Top 5 Natural Ingredients for Great Skin and Hair This Winter

Natural Beauty Essentials for your suitcase, Hair, Body and Planet.

Some may welcome the colder months, but our hair and skin certainly don’t! With winter come the colder temperatures, harsh winds and low air humidity that can leave our hair and skin feeling dry, rough and damaged. While there’s nothing that can be changed to alter these seasonal shifts, nature has some miracle ingredients with nourishing and rejuvenating properties that work to combat the harsh effects of the winter months, and work to restore our youthful glow! Here’s a list of the Top 5 Natural Ingredients that do exactly that, and some of the brands we represent that use or help with these:

1.              Vitamin C, and the Amber ‘Karryable’ Bottle

Vitamin C is by far the most Googled skincare ingredient of 2021, and by now everyone knows it is a must-have product in their routine. The Karry was designed to make travelling with Hero Natural ingredients like this stylish and practical. Designed to filter out UV-rays, the Amber ‘Karryable’ bottle was made to protect active ingredients and essential oils, making it the ideal travel essential to decant your Vitamin C into.

The Karry Pouch (£49.99)

Website: www.thekarry.london

2.              Rosemary Oil

Rosemary Oil has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help keep hair follicles healthy as well as hydrating the scalp to control natural oil production. Object Beauty’s Rebalancing Shampoo Bar is formulated with Rosemary Leaf Oil to help rejuvenate your hair and rebalance oil levels.

Object Rebalancing Shampoo Bar (£14)

Website: https://objectbeauty.com/

3.              Argan Oil

Rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, Argan Oil soothes, condition and hydrates hair that feels dry and dull from the colder weather. Protect your hair from these harsh winter effects with Object’s Nourishing Conditioner Bar, formulated with a rich oil blend of Argan, Macadamia and Moringa that work together to  detangle and moisturise.

Object Nourishing Conditioner Bar (£14)

Website: https://objectbeauty.com/

4.              Retinol

The skincare buzzword, Retinols are derived from Vitamin A and serve as a skilled skincare multi-tasker. From smoothing skin, to combating dullness, Retinols are sure to help with any of the effects your skin may be feeling after the Winter kicks in. Made to protect your skincare products, the Blue Bottle in The Karry Pouch works by filtering visible light but allowing gentle blue light through. This is perfect for nighttime ingredients, such as Retinol.

The Karry Pouch (£49.99)

Website: www.thekarry.london

5.              Marula Oil

Sourced from Africa, Marula is a real luxury for the skin, as well as being an easily absorbed, natural oil rich in Omegas 6 and 9, that works to hydrate and restore skin without leaving a greasy residue. Grüner's flagship product, the Evening Ritual Oil is a lightweight formula that uses Marula as a base to rehydrate and replenish the skin's natural oil barrier, which is often beaten down by harsh winter weather.

Grüner Evening Ritual Oil (15ml - $40)

Website: https://gruner.shop/

To learn more about our services, or to get an insight into our clients, head over to our Instagram page.

We believe in shining a light on achievements. There’s one right here! Written by our lovely PR & Social Media Intern Libby Howard.

Skincare post-Allergic Reaction, in support of Allergy Awareness Week (20th-25th April 2021)

With stress listed as one of the top three reasons for triggering skin conditions and reactions, it is no surprise that the current ‘state of things’ is making our skin more fragile than ever.

A skincare reaction can be provoked or produced by: allergies, irritation, hormones, a combination of the wrong products (generally those pesky acids), the climate and much more, so it is no surprise that teenagers and adults struggle to combat the reactions we’re faced with.

Today, we want to talk specifically about allergic reactions – what they are, how to avoid them, and most importantly: how to fix them.

An allergy is defined by the NHS 🙏 as a reaction that the body has to a particular food or substance, with chemicals listed as one of the most common. Having an allergy can then lead to an allergic reaction, which is often irritating, painful and in some cases life-threatening.

However, skincare allergic reactions can often be mild and manifest as irritable or sensitive skin, which most #skingeeks or #beautyaddicts find very inconvenient. Here are our top tips for treating an allergic reaction once it has occurred (but please do remember, the team at The Brand Whisperer might be THE BEST but we are not doctors, so keep a close eye on your symptoms and speak to your GP if you need a medical opinion).

The Obvious: STOP Using Whatever Is Irritating Your Skin!

It may be the product of the century, your dream lipstick, or a product you have been waiting on for months. But if it’s making your skin react negatively - it has to go. Depending on the product, you could donate it to a friend or family member, or even a women’s shelter. At least this way someone gets to enjoy it – and the environment will thank you too!

Stay Hydrated: SO Simple Yet SO Important

The average adult in the UK only drinks 1.7Ls of water per day, which is well below the recommendation of 2.5L for men and 2.0L for women. Water is the key hydrating your whole body, as well as your skin - and just like any other organ, drinking lots of water will help to flush out any toxins. Products can also help with hydration, especially in the evening as the body goes into repair mode as we sleep. We recommend The Organic Night Repair Cream with Broccoli, Cucumber and Rosehip from Bumi Naturals. Its organic ingredients such as the Cucumber and Broccoli Seeds have powerful anti-inflammatory and antiseptic ingredients; perfect for calming the skin after an allergic reaction.

Wave Bye Bye To Wine: Say No to Alcohol 

Okay, so you can have a glass of wine in the evening (although, we hate to tell you that alcohol really does age your skin), but skincare products formulated with Alcohol really affect the skin too. Alcohols are often put in skincare products to help them penetrate the skin, as the molecules are small, however it dries out the skin too, and can cause breakouts. The easiest way to remove Alcohol from your skincare routine would be to read the ingredients list and check for the quality of the products listed. For top-quality ingredients, we would recommend Odylique, a skincare brand that is known for its natural formulations – our personal favourite is the Organic Creamy Coconut Cleanser.

Keep it Simple: A 12-Step Skincare Routine Won’t Save You Now

Your skin is in meltdown mode, so we wouldn’t recommend trying anything new, anything strong or multiple products at once. All your skin wants is to be clean and protected. We recommend you strip your routine right back. If your skin is very susceptible to the sun, then lather on the sunscreen (SPF 50 will be essential in saving your skin), then at night make sure you use a gentle milky cleanser to remove it.

Most Importantly: Let Your Skin Breathe - It’s Gone Through A Lot

Have more questions? Then we recommend speaking to BLOMMA Beauty. BLOMMA Beauty is a cruelty-free online skincare and self-care marketplace. The founder, Karen Mac Donald, wants to encourage people to shop slowly, so is offering virtual 1-2-1 skincare consultations to those unsure how to treat their skincare needs.

 To learn more about our skincare recommendations, or to get an insight into our clients, head over to our Instagram page.

We believe in shining a light on achievements. There’s one right here! Written by The Brand Whisperer’s fantastic PR intern: Natasha Cassidy 🎉

Key Skincare Ingredients For All (and what they mean)

Cholesterol 

There are two different types of Cholesterol: LDL (low-density lipoproteins: bad) and HDL (high-density lipoproteins: good). Every cell in the human body contains cholesterol, and it plays an important role in our digestive system, hormone production and Vitamin D production. Because of its fatty and waxy composition it’s great for protecting the skin from outside influences.

Adding Cholesterol to your beauty / skincare regimen will help strengthen the skin, as well as posting protective properties. As you reach your 30’s (and onwards) your natural Cholesterol production starts to decrease. Therefore adding more through Cholesterol-rich product is key for keeping that youthful glow!

Squalane Oil 

There are two different types of Oils: Saturated and Unsaturated.

Squalane Oil is created when Squalene Oil (with an ‘e’) underges the hydrogenation process; turning the Squalene from an Unsaturated Oil into a Saturated one. Squalane is also naturally occurring in our bodies, and is brilliant for the skin, because of its stable nature and long shelf life.

It will:

·      Moisturise

·      Prevent irritation

·      Control Oil production

·      Act as an eye and lip treatment

·      Prevent pore clogging

·      Sooth

·      Fight bacteria

·      Protect skin from free radicals

Retinyl Plamitate

This anti-ager is made when Palmitic Acid combines with Retinol. It’s also naturally occurring, so just another one on the list of things your body actually needs, but may not be making enough of for its self. It has strong anti-ageing and antioxidant protection properties.

In the short term this ingredient can combat dry, flaky skin, and neutralise free radicals. 

NOTE: As this is rich in Vitamin A, using it will make your skin more sensitive to the sun’s rays, so be careful and wear your SPF each day when your skin comes into contact with this.

Hyaluronic Acid

The ultimate skincare hero: HA. It works to keep every aspect of the skin stable, and is a humectant, and draws moisture from its surroundings, to feed to the skin cells. In fact, one gram of Hyaluronic Acid can hold up to six litres of water. Madness!

HA ultimately can enhance moisture in skin cells, revitalise skin’s outer layers, make skin look and feel softer and smoother, and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

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All of these are naturally occurring in skin (they are glycosaminoglycan) to support its matrix, but their production can be depleted or reduced due to stress, over exposure to sun, environmental stressors or ageing. Therefore it can only be beneficial to keep and check on all these levels, and feed your skin when it’s in need of each one.

Why linktree Is No Good For Your Website – And What To Do About It

We’ve seen the linktree pages in their hoards on Instagram and Blogs, and often found the odd useful element – but are they actually good for a website? Here are The Brand Whisperer’s reasons why not:

·      Security

If you’re running your own website, it’s obviously important to keep security as a high priority. Running pages through other websites, be they established, or smaller, is always a risk.

·      Branding

Why spend time making a website or a blog look great, and then transfer it onto another platform? Your first impression of a brand may be social media, a website, or a well placed ad, but do you really want potential customer’s first impressions of your brand identity to be through linktree? It’s clunky, old fashioned format may well drive them away

·      SEO

Using linktree removes your own URL from the equation, thus affecting your SEO. In other words.. each time someone clicks that link it’s boosting linktree’s SEO and viewing figures, not your own. When a blog has a large audience incoming through their social channels this has the potential to really do damage, or cause confusion.

·      Visibility

If this hasn’t occurred to you already then please check your outgoing mail etc. as linktree links are often banned, or removed from emails or platforms when posted. This is obviously a huge obstacle to overcome – but simply not using linktree, and creating your own hidden page solves that without any issue!

So what now?

Creating a ‘hidden’ page within your website, with images, news and information that you’d normally input into a linktree page, is by far the best option (and it’s free!) - have a look at ours here [also available via our Instagram bio link]. This uses your own URL, supporting your SEO, carries your own branding and can be tracked from the back end of your website, so can be a great way of providing new business leads.

Why waste time – get on it now, and tag us in your new and improved pages @the.brand.whisperer #thebrandwhisperer