Hand Skin Care in Winter. Simple Tips.

Winter season comes with the cold and dry weather which dehydrates skin. Our hands get affected by winter harshness the most. How to help them?

There are many tips for winter hand care that you can utilize to ensure that your hands look noticeably smoother and softer: 

- Wearing gloves in winter keep your skin soft and protected.

- Winter hand cream should be special - containing natural vegetable oils, butters and wax. These additives have polyunsaturated fatty acids necessary to form a protective barrier of the skin.

- Wash your hands by water at room temperature, as hot water causes dryness and flaking.

- Scrub should be used 1-2 times a week.  

- At least 2 times a week apply a mask for hands.  In contrast to the daily care masks have a better therapeutic effect, helping women maintain hands in good shape.

- The skin around our nails gets really dry and peels easily, so apply cuticle balm consistently throughout the day.

You can read more on this topic here:

DIY: Nail & Cuticle Oil.

DIY: Hand Scrub

Vitamin C for your skin.

Vitamin C is one of the most widely used skin care ingredients.

Vitamin C is a normal skin constituent that is found at high levels in both the dermis and epidermis. Aging, however, causes a decline in vitamin C content in both the epidermis and dermis. Excessive exposures to UV light or pollutants (e.g., cigarette smoke and ozone) may also lower vitamin C content, primarily in the epidermis. (Podda M, Traber MG, Weber C, Yan LJ, Packer L. UV-irradiation depletes antioxidants and causes oxidative damage in a model of human skin. Free Radic Biol Med 1998)

When added to your daily skincare routine, products containing vitamin C can provide a range of benefits for your skin.

Vitamin C can benefit skin in two important ways:

1)      Vitamin C is essential for the synthesis of collagen, a key structural protein of the skin.

2)      Vitamin C is an antioxidant and can help reduce skin damage caused by free radicals. So, when vitamin C is properly delivered into skin cells, there is a good chance to reduce wrinkles and improve skin texture.

New research shows that ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, a derivative of vitamin C, not only neutralizes free radicals, but also reverses DNA damage. (University of Leicester. "Study Reveals New Role of Vitamin C in Skin Protection: Results Will Be of Great Relevance to the Cosmetics Industry." 2009)

Unfortunately, taking large amounts of vitamin C (or its derivatives) orally is of little benefit for reducing wrinkles because you cannot obtain high enough concentration of vitamin C in the skin to increase collagen production. So, topical administration of vitamin C is extremely important in skin care routine.  

Topical vitamin C may be useful against acne to reduce inflammatory lesions. It may also have mild skin lightening effects that are caused by reductions in melanin production and melanin oxidation.

When exposed to air, vitamin C solution undergoes oxidation and becomes not only ineffective but also potentially harmful, because oxidized vitamin C may increase the formation of free radicals. Vitamin C derivatives such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate are more stable and less irritating, but also boost collagen synthesis.

When you buy products with vitamin C, it is best to choose colorless or white formulation. That way you can spot the advanced stages of oxidation of the active ingredient by the emergence of a yellowish tint.

Skin care for sensitive skin.

Who doesn't want beautiful skin?  Let’s start by knowing your skin type.

    Dry skin is flaky, scaly, or rough.

    Oily skin is shiny, greasy, and may have big pores.

    Combination skin is dry in some spots (cheeks) and oily in others (forehead, nose, and chin).

    Normal skin is balanced, clear, and not sensitive.

What about sensitive skin?  Sensitive skin may sting, burn, or itch after you use some makeup or other products or response to external environmental things such as cold, sun, wind. Blemishes, dryness, tightness, breakouts, redness; these are all signs that your skin is sensitive.

If your skin is sensitive, you need to avoid:

- Astringents containing alcoho.

- Abrasive scrubs (which contain aluminum oxide crystals, walnut shells, or pumice).

- Washing by cold or hot water.

- Steaming the skin.

- Harsh cleansers.

Our skin’s barrier should keep things that will irritate your skin out. But the skin's barrier is weakened by exposure to sun, chlorine and salt and can't retain moisture so easily. 

The Ultra-Moisturizing & Repairing Lotion repairs that barrier. This product is free of propylene glycol, phthalates, fragrance and alcohol. A deeply hydrating lotion can calm, nourish, and smooth distressed skin.

In our formula I used some key ingredients:

Squalane (obtained from Olives) - is a botanical lipid that mirrors human lipids in molecular structure and weight. So, squalane can help to restore skin barrier. 

I‘ve chosen meadowfoam seed oil, because this oil not only penetrates the skin with ease and provides emollient benefits, but also it is very stable to oxidation.

The main ingredient in water phase of emulsion is lavender hydrolyte. The lavender hydrolyte is useful for all skin types, but is especially recommended for mature, dry, damaged or fragile skin. Its soothing, healing, antimicrobial and regenerative properties can be particularly useful for treating blemishes, mild acne and other irritated skin conditions such as heat rash, sunburn and insect bites. Its antiseptic properties are also beneficial for cleansing minor wounds. Lavender hydrolyte has a fragrance that is light and delicate.

Aloe also helps soothe, calm, protect and hydrate skin.

Sodium Lactate - is one of the Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) constituents of skin, required in the maintenance of natural hydration. Sodium Lactate is a superior moisturizer, increasing the moisture content of skin by up to 84%.

Panthenol (or pro-Vitamin B5) is well known for its anti-inflammatory properties for professional skin care formulations where it also acts as a powerful redness reducer. Studies have shown D-Panthenol promotes stimulation of epithelization, granulation, and mitigation of itching and has an anti-inflammatory effect.  When used in formulations over the course of three to four weeks, it has the potential to improve the appearance of the skin, including dryness, roughness, scaling, pruritus and erythema.  Further, its moisturizing properties improve stratum corneum hydration, reducing transepidermal water loss and maintaining skin elasticity and softness. 

Glycine Betaine Sugar Extract - acts to maintain intracellular hydration (water levels) helping to prevent damage from environmental stressors such as UV radiation, and oxidation. Unlike traditional humectants, which draw moisture from the environment, betaine adds hydration directly due to its abundant source of saccharides, making it a suitable choice for any climate or environment.

Ingredients: Lavender hydrolyte, Aloe Juice, Meadowfoam Seed oil, Squalane, Hazelnut Oil, Sal Butter, Glycine Betaine Sugar Extract, Emulsifier (ECOSERT), Sodium Lactate, Panthenol, Cetyl Alcohol, Optiphen.

The Ultra-Moisturizing & Repairing Lotion is also recommended to use after exposures to sun when skin as especially sensitive to various kinds of damage.