You’ve just finished your facial appointment and you're feeling ultra zen. You see that delicious smelling, hydrating mask from your treatment. It’s perched up on the retail shelves, practically begging you to take it home... And then your skin therapist hands over your skin prescription putting a massive emphasis on sunscreen and how it’s the most important step in your skincare routine & there’s no point investing in other products if you don’t use SPF daily, etc, etc...how beige! 

Ever wondered why us skin therapists bang on about wearing sunscreen all day, every day? Yes, we know that we should wear it as it protects us from skin cancer and prevents us from turning into a tomato when we’re out in the sun. But how does it work and how should we apply it?

Why is Sunscreen so important?

It helps to shield your skin against harmful UVA & UVB rays. Exposure to UV rays can cause free radical damage to your cells, slowly destroying them over time and is the leading cause of skin cancer. 

Did you know Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world? Sadly two in three Aussies are diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70 :(  The sun packs a punch here! 

The most comprehensive study of cancer prevention in Australia estimated that, in 2010, more than 1700 cases of melanoma & 14,190 non-melanoma skin cancers were prevented by long-term sunscreen use. It really pays to slip slop slap! 

What are UVA and UVB rays?

UV rays are a part of a light wavelength.

Think of UVB as UV-Burning, as it’s the wavelength that burns and leads to skin cancer. UVB is a fiery ray, thrives in Summer and loves to hold onto heat. This is the heat you feel just before you realise you’ve turned into a tomato (oops!). Although its nature is hot, it’s a much shorter wavelength than its counterpart UVA, and travels to the epidermal (outer) layer of your skin. 

Think of UVA as UV-Ageing, as it’s the sneaky, silent assassin wavelength that makes us age without us even knowing (how rude!).  UVA doesn’t hold any heat or leave any burn, so you can’t feel or see it on your skin. It's a powerful wavelength travelling all the way to the dermis layer of your skin & shows up to the party rain, hail or shine. What's UVA's business penetrating deep into our cells? It likes to break down our collagen & elastin. Why? Because it's jealous of our youth!! 

UV rays are at their highest form between 10am – 2pm, however this can change from day to day. It pays to check, so we recommend downloading a weather app or asking old mate google to give you the 411. 

How does Sunscreen work?

You may have heard the words physical and chemical pop up from time to time when speaking of sunscreen. So what’s the difference? And which sunscreen is best for you? These are the two main forms of SPF.

Physical sunscreen – Generally made from minerals zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These sit on the surface of your skin creating a shield to reflect UV rays away from your skin. They can feel a bit thick or heavy on the skin, but they are perfect for all skin types, especially sensitive skin. Our favourites are Image Prevention+ Daily Hydrating Moisturizer & Synergie Uberzinc.  If you're after a bit of colour to even out your skin tone try Prevention + Daily Tinted Moisturiser or for full makeup coverage try Synergie Mineral Whip Foundation (We love this as it’s a 2 in 1 product, giving you a no makeup flawless look).

Chemical sunscreen – These contain multiple active ingredients that absorb the UV rays like a sponge before they can penetrate your dermis and cause damage. It generally has a lightweight feel and doesn’t feel as thick on the skin as physical sunscreen. Our go-to chemical SPF for the ultimate protection is Image Ultimate Prevention 50+ or if you're more on the oily side and suffer from acne we recommend Prevention + Daily Matte Moisturiser. 

The best part about all these SPF's is that they double as your daily moisturiser (apart from the Mineral Whip Foundation).

When should you apply?

Once you’ve found a sunscreen that works for you, make sure to apply daily, even if you’re working from home or inside all day (UV rays are present indoors thanks to windows). If you’re spending lots of time outdoors make sure to reapply your sunscreen EVERY 2 hours. 

Our final take

SPF is a necessity and should be included in your daily ritual along with showering, brushing your teeth and making your bed ;).

For everyday protection we’d favour a physical base sunscreen as we know it’s safest for even the most sensitive of skins. If you’re participating in outdoor activities like exercise, swimming, lazing by the beach/pool, enjoying a cocktail or 3 at a rooftop bar or picnicking at a park, a chemical based sunscreen will give you that little bit more of added protection. And as annoying as it is, always remember to reapply after 2 hours... Because we all know what happens if you forget! 

• Taking a bath
  When I’ve had a stressful day, nothing makes me feel more relaxed than a good old fashioned bubble bath with a bath bomb. I personally like to light some candles and scatter them around the bathroom, pour myself a glass of rosé and put some classical music on. My favourite bath bombs are Marshmallow world and the Monsters’ ball from LUSH.

• Put a sheet mask on and sit back and relax
  Another thing I like to do while I’m having a bath or when I’m sitting on the couch watch a movie. Normally I do this when I’m giving myself a little mini “at home facial”. 

• Watch your favourite movie
  I LOVE watching movies, this is my favourite pastime. If I could, I would spend all day watching movies and Netflix tv shows. Recently I’ve been feeling quite nostalgic, so I’ve been watching some of my favourite movies from my childhood such as Harry Potter, Clueless, The Princess Diaries, Charlie's Angels etc. Watching movies is a great way for me to unwind after a busy day from studying.
  
  
  
  

• Give yourself a mini facial

• Read a book
  I’ve always been a bookworm, so for me reading is another way for me to relax and unwind. Obviously I love reading about everything skin and skin care related, but I do love a good fictional book and some motivational ones as well. I normally read a motivational book like Risk and Resilience by Lisa Messenger or a skin book during the day and a fictional book at nighttime to help my brain “switch off”.
  
   

• Move your body
  I love going to the gym and working out, however I’d be lying if I said it’s been easy to keep myself motivated. To help keep me accountable, I’ve been doing some online pilates classes with Studio Pilates in Richmond and I’ve also been using a fitness app called centr, which also contains some awesome plant based recipes. I normally try to smash out a good workout in the morning so I feel a bit more relaxed during the day.

 

If you decide to make this recipe, don’t forget to share it with us and let us know what flavours you come up with! 

To see additional overnight oat flavours, check out:
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/how-to-make-overnight-oats-recipes/
For additional health benefits of oats, check out:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-benefits-oats-oatmeal

We’re sure you’ve witnessed a serious spamming of the 2020 beauty buzzwords “iso skin” and “maskne” on your socials. We’ve spoken about these issues before (check out our previous blog, What is iso skin and how you can fix it) so today we’d like to speak about another form of “iso skin,” that quite frankly is getting out of hand! (pun intended!) 

Yesssss, we are talking about the HANDS! Never in our lives have we been so pragmatic about washing and sanitising. However, there may be one critical, small step you’re missing in your hand care routine - a nourishing layer of cream! 

It’s close to 6 months since we’ve upped our hand washing game due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Ironically, this excess washing causes dry, cracked, irritated hands, which in turn gives bacteria easy access into our bodies. If you suffer from skin conditions such as eczema and contact dermatitis you’ve probably noticed a flare up. You see, soap suds and hand sanitisers do not discriminate against good and bad bacteria - they wipe out EVERYTHING! And we need our natural oils to protect our skin, act as a shield against the outside world and maintain our moisture levels within. 

Have the upper hand when it comes to the fight against cracked skin with these 3 tips:

1. Avoid using products that contain fragrance as these can be irritating to cracked, sensitive skin.  We LOVE Pure Fiji Hand Cream because there’s no nasty ingredients or fragrances. The delicious scent that screams TROPICAL HOLIDAY comes from a combination of fresh coconut milk and nourishing organic oils. Packed with antioxidants, vitamins and essential fatty acids, this cream locks in moisture for silky smooth hands and hydrated nails. Get yours here!
2. Be extra mindful wearing gloves around the home when cleaning. You may have gotten away with a sneaky gloveless dishwash session in the past but with this extra washing/sanitising your hands will not be impressed. 
3. Always have your hand cream within arm’s reach! Just like the problem of not drinking enough water, the key to hydration is to keep your hand cream on you at all times. It should be making appearances in your car, handbag, work desk and bed-side table. Picture below: A typical day working from home with my iso BFFL, Pure Fiji Hand Cream. 

Iso skin is a real thing. You might have noticed since being in iso that your skin has been doing some funky things, just know that you're not alone.

Here are the main culprits that might be causing your skin to freak out:

1. Stress - Most of us are under some sort of stress during this unusual time and this comes out in your skin. Stress increases the cortisol levels in your body which leads to inflammation in your skin. Hello redness.  

2. Diet - We don't know about you, but we have definitely been snacking way more than we normally would. Sugars and bad fats unfortunately also lead to inflammation in our skin, which causes small bumps to appear under the surface of the skin.

3. Maskne - Masks are the newest fashion accessory, however they are not the most beneficially for our skin. Heat gets trapped under the mask and it causes friction. Because this is such a humid moist environment with very little oxygen entering, it is the perfect condition for acne. It can also cause your skin to get dry and itchy.

The best things to help with maskne is:
- To use an exfoliant that has salicylic acid in it as it is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and helps to unclog pores. We love Image Clear Cell Medicated Acne Masque

- Make sure you're using a serum that has niacinamide in it, as it helps to increase your cells production of hyaluronic acid. This helps to attract and bind moisture to your skin, as well as preventing trans epidermal water loss (TEWL). We love Synergie Skin Vitamin B Serum

While you are sleeping, your body is busy repairing itself. However if you're not getting enough sleep, then your body might not get the recovery and relaxation that it needs in order to repair itself.

 During the first three hours of sleep your body will start producing the human growth hormone from the pituitary gland. As we age, this hormone is necessary for the maintenance of youthful and radiant skin.

In the  middle two hours of sleep is when melatonin is increased. Melatonin is a hormone that is responsible for regulating your circadian rhythm (sleep/wake patterns) but it also acts as an antioxidant, which protects your skin from damaging free radicals.

Are you confused AF with the plethora of skincare products out there? How does one calm the wild sea of sponsored posts conveniently splattered across ones instagram feed? They all promise great skin. Ahh, what to do, who to believe?

Yep, skincare brands are breeding like rabbits. In the past 10 years the global skincare market has grown by over 60%. With this rapid growth we’ve seen the birth of many fantastic skincare brands that have positively changed people's skin and lives for the better. On the other end of the stick we’ve witnessed unfortunate skin aftermaths of products that have desensitized and made a real mess of skin barriers. Yikes! 

It’s important to be confident in knowing that what you put on your skin is encouraging your skin cells to be strong, young and healthy. 

So what’s the difference between drugstore, cosmetic grade cosmeceuticals and cosmeceutical grade skin care other than the price tag?

Drugstore skincare often uses low grade ingredients that don't have any direct contact with the lower layers of our skin cells...which sucks because these guys are the ones that need the most loving! The ingredients just netflix and chill on the surface layer of the skin. Lazy right?

There’s often lots of cheap filler ingredients to help with shelf life, texture, colour and scent which over time can cause skin sensitivity, dryness, reactions, redness and contact dermatitis.. ekk!

Cosmetic grade cosmeceuticals are the new kids on the block. These brands keep popping up and appear to have the same ingredients your skin therapist has been chatting to you about, but are like...half the price! Don’t pat yourself on the back for being a savvy shopper yet. Yes, these products may have active ingredients such as niacinamide, salicylic acid and vitamin a. Yes, they have super cute packaging and their instagram pages are aesthetically pleasing. Yes, they have like a zillion followers and all the flawless skinned influencers can’t stop raving about them. 

So, what’s the difference? These products are mass produced and in order to ship worldwide they must meet each country's cosmetic regulations. To avoid reformulating their products for each country (as that would be time consuming and costly) they only use a small percentage and often a low grade quality of the active ingredient so it can travel worldwide with no dramas.  

Cosmeceutical grade skin care is the good stuff! It’s what you see on the shelves when you visit your local beauty salon or skin clinic. It’s only supplied to qualified skin professionals who have had in depth training of the products and know how your skin functions. A skin therapist will consult with you, look at your skin, touch your skin and prescribe you products based on your skin concerns. Cosmeceutical grade skin care uses a high level of active ingredients with impressive delivery systems to travel deep into skin cell land, where your cells need it the most. Cosmeceutical grade skin care focuses on the science and research behind all the ingredients. 

So how can you tell the difference between a cosmetic grade cosmeceuticals and cosmeceutical grade skincare? Check out their website. A Cosmetic grade cosmeceuticals website will put a lot of time, money and effort into their marketing whereas a cosmeceutical company puts a lot of time, money and effort into research. Another helpful hint is to check where the active ingredients sit on the ingredient list. The higher up, the better!

What do you value most when choosing your skincare? If you’re looking for the holy grail to fix your skin concerns, the choice is easy. Choose Cosmeceuticals. 

This powerhouse takes an adamant stance against acne. Salicylic acid helps to remove dead skin cells, oil and debris attached to the skins surface and inside the pore. Salicylic acid is oil-soluable and lipophilic, so it penetrates sebum filled follicles and cleans out clogged pores.

Salicylic acid is the perfect ingredient for anyone with acne (when used correctly).
Acne or acne vulgaris is a multi-staged and progressive skin condition involving 3 critical factors: comedones, bacteria and inflammation.
1. Clogged pores (comedones): clogged pores don’t stand a chance against salicylic acid, which exfoliates excess dead skin on the surface and around the pores lining.

2. Bacteria: The antimicrobial properties of salicylic acid makes it highly effective against propioni bacterium acne (p-acne bacteria), which is responsible for inflammatory acne. Eliminating bacteria will minimize ant existing inflammation.

3. Inflammation: Due to it being closely related to acetylsalicylic or aspirin, salicylic acid is a potent anti-inflammatory.

One thing to remember when using salicylic acid is that your skin will go through a “purging” process. This is entirely normal and very necessary. When the skin is purging it is expelling any foreign or excessive matter such as excess oil, dead skin cells and a build up of toxins within the skin. This detoxifying process is essential for the skins ultimate goal......... CLEAR SKIN!!!