Skin care essentials - Tone.

To achieve naturally glowing complexion it is crucial to follow four important steps: cleanse (surface cleanse - every day and deep cleanse - once a week), exfoliate (once a week), tone (as much as your heart desires), and moisturize (from one to two and even three times per day depending on you skin type). I have talked about cleansing here and exfoliation here.

Now it is time to shed some light on the most neglected step in facial care regiment - tone. Use of toners is a connecting link between process of cleansing and moisturizing that helps to achieve ultimate goal - beautiful and radiant skin. Toners help to restore pH level of you skin, enhance your skin tone, tighten pores, remove leftover soap or oil residue, and prepare your skin for final step - moisturizing. How it works: pure water has a neutral pH, which is close to 7.0, when natural pH of our skin is slightly acidic and varies between 5.0 and 6.0. Hence, washing your face even with plain warm water, guarantees to throw off your pH balance, and cause all kinds of discomforts. After applying pH balanced botanical toners you will not only return your skin to its natural state but you will also get more out of your moisturizer! Why? In order for the moisturizer to deliver all of its benefits, your skin has to be prepared to properly absorb them. By removing the leftover residue from a cleanser you are allowing your skin to take-in all of the natural goodness of your moisturizer. Additional botanical ingredients will provide extra shot of natural vitamins and antioxidants that are irreplaceable components in any healthy cell function.
Marmalade Hills Facial Fusions have been especially formulated to be gentle on delicate facial tissue and with pH balance of about 5.0 to help restore natural pH balance of your skin. Base ingredients of our toners: gentle and nourishing botanical distillates, distilled water, natural astringent - witch hazel and healing aloe juice.
Botanical distillates are usually obtained by steam distillation from aromatic plants. During such distillation essential oils will float on top of the surface, leaving behind the watery distillate. Botanical distillates contain diluted essential oils and many of their therapeutic qualities, making them especially skin friendly. Another important ingredient that is used in every Marmalade Hills toner is Green Tea Extract. We love using Green Tee Extract in our formulations as it naturally contains the chemical ECGC - an antioxidant proven 200 times more powerful than Vitamin E. Antioxidants are extremely important in any anti-aging and healthy skin care, as they are capable of inhibiting oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation produces free radicals - micro elements that contribute to cell destruction and therefore aging of the skin, as well as abnormal mutations, therefore creating favorable environment for deceases to form and overtake our bodies.
After the water/witch hazel/aloe/green tea base is created we customize our toners according to skin types, by adding different plant distillates and infusing them with extensive variety of botanical extracts of Rosemary, Lavender, Rose, Nettle and Ginko biloba extract, just to name a few. In the end we create 100% natural, gentle, nourishing and soothing botanical toners that work in unison with your body and help to maintain not only healthy glow on the surface but also in deepest layers of your skin!

Hope you find this post useful. Take care of your skin and it will thank you!

Till next time,
Liana.

Summer Skin Care Regiment

During hot summer months we all have to adjust our skin care regiment. As a nicer and hotter weather moves in more people break out due to increased perspiration and increased time we spend outside. Because of this, our skin produces extra oils and accumulates extra dirt and debris, thus allowing more pimple-causing bacteria to grow. My skin type is combination and I find summer the most challenging time for my facial care. All I'm trying to do during summer is to keep my oil production down and milia or tiny bumps (with white heads or without) under control. You can't really cure these problems, all you can do is prevent them. During hot months make it a habit to wash your face with soapy water a number of times a day. If you have oily skin, wash your face at least twice a day with our Tea Tree Cucumber facial bar or Geranium facial bar. If you have dry skin, wash your face not only in the morning but also at bedtime to remove excess oil and makeup. Creamy Classic Lavender facial bar or Milk ‘n Honey bar would be your best choices. If you have combination skin, I recommend using Geranium facial bar or Milk ‘n Honey twice a day during hot summer months. You can also use our All-Natural astringent toners to clean your face as many times as you need. And here is a hint on how to get the most out of your toner: during especially hot days keep your toner in a refrigerator and use it all over your face and neck to wipe out the dirt, to replenish and refresh your skin.

Everyone spends more time outdoors during the summer, which means that environmental debris and pollutants can have an additional impact on your skin's ability to remain elastic, free of bacteria and excess sebum. I personally notice more problem spots after a day of gardening or day at the outdoor art show. The great way to deep cleanse, sooth, draw out extra oils and firm your skin would be to use of our All-Natural Clay Facial Masks once a week and even more often during summer. Clays are widely used in spas all over the world. I love them especially for their ability to detoxify tone, gently exfoliate and deep cleanse our skin. They are full of rare minerals and they are designed by nature to absorb impurities from skin as they dry. After 15 minutes of our clay mask treatment you will wash away (together with clay) extra sebum and dirt, and add a few years to your looks by returning natural elasticity to your skin. Oily Skin owners: Sea Kelp Detox is for you. Dry and sensitive skin owners: Strawberry Fig would benefit you best. Combination skin: Banana Mango would work great for your skin.

Due to hotter weather you may feel less need to use your moisturizers and it is perfectly fine. For our Facial Serum users I would suggest to play with your usage amounts or maybe even postpone use of it completely during the summer. Try using less drops per area and spread it thinner on your face. Just recently I started using my serum every other day instead of every day and I am thinking about cutting it down to once a week. I just wash my face with Milk 'n Honey soap (in my soap dish now) as many times as I need , use my new favorite Apple Twist Toner and I am good to go until evening! For Oily or Combination Skin owners I would recommend replacing your moisturizers completely with our All-Natural gentle Facial Toners. They are light, refreshing, soothing and moisturizing.

If you have extra oily areas, you can dry problem areas with Glycolic Acid pads. 10% Glycolic Acid and 5% Cylicilic Acid formulation is mild enough to not give you any skin irritations. You can get pads at your dermatologist office or online. Read list of ingredients carefully to make sure there is no Acetone!

Adjust your makeup regimen to the summer climate and your outdoor activities as well. Select powder blushes and eye shadows rather than cream products because they are less irritating and more likely to hold up in hot and humid weather. Use mineral foundations that will double you as SPF protection. If you need a good mineral foundation you can find some here and here. Learn how to apply natural-looking, barely there makeup for those outdoor occasions.

Enjoy your summer friends! Till next time,
Liana.

Fifth Fan Page Giveaway winner

It is time to find out who is our 5th Fan Page Giveaway Winner. Thank you my dear friends for leaving your comments, they were very useful. 1-Heather, 2-Christine, 3-Michele.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...

Congratulations Heather! Just let me know which mask you would like to receive and I'll send it your way!

Thanks again ladies, I will take your comments into consideration and will try to offer more sample/travel size items for those who like to try before they buy!

Till next time,
Liana.

Skin Care Essentials-Cleanse

I'm often asked "What product would you recommend to make my skin look younger/healthier/acne free?" I wish there was a magic product or even better, a magic pill that you could take once a month and take care of all your skin problems. Sorry to dissapoint you, there is no such thing. Taking care of your skin is an everyday routine. I know that setting-up an everyday routine is probably too much to ask from many of you, but I encourage you to give your best shot at it and see what happens. Can't do it every day, then do it every other day or every three days. I guarantee, you will love the results and at some point you will be happy to do it everyday. There are four steps of skincare regiment that I would like to cover in our future weekly "Healthy Tips". Those four steps are: cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturize.

Cleanse - cleanser is a facial care product that is used to remove make-up, dead skin cells, oil, dirt and other types of pollutants from the skin of the face. This helps to unclog pores and prevent skin conditions such as acne. As many of you know already, I have become a natural skincare addict after expiriencing results first hand. My whole family uses Marmalade Hills facial bars every day, even our youngters.
Marmalade Hills has four all natural facial bar soaps for most skin types. Our facial bars are gentle with creamy lather and are packed with nourishing, skin loving ingredients. For oily skin type we recommend Tea Tree Cucumber Facial Bar (in curing): made with natural clays, cucumber peel powder and prescious Australian Tea Tree Essential Oil. This soap will help to draw out impurities and keep production of sebum and appearance of acnes under control.
For sensitive and mature skin types we recommend Geranium Facial Bar: made with pink clay, wheat germ oil, extra vitamin E and envigorating Bourbon* Geranium and Indonesian Dark* Patchouli Essential Oils. This soap will improve skin's elasticity/firmness, clarity and texture.
For dry/sensitive/baby skin we recommend either French* Lavender or Milk n' Honey Facial Bar. Both soaps are made with Goat Milk with addition of extra moisturizing and soothing ingredients like oats, shea butter and golden honey. Milk n' Honey soap is completely unscented while Lavender Facial Bar is infused with French* Lavender Essential Oil.

* - Depending on the region of cultivation there are many different types of Essential Oils. In our facial bars we use only high quality or creme de la creme of essential oils that are considered more precious and exquisite due to their origin.

Still not convinced? Here is what experts say about natural bar soaps as facial cleansers->
Article taken from Spa Magazine:
"For years, women relied on simple bars of soap to wash their faces, but with the arrival of liquid, foam, and cream cleansers came the idea that bars dry the skin and clog pores.
It turns out that some soaps got a bum rap. "In general, they're not bad," says Jennifer Reichel, M.D., director of Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center in Seattle. "Some bar soaps can be very gentle and moisturizing and do not necessarily trap oils and chemicals."
The soaps that deserve the negative attention are those that contain synthetic detergents or surfactants (like alkyl benzene sulfonate). "Synthetic detergents can be drying, which makes them a poor choice for many skin types,"says Angela L. Bowman Wales, president and CEO of Lillian Skincare, a manufacturer of organic skincare products.
But liquid cleansers can cause problems as well, according to Julia Hunter, M.D., founder of Skin Fitness Plus, a cosmetic spa in Los Angeles. Detergents (often sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate), preservatives (such as parabens), and antimicrobials (triclosan, for example) can cause inflammation and disrupt hormones. Instead, opt for soap with coconut oil, shea butter, glycerin, or olive oil. Although these emollients are often thought to cause breakouts, there is generally not enough in soaps to have such an effect. "Personally, I would choose emollients over inflammatory chemicals," says Hunter."

Till next time,
Liana.

P.S. if you have missed our previous healthy tips you can find them here:
Clean Truth about Antibacterial Soap
10 Foods that are healthier than you think
Healthy Nails Tips
Healthy Hair Tips
When to buy Organic and when it's ok not to
Benefits of Green Tea
Beauty Sleep
Fish Oil or Omega 3 & 6
How to add years to your life