At You Massage Therapy we believe natural facial products are the most beneficial to your skin. Our skin is the largest organ in the body so it’s important to look after it and using the right skin care will go a long way towards keeping your skin young and healthy. Regular facials will also help to stimulate blood circulation, speed up lymph movement and remove dead skin which will improve the look and condition of your skin.
Many skin care products on the market contain synthetic or chemical ingredients that have no benefit to the skin and in some case can potentially damage the skin or your body. Below are some ingredients commonly found in skin care and the reasons why we have chosen to give natural and organic facials rather than risk using products containing those ingredients.
- Paraffin Liquidium- this is used in many types of moisturisers and creams from cleansers to body lotion. It is a by product of petroleum and is used because it makes the skin feel soft and silky. The reason for this is because it sits on top of the skin leaving a fine layer of oil. Unfortuately the molecules of this oil are too large to penetrate the skin so although it gives the illusion of moisturising, it’s actually not doing anything except blocking the pores and causing spots and blackheads.
- Propylene Glycol- This is also used in moisturisers because of it’s humectant properities meaning it holds on to moisture and prevents it evaporating away. It is also found in anti- freeze and brake fluid and is a known irritant. Although it is only used in small amounts in cosmetics if you are using many products with this ingredient the levels build up and it could potentally be harmful to you.
- IsopropylSD-40- This is a solvent derived from petroleum, it removes the hydrolipidic film from the skin which is the protective layer that keeps moisture in the skin and prevents too much bacterial growth. If its stripped away more bacteria will grow causing spots and the skin will lose moisture causing dehydration and an increase premature aging and pigmentation.
- Lanolin-This is the oil from sheep’s wool, which is often highly contaminated with pesticides and insecticides because of the
sheep dip used to remove parasites from the sheep, making it potentially carcinogenic. Would you really want to smear the oil from sheeps wool on your face? Imagine not washing your hair for a couple of weeks and then scraping the oil off to use as a moisturiser, now imagine doing that with the oil from a sheep!
- Parabens (methyl, propyl, butyl and ethyl) – These are preservatives and are found in most skin care and cosmetics. They are highly effective preservatives and can preserve a product for up to 20 years although if you still haven’t finished a product after 20 years it obviously didn’t work for you! Some research has been done on the effect parabens have on the body and although there is nothing conclusive it has shown that parabens could stay in the body for many years and are potentially carcinogenic.
- Polyethylene glycol (PEG)- This is also derived from petroleum and like many of the other petroleum derived ingredients, it is known to be a skin irritant. This is used in cleansers because it’s good at breaking down grease and oil, which is also why it’s used in oven cleaner.
- Sodium lauryl sulphate/Sodium laureth sulphate- These are found in pretty much anything that foams because they are so good at makng bubbles. They are also very drying for the skin and will irritate conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Many people believe that you need lots of foam in order to clean skin, this isn’t true it’s just what we’ve been conditioned to think and as a result its hard to find shower gels, shampoos etc that don’t contain this ingredient.
- Synthetic fragrances- Often the ingredient label on a product will just say ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfam’ when referring to smell in the product. This fragrance can be made up from a number of elements from over 4 thousand fragrances, many of them are naturally derived, some are synthetic and most will have been extracted or made with solvents and alcohol. You have no idea what, or how many different ingredients have been used to make up the fragrance in your product and many of them are irritating or harmful.
So why do we use natural and organic products for our facials?
- Organic ingredients- this means no pesticides or insecticides have been used when growing the plant based ingredients. The farm where they are grown also need to be a certain distance away from non organic farms so that chemicals are not blown onto the organic plants by the wind.
- Natural preservatives- Most organic products will use naturally derived preservatives and essential oils as a way of inhibiting bacterial growth. It means they only have a shelf life of about 2 years but if you are using your products regularly you should finish it long before then.
- Not radiated- A lot of products are radiated to ensure any bacteria that may have got into the product is killed. Unfortunately this also destroys an y enzyme activity in the natural ingredients as well as destroying vitamins and other benefits you get from plant ingredients.
- No testing- Sadly animal testing still goes on for some skin care products, this generally goes against the ethos of natural and organic products so isn’t used. Testing on animals doesn’t tell you how human skin will react and it is also unnecessary because human skin can now be synthesised for testing products on which is now widely used for skin care.
- No animal ingredients- It may surprise you to know that many anti-ageing products contain collagen from fish. Although natural products often contain ingredients such as honey, bees wax or milk, they usually don’t contain anything ingredients that mean an animal has had to die.
- Plant based ingredients- Many of the ingredients used in natural and organic skin care come from plants, this can include essential oils- the pure essence of the plant having many beneficial effects on the skin and body as well as things like the gel from aloe vera which is very hydrating and soothing and a huge number of oils such as Marula, Sunflower and Calendula used for their moisturising, emollient and calming properties.
- Dual purpose ingredients- In natural and organic products many of the ingredients will have more than one purpose. For example essential oils will provide a pleasant smell but will also help condition the skin and preserve the product. In synthetic products some of the ingredients will be there just to affect the look, feel or smell of the product without having any beneficial effect on the skin.
At You Massage Therapy our skin care products are locally made using organic, natural plant based ingredients. They smell fantastic and really work. Our facials are hands on and designed to relax you and look after your skin without the use of harsh chemicals or scary electrical equipment. So why not try one of our Natural and organic facials for yourself and see why we are so passionate about them.