Simple Soothing Facial Toner

The main function of a toner is to cleanse the skin and shrink the appearance of the pores.  There is a danger that if we over cleanse our skin, it can lead to excess oil production and throw the skin out of balance.   For that reason I make moisturising more of a priority and try not to over cleanse and always make sure that if I do use a toner, its mild.

Sensitive skin – a mild toner with virtually no alcohol i.e. rose water, water and humectants* to keep the upper layers of the skin moisturised
Normal/combination skin – a tonic with up to 20% alcohol i.e. orange floral water, water and humectants is recommended
Oily skin – an astringent with 20-60% alcohol i.e. witch hazel, anti-bacterial ingredients i.e. tea tree, water and humectants,

Ingredients

Sodium PCA – Occurs naturally in human skin and is responsible for binding moisture to the cells as it holds several time its weight in water, which makes it an intensive humectants.
Allantoin – soothes skin and promotes cell regeneration
Witch Hazel – astringent, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, repair UV damage
Chamomile – calming, anti-inflammatory & anti-bacterial
Pantolactone, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol & Sorbitol – humectants and skin conditioning agents

Toners
A few decades ago we have the 3 step routine drummed into us
1. Cleanse 2. Tone 3.  Moisturise
This was wonderful for the beauty brands as they were guaranteed a sale of 3 products, and it was hinted that the best result would only come from using products from the same range.  Then over the years combined cleanser & toners were developed and then came the face wipe, which suited us all as it saved so much time, and was so handy, the only negative being potential landfill problems.

Rating

Value for money – +_ £3.00 for a 200 ml bottle available from most druggists and supermarkets and online
Effectiveness – this is very kind to the skin, with the majority of the ingredients being beneficial
Pampering factor – although it is gentler on the skin than most toners, I feel the need to heavily moisturise after applying
Recommended

* Humectants – used in food and cosmetics to keep moisture in.

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash

Face washes and soaps tend to be quite harsh on the skin, as their function is to remove dirt and grim and your skins own natural oils get removed in the process.  When selecting a face wash I choose ones with a foamer in the packaging closure (lid).

Types of Face Cleaners in order of preference

Micelle waters – these have a high water content and use a surfactant to are water/oil emulsions and are gentle on the skins, the dirt and grime is attracted to the oils, they feel refreshing and do not need to be rinsed off and are time savers.  Read more here.

Cleansing lotions/balms/oils – these rely on oils to attract the dirt and grime and effective and do not disrupt the skins natural oil barrier.  They are effective and gentle and often contain plant oils making them natural.  These are quite time consuming to use.

Cleansers/Gels – contain SLS/SLES (surfactants) as these are very cheap and foam when in contact with water.  Although surfactants originate from coconuts to process and end product is far from natural.  They are known irritants and need additional chemicals to reduce the irritancy.  They strip the skin of its natural oils and are not recommended for sensitive skins.  Convenient to use and easy to rinse off.

Face Wipes – these revolutionised the cosmetic industry, they are so convenient and quick to use.  The surfactants used are gentle, but the alcohols can be drying and they need a higher level of preservation ie MI and MIT which do cause reactions with already sensitive skin.

Soap bars – I am not a fan of these as the lye content is too alkaline (ph 9-12) for our skin  (ph5.5). 

Alkaline products disrupt the skins natural oil barrier leaving it open to irritation.  Can be used all over and are very cheap.

 

Foaming Component

This is a clever packaging invention that turns liquids into foams, so it’s possible to have a low surfactant (SLS/SLES) formulation yet still achieve mild creamy foam.  Without this component, the user would have to put some gel onto the hands and rub together under water to create foam.  Surprisingly not too many brands have adopted this technology the only other ones I have come across on the High Street are: Superdrug own brand and Simple.

Ingredients

As the foaming lid is delivering the lovely creamy foam, the formulations contain lower levels of the surfactants that have the potential to cause irritation and they tend to be very mild and gentle on the skin. 

Witch Hazel and Tea Tree which have cleansing and anti-bacterial properties – they are in as low level extracts rather than effective active ingredients.

Tip

To test the mildness of a face wash, leave the foam on the back of your hand for about 10 minutes, if there is any redness or irritation - its way too harsh for your face.

Rating

Value for money – available from most Boots @ £3.59 for 150 ml

Effectiveness – gently cleans the face without leaving a tight feeling (this indicates your natural oils have been stripped)

Pampering factor – mild creamy foam, faint hint of tea tree, non-irritating and leaves skin gently cleansed

Recommended – I would definitely use this type of component when I develop a face wash for my own skin care range.

Eyebright from Liz Earle

Soothing eye lotion, an absolute must have for contact lens wearers and sufferers of itchy, dry eyes and highly emotional people!

Ingredients

Eyebright – used for centuries by homeopaths to preserve the eyesight
Cornflower – used traditionally for weak eyes
Witch Hazel – is known to have ophthalmology uses
Organic Aloe Vera - used by traditional herbalists for eye pain

Eye lotions

These are very rare to find, generally its eye drops for non contact lens wearers.  I have been a contact lens wearer for decades, starting with hard lens, gas permeable, soft, tinted, soft perms, silicone and toric lens.  I have had more than my fair share of eye infections, cornea scarring, angry blood vessels and due to my eye condition (keratonic) the cure is wearing gas permeable lens, which are agonising when a speck of dust goes behind them.  So I know all about painful, itchy, bloodshot eyes and that’s when I put them in some mornings, not at the end of the day.

I have used eye drops suitable for lens wearers and the relief they offer is very brief.  I also always have this on hand as by quickly wiping my eyes with a moistened cotton pad, they are revived enough to put in contact lens, can be used to gently remove make-up.  When I’ve got trouble with my cornea and its inflamed I find leaving moistened pads on for 5 minutes calms the eye dramatically.  Effective in reducing puffy eyes, tear soaked eyes.

  
Rating

Value for money – £10.00 for a 150 ml bottle which will last a long time, available online and via John Lewis stores
Effectiveness – most effective product I’ve tried to relieve my poor eyes
Pampering factor – this is like a spa for your eyes
Highly Recommended

Witch Blemish Stick

There are many products out there for spots, and I’ve tried most of them, and have generally been disappointed.  I missed out on acne as a teenager and generally have always had a good complexion but every 3 months or so I develop a large, painful and highly visible spot which takes a few days to develop and by the 3^rd day I can contain myself no longer and I attempt to squeeze it out, usually infect it and get a similarly horrid looking spot the following day, its then a case of concealing and drying it out, till eventually I can pick off the dry skin, leaving behind a scar.  I have tried putting on tea tree oil and rapid action spot treatments but NOTHING makes it go away.

Ingredients

The entire Witch range is based around witch hazel, which has been used for centuries to cleanse, tone and sooth our skin.  The other ingredients give it a stick consistency and alcohol is the first ingredient.  The effectiveness of this stick is due to the alcohol and the witch hazel.

Natural anti-bacterial, peroxide or oil control?

Typical methods of clearing up spots are:

Anti-bacterial – killing the bacteria that causes acne ranging from aggressive ie benzoyl peroxide to natural ie tea tree oil, lavender and white tea
Keratolytic - Removing dead skin cells eg salicylic acid, AHA’s, Retinol
Regulate sebum (oil) production ie Zinc PCA
Anti-inflammatory – calming the skin down ie witch hazel, aloe vera
Repair – promote wound healing and cell re-growth – vitamin C & E

Rating

Value for money – excellent, costs £1.70 from most supermarkets, Boots & Superdrug etc
Effectiveness – this works for me as it has a very drying effect on the spot itself rather than the surrounding skin and it kills off the bacteria. 
Pampering factor – not too applicable for spot control!
Highly Recommended – and would be interested to hear other user’s experiences