Coconut Oil (Part 1): A skin saviour

So, finally I am writing a post about Coconut oil. I've held out on writing about it for a while, as there are just so many things you can do with it, and I wasn't sure how I would incorporate it all into one blog post! With that in mind, I've decided to split this topic into two posts; one being the 'why?' and the other being the 'how?'. Consequently, this first post is all about why coconut oil is so great for our skin. And there's a lot to say about that... so let's get started!

Saturated fats

Coconut oil is rich in saturated fats, which, when applied to the skin make it smooth to the touch. The presence of these fats means that the oil retains the moisture content of the skin, as the fats eliminate moisture loss through the pores. That makes this oil ideal for those of us with dry skin. If you have oily skin, you can still use coconut oil as it will not overly clog the pores on the face, as long as it is removed in the correct way! (Which I will explain in part 2 of this post).

Vitamin E

You may remember from previous Skindividual posts, such as the Sweet Almond Oil and the Almond Flour Face Mask posts, that Vitamin E really is the King of all vitamins when it comes to skin health! It's essential for healthy skin growth, repair of wear and tear on the skin, and preventing dry skin. It can also help to prevent premature ageing of the skin, because of its abundance of moisture and antioxidant properties. These properties make coconut oil ideal to use at night as it can work it's magic overnight on your skin.

Proteins

The many proteins found in coconut oil keep the skin both healthy and rejuvenated. Proteins also contribute to cellular heath and tissue repair, therefore if you have any pigmentation marks or scarring, coconut oil can help to reduce their appearance over time.

Capric/Caprylic/Lauric acid

These fatty acids have strong disinfectant and antimicrobial properties. As a result, coconut oil can prevent any sort of infections that may attack open wounds on the skin, making it ideal for use on active blemishes. A lot of antibacterial store bought products can be harsh and irritate acne even more, but coconut oil will do the same thing in a gentle and natural way!

Buying Coconut Oil

When buying coconut oil and planning to use it on your skin, try to buy Raw Virgin Coconut Oil. The best kind will be organic, cold-pressed and of course chemical free. Make sure to look at the ingredients before buying to make sure that organic raw virgin coconut oil is the only one! It may seem a bit pricey, but I have been using mine for months and months and only half of it is gone. Here is one I would recommend from Evergreen, Ireland. But of course you can shop around in any health food store or online to find it too.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon, to find out how exactly to use this miraculous oil on your skin!

Sinéad 

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/skindividualblog

An important milestone for Skindividual Blog!

For those who you who read this blog that might not know I also have a facebook page, then this post is for you!

Today I reached 100 readers on my page which was an important milestone for me. It has given me the motivation to put even more time and effort into the Skindividual Blog and I hope that you all look forward to continuing along this journey with me!

If you want to find the Skindividual Blog facebook page, the address is:

https://www.facebook.com/skindividualblog

I generally post a lot of smaller bits of information about skin health on the facebook page that don't always make it on to the blog.

Remember to always contact me, either here, through facebook or by e-mail (skindividualblog@gmail.com) if you ever have any requests for natural products you'd like me to review or talk about, or about anything to do with skin.

Thank you again my lovely readers!

Sinéad

My personal skincare story

I remember the first time that I looked at the ingredients listed at the back of one of my skincare products. What astonished me the most was the fact that there were so many of them! Trying to figure out what all of these complex and scary looking names were was difficult, and of course there was a niggling feeling at the back of my mind that they were most likely not what most people would actively choose to put on to their skin. It’s easy to pick up a popular, raved about product, or one with pretty colourful packaging and completely fall for the hype.. believing it’s promise to transform your skin into a beautiful glowing canvas in little to no time. 

When I began to research a lot of the common ingredients in beauty products, I was almost a little angry at myself at the time, because most of the products I was so used to buying and enjoyed using (even though they rarely gave me the results they promised), I now couldn’t look at in the same way. Here is a article from the website organicbeautytalk.com which lists some common ingredients found in skin products, which you might wish to avoid after reading. Personally, I almost wished I could be oblivious and forget the information I had been reading, after all, if I couldn't use these products then what on earth could I use on my skin?

At the time, I was suffering from cystic acne, which motivated me to start doing a lot of my own research on the internet about how these ingredients may actually affect the condition of my skin. We absorb about 60 percent of what is put on to our skin, so it's a good idea to know exactly what is in these products that we buy! It just didn't sit well with me that there were so many additives, chemicals, parabens and basically a lot of names I didn't recognise, and so this was the main reason that I started to move away from store bought skincare items. I remember, around that time, buying a product from a well-known brand which is marketed as being free from any sort of ingredient that might irritate the skin, only to break out in a major rash on my face! So really I had no more excuses to not begin my journey into a more natural route for my skin.

Ever since I began to switch my skincare regime from one consisting of manufactured lotions and potions to a more natural regime, my skin has improved so much. My acne has cleared up (for the most part), and my skin never gets irritated. I also feel so much better knowing that I am not putting anything harmful into my skin. I’ve had a lot of fun over the past couple of years learning how to incorporate natural 'ingredients' into my skincare. It can be quite a creative process, experimenting with different natural ingredients.. finding which ones work best together.. figuring out how different ones will help certain skin types, mixing them in various ratios.. and creating pretty containers to store them in! It's something I really enjoy doing.

My staple natural products that have helped my skin the most
While I'm always trying new products out and changing up my routine, there are a few natural saviours that I use on a daily basis that have really improved the condition of my skin.

Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil will be the topic of my next blog post. I've held out on writing about it until now, as I wanted to make sure I had good experience using it for at least six months. Coconut oil has basically been my daily morning and night time cleanser, and so it has replaced the need for me to use a manufactured one, which really makes me happy! You can read in detail about how I use this, along with its other uses in my next post.

Rosewater
Ah, rosewater, how did I live without you? This is a firm favourite of mine. I use rosewater to remove any coconut oil left on my face after my cleanse. I then splash my face with water and simply spritz on this amazing product as a toner. The condition of my skin has improved a lot since incorporating this little beauty in to my daily routine. Gone are the days of useless store bought toners, many of which are full of alcohol. You can read about rosewater in more detail in my previous post.

Oatmeal
If I ever have a bad breakout, I simply cleanse my skin with oatmeal twice a day, or make an oatmeal face mask. Oats calm the skin and are full of powerful ingredients to combat acne. They're also great for other skin types and you can read about exactly how to use them in one of my older posts.

Sweet Almond Oil
I use this soothing oil each night before bed. It has replaced my need to use a manufactured night cream, and improved the condition of my skin to no end. A little goes a long way with this oil, so one bottle (even if it's a small one) will last you a long time. My skin tends become quite dehydrated at times, at this oil has really saved it! Read more about its many beauty benefits here.

So, there you have it, a little information about my journey into the world of natural skincare. I hope you, the readers, are enjoying the little tips and tricks I am sharing with you. Please feel free to contact me if you ever have any questions about natural skincare, as I am more than happy to help and really enjoy sharing this information with others, I could literally talk about this stuff for hours!

Until next time...

Sinéad

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/skindividualblog

Love for lemons! (Part 2)

The last Skindividual blog post was about how lemons are so good for us internally and why drinking lemon water regularly can help to improve our system in many ways. But can we also use lemons as part of our skincare regime? The answer is yes!

Lemons are full of beneficial vitamins and minerals that can work wonders for our skin. The vitamin C, AHAs and BHAs found in this versatile fruit are what make it so great for our complexions.

AHAs (alpha hydroxy acid) and BHAs (beta hydroxy acid) work on the skin by removing dead skin cells and by removing any dirt and grime from pores. Because of this, they really help with blackheads, acne, acne scarring, discolouration and sunspots. Many people describe using lemons on the face as a (gentle) mini face peel at home, as lemons have the ability to remove dead skin cells while cleansing, leading to a brighter and healthier complexion!

A great addition to a night-time moisturiser

A great way of adding lemons to your skincare regime is to simply add a few drops of lemon in to your moisturiser before applying it at night. When we sleep, our skin regenerates and with the addition of lemon juice, the skin can work even faster to create new glowing skin cells!

*It's important to remember not to use lemons on your skin in the morning. They make the skin more sensitive to the sun, thus becoming more susceptible to damage from the sun's harmful rays.

Fading acne scars and pigmentation marks

• Squeeze the juice of half a lemon in to a small bowl.
• Add a small amount of water to dilute the mixture.
• Dip a cotton pad in to the mixture and sweep over your face.
• Some people like to use this mix without diluting it with water, however it's advisable to start off with a diluted mixture, so as to be more gentle on the skin.
• Rinse off with lukewarm water and follow immediately with a moisturiser.
• Repeat 1-3 times a week.

Exfoliating for brighter skin

• Wet your (cleansed) face with warm water.
• Soak a cotton pad in lemon juice (diluted with some water) and sprinkle a pinch of sugar on top. The sugar will act as your exfoliator.
• Massage the lemon and sugar cotton pad gently around your face. This will buff any dead skin away to reveal brighter smooth skin. The acid in the lemon juice will kill any bacteria and thoroughly "de-clog" pores.
• Repeat once a week.

So there you have it, a few different way to incorporate this amazing piece of fruit into your skin routine! It's important to keep a few things in mind when using these skin 'recipes':

•  When you begin to use lemons on your skin, it's best to always dilute any mixture with water, maybe even with a 1:1 ratio, i.e. half lemon juice and half water, at least until your skin builds up a tolerance to it. 
• Never use lemons on your face during the day, as they make the skin more sensitive to damage from the sun
• Always use a good moisturiser after any of these skin treats. Lemons are quite acidic and can disrupt the skin's PH level and be drying. However, a moisturiser will prevent this from happening.

Enjoy!

Sinéad

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/skindividualblog

Love for lemons! (Part 1)

I've decided to split this post about lemons into two parts, one for the benefits of drinking lemon water and the other for the benefits of external application of this versatile fruit!

For the past couple of months, I've been incorporating lemons into both my diet and skincare routine, and I've been absolutely loving them! Every morning I've been drinking lemon water, and I find that this really helps me perk up for the day ahead. Also, because I know that this is such a healthy way to start my morning, I tend to eat healthier throughout the day, as I am motivated to continue on with the healthy pattern!

So, why are lemons so good for us internally?

• Drinking lemon water in the morning is extremely beneficial for the body as it stimulates the digestive tract and makes the process of eliminating waste products from the body easier. Many people have issues with digestion, but even if you don't, this will ensure that you maintain a healthy gut, one of the key factors in achieving a healthy complexion!
• Lemons are, of course, quite acidic. However, once they enter our systems they become more alkaline. This is great for balancing our pH systems. A lot of the food we consume can be quite acidic, so when we bring lemons into our system they can really help to neutralise this acidity.
• Moving on to the more obvious reasons for drinking lemon water... lemons are full of important vitamins and minerals which are, of course, great for us internally! They are high in vitamin C, vitamin B, magnesium and potassium. Incorporating lemons in to your daily diet will ensure that you maintain a strong immune system. Because of their high potassium content, they are also thought to help to lower blood pressure in those who suffer from high blood pressure.
• Another great reason to drink lemon water is that it really helps with indigestion and heartburn. The next time you suffer from either of these ailments, drink some warm lemon water and you will feel instant relief.

My simple 'Good Morning' lemon drink

• Squeeze the juice from half a lemon into a glass
• Fill half way with warm water (warm water is thought to further activate the nutrients in the lemon)
• Top the drink off with cold water
• Stir well, and enjoy!

Lemons are a simple, inexpensive way to boost your immunity and to cleanse and balance your system. I thought that this post was important to include as one of the main reasons people can suffer from acne or dull skin is because their insides are not happy. This drink is a great way to start your day. I like to drink this a couple of times a day to really reap the rewards of the lemony goodness!

Enjoy!

Sinéad

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/skindividualblog