Juara Skincare Review

Juara is a vegan skin care line based on historical Indonesian herbal and botanical treatments.  Using traditional Indonesian botanical remedies like healing teas, sandalwood, turmeric, tamarind and rice, combined with western science, these products have an east-meets-west attitude towards anti-aging and skin health.
Juara was kind enough to send me some samples of their daily skin care regimen of cleansing, toning and moisturizing.  Here's what I found:

Rice Facial Cleanser

This foaming, suflate-free cleanser leaves skin soft and hydrated, removing all traces of dirt, oil and makeup.  With rice starch as the active ingredient, known for its soothing and softening properties, as well as its ability to decrease moisture loss, this cleanser works great for all skin types.  

I found this cleanser to have an amazingly pleasant smell, almost like slipping into a tropical vacation - with sweet citrus and warm coconut scents, it's a great way to wake up the senses in the morning.

I especially liked using this cleanser with my Clarisonic - it left my skin feeling super clean and soft!  The only thing I didn't love is that it left my skin feeling a little too "squeaky clean," probably due to the foaming or fragrance ingredients, but after using the toner (reviewed next), my skin felt perfectly soft and supple.

Ingredients:
Water, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Rice (Oryza sativa) Starch, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Glycol Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenypropanol, Fragrance.

Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner

Juara describes this product as a "toner serum", and I completely get why.  This toner is super hydrating, just as the name implies, with a slightly thicker consistency than most toners.  It comes out of the bottle with a brownish tinge, which threw me off a bit, but it disappears perfectly into the skin, leaving it soft and glowing.  The oil-free liquid contains all kinds of skin-loving ingredients, like black, green and white teas for a super antioxidant boost, and tamarind extract to boost hydration and sooth skin.  It also contains rice bran extract to minimize irritation and de-stress skin, and hyaluronic acid to further hydrate and plump.
This product has the most impressive ingredient list of them all, with mostly actives in the list:


Water, Pentylene Glycol, Tamarind Seed (Tamarindus indica) Extract, White Tea, Green Tea, Black Tea (Camellia sinensis) Extract, Rice (Oryza sativa) Bran Extract, Honey Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate.

I swiped this over my face and neck after cleansing and loved the way my skin felt afterwards!  It left me with a great glow and smooth, softened skin.  It also relieved any tightness or "squeakiness" I felt after cleansing. It definitely feels a bit more conditioning than most toners, which is probably why it is dubbed a "toner serum".  Whatever you call it, it's good stuff!


Sweet Black Tea and Rice Facial Moisturizer
This lightweight moisturizer contains fermented black tea (aka Kombucha) to soften and brighten, and Rice Bran Oil to hydrate as its active ingredients.  Rice Brain Oil is an excellent source of natural fatty acids and Vitamin E, both of which are really important for softening, hydrating and protecting skin.
I found this moisturizer to have a great consistency that soaks right into the skin and leaves it with a hydrated glow.  My skin didn't feel oily or dry all day - it was comfortable and soft, which is a big feat because my skin is pretty bipolar when it comes to its dry and oily zones.
Ingredients:
Water/Eau, Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana) Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Avocado (Persea gratissima) Oil Unsaponifiables, Rice Bran (Oryza sativa) Oil, Cyclomethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Illipe (Shorea stenoptera) Seed Butter, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Squalane, Saccharomyces/Xylinum Black Tea Ferment, Hydroxyethylacrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenypropanol, Fragrance/Parfum. 






Bottom Line: REALLY LIKE!  The products are really unique in their use of Indonesian botanicals and herbs to soften and hydrate skin.  While I don't love the addition of fragrance in the cleanser and moisturizer, and found the cleanser a bit too... cleansing, I did appreciate the texture and feel of all the products, especially the toner.  If you're looking for a good, hydrating line with strong natural antioxidants, this is a great line for you!

Devita Skin Care Review

Devita is a natural cosmeceutical skin care company based out of Arizona. They make all-natural, vegan, paraben-free and PETA certified products for face and body. From my experience, it's hard to find a natural line of skin care that is also effective. Devita, being a cosmeceutical brand, has found the perfect balance between efficacy and remaining natural! They use cutting edge peptide technology and combine it with well-researched vitamins, minerals and botanical extracts for powerful results.

The DeVita product line uses organic Aloe Vera as a natural and dynamic delivery system - allowing their active Vitamins, Botanicals and Peptides to penetrate and get to work within the skin. You'll find Aloe Vera as the first or second ingredient in almost every one of their products. What you won't find in any products are preservatives. I asked DeVita how this was possible, and here's what they said:

pH and Your Skin

pH balance is very important for the health of the skin. To start, a quick lesson in pH:

pH, or potential of Hydrogen, is a measure of how acidic or alkaline (basic) a solution is on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being acidic, 14 being alkaline, and 7 being neutral.

Now, what does this have to do with your skin?...

Skin has a normal pH between 4.5 and 6.5. This naturally acidic pH is the body's first line of defense, called the acid mantle. The acid mantle is comprised of natural secretions like sweat and sebum, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and lactic acids that protect against harmful bacteria (including the p. acnes bacteria that is responsible for acne), moisture loss, viruses and contaminants, all of which are alkaline in nature and so are neutralized by the natural acidity of the skin.

Boots Organics Review

My skin has been the definition of bipolar lately. One second, it's happy and glowing with not a blemish in site, and the next it's dry and flaky, covered in blackheads and blemishes. Argh!! I was experiencing the latter while in my local Target the other day, perusing the skin care aisles for a miracle product to save my face when I landed on the Boots Organics line. I couldn't argue with the price point (all under $15!) and after a quick review of the ingredients in the Organic Hydrating Face Cream, I tossed a jar in my cart along with a tube of the face scrub, body wash and body cream from the same line. One week later, I am in LOVE!

The Organic Hydrating Face Cream has saved my life... ok, maybe not my life, but at least my face! I used it the same night I got it and woke up to visibly calmer, smoother skin. Not wanting to get too excited over the immediate results, I stuck with it for the next few days and nights, and my skin has continued to get better. I've even noticed a reduction in blackheads!

Oil and Oily Skin

Having oily skin can sometimes seem like a never-ending battle against shine, grime, and that "dirty" feeling. The quest for that "squeaky clean" feel will lead to a barrage of anti-shine, oil absorbing, mattifying cleansers, toners, and treatments. But what's the best way to really control oil so that you don't end up with that slick forehead by lunch? To start, it's important to understand what and where that oil is coming from:

Oil is sebum, secreted by the sebaceous glands found in the dermis (or second layer) of the skin. From here, oil makes its way to the surface of the skin through follicular pores, where it helps condition and soften hair, and keep skin supple. For som

e, oil is overproduced, leading to that shiny and greasy look and feel. Overproduction of oil can be due to heredity, diet, hormones/stress, and can be in response to topical treatments as well.

For many people with oily skin, the tendency is to cleanse with harsh detergent soaps and hot water, followed by "oil controlling" "antibacterial" astringents, promising to banish dirt and oil from the skin. Then, most forgo moisturizer and sunscreen, and many women go straight for mattifying makeup and heavy powders to keep the skin shine free all day long... or at least for a couple of hours until the shine shows back up and the cycle starts all over again.

This is actually the worst thing you can do for your skin! This all ends up over-drying and irritating the skin, which results in more oil production as the skin tries to balance itself back out. Instead of going the above route, try some of these tried and true methods for controlling oil:

- Cleanse with a gentle, pH balanced cleanser. You don't want that "squeaky-clean feeling" - that just means that the skin has been stripped of its natural fatty barrier, which does more harm than good. I think it's always good to have 2 cleansers on hand to go between. Try the oil-based cleansers mentioned in a previous post (like dissolves like), and try a cleanser with salicylic or glycolic acids. These serve to gently exfoliate the skin and unclog pores without being too harsh (try to find one with no fragrance and no alcohol). DO NOT wash with hot water, as that just strips and irritates the skin. Instead, use cool to lukewarm water; it feels much more refreshing and is gentler on the skin.

- Tone with an alcohol-free toner. Find one with witch hazel or salicylic acid to keep the pores clean without stripping the skin.

- Moisturize with an oil-free lotion with an SPF of at least 15. It is very important to use a moisturizer to help balance and protect the skin from UV damage. This will also help control oil, since your skin will not feel the need to produce more oil to moisturize itself.

One of the best things I ever did for my oily skin was to actually put oil on it. I know that sounds crazy, but it was amazing! After just a few nights of using oil as a night moisturizer, my skin stopped getting that slick look, my pores looked smaller, and overall my skin looked a lot healthier. Some people use plain old olive oil, but I like to use oils blended specifically for the face. There are a lot out there now, including Josie Maran's Argan Oil, and Bobbi Brown's Extra Face Oil.

Last, but not least, if you do feel a little shiny during the day, don't pack on the powder. Instead, use oil blotting sheets: they absorb excess oil without disturbing makeup, and leave your skin looking clean and matte.

(photo from bobbibrown.com)

Oil-Based Cleansers

I know what you're thinking: "There is no way I'm going to smear oil all over my face!"

Even though it sounds like the opposite of what we've been told to do all our lives, there's actually a good reason these cleansers are now all over the market. That reason starts with an important chemistry rule: "like dissolves like".

This means that the oil in the cleanser attracts and dissolves the oil and dirt on your face without stripping your skin or using harsh detergents (like most cleansers do). This makes oil-based cleansers perfect for all skin types, especially sensitive and oily types. I know that those with oily skin will have the hardest time with this idea, but trust me - adding oil and moisture to your skin is the best thing you can do to control oil (more to come on this in a later post).

These cleansers are also ideal for removing makeup, since most makeup is oil based. To use, just massage the cleanser on dry skin and rinse. Most are safe to use around the eyes also and are great at removing heavy eye makeup and mascara in one easy step... meaning no more eye makeup remover required. (this sold it for me!)

Almost every makeup and skin care line now offers oil-based cleansers.

Shu Uemura's are by far the most popular with an almost cult-like following, but at $62 or more per bottle, I'll leave it.

My favorite is Clean Energy from Origins (pictured above). At $36 per bottle, it's still not cheap but is the best I've tried; it doesn't feel too greasy or silicon-y, and it rinses perfectly clean, taking every last trace of makeup with it.

Give these cleansers a try! Most lines will give you a sample to try before you buy, and if they don't, move on! With all the formulations out there, I'm sure you'll find one that's right for you. You'll love how it easily removes your makeup and leaves your skin soft and supple.