sensitive skin

DIY Oats and Almonds Cleanser for Sensitive and Dry Skin

Nayantara Karnik · January 28, 2016 · 13 Comments

Update: This post is chosen as one of the 10 Must Try DIY’s by Blogadda. Congratulations Nayantara and thanks for such a wonderful DIY 🙂

My skin was totally acting up a couple of months back. I don’t really suffer from acne though I do have combination skin. I was getting dry red patches, itchiness and irritation especially around my mouth. All the usual face washes and cleansers were only aggravating the problem and no amount of moisturizers or facial oils were helping.

I figured the problem was sulphates which I’ve eliminated from my shampoos but it’s real hard to find face washes without them. Usually the Aroma Magic ones work well for me as they are sulphate-free and mild but I needed more this time. I know that oats are the bomb for sensitive skin and redness so I pottered around to find a good concoction of stuff that would work for me.

Oats are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, thiamine and iron. They are known to have anti-inflammatory properties and suit all skin-types, even the most sensitive. These properties make it great for treating acne and redness, sunburn & itchy skin. They also contain natural mild cleansing agents and gently moisturise and exfoliate skin.

Next up is green tea, a favourite of mine for all things skin & hair, loaded with anti-oxidants, helps in skin-renewal and hence anti-aging. Another benefit here is its anti-inflammatory properties, again great to treat redness, rosacea and acne as well.

Almonds are known the world over to be great for skin. They also contain anti-oxidants which help to protect skin, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E which is an additional anti-oxidant, magnesium and calcium which counter the effects of stress hormones and help cells absorb nutrients. They are great for glowing skin and to combat dryness. When ground to powder they also, like oats, make a very mild exfoliant.

So I thought of using these awesome ingredients to concoct a face cleanser-mask for myself judging by the way cleansing grains have become so popular over the conventional face washes. But I wanted to make it a bit more special, so read on to see what else I added to it.

DIY Oats and Almonds Cleanser for Sensitive and Dry Skin

Prominent Skin Conditions {Infographic}

Swathy · July 27, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Homemade Castile Soap

Swathy · May 10, 2013 · 9 Comments

Guest Post by Waseema

This is the first time that I am writing a review and I am excited and nervous at the same time. Today I would like to review a pure olive oil soap also called Castile Soap handmade by me at home.

Why I got into soap making is because my daughters aged 5 yrs and 1 yr have very sensitive skin and any soap I use caused dry flaky skin or dry patches with redness and itching on them.

The soaps I make are cold process soaps which have a high percentage of glycerin in it as a result of the saponification process. Hence, these soaps are very conditioning and do not dry out skin unlike commercial soaps.

Ingredients

Saponified oils of olive, castor, lye and distilled water. Unscented, Uncolored.

My Experience

This soap does not lather like the commercial soaps as it contains 90% olive oil, but the addition of castor oil helps with bubbles as seen in the picture above. If you use a pouf/nylon mesh scrubber you can get decent lather. Though this soap does not lather much but it cleanses very well and does not dry the skin.

Ever since my daughters have been using this soap their skin is behaving well and does not break out in itchy rashes or flaky patches. I would recommend this soap for babies and those with sensitive and dry mature skin. Overall this works as a great soap for all skin types.

Editor’s Note: This is so true. Read what I wrote about the difference between soaps and bathing bars.

Due to high glycerine content these soaps melt very easily and to keep it around longer you have to avoid holding it in the shower stream, and make sure that you store it on a well-draining soap dish, or else it can end up in a gloppy mess.

I make these soaps at home. Currently I have a batch that’s cured and ready to be used. You can check more pictures here. If you would like to buy them, let me know.

Price: Rs 99 for 80gms

Thank you so much for reading my review!
Luv,
Waseema.

Editor’s Note: Thanks a lot Waseema for letting us know about the castile soaps. They are indeed really awesome!