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Coffee is my one serious addiction. I have tried to cut it out but failed miserably. I have one cup of black espresso a day (and about once a month a second which leaves me jitter and not quite right for the rest of the day). My naturopath friend Ben Brown wrote about the psychoactive effects of coffee in his recent blog titled “Caffeine and your mood: friend or foe?” which outlines how some people feel caffeine improves their mood (me with one coffee) and others feel the opposite (me with more than one cup of coffee). Ben writes that “caffeine can improve mood, alertness, attention and energy. The positive effects of caffeine on mood occur at lower doses (50-100 mg) and may be limited to regular caffeine users.” However, caffeine may also be “detrimental for people with anxiety, particularly if you are sensitive to caffeine or consume high amounts (300 mg or about 3-4 cups of tea or 2-3 cups of coffee).”

Of course if you consume too much caffeine from coffee, tea or soft drink can also cause skin problems, particularly dehydration. Caffeine is a diuretic which means it encourages the body to expell water via urine. If you drink a lot of caffeine containing drinks and don’t top up with water, it is highly likely your body and therefore your skin will be dehydrated. 

It is a different story when applying caffeine topically - for a start isn’t addictive!  As mentioned in a previous blog, caffeine can help to stimulate local fat metabolism increasing lipolysis (fat burning) which may help with cellulite. Read full article here.

Caffeine may also have a positive effect on the delicate skin around the eyes. The skin around the eyes is different from skin elsewhere on the body for a number of reasons:

It has minimal sebacious glands, which means it produces no protective sebum making it prone to dryness.

It is much thinner than other facial skin making it more sensitive and prone to reactions

It has a dense capillary network and has limited fat padding, making the area prone to puffiness.

When applied to the tissue around the eye area the stimulating effect of caffeine helps to tighten the skin by reducing capillary permeability (leaky blood microvessels) and increases constriction thereby moving the fluid away from the eye area. This effect has been shown to help with puffy bags which are characterised by fluid build up and leaky microvessels. I want to note that there is a difference between puffy eyes and skin sag or fat deposits below the eye. Usually puffy eyes will be worse in the morning and clear up as the day progresses. So to be clear, it is unlikely that caffeine will have any impact on skin sag. At this stage I am not sure if it will assist with fat deposits under the eyes despite the stimulating effect it has on lipolysis as there just isn’t enough research to indicate a positive effect.

Eye care products that contain caffeine may also help with dark circles due to their ability to reduce capillary permeability however, dark circles are notoriously difficult to treat topically and can often be the result of other health issues.

Caffeine can be included in eye care products in the form of caffeine-rich green tea, however, this won’t be as effective as use of coffee or pure caffeine. Lavera My Age Intensive Eye Cream incorporates organic caffeine from coffee and Fair Trade organic green tea to ensure a stimulating effect.

As to my own caffeine use, I am going to relax and enjoy my one cup of coffee a day and on the days that I need it, instead of a second cup, apply some caffeine containing eye cream to my eyes. Please let me know if you have had any experience with caffeine containing products and what results you got.

Antiaging ingredients and eye creams that work…a myth or reality? While there may be many products in the market that claim to work, how many actually do make a difference? Two tried and true ways of finding out are:

1.     Review the research. Antiaging is big business but there are a handful of key ingredients that show real promise. Among them, marine extracts, Hibiscus esculentus extract, sodium hyaluronate and naturally sourced alpha hydroxy acids.

2.     Alternatively you can try a product out for yourself. What works for others may not work for you…and vice versa and it can be worth spending the money to find out.

The Eyes have it…

In my opinion eye cream isn’t just a clever marketing gimmick – it really does work! And it makes sense to take care of the skin around your eye, as it is the thinnest skin on your face and the first to show the signs of aging. And yes, eye creams are different to everyday face creams. Moisturisers tend to have a heavier molecular structure and so can cause puffiness or inflammation around the eye area. Eye creams are designed specifically for the delicate skin around the eye.

In my experience, eye creams are lighter and tend to absorb in more quickly. The ingredients are also targeted for the eye area however, there are many different choices when it comes to eye creams and eye products tend to focus on specific issues be it puffiness, dark circles or fine lines and wrinkles. Choose the one that suits best suits your skin and the predominant issue. Similarly to moisturisers, it is important to choose age-appropriate eye creams (and I don’t mean R-rated eye creams!). Anti-aging eye products and creams are probably to rich for someone in their early 20s. In this case an eye gel may have a better result.

To get the best out of your eye cream use it daily both in the morning after cleansing and in the evening after you’ve removed your make-up.  Gently apply using the pad of your fourth finger and dab the eye cream around your eye socket. Our pick of the very best natural eye creams on the market now:

1. Worth every cent La Mav Certified Organic Firming Eye Lotion contains active ingredients to help with skin restructuring by preserving collagen & elastin fibers and marine extracts help reduce the appearance of dark circles.

2. Haven Scent Rosehip Eye Cream is a light soothing eye cream that nourishes and hydrates skin using certified organic aloe vera and rosehip oil. A favorite indeed!

3. To minimise dark circles Devita Under Eye Repair Gel is ideal. A light, refreshing serum that soothes tired eyes. The inclusion of bioflavanoids Astaxanthin and Hesperdin help strengthen the capillary network under the eyes and clear dark circles. Don’t expect overnight results; give it 3 months and you should see a lightening of dark circles – anything less is unrealistic.

4. As a light and soothing gel, Third Stone Botanicals Green Tea Eye Serum l contains colloidal silica and green tea antioxidants soothe and protect the delicate eye area and help reduce puffiness. Storing this product in the fridge will further help with the reduction of puffy eyes.

Tell us what your favorite eye product is and why for your chance to win a $10 Vitale Gift Voucher (prize will be presented 14 days after post).

Who would ever have thought that a silk pillow case could get me so excited! Well have you ever woken up with a ‘sleep-crease’ on your face? I do every day (on my left side damn it!). For reasons completely unrelated to my daily ‘sleep crease’ I bought a silk pillow case (well just because I love the feel of them) and my ‘sleep crease’ was no more. Woohoo – you can bet I was happy!

So I have done a video blog about Slip Silk Pillow Cases:

To read more and view this product go to Slip Silk Pillow Case.

I am a recent convert to eye creams but now that I am, I am addicted. My twice daily indulgence is applying the Haven Scent Rosehip Eye Cream to my eye area. However, there are many different choices when it comes to eye creams and each one tends to focus on a different eye issue be it puffiness, dark circles or fine lines and wrinkles. In this video I discuss which natural eye creams are better for each issue and how to choose which one is right for you….or if you even need one at all.

View our natural & organic eye creams.

This is a new blog section that I will post from time to time and it is essentially us letting you know about our favorite products. This time is Roechelle’s turn and her favorite product is the Lavera Mint Blemish Stick. While Roechelle has had a history of breakouts, she has done heaps of great work healing her skin and at Vitale we are really impressed with the changes she has made to life. I have done a product review video below but first here is what Roechelle has to say:

“Even though this product is a cover up, I actually put it on at night to help it heal any blemishes I have. It is also great for soothing and cooling blind pimples. There is something in it that really helps to reduce the inflammation (Ed note: the oils are rich in omega 3 & 6 so help reduce inflammation and the mint essential oil is cooling).”

The ‘rediscovery’ of traditional cold pressed soap making methods has lead to the production of many various shaped, coloured and scented soaps that have a soft, creamy lather and are delicious to use. In this video blog I discuss how these soaps are made, the benefits of them over standard commercial soaps and syndet bars and review Dr Bronner’s Organic Shikakai Body Soaps.

To read more about Castile Soap click here.
To view Dr Bronner’s Organic Shikakai Body Soaps click here.
To view our range of Natural Hand Made Castile Soaps click here.

I love paw paw ointment but haven’t used it for years. The brand I used to use I found out contained petrochemicals as a base so I stopped using it all together. Recently however a couple of natural brands have popped up and I have been trialling them to see how they compare to the original. Of those natural brands I have done a comparison below and interestingly while I love the Pure Nutraceuticals product which we stock, the Suvana Paw Paw Ointment is really good too. For this reason, you will see it in-store soon! (Ed note: I is now in-store and on-line)

Brand	Natural/Organic	Ingredients	Product Experience/Rating	Price
Lucas Paw Paw Ointment	High concetration of paw paw ointment. A TGA listed product which means the base ingredients aren’t listed on the label	Contains natural paw paw extract in a petroleum jelly base (a petrochemical)	The original product, which is great to use but I don’t like the petrochemical base. 3 stars for high paw paw concentration but loses out because of the base ingredients	$5.95
Pure Nutraceuticals Paw Paw Ointment	Natural with food grade preservative. Contains calendula which is healing and nourishing to the skin.	Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Beeswax, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Paw Paw Ferment, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit, Coconut Flavour, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Benzyl Alcohol	Great taste & feel. Contains coconut flavour, which is too strong for many. 4 stars – coconut flavour & preservative stop it from being 5 stars	$6.95
Suvana Paw Paw Ointment	Natural with some organic ingredients	Castor seed oil*, beeswax*, coconut oil*, cocoa butter*, papaya extract, honey*, jojoba oil*, vanilla bean oil*, candilia wax, carrot seed oil, stevia extract, vitamin e. * organic ingredients	No added flavour. Tastes like honey. Lovely to use. 4.5 stars. Higher price brings down from 5.	$8.95
Simmons Paw Paw Salve	Natural. Made with 51mg/gram of fresh paw paw. More papaw per volume than other leading brands.	Fermented fresh paw paw fruit, Rhus succedanea wax, glycerine, canola oil, hydrogenated castor oil, beeswax, corn starch.	Tastes bitter so not pleasant to use. 3.5 stars. Ingredients good but tastes awful.	$5.95

My video blog about Pure Nutraceuticals Paw Paw Ointment