Happy New Year! Beauty Tips We Would Tell Our Teenage Selves!!
Firstly a very happy new year!
Since we’ve started Flora’s we have been helping many teenagers with the challenges of a hormonal skin, but it crossed my mind to also give them advice on what NOT to do to their skin. Many, like our daughters, won’t listen to their mama’s, but maybe just maybe a bit of this advice will brush off on some of your teenagers!
TAKE YOUR MAKE-UP OFF BEFORE YOU GO TO BED!
Sounds simple enough to us but it’s so tempting when you’re exhausted from studying, working or just zoned in front of the TV, to ‘skip it.’ Remember…when make-up is left on overnight it sinks into the pores causing irritation and could lead to unsightly break-outs. Also for those of you using non-green make-up (and I know it’s hard to find a truly green cosmetic) we don’t want any nasty chemicals to penetrate into our skin - so get it off!
Use any of Flora’s cleansers to remove make-up quickly and efficiently. We use floral waters or hydrosols in our cleansers - not just water like most cleansers - making the product far more active. Along with organic carrier oils such as castor oil - to really deep cleanse with a natural anti-bacterial effect, jojoba oil to balance and heal, sunflower oil to draw out dirt and impurities and apricot oil offering velvety texture and clarifying the skin.
DON’T use soap to wash your face!
As aestheticians we see the effects that soap has on the skin over time. Remember soap isn’t pH balanced to use on the delicate skin of the face, it will dry out your skin, strip the hydro-lipidic film and for an oily skin that can mean creating MORE oil! Not to mention the bacteria that can sit on the soap when it’s left out and re-used - ewwww! If you like the feel of water on your skin (and this shouldn’t be anyone with super dry or sensitive skin), use a wash off cleanser. HOWEVER avoid any wash off product that contains chemicals like sodium laureth/lauryl sulphate or similar - a harsh surfactant that does not biodegrade and is linked to nasties such as 1 to 4 dioxide.
Never fear our bare grapefruit & lime cleanser is here! A wash off cleanser which is gentle enough for all skin types but with essential oils of geranium, grapefruit & lime to balance oils and aid in preventing congested skin. To get the foaming action that so many oily skins love, we chose Capryl Glucoside, an Ecocert certified ingredient from a vegetable origin. This ultra-gentle, natural, cleansing, solubilizing foaming agent adds a luxurious "green" element to your cleanser.
STAY HYDRATED!
Of course we all know we should drink plenty of water to stay hydrated, which ultimately improves the appearance of our skin, especially after the holiday season. But did you know you can also hydrate your skin with certain face creams?
For example most of our products contain glycerin, a natural humectant, drawing moisture from the air into the skin to plump and hydrate. Also rose floral water, (present in our bare rose cream and bare rose & cucumber toner) is naturally hydrating and keeps the skin refreshed and moist.
Not to forget evening primrose oil (in our bare soothing cream, bare lavender & thyme mask, bare charcoal mask, bare sea buckthorn & frankincense cream, bare balancing oil) which contains GLA (gamma-Linolenic acid) at a concentration of 10% which works to repair the skins’s barrier as well as decreasing trans-epidermal water loss. And lets not leave out amazing raspberry oil (present in bare super oil, bare co-enzyme q10 & goji serum, bare sea buckthorn & frankincense) this oil is extremely high in essential fatty acids, the most abundant of which are linoleic, alpha linolenic and oleic acids. It is also an excellent source of free radical scavengers and antioxidants, rich in alpha and gamma tocopherols as well as carotenoides (Vitamin A) reputed to keep the skin hydrated and soft.
WEAR SUNSCREEN!
Yes you! I think that many of us ‘mature’ adults are aware of the effects of the sun. At Flora’s we spend a lot of time talking to clients about pigment damage, lines, wrinkles, dehydration and how to get rid of them. But here’s a simple tip for those teens out there - your skin is not invincible! If you sit out in the sun now you won’t see the damage it has caused right away but in 10, 20 or 30 years - watch out! The damage that has been caused will appear and, let me tell you, it’s much harder to get rid of it than to prevent it. Enjoy your beautiful, young skin and ALWAYS wear sunscreen even on your hands.
But Choose your sunscreen wisely…
Be sure that it doesn’t contain nasty chemicals, including oxybenzone and octinoxate,two of several ingredients that are being banned in places like Hawaii due to their damaging effects on coral reefs and sea life. Unfortunately we cannot make sunscreens at this time as in Canada it is considered a drug. However we recommend you look for ones that are mineral based with ingredients like zinc oxide.
Say NO to chemicals in skincare!
We’re pretty sure that most teens know more than the average adult about chemicals in skincare, however when I see that some major skincare companies are still getting away with using nasty chemicals and putting their products in non-recyclable plastic containers I want to scream! When we were teens we had no idea what the future held and didn’t dig too deep when it came to skincare ingredients. But our teens are now so well educated and environmentally aware I just want to say yay! Keep up the great work! And if you have questions about Flora’s ingredients, contact us! We only use natural, sustainable ingredients that are CLEAN and GREEN and we now have all of our products in glass or aluminium containers, which are 100% recyclable. But we are always open for tips and advice from our young clients because they are super smart and aware xx.
And finally and most importantly take time for YOU!
Our teens are so busy and so connected with the outside world that many do not take the time to look after themselves. Since I was a teenager I have always carved out some beauty ‘me’ time, whether it be just to run a bath and apply a scrub and mask or book a monthly facial appointment with my fave aesthetician (Dawn lol). Not only will this benefit your skin it also gives us much needed down time, with might I add, NO PHONE!!!!!!
Love Flora x