Blog tagged "coola" | Fresh Faced

How to treat rosacea naturally

Rosacea is a chronic skin condition that causes facial redness, dilated capillaries or visible blood vessels, and, in some people, small hard bumps or pimples. I've been wary of it since my teens after clueing in to the fact that my mother's rosy flush was the result of more than just too much sun.

Rosacea is pretty common, affecting more than 2 million Canadians—mostly fair-skinned women over the age of 30—although many others are suffering but don't know it. Symptoms, which typically appear on the cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead, may be triggered by a number of factors, including spicy food, alcohol, sunlight, and extreme weather.

So what's a ruddy-cheeked gal to do? Consistent use of gentle skin care and makeup can make a difference and improve the look of your skin. A good rule of thumb is to search for products that are designed for sensitive or rosacea-prone skin and to avoid astringents, exfoliating agents, or other harsh irritants. Keep it simple—the more products you apply to your skin, the more likely you are expose yourself to an ingredient that may aggravate it. Daily sun protection is a must for any skin type, but rosacea sufferers should be especially vigilant. Sun exposure is linked to the visible blood vessels and severe redness often associated with the condition.

Cleansers
Give these gentle cleansers a try:

Soapwalla Organic Lavender & French Clay Soap Bar: Lavender essential oil calms, detoxifies, and soothes. Ideal for sensitive and mature skin; free of sulfates, parabens, and cruelty.
Green Beaver Daily Facial Cleanser: This mild aloe vera gel cleanser soothes red, irritated, and sensitive skin. Grapefruit enzymes gently dissolve excess oils without drying or irritating, and chamomile extract tones and balances.

Moisturizers
Choose moisturizers intended to help soothe and hydrate sensitive skin.

Pai Chamomile & Rosehip Sensitive Skin Cream: Formulated to soothe and maintain extremely sensitive skin using only the cleanest natural ingredients. Helps calm the appearance of redness; free from alcohol, phenoxyethanol, and other skin irritants.
Green Beaver Daily Facial Moisturizer: Aloe vera gel has long been recognized as a remedy for various skin problems such as eczema and psoriasis. Green Beaver uses aloe concentrate to maximize the amount of this skin soother in its facial care products.

Treatments
Feed your skin the nutrients it needs by adding an oil to your daily skin care routine.

Soapwalla Restorative Face Serum: A miracle in a bottle that rejuvenates and revitalizes skin, visibly reducing fine lines and redness. Sweet almond, apricot kernel, and sea buckthorn oils replenish the skin’s moisture and alleviate eczema, rosacea, and sensitive skin rashes.
Pai Rosehip BioRegenerate Fruit & Seed Oil Blend: Rich in concentrated trans-retinoic acid, an essential fuel for the skin's natural repair function. Clinical studies show rosehip is effective at improving the appearance of scars, stretch marks, sun damage, and fine lines. High levels of trans-retinoic acid deliver pro-vitamin A to the skin without causing irritation

Sunscreen
Stick to mineral sunscreens that sit on top of the skin and reflect UVA and UVB rays.

Coola SPF20 Mineral Sunscreen: Coola mineral sunblock hydrates and protects sensitive facial skin; organic cocoa and shea butters sooth and moisturize. This formula delivers lasting broad-spectrum UVA/UVB protection yet is light enough to feel good under makeup.

Makeup
A green-tinted primer can help correct the appearance of redness and even out skin tone. Clean mineral makeup is the perfect choice for rosacea sufferers as it typically doesn't contain potentially irritating ingredients.

Alima Pure Color Balancing Powder: Worn under foundation, pistachio green evens out redness and works well for women who struggle with rosacea. Free of irritants, nano-particles, dyes, fillers, bismuth oxychloride, glutens, and toxins.
Suki Tinted Active Moisturizer: Formulated especially for hypersensitive, inflamed, and blemish-prone skin, Suki's tinted moisturizer boosts collagen synthesis and natural cell turnover, soothes redness and inflammation, fights free radicals, and balances oil production.
Alima Pure Satin Matte Foundation: Satin Matte Foundation evens out skin tone, enhances your complexion, and reduces the appearance of fine lines and pores. This award-winning formula is free of irritants, nano-particles, dyes, fillers, bismuth oxychloride, glutens, and toxins.
Suki Correct Coverage Concealer: This 100-percent-pure mineral pigment concealer actively improves skin health while delivering flawless coverage. White willow salicins quell irritations and caffeine helps reduce puffiness. Corrects redness, inflammation, blemishing, puffiness, fine lines, and wrinkles.

Posted in coola, green beaver, natural makeup, natural skin care, pai skincare, soapwalla, suki, sunscreen

Mineral sunscreen 101

Most of us have become diligent about including sunscreen in our daily skin care routines, but it turns out there's more to choosing a good one than just the SPF number on the label. Protection is always a good idea, but the chemical filters used in most sunscreens—including oxybenzone, octinoxate, and avobenzone—are quickly absorbed through the skin.

These chemicals are meant to protect you by absorbing the sun's harmful rays, but in the process they're absorbed into the body and fail to offer long-term protection (they break down after a few hours in the sun). The most common ingredient in conventional sunscreen is oxybenzone, which penetrates the skin in relatively large amounts, can trigger allergic reactions, is a potential hormone disruptor, says the Environmental Working Group (EWG). A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that a whopping 96 percent of six- to eight-year-old girls had detectable levels of oxybenzone in their urine.

And according to the EWG, oxybenzone is a penetration enhancer, which means it's a chemical that helps other chemicals penetrate the skin. Another con: Sunlight causes oxybenzone to create free radicals that may be linked to cell damage.

So what's a summer-loving gal to do? Since 2007, the EWG has touted two minerals—zinc oxide and titanium dioxide—as the best available sunscreen ingredients. Instead of being absorbed into the body, mineral sunscreens work by sitting on top of the skin and reflecting the sun's rays. They're also less irritating for problem or sensitive skin, are non-allergenic, and do not break down in sunlight or disrupt the body's hormones.

Another no-no is combining retinol or retinyl palmitate products with sunscreen, either mineral or conventional. An active form of vitamin A, retinol is an anti-aging antioxidant used in hundreds of sunscreens, moisturizers, and lip balms. Vitamin A increases photosensitivity in the skin, which means it makes you more susceptible to UV exposure and therefore does more harm than good when used on bright, sunny days.

Our mineral sunscreens are free of oxybenzone, retinol products, and other harmful ingredients.

For the face:

For the body: