Caring for Children’s Skincare.

Children are tender seedlings whose skin are unlike that of adults, making them more prone to adverse reactions when exposed to the various chemicals frequently found in skin care products. Due to the sensitivity of children’s skin, special care and attention should be paid to reduce the possibility of future damage as they grow.

Parents are consistently on the lookout for products that will not only protect, but nourish the skin of their precious children, thus seeking natural products is of great importance.

Here and now
In an era where many skincare products designed for children are advertised as being safe, close examination of the ingredients in readily purchased body washes, lotions and moisturizers can often leave parents with a sense of dismay. Close examination has been carried out by campaign organizations such as the Environmental Working Group. Their investigations revealed that some well-known children skin care products contain chemical ingredients that are harmful to young skin.

Ingredients such as parabens, polycyclic musks, triclosan and some forms of artificial fragrances, which have been linked to varying far-reaching health issues such as diabetes, breast cancer, and even birth defects. Despite the fact that leading skincare goods contain such ingredients that are unsafe for prolonged usage on children’s skin, there remains the commercial pull that attracts unaware parents to purchase such products based on their popularity.

With an increase in the number of children who suffer from skin problems such as eczema and skin dryness, some parents resort to applying steroid creams and gels such as hydrocortisone in order to try to keep unwanted skin conditions under control. Steroid creams and gels are not recommended for long-term usage due to the adverse side effects it can have such as skin thinning and a decrease in the adrenal gland’s production of natural hormones; however, the presence of hydrocortisone in some remedial children’s skincare products is extremely worrying.

Tender care for tender skin

Le Soie Cosmetics’ Angels range is free from harmful chemicals as we are committed to only producing the safest skincare products for young skin. We take great care when producing our products, and thoroughly test them to ascertain they are 100% safe. We use nourishing ingredients such as calendula oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, borage oil, Argan oil, carrot oil, aloe versa extract, soybean oil, sweet almond oil and allantoin (from the chamomile plant) to guarantee that tender care is given to tender skin - children deserve nothing less than the best.

The History of Soap.

What is Soap?

Soap, or ‘sapo’ in Latin, is an age-old cleansing agent that dates as far back as ancient Babylon. Throughout time, soap has been a core element of laundry, household, and personal cleansing routines for many civilizations and although soap-making methods have evolved over time, it is still essentially a mixture of fats and oils that have been combined with an alkali.

Origins

Historians aren’t in complete agreement about exactly when soap was discovered, yet there is evidence that the Sumerians – an ancient civilization that resided in Southern Mesopotamia, now known as south Iraq – used a soap-like substance to strip grease from cloth and wool before dying them. The substance, which archaeologists discovered in inscribed clay vessels, was slippery and the inscriptions on the vessels described how the Sumerians boiled ashes and fats to form it. Excavated tablets also describe this early method of creating different types of soap-like substances, although their exact usage is not quite clear.

Throughout the ages

Following the Sumerians, evidence of soap-making has been found from discoveries of the ancient German, Roman, and Egyptian civilizations. A historical medical document called the Ebers Papyrus; details how ancient Egyptians combined oils with alkaline salts to create a soap-like substance they used not only for cleansing purposes, but to also treat skin diseases. Throughout the ages civilizations combined fats with alkali as a soap-making method, and soap manufacturing processes still do the very same thing today.

Soap Refinement

In the middle Ages, soap-making became an art that attracted a lot of interest. Craftsmen used trial and error to refine their recipes as they experimented with ashes from plants, animal and vegetable oils, and fragrances. Dedicated guilds were established to safeguard recipe secrets which were passed down amongst generations. With the advent of laundry, shampooing, and shaving soaps, soap became more than an agent for personal cleaning routines.

Product of Luxury

As the variety expanded, soap-making became a prosperous business. In countries like Spain, France and Italy, early soap manufacturers were established, made possible due to the abundance of natural raw ingredients like olive oil, which gave their soaps an extremely unique quality. High production of soap eventually led to a huge decrease in reserves of tallow – an essential material for candle-making that was heavily relied on – which drove the tax and price of soap sky-high. The purchase of soap became possible only for the rich, leading it to become a luxury item the poor could not afford. Innovative recipes were developed to eliminate the use of tallow in soap production, allowing soap to once again be enjoyed by both the rich and the poor.

Manufacturing advancements

The 18th century brought about the Industrial Revolution, when the commercial manufacture of soap thrived. Mechanical and steam-power equipment meant that soap could be produced at speeds and in volumes like never before. With the advancement in equipment came scientific discoveries of the chemistry combination of fats, glycerin and alkali. French chemists developed methods to reduce the use of alkali, which significantly decreased the cost of making soap while increasing its quality. The combined developments in soap-making led to the rapid growth of the industry.

Le Soie Cosmetics has taken soap production back to its roots, utilizing traditional soap-making methods that use only natural ingredients. In an era of mass production, the art of soap-making has been lost, and that is why we handcraft our soaps in an array of shapes, sizes and fragrances. We merge the old with the new to ensure our soaps are unlike the slippery substance of our ancient predecessors, but instead appeal to both the senses and the skin.

Is Natural Unattractive?

We all want to put the least harmful products on our bodies, which explains the great increase of natural beauty products available to consumers. The word natural is commonly used to describe products that are meant to do wonders for our hair and skin, but the question is: what qualifies as being-natural?

What is natural?

According to the Oxford dictionary, natural is defined as existing in or derived from nature, therefore, anything that originates from other than man-made materials is considered natural. Within the context of beauty and skincare products, natural refers to ingredients, carrier agents, preservatives, emulsifiers and other elements that exist in and are derived from nature. All such materials are free from synthetic and man-made additives, and their manufacturing process ensures that as much of their goodness is preserved as possible.

Is natural unattractive?

Although ingredients may be naturally occurring, this doesn’t automatically translate as them being safe or even desirable, as can be seen from beauty regimes from the past. One such example is the use of crocodile dung in mud baths by ancient Egyptians, which was thought to leave the skin smooth and silky. Another example is the application of belladonna – a highly poisonous herb – by Victorian women who wanted to brighten their eyes.

Natural beauty and skincare is deeply rooted in age-old routines, and although some were what we now consider to be horrific in nature, they don’t have to be, as natural has great potential for being appealing to the senses and nourishing to the body – a true evolution from hair and skincare products of the past.

Gone are notions of women applying chalk and lead to their faces to achieve a whiter look, or applying a layer of egg whites to the skin to have glowing skin. Now, we can imagine the vast array of botanically sourced ingredients that can be used to produce care products that are not only attractive in sight, but are also appreciated by both hair and skin.

Height of attraction

Le Soie Cosmetics is a front-runner in dispelling the once negative imagery of natural beauty products, bringing a range of enhancing care merchandise consumers are delighted to use. Drawing on the beneficial properties of natural hair and skincare ingredients such as aloe vera extract, allantoin oil from the chamomile plant, coconut oil, avocado oil, and naturally sourced carrier agents, emulsifiers and scents, they are completely safe on both hair and skin. These natural ingredients have been combined and produced to ensure they maintain their integrity, which is great proof that natural goodness does not mean unattractive.

Skincare Routine: Is It Important?

Why does skin need a routine?

The skin is often believed to be merely the outer layer of our bodies with no real connection to internal organs, thus the level of care and attention it receives is usually far less than what it deserves. As the largest organ of the body, the skin actually plays an extremely important role in protecting internal organs, and is a part of the body’s supporting structure.

Fluctuations in the appearance of the skin are usually an indication of changes happening internally; for example, when the body’s temperature rises beyond optimal performance levels, it is through sweating on the skin that the temperature is lowered and regulated?without this function, the body would overheat.

Although our skin sheds dead skin cells and rejuvenates and repairs itself when damaged, it is one of the most visible parts of our body and can never be replaced, therefore it is paramount that it is cared for and looked after properly.

Benefits of skincare

Caring for the skin goes further than wanting to look good, as healthy skin is a sign of a healthy body. Skin that is damaged has greater risk of infections and takes longer to heal, thus a good skincare routine will not only give it the nourishment it needs to look healthy, but will also ensure it is able to recover and repair itself quickly if future damage occurs.

The facial skin is one of the most sensitive areas, and requires a good balance of cleansing, exfoliation, and moisturizing to maintain supple, well-nourished, youthful skin. Below is an outline of each part of a good skincare routine, and why they’re vital to the overall facial skin health.

Cleansing

Cleansing is the very first step to good skincare, and helps remove excess dirt, oils and make-up. When a good cleansing product is used, the skin’s pores are unclogged, leaving you with clear skin. The type of cleansing product you use greatly depends on your skin type: oily, dry, or normal/combination.

Le Soie Cosmetics' Pegasus range of cleansing lotions are the first step to a nourishing skincare routine. Designed to effectively remove make-up and impurities without stripping the skin of its natural oils.

Exfoliation

An oft-neglected part of skincare routines, exfoliation reinforces cleansing. When the skin is exfoliated, redundant and dead skin cells are removed, leaving a layer of new cells. The effects of exfoliating are almost immediate, as the skin is left feeling smoother with a glow.

Le Soie Cosmetics’ Saunice range has the perfect exfoliation solution to leave skin glowing and smooth. With a choice of either a salt or sugar, these eucalyptus infused scrubs are an invigorating addition to skincare routines.
 
Moisturizing

A good moisturizer is the final element of a successful skincare routine, and how much and how often you moisturize depends on your skin type and the way the skin feels. If you feel your skin feels tight, this is a sign that your skin is dry and is in need of some moisture, however, avoid applying too much moisturizer, as it can clog up your skin’s pores; a pea-size amount is usually sufficient for successful hydration.

Le Soie Cosmetics have a range of moisturizing day creams specially developed to hydrate thirsty skin. We don’t believe that one-size fits all as far as skincare is concerned, thus we have day creams for dry, oily, and normal skin. The creams act as a skin protector and balances the moisture content of the skin, giving long-lasting hydration.
 
A good routine is key to maintaining healthy skin that has the right balance of moisture and natural oils. The appearance of your skin is vital to overall well being, and taking the time to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize your skin will not only leave you looking wonderful externally, but you’ll feel content internally too.