Why the PH value of your cleanser matters!

As much as I love Clinique and its bestselling Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm (one of my favourite cleansers), their other cleansers do not make the cut. All because of ingredients that raise the PH level of the product. A recent example was this cleanser, given to me as a sample.

PH value of 7-8 indicated by the strip turning blue

One of the things you need to be careful about when putting a cleanser on your face is its PH level. PH (stands for potential for hydrogen) is a "figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a logarithmic scale". If you put that down on a simple scale, it would look something like this:

Image: drypharmacist.com

Our skin is slightly acidic by nature, with a PH of 5.5.

Image: happyskincare.com.au

This PH of 5.5 is necessary for the skin to maintain its healthy state. A disruption in this level can cause the skin to either burn (if it goes to the acidic level of 4 or lower) or be vulnerable to infection (if it goes to the alkaline level of 7 or above). Did you know that there are microorganisms on the skin that protect it from skin infections and serious skin conditions like acne and rosacea?

When you use conventional soap or face washes with a high PH (anything above 5 is potentially damaging), you're getting rid of the healthy microorganisms that are keeping the skin healthy and immune to infections.

Harsh cleansers may give you that squeaky clean feeling that immediately feels fresh, but that's actually a warning sign that you have gone too far. What these cleansers are really doing is stripping the face of its natural moisture barrier and healthy microorganisms along with the dirt and grime, making you feel "clean".

On the other hand, if you use a cleanser with an optimum PH (5.5), it still removes the dirt and grime but does not disturb the moisture barrier.

I'll be honest and say that not all cleansers are created equally. The majority of cleansers on the market, irrespective of how big a brand is, are high in PH. Which is a shame because they mess up the skin, cause acne and other conditions and then make you buy another product to deal with that condition. A vicious cycle that must stop!

Using harsh cleansers also strip away more oil than is necessary, leaving the skin dry and irritated, and then causing it to produce more oil (sebum) to compensate for the loss. This, in turn, makes the skin more oily, which makes you think that you need an even stronger cleanser. Another vicious cycle that must stop.

So, treat your skin wisely.

1) As a rule of thumb, avoid cleansers that create a supreme lather. 9 out of 10 times, they are loaded with harsh detergents, which help create that rich lather.

2) If you have to use a face wash that lathers, try to find a cleanser that has the right PH value, although such cleansers are rare. In Indian brands, Just Herbs is on the right track with its Silksplash face wash. I have tested its PH more than once. (A thorough review coming up soon)

PH of 5 indicated by the strip turning yellow

3) Cleansing oils and balms are much better to clean the skin with as they are essentially oils, so you're using oil to remove dirt and grime, and not harsh detergents. This takes some time to getting used to but your skin will thank you for it. If you're in India, The Body Shop's Camomile Cleansing Oil is a great cleanser to try out.

Overseas, there are plenty of cleansers (face washes, oils and balms) that are made keeping the right PH value in mind but here in India, such cleansers are hard to find. I have listed two good ones above, and I will update this post as and when I find more.

Lastly, remember that PH is not the be all and end all of great skin as there are several factors at play, but if you are having skin troubles and were wondering how to deal with them, this is a good place to start at.

Hope this was a helpful post. :)

Lookfantastic launches its Indian site--but wait, is that really good news?

Being a skin sleuth, I'm always on the lookout for great value in skincare/makeup, especially when I'm stalking browsing online shopping destinations for beauty products. A discovery I made yesterday was the Indian site of lookfantastic.com, a UK-based shopping site for hair and beauty products.

Now, you'd imagine me squealing in delight when I chanced upon the Indian counterpart of the popular website. My initial thought was that finally, we Indians can now access some of the most coveted beauty brands like Alpha H, Aromatherapy Associates, Eve Lom, Elemis, Omorovicza and others right here in India. No more stalking the international site.

The Indian website also says this proudly, "Bringing Lookfantastic to India'. Surely, this must be a godsend to us.

Sadly, not all things that appear promising in the beginning turn out so. And here's where I got down to some serious sleuthing. A comparison between the two sites. Warning: nerdiness ahead!

Lookfantastic UK	Lookfantastic India
Free worldwide delivery if you make a purchase over GBP 50, which thanks to Brexit is now INR 4518.	Free worldwide delivery if you make a purchase over INR 6,000. So, wouldn’t it make more sense to purchase from the international site? Just saying…
If you are spending less than GBP 50, the tracked cost for India is GBP 9.99, translating to INR 902.	If you are spending less than INR 6,000, the tracked cost is INR 1,000. So, there’s no clear advantage over the international site.
Prices are listed as prescribed by the brands	Same here, except that in some of the large-format Indian departmental stores like Lifestyle, Shoppers Stop etc., you’d find the same products for a lesser price! For instance, the Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour Skin Protectant is priced on this website for INR 2,592 whereas the last time I checked in Sephora, Mumbai, it was priced at INR 1,800 or thereabouts. How is that even possible?!
Delivery times are listed as per UK delivery timelines	Same here, which baffles me because international delivery to India takes much longer, and longer still if the order gets stuck in customs. However, the wording on the Indian site regarding shipping/delivery is identical to the international site. Which brings me to the false impression one gets that when you are shopping from the Indian site, you are getting the product from within India, hence, in a quicker timeframe. Not true! Your order will still be delivered to you from the UK, which beats the purpose of the Indian site.
Reviews—the all-important factor, next to price, that makes a buyer click ‘Add to Cart’. The reviews are left by international buyers, naturally as it is an international site.	Same here, which is logical to an extent, except that when buyers comment on shipping/delivery times, they are talking about their own countries.   Indian buyers need to take this into account when reading the reviews that are automatically replicated from the international site onto the Indian site.
You get almost any brand that you can think of here, especially convenient when you are looking for specific products that are not yet released in India. For instance, the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil, which I have had my eyes on for a very long time.	You don’t see all of the brands listed on the international site here. I was so hoping to see the Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Oil on the Indian site.
You can buy fragrances from the UK site. I had my eyes on the much-talked about Chloe.	No mention of fragrances here

The only good part about this whole branching out initiative is that your orders, be it on the international site or the Indian one, are synchronised so you can have a uniform record of everything that you do. If anyone can give me a valid reason as to why I should buy from Lookfantastic India, as opposed to Lookfantastic International, I'm all ears! For now, I'll stick to the international site, thank you!

Thanks for making it this far.

Have a lovely day!

Do you really need sunscreen on a cloudy day?

Image: monsoonsalon.com

Ah, the relief that monsoon brings—cool rainy days to beat the harsh summer heat, especially in a hot, humid city like Mumbai. While I know that friends in UK, US and other places are enjoying their summer and clear skies, for a change, we Mumbaikars are rejoicing the refreshing monsoon.

A change in the season usually indicates a change in skincare too. So, while I’m ditching the cooling ingredients that were my go-to in the summer, talked about in detail here, I’m more careful than ever about continuing using sunscreen.

Many people, including my beloved husband, believe that ‘no sun = no sunscreen’. Not true! Just because you cannot see the sun does not mean its rays don’t reach you.

UVB rays (which cause burning/tanning) and UVA rays (which cause ageing) are nasty things that must be avoided, not because you care about vanity but to prevent skin cancer.

On cloudy/rainy days, you may not get burned by the UVB rays as the clouds block them, UVA rays still manage to get through the cloud cover and cause skin damage. Experts even say that if the UVA rays bounce off the edge of certain clouds, their intensity increases. Furthermore, if the cloud cover is thin, they may not be able to block even the UVB rays.

Bottom line is ‘don’t forget your sunscreen’.

Enjoy your monsoon!

Grease be gone: Why blotting papers are the ultimate summer saviours

Keeping in line with the summer theme, here's another product type that is essential for those who live in hot, humid climates. The Blotting Paper. A nifty little pack that I absolutely cannot live without, be it summer or otherwise, but especially during summer.

The concept of a blotting paper is simple--it's made out of absorbent fibres, not paper literally although Clean & Clear make one that is papery/plasticy and absolutely terrible, but I digress. So, good blotting papers are thin soft papers, almost linen-like, that you gently press on the skin and voila! The grease is gone and you're left with fresh-looking matte skin. And I'm not exaggerating; the gratification you get when you see the grease (and sweat) on the paper cannot be underestimated.

It is important to note that the skin needs both moisture and oil. So, depriving the skin of these two essentials in the hope that you won't get oily during the day is a big mistake! Instead, give the skin what it needs so that it doesn't overcompensate for lack of oil--the skin will always produce oil because that is how it functions--it needs oil to protect itself from dryness, environment, etc. But you can use blotting papers to keep the excess oil at bay. 

Most papers contain oil-absorbing agents or are made out of materials such as flax seed, yam or hemp. The Palladio Rice Paper ones contain rice powder, while the Glo Minerals blotting papers are made from abaca tree leaves. The Boscia Clear Complexion ones are dusted with willow bark and bamboo extract. Sadly, the ones available in India don't quite do the job. So, the three blotting papers that I like come from Korea and Japan.

1) DHC Oil Blotting Paper
These were the first ones that I tried and I love them. The pink packaging is cute but can fray over time. The oil blotting paper itself is slightly smaller in size compared to the Innisfree one mentioned below but you get 100 sheets in one pack.

2) Skinfood Natural Fresh Oil Blotting Paper
The Skinfood oil blotting paper made from natural hemp is cheaper than the DHC one and comes in a more practical packaging. There is a rubber-like flip open packet, which keeps the papers secure. Also, you get 100 sheets in one pack so overall, these are my new favourites considering performance, price and packaging.

3) Innisfree Eco Beauty Tool Oil Blotting Paper
These get the job done but come in not-so-great packaging. The oil blotting paper itself has one side textured, which gives a good grip on the face, while the other side is polished smooth, which unfortunately slides on greasy skin. Also, you get only 50 sheets in one pack. So, yeah, will not repurchase these.

The best part about blotting papers are that they are inexpensive (anywhere between 3-5 USD or 180-300 INR) and last a long time. One pack usually contains about 100 papers and depending on your usage, it can last anywhere between one to three months.

Cool for the summer: ingredients to look out for in your summer skincare

Summer, according to me, is the most challenging season of the year. In Mumbai, you have two seasons practically speaking--summer and monsoon. You can no longer feel the winter cold possibly because of climate change, so skincare is geared more towards being sun-proof and summer-friendly.

One of the best things to do to your skin topically is to hydrate it and keep it cool. Mists are a great way to do that. And if you keep yours in the fridge, even better! Another way to keep the skin cool is to use products that contain cooling ingredients, such as peppermint, eucalyptus, cucumber, green tea, aloe vera, bamboo, rose and possibly many others. The products can be anything from cooling masks to hydrating toner mists. Here are some of my favourite cooling skincare products:

1) Fresh Spa Imperial Caviar -30 degree Cooling Mask
This hybrid between a night cream and a face mask is my holy grail skincare product. It contains arctic peppermint oil, which gives an instant cooling and toning effect together with other ingredients such as caviar and snow cladonia found in the most pristine Russian landscapes. 

2) Aroma Magic Activated Bamboo Charcoal Mask
This face mask is loaded with Himalayan clay and bamboo charcoal powder along with cooling ingredients such as panthenol, red sandalwood and aloe. Lately, this has become my favourite skincare product but for a very different purpose. Watch this space to know what I use it for. :)

3) Aloe Derma After Sun Repairing Mask
This aloe-enriched gel face mask is uber cooling, especially when you leave it in the fridge and use it after you return home from a hot, humid day. It also contains other cooling super ingredients such as mint, chamomile and purslane, a herb that is also used in salads! Sadly, I don't think Aloe Derma sells this mask anymore. I tried finding an active link for it but couldn't come up with anything.

4) Leejiham Tea Tree Toner Mist
Leejiham is a renowned Korean skincare brand and this spray mist is my first purchase from them. This power-packed mist contains 70 per cent tea tree extract along with other skincare goodies like niacinamide, witch hazel, cucumber, aloe, grapefruit extract, orange fruit extract, apple fruit extract, lemon fruit extract and lime fruit extract. A skincare cocktail, in short!

5) Whamisa Organic Flowers Eye Essence
Whamisa is another well-respected Korean skincare brand. Their packaging is drool-worthy but what's most exciting is that they carry some really well-formulated products that work. I had never used eye cream in my life so buying this was a gamble. I did not know what to expect. However, in the first use itself, I noticed how the eye cream left my eye area feeling cool and tingly, not in a menthol sort of way but in a very subtle and refreshing way, thanks to cooling ingredients like aloe and green tea.


More information about cooling skincare ingredients can be found here.