Tag: retinol

Why Do A Nightime Routine Blog Post graphic

Why Do A Nighttime Routine?

Posted on by Editorial Team

You may love a good night-time skincare routine, but do you know what its benefits are? Read below to learn why a night-time routine can really benefit your skin.

What happens to your skin while you sleep

Your skin is the second-largest organ in your body, and as such it performs many functions. So what is happening to your skin while you sleep?

  • Your skin loses water – or “sweats” – while you sleep due to less oil production, which means that it’s important to counteract this moisture loss with a moisturizer. Oils like jojoba imitate the skin’s natural sebum, while oils like hemp and olive supply much-needed fatty acids to maintain elasticity.
  • Skin becomes drier due to this moisture loss, which makes an extra-emollient moisturizer all the more important. If your skin is normally dry, then slather it on!
  • Your skin needs the right amount of sleep in order to replenish itself. If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter, you’ll notice that your skin is more sallow and your eyes are puffier. Lack of sleep also raises cortisol levels, which contributes to inflammation. Higher stress hormones can contribute to breakouts and other skin problems, as well. Hormones like Melatonin and Human Growth Hormone increase during sleep, making a good night’s sleep all the more important.
  • Skin is warmer at night, which can make it easier for skincare products to be absorbed. So why not take advantage of this and apply products like AHAs or BHAs to speed cell turnover while you sleep? Turnover tends to occur between about 11pm and 4 am, before body temperature drops to its lowest level during sleep. Skin is also more permeable, so products can be absorbed more easily.

What should your skincare routine look like?

We already know that a good moisturizer can counteract moisture loss while we sleep, but what else can we do to enhance our nighttime skincare routine?

  • Be sure to remove all traces of makeup and accumulated dirt gently before bed. A light oil-based makeup remover like Whole Earth Body Actives Facial Cleansing Oil and Makeup Remover is rich in Vitamin E and contains geranium oil to help balance sebum production. A gentle exfoliator will remove any dead skin cells.
  • Use products with ingredients like AHAs, BHAs, retinol and Vitamin C to help “detox” your skin, increase collagen production and reduce inflammation while you sleep. We like our Whole Earth Body Actives Age Defying Vitamin C Creme with Niacinamide. It’s gentle enough to use day and night for botanical-based antioxidant protection.
  • Get the best quality sleep that you can. Avoid electronic devices, caffeine, alcohol, and heavy meals before bed. If you’re a side sleeper, a silk pillowcase can help prevent wrinkles while you sleep. Products like melatonin (which decreases as you age), or valerian extract (which can help you fall asleep) are non-habit forming and effective for some. Use a humidifier in winter and a dehumidifier/air purifier in the summer if needed to maintain a humidity level of about 45 percent and keep mucus membranes from drying out.

By spending just a little extra time at night, you can go a long way towards helping your skin to be its very best. And isn’t waking up to healthy skin worth it?

Is There A Real Fountain of Youth? WEBA Natural Products Blog

Is There A Real Fountain of Youth?

Posted on by Lydia D

Is There A Real Fountain of Youth?

The legend of the “Fountain of Youth” has existed since the days of Herodotus in the 5th century B.C. Great. Many were believed to have set out in search for this elusive fountain whose restorative waters would turn back the clock.

This search persists to this day, although in different ways. For centuries, women used milk baths, herbs, skin whiteners, and coverings in order to stave off the effects of harsh sunlight and environmental conditions. They would pamper themselves and use natural colorants to adorn their skin and hair.
Today, men and women continue to seek out a “magic” solution to the aging process. The term “anti-aging” has come to refer to products and processes that arrest the hands of time, just like the mythical fountain of youth. The question is whether many of the products claiming to be anti-aging really do what they claim. Add to this the tendency in this country for society to worship youth and outward beauty, and you have heightened pressure for consumers to find the magic bullet.

Are Skincare products the New Fountain of Youth?

It is highly unlikely that any single skincare product can halt aging. The human body is a complex machine, and the skin is its largest organ. Scientific studies point to things like shortened telomeres, genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors in an attempt to understand what causes aging in the first place.
As far as the skin is concerned, things like oxidative stress and too much sun exposure can cause the skin to lose elasticity. Loss of collagen can be caused by smoking and other factors, which can cause skin to sag. Cell turnover also decreases as we age.

In order to counteract some of these changes, there are a few topical ingredients that have shown results:

  • Products containing retinoids can help lighten age spots and increase cell turnover.
  • Scrubs and lotions containing alpha-hydroxy or beta-hydroxy acids help eliminate dead skin cells. Examples are citric acid, glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Alpha-hydroxy acids, which are water soluble, tend to be gentler than beta-hydroxy acids, which penetrate deeper and are oil-soluble.
  • Antioxidants like ALA (alpha-lipoic acid) and catechins and polyphenols (found in green tea) help with inflammation that can damage skin and other organs. Vitamins C, E, and H (Biotin) help maintain healthy skin and hair. These are found in many foods, but skincare products often add them, too. However, since it is unknown how much will be absorbed by the skin, it’s best to eat a variety of healthy foods or take a supplement if a deficiency is suspected.

Finding our Fountain of Youth

Just how much you feel you need to do in order to slow down the aging process depends on many factors, including lifestyle, diet, environmental toxins, cultural mores and heredity. Just how young do we want to be? We prefer to use the term “age-defying” to describe the steps we take to keep ourselves as healthy and vigorous as possible, while embracing age-related changes to our bodies. Our new Vitamin C Face Crème with Niacinamide is designed to gently renew the skin’s surface while smoothing without silicone. While some might welcome such procedures as Botox, dermabrasion and collagen smoothies, others might be happy with aging gracefully with such practices as yoga and meditation, gentle exfoliation, and a detoxifying diet. Whatever your preference, it’s important for us to balance self-care and self-acceptance. After all, being happy with ourselves may be the best beauty treatment of all.

References:
Medical News Today article about Biotin
Healthline article on AHA/BHA comparison
World Vitae article about catechins
Fitness Magazine article about natural ways to remain young

Why we don't use animal ingredients

Why We Don’t Use Animal Ingredients

Posted on by Lydia D

From the beginning, WEBA Natural Products has taken a firm stand with regard to the use of animal ingredients in our products. While many personal care, clothing and food manufacturers may think differently on this topic, it is an ethical and aesthetic choice that makes sense for us.

Many consumers have argued that some ingredients don’t involve hurting animals, but we feel that this is a slippery slope. After all, how do they know? Are they expecting the cow or goat or bumble bee to scream “Don’t take that!”? We’d be surprised if they did. Let’s explore this practice and we’ll tell you why we feel the way we do.

A History of Using Animal Ingredients
Animal products have a long history in the personal care industry. The first soaps were made as far back as 2800 B.C. almost by accident. The basic recipe called for using wood ash and tallow, which consists of rendered animal fat (usually beef or pork). Many commercial “beauty” bars still use tallow (often labeled sodium tallowate), as it is an inexpensive by-product of factory farming. The same goes for gelatin, which is rendered by boiling animal cartilage and bone.

At first, these ingredients would be used in order to avoid waste and to save money. Before factory farming, local farmers made use of whatever was on hand, and they no doubt sold these products for a profit. Back “in the day” there were very few options for cleaning and bathing. Once these ingredient properties were found to be beneficial, they became more popular in many products, from soaps and skincare to cosmetics.

Can We Avoid Using Animal Ingredients?
Absolutely! Today, technology has made it possible for us to utilize plant-based and synthetic alternatives for many of the animal products that have been used in the past. As more and more consumers embrace a cruelty-free lifestyle, they want to be sure that the businesses that they support don’t use animal ingredients to create their skincare and cosmetic products. Below is a list of common animal ingredients alternatives that you will find in the marketplace.

  • Tallow – many plant-based oils, including palm oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter, can substitute for this ingredient. We’ll explain at a later time why we don’t use palm oil.
  • Gelatin – Agar is a suitable plant-based alternative to this animal ingredient.
  • Lanonin – Derived from the wool of sheep mostly. Again, cocoa butter would make a good substitute, and it smells great!< .li>
  • Squalene – Extracted from shark livers – yuk! Luckily, olive squalene is perfectly fine.
  • Collagen – Derived from animal tissue. While very popular as an anti-aging ingredient right now, its effectiveness in building up collagen is questioned; it is a large molecule. Oils like olive and amla are suitable.
  • Allantoin – Found in uric acid secreted from animals (usually horses). Fortunately, there are plant-based sources of allantoin.
  • Alpha-Hydroxy acids – There are both animal and plant sources. It’s important to read the label or contact the company to know what source they use.
  • Royal Jelly – Derived from the throat glands of honeybees. Its value is questionable. A good alternative is aloe vera gel.
  • Retinol and Retinoids – This only comes from animals. It’s used in many anti-aging creams, however, and it can cause irritation and sensitivity. As an alternative, try rosehip oil or Vitamin C, and eat more beta-carotene.

The list can go on, of course, so please check the References below. We hope that you’ll consider using products (like ours) that are free of animal ingredients and rich in plant-based oils and extracts.

References:
One Green Planet post on common cosmetic ingredients
Crueltyfree.org post on animal ingredients
Article on Alternatives to Retinol