Skin.
We take a deep dive into the research of skin health and discover the best ways to protect and preserve our precious epidermis.
We investigate and debunk the latest skincare trends, get real with the emerging science and explore the most common questions we hear about the skin.
Afterall, if we don’t know our skin science, how could we ever create the best natural skincare range you have ever felt?
In celebration of Nourish Melbourne’s 5th birthday, we sat down with Natasha Mason, founder and director of Nourish Melbourne. Natasha shares with us the journey of Melbourne’s first and only health and wellness membership, making organic and natural alternatives accessible to many. With over 5 years documenting the best in health and wellness in Melbourne, Natasha shares with us her go-to spots for ultimate wellness in Melbourne, and upcoming events we can all get excited about.
Ever wondered what the big deal is with retinol when it comes to skincare? Retinoids are touted as the fountain of youth but do they actually work? And what’s with all the side effects? Karen Saunders delves into Retinol, the contentious, highly coveted and ultra popular ingredient heralded for youthful, glowing skin.
The musky male scent is something of an enigma. Generally, the consensus is for a woman to emanate the aroma of various floral notes, and a man is to smell like…well a Man. And what does it mean to smell of a man?
A man's scent is the accumulation of where he’s been, what he has done and how he feels. Ricky van den Ende explores the science of attraction…
Here’s the deal: we’re looking into creating a versatile essentials range. A set of products that minimise your bathroom clutter but maximise the effect of active ingredients. A range that can live in your bag as naturally as it lives on the shelf. Our ideal products would be tailored toward individuals who are dedicated to projects and passions - to those that would like a simplified skincare routine that doesn’t take too much time, but still packs a punch.
As critical observers of the skincare industry, we’ve noticed a shift in the natural skincare industry, where the rise of multi-use products (cue: Sans Ceuticals Activator 7 Oil), has been favoured over a lengthy step-by-step routine. Rather than collecting a large haul of targeted products, which quickly becomes expensive and unnecessary, we’re very much in favour of products strategically formulated to holistically target skin issues.
For all the health-conscious consumers that have made the switch over from the nasty chemical-packed products to naturally-derived, organic products, one common roadblock on the path to natural beauty is efficiency. Whether it be haircare, skincare, or body care, if you’ve ever tried to hold onto your natural beauty regime for dear life and failed, you’re not alone.
We share what to expect when making the big move from chemical products to an all natural skincare routine.
The term ‘beauty sleep’ is a real thing! Achieving your nightly eight hours is our number one tip for healthy, glowing skin. Here’s why, and how:
Sleep is the most important factor for your health and wellbeing. We need 7-9 hours every night. Reports show that only 32% of Australians are achieving this. A 2017 study found that two days of sleep restriction negatively affected participant’s perceived attractiveness, health, sleepiness, and trustworthiness.
Lack of sleep affects our mental heath (foggy brain, anyone?), and impairs our body’s ability to detoxify, regenerate and to heal. On the surface – when we don’t sleep, our skin becomes lacklustre, puffy and looses its collagen and elasticity. We get eye bags saggy skin and wrinkles. A lack of sleep causes the stress hormone cortisol to be released, which encourages inflammation in the skin, leading to flare-ups in conditions like acne, psoriasis, and eczema.
To achieve that beautiful dewy glow on the outside, we need to address our greater internal health. From a Naturopathic perspective we first look at our skins main functions and how we can support them – as the largest organ of detoxification in our body, it often bears the brunt when our other organs of detoxification are under performing or struggling to cope with the work load. Supporting the gut, liver, kidneys and lymphatic system to detoxify are the foundations needed for glowing skin.
Another earth-shattering day of work has finished, yet it’s only the start of the week. We’ve still got a few more days of this (until the weekend). We write the day off as a failure and retire to bed early, laptop in hand, sans dinner and a shower. The day wrapped in anxiety stole our appetite, and so dinner can wait until breakfast time. The next day arrives (too quickly)…we wake up foggy and erratic! We’ve failed to use our routine in the time it counts most- when all systems are down and resilience is tested. We’ve failed to self-care.
The skin is our bodies largest organ and the outer top surface layer known as the hydrolipid film or acid mantle creates a protective film over the entire surface of the skin. This barrier is our bodies primary defence from our external environment, we rely its integrity to protect us from physical injury, infections, chemicals, to regulate our temperate and to reduce water loss. Maintaining the function and structure of this barrier is important to skin health. We share how to eat for optimum skin health…
When it comes to skincare in Australia, there seems to be a common public misconception about the use of the word ‘organic’. Admittedly, I fell into this category until recently. I would see the word ‘Organic’ on my products and assume the best. With some further research, it seems there’s more than meets the eye…
As we age and mature, so does our skin. But how do you know when to start using anti-ageing products? What changes should you look out for in your skin? And most importantly, the ‘age’-old question, when should you start using an eye cream?
It’s never too early to start looking after your skin, but anti-ageing products aren’t for everyone. It is important to understand what changes are occurring in the skin over time and what signs to look out for, so that you know when to start stepping your skincare regime up.
A sustainable, earth-friendly, and conscious skincare routine sounds undeniably alluring. However, the reality is that making a dramatic transition towards a conscious skincare routine can be frustrating, expensive, and a burden - especially if you don’t know where to start.
We get it. There is so much information (we proudly plead guilty), new companies, and marketing targeted towards this new wave of skincare. Out of left field, it seems like everyone is starting to sell products like bamboo toothbrushes, jade rollers, and products formulated with natural ingredients. Which is wonderful.
No-one likes a flaky person, you don’t know where they stand on life’s big issues, like whether to moisturise or not... The answer is an astounding yes. With the environment we are exposed to, our skin needs all the assistance it can get, otherwise, it is likely to end up dry and damaged from the elements. It’s that sandpapery feeling, that irritability. It's uncomfortable and it’s unnecessary. It causes our skin to age faster, be rougher, and leaves it wide open to more detrimental skin issues.
As we move in to the cooler months our skin tends to start feeling a little drier. The cool change causes our pores to tighten and our skin reduces the amount of oil it produces. Along with heating, wind and low humidity, our skin can be left feeling a little parched. But is our skin really dry? Well, probably not. The difference between dry and dehydrated skin is often misunderstood and leads us to use products that are too heavy for our skin, leaving us with breakouts and with our skin still feeling dry. So, for the benefit of our skin in battling the winter months, let me break it down…
Our essential guide on what to eat, lather on and do to save your skin from urban pollutants.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
The air you're breathing is composed of more than just oxygen. In that delicious and nourishing fresh breath of air you'll also find nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and trace gases, lingering, manoeuvring and being absorbed by your respiratory system and skin.
The human gut is home to bacteria that make up approximately 80% of our immune system. The bacteria is so expansive that we have 10x more of these microbes than our own human cells in our body. The gut and its overall health packs a punch when it comes to the appearance of our skin - supporting good gut health can help reduce the appearance of skin conditions such as Acne, Rosacea and Psoriasis as well improve the general skin appearance reducing redness and inflammation, dryness, wrinkles and elasticity.
If you have been following Noéma for a while, you will know that as much as we love a good product, we are as big on beauty from within, as we are from the outside. In past articles, we have covered what the best foods are for radiant skin, seasonal routines and best natural skincare ingredients.
Here we look at glowing skin.
Often, we hear about different chemicals, preservatives and additives being terrible additions into our products, most of them classed as a dermal irritant or neurotoxin. To the naked eye, many of these types of reactions would look the same. You may experience inflammation, feel itchy, red, or swollen in a targeted area, or all over your body. It’s easy to confuse what is an irritation, to a sensitivity, to an allergy. It’s uncomfortable feeling in the unknown of it all – knowing when to continue with trial and error, or when to investigate further.
Imbalanced oil production can be caused by many things. It can be a result of diet, hormones, weather, stress and change in seasons. While there is plenty you can do to help minimise the effect these stressors have on the skin there is also plenty you can do topically to help bring the skin back in to balance.
Skin (ahem: the epidermis) is our largest organ. According to National Geographic, some adults carry up to 8 pounds and 2 square meters of flesh. Skin acts like a porous, waterproof shield that protects the body from external damage and prevents infection. It’s also full of sensitive nerves that influence the cranial connection with the outside world. The external influences applied to skin, whether that’s a moisturiser, an oil or a face mask, are eventually reflected on the inside.
When it comes to a night time skin care routine, it really is a case of less is more. Get the basics right removing all your make up, cleansing your skin and get yourself some beauty rest to help achieve that healthy radiant glow in the morning.
During the day our skin is exposed to a whole heap of environmental stressors including environmental pollution, sun damage and general dirt and grime. For this reason, we often need to use heavier products to protect our skin from damage during the day. In the evening our skin gets a chance to rest and heal, this is the time to make sure your skin can breathe, that it’s clean and you can combat some of the damage done by the effects of day-to-day life.
Balance is achieved through many avenues; one way we feel we can attain it is through self-care. The way we strive for this balance is unique to each individual. Self-care practices can be done in the comfort of our homes, while others happen in the wide-open spaces of the outdoors. Through traditional marketing, women have been infiltrated with tangible products to achieve what they’ve been told they need – while men, without the pressure of the cosmetics industry, have looked to alternative avenues to feel balanced, satisfying their needs through a human innate need to connect with nature.
If you suffer from Acne chances are you have heard of, tried or thinking about trying Roacutanne (also known as Accutane or Isotretinoin). We’ll discuss its role in the treatment of acne, how it relates to Vitamin A and the natural alternatives for treatment.
Roacutanne is a prescribed medication with the active ingredient Isotretinoin. It’s indicated for those with severe cystic acne. It belongs to a group of medicines called retinoids, similar to Vitamin A, however is a synthetic retinoic acid.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
The air you’re breathing is composed of more than just oxygen. In that delicious and nourishing fresh breath of air you’ll also find nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and trace gases, lingering, manoeuvring and being absorbed by your respiratory system and skin.
If you’re in a city or area with high pollution, that air cocktail just became much more complicated. Not to mention potentially detrimental to your health. 92% of the global population lives in an environment that fails the World Health Organisations air quality standards. And that pollution? It’s been tied to 6½ million deaths globally.
This seriously is the best face mask for clearing out clogged pores. It’s easy to prepare and cost effective to make. Not only does it pull out impurities deep within the skin, but also brightens, refreshes and heals.
In natural medicine we use certain clays and charcoals internally and externally for detoxification. This is due to their excellent ability to draw out toxins – from the gut, mouth and skin.
I think we can all comfortably say our culture’s current holistic obsession has been the Crystal Movement. Yes, I named it. From carrying a pebble-sized clear quartz in your pocket to amplify energy, to having a black obsidian situated on your desk to deflect negative energy, right through to wearing jewellery with your birth stone – we’ve all dabbled in the Movement in some way or another.
The most successful new to the masses trend – the crystal face roller. The reason I say new to the masses is this – this technique is an ancient Chinese beauty ritual made popular by the new-age beauty industry. The traditional practice was originally with a Gua sha tool – a flat Jade stone with a more rigid end to gently scrape over the skin, promoting oxygenation and regeneration.
As the facial rollers have infiltrated the market, I’m here to answer two questions I get asked more times than I can count – if they actually work, and what the difference is between all the stones.
Everything we do, every action we take is either contributing to or depleting our picture of health. Armed with this fact we can ensure we make the choices that protect our health for betterment. But we are not made to be perfect. So, our body does its best in trying to rectify the consequences of decisions we have made. Common balance disruptors include cigarettes, alcohol and processed foods - our intake of these products can more or less be controlled.
There are other balance disruptors that slip beneath our radar. We’re talking about toilet paper, cash receipts, and water bottles. The chemicals in these are beyond the regulating systems of the body and can have damaging effects throughout.
After months of glorious Aussie sun, perhaps your skin is feeling a little congested, lacklustre or dry from all the sunscreen, Prosecco and good times. With this simple skin detox guide you will be able to rejuvenate your skin – inside and out, in preparation for Autumn.
If you’re new to the world of detoxing, you may wonder why your skin would need one. What could a skin detox do for you? Your skin is one of the major organs involved in eliminating wastes and impurities from your body, mainly through perspiration.
If you’re tired and frustrated having to get up early every day to go through your morning ritual of washing and drying your hair while your partner can jump up out of bed, have a quick shower, and be on the road, you may want to think about adopting a routine that relies less on products and more on our bodies natural cleaning and protective functions.
The more we use certain products, like shampoo, that strip away our body’s natural oils, the more our body reacts and produces more oil, creating a vicious cycle where you become reliant on the products that may be causing the problem.
There are plenty of factors involved in selecting the right skin care products for you. The purity of ingredients, making sure the packaging is going to compliment your bathroom décor, whether it’s going to heal your scarring from five years ago or make you look ten years younger. We’re pretty sure pH is not on the forefront of anyone’s mind when selecting the ideal product.
Here’s how that could be affecting your ideal routine.
With the mindset of setting intentions rather than resolutions, I created a mantra for my 2019. Intent on decreasing my screen time, spending more time outside, and slowing down my day, I aim to continue nourishing myself spiritually, physically and intellectually.
It’s a vague and convoluted intention – but that’s kind of the point. Creating goals for the new year is regarded as being unattainable, especially when people put intense pressure on completely changing their worldview.
Our skin is our bodies largest organ and what we put on it really does matter. A percentage of everything we place on our skin is either absorbed into our bloodstream or penetrates within the layers of our skin and certain chemicals have the ability to disrupt the way our body naturally functions. On average we use 9 personal care products a day being exposed to 126 unique chemical ingredients, all that before we may even walking out our front door in the morning. The most frightening of these chemicals are ones we refer to as endocrine disrupting chemicals. Make 2019 the year you prioritise natural skincare and ditch toxic ingredients for good!
Ricky van den Ende looks at the historical and marketing influences that affect why men are less likely to purchase natural and organic products when purchasing for themselves. Exploring concepts of fragile masculinity, corporate transparency and the male / female household archetype, we look at the key barriers to embracing natural products and how this can be overcome.
I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t heard something about Go-To skincare. Whether it be a friend telling me they’re trying a new product from “the new range by Zoë Foster Blake”, or Mecca splashing it via decal on every storefront window, I’m almost certain the brand is here to stay. Following the launch of Go-To skincare in 2014, Zoë’s success as a skincare entrepreneur has catapulted from a lounge room initiative to being stocked in over 400 stores across the US alone. All I can say is – brava.