Coping with oily skin

Just lately we've had a few customers ask us about which products can help oily skin. Using the correct cleansing regime is often a major factor in supporting oily skin, so we hope the following short article will help.

Oily skin can be prone to acne, often beginning at puberty when the body starts to produce hormones called androgens. These cause the enlargement and over-stimulation of the sebaceous glands in some people (particularly young men). The extra oil mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria on the skin's surface, which in turn blocks the skin pores – leading to spots. Unfortunately many commercial acne products work by drying out the skin, but some products actually make the condition worse since the skin reacts to the dryness by producing even more oil. A vicious circle continues since the products are applied as more spots appear, leading to more dryness then more oil production and even more spots!

Natroma products do not work in this way. Our cream cleanser contains natural ingredients, to work in harmony with the skin. There are no harsh alcohols in the formulation so the cream isn’t drying. It also contains castor oil, which is very moisturizing but absorbs slowly into the skin. This means the cream can be safely applied so it mixes with the dirt and impurities on the skin, and can be wiped away easily. The cleanser also contains gentle white clay to draw out impurities, and panthenol to gently moisturize the skin.

To use the cleanser it’s best to use a single pump of the cream, and gently apply over the face. Massage very gently onto the skin (do not rub), paying attention to the areas around the nose and chin which can be more prone to break outs. Rinse out a clean muslin cloth in hand hot water, and wring out so the cloth is warm and damp. Then use the cloth to gently remove the cream, and you’ll lightly exfoliate the skin at the same time. Do not rub, and try not to damage existing spots since this can spread infection. Alternately simply rinse the cream off with water (as you would, if using a soap). Use the cleanser each morning and night and by gently cleansing (rather than stripping the skin) you’ll remove excess oil, gently remove dead skin cells and leave it without any dryness. This will help to break the vicious circle, and should calm down any breakouts. Weekly deep cleansing with one of our rhassoul Clay Masks (we’d recommend our Chamomile variety) will also help to draw out skin impurities.

Remember that our skin’s condition is largely dependent on a healthy lifestyle, so also try to:

• Eat more fruit and vegetables.
• Drink more water to hydrate the skin.
• Take regular exercise.
• Take about 10 minutes of fresh air and sunshine (avoiding the midday sun and very strong sunlight) when you can since it stimulates the production of Vitamin D which is essential for healthy skin.
• Reduce your caffeine intake (contained within coffee, tea and fizzy drinks etc).
  
• Reduce the amount of refined (white) sugar and carbohydrate in the diet since this can increase hormone levels (particularly in young men) making you more prone to spots and acne.

We hope you've found this information useful!

Skin Spring Clean with Natroma

Now that the days are lengthening in the UK, it's lovely to see some very welcome sunshine! Spring is on the way and we'll soon be baring more skin again, so it's a good time to review your skincare regime. During the colder months it's easy to neglect the skin, and it can become damaged by being exposed to the elements and the dry air from central heating systems.

Therefore we'd recommend using a cream cleanser and a muslin cloth each day, to gently cleanse and exfoliate away dry patches, and brighten the complexion. Our gentle facial approach, involves a 3 stage process which takes only a couple of minutes each day - it's no fuss and can be built into even the busiest of mornings and evenings.

First of all you massage our rich cream cleanser across the face, allowing it to draw out skin impurities. We formulated this to harness the deep cleansing power of organic caster oil and white clay, with the moisturising benefits of nilotica shea butter and D-panthenol, and the wonderful skin soothing properties of calendula and chamomile botanical extracts. These are gentle cleansers, fragranced only with organic hydrolats (flower waters), making them well suited to sensitive skin types, safe to use around the eyes and perfect for removing make up.

Our Natroma cleanser works best when used with a muslin cloth. You simply rinse a muslin cloth in hand-hot water and wring out so the cloth is warm and moist. Use the cloth to gently remove the cleanser cream, make-up and skin impurities - and it will lightly exfoliate the skin to leave it feeling refreshed, brighter and clean.

We'd then suggest using some hydrolat toner to ensure all traces of cleanser are gone and to further refresh the skin. Hydrolats are produced during the steam distillation of essential oils, so contain dissolved plant extracts which are kind and soothing to the skin. Ours are presented in a Miron glass, a special violet glass which protects the hydrolat from light.

The final stage of our mini facial, is to smooth on some moisturiser. Like the rest of our range, Natroma's moisturisers are handmade and contain a blend of flower waters, botanical oils (including jojoba oil), natural plant extracts (rosehip seed and arctic cranberry seed), and are lightly fragranced with Neroli and Rose essential oils. We're proud of these lovely moisturisers since they feel light on the skin and sink in quickly to provide lasting skin hydration without any greasiness.

Make up can be applied after moisturising, making this a quick but enjoyable mini pampering session at the start and end to every day!

To encourage everyone to try out the Natroma range, we have a special Spring Offer on the Natroma website. We're offering the facial starter kit (includes a 30ml cleanser and moisturiser in airless pumps with a 50ml hydrolat and a muslin cloth). This kit should last for around 4-6 weeks and normally costs £15.25, but our special Spring Offer saves you 15% and is just £12.95 These are available in 3 varieties - Chamomile (unscented), Rose and Orange blossom (Neroli). We hope you enjoy!

Why your cleanser needs a muslin cloth

We've noticed that muslin cloths are a bit of a mystery to some visitors to the studio. At first this came as a bit of shock since we've been using them for years, and think they should be an essential part of any skincare regime.

So why are they so good? It's because they are great for removing facial cleansers and masks, since they gently exfoliate the skin at the same time. The trick is to apply the cream cleanser or mask product and gently massage across the skin. Then rinse the muslin cloth in hand-hot water, and wring it out so it feels warm and damp when applied to the skin. The cloth will feel really soft, so there's no danger of scratching or irritating the skin - and you will feel cleaner and refreshed after each use since they lightly stimulate the skin.

The nice thing about muslin cloths is that they can easily be laundered and re-used, so they're good for the environment. We'd suggest that you should have at least a couple of muslin cloths, so whilst one is being used the other is in the wash. Ours have a nice weave so they dry quickly and unlike a traditional flannel, they won't be a breeding ground for bacteria. We also took a while sourcing our cloths for Natroma and have them specially made for us by a small English community company, so it's also nice to know that we're supporting training and job creation too.

So the next time you buy a cleanser, why not try a muslin cloth? We're sure that you'll love the way your skin feels, and they'll become an essential part of your daily skincare regime! As a special encouragement to try out muslin cloths during May 2009, we'll send you a FREE muslin cloth when you purchase a full size 100ml Natroma Cleanser. This offer will apply to studio and website orders received before 31 May 2009.