Pura Vida Journey

Next up in our list of important skincare products is a mud mask. We all love to feel pampered and loved on and the feeling of a great mud mask tightening and cleansing the skin is definitely at the top of my self-care routine list!  But why? What is it about a mud mask that makes it so great? Do we even need a mud mask? I'm here to say yes! And here's why!! Environments pollutants take the form of light, energy, heat and noise. Think chemical air pollutants, EMF,s UV light, dust, ozone, carbon monoxide, cigarette smoke, etc. While many of these particles may be too large to penetrate the skin, the chemicals which attach themselves to those particles are not.  Our skin, which is the first layer of defense against these pollutants, is highly susceptible to this continuous barrage. Some of the effects of pollution on the skin include premature skin aging, dryness, rashes and irritation, cancers, dullness, roughness, etc. This is caused by oxidative stress which acco

Why I'm so glad you asked. What is in a good skincare is vital but what is not in it can be just as telling. Since cleanser is the first step in a good skincare routine, let's start there. So if you flip your cleanser over and take a gander at the ingredients, you're most likely going to see things like parabens, alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate (or some other sulfate) and fragrances, just to name a few. So let's break that down. If you've read any of my previous posts, you'll see I've addressed parabens and phthalates (which are found in fragrances). So let's focus on some of the other ingredients.  Alcohol: having issues with oily skin? Solvent alcohols like isopropyl or denatured alcohols are the wrong answer and in general are horrible for skin as they dry it out then forcing your skin to overproduce oil and compounding the problem. If you're already feeling like an oil slick, stay away from alcohol. Propylene glycol: