Your skin is an organ worth looking after. Rightly or wrongly, we judge a person’s life or lifestyle simply by the appearance of their skin.
Our skin is remarkable – the body’s largest organ breathes, helps protect, generates vitamins by absorbing sunlight and has an amazing capacity for regeneration.
It is never too early to take care of your skin but beware of marketing hype prevalent in the beauty industry which often plays on our insecurities about our appearance. We can easily fall victim to the many clever ways beauty products are marketed.
A customer once wrote a testimonial about spending in excess of $100 on an anti-wrinkle skin cream. She was bitterly disappointed not only in the product but in herself for falling into the trap of wanting to look younger. She keeps it in her bathroom cabinet as a constant reminder, but now purchases NZ-made organic products which cost much less and deliver far better results.
The only secret you need to know about looking younger is this: HYDRATION!
That’s it! If you feed your skin inside and out with good-quality water and oils you will never look older than your years.
The natural ageing process and genetics will play a large role in how well a person looks. External factors such as weather, smoking and diet will determine whether you grow old gracefully or ‘disgracefully’. The choice is ours to make.
In our 20s skin cell regeneration rate is about every 3 weeks. Once we enter our 40s this rate slows to about 9 weeks so extra care is paramount as we age. Drink plenty of pure, fresh, filtered water and use good-quality natural skin-care products which contain a high level of active ingredients.
A study by the US-based Environmental Working Group shows that nearly 90 percent of ingredients used in personal care products have not been assessed for safety by any publicly accountable institution. As a result, some companies routinely market products containing ingredients that are poorly studied (if at all) or worse, are known to pose potentially serious health risks to those who use them.
As we consider more carefully the foods we consume for optimum health, so we should with personal care products. If you require a chemistry degree just to read the label, then it truly has no place on our precious skin. Natural, organic-certified oils and humectants such as Aloe Vera and Vegetable Glycerine, waxes such as Jojoba, and essential oils for fragrance are all beneficial to the skin and our overall health.
Remember, the choice is yours. There are so many worthwhile alternatives often at a fraction of the cost of conventional products. The challenge is to value your health over beauty and learn to read before you buy, hydrate well and improve your skin with natural oils – you will be rewarded.
Janine Matchitt
Managing Director
Formulation Chemist R & D Dept
Viola Organics Ltd
