the benefits of NATURAL skincare

The skin is our largest organ and it’s very complex, and to work properly it also needs to get the right nutrition. What are the benefits of using more natural skincare in your beauty routine?

Can you tell us why it’s important to move towards more natural skin care products and the benefits of botanical ingredients?

The benefits of using more natural skincare are many, but the most importantly I’d say is first of all you wouldn’t want to put lots of chemicals and toxins in the food you’re eating, so why would you want to put it on your skin and risk getting it through your body that way? Chemicals in products can be very harmful for the reproductive system and disrupt your hormones. There are also numerous ingredients that can be carcinogenic which is unhealthy especially in the long run. If you’re sensitive you can also get irritated skin, eczema and other reactions that get triggered by the chemicals. Another good reason to switch more into natural skincare is to protect the environment from these chemicals where they can damage waters and other species.

What is your morning skin routine?

In the morning I like to keep it simple and prepare my skin for the day with lots of hydration, so it won’t feel dry or shiny halfway through. Hydration also helps protect the skin from harmful radicals and sun damage. A mild cleanser is usually enough for me in the morning, followed by a hydrating toner to balance, a serum with active ingredients to work on my skin concerns (my favourite serum at the moment is the brightening concentrate with licoriceroot that evens out the skin tone and gives a natural glow). A serum has smaller molecules which penetrates the skin deeper than my moisturiser. I like to layer my skin with moisture so that I don’t have to use a too heavy cream under my make-up. I also love the energising eye cream from Aveda which really works to energise the eye area. I keep it in the fridge to make it nice and cool for my tired eyes in the morning.

What are some of your non-negotiables to maintain healthy sustainable skin?

First of all, hydration! Even an oily skin needs hydration to stay balanced and to take care of its basic needs. But for the hydration to go down and work into the skin we need to exfoliate to get rid of any excess dead skin cells. Saying this, what a lot of people do is over exfoliate which can be really harmful in the long run. A sensitive or dry skin should consider using a liquid exfoliant instead of the scrubs which can make the skin more sensitive or dry long term. One thing to remember is that it’s usually better to exfoliate with a milder exfoliant more often than a really rough one a couple of times a week. Another thing that is crucial for long term beautiful skin is to protect the skin from sun damage. Sun is the number one ageing factor and in places like Australia where the sun is strong, its non-negotiable to protect yourself in order to avoid sun spots, wrinkles, red capillaries and loss of elasticity.

Do we need to change our skincare products and routine based on the seasons, or do you advise changing your skincare routine after a certain amount of time?

Yes! We’re getting dressed differently depending on the seasons and we should also dress the skin differently depending on the weather situations. In winter I’d recommend adding an extra layer of hydration and/or swap to a richer cream. Wind, colder temperature and taking longer, warmer showers can make the skin lose its moisture and create a sensitive unbalanced skin.

 I’d also recommend sleeping in a moisture mask a few times a week to stay on top of your moisture levels. I love the intense hydrating mask since it’s light enough to sleep in, but it puts back a lot of moisture deep into the skin and you wake up feeling hydrated and glowing again. Best way to start the day!

How important are facials? Do we need them and when do we know we need one? 

This depends on your skin concerns since some concerns require more frequent facials than others. It also depends on how well you take care of your skin at home on a daily basis. Saying that, all skin can benefit from regular facials and it’s also a good way to check in and have an expert look at the skin to make sure you’re doing the best you can at home to make your skin healthy and vibrant.

It’s usually recommended to have a facial every 6-8 weeks to maintain good skin health and to work on your skin concerns. I also have a lot of clients who take good care of the skin at home who come in once every season when the season changes to make sure the skin stays healthy through any weather.

I’m also a big fan of doing a series of treatments with more active treatments a couple of times a year to give the skin a real kick. The dual exfoliation is my absolute favourite, where your skin gets renewed and left feeling plumped and glowing like never before. I recommend doing this treatment in a series of 4, twice a year combined with a good skin routine at home.

How do we tell what our skin type is? Are there signs or questions we should ask ourselves? Can this change over time?

Simply put we divide the skin into different skin types, normal, dry, oily or mixed, which can change over time. The easiest way to know your skin type is to check your pores.

The most common skin type is mixed skin, which has a combination of different skin types in different zones of the face. For example a mixed skin has an oily t-zone and is dry/normal in other parts of the face.

Oily skin has larger pores because of a higher production of oil in the follicle, so the skin can get congested with impurities and blackheads.

Dry skin doesn’t produce enough oil and usually has smaller pores and lacks both fat and moisture (yes there’s a huge difference!). Dry skin can feel tight and rough on the surface and usually never gets impurities due to lack of oils.

Normal skin I’d say is the least common skin type and is soft and plump with good moisture levels without being oily.

When it comes to skin conditions, it can be everything from dehydrated skin, acne, pigmentations to different types of sensitivity. All these conditions can be treated with really good results when seeing a professional skin therapist – stay tuned for upcoming blog posts with more details on this!

What makes Aveda skin care products different to other products on the market?

First of all, there’s not many brands I’ve worked with who manage to create such amazing results on the skin at the same time as taking care and supporting the environment and the body.

For example, the plant peel is basically working as a chemical peel but without the chemicals! If that’s not innovative I don’t know what is.

Secondly, it’s hard to find a brand with such passion to help educate customers and farmers in the business how to develop to become more sustainable and environmental.

The fact that it also stems from the Ayurvedic science which really goes to the root cause of the skin problems and conditions instead of just putting a bandage over it also makes it a class of its own. Aveda feels like the healthy vibrant future I want to see more of in this business.

Can you tell us about Aveda product packaging?

As everyone hopefully knows by now the packaging and plastics in our products is a major problem for the environment, so by choosing a brand that’s conscious about packaging is a huge step, since we’re going through a lot of packaging in only one year. My best tip is if you know you like a product and keep buying it, buy the bigger size! It saves money and plastics and lasts much longer.

Aveda makes bigger sizes in all products that we tend to go through quickly like cleansers, toners and exfoliants.

Aveda uses 100% post consumer PET for their products which leads to a more sustainable future.

We heard Aveda will be 100% vegan in the future is this true and what does this mean?

Yes! Not only will they keep using naturally derived ingredients, from next year you can also be sure every single product will be vegan and of course cruelty free. This is an important step for all animals that shouldn’t suffer for us to feel beautiful, but also a great change for the planet.

How do we know if a skincare product is natural, what should we be looking out for or ingredients we should be avoiding?

It’s important to be mindful when choosing a product since they can be very deceiving on the packeting and very well marketed on the front, but if you look at the back and the list of ingredients it can be horrifying what’s actually in there.

Not only is the ingredient itself important, but also the sourcing of it.

Aveda always works to ensure that ecological and cultural diversity is represented by responsibly sourcing key ingredients. They also help ethical farmers in different parts of the world to become more sustainable.

They always use non-petroleum mineral, water, or some other natural source. It’s good to keep an eye out for these ingredients as well as mineral oils, cyclic silicones, micro plastics, aluminium and synthetic perfume.

The only way to know if a product is natural is to look closely at the ingredients. A natural ingredient is one that comes from the land or the sea, while a botanical ingredient is a plant derived ingredient.

A plant derived product is not always pesticide or chemical free so make sure you check the sourcing and always buy organic if possible!

What are the three products you can’t live without?

This is one of the hardest questions to ask a skin junkie like me! And it varies depending on the season. But three products that I constantly come back to is the tinted moisturizer that is the best one I’ve tried yet. It gives a natural glow and has a dewy finish which makes all skin types look healthier.

Another product I can’t live without would be the beautifying scrub, I use this one on dry skin since it’s got a lot of oils in it, leaving the skin super soft and I usually don’t even have to moisturise my body after using it.

Last but not least I’d say the hydrating treatment lotion is a product everyone should have at home. It’s a lotion that goes under your serums and creams and it hydrates the skin in a way no other product can! It also helps your other products that you put on top absorb better into the skin which is why this is a real winner.

Contact us to speak with our team about helping you customise your skin care routine. We can recommend the best naturally derived Aveda products suitable for your skin type and concerns. Email info@sulisbyron.com.au or Phone 02 6680 8801.