Ingredients. How much do they really matter in skin care, and in your personal wellbeing? And is buying products made with simple, natural ingredients beneficial? Taking into consideration that our skin is our largest organ of the body being responsible for keeping bacteria at bay by serving as a protective barrier, while also regulating and maintaining body temperature and the skins pH balance, I think it is safe to say that taking care of your skin is essential, and that the ingredients in the products we use can have the potential to serve us, or hurt us.
Over the course of a few years, skin and hair care influencers and experts have been exposing the harmful ingredients behind the marketing campaigns of such products online. Numerous well known hair care brands have gone through massive lawsuits involving claims from people about hair loss, scalp blisters and the noticed cancer-causing, and hormone dysregulating ingredients like formaldehyde and other carcinogens being used in not only hair care products, but also body washes, soaps, and lotions as well. How ironic, and disturbing is it that many of these big beauty brands put ingredients causing illnesses, under the name of self care in their products?! As a consumer and skin enthusiast myself, I have noticed that plenty of the skin care products I bought to target areas like acne, oiliness, acute rosacea, and sensitive skin were masking the problems, only for them to resurface again a week later. My biggest ingredient enemy was called alcohol denat, and it wasn’t until I came to a medical esthetician years ago, that she told me that the alcohol denat in my toner, moisturizer and lotion are drying out my skin making it feel tight and worsening the rosacea. Ever since, I’ve been mindful of buying products without it and my skin has never felt better. Another time, I went to Sephora because my oily skin turned dry and flakey (from using harsh toners with ingredients that did not suit my skin) to find a product that would help aid my new problem. The lady sold me an exfoliator serum that left my face stinging, and on top of that sold me a moisturizer to target wrinkles at 17 years old. Where is the face palm emoji when you need one! Although I now poke fun at the scenario, I think this also goes to show how impressionable we are, especially when we are that young. We place our trust in so many people, the internet and social media and it is only with time that we learn to trust ourselves with what is good for us and our bodies, and perhaps that journey comes with making a few mistakes along the way, and that’s ok. My skin has greatly appreciated me looking at the tiny writing on the back of products, as it now looks and feels healthy and smooth after carefully analyzing and researching what ingredients I am allowing to use in my skin care routine, and that can look different for everyone! There is no right or wrong to self care, only realizing what ingredients work or don't work for you, what you like, and what makes you and your skin feel healthy, beautiful, and confident.
At Bowness Soapworks, we love nature, adventure and community, and our goal is to express that in our soap products and workshops. We believe less is more, for you and the environment. Our soaps are made with simple, clean ingredients - coconut oil, olive oil, glycerin, water, 100% essential oils, and love, and they can be used all over the body, face, scalp, and hair. Glycerin, coconut, and olive oil contain excellent moisturizing properties, that when used in our soap, give it a luxurious lathering feel to the skin without it feeling waxy or drying. Both oils work as emollients, and are known as occlusive moisturizers, meaning that they function to help seal moisture into the skin and work to soothe the skin with their antimicrobial properties, which aid the skins primary function as the protective barrier is it. The essential oils and other natural ingredients we use can also target specific areas of concerns, like our Black Bamboo body bar. The activated charcoal is a great ingredient for cleansing deep into the pores of the skin and removing any impurities. A personal favorite of mine is the “You Can Do It” bar made with patchouli and lavender essential oils, which not only smells so relaxing in the shower, but has helped my body become more hydrated and smoother with the added benefits of the combined essential oils. Patchouli oil is an amazing ingredient for people with dry skin types, as it moisturizes the skin and helps treat scars, cracks, or any wounds the skin may have, while lavender oil has proven anti bacterial properties. Also, who doesn’t love a bar of soap with a motivational affirmation! As nature lovers, we also strive to be a sustainable company, being mindful of how we go about waste, and reusing our soap scraps in showing you how to create amazing texture and dimension in our soap making workshops. Our workshops also provide you to have a better scope and understanding about how and why we use our ingredients. A portion of the proceeds from the soap we sell goes to organizations that share our same values of taking care of the beautiful outdoors, which reflect as we strive to also take care of our beautiful selves, with our adventure inspired soap. We recognize that everyone’s skin is different and wonderful in their own unique way, and we hope our soap can simplify your self care routine and give you the peace of mind that you can feel safe and healthy with our natural and sustainable products, with clean and beneficial ingredients. We also recognize that perhaps for some people, our soap doesn’t suit their needs and as a local company loving to support community and enthusiastic about helping you discover other local businesses, you can find us showing our support to other local companies on our social media pages.
Self care and skin care are all personal journeys, and discovering the ingredients behind the label can greatly aid in becoming more mindful of what we are putting onto our skin, and what benefits they do or do not have for you and the environment.
