Product In Focus - Natural Skin Cream for Eczema Prone Skin

Eczema can be really problematic especially when it's cold and windy. Looking after your skin at this time in particular is essential to keeping it under control.

Naturalistics has the perfect cream for Eczema-prone skin. The Naturalistics Skincare range is made in Bristol, England with natural ingredients and are free from nasty chemicals and parabens.

Scented with Cape Chamomile, this cream is rich in vitamin A and E and is very nourishing and healing to the skin and leaves the skin feeling super soft and supple.

Now a little bit about the ingredients....Vitamin A is necessary for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue. Vitamin E is very moisturising and can help smooth dry, rough skin and is a powerful anti-oxidant helping to protect your skin from free radicals. Aloe vera helps rehydrate and soothe the skin. Shea butter contains phytosterols which stimulates cell growth and cinnamic acid which has an anti-inflammatory effect and is very healing to the skin. Borage oil is exceptionally high in Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) which the body needs to create prostaglandins. The skin needs prostaglandins to keep it healthy and to prevent dryness, loss of suppleness and wrinkling.

This cream is an excellent choice for people with eczema-prone skin in particular as well as for those with dry or sensitive skin. It also makes a rich moisturiser for mature skin, for babies, and for the hands and feet.

A 60ml Jar costs just £9.99 and a little goes a long way! For more details on the cream, check out the Cream for Eczema-Prone skin on the Naturalistics website.

Skin Toner – Do You Really Need One?

While reading 21st Century Beauty Bible by Sarah Stacey & Josephine Fairley, I came across a page titled “To Tone or Not To Tone?”. It starts:

“Fact: you probably don’t need a toner. Skincare companies invariably insist that cleanse/tone/moisturise should be the basic, three-step skincare regime, but we disagree. (And so do the world’s leading facialist ‘gurus’…)”.

It goes on to say that:

"This is especially the case if you’ve got oily, greasy or problem skin."

Many toners over-strip the skin of its natural moisturising oils which can leave it feeling dry and dehydrated. For those with oily skin this upsets the skins natural balance causing more sebum to be produced to compensate for the over-stripping.

If you do want to use a toner, it is advisable to go for one which doesn’t have alcohol in as this is very drying to the skin. The best alternative to fancy toners, would be aromatherapy hydrolats such as rose water or orange blossom water. These are gentle and refreshing for the skin and won’t leave your skin vulnerable after use. Witch hazel is another good alternative especially if you have oily skin.

An excellent toner for acne is 10ml of tea tree essential oil mixed with 45ml each of distilled witch hazel and rose water.

Skincare companies and beauticians tell us that we should use toner to close the pores but this doesn’t seem to be the case either. The pores don’t open or close! This is an old wives tale. The size of the pores in your skin is determined when you are born and there is very little you can do to help close them but steps can be taken to help minimise them making their appearance less obvious. The best way to minimise open pores is to wash your face regularly but not with harsh soaps which can upset the acid balance of the skin. Eve Lom, who is regarded as the queen of cleansing, advises people with large pores to “stop using moisturiser on that area and pores will start to appear less obvious. They’ll never disappear completely, but they do get better with patience and care.”

Natural Fresh Fruit Face Masks

There are so many natural fruits and vegetables which are good for the condition of the skin. The fruit and vegetables listed below can all be used in a face mask to help improve the appearance of your skin whether you have oily skin or dry skin. I found this comprehensive list in a book called Bodycraft: Health & Beauty the Natural Wayby Nerys Purchon.

Apple pulp: slightly acidic; good for delicate skin
Apricots, mashed: moisturising, soothing, cleansing
Asparagus: stimulating; dries up spots
Avocado: deeply penetrating and full of vitamins
Banana, mashed: nourishing
Carrot pulp: antiseptic; heals spots and sores
Celery juice: acts as a toner for tired or aging skin
Cucumber: cooling, soothing, bleaching, healing
Fig pulp: emollient and cleansing
Lemon juice: diluted for oily skin and freckles
Lettuce juice: soothes sore, rough skin; helps to clear spots
Orange juice: hydrating for older skin
Pear pulp: soothing and cooling on sunburnt skin
Pineapple pulp: an astringent was for oily skin
Potato, raw: helps clear blemishes and eczema
Strawberries, mashed: slightly acidic, cleansing and luxurious
Tomatoes, mashed: good for oily skin
Turnip, mashed: deep cleansing
Watermelon juice: good for rough skin and deep cleansing

If you fancy it, you can even combine several of the fruits and vegetables listed above and you can even add some finely ground rolled oats.

Spread the mask over your face and neck avoiding the eye area. Leave the mask on for 15-20 minutes. I’d advise you lay down while the mask is on to enhance the relaxation experience but also to ensure the mask doesn’t run down your face. You can add some agar agar (vegetable gelatine) to thicken the mask up to stop this from happening. Wash the mask off in lukewarm water and then splash your face with cool water to close the pores.

Facial Steaming

In previous posts, I have talked about steam inhalations to help relieve congestion and respiratory problems but you can also use steaming to help improve the condition of the skin on your face. Steaming causes the skin to perspire helping to cleanse the pores. It also loosens any dead skin cells and dirt on the surface of the skin. The heat from the steam increases the blood flow to the face bringing oxygen and nutrients to the area improving the condition and tone of the skin, leaving it looking and feeling softer and suppler. The steam also helps rehydrate the skin.

If you have sensitive or dry skin, I would recommend not steaming more than once a fortnight. However, if you have normal, oily or combination skin you can use facial steaming once or twice a week.

You will need a bowl, hot water, and a towel. Place the boiling water in the bowl. Create a “tent” with the towel so that it covers your head and the bowl. Keep your face about 20 cm away from the steam (40cm if you have dry or sensitive skin). Steam your face for approximately 5-10 minutes. After steaming, splash your face with some cool water to close the pores and apply some toner with a cotton wool pad. You can then use your normal moisturiser to finish.

If you are using essential oils in the facial steam, add 4 drops of your chosen essential oils to 1 litre of boiling water. More information on which essential oils to use for which skin type can be found in the Aromatherapy Bath Salts post.

Coming Soon...

Balance Holistics will be offering three brand new treatments over the next couple of months including Holistic Facials, Thai Foot Massage, and Feet First — a holistic foot care treatment. More information will be posted on this blog and on the Balance Holistics website when these treatments become available.

Holistic Facials — A holistic facial is a great way to take care of your skin. It uses Aromatherapy Essential Oils and other natural products to help improve the condition and preserve the health of the skin. The shoulders, neck and face are cleansed and toned, followed by a natural clay or fresh fruit face mask to help restore the skin’s correct moisture balance. The facial is complemented perfectly with a relaxing face and neck massage, incorporating lymphatic drainage and acupressure techniques. While your face mask is setting the hands are massaged, completing the relaxation experience.

Thai Foot Massage — Thai Foot Massage is a massage of the lower legs and feet. A small, specifically designed wooden stick is used to stimulate the reflex points on the feet which correspond to the internal organs of the body. Various stretches are also incorporated into the massage. Thai Massage helps to open up the energy lines in the body known as Sen lines, similar to Meridian lines in Chinese Medicine.

Feet First — Feet First is a luxurious, holistic foot care treatment designed to refresh and rejuvenate your feet. It includes a foot soak, scrub, and mask, finishing with a relaxing foot and lower leg massage. While your feet enjoy the refreshing mask, you will receive a head massage to complete the relaxation experience. A range of products with essential oils of lime, sandalwood and ginger are used to help soothe, hydrate, and renew tired, aching, and dehydrated feet.

The Oil Cleansing Method

While I was searching the net for information on the castor oil post, I happened across various websites discussing the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) which uses a blend of castor oil and sunflower oil to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturise the skin on your face. It is the castor oil which does all the cleansing, while the sunflower oil does the moisturising.

The Oil Cleansing Method is suitable for all skin types but is especially beneficial for problematic skin including spots, blemishes, blackheads, whiteheads, and acne.

Making the Oil. You will need two cold pressed carrier oils – castor oil and sunflower oil, some hot water, and a clean flannel. The two oils are blended together to create the oil which you will use on your face. The amount of each oil you use will depend on which skin type you have. If you have oily skin, you will use more Castor oil than Sunflower oil and if you have dry skin it will be the other way round. Use the following ratios as a guide – you may find that you need to adjust the mix or perhaps you might like to add a different carrier oil instead of the sunflower oil. If your skin feels too dry after application, use less castor oil next time. For oily skin, mix 1 tsp of sunflower oil with 3 tsp of castor oil; for normal skin, mix 2 tsp each of castor and sunflower oil together; and for dry skin, mix 3 tsp of sunflower oil with 1 tsp of castor oil.

You can also add essential oils suitable for your skin type or a specific skin complaint. For acne, try adding tea tree, petitgrain, cedarwood, juniper, geranium, German chamomile, or sandalwood; for blackheads, use thyme, peppermint, or lemongrass; for dry and sensitive skin, try chamomile, lavender, neroli, petitgrain, rose, or geranium; for oily skin and open pores, try cypress, juniper, cedarwood, tea tree, or bergamot; and for wrinkles, try mandarin, neroli, rose, myrtle, geranium, or sandalwood.

Performing the Cleanse. Pour some of the oil (about a teaspoonful) into your hand and gently massage the oil into the face for at least two minutes ensuring that you work the oil into the skin well especially any problem areas. You can also include your neck if you wish. There is no need to remove make up or wash your face before performing the cleanse as the oil and steam is very effective at doing it for you. Pour a basin full of hot water and soak the flannel. Wring out and hold in place over your face. It needs to be hot but not so hot that it burns your face! Leave in place until it has cooled, gently wipe the face with the flannel, rinse it out, and reapply. Repeat this a couple times to ensure that all the oil and any dead skin and dirt has been removed from the face. After the cleanse, you can splash your face with cold water to close the pores.

As most people know, oil does not dissolve in water, so washing oily skin in water doesn’t get rid of any residual oil on the face. Most shop-bought products contain alcohol to get rid of the oil but this can often leave the skin feeling dry taking your skin from one extreme to the other. The best thing to dissolve oil is oil itself. By using the castor-sunflower oil blend on your face, it will dissolve the oils which have lodged in the pores of the skin, restoring the skins natural moisture balance. Using the hot flannel helps to open the pores allowing the oil to penetrate deeper in to the skin and draw out any impurities in the pores bringing it to the surface so that you can wipe it off with the flannel.

What I love about this method is its simplicity, making it an excellent addition to your skincare routine although I wouldn’t recommend doing it daily – perhaps once or twice a week. I also love the fact that the oils are natural and contain no harmful chemicals and they are cheap to buy too – a lot cheaper than any ready-made skincare product. As soon as I found out about the method, I headed straight for my oils and mixed up a blend for me to use. I have a combination skin with patches of dryness, open pores, blackheads and sensitive areas so I used the blend for dry skin and added 4 drops of neroli essential oil. My skin felt and looked amazing after the cleanse and smelt great from the neroli. As I didn’t use all the oil after one application, I poured the leftover in to a clean glass bottle with a screwcap to keep it ready for my next cleanse.

Skills Update

It has been quite a while since I've written anything on here. I have been very busy seeing clients, going on training courses and moving house.

Two weeks ago, I attended a one day course in Holistic Aromatherapy Facials which built on the knowledge I already have on Aromatherapy and facial massage. The course took place in Newport and was run by TEACH Therapy.

The course covered all aspects of a facial – cleansing, toning, exfoliating, moisturising, face masks, and facial massage. It was a very enjoyable day and I got to have 3 facials in one day! My skin felt great after.

I especially enjoyed learning about and using natural face masks. Some of the ones available to us were avocado, egg white, egg yolk, cucumber, strawberries and oatmeal. They were quite messy to apply but they were very good for the skin. Some of them were quite runny once they had been liquidised especially the cucumber. On the BBC2 Grow Your Own Drugs programme , James Wong showed how to make a natural face mask from papaya and kiwi. He used vegetable gelatine (agar agar) to thicken the mask up to stop it running everywhere and I can see why it’s needed. I’m not sure whether I will use this type of face mask in my facial routine yet (although I do like the oatmeal). I think I might use the natural clays such as fuller’s earth, kaolin, calamine, and magnesium sulphate adding essential oils to them to help with specific skin types and conditions.

I am hoping to start offering Holistic Aromatherapy Facials sometime in April. I will keep you posted.