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Over this last winter my skin was a bit more dry than usual (hello stress!) and I was fishing about for something to help. I moved to a cream cleanser which was good but then ran out. So one night I grabbed a bottle of jojoba oil, massaged about 8-10 drops over my face and eye area and then gently wiped with a warm cloth. I was pleased at the time because it took off all of the mascara I had applied that day in one go (usually I have to give my eyes an extra wipe to avoid panda bear eyes). Over the next few nights I continue this routine and found that my skin hydration improved significantly. Fast forward 2 months and I am still using this cleansing technique and love it. Apart from increased hydration I have also found that the congestion I usually experience on my nose and chin has also improved – so happy about that!

While it feels counter-intuitive to cleanse with oil there is actually some reasoning to this method. Essentially, oil attracts and pulls fat soluble particles (those that mix with fat rather than water) including pollution, makeup and waste products from the skin. Eventually this has an effect on skin congestion including blackheads and whiteheads, as the oil mixes with sebum and follows its pathways down to skin cell and skin matrix levels destroying bacteria.

For acne and oily skin, this method can be used but it is important that the oil used is chosen carefully. Castor and Jojoba oils are ideal as they mix with sebum well and therefore help clear bacteria. However, molecularly heavy oils such as Coconut and Castor oil need to be diluted by mixing them with lighter oils such as grapeseed, jojoba or even Olive oil. So a blend of oils is generally a good idea. A 50-50 mix of Oilve and Castor or Jojoba and Castor is good for acne prone skin.

For dry or dehydrated skin, oil cleansing avoids the traditional use of foaming cleansers which can have too strong an effect on the skin’s protective barrier. The oil creates a moisturising barrier across the skin that allows the skin to function normally but holds moisture in. It also supports the acid mantle of the skin thereby eventually helping to balance oil production. This may also be a suitable method for sensitive skin, as there are no essential oils or artificial scents which are the most common irritating agents. For me, I just used pure Jojoba oil and didn’t worry about blending oils. However, if my skin were more congested, I would consider mixing Castor and Jojoba oil together.

The Oil Cleansing Method

• Massage 8-10 drops of your oil mixture over your face and neck
• You don’t need to pre-clean off makeup
• Massage the oil gently into your face and neck for 30 seconds to a minute
• Soak a soft washcloth or microfibre flannel and in warm water. Gently wipe away all visible oil. Using a flannel will also help to remove dead skin cells on the surface of your skin.
• If your skin is oilier and want to open up your pores, use hot water and gently apply the cloth over your face. Leave it until it starts to cool then wipe away all visible oil. I advise against using a hot washcloth if you have dry or sensitive skin or rosacea as it may irritate the skin and increase moisture loss.
• Rinse the cloth and repeat.
• I always apply a serum after washing my face and using this method is no exception. However I did find I need to use less serum. If you have oily or acne prone skin you may choose not to apply anything at all.

If you have used the oil cleansing method, I would love to hear what your experience was. Good, bad…indifferent?

At Vitale we are often e-mailed about which Dry Body Brush to use. Our advice varies depending on skin sensitivity, whether or not the person has used a skin brush before and what areas of the body they want to skin brush. Jodie from Bodecare writes this about the range of natural brushes she has created:

All brushes are made of natural materials and vary in bristle firmness to cater for individual preferences. (The Vitale Natural Online Store every brush has details on what the brush is made of, dimensions and the firmness of the brush bristles.)

All Bodecare brush bristles are categorised under Extra Soft, Soft, Medium and Firm.

Extra Soft

• Face brush: Meant for delicate skin on the face, the bristles are silky soft, gentle enough for a baby. Suitable for working with Cleansers and removing face masks.

Soft

• Face brush: Soft bristles suitable for cleansing and removing face masks.
• Nails/Feet: Suitable for buffing residue off nails and lightly cleaning dirt under nail.
• Dry Body Brushing: Best for someone just new to dry body brushing, will still provide good stimulation. This is a great starting point until your skin gets use to dry brushing and then you can graduate to firmer brush bristles.

Medium

• Dry Body Brushing: Suitable for someone wanting extra stimulation, flexible bristle, great exfoliation.
• First time dry body brushers could also start with this level brush, because you only need to use light strokes for dry brushing.

Firm

• Dry Body Brushing: Suitable for experienced dry body brushers, firm, stiff bristles, providing optimum exfoliation, stimulation and massage for the skin.
• Nails: Firm, stiff bristles great for removing dirt from under nails, especially if you are a gardener or mechanic.

It is simply a choice of which brush meets your needs and comfort levels. View the range of Bodecare Brushes here.

Related Articles:

• Energise with Dry Scalp Massage
• Brush your butt!
• Have you heard of Lymphatic Detoxification?
• Cellulite – is there ANYTHING I can do about it?

As you may know at Vitale we are trying out the new La Mav range of products and one that I have been getting feedback from the staff about is the Pore Refining Toner. La Mav describe this product as being good for skin that is prone to imbalance and congestion. As I haven’t personally tried this I pored (no pun intended) the ingredients to see why it was working so well and came up with a few ingredients of particular interest:

1. Vitamin B5 - topically, vitamin B5 (d-panthenol) is required in synthesis of fatty acids and sphingolipids. These components are important for the skin lipid layers and cell membrane integrity. Essentially this will help to maintain a healthy acid mantle on the skin and therefore skin moisture. It also helps counteract the bacteria that may contribute to whiteheads and acne breakouts.
2. Natural Fruit Enzymes including apple and sugar cane which work to increase skin cells turnover and prevent pore clogging. The other benefits of fruit acids include helping to minimize break-outs particularly if they are related to congestion or makeup use, and milia bumps, reduce the appearance of fine lines, deeper wrinkles and darkened areas on the face.
3. Lemon Balm Extract which purifies, exfoliates and helps to balance skin’s pH which means less oil production and less clogging of pores

The base of this toner is aloe vera, glycerine and rose hydrosol which are all hydrating ingredients that don’t increase the likelihood of congestion. This is another product that goes on my list of “products I must try” as in summer or if I have been consuming rubbish food, congestion can be an issue for me.

I would love to hear any comments you may have about this product so please write us a review.

• Reducing congestion with Fruit Acids
• Clogged Skin – blackheads, whiteheads and congestion

As you may know at Vitale we are huge fans of the Australian, certified organic range La Mav. Recently they have relaunched their range and made some great changes which are outlined below:

1. Gorgeous new packaging that is colour coded for the skin issue each addresses (see below for more explanation about this). The plant design printed on the packaging consists of a combination of the stems, branches, flowers and other raw materials that are used in La Mav products.
2. Eliminating problems such as dodgy dispensers and airless pumps that don’t work
3. Increasing the size of the cleansers, toners and moisturisers without increasing the price!
4. Introducing some amazing new cosmeceutical products that address key skin issues such as pigmentation (Skin Brightening range), dehydration (Ultra hydration range), slow aging (Wrinkle Smoothing products) and the needs of mature skin (Lift & Firm products)

From La Mav founder, Tarj Mavi: “We are extremely satisfied with our product formulations which remain completely unchanged. The decision to update our core and secondary packaging was so that we could more closely reflect the essence of the brand – age defying results, inspired by skin science and delivered through nature.”

The new packaging is coloured coded to reflect the different product ranges and skin types:

• Purify and clean packaging is covered in an earthy green to represent the plant bio-actives contained in the products
• Gentle and clean packaging is coloured light peach to represent the soothing and gentle nature of the key ingredients
• Skin Brightening products are coloured in pale yellow packaging to represent the lightness and clarity the key ingredients provide
• The Lift and Firm range is packaged in a sophisticated purple colour representing the needs of the more mature skin.
• Age Defence range is packaged in the core pink colour – feminine, grounded, luxurious
• Wrinkle Smoothing range is a bold tone of the La Mav core pink colour
• Ultra Hydration range is coloured in a calming hydrating watery blue.

Over the next few weeks I will review some of the new La Mav products and give you my thoughts. As always we would love to hear your thoughts once you have tried the products.

View the La Mav range

My excitement with the new La Mav range was tempered somewhat when I realized I couldn’t try all the new products at once (I really am still very excited). To really assess the range our Vitale Natural team has had to trial each product at a time. Some of the products we are already familiar with such as the favorite amongst staff and indeed, award winning Bio-A7 Firming Eye Lotion but others are new to us. Over the next few months we will reveal our thoughts on many of the new products but first I wanted to review another of my favorites: Argania Extract Lift and Firm Serum (Lift & Firm Serum for short). Lift & Firm Serum contains some key bio-active ingredients (and this is these are the ingredients that really get me excited as they are considered “active” and have real therapeutic benefits on the skin) including:

• Commiphora Mukul Extract, Wheat Protein & Milk Protein firms and tones
• Argania Spinosa Extract, Acacia Senegal Gum and Rhizobian Gum acts as natural skin tightening agents delivering firmer and lifted appearance.
• Aloe Vera Juice and Rose Distillate instantly revitalise tired skin delivering refreshed, hydrated and healthy glow
• Natural Vitamin E and Jojoba seed oil protect the skin delivering long lasting anti-ageing benefits.

Of these, Argania Spinosa extract, Acacia Senegal and Rhozbian Gum have immediate effects on the skin acting like a flash balm by tightening and lifting skin which is ideal for tired skin around the eyes. Argania also has a long-term biological effect, working to reduce wrinkles particularly on the neck. My first experience of this product was one morning when I had had a late night and a very early start – I looked very tired and quite dehydrated which shows up around my eyes in particular. I thought this was the ideal opportunity to try out this product. I put it on and dashed out the door. Later that morning I checked out the progress and indeed I thought I looked better (I certainly looked better than I felt). Based on that response I have been using it under my moisturizer every day since and generally think my skin looks good. I can’t really notice a difference on my neck as yet as I am a bit haphazard about application in that area. Lift & Firm Serum goes really well with Hibiscus Extract Ultra-Lift Moisturiser.

If you have used this product please add your comments as we would love to hear what you think.

This Summer has been great for me from the perspective of minimal sun exposure…we have had so much rain that it has only been in the last month that the sun has really had a chance to make an impact. I do sun myself in the early morning and late afternoon – I need the vitamin D and the emotional “shine” that comes from sunshine. But really, I am mostly freckle and sun-damage free. Good news for me however, I have had so many people ask me about skin brightening and preventing pigmentation – what works, is there anything natural, how long it takes and what to do to prevent dark spots and sun damage next Summer?

I have written an article about the individual ingredients that assist with skin brightening before. You can read that here: My Skin Lightening Experiment

Skin Pigmentation

In this blog I am going to review 3 skin-brightening products and discuss how they are best used. I will just note that I use the terms “lightening” or “brightening” with reference to pigmentation only as opposed to lightening the natural skin tone.

Prevention/Sun Damage: La Mav Brightening Complex – this product is more effective for evening out skin tone rather than lightening specific pigmentation areas. It is effective for helping to prevent sun damage and inhibiting melanin formation. Use this to prevent damage or for evening skin tone.

Melasma/Sun Spots/Small Area Sun Damage: Devita Skin Brightening Serum – this product is specifically designed to help fight the appearance of Hyperpigmentation that is primarily caused by hormones, birth control pill use, chemical peels, waxes etc. SBS works using the natural skin lighteners Kojic acid and Arbutin which work synergistically to help break-up hyperpigmentation, along with Emblica fruit extract, a proven skin lightener, all which help give the look of a balanced skin tone. SBS is applied to small areas or for spot application. One bottle will last up to 6 months.

Chemical Peel Discolouration/Large Facial Area Sun Damage: Devita Complex KBA – this is from the Devita professional Rx range. It has been formulated to lighten the appearance of skin, which has been discoloured from chemical peels, age spots, sun-spots and freckles. A cream rather than a serum, it spreads over the entire face rather than being used for spot or area application.

Remember any skin lightening treatment takes up to 8-10 weeks to see significant effects.

See Related Articles:

• My Skin Lightening Experiment
• Slow Ageing & Pigmentation Information Page

For me Summer is a time of colour and sparkle and so as soon as I saw Luna Glitter nail polish from Zoya, I had to have it. I mean what is better than glitter toenails when at the beach? The light reflecting qualities will make your toes sparkle so much that no-one will notice if your bikini line isn’t quite coiffed. Of course I jest but really I do have a passion for bright toenails and this Summer will see me with far more than a nude shade of nail. In Luna, Delilah and Blyss, these polishes glitter like never before:

Another product I have just flipped over recently is a new one from Remedica (and I have been waiting with bated breath for it to be released): Remedica Recovery Lift. It is described as an outerwear gel serum. One of the reasons I love it (apart from the divine orchid smell) is the versatility of use. With a light and non-greasy texture, it can be used as a makeup primer, eye gel and slow aging serum, under or over moisturisers or sunscreen. It imparts a smooth finish so that even mineral make up can be applied without issue. I also think this would be ideal as a serum for those with congestion or prone to acne as it is oil-free and full of healing ingredients.

Benefits of Remedica Recovery Lift:

• Light weight, oil free / non greasy, hydrating and glowing veil
• Contributes to the look of lifted – smooth skin
• Long term help in minimising the look of sun induced pigmentation and depth of wrinkles,
• Plumps surface skin cells and hydrates and locks in moisture,
• Provides an instant tonifying and revitalising effect.

This brings me to favorite things…apart from Christmas cake of which I have had much already, my favorite thing this year is my Slip Pillow Case. When I first got one, I could barely take it off my pillow to wash. I soon sorted this issue by not washing it at all…no just kidding, I bought another one so I never have to do without again.

Naturally I chose the pink cases as despite being an adult, it is still my favorite colour. In any case, I just love it and have bought one for my grandmother and mother for Christmas.

I would love to hear about your favorite things, new product discoveries and summer highlights.

Yesterday a regular client came in with a gorgeous sunkissed look. Normally paler than me, she said that she had used and was now addicted to Lavera Sunless Self Tanner. There were no streak marks nor that orange tone that is common with the very pale using self tanner. I thought she looked great and may even try it myself!

Lavera Sunless Self Tanner is based on two natural ingredients, vegetable-derived DHA (Dihydroxyactone) and the sugar agent Erythrulose react with the amino acids of the skin, resulting in a brownish tint of the pigment. This reaction is completely harmless and a safe alternative to chemical tanners. This unaltered photo shows a smooth, natural tan develop on the right arm only 3 hours after initial application, compared to the untreated left arm. As with all Lavera products, our self tanners are certified natural by the BDIH, contain organic ingredients and are free of parabens and other synthetic ingredients.

I found these product reviews about Lavera Sunless Self Tanner:

Sometimes I just want to talk about a product because I love it and this is one of those cases. I have had this product sitting on my dresser all Winter but for various reasons including having heaps of other stuff to use up, I hadn’t used it. Last week I ran out of my regular body moisturiser and so grabbed the Remedica Monoi Blue used it instead – the fragrance, oh so divine. I just love it. So this is my video blog about Remedica Monoi Blue:

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:

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.