Raspberry Moon Skin Therapy

A Sassy, Saucy Skincare & Waxing Studio in Greenville, SC

864.271.2710

1211D Laurens Road Greenville, SC 29607

Skincare

Honey Inside and Out

Honey has many advantages both topically and internally. But before we talk about that, here’s a little video about where honey comes from:

Why is honey used in skincare?

Add honey to your skincare routine

As a moisturizer, honey helps to draw moisture from the air. It works as a lovely exfoliator especially for acne and sensitive skin. It works as an antioxidant just as the flowers would that the bees ate the nectar from, so it helps to fight free radicals. The darker the honey, the more antioxidant power it has!

Honey is also great at calming irritation and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is wonderful to use as a mask. I keep honey from The Carolina Honey Bee in the shop to use as a mask.

Honey in cooking

Honey contains trace amounts of B-Complex Vitamins and Vitamin C, minerals, protein amino acids and enzymes. Since it is a slow absorbing sugar, it has a lower glycemic level. Raw honey is great for your digestive system. Since it is 40% fructose (that is almost two times sweeter than sugar – hmm I had no idea) you actually need less for the same level of sweetness.

It is fabulous to cook with – just use it in marinades, dressings and beverages.

Be sure to stop in to the Carolina Honey Bee for some tasty honey. Hot honey is trendy now, and I LOVE their chili infused honey. I’ve actually bought their plain honey and just dumped my chilies from my empty jar into the new one. Within a few days it was spicy!

Honey is very easy to infuse so buy a big jar and infuse smaller containers with different herbs if you like. Also, Susan does a Honey Tasting so gather some friends and sign up for one of her tastings. It was super fun.

Resources for Bees and Honey

Honeybee

There are several great Local Bee Companies so be sure to Buy Local! Local honey is also known to help with your allergies.

The Carolina Honey Bee – https://carolinabeeco.com/

Miss Bee Haven – https://www.missbeehoney.com/

Bee Well Honey Farm – https://beewellhoneyfarm.com/

I read an interesting article from Susan at The Carolina Honey Bee in Traveler’s Rest. She was talking about Goldenrod and its importance to the thriving of the hive. Although it might terrorize those of us with allergies, the bees need it for several reasons – the Queen is stimulated to make more brood and it is what the bees will live off of in the fall and going into winter months. For the complete article, check out https://carolinabeeco.com/bee-blog/f/the-buzz-about-goldenrod

Want to know what flowers and herbs to plant for your bees? Check out https://www.missbeehoney.com/pages/flowers-for-bees for more info.

New Beauty Article from Summer 2013 – The Multitasking Power of Honey

Great ways to help the bees – https://www.beegirl.org/helpourbees

Great Bee and Butterfly Source – https://xerces.org/pollinators-southeast-region/

Alcohol in Skincare? For Shame…….or no?

A few weekends ago at the Skin Script Empowerment Retreat, we got to hear from the John Stanek, the formulator behind Lisa’s magic and probably one of the fastest speakers I have ever heard! LOL. He was a wealth of knowledge and you can tell that he is very passionate about his work.

Is alcohol in skincare good or not so good?

One of the topics he spoke about was alcohol in skincare, specifically in the Skin Script line and why it is used.

There is this big panic about having alcohol in skincare products. The truth of the matter is that not all alcohols are created equal and not all alcohols are bad. We actually need alcohol in some products to help the product work better, as an anti-bacterial agent, as an emulsifier, and they also play well with essential oils.

Here are some alcohols that are used in skincare and why we actually use them:

Simple Alcohols like Ethanol act as an astringent, drying, antiseptic and evaporates quickly.

Denatured Alcohol helps deliver active ingredients into the skin because it has great solvent properties.

Fatty Alcohol or Cetyl Alcohol is non-drying and has a complex molecular structure. They have a fabulous emollient effect on products and also helps to slow trans-epidermal water loss.

SD Alcohol is commonly known as budding or baker’s yeast. It is a brilliant solvent that blends well with water. It will change the environment so the formulator can add active ingredients that otherwise would be insoluble, into the final product. It is like pixie dust or having a magic wand!

So although some alcohols are bad for the skin, there are some that are needed to make a stellar product line. John Stanek was very clear that Skin Script as a whole uses the least amount of alcohol as possible and only for a very specific purpose.

So rest assured you are in good hands with Skin Script and with Raspberry Moon!

Cheers!

Nicole

WTH Do All These Words Mean I Can’t Pronounce!

What are some of those crazy beauty ingredients?Have you ever looked at an ingredient label and thought WTH does all this mean?

And then some companies advertise the whole “If you can’t pronounce it, then it is bad for you!” Well, that’s not exactly true.

Here are some large words you may find on your skincare bottles and what they actually refer to.

  • Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride – this comes from coconut and is used as a thickening agent and is a great emollient.
  • Dihydrogen Oxide – Means 2 Hydrogen and 1 Oxygen – Anyone remember a tiny bit of High School Chemistry? Also known as Water!
  • Phenoxyethanol – this is actually a preservative that is globally approved, is non-irritating, non-sensitizing and is used to help prevent bacteria growth. Yeah who wants nasty critters running amok in their skincare? Not me!
  • SD Alcohol – is made from Saccharomyces cerevisiae which is a species of yeast. It has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times according to Wikipedia. This is more commonly known as baker’s yeast or budding yeast. This is used because it mixes so well with water and allows the formulator to add active ingredients that otherwise would be insoluble into the end product.
  • Sodium Hydroxypropysulfonate Laurylglucoside Crosspolymer – Holy Smokes could this be any longer!? This is a natural plant derived surfactant made from coconut oil and corn syrup. It is renewable and gentle to the skin.

Scientific beakerWhy water isn’t water on an ingredient list

So why the heck can’t they just say baker’s yeast or use a word that everyone would know? This has to do with INCI names, International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. It requires that all ingredients are listed on the label; there can be no trade names or company proprietary ingredients. If a company won’t list its ingredients or tries to hide it, then you should be concerned.

Be sure to check out our blog post on peptides for a list of commonly used peptides, what they mean, and why we use them.

 

Peptides in Skincare

Skin Script products that include peptides

So what the heck are peptides and why do I care?

Peptides are short chain amino acids that penetrate the Stratum Corneum (the top layer of your skin). They are synthetic and made in a lab.

Peptides make skincare more functional and help ingredients perform better. They are basically telling our skin to do something. I am all for using as natural of a skincare line as possible, but we still have to have products that actually do something positive for the skin!

Below is a list of commonly used Peptides, what they do and even what Skin Script product they are used in!

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

AKA Argireline, reduces fine lines and facial tension, has a Botox like effect on wrinkles great around the eye area, forehead or even the neck. Found in: Peptide Eye Serum and Tri-Peptide Eye Cream

Acetyl Octapeptide-3

AKA SNAP 8, reduces wrinkle depth. Found in: Vitamin C/Green Tea Serum

ChroNOline

Boosts Collagen, helps to smooth and soften the skin, helps to restore and restructure the skin, great for menopausal skin. Found in: Peptide Restoration Moisturizer

Copper Tripeptide-1

Promotes healing. Found in: Peptide Restoration Moisturizer

Human Oligopeptide-1 (EGF)

Helps to divide the cells quicker – and not to worry, this doesn’t come from a human, it is a chain of 53 amino acids. Found in: Peptide Restoration Moisturizer

Kollaren

Tells the circulatory system to kick on, helps lift and tone. Found in: Passionfruit Enzyme Treatment

Matrixyl Sythe’6

Has been used for years and is considered the Gold Standard in skincare and pro-aging ingredients. It is used to soften wrinkles. Found in: Ageless Hydrating Serum – 65% Hyaluronic Acid!

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide

Diminishes dark circles. Found in: Peptide Eye Serum

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7

Diminishes dark circles. Found in: Peptide Eye Serum

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5

Stimulates collagen. Found in: Tri-Peptide Eye Cream

Reproage™

Improves skin roughness and resolves texture issues. Found in: Peptide Restoration Moisturizer

So there you have the peptide story in a nutshell. Lab created, skin approved!

Honey in Your at Home Facial Routine

Add a little Sweetness to your at Home Facial Treatment by using honey.

Benefits of Honey:

  • A clean face is important first stepIt is a humectant, which means it will attract and keep moisture inside your skin
  • It has anti-oxidant properties which play an important role in protecting your skin against damage from UV (ultra violet) sun light
  • It is effective in treating wounds – it accelerates healing, reduces redness and inflammation and can help to treat bacterial infections
  • It may also be effective in helping with eye infections/conjunctivitis – reducing discharge and swelling and helps speed up the healing process
  • It is a great alternative for healing minor burns

Facial Mask Recipes By Skin Type:

For Sensitive Skin

  • 1 tsp Aloe
  • 2 tsp Honey

For Dry SkinAdd honey to your skincare routine

  • 2 tsp Honey
  • 2 tsp Yogurt
  • 2 tsp Avocado

Skin Brightener and Hydrator

  • 1 Tbsp of Chickpea Flour
  • 1 tsp of Tumeric
  • 2 Tbsp of Milk or Yogurt (optional) (if using powdered milk use about 1 tsp, add enough water or rosewater to make a lovely paste)
  • 1-2 tsp Honey

Directions

Simply blend all ingredients well by hand or you can even use a small food processor. If they are the consistence of yogurt they will spread well.

Apply with a facial brush or your fingers.

Relax for 15 minutes.

Rinse and apply your serums and creams.

Enjoy your beautiful skin!