Five Products to Help You Go Sulphate-Free

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Aloe Vera, ammonium lauryl sulphate, antiseptic, artificial colours, bergamot, blemish free, bubbles, bubbly, cedarwood, chemical, clean, cleansing, cleansing face, comfortable, complexion, damaged skin, damask rose oil, DEA, delicate, eye area, eye contour, fine hair, fine lines, Gallic rose flower extract, green tea, hands, hydrate, ingredients, lather, lavender, limp hair, mild, mineral oil, moisturiser, nourishes, parabens, products, protected, repair, revitalises, scented, Shea butter, soap, sodium laureth sulphate, sodium lauryl sulphate, soothing, spearmint, Sulphate, sulphate free, sulphates, take care, thin hair, vitamin B5, wheat protein, ylang ylang

Photo by Matthew Tkocz on Unsplash

In recent years, there has been an ever-increasing focus on “natural” beauty products and many people have overhauled their entire beauty routine to exclude certain ingredients. One of the most maligned of these is sulphate. 

Sulphates are the number one most common ingredient found in hair care products even today, and you know you’re encountering them when you see names like sodium laureth sulphate, sodium lauryl sulphate, and ammonium laureth sulphate on an ingredient label. 

To be fair to sulphates, they aren’t always worthy of the bad press they’ve received – the chemical itself is basically the thing in products that helps to give you a bubbly lather. However, if you’re trying to opt for sulphate-free products, here are some that you can try:

REN Clean Skincare Atlantic Kelp And Magnesium Anti-Fatigue Energising Hand Wash

While some people want a mega-lather when washing their hands so that they feel clean, the ingredients in standard bar soap can be very drying and irritating. This hand wash from REN Clean Skincare is a gentle sulphate-free daily hand wash to deeply cleanse, moisturise and revive tired hands. It helps to repair damaged skin and ensure that your hands are clean and protected. 

Elemis Absolute Eye Mask

Elemis Absolute Eye Mask helps to hydrate and support the eye contour, as well as reducing the appearance of fine lines. It hydrates, nourishes and revitalises the eye area as well as helping to reduce dark circles and puffiness. As well as being free from sulphates, it also contains no parabens, DEA, mineral oil or artificial colours, giving you the confidence that your delicate eye area will be protected. 

Nine Yards Go Loud Volume Shampoo

As we mentioned above, shampoo is one of the most common places to find sulphates and has therefore been the subject of the most scrutiny when it comes to beauty products. This volumising shampoo from Nine Yards has a a mild sulphate free cleansing base, making it ideal for fine, thin or limp hair in need of delicate cleansing without weighing the hair down. The formula is 100% vegan and contains natural extracts of shea butter, gallic rose flower extract, damask rose oil, green tea and aloe vera and wheat protein.    

Refinery Face Wash

Refinery Face Wash is a deep cleansing, sulphate free face wash that will help to balance and purify the skin. It’s packed with bergamot and spearmint to freshen and stimulate skin while the antiseptic properties of lavender and cedarwood help maintain a blemish free complexion. Impurities are washed away, leaving skin clear and revitalised.

This Works Stress Check Gentle Wash

This gentle wash from This Works is designed to be used all over your body and contains  ylang ylang and vitamin B5 for a worry-free wash that won’t damage the integrity of your skin. This all-over daily wash effectively cleanses the skin leaving it protected, comfortable and soothingly scented so that both your skin and your mood feel a little more balanced as you go about your day.

Busting More Beauty Myths

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chemicals, cleansing, damage, deficiency, follicle, hair, harmful rays, hypoallergenic, ingredients, irritant, irritating, make up, make-up, makeup, misinformation, Myth, nail polish, nails, natural, natural ingredients, oxygen, safe, sensitive skin, shave, Shaving, sleep, sunscreen, synthetic, thicker, Vitamin D

Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash

Back in 2019, we wrote this post where we looked at some of the oldest and most persistent beauty myths around and gave you the truths behind them. The beauty industry seems to be awash with untruths about what is and isn’t good for you and your skin, and there are many more myths out there which need to be debunked, so we’ve come up with five more myths and the reality behind them: 

“Using sunscreen all year round causes vitamin D deficiency”

Sunscreen’s effect on vitamin D levels is actually minimal for most people. The truth is that everyone is at risk for vitamin D deficiency whether they have lighter skin tones or darker skin tones, even among people who live in sunny climates and are outdoors year-around. Skipping sunscreen is a case where the risk significantly outweighs the reward, so it just doesn’t make any sense to do in hopes of increasing your vitamin D levels.

“Wearing makeup every day is bad for your skin”

While wearing lots of makeup can be cumbersome for the skin on your face, wearing makeup consistently won’t actually make your skin worse. Granted, a day with no makeup feels great, but the real culprit of skin damage is not consistently washing your makeup off and leaving makeup on overnight. And no, using a face wipe won’t do the trick, either! Make sure you use a proper make-up removing cleanser and the effect of your make-up on the skin should be minimal. 

“Shaving makes your hair grow back thicker”

This is one of THE most persistent (and if we’re honest, IRRITATING!) beauty myths out there. Shaving will not make your hair grow back thicker, faster, or darker. The growth of hair is controlled by the follicle, and shaving doesn’t affect the follicle or growth pattern whatsoever. Your hair just might appear more stubbly because the blade cuts the hair at the thickest part. There are products which can help to slow the regrowth, but there’s no need to worry about turning into a yeti just from shaving! 

“Nail polish harms nails because it prevents them from breathing”

Nails are dead cells. The reality is that nails do not actually “breathe”; they receive their nutrients and oxygen from the bloodstream and not the air. If your nails are feeling weak and damaged, especially after having gel polish or extensions, using Protein Formula For Nails No:4 can help to restructure and strengthen damaged nails, whilst hydrating and promoting healthy nails.

“Natural ingredients are better for sensitive skin”

If you have sensitive skin, it can be easy to think that ingredients which are derived from natural sources will be less irritating than those which aren’t. However, this is simply not true. Some of our most potent products are made almost entirely from natural ingredients and in fact, it’s important to be selective about ALL ingredients, not just the synthetic ones. There are lots of synthetic ingredients proven to be hypoallergenic and safe for sensitive skin. And even if a synthetic ingredient has the potential for irritation, cosmetic chemists have the ability to remove the allergenic portion of the ingredient in a lab, making it more tolerable for your skin.

The Best Sustainable Products from Pure Beauty

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Bamboo, bath, beauty products, biodegradable, brighten, cleansing, cotton buds, damage, damaging, dead skin cells, delicate, eco-friendly, ethos, exfoliate, ingredient, invigorate, machine washable, massages, micro plastics, microfibre pads, natural, oceans, packaging, pesticides, plastic free, plastic waste, plastics, recyclable, scientific, shower, soap bag, Sustainable, Terry cotton, velour cotton, waste

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash 

Aside from our love of beauty products which contain both highly scientific and natural ingredients, here at Pure Beauty, we also have a love for companies which have a sustainable ethos. Over the past couple of years we have added more and more products to our shelves which are from sustainable sources and can be reused as well as being free from damaging plastics. Today we are sharing with you five such products which we think should feature in every bathroom and make up bag. They also make fabulous gifts for encouraging your friends and family towards a more eco-friendly beauty routine.

The Sea Shed Exfoliating Soap Bag

This soap bag may offer a handy hanging solution for storing your soap in your shower or bath, but it actually does so much more than this. When used in conjunction with your favourite soap, it gently exfoliates and massages your skin to get rid of dead skin cells, invigorate and brighten your skin, as well as improving circulation. It’s made from certified sustainable ingredients, is vegan friendly, made in the UK and comes in recyclable plastic free packaging, meaning that it ticks all the boxes!

UpCircle Bamboo Cotton Buds

In the UK alone it is estimated that we use 1.8 billion cotton buds every year, most of which are made from single use plastic. Of this 1.8 billion cotton buds, around 10% of them end up being flushed down the toilet and therefore out into the sea, and during a 2018 study, 22 cotton buds were found for every 100m of UK beach. With this in mind, we added UpCircle’s bamboo cotton buds, which are biodegradable and plastic free, to our shelves. They are made from sustainable bamboo and make a perfect alternative to damaging plastic.

JoJo Glow Baby Microfibre Pads

Many people don’t realise that single use wipes actually contain plastic and are another significant factor in polluting the world’s oceans. Aside from this, many of them actually damage the skin on a microscopic level, so there are many reasons for switching to these Baby Microfibre Pads from JoJo Glow. They are reusable, recyclable and will protect your child’s delicate skin. They’re also super easy to use and simply need warm water to get the most out of them.

UpCircle Hemp and Cotton Makeup Pads

Another alternative to single use wipes, these hemp and cotton make-up pads are the perfect sustainable way to remove make up and keep your skin clean. The triple layer pads are made from 100% natural materials and can be used again and again for an eco-friendly cleansing method. There are seven pads in this pack, as well as a netting bag which can be chucked into the washing machine and washed on the low temperature to get them looking spic and span once again.

Zero Waste Organic Cotton Make Up Remover Pads and Wash Bag

Never ones to be left out when it comes to eco-friendly beauty, these cotton make-up remover pads from Zero Waste Organic offer different textures for different types of cleansing. As well as the cotton wash bag you will get four pads made from organic terry cotton to give a rough for more exfoliating finish and 12 soft pads made from organic velour cotton for use around the eyes and more delicate areas. They are machine washable and are made from cotton which has not been sprayed with pesticides. 

Pure Beauty’s Newest Arrivals

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28 day course, absorb, antioxidants free radicals, botanical oils, carrot extract, cleanse, cleanser, cleansing, customers, decleor, dermalogica, Elemis, Elemis micellar, environmental stress, exfoliate, exfoliating, fermented agave, fine lines, friendly, glycolic acid, green mandarin essential oils, healthy, juice, makeup, minimising, miracle, moisturising, natural fruit acid, natural sugars, new, newest, night, nourishment, oil, overnight, peel, pores, prematurely aging, Pure Beauty, radiant, rebalancing, redness, refined, sheer Glow, SLS, smooth, smoother, soothing, sulphate-free, suspended, texture, tired, up-to-date, Vegan, Vitamin C, wrinkles

Elemis Superfood CICA Calm Hydration Juice

Here at Pure Beauty, we love nothing more than shouting from the rooftops about the newest products to hit our shelves. We’re lucky in the respect that all of our brands are constantly innovating and inventing to add new and improved products to their ranges, which means that we’re able to then offer these to our customers. With this in mind, today we’re looking at 5 of the nearest products from Decleor, Elemis and Dermalogica to keep you up-to-date with the newest products available.

Decleor Green Mandarin Overnight Bi-Phase Peel

This overnight peel from Decleor is a 28-day course and should be used every night to achieve glowing and radiant skin. It contains soothing botanical oils as well as glycolic acid and natural fruit acids which exfoliate your skin overnight, leaving it looking smooth and radiant. After 28 days your skin will look less tired and it’s texture will be refined and renewed.

Elemis Superfood CICA Calm Cleansing Foam

This cleansing foam from Elemis is a micellar cleanser which means that particles of fermented green tea seed oil are spended in in kefir, fermented agave and biotransformed CICA to deeply cleanse the skin while calming redness. It contains moisturising elements which help to reverse dehydration, as well as minimising the appearance of pores and rebalancing the complexion. It’s a vegan friendly and sulfate-free formula which contains no parabens or SLS.

Dermalogica Biolumin-C Eye Serum

This serum from Dermalogica is formulated specifically for the delicate skin around the eyes and contains a huge boost of vitamin C which will dramatically brighten and visibly firm the skin. It’s perfect for normal, mature or prematurely aging skin and helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It will hydrate and exfoliate the skin for a smoother complexion, as well as protecting against environmental stress.

Decleor Green Mandarin Exfoliating 2 in 1 Scrub Mask

This physical exfoliating product from Decleor is a bit of a miracle in a tub. It contains green mandarin essential oils and natural sugars which will exfoliate the skin, as well as carrot extract which gives an instant sheer tint and glow to your complexion. It contains antioxidants to protect against free radicals, while apricot and marula botanical oils provide nourishment to the skin.

Elemis Superfood CICA Calm Hydration Juice

This gel moisturiser from Elemis is a super hydrating juice which will hydrate skin and dramatically improve its texture. It’s a lightweight formula which layers well under makeup thanks to the fact that it absorbs so quickly, and is packed with antioxidants which will leave your skin with a healthy glow.

How to Keep Your Make Up in Place in a Heatwave

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balance, balanced, balancing, base, British Summertime, calm, Calming, clean, cleanse, cleanser, cleansing, cool, cooler, cooling, cosmetics, cream pH, Dermalogica All Over Toner, Dermalogica SkinPerfect Primer SPF30, Dermalogica UltraCalming™ Cleanser, fashion, gel, heat, hot, make-up, primer, protecting, purify, refresh, refreshing, skincare, soothe, soothing, SPF, spritz, summer, sun, sun protection, temperature, Toner, toning

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Okay, lets be real – summer hasn’t exactly hit us with much in the way of a heatwave, despite what the tabloids keep telling us. However, it’s only the beginning of July and we’re hopeful that things will get a lot warmer in the coming weeks. With this in mind, we thought we’d share a few handy tips on how to keep your make up in place once the British Summertime decides to switch on the heaters!

Prep Your Skin

The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure your face is totally clean, but without inflaming your skin or making it hotter than it already is – the cooler your face is when th make up goes on, the better staying power it will have. Dermalogica UltraCalming Cleanser is a soothing, pH-balanced gel/cream that glides easily over face to cleanse and cool sensitised or highly reactive skin.

Tone it Down

Next, you should opt for a toner which will cool and calm your skin; we’d recommend Dermalogica All Over Toner. This little spritz will refresh and purify your skin and contains cooling ingredients which will purify your skin before your next step. Allow it to really sink into your face before you move on.

All About the Base

Once you’ve got your skin cool and clean, adding a base for your make up to cling to will increase your chances of getting it to stay put. A high-quality primer such as Dermalogica SkinPerfect Primer SPF30 is remarkably lightweight but very effective in terms of keeping your makeup in place. In addition, it cools your face when applied and even offers sun protection, which is an added bonus on sweltering days.

Think About Your Products

You can apply all the magical stuff in the world UNDER your make-up, but if you choose the wrong make-up products to begin with, you’re going to be on to a loser. Opt for oil-free foundation as this has a tendency to slide off of even the driest faces in the heat, and try to use waterproof eye products if you don’t want them to be affected by sweat.

Go For an Up-Do

You may want to wear your hair down in nice, beachy waves during a heatwave, but wearing your hair up and off of your face is far better for keeping your face in place! Hair around your face will not only increase your body temperature, and therefore your tendency to sweat, but will will also increase the amount of friction around your face, carrying your make-up away with the sweat.