Tag: moisturizer

Ingredient Spotlight: Manoi de Tahiti

A few years ago I introduced Tahiti Kiss Face Crème, a custom formulated crème for all skin types.  The initial reviews for it were brilliant, with everyone who tried it loving it.  As I played around with formulas for this crème, I thought about what sort of scent to add, because plain, unscented lotion really doesn’t smell that great.

Tahiti Kiss face creme
Tahiti Kiss, a luxuriously extraordinary face crème, will treat your skin to a taste of the South Pacific

Should it be floral?  Herbal?  Fruity?  Earthy?  Oceany?  None of these spoke to me, because each individual person has his or her preferred scents, and how horrible it’d be to have a gorgeous oceanic fragrance clashing all day with the classic aroma of Chanel No. 5!  This isn’t like soaps or lotions, which are designed to layer scent and be the primary for the day.  No, face crème should be alone, a silent participant in the wearer’s day, not getting in the way of whatever else she’d like to wear.

Face crème should be alone, a silent participant in the wearer’s day. #tahitikiss #coastalcarolinasoap

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It was around this time that I discovered Manoi de Tahiti as I was shopping for the ingredients I would need for this extraordinary face crème.  Done correctly, Manoi de Tahiti is an infusion of the gorgeous tiare flower, a varietal of gardenia, in virgin coconut oil.

Tiare flower picture
Beautiful, milky white tiare flower

The native Tahitians infuse the flowers in the oil, then change out the flowers for fresh ones – up to twelve times!  The result is a lightly floral-fragrant oil that is truly a head-to-toe delight.  The Tahitian people use Manoi de Tahiti as a hair treatment, after-sun balm, and a treatment for many different skin conditions.  I also read that they use it as a sunscreen, too, which I do not recommend.  However one uses this glorious Tiare infusion, it promises to be a delightful skin treat.

As my formulation called for coconut oil already, I decided to exchange Manoi de Tahiti for the coconut oil, and that lends its beautiful fragrance in this crème.  There are other ingredients to this crème, both all natural and purely synthetic, all granting a specific and significant contribution to the whole.  They please me, as does the crème itself.  But the Manoi de Tahiti is the piece de resistance of this crème and what keeps me coming back to it every day as my facial moisturizer of choice.

 

Six Tips for Showing Some Skin Love

Summer is rapidly approaching, and with warmer temperatures, we’re showing more skin.  Our skin is our largest organ, and like our other organs, it, too, has its care needs so that it can do its job.  I’ve come up with five not-terribly-original ways to care for your skin.

(1) Sweat it out.  When we sweat, our pores open up, allowing the sweat to flow out, taking with it dirt, oil, and other blemish-causing culprits.  Sweat also removes toxins from the body, making it an incredible, completely natural detox method.

English: Drops of sweat
English: Drops of sweat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(2) Water in, water out.  No news here – we’re approximately 70% water.  In order for sweat (and urine, for that matter) to do its best job removing toxins and impurities from our bodies, it has to have something to work with.  Drinking plenty of water (half your body weight in ounces is recommended, but at least shoot for 6-8 cups) each day gives your body what it needs to function, as well as providing the conduit for sweat to work.  Being well hydrated is like moisturizing your skin from the inside.

(3) Kiss the caffeine good-bye.  Do you live your life a cup of coffee or a can of soda at a time, just to get through your day?  While moderate amounts of caffeine can’t hurt – some studies suggest they’re quite beneficial – there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  Caffeine acts as a diuretic, and while your body might be eliminating water, if your entire drink consumption is primarily caffeinated drinks, there isn’t a grand amount of water going back in.  As a result, you’ll end up terribly dehydrated.  This results in dry skin that lacks elasticity.

(4) Bid those smokes a farewell while you’re at it.  It is often easy to determine the smokers in the crowd before you even smell them.  They have fine lines around their mouths and they look older than their years.  That cigarette smoke is chemical-laced dry heat in the face constantly.

(5) Slather on the sunscreen.  Oft-repeated, seldom followed, and I’m admitting now that I’m not the best about this, though I am getting better.  There is no undoing the damage from sun over-exposure or smoking without lots of medical intervention – maybe.  I always wear sunscreen at the beach with frequent reapplication, and I am doing better about remembering to put it on on soccer days.  I still, however, don’t put it on every time I go out, nor do I wear it when I’m taking walks or rides (usually later in the day when the UV index is low).

(6) Use soap and moisturizer.  Soap keeps the skin clean (obviously).  When we wash with soap, the soap bonds with the dirt and germs on our skin; then, when we rinse, all of it washes down the drain.  Our skin’s acid mantle restores itself in 2-3 hours, bringing balance back to its pH.  By washing, we get rid of germs that could enter even the most microscopic of cuts.  When we follow with moisturizer, we keep the skin soft and supple, which makes it heal faster and more easily.  I discovered when I was in graduate school that small sores such as paper cuts took much longer to heal during the dry winter months than they did in the moister summer months.  Applying lotion to my hands sped up the healing time.

I talked about this this morning in my branded Facebook group.  Are you a member?  We’d love to have you join us!  Just click that link (“branded Facebook group”) and submit your request to join.  And in the meantime, get some water into you and sweat some water out.  Your skin will thank you for it!

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