Intro to natural skincare

Have you ever taken a look at the massive amounts of ingredients in most skincare products? It's precisely the reason I started a skincare line myself. To start off, I have pretty sensitive, very fair skin. Here's my little story of how it all came to be:

So, many years ago, maybe about 2004, to treat myself, I went to Nordstrom to purchase a facial moisturizer with a high SPF. A woman was kind enough to help me out, and this many years later I can't say exactly what the product was, but it was about $70, for maybe a one ounce sized jar. 

I tested it out on my hand because I was wearing a full face of makeup, but it felt nice, and soaked in well. I purchased it and went home. I was so excited to use it the next morning. I rarely treated myself to anything nice (being a late teen or barely 20 years old at the time) so we're talking super excited. After my shower I scooped out a modest (again, I was pretty poor) amount and slathered it on my face. Immediate regret. Buyer's remorse. Pain and confusion. My face was on fire. 

We're talking red, blotchy, burning, close to my eyes too. And a moisturizer isn't something you can just wash off. It had soaked in, deep. I nearly cried as I rolled ice cubes down my face, hoping for the pain to stop. 

How could something that was fine to put on my hand react so differently on my face?? Well, turns out there are lots of reasons. But at the time I was just sad. I had wasted a ton of money on something that made me feel awful. But me being me, I was more interested with the why. 

When you read the ingredients on skincare, it's usually in the tiniest point size known to man  - something you need a magnifying glass to read. Or it's just printed on the box that you already threw into the recycling. Well, when I got my hands on the ingredients list, and could properly read them, I realized I could pronounce maybe 5% of the words. And I had no idea what about 99% of the things I was reading even were. This, of course, would not slide. I needed to know what I was dealing with. Also, what in there caused such an awful reaction? 

Needless to say, in my research, I discovered that I did not want to put about 100% of those ingredients onto my face. And we're talking about a well-known, 'high-end' skincare company. Making (IMHO) literal garbage. 

In this blog series I'll be giving you the full rundown of our skincare products - and most importantly the WHY. We'll break it down by skin type, by product, by routine. We'll breakdown stereo types of the kinds of skincare you 'should' be using based on skin type, and I will help you build a personalized regimen. 

Our REFRESH is my go-to daily moisturizer. It's light, absorbent, and good for a multitude of skin types. It has sun blocking properties, and comes in three convenient sizes. (Though we're positive you're going to ask for a gallon size as soon as you get it into your daily routine) If you're working on switching to natural skincare, this is the perfect product to start with. 

I am always happy to answer any skincare questions - info@handmadelaconner.com - so please don't hesitate to ask.