Vaping and The Effects on Your Skin

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acne, ageing, antioxidant, balanced, chemicals, cleanser, cream, daily routine, dangers, dark spots, day, discolouration, dry, dry skin, drying, dryness, e-cigarette, enlarged, exfoliator, flaky, hydrated, hydration, hyperpigmentation, inhaling, irritation, itchy, nicotine, oily skin, oxygen, patchy, pores, rashes, resurfacing, sagging, sebum, sensitive, sensitivity, skin, smoking, soothing, supple, texture, toxins, uneven, Vape, vaping, vapour, wrinkling

Photo by FORMM agency on Unsplash

Vaping is something which has gained HUGE popularity the world over in the last decade. When e-cigs first came along, we were all assured that they were far safer than cigarettes and the health benefits of making the switch would be numerous. Now that we’re a few years down the line and more research has been done, we’re now aware that vaping presents its own dangers, not least of all to your skin. Here’s an overview of some of the negative effects of vaping on the skin and what you can do to reverse them:

E-Liquids Contain Toxins Which Can Damage The Skin

Exposure to the chemicals from e-cigarettes are twofold – as well as inhaling chemicals which can be harmful to your skin, you also create a cloud of vapour when you exhale, which also enrobes your skin in chemicals. The best way to stop the effects on your skin is to stop vaping altogether, but adding a potent exfoliator such as Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser can also help to remove toxins and reverse some of the damage. 

It Makes Your Skin Dry

One of the ways that smoking ages the skin is by depriving it of oxygen and drying it out, and that can also be said for vaping. Every time you take a puff of a vape, you’re drying your skin out and exacerbating dry skin. Ironically, for some people, this can then lead to OILY skin, as your natural sebum production will ramp up to overcompensate. We recommend Elemis Hydra-Balance Day Cream, which is an ultra-light, antioxidant rich day cream that provides continuous hydration, to leave skin feeling perfectly hydrated, balanced and supple.

It Can Make Acne and Redness Worse

Vaping contains lots of chemicals and nicotine which come in contact with our skin. This may cause the skin to become dry or flaky. It can also aggravate those with naturally dry skin by making it patchy and sometimes itchy. The chemicals in e-cigarettes can also cause skin sensitivity and irritation which can lead to rashes and even acne. To combat these effects, we’d recommend adding Elemis Sensitive Soothing Milk to your daily routine, as it is infused with red sage and aloe vera, whilst bisabolol complex helps to protect against visible daily aggressors that might cause irritation. 

It Accelerates the Signs of Ageing

Despite being touted as “better than smoking” for our health, vaping is still incredibly damaging when it comes to the signs of ageing, as it deprives our skin of nutrients. This will lead to premature ageing in the form of dryness, enlarged pores, sagging, wrinkling, hyperpigmentation, and uneven texture. Using Aromatherapy Associates Anti-Ageing Overnight Repair Mask will help to smooth out lines and firm the skin, treating you to an overnight facial. 

It Can Cause Dark Spots

We all know that smoking can cause discolouration to the skin, but it’s also possible to suffer from hyperpigmentation, thanks to vaping. The nicotine in cigarettes is often what contributes to dark spots, and nicotine is still usually present in e-cigarettes too. Murad Correct and Protect Serum SPF45 is a satiny-smooth serum with 100% mineral SPF that’s tested and scientifically proven to visibly correct discolouration and prevent future hyperpigmentation, making it the perfect product for vapers and smokers. 

Five Autumn Changes to Your Skincare Routine

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autumn, changes, coconut oil, cold, cream, dark spots, dry, drying, essential fatty acids, face, Glycerin, hands, hexylresorcinol, hydrated, hydrating, lanolin, lips, luminosity, moisturiser, Niacinamide, non-greasy, overnight, passionflower oil, pumpkin enzyme, red, redness, sensitive, sensitivity, serum, skin, SkinCeuticals, summer, supple, texture, This Works, warm, weather, wet, youthful

Photo by Andre Furtado on Unsplash

While most of us are still enjoying the late summer weather, here in the UK, autumn is just around the corner and it won’t be long before we’re swapping shorts and sandals for scarves and gloves. While the change in clothes is inevitable, changing your skincare routine could also offer numerous benefits, so we’ve put together five key tips for making your daily skincare routine more autumn-friendly:

Exfoliate Regularly In Autumn

To save your skin from becoming dull, lackluster and dehydrated during the autumn months, up your exfoliation to twice a week. Exfoliating regularly, helps to increase cellular regeneration and removes dead skin cells that can hinder the absorption of any moisturisers or serums. For your face, we recommend Murad Vita-C Triple Exfoliating Facial while your body would benefit hugely from investing in Medik8 Smooth Body Exfoliating Kit. 

Inject More Moisture

You’ve probably been using a lightweight, oil-free moisturiser during the summer months, but the autumn usually requires something a little thicker. It’s time to bulk up with a heftier hydrator, preferably containing essential fatty acids, which are needed more when the weather gets colder. Dermalogica PowerBright Overnight Cream is an nourishing nighttime cream that optimises skin moisture recovery and helps restore luminosity. Niacinamide and hexylresorcinol help fade the appearance of dark spots, and it even contains the ultimate autumnal ingredient – pumpkin enzyme, which smoothes and evens skin texture!

Don’t Forget Lip Care

One of the first things that we usually notice when summer becomes autumn is that our lips start to dry out, thanks to the combination of the colder weather and putting the heating on indoors. Bloom and Blossom Lip Service Nourishing Lip Balm contains four powerful ingredients that together heal, hydrate and soften lips, giving them a deep boost of moisture and helping to protect them against the elements. It contains lanolin, which easily absorbs deeply into your skin, as well as coconut oil, passionflower oil and glycerin. 

Help Out Your Hands

Another body part which is often problematic as the temperature plummets is the hands, which suffer from a lack of moisture thanks to the dry, cool air. This Works Perfect Hands Intense Moisture is a powerfully hydrating, non-greasy cream that helps keep hands looking their finest. Daily use will help to maintain supple, youthful, hydrated and beautifully fragranced hands and allow you to emerge in the springtime with healthy hands. 

Calm Away Redness

It’s not uncommon for people with sensitive skin to experience flare ups once autumn comes around. In the colder part of autumn, when we move from the chillier outdoors to the warm indoors, it’s not uncommon to notice the tell-tale redness occurring more frequently, which is why it’s important to add something like SkinCeuticals Redness Neutralizer into your routine, to help strengthen the skin’s protective barrier and soothe the feeling of irritation.

Sea Buckthorn Oil – Why You Need This in Your Skincare

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ageing, Aloe Vera, arthritic joint pain, Asia, bakuchiol, berries, brighten, caffeine hyaluronic acid, cellular turnover, circulation, collagen, cottonseed oil, detoxifies, doll, dryness, elasticity, Europe, fine lines, firma, fortify skin barrier, gentle, healthier, high end, hydrate, hydrated, I make seven fatty acids, impurities, inflammation, ingredients, leaves, lotions, make up, Maritime pine, nourish, pigmentation, pollution, retinoid, rosemary, roughness, Sea buckthorn oil, see fennel, seeds, shrub, skin texture, skin types, skincare, soreness, soybean oil, super charge, tetra vitamin C, tired, tired skin, toxins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, wrinkles

Photo by munkhbayar dambajav

There are some ingredients – from caffeine to hyaluronic acid to aloe vera to clay – which you shouldn’t be surprised to find in your skincare. They’re commonly used in lotions and potions from the cheaper stuff to the higher end. Some ingredients, however, seem to pop up out of nowhere and sea buckthorn oil is popping up on ingredient lists everywhere for good reason – it can hydrate, brighten and improve skin texture, making it an ingredient that truly ticks all the boxes and can work for all skin types. 

While it may sound like something that comes from the ocean, sea buckthorn oil is extracted from the berries, leaves and seeds of the sea buckthorn plant, which is a small shrub that grows across northern Europe and some parts of Asia. As well as offering excellent hydration, sea buckthorn oil also helps to refine the skin’s texture and contains up to 12 times the amount of vitamin C as oranges, which brightens the complexion.

With this in mind, we’ve searched our shelves to show you a selection of the best sea buckthorn-containing products:

Elemis Musclease Active Body Oil

Elemis Musclease Active Body Oil is specially formulated for anyone with an active lifestyle. Its concentrated formula has ingredients to help ease sore spots and refresh the body. Sea buckthorn oil also protects the body against harmful toxins while sea fennel soothes inflammation and detoxifies the body. Rosemary loosens stiff joints and relieves sore muscles. Maritime pine improves circulation and reduces arthritic joint pain. The combination of oils is highly effective in offering relief from muscle pain and soreness. 

Evolve Organic Beauty Bio-Retinol+C Booster

Evolve Bio Retinol + C Booster is an innovative cocktail of vitamins which helps supercharge dull and tired skin by brightening the appearance of pigmentation, improving cellular turnover, boosting collagen and significantly improving all signs of ageing, tired skin. As well as sea buckthorn oil, it contains ingredients such as bakuchiol and tetra vitamin c to deliver a brighter, firmer, more nourished and renewed overall complexion.

REN Clean Skincare Bio Retinoid Youth Concentrate Oil

This lightweight moisturising serum contains a potent retinoid that works to support the skin’s natural collagen production and cell turnover, helping to smooth the complexion and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The addition of soybean and cottonseed oil work together to fortify the skin barrier, helping to reduce the irritation generally associated with retinol use, while sea buckthorn oil helps nourish, reduce roughness, and combat the dulling effects of dryness or dehydration, for a healthier-looking complexion.

UpCircle Cleansing Face Balm with Apricot Powder

This natural, sustainable balm from UpCircle is formulated for everyday cleansing, to gently remove makeup, pollution and impurities. It leaves skin deeply cleansed, soothed and hydrated and is suitable for all skin types. This cleansing balm is made with the finely-ground powder of discarded apricot stones, a natural by-product of the apricot oil industry and rich in antioxidant Vitamin E. It also contains sea buckthorn oil, which is high in vitamin E, C and Omega 7 fatty acids, and helps skin retain its elasticity. 

Medik8 Mutiny

This gel-like balm melts into an oil upon application to deliver instant and long-lasting hydration to your lips. Formulated in a squalane base, with plant-sourced sea buckthorn oil and multi-weight hyaluronic acid, the lip balm absorbs into lips to replenish lost lipids and leave lips feeling nourished, replenished and moisturised. Once applied to lips, the balm gives a slight refreshing tingle and an indulgent lemongrass natural fragrance.

Five of the Best Products for Curly Hair

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all hair types, anti-humidity, coconut oil, coiled, conditioners, curly hair, defrays, diffuser, dry hair, dryness, flexible, flyaways, freeze, gels, GHD, glossy, hair, hair gel, hair products, healthier, heat, heavy, heavy creams, hydrated, L’Oreal, lightweight, mask, natural, naturally curly, non brittle, non-crunchy, nourish, nourishment, oil, repair, scrunching, serums, Shea butter, shine, silky, smoothness, spring, styling routine, technology, tongs, wet hair

Photo by Vlada Karpovich

It wasn’t so long ago that the options for caring for naturally curly hair were pretty much limited to scrunching a bit of gel through after washing and leaving it to dry down to a slightly crunchy finish. Thankfully, the curly haired among us have made it known that they deserve far better when it comes to hair care in recent years and the curly girl revolution is well and truly underway. The rise in demand for dedicated hair products for curly hair means that many brands have risen to meet this, and we have a number of products on our shelves which will care for your curls better than ever before. Here are five of the best products to help you to look after your curly hair:

Color Wow Dream Coat for Curly Hair

If you’re sick and tired of the gels we mentioned above then this product from Color Wow will be a breath of fresh air for your hair. It’s a super-light, alcohol-free formula that delivers all the combined benefits of out-dated gels, serums and heavy creams, rolled into one. The product is enriched with powerful polymers that work to moisturise, condition and de-frizz curly locks whilst restoring bounce and ensuring flexible, non-brittle endurance and glossy shine. The results are waves and spirals that are perfectly bundled, hydrated and non-crunchy with supernatural shine.

GHD Curly Ever After Curl Hold Spray

Depending on your curl type, you may sometimes use tongs or a diffuser to ensure that your curls are uniform and properly coiled. This hold spray from ghd will deliver up to a 12 hour curl hold for a style that lasts all night. It contains the ghd heat protect system to form a protective thermal layer over the surface of the hair for smoothness and a healthier feel. ghd curly ever after spray is suitable for all hair types to maximise your heat styling routine.   

L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Liss Unlimited Masque

Curly hair can often suffer from dryness, but the issue is that many conditioners are too heavy and will weigh your curls down completely. L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Liss Unlimited Masque will nourish, repair and smooth your frizzy hair, working in minutes, leaving you with super silky smooth locks. This mask takes advantage of its key technology, Polymer AR to wrap the hair fibre with a special anti-humidity shield, keeping it smooth and glossy while stopping frizz in its tracks.

Nine Yards Twist N Shout Curl Revival Cream

Nine Yards Twist N Shout Curl Revival Cream is a lightweight cream that functions as a styling and caring product for a full curl comeback. This formula conditions and revives the natural shape of the curls by adding moisture to the hair. It contains natural shea butter and coconut oil to condition dryness and add a natural spring and shine to your curls.

Olaplex No.7 Bonding Oil

Olaplex is one of the biggest names in hair care right now, and this bonding oil is a saviour for those of us with a curly mane. This oil provides highly concentrated nourishment to help repair dry and damaged hair whilst improving manageability by minimising frizz and flyaways and providing heat protection up to 232°C. It’s suitable for all hair types and can be used on wet or dry hair, but it will revive and protect your curls without weighing them down. 

Our Top Five Non-Greasy Skin and Haircare Formulas

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acne, ageing, all skin types, Aloe Vera, antioxidant, bath, bedtime, body, breakouts, brighter, broad spectrum, cashmere, chamomile, coconut, complexion, daily, damaged hair, dry, dry oil, dry skin, even, formula, frizz, Glycerin, greasiness, greasy, harmful, healthier, healthy, heavy, Ho Wood, holiday, hyaluronic acid, hydrated, ingredients, lavender, light, lighter, moisture, moisturiser, night oil, non-greasy, nourished, oil, oils, patchouly, polished, porous, powerful, protect, protection, rays, refine, sensitivity, sensory, sesame oil, Shea butter, shower, skin, skin type, skincare, smooth, smoother, SPF30, SPF50, spots, spray tan, spring, stress, styling creams, summer, sun creams, tea or flour, tension, texture, thick, uncomfortable, UVA, UVB, vetiver, Vitamin C

Photo by cottonbro

There are many reasons for opting for skincare formulas which are non-greasy. For some people, it’s the simple fact that their skin already produces too much oil and greasy formulas are simply not compatible with their skin type. For others, it may be an issue of sensitivity to certain ingredients such as certain oils which may exacerbate breakouts of spots or acne. And for some people, it is simply a sensory issue which means that formulas which are too heavy and greasy feel highly uncomfortable on your skin. 

All of these issues can also be worse depending on the season; wearing thicker formulas in spring and summer when it is hot can feel unpleasant at times. With this in mind, we’ve searched our stock to put together a list of five non-greasy products which are perfect for anyone who prefers lighter skin care:

Decleor Aloe Vera Sun Gel Cream SPF50

When it comes to skincare that feels heavy or greasy on the skin, suncreams are often one of the worst offenders. This Aloe Vera Sun Gel Cream from Decleor is a non-greasy gel which is enriched with aloe vera and sesame oils, to leave the skin feeling nourished and hydrated but fresh and light at the same time. The broad-spectrum SPF50 protects the skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays and it can be used on all skin types on a daily basis.

Medik8 Daily Radiance Vitamin C

If your skin is dry and lacking radiance you may find that many of the formulas designed to relieve this are thick and heavy. This Daily Radiance Vitamin C from Medik8 has a light, cashmere texture to deliver powerful antioxidant protection as well as broad-spectrum SPF 30 without any of the greasiness of other products. It’s enriched with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which draws moisture into the skin leaving you with a brighter, more even complexion and skin which is protected from the future signs of ageing.

South Seas – Moorea Moisturiser

Dry skin doesn’t just affect your face; it can happen anywhere on your body and can be difficult to tackle. This moisturiser from South Seas is a non-greasy, lightweight formula to leave your skin feeling healthy and smooth. It is designed specifically to be used alongside a spray tan and for people who have very dry skin, and contains shea butter to deeply nourish, along with tiare flower and coconut to give you a fragrance which makes you feel like you’re always on holiday!

This Works Deep Sleep Night Oil

Finding a product which describes itself as a non-greasy oil may sound like something of an oxymoron, however this Deep Sleep Night Oil from This Works is a dry oil which is easily absorbed. It is formulated using oils of lavender, chamomile, vetiver, patchouly, and ho wood, which combine to create a delicately scented and relaxing oil which will lock moisture into your skin, soothe your muscles and calm your mind before bedtime. It’s perfect for use after a bath or shower and can be used daily to help relieve tension and stress.

Color Wow One Minute Transformation Styling Cream

Unless you have a hair type which is extremely dry or porous, some styling creams can feel slightly greasy and leave your hair looking slick and weighed down, rather than natural and weightless. This One Minute Transformation Styling Cream from Colour Wow is designed to banish frizz and refine texture without any greasiness. The formula revives shine and enhances the hair’s moisturisation, leaving dry, damaged hair smoother, more polished and looking healthier than ever.