Purpose of Skin Care

The Purpose of Skin Care

• Clean and Exfoliate
• Correct and Re-Balance the External Cutaneous System
• Protect Lipid Barriers from Photo and Environmental Damage
• Prevention of Transdermal Water Loss
• Enhance Circulation & Lymphatic Activity
• Rejuvenation of Skin Tone and Appearance

To Cleanse

Cleansers

• To emulsify and clean cellular and environmental debris.

Exfoliators

• Deeply removes cellular debris and supports the cell desquamation process in the stratum corneum
• Stimulates circulation & cell turnover
• Prepares skin to receive further treatments

Toners - (Freshners & Lotions)

• Restores skin's pH and contains actives to begin the correction process

To Treat

• Specific serum/concentrate directed towards skin correction, for greater effect.
• Effects are accumulative producing correction over time
• Boosts the active ingredients in moisturizer

Correct & Protect

• Care cream targeted for specific skin type and correction
• Actives protect and stimulate the cutaneous system
• UVA & UVB blocks to prevent solar damage

Natural skin care

Natural skin care is the care of the skin using naturally derived ingredients (such as herbs, roots, essential oils and flowers) combined with naturally occurring carrier agents, preservatives, surfactants, humectants and emulsifiers (everything from natural soap to oils to pure water). The classic definition of natural skin care is based on using botanically sourced ingredients currently existing in or formed by nature, without the use of synthetic chemicals, and manufactured in such a way to preserve the integrity of the ingredients.
As a result of this definition, many people who use natural skin care products, generally make their own products at home from naturally occurring ingredients. Many people use natural skin care recipes to make remedies to care for their skin at home. Many spas and skin care salons now focus on using more naturally derived skin care products.

History

Natural skin care has its roots in the 4th millennium BC in Egypt with natural skin care treatments for a variety of skin conditions. One such treatment consists of bullock's bile, whipped ostrich eggs, olive oil, dough and resin mixed with milk. In the modern age many people with unique skin types and needs (sensitive skin, dry skin, oily skin) have turned to natural skin care solutions.
Some examples of natural skin care ingredients include jojoba, safflower oil, rose hip seed oil, shea butter, beeswax, witch hazel, aloe vera, tea tree oil, and chamomile. Many of these natural ingredient combinations can be tailored specifically to the individual's skin type or skin condition.
There is, however, no actual definition of natural according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). All ingredients are chemicals by definition. "Derived" ingredients are unnatural both according to the original substance and the method of derivation.
The term natural has considerable market value in promoting skin care cosmetic products to consumers, but dermatologists say it has very little medical meaning and the FDA states the claim has no legal meaning. Despite pressure from advocacy groups such as The Environmental Working Group (EWG) the FDA has not defined what natural is or how to achieve it. Contrary to popular belief the FDA does not regulate the sale of skin care and cosmetic products before they are sold.
The FDA recommends understanding the ingredient label and says "There is no list of ingredients that can be guaranteed not to cause allergic reactions, so consumers who are prone to allergies should pay careful attention to what they use on their skin", further warning that "[t]here is no basis in fact or scientific legitimacy to the notion that products containing natural ingredients are good for the skin". Food preservatives are commonly used to preserve the safety and efficacy in these products.

Ayurvedic skin care

Ayurvedic skin care is derived from medicinal practices that began over 5,000 years ago in India. Ayurvedic medicine and healing practices are based on Indian philosophical, psychological, conventional, and medicinal understandings. Ayurvedic approach to skin care is holistic and considers the mind, body, and spirit together. Ayurvedas practices the belief that there are three basic principles or humors born out of five basic elements that exist in nature. These principles are known as Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. These principles are believed to work together in harmony to make up the entire body.

Ayurvedic skin types

In Ayurvedic skin care there are seven different types of constitution that govern skin and hair types: Vata, Pitta, Kapha, Vata-Pitta, Vata-Kapha, Pitta-Kapha, or Vata-Pitta-Kapha. Most people fall into a combination of two of the three principles.
Ayurveda advises to modify one's diet, exercise, lifestyle and supplements according to one's constitution of these three humors. Most of the skin care products contain the following herbs—aloe vera, almond, avocado, carrot, castor, clay, cocoa, coconut oil, cornmeal, cucumber, cutch tree, emu oil, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, grape seed oil, ground almond and wallnut shell, horse chestnut, witch hazel and honey.

Egg oil skin care

Egg oil has many applications in skin care and can be used as an excipient/carrier in a variety of cosmetic preparations such as creams, ointments, sun-screen products or lotions where it acts as an emollient, moisturizer, anti-oxidant, penetration enhancer, occlusive skin conditioner and anti-bacterial agent. As an occlusive agent, it protects against dehydration without disturbing the pores and is easily incorporated in topical preparations since it forms stable oil in water emulsions.
In Indian, Japanese, Unani (Roghan Baiza Murgh) and Chinese traditional medicine, egg oil was traditionally used as a treatment for hair care.

Honey skin care

Honey's natural antioxidant and anti-microbial properties and ability to absorb and retain moisture have been recognised and used extensively in skin care treatments as they help to protect the skin from the damage of the sun's rays and rejuvenate depleted skin. Honey is also often used to treat acne, either dabbed directly on spots or as a face mask, and has been used successfully to treat diabetic foot ulcers.

Shea butter skin care

Shea butter is derived from the kernel of the "Karite" tree. Shea butter is known for its cosmetic properties as a moisturizer and emollient.

Jojoba skin care

Jojoba is used for skin care because it is a natural moisturizer for the skin. Jojoba is actually a liquid wax that becomes solid below room temperature, but is known as an oil.

Algae skin care

Polysaccharide derived from algae are natural moisturizers and can be used in cosmetics as humectants.Skin care treatments, for example Chlorella, uses such properties of algae to clean corneous cells, sebum, and remove pimples quickly.

Ingredients

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Soap can be produced by mixing water and lye with olive oil castille soap and also coconut oil to produce a natural and mild soap. A shampoo can be produced by mixing water, with a mild surfactant such as decyl glucoside, a plant gum like xanthan gum as a thickener, salt, and emmolients such as coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, honey and essential oils. Natural surfactants include Quillaja saponaria, Acacia concinna or Sapindus.Many other herbs have conditioner effects on the hair such as nettles or amla. A body butter can be produced by mixing oils (such as a base of olive and coconut oils) with beeswax. A natural body lotion can be produced by mixing water and lecithin, cocoa or coconut butter, and dry oils such as grapeseed oil or thistle oil, beeswax, plant extracts such as witch hazel, calendula or aloe vera, hydrosols and essential oils. A natural toothpaste can be made by mixing baking soda, glycerin and water as a paste, with some antibacterial (e.g. sage) essential oils. Natural preservatives is cosmetics are a controversial issue; these might include vitamin E (only protects oil shelf-life, not against bacteria or mold), rosemary oil, neem oil, tea tree oil, honey, propolis, salt, vinegar, lemon juice or green tea extracts, or by eliminating the use of water.

7 Skin Facts

The 7 Skin Facts that will change your skin.

Skin Fact 1
Correct cleansing, the first step towards a healthy skin.

Correct cleansing with products that respect your skin’s acid mantle and outer layer provides the basis of healthy skin care. Our gentle cleansing rituals also support our oil free night care philosophy.
The Dr.Hauschka way acknowledges that your skin has different cleansing needs at different times of the day. Deep cleansing in the morning with Cleansing Cream using our ‘press and roll’ technique is required after the night time activity of the skin. Evening cleanse with Cleansing Milk is needed to remove dirt and make-up.
Complete ‘correct cleansing’ by rinsing or compressing with cool water. This simple technique activates the minute muscle that sits beside the hair follicle causing contraction. This action eliminates any last remaining dirt and keeps your skin feeling soft too.

Skin Fact 2
Scrub the bathroom floor, but never your face.

The Dr.Hauschka way is to use remove excess dirt, oil and make-up without disturbing the skin's natural line of defence – the acid mantle, protective outer layer of skin cells and the 28 day skin cell cycle. Soaps, lathering agents, overly alkaline substances, scrubs and exfoliants (acids or gritty compounds) strip your face of this natural protection. This may result in dry, irritated or sensitive skin, more prone to sun damage, absorption of synthetic chemical products and premature signs of aging.
Dr.Hauschka’s exclusive Cleansing Cream and the ‘press and roll’ cleansing method gently removes dirt and oil while protecting the skin’s natural defences and stimulating healthy lymph flow. This encourages and supports healthy skin, resulting in a clear, radiant complexion.

Skin Fact 3
Squeaky clean is for dishes, not your skin.

That ‘squeaky clean’ feeling comes from lathering and/or overly alkaline cleansing products and that’s your sign that the acid mantle and outer layer (stratum corneum) of your skin has been disrupted.
If you have oily skin, those harsh cleansing products that make your skin ‘squeaky clean’ just make your skin produce more oil to compensate.

Skin Fact 4
Lose the night cream, your skin will thank you for it.

• During the night your skin is metabolising and eliminating the day’s waste, that’s one of its many functions as the largest organ in your body.
• The night time rhythm of the skin is one of a ‘breathing out’.
• How do you know this is happening? Because skin disorders such as eczema, shingles, chicken pox or measles are much worse during the night. How often have you woken up in the morning to be greeted by a pimple?
• There should not be any environmental factors that you are trying to protect your skin from while you’re asleep.
• A night cream – which is usually a heavy, expensive, occlusive substance impedes your skin’s normal night time process.
• Finally, sleeping isn’t aging!

Dr.Hauschka’s gentle cleansing rituals support our no night cream policy. Our night treatment preparations embrace regenerating plant essences held in a watery solution. These allow the skin to breathe freely and overcome any weaknesses and imbalances.
At first our no night cream guiding principle seems incredible; however within one month you’ll need no more convincing!

Skin Fact 5
Not all moisturisers or their application are created equal.

All Dr.Hauschka day care products are highly concentrated preparations and are designed to be applied as follows:

1. All our day care products must be applied to a skin that’s STILL MOIST FROM TONER.
2. Place a pea size of day cream in the palms of the hands.
   (1 drop if you are using Regenerating Serum, 1-2 drops if you are using Normalising Day Oil)
3. Warm the product between the entire palms of the hands to prepare for face application and to melt the natural waxes.
4. Apply to the skin with the entirety of your palms, using both hands from the centre, outwards in the direction of lymph flow.

This is our application ritual ensuring we work in the direction of lymph flow applying in an even and economical manner.
Our iconic Rose Day Cream which contains the equivalent of 30 roses is of a thick texture because of the Rose Wax and Beeswax content and particularly this product must be applied as above to ensure the waxes are melted in the warmth of your hands and that not too much product is used in an application.

Skin Fact 6
Like treats like, homeopathic guideline.

WALA, the company that makes Dr.Hauschka Skin Care also produces around 1,000 anthroposophical homeopathic medicines. Therefore we use some homeopathic guidelines in the way we treat the skin.
Though it might seem counterintuitive to apply oil to an oily skin, it's actually the most effective solution. The skin knows whether it's sufficiently protected, producing more of its own oil when skin is dry and less when it's balanced. Drying, soap-based products and conventional acne treatments can rob the skin of its defences, leaving it vulnerable and triggering the sebaceous glands to produce even more oil.
Dr. Hauschka's Normalising Day Oil provides a light, rapidly absorbed layer of pure plant oils and botanical extracts that calm the skin's oil production while helping to heal and soothe blemishes and irritation.
On the other end of the spectrum we have Moisturising Day Cream, the highly activating daily moisturiser that provides hydrating protection in a light, fast-absorbing formula. If we treat dry skin with rich, heavy creams or oils we effectively trick our skin into believing it's been producing too much of its own oil. In response it will decrease production, perpetuating the dry skin cycle. Moisturising Day Cream is light enough that the sebaceous glands are called upon to gently increase oil production, but provides enough nurturing moisture to prevent dryness and damage. Over time, the skin will regain its balance and be better able to fend for itself.

Skin Fact 7
Chemical cocktail or nature’s nip.

Unknowingly most woman carry with them daily up to 500 synthetic chemicals. These pollutants are self inflicted through the use of conventional face, body, hair and make-up products. A non natural moisturiser may contain around 30 synthetic chemicals and a perfume up to 400!
Dr. Hauschka Skin Care draws on centuries of herbal healing wisdom, combining traditional approaches with modern pharmaceutical processes to create gentle yet effective natural skin care products that work with the skin holistically.
Our skin has an absolutely amazing ability to balance and heal itself, responding constantly to changes in our internal and external environments. It needs a little help along the way, like protection from exposure to harsh elements, or support when it gets thrown out of balance by lifestyle, hormones, transition, illness or stress. The key is to encourage and strengthen your skin's own natural self-healing processes. Rather than suppressing symptoms or interfering with the skin's natural rhythms, Dr.Hauschka Skin Care respects the skin, supporting its return to balanced health through the highest quality ingredients from nature that your skin can understand.

Important About Skincare

Something You Need To Know About Skin Care

It is certainly exciting to have healthy skin as this thing has something to do with your appearance. Other people may get impressed simply from your good skin. Unfortunately, skin is the largest part of human being’s body and it is easily exposed by something like dusts and sun light. Improper exposure usually leads to a range of problems. To some extent, skin even can suffer cancer by which you can live uncomfortably. This is the reason why go natural when it comes to skin care is very critical. In order that you can get skin care products that have something natural, it is important to know what kinds of plant commonly used in a product. With this knowledge, you will be able to decide whether or not to take certain skin care.

Aside from understanding on natural ingredients usually used to make skin care products, it is also critical for you to know some chemical substances that are assumed dangerous for skin. If you know what chemical substances not good for skin, you can get skin care products that help you make your skin get its best. Today, there are many sources you will come across out there when it comes to skin and everything about it. You just need to have enough time aside to do the groundwork by reading something like article and magazines. Then, you can determine what to avoid and what to take. So, you have a chance to make your skin better over time.

Skin is certainly an important part of the body. This is the reason why providing this organ with best care is very important. You can do many things to make your skin gets its best. One of them is to use skin care products to give skin something useful. Since there are a lot of skin care products you will find out there, it without a doubt needs you to know many things before you make a purchase. Just take a look at relevant reviews in order that you find updated info of a product. So, it will be much easier for you to determine which one to take. Without a doubt, skin is something that you need to pay attention to seriously in your daily life. In term of this thing, you without a doubt must know what to do to make your skin gets its best, no matter what.

Skin care

The Basics of Skin Care

4 Steps to Flawless Skin

 

 Next to eating well and exercising, maintaining a healthy complexion is one of the key ways to look our best. Taking care of your skin doesn’t have to be an expensive (or time-consuming) endeavor. These days, high-quality skincare products are available at any drugstore, formulated for oily, normal or dry skin types. While the individual ingredients of each product may differ depending on what your skin needs, a basic skin care regime involves four simple steps: cleanse, tone, moisturize and exfoliate. Whether or not you need all four steps will depend on your skin type and prefence.

Cleansing
Proper cleansing to remove dirt, makeup and pollution should be the core of every skin care routine. Try to wash your face twice daily, usually in the morning and then again before going to bed at night. (If your skin is dry, you can skip the morning wash and simply use water and a soft face cloth or a moisturizing, cream-based cleanser.) Use lukewarm water to keep irritation to a minimum and avoid harsh cleansers, even if your skin is oily. Strong detergents like sodium lauryl sulfate, soap, and alcohol strip the moisture barrier from the skin’s surface, leaving it vulnerable to irritation and damage. Always use a gentle touch and don’t rub too much.

Toning
It is only necessary to use a toner (or astringent) if you skin is oily and still feels sticky after cleansing. Alcohol-based toners will strip away all the oil on the surface, leaving your skin dry and irritated. This dryness will actually prompt your skin to make even more oil, so it’s a vicious cycle. If you wish to use a toner, select one for sensitive skin and use it sparingly.

While some companies would like you to believe that using a toner can change the size of your pores, this is not true. Pores can appear enlarged because of a buildup of dirt and oil, but using a toner will not immediately make them appear smaller. Proper cleansing and exfoliating will help keep your pores clear, thereby improving their appearance over time.

Moisturizing
Moisturizing is an optional step for many people. If you have oily skin, you don’t need to add any additional moisture. You may decide to moisturize around your eyes however, but this is a matter of personal choice. Normal skin can benefit from an oil-free moisturizer that won’t clog the pores but again, this is up to personal preference. Dry skin sufferers need to moisturize often however, to soothe tightness and minimize lines. While no moisturizer can prevent wrinkles and lines, it can “plump up” the skin and make existing lines less noticeable. Some moisturizers contain light-diffusing ingredients that soften the appearance of lines and make them seem to disappear.Exfoliating
Your skin is constantly renewing itself and shedding off dead cells. As you age, however, the rate at which your cells turn over slows down, resulting in a dull, dreary skin tone. Exfoliating, or sloughing, speeds up the process and produces a brighter, rosier complexion.

There are two basic ways to exfoliate: physical or chemical. Physical exfoliation involves using a grainy facial scrub or buffer pads. Be careful when selecting an exfoliating product, as it is very easy to go overboard and treat the skin too roughly. Stay away from products containing ground up nut shells or apricot shells, as these have jagged edges that could damage the skin. Try a product with exfoliating beads instead, which are round and much gentler. Exfoliate with a scrub or a buffing pad only once or twice a week.

Chemical exfoliation uses Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) or Beta Hydroxy Acid (BHA) to loosen and remove dead skin cells. With chemical exfoliation, less is more. Use these lotions sparingly, as it is very easy to irritate the skin. If your skin becomes red and flaky or stings excessively, reduce the amount of product you’re using or apply it every other day instead of daily. Alpha hydroxy creams and lotions may help with fine lines, irregular pigmentation and age spots and may improve the appearance of pores by dissolving dirt and oil. Beta hydroxy acid (or salicylic acid) tends to be gentler on the skin and also does a good job at improving texture and skin tone.

Don't Forget to Wear Your Vitamins
While scientists once thought that vitamin molecules were too large to be absorbed by the skin, vitamin-enriched skin care products are now commonplace.

Number one for effectiveness is retinol (a derivative of Vitamin A), which has a molecular structure small enough to reach the lower layers of the skin, where collagen and elastin are produced. Retinol improves skin tone, treats fine lines and wrinkles and improves texture.

Vitamin C is another complexion powerhouse. It helps minimize fine lines, scars and wrinkles. It has also been shown to reverse sun damage. Be very choosy when picking a Vitamin C product for your skin because the vitamin is very unstable and breaks down when exposed to oxygen, making it useless. Look for one in opaque packaging to minimize exposure to the elements and close the bottle tightly after use.

A derivative of Niacin called nicotinamide has been shown to improve the skin’s ability to hold moisture, while another derivative called niacinamide helps with hyperpigmentation or excess melanin in the skin. It is useful for fading age spots and fighting the signs of sun damageSeveral products containing Vitamin K have come to market recently as treatments for dark circles (or "bags) under the eyes. Vitamin K is important for blood clotting but it has not yet been decisively proven to minimize dark circles.


Properly caring for your skin care may take a few extra minutes each day, but the benefits far outweigh the amount of time you invest. Taking care of your skin is the best way to fight the signs of aging and you will reap the benefits for years to come!