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. 

Allantoin – The Best Soothing Ingredient that Nature Has to Offer?

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acne, acne scars, alcohol, algae extracts, Allantoin, anti-irritant, Arnica, blue Lotus extracts, botanical, botanical extracts, breakouts, chamomile, cleansers, combination skin, Comfrey, cuts, debris, decongest, dirt, dryness, dullness, Europe, exfoliate, face masks, Glycerin, glycolic acid, hands, herb, hydrate, hydrolipid, ingredient, ingrown hairs, irritation, itching, Lactic Acid, lightweight, lotions, Magnolia Essential Oil, moisture, moisture balance, nails, natural sources, normal skin, nourish, oil, oily skin, organic, pore minimising, pores, purify, Salicylic Acid, salicylic acid serum, scrapes, sensitive skin, serums, Shea butter, skin problems, skincare, smooth skin, soothe, sugar beat, tobacco seed, urea, uric acid, Vitamin E, water, wheat sprouts, white meadowfoam oil

Photo by Ron Lach

As you’ll know if you’re a regular visitor to our site, we like to keep our fingers on the pulse when it comes to skincare ingredients and trends. One such ingredient which has been popping up a lot lately is allantoin. It’s something which has been around for some time, but it’s going through something of a renaissance, with many major skincare companies including in their products. Here’s the lowdown on allantoin:

What is allantoin?

As we mentioned above, allantoin is used in many skin care products, including cleansers, lotions, serums, and face masks. Due to its anti-irritant properties, companies tend to add it to products that hydrate and soothe the skin. This ingredient is perfect for sensitive skin and is usually derived from natural sources.

Where is it found? 

In its natural form, allantoin is found in several plants, such as sugar beet, chamomile, tobacco seed, and wheat sprouts. A popular source of allantoin is the extract of comfrey, a species of herb native to Europe. It can also be prepared synthetically for cosmetic use, either by oxidation of uric acid, reaction of dichloroacetic acid and urea, or condensation reaction between glyoxylic acid and urea. (Don’t worry, that’s the last time today that we’ll get so scientific!)

What is it good for?

Allantoin might be your ticket to super smooth skin. It’s one of those amazing ingredients that offers a major bang for your buck and is great if you’re dealing with dryness, dullness, irritation, acne scars and even cuts and scrapes. Allantoin is also known for its ability to add more water to your skin. It can help your skin hang on to moisture longer, and helps fight annoying skin issues like dryness, itching, and irritation, which can ultimately lead to more skin problems, like acne or oily skin. 

Which products contain allantoin?

Decleor White Magnolia Hand and Nail Cream

This light cream is ideal for use throughout the day to leave skin beautifully scented and provide essential care for hands and nails. Key active ingredients include white meadowfoam oil to regenerate the hydrolipid film, shea butter and allantoin to nourish and soothe, plus magnolia essential oil to help protect and reinforce the skin.

Lycon Ingrown X-It Solution

With allantoin, salicylic acid, lactic acid and arnica, Lycon Ingrown X-It Solution is a break through spray formula for the face and body. It mildly exfoliates, decongests and helps minimise the appearance and discomfort of ingrown hairs. 

Medik8 Blemish Control Pads

Pre-soaked in a clarifying maximum strength salicylic acid serum, Medik8 Blemish Control Pads dissolve oil and dirt from deep within the pore to purify problem complexions. Crafted without alcohol and infused with allantoin and glycerin, they protect the skin’s natural moisture balance to ward off dryness, while caring for the most sensitive of skin types.

Murad Clarifying Body Spray

Murad Clarifying Body Spray is a quick-drying formula that helps prevent body breakouts. Salicylic acid helps clear up blemishes as glycolic acid helps clear away pore-clogging debris. Allantoin and blue lotus extract help soothe irritation for healthier-looking skin.

SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture

SkinCeuticals Daily Moisture is a lightweight, pore minimising moisturiser, designed to hydrate and nourish normal, combination and oily skin. It contains an exclusive combination of vitamin E, three nutrient-rich algae extracts, and a blend of seven botanical extracts including allantoin. 

Five Masks to Add to Your Summer Skin and Hair Care Routine

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absorbed, air conditioning, and skincare, beta glucan, blemishes, brassy, breakouts, brittle, Centella Asiatica Extract, chest, chlorine, comforting, complexion, concentrated, cooling, cosmetic procedures, Dalton, dehydration, dry hair, dull, exercise, face, face masks, frangipani, frizzy, hair, hair care, hair damage, heat wave, holiday, hot weather, intensive, irritable scalp, lip area, macadamia, mask, masks, moisture barrier, Moringa, neck, non-sticky, oily skin, oversensitivity, pink clay, potent, protected, radiant, redness, reparative, Rose Essential Oil, routine, salt water, scalp, sensitive skin, sesame, softness, strength, stress, summer, sun, sun exposure, sweet almond plant, temporary redness, treatment, white mushroom extract, wind, wind burn, yeast

Photo by Anna Shvets

It’s easy to associate the summer with oily skin, blemishes, breakouts, dull and dry hair and an irritable scalp. However, waiting for the summer to end for that radiant face and shining hair isn’t a viable solution, so a quick fix to beat the heat is needed. The best solution is to switch up your skin and hair care routine by adding effective cooling hair and face masks to your stock of beauty products and we’ve got some awesome ones to help you to get through the heatwave:

Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask

With summer fun unfortunately comes summer hair damage and after spending time in the wind, sun, chlorine, salt water and air conditioning your hair may be dull, brassy, frizzy, dry or brittle. Olaplex No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask is an at-home reparative treatment mask that provides intense moisture to treat damaged hair. It’s an intensive, concentrated treatment that only needs ten minutes to transform your locks. 

REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask

Hot weather can play havoc with sensitive skin, increasing redness, causing dehydration and exacerbating the key signs of sensitive skin. REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Ultra Comforting Rescue Mask is specially developed to combat over-sensitivity and will strengthen the protective moisture barrier to aid recovery and increase skin’s ability to cope with stress, improving skin well-being. It contains white mushroom extract, which helps to protect the skin against discomfort and beta-glucan from yeast, which moisturises and reduces signs of sensitivity.    

SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Masque 

This mask from SkinCeuticals is designed to soothe skin after sun exposure, exercise, windburn and even cosmetic procedures. It delivers intense cooling and calming comfort to skin sensitivity and is suitable for irritated, sensitive skin prone to temporary redness. It can be used on the face, chest and neck (avoiding the eye and lip areas) and is ideal for taking on holiday…or using during an unseasonably hot summer! 

Decleor Organic Harmonie Calm Soothing Comfort 2 in1 Cream and Mask

This multi-functional product can be used as both a soothing cream and a potent mask, depending on how you wish to use it. Rose essential oil, sweet almond plant oils and centella asiatica extract soothe the complexion, even the skin tone and stabilise your skin all day long. With its fresh and non-sticky texture, this cream and mask is rapidly absorbed so your skin is protected and soothed without any discomfort. 

Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Hair and Scalp Mask

Elemis Exotic Frangipani Monoi Hair and Scalp Mask is a luxurious weekly, intensive hair and scalp mask treatment formulated with frangipani monoi and pink clay to help restore softness and strength to dry, damaged hair. The pink clay provides hair with a deep clean, while a moisturising blend of sesame, moringa, macadamia and frangipani oils nourish the hair, making it the perfect partner during the long, hot summer. 

Five of the Best Ingredients for Youthful Skin

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acidic, acne, ageing, all skin types, allergic reactions, alternative, anti-aging, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, ayurvedic medicine, bakuchiol, blemish prone, breastfeeding, ceramides, Chinese medicine, collagen, combination skin, complexion, dark spots, dehydrated, delicate, dermatology, dry skin, dryness, eczema, epidermis, Eyes, fats, firm, firmer feeling, germs, glowing, healthy, humectant, hyaluronic acid, Indian Babchi plant, inflammation, leaves, lines, lipids, melanin, moisture, oceans, oil based, oily skin, pigmentation, plump, plumper, potent, pregnant, products, Psoriasis, rainforests, reinforce, retinoids, retinol, rosacea, seeds, sensitive skin, sensitivity, skin, skin barrier, skin care, skin cells, skin issues, smoother, sun damage, topically, useful, vitamin A, Vitamin C, water, wrinkles

Photo by Karolina Grabowska

Here at Pure Beauty, we’re well aware of how confusing skincare can feel. There’s a different product for every different skin issue and a wealth of ingredients which vary from things found in your pantry to things found in the deepest oceans or rainforests! Looking at ingredient lists often feels like trying to decipher an unknown language, but there are some key things that you can look for if you’re in the market for anti-ageing products. Here are five of the best ingredients for maintaining a youthful complexion:

Retinol 

Retinol is a form of vitamin A that’s suitable for the skin. It belongs to a group of vitamin A derivatives, known as retinoids. Retinol has multiple uses and can be used to combat conditions like acne and can target areas of pigmentation. It can also reduce signs of ageing and sun damage. Retinoids don’t work equally well on everyone. If you suffer from rosacea, eczema, or psoriasis, it’s probably best to avoid retinol since it can be too powerful on skin that needs a gentle touch – it can increase inflammation, dryness and sensitivity in already delicate complexions.

Try Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Serum

Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid is a humectant — a substance that retains moisture — and it is capable of binding over one thousand times its weight in water. This substance is naturally found in many areas of the human body, including the skin and eyes. Hyaluronic acid helps skin stretch and flex and reduces skin wrinkles and lines. Hyaluronic acid is also proven to help wounds heal faster and can reduce scarring. Allergic reactions to hyaluronic acid are rare, so that means whether you have oily skin, sensitive, dry skin, or combination skin, you have the green light to use hyaluronic acid products.

Try SkinCeuticals H.A. (Hyaluronic Acid) Intensifier Serum 

Vitamin C

Vitamin C can help keep skin looking plump and firm. This is because it’s highly acidic when applied topically and can help to promote collagen production and reduce the appearance of ageing skin. It also contains a property that inhibits the skin’s melanin production levels, two of the culprits that can lead to dark spots and hyperpigmentation, making it an absolute hero at giving you a glowing, healthy complexion. It’s usually found in oil-based products, so may not be ideal for acne and blemish prone skin, but it’s great for pretty much all other skin types. 

Try REN Clean Skincare Glow Daily Vitamin C Gel Cream

Bakuchiol

If you’re looking for an alternative to retinol that can be used on more sensitive skin, bakuchiol is a good place to start. Bakuchiol is found in the seeds and leaves of the Indian Babchi plant and has been used in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for centuries. It also has calming anti-inflammatory and healing antibacterial properties and is even safe for use when pregnant and breastfeeding. It’s a potent-yet-kind ingredient which the British Journal of Dermatology found was just as effective as retinol and significantly less irritating, which is great news for anyone looking for an alternative.

Try Medik8 The CSA Bakuchiol Edition Kit

Ceramides

Ceramides are fats or lipids that are found in skin cells and make up 30% to 40% of your outer skin layer, or epidermis. Ceramides are important for retaining your skin’s moisture and preventing the entry of germs into your body. If your skin’s ceramide content decreases, which often happens with age, it can become dehydrated. Skincare products with ceramides will help reinforce your skin’s barrier and increase hydration, giving you plumper, smoother, firmer-feeling skin with fewer visible lines and wrinkles, as well as fewer signs of sensitivity.

Try Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Moisture IQ

Have Yourself an Oil-Free Christmas

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all skin types, bisobolol, broad spectrum, Burdock, complexion, Dermalogica Active Moist, Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF30, dry, dryness, face, Green Tea extract, heat, holiday, inflammation, Ivy, Jan Marini Daily Face Protectant SPF30, Jan Marini Physical Protectant SPF30, lemon, oil, oil free, oily skin, overproduction, sebum, skin, smooth, soothe, sun, sun protection, UVA, UVB, Watercress, winter

Photo by Malvestida Magazine on Unsplash

If you suffer with oily skin, this time of year can play absolute havoc with your complexion. Between central heating, too much food and drink during Christmas parties and the cold weather, skin which already over produces oil can go into overdrive. The best way to combat this is to invest in some good oil-free products which will help keep your skin in great condition without exacerbating any overproduction. Here are four of our favourite products which are completely oil-free but will give your skin a real treat during the festive season.

Dermalogica Active Moist

Although many people with oily skin shy away from moisturiser, it can actually be even more essential to moisturise oily skin, as the oiliness can be caused by an underlying dryness problem. This moisturiser from Dermalogica is lightweight and oil-free, and absorbs into the skin without leaving a slick on the surface. It creates an invisible barrier which stops your skin from losing natural moisture and can help to create a smooth base for your makeup. It contains natural extract of lemon, watercress, burdock and ivy, which are all astringent and will help to keep oil at bay. Soothing extracts of lavender, mallow and cucumber will deeply hydrate your skin. It’s perfect for skin which creates excess oil and helps to hydrate without leaving the skin feeling greasy.

Jan Marini Daily Face Protectant SPF30

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again; even if you live in the UK, you still need a daily SPF on your face to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays, otherwise they will exacerbate the signs of aging. This daily-use face protectant from Jan Marini is SPF30 and will provide your skin with a water-resistant broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays. As well as this, it will help to control the oil production in your skin while providing advanced hydration, allowing you to give you a skin a wash of moisture and daily protection without any additional oil which could exacerbate sebum production.

Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF30

This product from Dermalogica is a truly multifunctional formulation. As well as providing lightweight ultra sheer broad spectrum sun protection, it also helps to regulate oil production within the skin, preventing shine and soothing inflammation. It contains advanced oil absorbers which help your skin to have a matte finish all day long, but doesn’t leave the same powdery residue that other oil absorbing products might. It contains green tea leaf extract, a powerful antioxidant which helps to soothe inflammation and can rid your skin of the underlying causes of overproduction of oil.

Jan Marini Physical Protectant SPF30

This sunscreen from Jan Marini is so much more than just sun protection and is actually a bit of a miracle product in a bottle! The weightless formula contains a universal tint and microscopic oil absorbing particles which will leave your skin with a sheer matte finish all day long. It contains green tea extract and alpha bisabolol, which give enhance antioxidant properties while soothing and calming the skin. It’s suitable for all skin types and is water resistant for up to 80 minutes, making it the perfect product to take on holiday with you.