Honey

Honey. We all know it to be a healer in the kitchen cupboard and a wonder ingredient for just about anything digestible. We treat our insides to the glorious goodness of honey, why wouldn’t we treat our skin to the same healing powers?

Honey is naturally antibacterial, bursting with antioxidants, making it brilliant for breakouts and ageing alike. It is wonderfully nourishing, so helps to create a natural glow, and given its sticky nature, it is brilliant at unclogging pores.

Acid pads, enzyme masks and other skin resurfacing mediums do a great job at destroying the acid mantle layer and some go much deeper, leaving skin defenceless, making it unsurprising that so many people have sensitive and reactive skin.

 Scrubs are fine once in a while if there is an accumulation of dead flaky cells, but they should be used with care to avoid breaking healthy skin.  Honey is wonderful because as you lift it off the skin, only what is ready to come off will be removed. It also calms and nourishes the skin at the same time.

Honey extraction has been a key component of Soveral signature facial treatments for 15 years now, blended with a secret formula of vitamins and plant extracts to enhance its anti-inflammatory properties. Alexandra designed a non-abrasive technique to remove the honey that lifts the underlining facial tissues to aid detoxification – you literally feel your lymph starting to move.

Alexandra shared four simple steps for honey exfoliation at home with Vogue.com. Take a look and feel the difference immediately.

Skin will feel squeaky clean but if you want to go a step further and do a deep pore cleanse, post-honey exfoliation is a great time to do so, as the pores are open and the first layer of dead skin has been removed.  Massage Soveral Angel Balm onto the skin and the fats in the balm will blend with the sebum in the pores while the Geranium in the balm will separate and travel down into the pore to balance the sebaceous glands, working wonders for the skin. 

Once you remove the Angel Balm with another hot damp flannel you also remove the top layer of sebum within the black head. Overtime this technique will minimise pores and you will never need extractions again.

For those with dry flaky or congested skin, treat your skin to this sweet ritual once or twice a week - for those with a more normal skin, we would recommend making this a fortnightly regular.

Now, more than ever, people want a more natural approach to their skincare, but the transition can often be somewhat problematic. Like any creature of habit, skin that has been dependant on purely synthetic ingredients may react by breaking out, or become over sensitive to natural active ingredients. Active ingredients are highly desirable though, as they are key contributors towards the maintenance of healthy, toned, and youthful skin.

So how does one make the switch?

Assess if your skin is likely to react to natural active products: skin has been stripped of its own natural defence barrier may have an adverse reaction to active natural ingredients.

Has your skincare regime included any of the following?

• Skin resurfacing products such as solvents (even natural ones)
• Foaming cleansers, especially with sulphates.
• Retinoids – any form of Vitamin A
• Fruit acids (including Vitamin C serums)
• Harsh exfoliating ingredients
• Alcohols

Or, have you used any of the following treatments in the past 6 months:

• Micro-needling, Micro-blading, Microdermabrasion or Microcurrents
• Thermage ®
• Any laser skin treatment
• Any form of a skin peal
• Any other skin treatment that may have caused inflammation

Re-building the skin

If you suspect that your skin is over sensitive or likely to breakout by going natural, the best way forward is to do the switch in small steps.

Step 1 – Start with the cleanser.

If you have been using a foaming or in any way stripping cleanser, switch to the Soveral Awaken Cleanser. This mild yet effective cleanser promotes good skin health and is the right PH for healthy skin. Awaken is made with healing aloe vera, nourishing sunflower seed oil and a spritz of Lavender essential oil that adds natural antibacterial and mild antiseptic properties, all in all making this cleanser lovely for troublesome skin types.

If the skin tingles when using the Awaken Cleanser, it’s a clear indication that your skin is too alkaline and needs rebuilding. Look at the rest of your skincare and remove anything else that is stripping away the skin.

Step 2 – Balance the skin’s PH.

Once you have used the Awaken Cleanser for a week or so and if your skin has reacted well, then it’s time to start balancing its PH. The skin’s healthy PH should be between 4.5 to 5.5, which is slightly acidic. This is the right PH for healthy microflora to thrive and fight infection.

Introduce Floral Rain after Cleansing with Awaken, a heavenly blend of Orange Blossom & red roses, nourishing extracts of Aloe Vera & floral waters. Spray directly onto the skin before applying your moisturiser or serum.

Step 3 – Introduce a natural moisturiser.

Moody Skin is a mild moisturiser that has a small amount of natural oil and active yet mild essential oils.

An easily absorbed moisturiser, it has a synergetic blend of Lavender, Aloe and Palmarosa and is topped off with a splash of Vitamin E to make a wonderful blend for sensitive, and somewhat problematic skin, helping to regulate sebum production and allow the skin to breathe and repair.

Final step…

If after two months using just these three products the skin is reacting well, then we can start introducing nourishing oils, serums and active products that will regenerate and rejuvenate the skin.

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Autumn skin prepping

At Soveral, we are staunch believers in prevention being the best cure, especially when it comes to the skin.

As the first signs of autumn make an appearance the skin starts to misbehave.  Most skin breakouts begin in autumn, as the combination of the stresses linked to going back to busy schedules and the environmental conditions that a new season brings often causes the skin’s metabolic functioning to be disrupted. 

To help you be a step ahead and prevent this from happening we have put together these three little skin saviours:

Volcano Ash, Purifying Mask

A mask of many talents, Volcano Ash detoxifies, nourishes, firms, plumps and beautifies skin. With an intoxicatingly refreshing blend of Bentonite Clay, Palmarosa and Peppermint, it extracts impurities whilst offering essential nutrients & vitamins to help bring the skin back to life.

Use twice a week to keep skin detoxified.

Moody Skin, Balancing Moisturiser

Designed for sensitive and problematic skin types, Lemon, Lavender, Palmarosa and Aloe Vera join forces with a splash of natural Vitamin E to hydrate and repair in equal measure.

Use daily to keep skin nourished and protected from pollutants.

Spotless, Blemish Treatment Gel

This little ‘wonderpot’ packs quite the punch. Spotless forms a clear film, protecting the affected area from bacteria whilst it regenerates with a synergetic blend of three powerful essential oils; Limonene, Linalool and Lavender. Aloe Vera and Evening Primrose oil heal and nourish the skin to prevent it from scarring.

As well as using it directly on existing spots throughout the day, apply as an overnight mask over problem areas and on glands behind the ears to prevent breakouts.

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