Calling those with Combination Skin

After doing a specific write-up for those with seriously dry skin, it seems only fair that we roll out a series of posts about the provisions we have for other skin types – ageing, oily, sensitive, but firstly  (drumroll please) combination skin.

I find that choosing a cream for combination skin can be a lucky dip, as some manufacturers see ‘combination’ as a license to make any kind of product they feel like. I have nonetheless persevered, and whittled two products out of the woodwork that are perfectly tailored to combination skin.

I should save the best until last, but I can’t wait, I’m putting it in here first – Lavera Mattifying Balance Cream with Organic Calendula andOrganic Ginger. It is The Winner. Calendula is an ages-old skin tonic, balancing and regenerating, and ginger is … well… usually it’s just my favourite flavour of tea, but here it brings its vitamin-rich zing to purify and stabilise your unstable skin. Advertised for ‘normal and combination skin’, this cream is pretty robust. You know you’ve used moisturiser, but it isn’t sticky on your skin, the texture is full and creamy but not rich or too thick. The perfect balance for a balancing cream. The scent is also good - fresh and natural, but not herby, minty, or rosy, as most of these things seem to be!

Next, a lovely niche product for sensitive combination skin. It can be so tricky if you tick two boxes to find a product tailored to you, but oh-so-thoughtful Weleda has, as ever, provided. Their Almond SoothingFacial Lotion (not to be confused with their cream of a similar name) is fragrance free and Natrue certified, so very gentle on delicate skin. It also stabilises the lipid mantle (i.e. sorts out the combination issues of combination skin) and, meanwhile, moisturises. If this matches your skin type, look no further.

That’s all for today, folks, but watch this space with baited breath if you have ageing, oily, or sensitive skin – you’re next!

(And if you just can’t wait, have a look for yourself at the moisturisers on our website, and drop me any questions about your skincare here.)

Super-intense moisturisers for seriously dry skin

Finding just the right moisturiser for your skin type is a real triumph, and one that makes a daily difference to how you look and feel. For those with skin prone to extreme dryness (particularly as we get older, and as the wintery winds approach to nip at our faces) this choice is even more important. I have lined up a few of our most powerful deep moisturising treatments to see how they compare.

 First in line is an oil treatment beloved by natural skin care purists. Rosa Mosqueta Rose Hip Seed Oil  is just what it says, 100% pure oil with nothing added. It is a really intense dose of skin nutrients for exceptionally dry skin, for use alongside your usual moisturiser (well, they say you should use it alongside their usual moisturiser, which is lovely and quite rich – Aubrey Organics Rose Moisturising Cream). As a bonus, you can warm the rosehip oil up and use it as a hair treatment. Lovely and natural and intense – simple is best!

If you find that your day cream is too light but you don’t want to be using your night cream all day, have a look at this Soil-Association-Certified Organic Avocado Replenishing Cream by Essential Care. The superfoody goodness of avocado is cold pressed with olives and shea butter into a veritable salad of nutritional delights for starving skin,  and dressed with sweet essential oils, into a cream that is anti-oxidant rich. This is the lightest of these creams - for dry skin, but not the driest. 

The crème de la crème of the face-crèmes is, in fact, not a crème at all, but rather a blend of oils – Organic Argan and Vitamin E Nourishing Serum. Oils are usually the most direct way to give your dry skin a good drenching. Here, organic argan oil is blended with sweet almond oil (my personal favourite for skin treatments, as I may have mentioned before…), and a healthy dose of Vitamin E, which has long reigned queen of the skin supplements. This oil smells delightful (I take secret sniffs of it from my desk as I write) and does wonders for the skin, however dry it may be.

A final tip - our real wonder-cream for dry skin all over the body (including the face) is Essential Care's Ultra Rich. This balm was originally formulated for those with eczema and dry skin conditions, so if you need something that really goes the extra mile, and is not just for the face, try this blend of shea butter, beeswax, and olive oil.

In conclusion – creams are all well and good for dry skin, even quite dry or pretty dry skin. But if you have really dry skin, or mature skin that needs something extra, then oils are the way to go. And if these ones don’t float your boat, you can see a few more here, or ask us about them here.

Fragrance - natural or artificial effects our health and lifestyle

Fragrance is an important part of our experience of living.  Our sense of smell is connected with emotion.  A smell can create a mood or evoke significant memories of a person, time or place which means something to us.


Inhaling artificial fragrance from our personal care products or cleaning products could be masking our natural sense of smell and affect our natural experience of the world.

A single word “Fragrance” denotes a load of chemicals
The single word "fragrance" on a cosmetic ingredients list - be it skin care  product, makeup,  or perfume  can mean a formula that comprises hundreds of chemicals many of which can get absorbed through your skin and get inside your body and cause health problems and allergies. Manufacturers are not legally bound to disclose the full ingredients of a fragrance because it is a secret brand formula.  So the consumer will never know what is in their product.

To avoid synthetic fragrance choose an organic natural brand.  Having a certification such as Soil Association, BDIH or Ecocert will ensure that it doesnt have synthetic fragrance.  At suvarna, of course, we don’t sell any products with synthetic fragrance, only natural fragrance from plant extracts and essential oils.

I feel it's absolutely unnecessary to create synthetic scent given the wealth of lovely fragrance available from nature from pure essential plant oils. Essential oils are more expensive than chemical fragrance which is a motivation to the profit driven chemical cosmetic manufacturers.

Unscented can mean extra chemicals added
Some petrochemical cosmetic products which are marketed as unscented can mean that they use a lot of chemical fragrance to mask the natural (or unnatural) scent of the other chemicals.  It may be advertised as a simple, gentle product but it is actually complicated to make something with no smell.

When natural organic cosmetics brands state unscented, on the other hand, this usually means it is without essential oils.

Perfume from essential oils creates a holistic effect
Since aromatherapy has become more mainstream many of us are aware that essential oils applied to the skin are absorbed in to the body and have powerful therapeutic properties. And we know how they can create a mood - relaxing, de-stressing. healing or stimulating effect.  Natural cosmetics with essential oils therefore give us more than superficial beauty and healthy skin but have a holistic therapeutic effect on the whole body, mind and emotions.

At Suvarna we sell totally natural organic perfumes and eau de toilettes from Farfalla, Lavera and Florascent.

www.suvarna.co.uk

New! Sante Goji Berry Moisturizing Day Cream

I tried this new day cream with organic goji berry and found it light and smooth in texture yet moisturising enough for dry skin.  It has a pleasant berry fragrance. 

The value of Goji berry extract is that it is rich in vitamins and minerals, antioxidant, moisturising and strengthening. This moisture cream  also contains  a host of other moisturising organic ingredents such as organic shea butter, passion flower oil, olive oil, organic aloe vera (soothing, moisturising). jojoba oil, almond oil: (nourishing, softening, soothing).

I love the packaging with a very pretty pink/purple tube with leaf design!

For more info and to purchase this product visit: http://www.suvarna.co.uk/moisturisersandnightcreams/organic-goji-daycream.html

Beauty Products for Valentine's Day

Dramatic red lipsticks for Valentine's day:
Logona Red Lipstick 05 is a lovely vibrant colour perfect for 'Autumn' ladies with a warm skin tone. The bright red Logona Scarlet 04 is also a vibrant red but a cooler shade

If bright red is too bold for you:
There is a cool deep pink shade from Logona Orchid 03 or for ladies with a warm skin tone try Sante Warm Red 07

If you have fair skin and look best in more subtle colours:

For ladies with a cool skin tone there is the soft cool pink shade Sante Pink Rose 02 or Sante Natural Pink 03 or Logona Pink 02. For a warm skin tone there are the soft warm shades - Sante Nude Beige 11 or Lavera Golden Beige 21

Click Here for Special Offers on Logona Makeup including the Logona lipstick £13.22 £10.97

Rose Beauty Products For Valentine's Day

Rose has been a symbol of love since ancient times. It is renowned as an aphrodisiac. The Romans used to scatter rose petals on the bridal bed.

Rose oil is used in aromatherapy for its relaxing, antidepressant, tonic properties, as well as for healing the emotions and treating gynaecological problems. In skincare it is used for dry, sensitive and aging skins.

Rose perfume - Lavera Rose Garden Eau de Toilette or Farfalla L’amour Perfume.

Rose scented bath and shower products - Lavera Wild Rose Bath Oil, Lavera Rose Bath Salts, Lavera Rose Garden Shower and Bath Gel.

Rose scented body care - Lavera Rose Garden Hand Cream and Lavera Wild Rose body Lotion

New rose skin care - New! Lavera Wild Rose Moisture Cream, New! Lavera Wild Rose Cleansing Milk, New! Primavera Organic Rose Water, Aubrey Rosa Mosqueta Night Cream.

Click here for Lavera Body Care

Click here for Lavera Skin Care

How To Make Your Own Hair Rinses With Plants From Your Garden Or Kitchen

Herbal Infusions
A herbal infusion is very easy to make just like making a tea. - First warm the pot and then add 2 tablespoons of dried herbs, pour on 500ml boiling water and cover with a well fitting lid. Leave to steep for 30 minutes, then strain. After shampooing or conditioning rinse your hair with the infusion. You can also put the liquid in an atomiser bottle and spray it on your hair. These infusions can also be kept for a few days in the fridge.

Chamomile brings out golden blonde highlights in light coloured hair.

Rosemary: helps to bring out dark highlights in dark hair. It is an excellent tonic and conditioner. It is said to stimulate hair growth and help to prevent hair loss. It also helps with dandruff.

Sage was traditionally used to restore colour to dark hair which is graying.

Calendula gives auburn to red highlights in medium coloured hair.

Nettle helps to stimulate circulation in the scalp and can be used to help prevent and treat dandruff.

Other Hair Rinses

Lemon juice has a bleaching effect and can be added to the chamomile infusion to enhance the effect. Lemon is also good for oily hair.

A Decoction of Rhubarb is a strong hair lightener but it can be very drying to your hair. It can be mixed with chamomile to enhance the effect. Making a herbal decoction involves boiling the herbs in water for between 30 minutes to 90 minutes. Strain then use the liquid to rinse your hair with.

Conditioner for dry hair, dry scalp or dandruff:  Massage your scalp with jojoba oil and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before washing your hair. An effective way to apply a lot of oil to your scalp is to part your hair then soak a piece of cotton wool with the oil and then apply the oil to your scalp at the parting.

If you are not inclined to make your own hair rinses Logona Colour Care Shampoos do give a slight colour to your hair and leave your hair shiny. Available in chamomile for light coloured hair, henna for red/brown hair or hazelnut for darker hair. Aubrey Camomile Shampoo and Camomile Conditioner will also give slight highlights to your hair with frequent use.