Ready for Fall? Let’s make sure our skin is.
Hydrating vs. Moisturizing
Confusing? Is there really a difference? Yes, there is.
Here comes Fall, and here comes a change in the weather... which may mean a change in our skin. Oh, our skin... it's full of oils, lipids, fats, and proteins. Plant waters can add a little hydration, an enriched serum can be deeply penetrating and wonderful, but seperately it may not be enough to feed the skin with everything it needs. Here is where the healthy skin function begins.
The right blend of one of our botanical waters, with the right antioxidants, oils and vitamins in a pure serum, is very effective at allowing the penetration of both types of skin-loving pampering for deep and thorough absorption. In other words, two pure and nutrient-dense treatments blended together can make an all-encompassing, wholesome, skin-penetrating delivery system.
Simply put, when our skin is dehydrated, it is lacking in water and needs hydration. Hydrated skin is soft but won't remain so if it doesn't have an oil boost. On the other hand when our skin is dry, it's lacking in oil and needs to be moisturized. Massaging oil on dehydrated skin may make it feel smooth, but it needs an hydration boost to keep it soft and supple.
Enter the marriage of oil and water. Some say oil and water don't mix, but we beg to differ. We mix them every morning and night. :)
Image: Waterfall Kisses ~ what a lovely way to receive hydration! We snapped this image while enjoying waterfall kisses on the road to Hana in Maui.
Oil and Water DO Mix
Skin that is soft and supple is hydrated. To keep it that way, it needs a little bit of oil and protein to keep the hydrating affects from evaporating and making their exit. If oil is allowed to evaporate, the skin can become flaky and have dry areas. Putting oil directly on top of already dehydrated skin may make it feel smooth to the touch, but it will lack the hydration that it needs to maintain its elasticity and softness.
What's a person to do?
Just a mix of one of our botanical waters, with 3-5 well-shaken drops of one of our Day or Night Serums from our Skin Suites is the remedy. Take that, hungry skin! Pow!
Our botanical waters and day and night serums are designed to work in tandem. When blended together there is a unique penetrating element that offers the authentic phytonutrients and vitamins from our limited ingredient formulas to hydrate and moisturize the protective outer layer of the skin. You control the amount of hydration and moisture with each mist or each drop. A little more toner needed... no problem! A smidge more oil... got it. It's custom-blended skincare, right at your very own fingertips. Perfect!
Our skin's moisture can come from the different phytonutrients in our Qēt Botanicals serums, however, the hydration comes from the serums being blended with the proper toning water. Discovering and choosing the right botanical toning water from one of our three skin suites is the first step. If you're new to our brand, we have Getting Started Facial Kits to discover and experience in small amounts. Each of our kits not only contains our botanical waters, but a sampling of our day serum, night serum, cleansing oil, and herbal exfoliant. It's everything you need to be on your way to healthy, clean skin.
Just a mist of a botanical water blended with a few of your well-shaken day or night serum keeps the pH balance of the skin happy, adds a little bit of natural antioxidant action from the botanical water, and the right mix of hydration and moisture takes place. Our toning waters are the last water we like to have on our skin. The pH of drinking, filtered, or softened tap water (pH of 7) is not always the ideal pH (pH of 5.5) for happy skin.
Healthy Skin Function
Discover the Qēt Botanicals Unique Skincare Delivery System
As Summer makes way for Fall, let's stay as hydrated as a summer splash in the water ~ in any season! To help the skin function in a healthy way, it's important to offer the skin hydration to restore the skin's moisture barrier. Once the skin is functioning properly, the skin's structure and collagen are better able to regenerate cells and restore the complexion.
Being completely plant-based, without one drop of anything synthetic or harmful, our serums are filled with rich phytonutrients to tackle any lacking of moisture in the skin. Pair it with our perfectly pH balanced botanical waters and you have a unique delivery system.
Finding the right treatments from our Skin Suites will help you find your healthiest skin. Learning which treatments best suit your current complexion's needs can help you keep your morning and night rituals tuned-up and smart. We're all about the two minute morning and night routine. In case you need a refresher, below is our Quick Guide to our Two Minute Routine.
Customize your Hydration and Moisture for your Skin Condition
Our skin is reactive ~ and wonderfully so! It reacts to our hormones, shows us when we're in love or have that pregnancy glow, and it also shows us when we're feverish or not feeling well.
In addition to finding your skin's favorite blends with our three Skin Suites, at your fingertips is the ability to adjust the level of hydration and moisture that is perfect for your skin condition from day to day, and through the seasons.
Our toning waters add the right hydration and keep the complexion's pH just right. Our serums add the moisture needed to retain the moisture in our skin without letting it evaporate. Makes sense.
As needed, you can adjust your skincare to exactly what your skin is asking for. With 1 mist of your toning water blended with 3-4 drops of your shaken serum, you're adding a little extra moisture to your skin if it tends to be dry and flaky. With 2 or 3 mists of your toning water blended with just 1-2 drops of your shaken serum, your skin will be more hydrated and still moisturized, just in a lighter fashion.
There you have it... customizable skincare for various ages and skin conditions with friendly, pure, and fresh nontoxic hydration and moisture for every complexion throughout the changing seasons.
Aren't the gifts of Mother's Nature wonderful?! Love these phytonutrients!
The Two Minute Routine
We include this little guide with all of our Getting Started Facial Kits. We could all use more time, and we're all about keeping things simple and succinct.
In case you need a quick refresher, here it is for your review.
Botanical Beauty ~ It's Trending, and it's In Fashion!
And guess what else is in... healthy skin ~ it's always in!
Let’s go for healthy skin that doesn't need a lot of covering up. A naturally glowing complexion, along with a confident smile, can feel fresh and healthy in these days where Fall weather is approaching.
Summer style is making way for Fall favorites. In these last days of Summer, rather than slather on the synthetics, it’s recommended and beneficial to feed skin with nourishing and wholesome ingredients it loves.
How can we get that natural glow? A moderate amount of sunshine in any season is good. Getting outdoors and grabbing a little sun can feed the body with mood-stabilizing Vitamin D. Self-tanners are often filled with synthetics. Many of these chemicals can actually darken age spots and increase hyperpigmentation. So even in the middle of winter... don't be swayed ~ read your ingredients and know their reactions.
Let’s get our glow on and be healthy ~ the natural way!
Skin is not an accessory ~ it’s a living, protecting, sweating, and detoxifying organ. Feed it with real skin food. Here's how:
Cleanse ~ deeply, thoroughly, but not harshly. Our cleansing oils will remove makeup, sunscreen, and sweat without upsetting the acid mantle.
Exfoliate ~ gently and regularly. We have clay and herbal options to slough off the dead cells and allow the serums to do their job.
Hydrate + Moisturize the Skin ~ there is a difference and the skin knows it. Our botanical waters and serums cover both bases.
Following this little self-care can be the difference between decent skin and divine skin.
Skincare is self-care, and self-care is not vain, it’s necessary! Every time we use our favorite cleanser, serum, and mask, let’s inhale the benefit of each ingredient. Those few minutes morning and night are some of the most important moments we can create for ourselves.
Treat your skin like your best friend ~ it will love you for it.
Image and article in link via The Orange County Register.
Hey, Your Epidermis is Showing
Our skin is often a telltale sign that there is something going on inside of the body. Many skin problems stem from a systemic reaction to our gut health, a bacteria, or an imbalance that is lingering somewhere inside.
Keeping ingredients fresh, pure, and free of synthetic and artificial ingredients is a huge step towards skin health on the outside, but looking inside is often necessary as well.
Here's a little image that lays out many common skin ailments and ways to help, from the inside, and without the use of prescriptions and heavy medications. We're sharing this only as a guideline as these are not necessarily cures for all, but this is a good way to see how the right foods, and the nutrients that come from them, can help externally while offering relief internally.
Image via @natkringoudis
Let's NOT focus on how we look... let's focus on how we FEEL.
How we think can change how we feel. Our mind is smarter than we know. It's a myth that we only use about 10% of our brain capacity. It's our brain that gives us every feeling and thought about ourselves. Here is an interesting article from Healthline which debunks the myth of how much of our brain we use, and ways to increase its use and cognitive flow. Surprise!
Let's think about our brain's imagination. It has amazing power! Visualization is a tool that has been used for centuries in various elements. A coach teaches the players to imagine making that goal or scoring the next point. We're taught to set goals so we know what to reach for. College students plan their classes according to the career goals.
Our body hears what our mind thinks. (Say that again?) Our body hears what our mind thinks. Relaying this back to health, it's not only about what we eat, how we eat, and how we care for our body, but it's also about feeding our mind and body with healthy thoughts. I've jokingly told my husband to never tell a gal that she looks tired... because guess what, if someone says, "You look a little tired," the mind races, it starts to think about being tired, and before we know it, we might even think we're a little bit tired! Tell a girl that she's looking very fresh and healthy, and BING! ~ she's feeling it to the core.
In the beginning of my clean skincare journey, and the very reason that Qet Botanicals was born in the first place, not only was my skin telling me that my insides weren't happy, but I just wasn't feeling good in general. We all have journeys we're on... here is a peek at my journey that I shared at the beginning of the year ~ with some crazy before and after photos. This journey started late in 2010, and honestly, it still continues today.
With every step we take, every forkful we taste, and every drop of personal care products we use, if we know in our heart of hearts that it's healthy, it's good for us, and it won't harm us but will boost our level of happiness and health, then that step is a huge step towards our overall feeling of being heatlhy.
Your September Special
Now that we've shared some tips on how to hydrate and moisturize our skin properly, we're happy to share a special on the ways to help you get there.
In September, SAVE 10% on our botanical toning waters and our day and night serum in our three Skin Suites. You'll save your skin by using them regularly, and you'll save when you enter the code FALLFORQET.
The Qēt Botanicals treatments that are part of this special are the following:
- Balancing Toning Water with Melissa, Cucumber & Rose Geranium
- Balancing Day Serum
- Balancing Night Serum
- Hydrating Toning Water with Lavender & Rose
- Hydrating Day Serum
- Hydrating Night Serum
- Restoring Toning Water with Helichrysum, Calendula and Lavender
- Restoring Day Serum
- Restoring Night Serum
To find the right treatment for your current skin condition, read the description for each of the treatments. Mixing and matching is perfectly acceptable! :)
Top Mood Boosters
Summer schedules and vacations may be over... school has started... work schedules may get busier...
Let's keep the mood boosted! Here's how we can take our mood from good... to great! By adding a couple of these trivial activities here and there we'll keep our happy Summertime groove as the routines change and we shift into a new season.
Here are a few of the top mood boosters:
- sleeping with no alarm set
- petting a dog
- listening to the rain
- a long, hot shower,
- listening to your favorite album or music,
- a spa-day at home. (ok... we added this one ourselves ~ because we love it!).
Thanks to the Today Show for sharing the above mood boosters. More tips to grabbing a great mood are shared here on the Today Show site.
Qet Botanicals ~ Always Cruelty Free... because we love our pets too much!
In the August San Clemente Lifestyle magazine, we shared a bit about not only the love of our pets, but some of our botanical treatments that we pamper our furry friends with.
Just in our country, it's estimated that 85 million families (almost 70% of all households) have pets. If you have or know one, or more!, you know how they tug at the heart-strings. Over the years and when our kids were little, we've had quite an assortment of pets and furry friends ~ from dogs and cats, to horses, guinea pigs, rabbits, bearded dragons, tad poles to frogs, toads, a snapping turtle (that one went back to the pond quickly!), a cockatoo, a chinchilla, and fish. We've always enjoyed sharing a household full of critters with our growing family.
Fast forward to today, our kids are young adults, and we have three dogs in our midst... our 14 year old Boston Terrier, Dodge, our 12 year old rescue, Chance, and Posie, our 2 year old French Bulldog. Occasionally our hairy little friends can get skin mishaps, dirty ears, and dry skin. Here is an article in the San Clemente Lifestyle magazine sharing some of our treatments that we like to share and pamper our pets with.
Below: A quick, morning stroll with our three pups at high tide on the beach near the San Clemente Skin Studio.
Never Out of Style
Healthy skin is always in!
Our skin is the only thing we’ll wear for the rest of our lives ~ let’s make what we use on it count.
Enjoy these last days of summer, and let's bring in Fall with a confident smile and a healthy glow.
xx
~ Lisa
Sign art by @reachalana
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