All posts by Stephen Wills

Found of Carley's Skin Care company
Informational, Tips and Tricks

The Little Chemical That Can’t: Triclosan and How to Avoid It

You probably know that the average store-bought soap is a chemical soup of Frankenstein ingredients. Ingredients that you now know can’t do anything to the skin but make it smell better. Triclosan is one such ingredient.

triclosan_Products
Triclosan-containing products

Invented in the 1960’s by a chemical company, triclosan was created as an effective antibacterial agent that kills bacteria. That might be awesome for your dirty countertops – but what of your skin? Your skin is the most exposed organ in the body and has a symbiotic relationship with the good bacteria on your body. Killing all the bacteria on your skin can have devastating effects for the health of your skin.

“[Triclosan] contributes to the growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and causes a range of human problems.” – Food and Water Watch, 2009

Triclosan as an antibacterial soap is a relatively recent trend. Despite purported claims by major companies that antibacterial soaps are healthy, no such proof exists. The FDA voted 11-to-1 that antibacterial soaps were no more effective than regular soap and water. Oops.

Triclosan-Free
Carley’s Clear & Smooth doesn’t touch triclosan with a 10 foot pole. Not only do we recommend avoiding products with triclosan but we adamantly oppose anyone on the acne regime to even come in contact with antibacterial soap. Why? While bacteria is responsible for acne and many major skin irritations, the solution of wiping out the skin’s bacteria as a panacea is a short-term fix that puts the skin’s balance in disarray.

SoapCounterSwearing off triclosan
Triclosan is found in virtually every antibacterial soap there is. Your hand soap, your detergents, your other household cleaners. To swear off this harmful soap to both you and the environment, try using Carley’s Natural Soap. Here are tips for replacing your household cleaners that come in contact with your skin with natural soap like Carley’s.

  • Put a soap bar in the bathroom next to the sink instead of hand wash. Lathering up a soap bar should not be hard at all with a soap tray.
  • Check your cosmetic ingredients for any that contain triclosan. Toss them. Or donate them to your worst enemy.
  • Replace dish soap by creating your own handpump. Put chunks of the soap in a handpump and add water and shake thoroughly. Voila! You have an easy lathered and convenient handpump that won’t destroy your skin or the environment.

Remember, sometimes it’s the little things that help your skin. Triclosan is linked to skin allergies and skin irritations. It may be just the small change in your life that gives you the perfect skin you were looking for.

Products mentioned:
Carley’s Natural Soap (1 bar)
Carley’s Natural Soap (5 bars)

Tips and Tricks

I’ve Tried Everything and am STILL Not Clear… Now What?

“Your product isn’t working. I have had persistent acne half my life. Right now, I’m using your products with a few other lines of product. Maybe I’ll try a new acne ointment. If that doesn’t work, I’ll just go back on Accutane.”

You would be amazed how many times we hear this. The only solace seems to be trying an “all of the above” strategy. Using every product in sight. Problem? All of the benefits of using Carley’s Clear & Smooth are negated by mixing with other products.

The unorthodox, highly rated approach we take towards a permanent acne solution isn’t so great if you throw it in a chemical concoction of ointments.

Believing is Doing
One of the first steps towards healthier skin is believing you can get healthy skin. If you’ve read The Power of the Subconscious Mind, you’d see that the state of your mind is absolutely crucial for any major change to occur in your body. By resigning that the product you just won’t work for you. That you need to supplement it with other products. Do you know what will happen? It probably won’t work!

Tips for Persistent Acne
If you’ve been using our product and your skin has gotten worse, don’t run to the closest drug store yet. It takes weeks, sometimes months for your skin to adjust to these products. The skin is essentially healing from all of the years of damage done by acidic, stale, chemical-laden products you’ve used before.

We tell every customer to email us if they have any problems. We will do our best to respond the same day and love to go back and forth with customers to make sure they are using the products correctly.
Products Recommended

 

Tips and Tricks

Warding Off Thinning Hair and Baldness with… Exfoliants?

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One of the first visible signs of aging for men and women is the gradual thinning of hair. For men, this takes the form of the dreaded male pattern baldness. Despite the many cure-alls out on the market there is one thing that remains consistently healthy for the scalp no matter your age and gender – stimulation.

Studies have shown that consistent stimulation and massage of the hair follicles will increase blood flow to the scalp. Studies also show that male pattern baldness sufferers have on average 2.6 times less blood flow in the scalp than normal individuals. While results cannot be anything but anecdotal, we have found success in using an exfoliant in the hair for warding off thin hair.

The LiveStrong Foundation says to use a mix of natural oils such as Jojoba and Rosemary oil to stimulate directly into the scalp. Problem? Oils are hard to absorb directly into the skin without a carrier. This is where Dimethicone-containing products that don’t readily absorb and pure oils don’t stand a chance.

Carley’s Acne Treatment contains fine walnut powder that is perfect for massaging the scalp with. An exfoliant without Benzoyl Peroxide may work just as well for those with skin sensitivities. The after body wash has a cleaning, moisturizing effect that leaves the skin healthy. What these products all contain natural oils that others tout for their magical effects on the scalp. These products are also substitutes for washes with harsh ingredients that strip the natural oils of the hair and skin and bring dryness to the scalp such as Sulfate.

How to Massage the Scalp Properly:

  1. Gently soak your hair in the shower.
  2. Fill the palm of your hand with the exfoliant and massage gently into the skin.
  3. Massage your scalp for up about 30 seconds and while making sure to get every part of the scalp.
  4. Wash out completely using the soap or body wash. Follow the directions on lathering and washing to avoid remnants of the exfoliant that may cause staining of towels.
  5. Massage the lather into the hair to get the moisturizing effects of the soap (and to wash the exfoliant completely out).
  6. Use an anti-Dandruff product (preferably absent of harsh chemicals like Sulfate) if your scalp still produces flakes. The moisturizing effect of the soaps should help but it may take those special chemicals (like Selenium) to really get rid of flakes.

Male pattern baldness and thinning of the hair in both genders is a complex topic. What you should know is that there is little to be done to prevent some thinning and balding of the hair when genetics and hormones play so strongly a role. Rogaine and Alopecia are scientifically proven to help with holding off some balding (in men) but it’s not a cure-all and won’t work for everyone. It’s even recommended to switch on and off those routines. Consistent stimulation of the scalp is something that can be done as part of your daily routine. It not only helps with that blood flow but feels great as well!

Products Mentioned:
Carley’s Acne Treatment
Carley’s Anti-Aging Exfoliant
Carley’s Body Wash

Informational

Stop the Presses: Bar Soap is In?

According to Ad Age, the bar soap is back. Yahoo says that face wash “is so 10 minutes ago.” Thanks to trendy marketing the liquid body wash took over the world. Nothing was more convenient than pouring some soap, lathering quickly and getting out of the shower just as quick as you came in. Just as quick as they came (about a decade) marketers are seeing bar soaps as the gateway to the “natural market.”

What do these pretty much all of these liquid wash products contain? Terrible, “Frankenstein” ingredients just like many store bought cosmetics. These body washes are supposed to last three years on store shelves – what possible natural ingredient could survive that long without a ton of preservatives?

So manufacturers are going back to the old fashion way of making soap with lye, oils, waxes and long curing times – right? Not quite. The bar soaps you see on the market are more detergents than anything. Here’s some differences that these mass produced bar soaps have from the “real” thing:

Making natural liquid soap
By and large, it is a challenge for natural soap makers (think home made) to create a liquid wash. The wash separates easily with oil resting at the bottom and the rest of the good stuff to the top. You’ve found this out if you purchased Carley’s bodywash. The wash needs a good pump or two before use so you’re getting the complete benefits of the product. After about a thousand batches (really) we’ve found the right mix of natural ingredients that don’t separate but still – we won’t hold it against anyone if they make a product that separates. What’s funner than shaking a bottle before use like – like Yoo Hoo?

We’ve been making bar soaps for over a decade. The bar is functional, sleek and most importantly – the most natural way to make a cleaning product. There’s no focus group needed for us to make what you love!

Products Mentioned:
Carley’s Bar Soap
Carley’s Bar Soap (5 pack)
Carley’s Body Wash

Tips and Tricks

The Healthier Alternative to Shampoo: A Body Wash?

What if I told you that you could use Carley’s Body Wash as a shampoo for your hair? You’d tell me I was crazy. Shampoo is for hair and body wash is for the body, right? Not so fast. With news reports about the damage that shampoo can actually do to your hair, we recommend to go right back to the basics. A body wash or soap works fine (and probably even better) than a shampoo ever could.

The benefits of using a shampoo go right down to the aesthetics – look, feel, smell, touch (please don’t taste it). The problem comes when you get past these aesthetics. The oily hair that people go to lengths rid themselves are doing far more damage than they could with oily hair. Hair is supposed to be naturally oily. What shampoo products usually do is strip the hair follicles of natural skin oils. This may make the hair more flowing at a major cost to the skin’s health.

Just like any skin care product you find on store shelves, you’ll find shampoos usually contain incredibly harsh ingredients. The products are pumped full of “Frankenstein” ingredients that aim to make the products last longer. These preservatives can have devastating effects for the skin. What you’ll also find is an ingredient that we do everything we can to recommend customers avoid – SLS. Sulfur is commonly found in toothpaste and skin care ingredients. Many believe that this is the ingredient that causes acne on the chin with left over toothpaste.

How to use the body wash in the hair:
While it may sound juvenile recommending how to use a product in the hair, you’ll find many get it wrong.

  1. Pour a good amount of Carley’s Body Wash in your hand and rub in the hair. The Natural Soap can also work just as well but just needs a little more effort to lather.
  2. Rub the wash in the hair for a good 10-20 seconds. If you have a dry or itchy scalp, massage the wash in your hair longer and leave in the hair for several minutes while avoiding washing it out.
  3. Once the hair is fully lathered, use your hands to distribute the lather to all parts of your body to wash. This is actually a much more efficient way to use the wash for the longest amount of time for the whole body and lets the wash set in the hair longer.
  4. Wash out completely.

Dry or itchy scalp
Depending on the environment and the person, you may experience a dry or itchy scalp without dandruff products like Head and Shoulders. Due to the lack of absorption blocking Dimethicone and presence of many natural oils and moisturizers, the body wash may actually moisturize the scalp better.

Try going without a dandruff product or minimizing the use of the products to once a week while you work in the body wash. Just like any shampoo, dandruff products contain harsh ingredients as well that may set your healthy skin and hair goals back.

Tips and Tricks

How to Get Healthy Skin – Be Like Kramer?

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You might think you need to listen to your dermatologist for every little advice concerning your skin. In reality, you may just be missing a little Dr. Van Nostrand in your life. The popular Seinfeld character may be known for his wacky antics but his wisdom is far and above what any dermatologist or skin care blogger can provide. Kramer’s a man that acted without thinking. While many of these actions were bizarre and foolish some of his most regular habits were some of the wisest. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look:

Kramer moisturized. Obsessively.
It’s an understatement to say that Kramer took care of his skin. He’s by no means a model (though Calvin Klein might have something to say about that) but he still found the need to regularly apply balms of all kind. Usually these weren’t cheap generic ones but exotic brands with special benefits. He even brought a little bottle with him wherever he went.

He was particular about the shaving lotion he used as well. Harsh aftershaves usually consist of alcohols that dry the skin out and further damage the skin. While we wouldn’t recommend butter, Kramer’s aftershave of choice, we recommend using a regular moisturizer to both shave and apply on after.

Kramer took care of his scare
“You put the balm on? Who told you to put the balm on? I didn’t tell you to put the balm.” Kramer certainly ruined attorney Jackie Chiles’ day when he found out that the coffee spill burn that they were suing for disappeared after a healthy application of balm to the burm. Scarring is a devastating effect of a bad deep skin wound. Unless you’re suing Starbucks over spilt coffee, it’s highly recommended to consistently apply a moisturizer or regeneration cream to a damaged area.

Take notes of other bathers to see if they’re doing it right

Kramer learned the right way to lather
Believe it or not, lathering is something very few people do right. It’s an art that we try to teach every customer to do properly. Without proper lather, the benefits of a good soap will not be reached over the whole skin surface and other products will not wash off. This may be more damaging in the end. Kramer lathered all wrong in the shower. What he did was take advice from Jerry about the proper way to lather. He even took notes from other bathers. Not something I’d recommend anyone to do in a public place but is no reason not to consider in taking advice about.

This is where the importance of showering correctly as a whole comes in. Kramer enjoyed showering so much that he installed a garbage disposal so he could even prepare food while he was in the shower. He even bought a shower head specially reserved for elephants. Take a long, hard look at your bathing habits. Water quality, duration and lather habits are all highly important to healthy skin.

A day at the beach may actually be good for your skin

Kramer swam in the East River
The chlorinated pools of the YMCA just couldn’t cut it for Kramer. He found solace in swimming the brackish waters of the East River. While we can’t condone the act of swimming in the polluted waters of the East River, we think there’s something to swimming in salty waters for the skin. Not only does the salt water have magic effects on the skin pH but the health benefits of this type of swimming are enormous.

Kramer enjoyed his fruit
People that eat a healthy serving of fruits and vegetables have better overall skin health. You didn’t need to tell Kramer this as he regularly consumed fruit of all kinds. He became so picky about his fruit that he was even banned from the local farmer’s market. At one point he even cut off storing foods long term, opting for fresh fruit only from food stands. This is a habit that you should take to heart. The right amount of fruit and vegetable servings not only makes your skin glow but it’s healthy for your overall wellbeing. The fresher the better as Kramer always said.

When in doubt, Kramer researched it
Kramer was by no means a Julliard-trained dermatologist.  Now his alter-ego Dr. Van Nostrand on the other hand was a different story. While impersonating a dermatologist, Kramer found himself in hot water over a patient’s possibly cancerous skin tumor. He scoured the medical books to see if he could figure out what was wrong and almost opted to take a deli slicer to the tumor. Don’t take a deli slicer to a skin tumor but be proactive about any changes to your skin. If your questioning a skin condition try asking online. Contact us with a question and we will do our best to answer with a solution.

Kramer didn’t stress the small stuff
“Kramer goes to a fantasy camp. His whole life is a fantasy camp. People should plunk down $2,000 dollars to live like him for a week.” This is perhaps most important point I can make. Kramer is a rare character in pop culture. He’s not only known for his antics but for his lack of stress. Over anything. Kramer lived like he wanted and that was how it was. No fusses about it. Studies show that people that live the longest are the ones that live optimistically. That’s good for your skin and for longevity.

Kramer did some terrible things for his skin that are best left unmentioned – but I’ll mention anyway. He tanned too much and he smoked cigars. So take the examples with a grain of salt. The specific instances of how Kramer lived his life is not something any sane person should mimic.

But the general points stand. Treat your skin right and your skin will look good. Put the right things in your body and it will show. Have the right outlook and it will show.

Tips and Tricks

How to Use Carley’s Mask

Some benefits of Carley’s Masks can be derived from just five minutes (and up to 30 minutes) of use once or twice a week. If you only take showers, just apply a mask before your shower. A mask may not be fashionable out in public but you’ll be fine hanging around the house until it dries.

The eyes and the neck and the mouth areas are the first signs of aging. This mask is so thick it can be applied even right over the eyes lids. Just close your eyes tight when applying. Then you should be able to open your eyes. Another method involves pulling the skin in one direction and then another. Put all of your finger tips just under the jaw bone and pull the neck skin down. Then the opposite direction. The mask is just slippery enough to maximize these massage movements. Do similar massaging around the eyes. This encourages your body to get going producing new blood capillaries.

http://freedigitalphotos.net

Active Masks and Stimulating the Facial Muscles
Carley’s Masks are considered an Active Mask. This means that benefits can be derived by doing a gentle massage right before removing. This massaging not only feels great but it improves the blood flow. Some say a huge reason why many men’s faces age well is the daily shave that requires this constant facial muscle movement and massaging. For women, they can stimulate these effects by using a mask and giving yourself these facial movements. After all, it’s not like you can lift dumbbells with your cheek bones and benchpress with your eyebrows!

Some of the ingredients in this mask are the right particle size that this massage also works similar to a micro-dermabrasion to help smooth your skin even more.

For those fitness freaks out there, equate these massage movements with the mask just as you would any exercise. As you becoming more fit your muscles develop more capillaries so your body can deliver oxygen to more areas of the muscles. The face is much harder to get this going but there’s no reason why daily facial muscle movement shouldn’t help.

Products Mentioned
Mask for Acne Prone Skin
Mask for Normal to Dry Skin 

Tips and Tricks

The Biggest Mistakes Acne Sufferers Make

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You aren’t washing off enough after your acne treatment
Use a lathered wash cloth after treatment to get rid of all traces of the acne solution. If you see any staining of towels, wash more thoroughly! Any product containing benzoyl peroxide needs work to take off the skin. If you leave benzoyl peroxide on the skin you may as well be leaving the products on permanently as the skin will adapt to the ingredient. Instructions and video here.

This also applies to using an acne treatment over the sink. This is hard to get the treatment right when it’s hard to lather and wash off correctly over the sink.

You are using acne treatments more than once a day
Never! Once again, exposing yourself to too much benzoyl peroxide risks roughening up your skin. Once a day treatment is ideal for long lasting clearness. As far as the natural soap and other products go, use as often as you like!

You are using spot treatments
A spot treatment will probably clear you up for a brief period of time. The problem is that these treatments are usually acidic, full of harsh ingredients and terrible for the long term health of your skin. Try the Kick Start Method for those tough areas.

You aren’t using enough product
Just like some use too much there are many that squeeze every drop of life they can get out of a bottle. Some try to get six months or a year out of a bottle. Until your acne is completely under control, you can only get three to four months max for facial acne. The first bottle should last no more than three months. Body acne? One to two months per bottle due to the thicker nature of the skin and more surface area. If you’re still not clearing up, use more.

You mix and match skin products
People often believe that if they mix and match products that they will get the best results. As with most things in life, shooting for a solution like a shotgun will usually not work. You need to focus on each individual product you try to see which one you get the most of.

Almost all skin care products today are acidic. Any liquid ointment should be avoided until you are clear. One by one add them back in to your routine and see how your skin reacts. For cover, our powdered mineral foundation works well (or a store bought foundation with as little ingredients as possible). For maximum cover, a paste can be made with the foundation and the daytime moisturizer. Apply the treatment with a makeup sponge. If it doesn’t say pH neutral, don’t use it!

You aren’t scrubbing hard enough
Your skin has many layers. The out layers are dead skin cells. Removing these dead skin cells opens up your pores and encourages new skin growth. This also aids the products into penetrating the skin. Do not be afraid to scrub hard. Most acne sufferers have tender skin. This is due to the products they’ve been using. Start out gently and gradually increase the effort you use to scrub. As your skin gets healthy, you will be able to take more exfoliation. Exfoliation is the secret to youthful healthy skin. It is exercise for the skin.

You’re using a toothpaste or shampoo that contains SLS
If you get breakouts around your mouth and chin you could be allergic to SLS  (Sulfates) or something else in your toothpaste. There are SLS-free toothpastes on the market that are great such as Biotene and Closys II. Others might have problem ingredients such as Papaya. If breakouts are around your hair line it could be due to the SLS in your shampoo. If you Sulfate seems to be the issue, avoid store-bought liquid soaps. Our body wash is liquid and contains no Sulfates of any kind.

You aren’t spending enough time in the sun
With the advent of sunscreen and better communication about the dangers of sun exposure, we’ve actually seen a rise in Vitamin D deficiency. With the fear of skin cancer people are shielding themselves from the sun with sunscreens. To the point of not getting any Vitamin D. According to studies up to 37 percent of caucasian adolescents are deficient and over 82 percent of African Americans are. With a large enough deficiency, the skin struggles to heal as fast and acne may be triggered.

The only way to get Vitamin D naturally is to spend about 15 minutes in the sun daily. Morning sun works best. Keep track of your time in the sun as you can burn fast when unprotected. Here is a sunscreen guide for natural ointments that are healthy for your skin.

The water quality in your shower is poor
Maybe it sounds like we’re reaching here but the quality of your water can make a huge difference for some. If you aren’t seeing results six months in it could very well be the quality of filter you use. Water is an element that affects your skin greatly. It also varies depending on the area you live. My son used to notice his acne staying clear when he away from college. After noticing a few instances of the same by our customers we looked into it. After customers got a soft water system their often skin cleared up. Could hard acidic water be the cause?

You have a gluten or food sensitivity
Sensitivities to food can cause a skin condition similar to acne. There is a simple (but challenging) test. Give up all wheat products for a week. You have to read labels. Gluten is in pizza, bread, pasta, beer and many distilled spirits. These kinds of wheat may even be found in cosmetic products. Sometimes it’s not the products your using or should be using, it’s simply your diet.

I’m a big believer in Karma. What goes around comes around. Our goal is to help people to have clear skin. Whether that’s with our products, a competitor’s or some other reason – all the power to you. Follow the directions and use some detective work!

Tips and Tricks

How to Naturally Clear a Skin Wart

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Sometimes you find the best solutions for an ailment are different than what the product is advertised for. Take for instance a skin wart. If you take any skin ailment like a wart into a dermatologist they will tell you that they need to freeze that ugly thing right out of existence. That may be quick but Cryotherapy essentially destroys the area. Good thing there’s a healthy alternative.

Here’s how to clear a wart on the skin the natural way:

  1. Take the Clear & Smooth Acne Treatment and exfoliate the area thoroughly. This helps get rid of some of that thickened skin and puts some great minerals on the skin. Benzoyl Peroxide may or may not affect the wart area so a typical exfoliator may work as well. Instructions on proper use here.
  2. Wash the area thoroughly with the body wash or natural soap. This will soften that thick skin up some more and keep the area clean. Using a regular soap may irritate the skin more so avoid this!
  3. Dry the area completely and apply the Eczema Cream. This cream has magical qualities that have solved many customer’s rash problems along with the bacterial condition known as (surprise) Eczema. A wart may be viral but it is a contagion like bacteria.
  4. Wrap the area with a bandaid or duct tape to insulate the area and maintain moisture. Duct tape applied to a wart has actually been proven to be more effective than Cryotherapy! If you don’t want anyone asking why you’re wearing duct tape fashionably then just apply before you go to sleep.
  5. Wait at least a week. Don’t irritate the area by picking at it. This is where having covering helps to avoid that temptation.
Now we can’t say that Carley’s products make a difference here. What we do know is that the glue  and lack of oxygen in duct tape is highly effective at killing off warts. Combine these effects with the already amazing effects that the Eczema Cream has on infected skin, the softening effects of the natural soap and the exfoliating effects of the acne treatment and you have yourself a recipe for success!
What you’ll need:
Tips and Tricks

Using the Natural Soap

The proper way to store the soap when traveling

Did you know that soap can breathe? You’d know a lot about natural soap if you took a look at what real soap looks like. It’s colorless, usually odorless and sensitive to the environment. Colors may change depending on the environment. Since we use the finest vegetable ingredients we can find they often vary by batch. Most of our ingredients come from incredibly diverse areas where they are made differently such as Shea butter. This means that each batch differs slightly in appearance.

Dark spots on the soap bars are not uncommon. As the soap ages, it will continue to discolor. This is normal and one of the reasons this is such a good soap! Beware of any products that look as good on Day 1 as they do in a year. Other soaps use chemicals (plasticizers) to preserve the same appearance for years.

Do not store soap in a plastic bag

Our soap bars will physically change over time. To many, as the soap ages it actually mellows and becomes even better. Like a fine wine!

Do not store this soap in a plastic bag. It is best to allow the natural soap to breathe. If you place this soap next to regular store bought soap it may absorb chemicals or odors from those soaps as well. This is also why the soap should breathe in an open environment.

Avoid a “Vanishing” Bar
While many tells us our large soap bars last forever, we have others that say they go through the bars like clockwork. With such a lathery bar of soap as ours, be sure and put the soap in a soap dish that is well drained and out of the shower stream. This will allow our soap to dry between showers or baths. If our natural soap stays wet in a puddle of water, it will melt fast.

Pro tip from our customer, Jill:

Cut your bars in quarters when you get them. They are already large “blocks” as it is and cut fairly easily. Dividing the bars increases the surface area and allows for the soap to “breathe” easier. Did we mention it’s easier to give to your friends that way?

Pro Tip from another customer, Caseh:

After cutting the bar into quarters take a cloth and wipe the soap hard a few times. This should create plenty of foam to wash the face with. This method also saves a lot of the soap so you can keep using that bar for months!

Informational

Essential Oils, Carrier Oils or Fragrance Oils… Which Should Go on Your Skin?

Rapeseed oil field – FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Whether it’s going into your cars, on your food or on your skin – “oils” play an important role in the day to day lives of people. The origins and use of oils are so vastly diverse that it is hard to label every type of oil as such. While oil in cars is usually labeled a petroleum, the oil we’re talking is usually in the form of an essential oil or a carrier oil.

Webster’s dictionary defines cosmetic oil as: “a substance (as a cosmetic preparation) of oily consistency.”

An incredibly vague definition. Nothing is explained at all about why we use these oils or what kind we use. It is best to explain these oils by type:

Essential oils add the active qualities of a product. Whether it’s skin healing, soothing, softening, anti-inflammatory or a thousand different combinations of the above – every essential oil has numerous qualities. The only limit to a product with essential oils is what type go in what product. An essential oil known to soften rough skin will better go in a moisturizer than a discoloration cream.

We use essential oils in just about every product we use. It is the active ingredient to fulfill the benefits that we aim the product to achieve. Not only are there numerous kinds of essential oils but there are numerous grades. We use the highest quality forms with the least dilution. Some companies believe just a drop of expensive oil is enough but we believe that’s deceptive advertising.

Derived from the fatty portion of a plant, carrier oils are the vehicle that takes these oils through your skin. While some believe that oil containing products are what cause their breakouts there are others that believe that an oil can just sit on the skin. Both are wrong. Essential oils by itself may cause skin irritations or just sit there. Carrier oils will dilute these oils and allow the important stuff to break through the skin barriers.

Combine these with an efficient method of making moisturizer, notably without ingredients that block absorption, and you get the complete benefits of these oils.

Fragrance oils are the mystery oils in the cosmetic industry. Manufacturers do not need to disclose what is contained in fragrances. This is problematic for those with allergies to fragrances or what is contained in the base form. It’s hard to identify every ingredient in a product when fragrances are used. Aiming for paraben-free products? What about sulfate-free? With fragrances we probably will never know for sure!

Fragrances add little to a product other than aroma. This smell is short lasting and usually better for attracting people to the product rather than what it actually does. Combine the risks of using fragrances with such superficial qualities and this makes it a hard sell for us. We don’t use fragrances in any of our products.

Tips and Tricks

Regular or Industrial Strength Treatment for Acne?

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Most acne products on the market use Benzoyl Peroxide as the primary clearing ingredient. It may seem smart to use higher and higher amounts of this essential ingredient but we recommend less. Much less for healthy skin.

We use BP in our acne treatment like most others but in smaller quantities. This is why we we offer an Industrial Strength version for those with more severe acne as well as the Regular Strength.

Drying, Sensitivities and Overuse
Benzoyl Peroxide acts as an oxygen generator for your skin. When massive amounts of oxygen are absorbed into the skin, this disrupts bacteria. Acne is prevented from even forming if done right. Problem?

Benzoyl Peroxide is overused in today’s market. It’s easy to throw BP at the problem and create a quick fix. In today’s quick-fix-world where people demand instant cures it is hard to practice patience. But that is exactly the way to achieve not just clear skin but healthy skin. Clear skin done quickly may not stay clear for long. Healthy skin stays permanently clear!

The drying effects of BP are well documented. Not only can the ingredient dry the skin too much but the skin can adapt to BP. It begins to take more and more treatments to stay clear as the body adjusts to such harsh conditions.

A small portion of the population is actually allergic to Benzoyl Peroxide. This creates a rash on the skin when used as an ointment. That doesn’t mean these people can’t use products that contain BP. This just means they need to carefully monitor the amount they use on their skin. Here is a guide about using BP for people with skin sensitivities…

Regular Strength or Industrial “Kick Ass” Strength?
The goal is for all acne sufferers to be able to take the regular strength to stay clear. The “Kick Ass” formula uses a higher amount of BP (about 5%) to keep severe acne sufferers and teens clear. The regular strength uses about half that amount which is far lower and milder than other products on the market (and yet works more effectively!).

If you are a severe acne sufferer or teenager with acne, use the Kick Ass treatment. This formula has the right amount of BP to effectively clear the skin. Not only can this product better handle skin more oily and prone to acne but it isn’t full of heavy chemicals that most products marketed towards teens and severe acne sufferers do. For the hard to treat spots or lagging results, try the Kick Start Method. For body acne sufferers, skin on your body is less sensitive than your face. You can apply a more liberal amount on the body so the Kick Ass treatment may be for you.

As your skin becomes clearer, switch to the Regular Strength. If you have a pimple here or there, start with the Regular Strength. The Regular Strength has the ideal amount of BP for long term health. Not too drying, not too harsh for sensitive skin. Like Goldilocks said, just right!

The solution to your acne woes may appear to need extreme measures but they really don’t. If you have a history of acne ointment “abuse” (because that’s almost what it is!) your skin will take longer to adapt to milder treatments. All of those heavy acidic products so pumped full of terrible chemicals did long term damage to the skin. The skin will take time to heal. Don’t even think about an acid wash! You may as well pop pimples yourself and hope for the best.