Hello Everyone!
Today I'd like to talk a little about my favorite exfoliating products.
We all know that in order to refresh and boost our skin's own ability to produce collagen and its protective barrier we have to exfoliate. Exfoliating not only remove the dead skin cells, but also stimulates the blood circulation in the skin and prepare it for the good ingredients that comes with the moisturizer.
I'm not a fan of harsh mechanical exfoliators and scrubs, because we usually tend to use them either too often or too strong on the skin which leads to irritations and over drying. I also think that facial cleansers with exfoliating particles in one are not the best products, especially that manufacturers advice to use them everyday for best results [sic!].
The products I want show you are opposite to what I said earlier.
They're not drying, because they're based on natural moistuzising ingredients like oils, butters and waters
They're not harsh because are formulated without parabens, SLS, chemical dyes and fragrances and the particles responsible for exfoliation are micro tiny mini and not abrasive (like walnut shells, crushed nuts or sugar!).
So here's the top 3 mechanical facial exfoliators I love to use (they smell divine too!) :
1. Huygens Exfoliating Cream
CREAMY FACE SCRUB WITH RICE POWDER PARTICLES. GENTLY PURIFIES THE SKIN. THE NATURAL SESAME OIL NOURISHES THE SKIN WITHOUT A GREASY FEEL WHILE THE ANTI-OXIDANT GREEN TEA INFUSION ILLUMINATES THE SKIN COMPLEXION. LONG LASTING HEALTHY LOOK. FRESH AND SOFT SKIN.
That's what manufacturer says on the website. I agree with every word: it is extremely creamy, no greasy feel at all, amazing soft skin after first use. I absolutely love it and that's why this products is mentioned as first!
I love the citrusy scent which is so refreshing and just so yummy! Every time I use this product I feel pampered and so luxurious. It made my skin more radiant and soft after the first use, without drying or irritation at all. The rice powder particles are so tiny that they only massage your skin, not scrub, so if you're gentle for your face, it will be the same.
Knowing that it's formulated in 98,9% with organic natural ingredients I'm even more happy to recommend it to you, and if you read my first post you know how crazy my skin is - dehydrated, combination and sensitive!
Here's the ingredient list for you (from the official website):
ingredients : camellia sinensis extract*, sesamum indicum seed oil*, cetearyl glucoside, cetearyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, oriza sativa (rice) starch powder, glycerin*, citrus aurantium amara flower water*, algin, benzyl alcohol, dehydroacetic acid, aqua (water), tocopherol, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, citric acid. *Ingredient produced from organic farming
I always look at the first half of the list, because the concentration it these ingredients is biggest, so here we have green tea extract on first place, sesame oil on the second, cetearyl glucoside (emulgator, very gentle for skin), cetearyl alcohol (emollient, may be comedogenic, however I didn't notice any bad reaction), rice starch powder, glycerin (holds the moisture in the skin and promotes transportation of the good ingredients in cosmetic into deeper layers of the skin), bitter orange flower water (smell!) and algin (antioxidant).
I highly recommend this product. The price for 50 ml of product is not the lowest, but it's definitely worth its price. You can purchase it from Birchbox Website and it costs £17.90. I got my sample (10ml) from Birchbox to test, but I already purchased (with my Birchbox points!) a full product.
2. Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
On the 2nd place of my top exfoliators is Vasanti Brighten Up! Again I tested this product through Birchbox a long time ago and then I loved it so much that purchased full product. It lasts for ages, because you only need a tiny amount to spread it on whole face, and the full product contains 120g of exfoliator. The price of this in Birchbox shop is £26, not on the cheap side, but the ingredients and results after using are definitely worth the cost.
So what's in it?
Aqua (Water), Aluminum Oxide, Cetyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Propanediol, Panthenol, Emulsifying Wax NF, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe) Leaf Juice, Tocopheryl Acetate, Papain, Parfum, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol
As you can see the list is pretty small and natural. Vasanti does not use parabens, 99% of ingredients is natural. They also not test on animals which is great and product is 100% vegan. Woohoo!
The key and active ingredients are:
Papaya Enzyme (Papain) - natural enzyme gently dissolves dead skin cells and debris, helping to
fade dark marks, and even out skin tone. Also, Papaya naturally has acne treatment properties. (I'd not be so sure about this as it's very far in the ingredient list, so I don't know if it makes such massive difference, but still good for your skin in some ways I guess!)
Micro Crystals (Aluminum Oxide) - second hardest mineral next to diamonds. Its exfoliation properties will not cause allergic reactions and are incredible for skin stimulation and removal of dead cells. (The particles are so tiny mini that you feel like it only massage your skin, feels like a superfine salt :)
Aloe Vera -incredible healing & soothing properties and is used to balance the exfoliation process leaving the skin smooth and soft
Panthenol - is a form of vitamin B which will help keep your skin smooth by helping to maintain its natural moisture balance and counteracting surface bacteria. Also reduces inflammation, soothes irritation and leaves skin soft and supple
Coconut – in this format has good antiseptic properties and hydrating properties
Tocopherol Acetate – Vitamin E that has anti-oxidant properties
I was amazed by the effect it gave just after the first use! My skin really was brighten and looked plumped, more healthy and was incredibly soft. I don't usually exaggerate and it really needs to be a special product for me to rate is so well, so trust me I tried many exfoliators and this one is going to stay with me for a long time.
How to use?
Like I said before you only need a pea-size amount of product, spread it all over your face GENTLY giving your skin a little massage (it deserves it), but void using it in your very soft and delicate eye area skin. Rinse with a lukewarm water. You can also leave it for 2-3 minutes to let papaya exfoliate a little bit more. Then rinse. Say hello to the brighter skin :D
In the UK you can purchase it from Birchbox Online Shop and I think it's the most reliable place. Vasanti is a Canadian brand so they sell mostly in US.
3. Balance Me Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm
Balance Me brand is widely known in UK for their natural and organic products for face and body. I tested some products from their range and I liked all - eye cream (was nice, but I was a bit lazy to use it :( ), hand cream, shampoo.
The sample of this face balm I got from Birchbox (again I know!) and I fell in love. It's on the last place in this top 3 ranking for one reason: it's a bit oily and hard to remove without a muslin cloth. That's the only downside of this product.
I love how hydrated and healthy skin feels after using this regularly. Even after the one use skin doesn't feel tight at all (thanks to oils) and feel calm and pampered.
So this product is again very natural (you can't be more happy about it!) and the ingredient list looks like this:
Prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, Colloidal oatmeal, Cera alba (unrefined beeswax), Mangifera indica (mango) seed butter, Butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter***, Theobroma cacao (cocoa) butter, Polyglyceryl-4 caprate, Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic polyglycerides, Hydroxystearic/Linolenic/Oleic polyglycerides, Rubus chamaemorus (cloudberry) seed extract, Cocos nucifera (virgin coconut) oil***, Aleurites moluccana (kukui) oil, Rosa canina (rosehip) fruit oil, Camellia oleifera (camellia) oil, Citrus reticulata (mandarin red)*, Litsea cubeba (litsea may chang)*, Citrus aurantium amara (petitgrain)*, Anthemis nobilis (Roman chamomile)*, Cananga odorata (ylang ylang)*, Coriandrum sativum (coriander)*, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) extract, Limonene**, Linalool**, Citral *natural pure essential oil **naturally occurring in essential oils ***certified organic ingredient
Ok, comparing to two previous products this list seems very long, but look how great is looks! On the top we have sweet almond oil, oatmeal (fine particles to exfoliate), beeswax, mango seed butter, shea butter, cocoa butter (may be clogging for some), virgin coconut oil and many more good stuff.
I agree that some ingredients may clogg your pores (coconut oil, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil), but I highly recommend using it as exfoliator, not cleanser (I don't like to spread my makeup over my face), and then remove residue with a warm water and muslin cloth (comes with the balm!). That's my favorite way to use it, and I never felt like I had more breakouts or blocked pores after using it. I cleanse my face with other product before and this product only help to moisture and soften my skin :)
I almost forgot to mention it's smell...aww it is just divine (English camomile and red mandarin essential oils) and it's a natural smell not chemical fragrance that could irritate your skin! After a shower my whole bathroom smells like a citruses and I absolutely love the uplifting effect of this smell.
The best places to purchase it (reliable online stores and offers!) are below:
Balance Me Official Website (15% off on everything when you subscribe to their newsletter!)
Full size of this product contains 125ml of balm and costs £20.
Hope you enjoyed this post and you'd find your best exfoliator among those too :)
Let me know if you use any natural product worth to try!
BYE!
No comments:
Post a Comment