Last step- Moisturize. Finally! Sorry it took three blog posts to get through our 3-step nightly skin care program. I could have crammed it all into one post but I'm pretty sure I would have lost you 1/3 of the way down!
So let's talk moisturizers. You know the drill. Eye creams, night creams, day creams, lotions, serums and potions. Then there's plumpers, firming gels, and anything else you can think of that promises more youthful looking skin. It's big money and the more steps the more money! A nightly routine can cost $1000's a year with all those jars and bottles.
And with all those bottles are empty promises. I hate to burst your bubble here, but there is no such thing as an anti-aging cream. We're all aging....like it or not...and eventually age (and gravity) will win and we'll look like our grandmothers! Of course, some of us will age better than others....my mom looks amazing so I'm hanging on to the genetics factor...😉...and of course, if we've taken care of ourselves, that will effect the outcome, but eventually age wins.
I'm sure you're pleased with this uplifting post courtesy of Mrs. Debbie-Downer!
I just really can't stand how we've made our looks be the "be-all-end-all" of our self worth! There is so much more to life and so much more to us than what we look like. Ok, sermon is over.....🙂
Obviously we can't just forget about taking care of ourselves and live in a cave......hmmmm......maybe that could actually work.....🤦♀️
Seriously, I realize that even if our focus isn't on our outward appearance and it's not where our self worth is wrapped up, we still need to take care of our skin to offer it the best chance of survival!
Healthy skin is important for a healthy body and a healthy body is important for healthy skin, so let's talk holistic solutions.
Most beauty cleansers and moisturizers on the market today use water at a rate of up to 80% of this products! That's a lot of water. Now water in a formula is perfectly acceptable and necessary at times because our skin actually does need water to be moisturized. That's why it's a great practice to moisturize your skin after showering and drying off. The skin is already moist so adding rich lotion is a perfect way to lock it all in. But in a formula of 80% water, there's only 20% left for all those wonderful ingredients that promise the fountain of youth. Doesn't seem like much to me. Also, water in a formula will need a preservative because water breeds bacteria so eliminating water from the formula altogether keeps the formula from needing a preservative. Lots of wins there.
Next, you want to be sure your formula is holistic. What do I mean by that? You want your formula to work with your body not against it. Synthetic ingredients fight the body and actually create aging. The liver has to work so much harder trying to eliminate all of the synthetic ingredients it doesn't recognize, which is turn wears the body out. Don't choose products that just promise less wrinkles, make sure your products have whole ingredients that the body fully recognizes and uses well. The body craves antioxidants and a wide variety of nutrients to sustain itself. Give it what it's craving!
And you want your product to be multi-use so you don't have to buy a million little bottles to finish the job!
But some of you might be wondering about your oily skin? Do you really want to add oil to oil? Yes...let me explain.
It's obvious by the excessive oil production your body needs some balancing. But remember, this oil you're producing isn't as bad as you might think. The body is producing oil to protect itself. (And people with more oily skin age slower than dry types....just trying to see the silver lining here)
Excess oil production isn't a disease, it's a protection mechanism put in place to keep the skin from drying out. It's a signal screaming at us that balance needs to be restored. This was one of the most important facts I learned early on after trying to regain my health holistically. Symptoms are clues to help us figure out root issues and our response to those clues is what will either help us eliminate the root issues or cause them to drive deeper into the tissue eventually causing disease. For almost 20 years that's what I've aimed to do with myself and my family in all sorts of health related situations and I think we've all benefited in many ways through it. I'm looking forward to exploring that much deeper in future posts but for now the take-home is this: Don't clog up the God-given functions that are actually the keys to figuring out root issues. Work with the body. In the case of oily skin - I'll give the condensed version - good oils will combat the bad oils and balance will be restored. Hope that helps.
So here's my simple solution. I'm sure you could see this coming..... Step 3 - Moisturize.
Our little 2 oz bottle holds a potent blend of 16 plant oils and essential oils known for their nourishing and skin renewing properties. It's not water-based, but rather 100% pure, unadulterated plant oils blended together with essential oils for a rich skin-regenerating concentrated serum. Moisturize is designed as the third and final step during your evening treatment, following Cleanse and Hydrate.
Let's chat just a bit about a few of the ingredients.
Rose Hip Seed Oil - Hollywood's "better than botox" remedy. Dr. Axe, in an article found at https://draxe.com/rosehip-oil/, explains the health benefits of this little oil. It's known to be high in antioxidants - which protect against free radical damage. It also is known to lessen age spots and may help with acne scarring as well as eczema.
Then there are lesser known oils of Perilla Seed, Red Raspberry Seed Oil and Cranberry Seed Oil, I grew up in British Columbia, the berry capital of the world. Raspberries were one of those famous berries. I never realized that the oil in the seeds of those wonderful berries and that get stuck in your teeth when you eat a million berries in one sitting....uhem....not me were so good for you! And they have tremendous benefit to the skin. Red Raspberry Seed Oil is known to be excellent at reducing oxidative stress in the skin, is a free radical scavenger, rich antioxidant and high in Vitamin A. I'll take that along with seeds stuck in my teeth!
Cranberry Seed Oil is cold pressed from the seeds of the super fruit. It boasts a high essential fatty acids profile, heavy antioxidant activity, nurturing benefits along with Vitamin E and even phytosterols - natural protection from the sun. Not just for Thanksgiving dinner!
Perilla Seed Oil is lesser known in North America, but is fast becoming a star, even beating out flaxseed oil, as it holds one of the highest essential fatty acid contents at 60% Alpha-Linoleic Acid. With such a high Alpha-Linoleic content it helps combat acne and blemishes better than most.
And of course we don't want to forget about the thick and green Avocado Seed Oil we use! We talked about it in Part 1, but we source a purely raw oil! Avocado Seed Oil is rich in nutrient waxes, proteins and minerals along with being a "heavy oil" which makes it perfect for dry, damaged and more mature skin as it takes longer to soak in.
And then at the very end of our ingredient list is Vitamin E Oil. It's common to see this in your beauty products, but ours is not derived from the traditional soy or wheat, it's made from sunflower oil and it's non GMO. An expensive alternative, but worth every penny!
And it's really important to note that the oils used in our products aren't mineral oils or petroleum products. Those types of oils, although cheap, suffocate skin and clog pores.
But I haven't even gotten started raving about these ingredients. The true secret to this formula is in the combination of our essential oils. We have included 7 essential oils known for their healing properties. In that list are some very exotic and potent oils of Rose (known for hormone and skin health), Jasmin (used for eczema, dermatitis and dry skin), Ylang Ylang (which helps maintain moisture and oil balance of the skin) and Frankincense (eliminates sun spots, remove micro-wrinkles around the eyes and cheeks, and generally tones and tightens skin all over your body, while simultaneously replacing old or dying cells with new, healthy ones). We purchase our high grade essential oils from Nature's Sunshine Products.
And if you're wondering how many other bottles you need to buy...don't think a minute longer! This one product alone does the work of a night cream, day moisturizer and concentrated face and eye serum.
We've heard over and over again how our customers feel like they've been to the spa each night after using this simple 3-step program.
Being another multi-use product, here's an amazing trick you can do with this product. You'll need Hydrate, Moisturize and your choice of A'del Loose Foundation or Setting Powder - that's it!
Just tap the jar of the loose powder foundation or setting powder into the palm of your hand until you have about 1/2 tsp powder. Spray 1 or 2 times with Hydrate and pump once or twice with Moisturize right into the powder and stir it all up using your finger. Then apply like usual with a brush or sponge!
This combination is perfect for mature or dry skin as as it can easily be customized with either more or less of one or the other of the ingredients depending on your personal preference. Preservative-free tinted moisturizer!
And for the men, that pink label doesn't scare my husband who uses it as a rich nourishing after-shave oil. I even used it as a healing back rub the other day!
And I almost forgot, we use amber glass bottles which help maintain the integrity of the oils and are recyclable.
So that's it! Three easy steps to keep your skin healthy and happy. Naturally!
(The A'del Blog and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. All material on The A'del Blog is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health related program.)
