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Picture this: you make the switch to natural skincare products in hopes of soothing your sensitive skin, only to have your face break out into redness and inflammation. Unfortunately, this situation is all too common for natural beauty lovers. The culprit? Essential oils. Many natural skincare products are formulated with essential oils because they’re all natural, smell incredible, and have many antioxidant benefits. But if you have sensitive skin, those luxurious scents can leave skin red and inflamed. Even worse, essential oils can actually sensitize skin, making all skin types more reactive over time. Certain compounds in essential oils can disrupt the healthy bacteria on the surface of the skin, making it more susceptible to irritation. In turn, this irritation breaks down cells and can speed up the aging process. And here’s the thing: this type of irritation can occur beneath the surface of the skin. So even if your essential oil-laden moisturizer doesn’t seem to be causing any outward signs of irritation, it could be wreaking havoc underneath your skin. Not all essential oils are damaging for skin, but citrus oils (think lemon, grapefruit, and bergamot) and mint oils (like peppermint and pennyroyal) can be major culprits of redness and inflammation. Plus, some chemicals in essential oils (like those in bergamot) can be transformed by UV rays to create an allergic reaction or even chemical burns. We’ll pass on that! Additionally, essential oil concentrations are not typically listed on product packaging and there’s no third party regulation for essential oils, so it’s impossible to understand the quality and potency of a product before trying it. Luckily, you can keep your skincare routine clean by finding EO-free products that feature other natural, non-irritating ingredients. One option is swapping out essential oils for plant-based or botanical oils. Plant-based oils, also known as carrier oils, are rich in essential fatty acids and provide some of the same nutrients for skin that essential oils do, withoutsensitizing fragrances. Examples of plant-based oils include rosehip oil, jojoba oil, and coconut oil.  Another sensitive skin-friendly ingredient to look for is manuka honey, produced by bees that pollinate the manuka shrubs of New Zealand. While all raw honeys provide health benefits for skin, manuka honey is particularly attractive for skin care. Manuka honey has strong anti-inflammatory properties that soothe sensitive skin types, and its natural antibacterial properties help with breakouts. It’s also an anti-aging ingredient, since it promotes cellular regeneration while moisturizing skin.
If you have sensitive skin, make sure to smell each skincare product before purchasing to check for strong aromas and check the ingredient list for essential oils. Look for natural products formulated with skin-loving botanical oils and manuka honey. We love HONEY CORN’s line, which provides the benefits of manuka honey in non-sticky formulations that hydrate skin beautifully without any greasiness or residue. Their full line of skincare products soothe, moisturize, and nourish all skin types. Plus, since all HONEY CORN products are hypoallergenic and unisex, they’re truly for everyone. And remember: you can still enjoy the aromatherapy benefits of essential oils! We just recommend keeping them in your diffuser rather than putting them on your face. Article written in Solstice Magazine If you live in a chilly climate, winter means three things: extra layers, snow in the forecast, and dry winter skin. Changing seasons means changes in the way your skin behaves, and in the case of winter, low-humidity conditions leave skin parched and craving much-needed moisture. And when left untreated, dry winter skin can lead to flaking, cracking, eczema, and dermatitis. The solution to parched winter skin? Manuka honey! Keep reading to find out how this all-natural miracle ingredient can reverse a bad case of dry winter skin and restore your gorgeous glow. Why Manuka Honey is Your Winter Skin Saviour Manuka honey is a special type of honey created in New Zealand and Australia by bees who pollinate the flowers of the manuka bush. Manuka honey has lots of incredible health and beauty benefits, which is probably why it’s often referred to as “liquid gold”. But if you’re suffering from dry, chapped winter skin, manuka honey has several incredible benefits just for your condition: 1. Locks in Moisture Frigid temperatures and indoor heating create an extra dry, low-humidity environment that zaps the moisture right out of skin. Manuka honey is a natural humectant, which means that it creates a barrier that draws moisture from the air into the skin. This helps the skin to stay smooth and hydrated for longer than other types of moisturizers (and without leaving an icky greasy residue). Try applying Hydrating Face Night Cream before bed and wake up to refreshed, hydrated skin in the morning. 2. Restores Your Glow Buildup of dead skin can make your complexion look dull and lifeless. Manuka honey acts a gentle exfoliator, sloughing away dead skin to reveal a more radiant complexion underneath. Use our Gentle Face Scrub once per week to seriously turn up the glow on your skin. 3. Soothes Irritation During the winter, our skin’s natural protective lipid barrier can become compromised, leading to inflammatory conditions like eczema and dermatitis. If you’ve ever suffered from itchy, inflamed skin in the winter, you know exactly what we’re talking about. Manuka honey’s natural anti-inflammatory properties, long used in traditional medicine, can help to soothe this irritation and promote skin healing. To take advantage of manuka honey’s anti-inflammatory properties, swap out your usual cleanser for our 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser, which effectively cleans skin without irritation. Then apply our hydrating day cream or night cream to lock in moisture.  4. Reduces Redness Is winter leaving your skin red and discolored? Manuka honey’s anti-inflammatory properties mean that it’s also effective in fading redness. Applying our daytime moisturiser every morning will help to remove some of that ruddiness from your complexion while protecting skin. 5. Smooths Fine Lines and Wrinkles Dry winter conditions can make fine lines and wrinkles more apparent. Manuka honey of course provides amazing skin-smoothing hydration for ageing skin, but it also goes a step further by stimulating production of collagen. Collagen is a natural structural protein that gives skin its smooth, supple appearance. As we age, however, our collagen structure begins to deteriorate. As result, our skin develops fine lines and wrinkles. Manuka honey reverses this loss of collagen for some seriously impressive anti-ageing benefits. Apply our Anti-Ageing Moisturiser reach morning for smoother, younger-looking skin.  |
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