March 02, 2020

Say "Hello" to the Glow! It's that little important step that can make a BIG difference. Don't hesitate... exfoliate!

We hear it often ~ many of you don't do this often enough, or don't even do it at all. Or... it's done with synthetics and ingredients that are waaaaay too harsh or will soon be banned because of their environmental impact.

It's the most common step that women, (and men, too!) stop doing in their skincare routines. Including this step is an important part of your care routine. Just one minute a day can change the feel, texture, appearance, and moisture content of the skin.

In the daylight or under indoor lighting, keeping this step in the regular regimen can even change the way the light reflects on the skin's surface. When the light reflects evenly on the skin, it actually appears to be smoother just because of the way the light bounces off of it. It's no magic trick, it's just a smooth move. 😘

✔️It's time to debunk the myth of exfoliating and that it shouldn't be done on dry or dehydrated skin. ✔️It's time to learn the real difference between chemical exfoliants and physical exfoliants. ✔️It's time to find the right exfoliant to do the right job, gently, naturally, and effectively, on our various skin complexions.

We're an oil based company, and we're proud of it. In our proprietary face, body, and hair cleansers, treatments, and products, we work with certified organic and raw ingredients that are proven in the skincare industry ~ not with lab manufactured synthetics that are marketed to do hocus pocus magic.

There are no magic tricks in our botanical treatments, just the power of nature. We reveal every ingredient and drop. It's full transparency, and no secrets. We don't like secrets when it comes to what we feed our skin.

Q. How do we get our complexion to glow?

A. By the proper exfoliation.

The right exfoliation can:

improve clarity
diminish fine lines
smooth texture
help promote collagen production
boost cellular turnover
change the way the natural light reflects on the complexion
help your toning waters and day/night serums penetrate

We're here to help you get your glow on!

So, what is this one thing that we can do to improve our complexion, take-away the years, and allow our treatments to penetrate and go to work?

✔️It's time... don't hesitate, exfoliate!

Chemical Exfoliants vs. Physical Exfoliants

Chemical Exfoliants vs. Physical Exfoliants

We all know it, we all see it ~ there are too many choices out there. The aisles in just about every kind of market have at least one section of the store filled with some type of skin care.

With exfoliants, there are dozens of different types to reach for as well. However, the main two that are prevalent are chemical exfoliants and physical exfoliants. So, the question is...

"Which type of exfoliant is best for my skin, chemical or physical?"

Our answer is...

"Both!"

If you've experienced our exfoliants already, you know that sometimes you see little pieces of herbs, botanicals, or even colloidal oats (gluten free, of course!) each time you pour it into your palm. These help make up the chemical part of our exfoliants.

Our exfoliants are like a time-capsule waiting to be opened-up when you use them. When you mix them with water, all of the botanicals and actives open up, just like when you seep a tea bag in warm water. It's fresh just when you need it! The enzymes, actives, and nutrients of the botanicals and raw materials chemically help to dissolve and loosen the skin cells that have turned over on the skin's surface and are waiting to be whisked away.

On the flip side, our exfoliants also offer the physical part of the exfoliating. An uneven surface because of dead cells, clogged pores, impurities, pollution, or debris can seem minuscule. However, believe it or not, even these smallest annoyances can change the texture and appearance of our complexion. Men that shave have a physical exfoliation from the razor. Microblading has become popular for women, too. It's an option that's out there, be careful with that decision, and it should be done with medical supervision.

Acne and clogged pores can benefit from the physical exfoliation, and dry, aging skin can benefit from the chemical exfoliation. Our exfoliants cover both areas of care, and we love having the option of switching it up when we need to. And so does our skin!

Clay Exfoliants vs. Herbal Exfoliants

In each of our Skin Suites ~ Balancing, Hydrating, and Restoring~ we offer two different types of exfoliants to choose from. We love options!

Our skin can change with humidity, seasons, stress, and time. In addition to offering various cleansing and nourishing options, we know having the option of sharing different types of exfoliants makes sense, too!

Which to choose? Think of the differences in our exfoliants this way... clay acts like a sponge on the skin. Once applied on the skin and allowed to dry, it can be rinsed cleanly away, bringing anything that shouldn't be in the pores right along with it. Our clay exfoliants, when mixed with water and applied to the skin, can be left on the skin to dry like a mask. Rinse them away and the clay takes anything hiding in the pores with it. Time to escort the gunk out right out of those pores.

Our herbal exfoliants do not contain clay but have a finely ground premium Himalayan salt powder in them. With 84 minerals naturally occurring in the Himalayan salt, said to be the purest of the salts, our skin is not only fed with benefitting calcium, magnesium, potassium and other minerals, but it becomes softened and smoothed from the gentle action of the powder. No need for harsh rubbing... dissolving your exfoliant in water and applying it to the complexion lets it go to work for you.

The Cleansing and Exfoliating Option (Two Steps in One!) Many of us like to exfoliate at night after we've cleansed and before we relax with a mask or finish the day with our toner and night serum. We've had many customers lately that say they like to apply the cleansing oil, massage it onto the skin, and then add the exfoliant directly onto the complexion while the cleanser is still on. Fantastic! (We have the smartest customers!) 😁

You can use the exfoliant either way. Just make sure that you remove the cleanser entirely with a wet washcloth or wet cotton pad. Because the cleanser is an oil, it will remove the oil, pollution, makeup, and impurities, but needs to be physically removed because we don't add any rinsing agents (no way!) to it. We've had many customers who like to do this little trick. Our male customers love this, too!

Here's a Quick Video about our Exfoliants

Feel free to click on the link to find out a bit more about our exfoliants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEY624AmHdk

Want to learn and see more? Our YouTube channel has a handful of videos about our brand, our kits (they're the best place to discover our treatments!) and various botanical products for our skin and hair.

Heavy Metals in Skincare? Not Here!

First, let's make sure you understand what it is that we do. We carefully and 100% hand select each and every single ingredient. Many brands buy something already pre-formulated, add something to it, and call it their own. No-sir-eeee... we'll have no part of that. With my sensitive skin and auto immune issues, I needed to make sure I knew the quality and authenticity of each and every single ingredient that I was using. My health depended on it!

We hand select each of our ingredients and make sure they're the quality that we demand before we blend and formulate our treatments for you. We're also a part of the EWG Verified program, which means that our manufacturing practices, levels of actives, individual ingredients, and preservation methods are safe for all of us. We even take it one step further... we avoid even the 'safe synthetics' that are found in many ingredient lists.

I'm not a fan of MSG, aspartame, or artificial flavors or colors in my food. These are deemed safe to eat and use. Well, I'd rather use sea salt, cane or coconut sugar, and herbs and spices for flavors and colors in my food. The same for my skin products... I'm not a fan of fillers, silicones, thickeners, or synthetic additives in my care products. We're passionate about real ingredients that can be benefitting to the skin, and broken down and not harmful to our hormones or organs. Real ingredients = real results.

Next, we want to make sure that what we're using every day is safe with no harmful side effects, for today and for the long term. Heavy metals found in our bodies, organs, and cells can be harmful and alter our every day living. Last year we worked with a third party laboratory to test the clays that we used in our formulas: clays like kaolin, cosmetic clay, Rhassoul clay, and french green clay.

This is what we tested our clays for:

Chromium
Nickel
Arsenic
Cadmium
Antimony
Mercury
Lead

We were surprised (shocked!!!) to learn that only one of our premium, high level clean clays had low enough levels to meet clean and safe standards in these metals. Any guesses? It's the only clay that we've been using for the past year... it's our Rhassoul Clay, also known as Moroccan Lava Clay.

Once we learned of the unacceptably high level of these metals in the other clays, we quickly reformulated our treatments that contain clays to only include our safest clay. We brought this to your attention then, but in case you missed it, we wanted to mention it again. Our Rhassoul Clay also happens to be the clay that spans the spectrum for various skin conditions as well, so we continue to use and love it with confidence.

AHAs... BHAs... What about Acids in Skincare?

An acid sounds like it shouldn't have any place in our natural, plant-based skincare formulas, but guess again! We use a natural acid in all of our exfoliants for our face, as well as in our body polishes. The body needs exfoliating, too! We also avoid ground up shells from nuts, starches, fragrances, PEGS, parabens, and many other common synthetics found in common exfoliators.

Acids come in different forms, and we rely completely on the safest and most favored in the skincare industry, glycolic acid, which is a type of alph-hydroxy-acid. Unfortunately, because of its popularity, many skincare brands are using synthetically manufactured acids, which may not offer the same benefits.

A bit about acids ~ there are several kinds to consider...

Glycolic Acid ~ Made from Sugar Cane
Malic Acid ~ Made from Apples and Pears
Citric Acid ~ Made from Oranges and Lemons
Lactic Acid ~ Made from Animal Milk
Tartaric Acid ~ Made from Grapes

Because there is one that is vegan, does not cause hyperpigmentation in the sun (citrus), and is not sensitizing to already sensitive skin, we work completely with a natural, organic form of glycolic acid derived completely from certified organic cane sugar. It has a reputation in the industry of being the most effective, is the safest to use, and meets our standards. We're very happy with the results!

Bonus: Using a natural glycolic acid is not only a great exfoliating addition to our botanical exfoliants, it can help to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, clear acne, reduce and eliminate whiteheads and blackheads, and improve the overall evenness of the skin tone. Love it!

Out of the acids mentioned above, our organic glycolic acid has the smallest structure among the acid family. This means that its allowed to penetrate the skin and be easily absorbed to dissolve the dead skin cells.

Below: A quick snap from a previous social media post. It's a very popular exfoliant on the left, and our Hydrating Herbal Exfoliant with Tea & Lavender on the right.

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It's the "Easy Celebrity Trick" ... to AVOID

If you Google this right now, you'll see thousands and thousands of people and celebrities touting their 'instantly fresh skin,' using this at home, DIY 'microdermabrasion' recipe which is said to make the skin glow.

This trick? It's exfoliating your face with 100% sodium carbonate, or good old fashioned baking soda.

Why is exfoliating your face with straight baking soda a bad idea?

Well, the texture is fine, it's somewhat soft and a little gritty, but it's also too harsh on our delicate skin and does not support the chemistry of healthy skin when used like this. The delicate acid mantle and microbiome that works so hard at protecting our skin from pollution and the day-to-day elements that we're exposed to indoors and outside can be damaged. We talked about the importance of keeping our microbiome happy in our January blog here.

I do love baking soda... I used it to clean our bathroom the other day! What I really love to do is mix it with vinegar to give it more cleaning power. I've done this with joy for over 20 years. However, some DIYers like to follow their baking soda facial scrub with vinegar. This can create a chemical reaction on the skin that can be damaging to the very structure of our skin, and it may even cause facial burns. Youch!

The slight acidity that we naturally have on our skin is helpful, and we don't want to destroy that. The pH of skin is important, because with the wrong pH on the skin, it will get red, itchy, bumpy, sensitive, and go downhill fast.

Let's keep the household cleaners as household cleaners, and let's keep reaching for proven, gentle, skin-specific ingredients to care for our complexion. Last time I checked, our skin is nothing like shower tile! 😉

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This image and above images courtesy of AnilineToxic Photography ~ :)

Your March Special

We've learned enough about exfoliants... let's get to the specials!

If you haven't tried one of our exfoliants, remember we have Getting Started Facial Kits that include the full facial experience ~ a cleanser, exfoliant, toner, day serum and night serum. They're $39, come in our three different Skin Suites, and each has a sampling of the herbal exfoliant in it. The kit is about a two week supply, and they're great to refill and travel with, too!

Choose your exfoliant, decide whether or not you'd like to use it with one of our cleansing oils, or enjoy it alone after cleansing. It's up to you ~ either way is wonderful!

Enter code TIMETOGLOW at checkout while shopping online, or mention this special in one of our Skin Studios. Remember, we want you to be 100% happy with your Qēt. We offer a 30-day exchange or refund policy.

The special includes these exfoliants, as well as a BONUS product, too!

Balancing Clay Exfoliant with Tea & Thyme

Balancing Herbal Exfoliant with Tea & Thyme

Hydrating Clay Exfoliant with Tea & Lavender

Hydrating Herbal Exfoliant with Tea & Lavender

Restoring Clay Exfoliant with Tea & Roses

Restoring Herbal Exfoliant with Tea & Roses

BONUS: Green Tea Mask with Raw Cacao

Why are we including the Green Tea & Raw Cacao Mask, you ask? Because our organic Matcha tea and raw cacao are two of the most unique, power-house antioxidant, collagen promoting, and skin silkening exfoliating elements that not only feed our skin with various nutrients and minerals that are different from our exfoliants, this mask is a completely decadent and delightful experience! And... some of our customers have been known to mix it with their cleansing oil for an over-the-top cleansing experience. I've done it, and they're right! Yes, you customers are so smart! 💗

This month, SAVE 10% on all of the above treatments that make up a beautiful part of your daily skincare routine, and our Qēt Botanicals brand. Use the code TIMETOGLOW.

This Just In ~ Qēt Botanicals has Won Two Awards!

We've just learned moments before sharing this email that we've won TWO AWARDS for two of our treatments. Hooray! 🏆

The Beauty Shortlist Awards are celebrating their 10th year in honoring "a genuine, precisely-curated edit of stand out products in a sea of sometimes fickle beauty." In their words, the awards are about "capturing the true, brightest stars. They're not easy to win, so winning one speaks volumes."

The judges are experts (not just 'testers') in beauty and include industry beauty buyers, journalists, PRs, international distributors, retailers, and industry news sources. Over six months of judging... not testing... individual products to recognize them for their objectivity, transparency and ethical focus.

This year 39 countries submitted products, and this year's global winners include products from UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Scandinavia and Asia. We're proud to say that two of our proprietary products formulated and manufactured for you from Wisconsin and California made the list.

🌟WINNER ~ Lavish Serum Salve

Best Multi-Tasking Eco Product for Face, Hands, Overnight Mask, Dry Patches, and More

🌟WINNER ~ Hydra-Rose Eye Serum

Best Eye Serum

Personally, I've kept a Lavish Serum Salve next to the bed for years as a treatment to leave on overnight. My hands, throat, décolletage, elbows, knees, and feet, as well as around my eyes and lips, love it. Our Hydra-Rose Eye Serum has been compared to eye serums that are over $300; ours is $79 and full of special plant-actives for the delicate skin around the eye areas. Both are unique, special, and loved.

We're thrilled to receive this recognition. Big thanks to not only our stellar Qēt team that works within and extends outside of our CA and WI Skin Studios, but also to you, our customer. We're a word-of-mouth brand in our seventh year of sharing what we love. Without you none of this would be possible. So thank YOU. 💗

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A Proven, Age-Defying 'Medicine'

Some things are too good to be true, and sometimes it seems like the best things in life are free. This is scientifically proven, it's a good one, and it's definitely free!

What is this special 'medicine,' and why is it good for us and our skin?

As kids, we did this without even trying about 400 times a day. As adults, we average less than 20 times a day.
It's a natural 'beautify-er' because with this happening, there's no room for worry or stress.
Blood pressure is lowered, and it takes stress down with it.
Our natural immunity function is boosted.
It triggers the release of endorphins, those 'feel-good' natural hormones that ease pain and give a feeling of happiness.
It promotes a feeling of well-being.
It connects all of us together.
It's attractive on everyone.

What in the world is this? It is touted as being the "Best Medicine."

You've heard it before, and there is scientific truth to it.

Laughter is the best medicine. It's also a great SKIN medicine.

With a little laughter in the room, in a note, or in a text... it connects us all together. It can make a heavy situation a little more easier to digest, and it brightens up the space.

There is a time and a place to be serious. Let's remember to set aside a little time to relax, have fun, and laugh out loud, too!

I don't know about you, but I have smile lines. I've been smiling and laughing for all of my almost 53 years! Each line is a right of passage to my own happiness. I embrace it with a smile and, yes, even with a little laughter.

Enjoy today, do something silly, and laugh out loud. It feels good, it IS good, and it's even contagious. These days, it's something we should all feel lucky to catch! 😉

In good health and laugher,

~ Lisa

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~ fresh ~ authentic ~ sumptuous ~

~ non-toxic, organic ingredients, proven, and high-performing ~

~ effective, award-winning botanical treatments made without compromises ~

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