Asian cosmetics - safety and testing

Asian cosmetics (especially Korean and Japanese) have become very popular in Europe and in the US recently. I'm not going to talk about if they're worth the hype or not, since that is not the purpose of this post. In few words : Asian brands tend to cater more for asian skin. For instance, asians are very prone to pigmentation, that's why whitening products are highly sought after, which is the focus of many asian brands. In terms of performance, I think you can find good/bad products whether they're Asian/Au/European or US products. It all depends on what the needs of your skin are. 

What I'm concerned about:  

If you take a look at the ingredients they are pretty much the same thing you find on european/american labels and the list of ingredients is one of the things I look into when I buy a product. I've already made a post on which ones you should look out for when you purchase a product so you can check it out here.
Now, to examine all the ingredients one by one isn't convenient at all, so luckily for us there are some websites that serve this purpose.

-After some research I found out a website similar to the Environmental Working Group's  Skin Deep Database and Good Guide for asian products.

 CosDNA

Here's the link : http://www.cosdna.com/eng/

• You can search products by name. (Product search)

•  You can search by ingredients. (Ingredients)

• If you can't find a product, you can write the ingredients. (Analyze Cosmetics)

It shows the ingredient, its function, if it can cause acne or irritation ( if the number is higher than 2 it is likely it causes acne/irritation) , and its safety.

Animal testing (Korean brands)

There is a list of cruelty free Korean brands on KARA (Korea Animal Rights Advocates) website. 

The list includes cosmetic and household products.

 - Link - http://animalrightskorea.org/bad-science/korean-cruelty-free-cosmetics.html

"I can't find the company I want to purchase from."

If the company you want to purchase from is not listed, what you can do is to
email them and ask very specific questions. Ask if the company tests final product, commissions testing of product or ingredients, and whether they have 100% clarity from their suppliers about whether they test or commission.- (animal testing)

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Epilating - My tips

In this post I would like to share some tips on how to use an epilator (from my experience). Despite my skin being extremely sensitive, I use an epilator because I have a lot of leg hair.

I don't want to shave because:
When I shave, my hair starts to grow back out the very next day. Coarse in texture and very dark. Since I have sensitive skin when hair has just started to grow, my skin itches too much.

When I use the epilator:

1. Hair starts to grow after 7-10 days.
2. Initially only 40% grows back.(Hairs will not grow at the same pace)
3. Epilating won't make your hair darker or coarser.


Preparation and how to use it:

• Exfoliate - Whether I shave or use the epilator, I always get ingrown hairs when I don't exfoliate my skin. You should do this regularly, but if you're too lazy exfoliate the day before. I use a loofah rather than scrubs. I find that it works better for this purpose (at least for me it does). Showering beforehand will make it just a little less painful, but make sure you're skin is completely dry before epilating. Do not put on any lotion/cream.

• Epilate when the hair is short - 2-3mm is the ideal length. When I epilated for the first time I cried because my hair was long and it was extremely painful. I simply couldn't handle it so I stopped and shaved the rest. 

• Hold the epilator 90 degrees against the skin. Hold the skin taut and move it slowly against the grain of the hair.

• Epilate the day before going out since you might get a lot of redness. It takes my skin 1-2 days to go heal completely.

• I use coconut oil to get rid of it. Apply it as soon as you're finished epilating. It is the only thing that has worked faster than any other product I've used to reduce the redness/irritation. When the skin absorbs it I reapply two more times. I don't need to use an ice pack, but if it is too painful for you go ahead and use it.

• Avoid epilating right before or during your menstrual cycle.(Too Painful)

You will get used to the pain after you epilate a couple of times. You'll begin to get comfortable and relax the muscles hence it will hurt less.
 -Except the legs, I epilate my underarms so easily now. The area has been used to the epilator and it doesn't matter how long the hair is, it never gets irritated or red. I don't even apply anything afterwards. I just epilate them both for 30 sec and I'm good to go.
-On the contrary, my arms are beyond sensitive. Except redness, I get bumps as well. They don't go away for days no matter what I use. So I don't use an epilator on my arms anymore.

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Coconut oil

Coconut oil

There is a lot of information on the Internet on coconut oil and its benefits, so in this post I'm going to write about how I prefer to use coconut oil and also compare it to other oils. This is my personal experience so it may not work the same for everyone since everybody is different, but it's worth giving it a try.

1. Pre-poo.

I use coconut oil on dry and damaged hair and it is the best oil I've ever used. I though it would be heavy, but it doesn't weight my hair down at all. It leaves the hair soft, reduces frizz and makes it shiny without looking greasy. It is slightly better than olive oil, because I feel that it makes hair a little softer.
I still like to use jojoba and grape seed oil on the roots of my hair and scalp(If I'm experiencing dryness) because they are very light and don't affect the oil production of the scalp.
However I do use olive oil on the scalp in case of dandruff or if it gets flaky.

How to use it:
(Coconut oil is solid so you have to melt it first.)

I use it on damp(or wet) hair so in this way the oil will seal in moisture.
Comb your hair, and then take a spray bottle, fill it with water and spray it on your hair. Use a narrow container for the oil so you can easily put a narrow toothed comb in there to pick it up and then comb your hair spreading the oil on the dry/damaged hair.
Always start from the ends. In this way your hair won't tangle. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then shampoo.

2. After epilating.

Even though my skin is very sensitive I use an Epilator to remove the hair on my underarms and legs.  And the problem is that my skin would stay very irritated for two days and it takes a very long time for the red spots to go away completely.

I've used creams and oils(sweet almond oil) and they've had the same effect. Coconut oil was the only thing to work faster to heal the skin.
Apply the oil immediately after you epilate and again after some hours.
Since this may not work for everyone I recommend you epilate e small area on your leg, apply the oil twice a day and see if it works any different than whatever you have used before.


3. Heels.

Whenever you get out of the shower apply some coconut oil on your heels. It will soften the skin and prevent heels from cracking. Immediately wear socks after the application.


4.Deodorant.
I have made a separate post about this so click here.


5.Scrubs. (lips + body)
Scrubs always turn out great no matter what oils you use. My favorite recipe with coconut oil for both lips and body is  :

1. Coconut Oil                  
2. Sugar
3. Lemon

Mix the ingredients together until it reaches the right consistency for you.


Let me know in the comments below how do you like to use coconut oil :)

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DIY deodorant

1. Baking Soda.

I tested baking soda as a deodorant this summer and in this post I'm going to let you know the results.

First of all, you should know that I sweat A LOT. If I skipped deodorant for a day I would stink.

Here is what I did:
-I showered the night before I went out and applied baking soda generously on my armpits and went to sleep. I did NOT reapply it in the morning and I wore a tank top so my armpits were bare.
The temperature that day was above 30°C and I stayed outside for 5 hours.

Results:
When I returned home my armpits didn't smell at all. It was just a slight sweet smell. You could barely sense it. And I swear that it lasted a little more than 40 hours. I was very surprized because my expectations were very low.

BUT, when I tried BS two more times it didn't work. Here I'm going to tell you why and give you some tips:

1.  Apply the BS on cleaned armpits.
2.  Let it sit until the area is completely dry and don't do anything that will make you sweat during that time. -This was the mistake I made. After applying BS I started blow drying my hair. But when I applied it at night and went to sleep it worked perfectly fine.
3. Wear white cotton T-shirts underneath your clothes. -Even if you're using regular deodorant wearing cotton is the best choice, because other fabrics transform the smell and make it much worse than it actually is. My armpits wouldn't smell that bad, but the cloth on that area would stink badly. Also BS won't stain the white shirt.
4. If you sweat because of stress and anxiety BS is not going to work. It didn't work for me in the days that I was stressed.
5. It will remove the residue on your armpits caused by deodorants.

How to use it :
 The application is very easy. Just wet the BS with water and rub it on your armpits.
 Warning: Those with sensitive skin should test BS on their skin first, because it can be irritating.


2.Coconut oil + Baking soda.

You are going to need :

        a) 2/3 cup Virgin coconut oil ( when it is liquid it's clear in color)
        b) 1/4 cup Baking soda
       
(Many people add arrowroot, cornstarch and essential oils to the recipe ,but I don't know how it works with these ingredients. Essential oils with anti bacterial properties are a good idea though.)

-First, melt the oil and then add bs. Take a small container and put plastic wrap around it(because it's easier to take the mixture out after it solidifies.) Put it in the fridge or let it solidify in room temperature.
You can directly use it on skin.

-Another method is to whip the coconut oil and then mix it with bs. Apply it with your fingers. Make sure you've washed your hands first.

You can chose whichever method you prefer.

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