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.

L’Oreal Men Expert Vita Lift

A male friend of mine uses this and wanted to know what was good about it.  It’s a two part daily moisturiser with an Orange Firming Gel (Pro-Tensium) and a White Anti-wrinkle cream (Pro-Retinol).  My first thought was that it looks similar to Revitalift under the women’s skin care and indeed it is has the same claims but the colour red has been used instead.

Is it a Gimmick to have a two part face cream?
Not always, there are some ingredients that will not work in a gel (carbomer) base and some ingredients that are better suited to a gel base.   Looking at the INCI list on the box (which I think combines both parts) carbomer isn’t mentioned, so this may well be a gimmick for this particular product, or a way to give less products as despite the normal 100ml looking box, there is only 30ml of product!

Ingredients

There is only 1 ingredient list under 781796 2, which I initially thought referred to the white cream in part 2, but when I noticed Red and Yellow colours near the top of the list, I realised this would be for the orange gel part and I noticed Retinyl Palmitate at the bottom of the list which would be for the white cream.

Ascorbyl glucoside – a stable form of vitamin C for brightening, and anti-oxidant benefits

Acetyl trifluoromethylphenyl valylglycine – is a high end skin conditioning agent – I couldn’t find too much data on this, but there are many natural skin conditioners out there ie shea butter that would probably just as effective

Ethylhexyl methoxycinammate & drometrizole – these are sunscreens, so a good product to see, the pack doesn’t advertise SPF so its possible its function is to protect the product from UV degradation

Palmitic acid – emollient (quite a basic product)

Limonene – a natural citrus odour

Peppermint Leaf extract – I suspect this is the “Pro-Tensium” as its known to have a uplifting, invigorating effect in the skin – doesn’t sound that high tech to me!

Retinyl Palmitate  (Pro-Retionol) – is a form of Vitamin A, and is more gently as its 20% weaker than Retionoic Acid and as it’s 3^rd from bottom of this list its used in miniscule amounts to make much difference.

The remainder of the ingredients are typical for skincare namely water, humectants, silicones, oils,  alcohols, thickeners/stabiliser, colours, preservatives etc. 

The Claims

1.    Pro-Tensium for making skin feel taut and firmer – a very fancy name for Peppermint Extract.
2.   Pro-Retinol a powerful ingredient for wrinkles, yes Retinol is, but this is a weaker version used at a very low level.
3.   Hydrated skin for 24 hours – possibly Acetyl trifluoromethylphenyl valyglycine is responsible for this
4.   Smoother and more supple skin – any emollient, especially petrolatum (Vaseline) would do this
5.   Non greasy, non sticky, quickly absorbed – a high silicone content would make it non greasy and the absence of carbomer in the gel would make it non sticky.

Rating (by my friend)
Value for money – £11.00 for a 30ml – 6/10 – I do think it’s expensive for a 30ml product that is neither high-end nor natural in my opinion
Effectiveness – 8/10
Pampering factor – apparently men don’t rate this!
Recommended – Yes (I really need to introduce him to new products!)

Olive Tree Products Argan Oil Conditioner

I’m a big fan of Argan Oil in hair care products so this extremely large bottle of conditioner recently caught my attention.

What Goes into A Conditoner

Humectants ie glycerin and dipropylene glycol to help the hair retain water
Silicone and Natural oils to penetrate the hair to help it remain soft and pliable and have a healthy shine
Detanglers ie Cetrimonium chloride to give a postive charge to the hair to make it less static and easier to comb and less likely to tangle
Conditioners are normally acidic as this gives a positive charge which improves the hair structure
 
Ingredients of Interest
The first 8 ingredients are typical of most conditioner formulations and have the function of smoothing the hair shaft to make it easy to comb and have a healthily gloss as well as conditioning with the addition of panthenol.  It’s the natural ingredients that are of interest to me, namely:-
Shea Butter – this is an excellent skin moisturiser, not sure what benefit it will impart to the condition of the hair, but would help boost the thickness of the product
Argan Oil – also known as liquid gold and is well documented to be effective in improving the elasticity of the hair, hydrating it, is very good for taming frizzy, curly, rough hair by smoothing it and making it more manageable.  I’ve been using L’oreal Elvive Smooth Intense Shampoo with Argan Oil for over a year now and I have really noticed the difference reviving in the softness and better mangeability of my wavy hair.
Olive Oil – is the closest oil to  sebum, and therefore has the best compatibility with human skin, in hair care it would moisturise the scalp as well as benefiting the condition of the hair.

6 Weeks Later

I’ve used this pretty much every day for the past few weeks, and I’m not overly impressed.  I’ve used about 4-5 pumps at a time for my shoulder length hair and left it on for 2-3 minutes.  Some conditions massage well into hair and slightly change their structure, almost shearing with water.  I find those one give the best conditioning.  This conditioner does not massage into the hair and stays thick and heavy on the hair.  It rinses out fine, but still leaves my hair with some tangles that need a bit of effort combing out, I don’t think its’ made any significant improvement to the condition of my hair.  I think the problem could be the Shea butter, this is a vegetable fat with a waxy consistency and when I look closely at the conditioner I can see bits of wax in it, I don’t think it’s a good ingredient for hair care, and is reducing the benefits of the other ingredients.

TOP TIP

Instead of tipping the remainder of a can of beer down the sink, keep it until next time you wash your hair.  Apply it after you’ve rinsed off shampoo, and leave it on for a few minutes and rinse off slightly.   Works brilliantly as a detangler, and vegetable proteins in the form of wheat, hops and barley contain proteins similar to hair proteins and are therefore nutrients that the hair can absorb in to improve condition and strength.

Rating

Value for money – paid £5.99 for a whopping 1000 ml bottle – which should keep me going for a while!

Distribution – I purchased in TK Max, the company – Olive Tree Products are based in California, so not sure how easy it will be get in the UK in the future

Effectiveness – not as effective as other conditioners I’ve tried

Pampering factor – leaves hair a bit heavy, and doesn’t remove tangles that well

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.