We are all told that we need to wash our face regularly to keep it healthy. But how do we know if we’re doing it right? Cleansing too frequently, with too harsh a cleanser and using the wrong methods, could be making skin issues worse.
We step you through the reasoning behind cleansing, which cleanser and exfoliant to choose for your skin, and how to use them to the best effect.
I am often being asked for my naturopathic advice when it comes to supplements: what should I take to help my skin? Will supplements make any difference to my particular issue?
Supplements can definitely be helpful when you are not getting sufficient nutrients in your diet but I always recommend looking to food first as its often better absorbed and comes with many more beneficial nutrients.
Having said this I do take a handful of supplements to help with my skin and immune system on a daily basis and so I thought I’d share with you what I take and why.
We get so many great questions about how best to use our products and one of the most recent ones is whether or not I should be using the Lime Caviar Eye Crème or the Brightening Eye + Skin Serum for around my eyes.
Spring is the perfect time to take stock of your skincare products, reboot your beauty routine and get yourself set up for the sun to come. Here's how.
Autumn is upon us and the cooler weather is on its way. In our glorious patch of the world, the ever-stunning Blue Mountains of NSW, you can already see some of the leaf tips starting to burnish with autumn’s first colours.
As the coolness creeps in and the air starts to become dry, both indoors and out, it’s time to transition our skincare to accommodate the new conditions. After all, luminous skin is not reserved for the summer months alone.
This season’s shifting temperatures and windy weather can play havoc with skin that’s already stressed from the rigours of summer.
Your skin has just endured all the UV exposure (incidental or otherwise) that occurs through the summer months and now it has to contend with autumn’s drop in humidity.
It’s no wonder it needs a little extra TLC.
Lower humidity, harsh winds and cool temperatures are all responsible for the familiar discomfort of dry skin. And dry skin is compromised skin.
When skin is dry its natural barrier, the microbiome, can easily become damaged. This means it’s no longer able to perform its important protective role and suddenly your skin is exposed to external aggravators, like pollution.
This is when we begin to see irritated, inflamed and sensitive skin.
Skin cell turnover also slows down over autumn and winter. As the skin cells start to build up (not a pleasant thought) our skin starts becoming drier, flakier and rougher. This is the nemesis to glowing skin, as it creates a dull-looking appearance.
While there are definitely challenges to keeping a luminous complexion over the cooler months, it is absolutely possible. Here’s how you can keep on glowing over autumn:
Long, sun-soaked days may be behind us for the next little while, but sun protection is relevant year-round. UV rays are present even on overcast days so it’s just as important to protect your skin now that it’s getting cooler. Our Protect + Clarify Daily Face Lotion offers the perfect amount of sun protection for the cooler months.
It’s time to swap out your lighter products for more hydrating and nourishing skincare. Biofermented hyaluronic acid is a key ingredient for retaining moisture content in the skin and it supports collagen synthesis, making it one of our all-time favourites. You can find this ultra-hydrating wonder in our Ultimate Face Creme.
To further protect your skin from the drying weather, try adding a spritz and serum to your routine. A toner spritz will add another layer of moisture to your skin and help to reduce any inflammation. A potent serum will increase skin elasticity and hydration, as well as promote skin rejuvenation.
Dry weather conditions and slower cell turnover doesn’t mean you have to put up with a dull, flaky complexion. Or the resulting clogged pores. Gentle, regular exfoliation will clear away the excess build-up to reveal a radiant complexion.
Make sure not to exfoliate too roughly, or with a harsh exfoliant, as this can damage the skin barrier. We’ve paired organic Rosehip seed granules with hydrating ingredients such as biofermented hyaluronic acid, shea butter, macadamia and coconut oils to create a nourishing exfoliant and mask. Our 2 in 1 Face Exfoliant + Mask stabilises your skin’s natural protective barrier while drawing out and sweeping away impurities.
Cold, dry wind meeting wet lips. You lick them to stop the dryness and then almost immediately the wind dries them out even more….so you lick them again, but then, the wind! We’ve all been there. It’s amazing how quickly it changes from dry-ish lips to stinging lips to cracking lips.
Get ahead of the wind this season and make sure you’ve always got a nourishing lip balm handy. We formulated our lip balm, Ultimate Lips, to be deeply soothing, nourishing and hydrating so your lips will be impervious to the elements.
Autumn skincare doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. With a few considered tweaks and products that suit autumn’s environment, you can have glowing skin all season.
Bridget x
Well, we survived 2021 – just! Now most of us are enjoying a little summer break or making plans for one in the next few weeks.
When I packed for our 2 week annual beach holiday it had to be simple and light-weight. I don’t have the space nor the time to spend hours on my skin this trip, and so I made sure to only include products which will keep my skin in top shape, quick smart.
Want to know what I packed? Here’s a peak into my travel bag and my top skincare picks for healthy summer skin:
Having spent the last few days at the beach with the family, applying layers of zinc-based sunscreen to prevent sunburn and all that comes with excessive sun exposure, I’ve been using my 2 in 1 Exfoliant + Mask every 2nd day to keep my skin clear and my pores unblocked. It’s so refreshing on skin and leaves it feeling silky soft and glowing. LOVE having clean, make-up free skin all summer long.
The next product to hit my skin at the end of the summer’s day is my Biome Spritz. Rich in native Kakadu plum, nature’s most potent source of Vitamin C, this refreshing spritz boosts your skin cells’ defence against free radicals (caused by too much sun, stress, pollution etc.), which reduces oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is bad because it leads to collagen and hyaluronic acid break down, which is what causes wrinkles and dry skin. Fortunately, Vitamin C also stimulates collagen and hyaluronic acid synthesis. So not only are you stopping the breakdown of these key skin components with all those antioxidants, but you’re making more. Summing up, regularly spritzing with our Ultimate Biome Spritz should leave your skin more radiant, more hydrated and a tad less crinkly.
I seriously wish I could bathe in this stuff over summer! Nothing restores my skin, re-hydrates it and keeps it looking fresh better than our Repair Face Serum. With a special blend of certified organic ingredients, our serum promotes skin repair and renewal, and rapidly sinks into the skin providing a hydrating glow. It also quickly soothes sun damage and helps to keep my pigmentation in check. It’s no wonder why we frequently get 5-star reviews for this beauty for everything from dry skin to scars.
Not forgetting the body, our Ultimate SOS Balm is what the rest of my skin gets lathered in. At the end of the day this balm can save your skin in all kinds of ways. Not only can you use it as an all over body moisturiser, on any skin flare ups (eczema, dermatitis, rosacea), but it’s great for bites, sun damaged skin and pigmentation. It’s essential on my body after a long day at the beach when my skin is uber dehydrated. I also slather my kids in it after a little too much sun or when they get inundated by mozzies. This is most certainly one product you will never see me without this summer.
Hope you can take some well-earned time off this summer and enjoy a little beach time too.
The skin on our bodies is often neglected as we tend to focus on our face and figure our bodies will just look after themselves. Big mistake!
Because our skin is our largest organ and most of what we put on it gets absorbed, choosing high-quality products for the body is so very important. They need to be 100% natural and as organic as possible, to avoid causing skin reactions, disrupting our hormones, and not adding to the toxin burden on our liver.
There are also some simple things you can do to look after your body that will reduce dryness, stop eczema from flaring up and keep it glowing.
As much as I would love everyone to just empty the contents of their beauty cabinet and start fresh, it’s not practical or affordable for many. So given that one of the most common questions I get asked is ‘where should I start when transitioning to organic skincare’, I wanted to lay out my recommendations.
When going organic, I think it’s good to know not only what to start buying but why. That way you can make informed decisions and know that you’re heading in the right direction.
Start with the lips
Our bodies absorb around 80% of what we put on it but this is increased if it’s on your lips. Why? Because you’re eating it! What’s not being absorbed is going into your digestive system and into your body. That’s why it’s super important to make sure your lip balm and lip colour are 100% natural and as organic as possible. (I have to tell you, whilst recently standing in line at a local store I read the ingredients of some well-known lip balms and was appalled – so many chemicals in these products!)
I highly recommend our Ultimate Lips (99% certified organic ingredients) and Rose Tinted Lips (99% certified organic ingredients).
Note: For those with little people, baby products (moisturisers, oils, creams and balms) come in at a tied 1st place. This is because baby’s skin barrier is much more penetrative than adults, absorbing more than 80% into their system.
Body beautiful
The skin on our bodies (everything from the décolletage down) is a very large surface area. And given its superior absorption qualities, this is the next place to invest in organic skincare. Our multi award winning Ultimate Hand + Body Lotion, Ultimate SOS Balm and Ultimate Body Oil come highly recommended.
Face essentials
Your face cream, serum and toner are the next stop because they make the biggest visual impact. These 3 face products in an organic form are so much better for your complexion, scarring, pigmentation and signs of ageing. Why? Because they contain none of the nasties which can be counter-productive for these issues (parabens, PEGs, artificial fragrances) and the botanicals they DO contain are more potent due to organic farming producing a higher antioxidant and vitamin content.
Clean up your act
It’s important to make your cleanser, exfoliant and mask the next organic purchases for 2 reasons:
Make me up
I’ve put this one last because it’s not necessarily an everyday item. Personally, I only wear make-up when I’m heading out to something important. If, however, you do wear make-up daily, I would pop it into 4th position. Choosing natural and organic make-up is important because there are sooo many chemicals that go into conventional products. There is also very little regulation and brands are not required to list ingredients on their packaging (scary!!!). The best natural and organic make-up brands that I use and recommend are Inika, Gemma Vendetta and Eye of Horus. Eco Tools also makes fabulous natural applicators (brushes, sponges etc.).
As always, I’m here to help so please feel free to reach out if you have any queries.
I hope you find it helpful.
I really love our Lime Caviar Eye Crème, especially after a sleep-less night. As I enter my 40s I have found that it is now an essential part of my skincare regime and I love what it does for my eyes.
If you are new to eye creams, you may be wondering whether or not you need one and whether it will help you. Well, I’m here to answer your queries and give you all the info you need on eye creams. Here’s just a few of the questions we’ve received lately and our feedback.
Q. Shouldn’t my normal face cream be enough and fulfill the same purpose as an eye cream?
A. Sometimes it is as simple as having a decent moisturiser that can be applied up to the eye area. However, it is important to remember that the skin around the eye is thinner, dryer and more sensitive than other areas on the face. It’s also the first to show signs of ageing (not a concern for all people but it is for some). Eye creams are designed to specifically cater to the needs of this area and focus on eye area issues, rather than the focus of general face creams (e.g. sun protection, pigmentation).
Q. I heard someone saying that dark circles in older ladies can’t be helped as that has got to do with age and bone density. Is this true?
A. This has some truth but only really relates to a certain percentage of the population. As we age we all lose bone density and the bones on the face are not exempt from this. This can cause dark circles in some people, particularly those with a lower bone density and/or lower body fat.
Q. I tend to get dark circles in spring and autumn and relate this to my allergies. Can an eye cream help with this?
A. Yes it may well. When you get allergies, you tend to get itchiness, redness, puffiness and sensitivity around the eye area. This is because the body is releasing histamine which allows fluids to flow more freely into affected sites. By applying an eye cream, it should help to move fluid out of the affected area and calm any redness.
Q. Is an eye cream really needed? Why should I stretch my budget?
A. Eye creams can be very potent products which are formulated to cater for very specific needs. They are helpful for looking after the health of the eye area (dryness, fine lines etc.), especially when your face cream is not suited to be applied near the eye (e.g., stronger retinol-based creams, heavily fragranced creams etc). They are also the perfect antidote to dark circles and bags caused by fatigue and fluid retention.
On a purely indulgence level, I really enjoy the feeling of applying a cream to my eyes. It feels like I’m giving my eyes that little bit of extra TLC, which also happens to make me look a little fresher and help prevent any further degradation in that area.
All in all, I would say that eye creams can be a very useful addition to the skincare regime.
Want to learn more about our Lime Caviar Eye Crème? Click here.
Got further queries? Please feel free to email me bridget@clemenceorganics.com
As we age and spend more time in the sun (especially after these glorious summer days), pigmentation naturally creeps up on us. Having recently turned 40, it’s something that I have noticed comes easier to me if I’m not careful and has made me more conscious to reduce and prevent it.
In my experience, there are 3 key steps to tackling pigmentation naturally. Here’s how:
Cleansing helps in 2 ways. Firstly, it helps to gently exfoliate the skin, removing the top layer of skin cells, which in turn encourages the skin to produce new skin cells. Secondly, and this is specific to our Refining Cleanser, it helps to reduce melanin production (the dark pigments in skin that cause pigmentation). This is because our Refining Cleanser contains Bearberry, a botanical that has been shown to inhibit the enzymes needed to produce melanin.
How often should I cleanse?
Cleansing should take place daily. When using the Refining Cleanser, this is best used in combination with a face cloth such as our Organic Bamboo Face Cloth as this further assists the exfoliation process.
What about the 2 in 1 Face Exfoliant + Mask?
This product is fabulous for serious exfoliation and should be used 2-3 times weekly, with particular attention paid to areas of pigmentation.
After cleansing and exfoliating, the next products that hit your skin need to help further reduce melanin production and promote skin cell turnover.
Firstly, spritz with our Ultimate Biome Spritz. This product is packed with vitamin C which has been shown to inhibit melanin production. It also contains ingredients which encourage a healthy microbiome, overall skin health and protect against environmental pollutants.
After spritzing, we recommend applying a few drops of our Repair Face Serum. This beautiful product contains ingredients which have been shown to reduce pigmentation and increase skin cell turnover.
How often should I use these products?
Both the Ultimate Biome Spritz and Repair Face Serum should be applied every morning and evening.
After going to all these efforts to reduce your pigmentation, the next step is to protect your skin and prevent any further damage. In order to do this, you need to apply a product containing SPF as the sun is the most common cause of skin darkening.
I use our Protect + Clarify Daily Face Lotion as it’s a beautiful light weight lotion which protects my skin from the sun, as well as containing ingredients which fight pigmentation.
Our Protect + Clarify Daily Face Lotion contains SPF15 which blocks 93% of UVB rays. This is enough if you are only spending periodic periods in the sun (I spend most of my days in the office and am only out in the sun for maximum 30 minutes per day). When spending longer periods, it’s best to choose an SPF30 or higher.
How often should I apply this product?
Protect + Clarify Daily Face Lotion should be applied every morning.
So just to re-cap, the 5 products I use to tackle pigmentation are:
Using these products should help to reduce any areas of pigmentation and prevent it from reoccurring again.
Got further queries? Please feel free to email me bridget@clemenceorganics.com
I auditioned for a Clearasil ad when I was around 11 (don’t worry, the irony isn’t lost on me). I remember preparing for the audition, making sure my skin was clean and obsessing over a tiny spot or 2 on my face. I couldn’t decide if they wanted someone with pimples and I should leave them, or if I should cover them up?
I didn’t get it in the end. Either I wasn’t a very good actor, or I wasn’t quite what they were looking for. Why am I telling this story? I feel like it was the beginning of my obsession with my skin.
I had acne quite badly when I was a teenager. I used all the toxic stuff that ‘guaranteed’ clear skin. After years of poisoning myself with chemicals, my hormones settled, and my skin calmed down. What I was left with was scars and plenty of them. My fault entirely – I was a picker, not a leaver. I just didn’t think they would leave such a legacy on my face for years to come.
As a teenager, I was also very aware of the scars on my body. I acquired a large keloid scar right in the centre of my chest when I was around 10 and when I became a teenager it became a major focal point in my life. I felt it was ugly and made me look ugly. I did everything I could to try to hide it. I would choose clothing so that it could be covered. And if I couldn’t cover it with clothing, I became very good at making or adjusting necklaces so that they would cover it.
Now that I’m almost 40, and after years of applying my Repair Face Serum, that scar has pretty much flattened and disappeared. I have another on my shoulder, more recently acquired at university, but I don’t really care too much about it. Growing older, having children, becoming more worldly-wise, has made me realise that people don’t care about scars. It doesn’t make me ugly. It’s just a part of my story.
I’ve been reflecting on my reflection lately. It’s funny, having a skincare brand, there is some internal dialogue telling me that my skin should be perfect. But is that really true? I have been told over the years that I have lovely skin and that is no surprise given the skincare I create and promote. But sometimes I look at my face in the mirror and all I see are the faults – acne scars, faint pigmentation from years of careless sun exposure and the beginning of deep lines. Why do we do that to ourselves?
Ultimately, I’m happy with my skin. It really is the best it’s ever been in my life – pimple free, acne scars and pigmentation fading, and overall glowing skin. It will never be perfect, and I certainly will never succumb to cosmetic procedures to make it so. It’s healthy, it will age well, and that’s really all that I want.
When I reflect back on that Clearasil commercial, perhaps what I should have learnt was that confidence is key. My products give me confidence that what I’m putting on my skin is not only going to make my skin as healthy as it can be, but it’s not going to do any harm to my body or the environment. This makes me feel good, and I hope it makes others feel good too.
I have always tried to live a low-tox life but it became paramount for me when I decided I wanted to become a parent. Falling pregnant was not a piece of cake for my husband and I, and we ended up in an IVF clinic after several years of trying to conceive naturally.
As a naturopath, I found this very difficult to stomach as I believed that I could solve our fertility issues with my education and experience. Turns out, medical science is the only solution in some situations.
What I could control was the health of my body and so I took it upon myself to ensure I was doing everything I could to provide a healthy ‘vessel’ for the growth of our unborn child. I read all the research on environmental toxins and fertility, and cleaned up my act.
Whilst I’m certainly not the ‘guru’ when it comes to living a low-tox life (I’ll leave that to Alexx Stuart), here are some of the changes I made in my life 10 years ago and live by today.
Obviously, this is quite an extensive list of recommendations and I wouldn’t expect anyone to put them into place right away. I think that by becoming aware of where toxins can come from in your home is a great start to living a low-tox life – better for your health and the health of the planet too.
As always, I’m here for any questions you might have so please feel free to email me.
Best of health to you,
