the skin for more long term results. It is important to know roughly how low the molecular weight is. Between 50-1000 Kda is good but if the lower molecular weight is around 130 Kda it's considered the best for skin. Some people have experienced inflammation and redness from HA use which is most likely caused by the molecular weight being far too low or/and not using it properly, which I mention below. The molecular weight refers to its mass, or how big the HA molecule is. This is measured in something called unified atomic mass units — daltons, or kDa for short. So in this case, size does matter!

With all the information I’ve gathered so far I’ll be making my HA serum with high and low molecular weight combined in order to experience fast results but also long term. I’ll also be adding extra hydrosol for an extra boost and a natural preservative that will extend the shelf life to about 3 months but I highly doubt it will last that long. One thing I have to mention before wrapping this up is the extreme importance of using HA serum properly. Use it correctly or it could cause your skin to be very angry with you. Don’t make the mistake of using it alone. It’s a must that you use it under a layer of moisturizer or face oil. Apply it to clean, slightly damp skin then top it off with your nutrient rich moisturizer to lock it all in. It’s also important to not let the dropper touch your skin while squeezing it out. Once my serum is made, I’ll be making an instructional video to show just how easy it is to apply to your skin.

I believe this HA serum will be the perfect addition to my Timeless Infusion anti aging skincare set which includes an all natural extremely effective, amazingly hydrating nutrient rich cleanser and moisturizer that you can find in my Etsy shop. If you’re already using the Timeless Infusion regimen then adding this HA will be the perfect addition for quicker and even healthier results.

There is so much you can learn about Hyaluronic Acid so please don’t just stop here. It’s also a great supplement for a variety of ailments, for humans and pets. I suggest looking further into it as well so you can make better informed decisions for yourself, especially if your skin is compromised. Not to scare anyone off because HA is very beneficial and very good for your skin. But you might find that perhaps you’d be more comfortable using just a low molecular weight or just a higher molecular weight alone. I’ve decided to combine the two just because it makes more sense in my opinion. I would have to write a book about this stuff but I hope I covered some of the most key importance on how HA works topically and I hope you’ll try my HA serum out and it proves beneficial! Happy skin Happy life!